Shelter Mountain (22 page)

“No, it’s okay.”

“Why don’t I go get you something. Aspirin or something.”

“Naw, forget it. I’ll be fine.”

There were only a few for dinner, typical for a rainy night. Jack sat at a table with Mel, Doc Mullins and Mike while Paige and Christopher sat at the bar with Preacher standing on the other side, coaching Christopher to eat a little more. Everyone was done before seven and Jack was picking up the plates. Mel went back to the kitchen with him where they started washing up.

“Hey, man,” Preacher said. “I got that.”

“We’re almost done here. Then we’ll get out of your hair.”

“No hurry, man. I have sweeping up to do.”

“I could get that, too,” Jack offered.

“Don’t worry about it.”

In ten minutes, Jack was holding Mel’s coat for her. Mullins was edging out the door and Paige was taking Christopher upstairs for his bath.

“You coming, Mike?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be along in a minute.”

“Don’t overstay your welcome,” Jack advised.

“I’ll be right behind you.”

When everyone had gone, Mike moved to the bar. Preacher started putting chairs up on the tables so he could sweep. But Mike said, “Hey, Preacher, come here a minute, would you, buddy?”

Reluctantly, Preacher went around the bar. Don’t tell me now, he was mentally pleading. Don’t tell me about you and Paige. I don’t want to hear it. Just let it happen and I’ll live with it. I’ll find a way to live with it. Never really thought I had a chance, anyway.

“Have a drink with me. A short one. No pain pills today, I swear.”

Preacher got down two glasses and poured them each a shot.

“I’m gonna tell you something, and you’re going to act like you never heard it. You get me?”

“Sure,” Preacher said, throwing back the shot for courage.

“I caught your girl crying today.”

Shock settled over Preacher’s face.

“That’s right, old man. She can’t figure you out. I think she loves you, Preacher. She’s waiting. She needs some attention. You with me?”

Preacher nodded solemnly. He wasn’t going to go there with Mike.

“She thinks you don’t find her attractive. Desirable.”

“Aw, that’s crap,” Preacher said. He poured himself another shot.

“I’m telling you. You don’t have any excuses here, pal. If you don’t step up, she’s going to think you don’t want her. Don’t care about her. I’d hate it if she thought that because I’m looking at the two of you, the three of you, and I think it’d be a damn stupid shame if you three lost one another because you’re an idiot. Now, I’m not going to try to guess why it’s not happening for you two. Preacher, buddy, it’s time to make it happen.”

Preacher threw back that second shot while Mike merely lifted his, not drinking.

“I thought you were messing with my girl,” Preacher confessed.

“No, I was telling her to try to be patient with you because of your, you know, extra-low IQ.” Then he grinned at Preacher’s scowl.

“You always used to mess with anybody’s girl,” he said.

“Not just anybody’s girl, Preach. I’d never touch a brother’s woman, you should know that. Even I don’t cross that line. Even if you haven’t made it clear to Paige, you’ve made it clear to everyone else—she’s your girl. Besides, I’m no threat to you. It’s you she wants. Bad enough to make her cry about it.” Mike took in about half his drink and stood up. “Do yourself a favor, Preacher. Your girl needs you and you don’t want to let her down now. Don’t waste another minute.” He left the rest of his drink. He stared into Preacher’s eyes. “You better take care of business. You copy?”

Copy, Preacher thought. Cop talk. “Yeah. I copy.”

Preacher went upstairs to put Christopher to bed. Christopher was running around the room bare-assed, dodging his jammies; the kid loved being naked. Preacher grabbed him up, swung him around as he
giggled and stood him on the bed. “Enough,” he said. “You’re going to bed.”

“Read to me,” Christopher said, bouncing.

“Your mommy is going to read tonight. Ten minutes. And then lights out.”

Preacher got him in the pajamas and gave Paige a little slap on the rump. “I’ll see you downstairs in ten.”

“Okay,” she said, a little surprised by his apparent playful mood.

Preacher, his insides tight, went to his quarters. He shaved and showered quickly. He put on a pair of sweat-pants and a T-shirt. He looked at his bed and drew the quilt down, folding it. And he thought, I’m going to think of this as something I have to do for a friend. Not for me—for her. That’s what it’ll be.

