Wild Bride (7 page)

When her fingers went into his hair, he felt her wince at the pain from the burn. He leaned back with concern in his eyes.

“Are you okay?” He looked into her soft eyes and watched her blink a few times until they were clear.

She nodded and licked her lips again and he closed his eyes. Resting his forehead against hers, he realized that Maggie was crying in the background. “Later.” He pulled back and looked her in the eyes until she finally nodded. Then he helped her down off the countertop and made sure she was steady on her feet.

“Be more careful dropping the chicken in.”

She nodded again.

“I’ll go take care of Maggie.” He smiled when she just nodded again. He liked knowing he could make her speechless.

He walked into the living room and looked down at his daughter, who was standing up inside her crib, crying. When she saw him, the tears stopped and she held her little hands up for him to pick her up.

He smiled. “Oh, no.” He shook his head. “I can only spoil one of my girls at a time.” He sat next to the crib and picked up the stuffed frog she’d dropped outside her crib. “Besides, I’ve heard that if I give in now, you will associate crying with getting what you want.” He chuckled when she pouted as she realized he wasn’t going to pick her up.

He could hear Savannah in the kitchen cooking again and thought about how he wanted to spoil her later that night. Then shaking his head clear, he distracted Maggie by making her frog dance around until Savannah called him in for dinner.

S
avannah took her time feeding Maggie. Billy had retreated to the bedroom, claiming he needed a shower. She could hear the water running in the next room and felt her nerves jump.

Maggie reached up with her tiny fingers and touched her face as she ate. She enjoyed breast-feeding and had never thought that such a simple act could bind her and her daughter so closely.

She had bottles, pumps, and even formula, but she wouldn’t take away a moment of the time she spent each day holding her daughter, knowing that what she was giving her was the best thing for her.

“What do you think of your daddy?” she whispered, brushing Maggie’s soft hair away from her chubby face.

Her daughter’s eyes opened and looked around when she heard the word “Daddy,” causing Savannah to smile. “Yeah, I’m kind of glad he’s back, too.” She watched her daughter’s eyes close again and knew that this time her daughter would stay asleep.

Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and thought of what waited for her in the next room. She was nervous. The changes in her body were part of the cause, but the changes between her and Billy were part of it as well.

It was funny. Sex was something she used to do a lot and she’d always enjoyed it. But now, after over a year of not having someone touch her, she felt like a virgin all over again. No, that wasn’t right. Even when she’d been untouched by someone she’d wanted to touch her, she’d never felt like this before. Never.

She heard a noise and opened her eyes to see Billy standing in the doorway, looking at her. She glanced down and saw that Maggie’s little head had fallen away from her breast in sleep. She moved her shirt back into place and started lifting her sleeping daughter.

“Here,” he said quietly and rushed over to gently pick up the baby. “I’ll take her.”

She nodded and watched him carry Maggie over to the crib. He stood there holding their sleeping girl for a moment. Then glanced over his shoulder at her.

“Are you supposed to lay her on her stomach or something?” He frowned.

She smiled and walked over to show him how Maggie liked to sleep. She patted her daughter a few times on the back until, in sleep, she burped and settled down with her frog blanket and a smile on her lips.

“Frogs?” He shook his head and smiled.

She smiled as they looked down at the sleeping baby. “Frogs.”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “She is perfect, isn’t she?” He placed a kiss on the top of her head and she felt her heart skip.

Her throat had closed again and all she could do was nod her head.

Then he pulled her with him as he walked out of the room. Holding her hand, he turned her around just outside their door and pulled her up against the wall. His mouth was over hers quickly, and she felt her breath hitch as his hands roamed over her sides.

“I’ve waited.” He shook his head and pulled back a little. “Waited too long.” His eyes closed as he rested his forehead on hers. “Don’t make me wait any longer, Savvy.” She heard his voice crack.

