Tangled Past Read online

  “Kiss me, Sarah.” His fingers stroked her hair, not pulling her closer, but not letting her retreat either. Still, he gave her the choice. “Trust me. Let me in.”

  She wasn’t quite sure what let me in meant, but she leaned forward, resting a hand on his shoulder. After quickly wetting her lips, she leaned closer. She didn’t immediately kiss him; instead, she hovered, enjoying his breath on her cheek, and the way his eyes closed, his lashes dark against his sun-ripened skin. The exotic pipe tobacco the man at the next table had been smoking still clung to his clothes, but beneath it, Jackson smelled of the soap he’d used when they’d cleaned up before dinner. And of something else, something warm and spicy.

  With a groan, he closed the distance between them and caught her mouth. She gasped when his tongue swept across the seam of her lips. The moment her lips parted, his tongue darted inside, bringing with it a taste of the coffee he’d had. Is that what he’d meant by let him in?

  He drew away, his breathing as heavy as hers. “Let’s get you out of the rest of this rig.”

  He made short work of the hooks and eyes her fingers had fumbled with when she’d dressed that morning. Her skirt pooled at her feet, joined shortly by the metal rings of her crinoline.

  She would have been fine if he hadn’t rested his hands on her hips and drawn her against him. The only thing separating her from the hard length resting against her belly was the thin cotton of her chemise and his trousers. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop from stiffening in his arms.

  “Don’t you worry. We’re gonna take this real slow tonight.” He made a soothing sound and returned to just kissing her. Even under such a simple attention, Sarah became aware of sensations rising in her body she’d never felt before. The way the chemise rasped against her nipples. The strange pulses heating her belly. Lower. Of how her body softened, how her breasts grew heavy, how each breath was hard to draw even without the corset confining her.

  He stole another gasp from her when his hand cupped her breast, his thumb toying with the nipple the way she’d seen Nate playing with Jackson’s the night before. The tips hardened into buds and he lowered his head over her breast. Never had she imagined the pleasure that poured through her when he captured the peak with his mouth. Heat from the tip through her belly and into the crevice between her thighs. Once again he made that soothing noise, the rumble from his chest accentuating the steady beat of his heart. Then he shifted so she lay on her back, staring up at him. Supporting himself on one elbow, he stared down at her, his eyes dark in the soft light, unfathomable. Callused fingers skimmed over her knee, up her thigh, then inward.

  Her eyes opened wide, and she arched into the pillow with a gasp when his fingers slipped beneath the fabric and touched parts no man had ever dared touch.

  “Sssh, stop thinkin’ so hard and let yourself feel,” he whispered.

  Feel? How did she feel? Scandalous. Wanton.

  Beautiful.

  Beneath the cotton of her knickers, his fingers slipped between her folds and touched a spot that had her breath speeding up, catching in her chest in shallow pants. She had no idea what he was doing to her, but she craved…something. When she thought she’d find the answer to what she was seeking, he withdrew his hand. She almost cried out in disappointment.

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead while his hands lifted her behind off the mattress and pulled her undergarments free. “Sit up, darlin’.”

  She moistened her lips again and took a deep breath before she sat up, the counterpane rough against her bare bottom. The nerves returned, the butterflies changed to frogs jumping in her stomach, or maybe they were rocks. Not breaking her gaze, he lifted the edges of her chemise and pulled it from her, leaving her completely naked and him completely clothed.

  “So beautiful,” he whispered, pressing her back against the pillows. He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm, then placed it flat on her breast. “Have you ever touched yourself here, Sarah?”

  Feeling the blood rush to her face, she nodded. “Sometimes.”

  “Show me what you like.”

  Until the night before, she’d only stroked them, but now she played with her nipples the way he had earlier. When his breathing hitched, she grew bolder and started rolling them between her thumb and forefinger. She gasped at the strength of the sensation, eliciting a chuckle from Jackson.

  “Like that, do you?”

  He shrugged out of his jacket and efficiently undid the buttons of his shirt. He slowed when he undid his trousers, almost as if he were shy. Or perhaps he was afraid he would shock her, frighten her by unveiling his arousal.

  “It’s all right,” she whispered, the heat that had been fading from her cheeks flaring again. “I’ve already seen you, remember?”

  He nodded, though his frown deepened.

  Why did she have to remind him about that night in the barn? Of how his friend had touched him, aroused him.

  Or perhaps he was remembering what she’d told him about Jed. She turned her head sideways and stared at the wall, all pleasure in what she’d experienced that night disappearing.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to remind you of Jed.”

  He sucked in a harsh breath. “That’s not what I was thinking.”

  “Oh.” So it was Nate he was remembering. Maybe if she touched Jackson the way Nate had she could arouse him, make him forget the other man. Or maybe she’d never be good enough for him.

  No. She had to try. Otherwise the marriage would fail, and they’d both be miserable.

  The mattress dipped at her side and Jackson’s hands touched her chin in an attempt to get her to face him again. “Look at me, Sarah.”

  She rolled her head back and discovered he was lying in the same position he had been before, up on one elbow, looking down on her. Except now he was naked, and his shaft was a hard heavy length jutting out from its nest of thick dark curls. The sight of it both excited her and scared her. She’d seen it engorged the night before, but now, so close, it seemed so much bigger. Would he expect her to do the things Jed had told her he’d do with it, put it places she was barely aware of? Would it hurt?