She hadn’t come downstairs yet, so he stirred up the fire a little bit and sat on the chair, his feet up in front of the fireplace. When she came into the room he said, “Come here, Paige.” He held out a hand to her and brought her onto his lap. He ran his big hands down her sides to her waist and leaned toward her. She met his lips for a short kiss, but when he didn’t pull back, she went there again, making it long, slow and lovely. His lips opened slightly, and with the back of his hand, his knuckles, he brushed against her breast and felt her sigh against his open mouth. He put his big hand over her breast.

She rubbed a hand along his cheek. “You shaved,” she said.

“Uh-huh. I wouldn’t want to go hard on your skin with whiskers. Mmm. Paige, you have any idea how I feel about you?” She just looked at him. “How much I feel for you?”

“You haven’t really said….”

“I should’ve said. But I—” He stopped and took a breath. “It’s hard for me to put into words, but what it is…This thing I feel for you—it gets stronger every day.” She
smiled into his dark eyes. “You’re so soft. So small compared to me. I want you, Paige. My God. But haven’t been sure if you’re ready…”

“I’m ready,” she said in a whisper.

“I’ve been worrying. I don’t want to do anything to hurt you. Especially after everything…Everything that came before me. Before us.”

She was stunned for a moment. Seeing the precious look in his eyes, she pressed her lips against his and kissed him again, lightly. Against his mouth she said, “You’re the gentlest man I’ve ever known. You’re not going to hurt me.”

“I’m not experienced with women,” he said. “I’m never sure of the right things to do. And I never wanted to do the right things more than with you.”

“Good.” She smiled. “We’ll make up our own right things to do. It’ll be fresh. New.”

“My buddies, they know a lot about women. I never paid much attention. Until now. Until you.”

“I know,” she said. “I love that about you.”

“You do?”

“It makes me feel really special,” she said.

“Even if I don’t know everything I should know about women…?”

“I’ll tell you what you need to know,” she whispered.

He groaned and pulled her harder against his mouth, kissing her deeply, feeling her small tongue enter even as her arms tightened around him. “You think he’s asleep?” Preacher asked, a little breathless. “Because we’re going to have to close the door.”

“He was almost asleep before I left him. He’s not going to get out of bed, John.”

He kissed her again. And again. And then with his arms beneath her, stood up, lifting her. As he carried her toward his room, he felt her mouth against his neck,
pressing soft kisses there, sucking gently at his earlobe, making small, beautiful noises.

He put her on his bed and she came up on her knees, facing him. His lips against hers, he began to work the buttons of her shirt. She slipped her hands under his T-shirt and ran them over his smooth chest, teasing his nipples. He spread her shirt open and over her shoulders, letting it drop. He looked down at her; bruises healed, her skin was flawless. She reached her hands behind her and unhooked the bra, flinging it away. For a moment he just stared, filling his eyes with her lush, ivory skin, her full breasts. When he met her eyes, she was smiling up at him, pleased to have his eyes on her.

Preacher ripped his shirt over his head and pulled her against him. He was already making a nice big tent in his sweats. “Paige,” he said, holding her close. “Oh, this could be over way too fast….”

She laughed softly, kissing his neck, his cheeks, his lips. “Lucky for us, we don’t get just this one chance.”

The thought had never even crossed his mind. In his panic about doing the right things, making her happy and pleasing her, it hadn’t even occurred to him that this was the beginning, not the final exam. He could mess it up, like he half expected to, and he could still get a second chance. His hands went to the snap on her jeans and popped it. “I have condoms, Paige.”

“Have you been screened…since the last time…? Because I was checked after the D and C and I’m on the pill.”

“I haven’t…” He kissed her again, drowning in her mouth. His hands on her hips, he slowly slipped the jeans down. “There hasn’t been anyone. There’s no chance. Oh, I can’t believe how good you feel. I can’t believe I get to touch you like this….”

She closed her eyes, feeling his hands run up and
down her sides, over her bottom, along her hips and up again. His hands were so big and powerful, but as she expected, his touch was careful and tempting. Slow and delicious, driving her crazy with longing. She put her hands on his hips; the sweats came down easily, despite the obstruction of an amazing, beautiful erection. “Look at you,” she said in a breath, smiling, taking in his broad, hairless chest, narrow hips. She finally saw the rest of that tattoo on his left upper arm that peeked out from under the snug sleeve of a T-shirt—an American eagle.