Shaking her head, she said, “No, no more waiting.” Then she pulled his head back down to hers until his lips took hers and all of her nerves melted away with his warm lips.

When his hands started tugging on her shirt, she stiffened for just a moment until his mouth traveled down her neck. She rested her head back against the door and closed her eyes to the pure enjoyment of being touched again.

Then she was tugging and pulling on his shirt and walking backwards into the small bedroom. He followed her and shut the door with his foot as he helped pull his shirt off.

When she saw his tan shoulders and stomach finally exposed for her view, she melted even more. Why hadn’t she noticed during their Skype sessions that he’d gotten so muscular over the last six months?

She ran her fingers over his tight skin slowly and smiled as he flexed under her light touch. “Someone else has been working out.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

He nodded and smiled. “And now that I’ve shown you mine…” His fingers played under her shirt and started to lift it up slowly.

Her smile faltered for a split second before she closed her eyes and let him lift it up and over her head. He heard his breath hitch and her eyes flew open to see the heat as he looked at her.

“Beautiful,” he whispered as he ran his finger over her collarbone then down over the mound of her breast.

She sighed and leaned back, letting her head fall back once more.

“I’ve dreamed of touching you again,” he said, just before his mouth continued the trail down her neck as his fingers played over her heated skin. “Dreamed of tasting you.” He used his fingers and pulled her nursing bra aside. For a split second, she froze, remembering that she was wearing the ugly white thing instead of something lacy and sexy.

“Don’t,” he said, realizing her thought. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.” He pulled the material aside and exposed her. Then his smile grew. “Perfect,” he said again.

When his fingers and lips went back to her skin, she forgot all about her awkward undergarments. Instead, she found herself tugging on his jeans and wishing he would go faster.

“Easy,” he chuckled. “I’ve waited a long time to have you like this again.” He pulled back and she felt like growling.

Shaking her head, she bit her bottom lip. “I need it now.” Her eyes traveled up and down him. He stood in front of her in nothing but his boxers now, and she thought that he looked just like the underwear ads she’d seen on the back covers of the magazines down at the Grocery Stop.

His tan skin was tight over every cord, every muscle that ran along his ribs, his stomach, his arms. Everything was better than she remembered. The feel of warm skin over hard muscle. The taste of his mouth on hers. The smell of man. She’d missed it all. How had she let herself go this long without it? Why had she?

Then his fingers touched her sides and she remembered the long white stretch marks that ran along that path. She reached over and flipped off the lights, sending the room into total darkness.

She heard him chuckle, then the lights flooded the room again.

“You’re not getting off that easy.” He smiled.

She frowned and flipped the switch off again. She heard him chuckle once more, and then he left her side. Her hands dropped by her side, and she stood in the dark wondering what he was doing. The light beside the bed flipped on and she saw him standing across the room. She started to think of how she could convince him to flip it off as well.

He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head when she started to move towards it. “It stays on.” Something told her that pouting wouldn’t work with him this time.

She’d lost all control of the situation and for the first time in her life, she knew without a doubt that she was going to enjoy every second of the rest of her evening.

Billy couldn’t stop smiling as Savannah stood across the room in nothing but a white cotton bra and her black leggings. She’d removed the sexy boots at the front door and he found her bright pink toenails sexier than hell.

Just being this close to a woman again was sending his body into overdrive. Knowing it was Savannah, the mother of his child, the woman he’d been in love with for as long as he could remember, was like adding nitro to his system, pushing his body to want her faster.

He shook his head and dropped his arms to his side. Her eyes were traveling over him, and he could see the heat in them as she enjoyed what she looked at.

Working on the pipeline had been hard work, but during his off hours, he’d done some lifting with a weight set the guys had in the trailer. Not that he was vain, but he’d gained a few extra pounds since graduating from high school. He’d also started getting a beer gut like the one he’d always hated on his father.

Glancing down at himself, he smiled a little. Gone was the beer gut and in its place was a well-toned six-pack. It wasn’t as impressive as the abs on some of the guys that worked on his crew, but he felt he could hold his own and knew how hard he’d worked for it.

“So?” He looked back up at her.

Her eyes darted to his in question.

“Are you going to come over here and let me enjoy every inch of your body?”

Her face flushed, and then her shoulders went back in a classic Savannah move, and she marched across the room. He would have laughed if seeing her coming toward him hadn’t turned him on more.

When she reached him, she took his head into her hands and leaned up to kiss him, but he pulled back and put his hands on her shoulders. “Let me.” He smiled when he saw her frown. “Savvy. I want to enjoy looking at you.” When her frown increased, he chuckled. “You have a beautiful body.” He ran the back of his fingers down her ribs and her breath caught. “So beautiful.”

Her eyes were closed now and she shook her head from side to side.

“I have stretch marks.” It came out as a whisper.

Reaching up, he put a finger under her chin until she opened her eyes and looked deep into his. “If you do, trust me, I don’t see them or care. All I see is perfection.”

Her frown wavered, so he continued to tell her exactly what he did see. Her breasts were perfect, full and supple. Ripe for his mouth. He reached around and unclasped the bra and slowly drew it down and off her shoulders.

She tried to reach out and cover herself, but he took her hands and held them aside. “Perfection,” he whispered as he looked at her. “They’re perfect for feeding our baby, and perfect for this.” He leaned his head down and started running his mouth over her exposed skin. “They’re soft, yet strong enough to stand up to the daily feedings of a six-month-old.” He looked up at her and noticed that her eyes were unfocused as she looked down at him, so he continued his exploration.

He ran a finger lightly over her flat stomach. He noticed small white stretch marks, but could only see the beauty in them. “It’s amazing how your body grew and held our child in here, nurturing and protecting her. And now you’re so small, so perfect.” He ran his mouth over every soft inch of her skin. Her fingers were in his hair, pulling and pushing as she enjoyed his movements. He enjoyed the sounds she made as he pleased her. His hands went to her hips and he slowly moved the black cotton over her narrow hips. “But I think my favorite part is this.” He took her bare hips in his hands and pulled her closer to him. “The fact that your hips are now smaller than ever.” He smiled and laid his head against her stomach as he ran his hands up and down her hips and thighs. “I’ve always been a butt man.” He chuckled with her as his hands gripped her backside. “I know, I know. Every man in town thinks I’m crazy.” He looked up at her as she shook her head.

“You’re killing me.” Her frown fell away. “Take me to bed.”

He chuckled. “I like torturing you.” He turned his head into her softness again and ran his mouth over her flat hips until he reached the soft white cotton that shielded her from his further exploration. Dipping his finger underneath, he pulled the cotton down her smooth legs and ran his hands up and down the toned muscles in each leg.

His eyes went to her sex and his mouth actually watered. When she was free of all clothing, she tried to move back towards the bed and she reached for the light. He chuckled and took her hands in his, holding her still. She groaned and tried to put up a little fight, and he gripped both of her hands behind her back with one of his.

“No,” he growled. “I’ll have you my way.” He knelt between her legs and with his free hand pushed her legs wider. He heard her curse at him as his mouth took her sex. He used his tongue on her until her curses were replaced with moans and panting.

She pulled at her hands behind her back and so he released them. They moved up and dug deep into his hair and pulled his head closer to her as he pleased her.

She moved one of her legs up to the edge of the bed, exposing herself more for him. His fingers dug into her hips as he enjoyed her, and when he felt like he couldn’t hold back any more, he pushed her back onto the bed and moved above her.

“I can’t believe how much I want you.” He rained kisses along her jaw as he slipped inside her slowly and knew without a doubt that he was where he belonged. That they were made for one another.

As he looked down at her soft hair fanned out on his pillowcases, he felt a little overwhelmed. She was more beautiful than he remembered, than he had ever imagined in his memories.