“Tell me what you like,” he whispered against her mouth.

Still kneeling, she directed his lips lower, to her breast. With a soft, easy tongue he circled her nipple and she dropped her head back, sighing. That nipple came to life under his tongue and he pulled her harder against his mouth and gently suckled, drawing a deep moan from both of them. He felt her pull his hand from around her until it was in front of her. With her hand over his, she slid it down, over her belly, past her soft mound and deeper. Her fingers on top of his, she pressed them into her and moved them. “There,” she whispered. “There,” she said again. He memorized the place, the sound. The details.

He would have no way of knowing that his skill as a lover was not an issue with her, but the fact that he wanted only to please her, to make her happy, that was huge. It took only a second of showing him where and how to touch and he was on his own, driving her absolutely mad with desire. Maybe it didn’t occur to him that he wasn’t the only one who’d been a long time without this pleasure in his life. For Paige, it had been a lifetime. And she was so ready to feel both love and pleasure.

John pinched his eyes closed and prayed for control. He hoped he would be able to tell when she was satisfied—he wasn’t completely sure how that worked. He’d never
paid attention before. A lot of panting and squirming, he assumed. Maybe he’d get lucky and she’d just tell him.

The sensation of her breast against his mouth, his fingers in her soft, slick folds made him light-headed. Then her hand went to his erection and he groaned miserably. He lifted his head. “You better not do that yet,” he told her. “I’m sorry. I wanted you so bad, it’s lucky we made it to the bedroom….”

She let herself slowly drop back onto the bed, pulling him down with her. “Not a problem, John,” she whispered. “I wanted you just as bad.” He held himself over her and she put his finger back on that spot, reminded him how to move it and said, “Oohh,” just before she kissed him again, her tongue sweet and strong in his mouth. He worked it a little bit and her moans came stronger, her hips pushing against his hand.

“Tell me what to do. Tell me what you want. I’ll do anything you want,” he said. “I want this to be right for you.”

She touched him boldly again and said, “John, let’s take care of this, right now. Right away. We can experiment later….”

“I wanted to do it for you first,” he said. “I want to make you feel really good.”

She laughed softly against his lips. “I do feel really good,” she said.

She opened her legs for him and he lowered himself over her. As she guided him with her hand, he pressed himself slowly and deeply within her. He was amazed by her strength, amazed that she seemed not at all overpowered by him, but rather a formidable partner as she rose to meet him, pulled him in. “Ah,” she said. “That is so perfect.” He heard her hum deeply, felt her move her hips beneath him, and he began to pump his hips to her rhythm. He figured he’d be good for seconds, not minutes, and hoped it would be enough. But he remem
bered then, remembered what brought that deep moan from her and slid his hand between their bodies and down, inching his finger toward that spot that she loved. And he heard it again. “Oh, John….” She moved harder, throwing a leg over him and pulling him deeper and deeper. He rubbed that hard little knot while he thrust his hips, and beneath him, she was pounding against him, meeting him with each movement.

Something happened immediately. Her body tightened around him and he felt a clenching, a squeezing, a pulsing. It startled him, it felt so good. It was so amazing, he was able to hold himself back because he was in a trance. This was a first for him; he’d never noticed this before. Never felt it. He froze as her breath caught and she strained against him, hot spasms closing around him, drenching him in liquid heat. “Paige,” he whispered, overcome. “Oh, Paige.” She cried out softly, again and again, grasping him powerfully, lost in her own orgasm, and then her mouth was on his again, devouring him, sucking at his lips and tongue. He rocked with her as she climaxed, while she pulsed with such power, until it felt like there was nothing left in her; then she slowly began to relax beneath him, weak in his arms. Weak and limp and satisfied, all the strength he’d felt a moment ago turned to nothing but softness in his arms. He was in awe of her response. Looking down at her, brushing her hair away from her face, he asked in a hoarse whisper, “Was that it?”

She smiled dreamily. “That was it.”

“That’s
incredible,
” he said.

She laughed softly. “Yes,” she said. “But, John,” she said, moving her hips beneath him. “We’re not done.”