  Jackson stroked her cheek, a gentle touch that relieved some of her fear. “I promise you, I’ll not do anything you don’t like. I give you my word of honor.”

  Though she’d known him for just over twenty-four hours, there was something in his voice that had her believing him.

  “Do you trust me?”

  She nodded.

  His eyes crinkling, he kissed the tip of her nose. “Good girl.” He picked up her hand, the one he’d originally placed on her breast, and moved it to the curls at the apex of her thighs. “Have you ever touched yourself here? When you were in bed maybe, all alone?”

  “No.” Liar. With a quiet sigh, she nodded. “Yes. Last night.”

  “After watching Nate and me?” He paused. “You weren’t disgusted by us?”

  “No.” She swallowed hard. “I know I should have been, but…”

  “But?”

  “I imagined it was me lying there beside him. Me he was touching.” Would that disgust him?

  A strange look flickered across his face. Was he remembering Nate, wishing it were him in the bed instead of her? Or was he jealous that she’d pictured herself with Nate instead of himself?

  He hid whatever was going through his mind by dipping his head to press a kiss into the spot where her neck joined her shoulder. A shiver rippled down her body. Not that she was cold, but that spot sparked something in her, some need that had her hips lifting from the counterpane.

  “Did you do what I was doing earlier? Like this?” His hand still covering hers, he slid her finger through her folds. They were wetter than they had been, and her fingers slipped through them easily.

  “In a way. I touched myself…down there, but it didn’t feel the same as what you did just now.” My body didn’t burn the same way.

  He guided her fingers to places she’d not touched the
night before, sliding them up and down, circling a spot that had her hips rotating against the pressure. A musky scent rose from the cream coating her fingertips. “Do you feel what’s happening to your body, Sarah? Do you smell how aroused you are?”

  “Yes.” But she couldn’t explain it. “It’s like I need…something.”

  She cried out when he dipped his head and captured her breast with his mouth, his lips and tongue alternately sucking and soothing. Between the magic of whatever his fingers were doing and the exquisite sensations of him at her breast, her body floated, awash in sensations that frightened her, excited her. Confused her. She bucked beneath him when one of his fingers entered her, stroked a part that she didn’t know existed, transported her to places she’d never been.

  She lost track of time, letting herself drift as his fingers and mouth continued to pleasure her until part of her, deep inside, clenched and spasmed around his fingers, her breath leaving her lungs in a rush.

  If he lived to be a hundred, Jackson thought he’d never see such a beautiful sight as Sarah lying beside him, her lips parted, glistening in the soft light. Her hair flowed over the pillow like a sheet of satin; a flush of arousal tinged her cheeks. Her breasts, with their tiny dark nipples, were perfect, just enough to fill his hand. Even though she’d already found her ease, her body rippled around his fingers, coaxing them deeper. Her warm cream coated his palm, her subtle womanly scent wafting up to entice him.

  With a soft sound of contentment, her eyes opened and focused on him. Her gaze skimmed over his chest stopping at his groin. “Is that what it’ll be like?” Her blush deepened. “When you’re inside me?”

  “If I’m doin’ it right.”

  She took a shallow breath, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips, before she lifted her gaze to meet his. “May I touch you? Like you’ve touched me?”

  He pulled his hand away from her and lay back on the pillows, allowing her unimpeded access to his body. “Touch me wherever you want. I’m all yours.”

  Her bottom lip caught between her teeth, she skimmed a finger across his shoulder. Her hand flattened as she traced down his breastbone, circling up to his nipples. She swallowed as she toyed with the tiny buds that puckered and hardened beneath her touch. To his surprise she dipped her head and caught one with her lips, nipping at it the same way he’d done to her earlier. Last night Nate had touched him with hard callused fingers, his grip sure, his body hard. Sarah’s hands showed evidence of hard work as well, but the path they blazed as they trailed over his body left a different type of fire burning. Not better, not worse. Different. Equally hot and all-consuming.

  That she touched him at all surprised the heck out of him, as had her admission she’d not been horrified by watching Nate touch him. Her curiosity about his body both intrigued him and aroused him in equal measure. Between the sensation of her teeth on his nipple and her hair draping over his chest, his dick hardened more than he’d dreamed possible. With a small turn of his head, he buried his nose in her hair. There was no fancy fragrance like the women he’d courted often bathed in, only the subtle perfume of the soap she’d used when she’d washed up mingling with her natural scent. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Her hand drifted over his belly, slowing when it reached the nest of hair at the base of his cock. He groaned when her fingers touched the sensitive shaft. It wasn’t that he hadn’t had a woman touch him there before, but there was something incredibly arousing about Sarah’s innocent exploration.

  He wrapped his hand about hers and closed her fingers around his shaft, showing her how to stroke him. She quickly learned what he liked, and soon his breath had turned to harsh pants.

  His balls ached, but the last thing he wanted was to spend all over his own belly like a randy youth. But that meant being inside her. He’d heard tales of the pain a woman sometimes experienced her first time, and the last thing he wanted was to spook her by hurting her. She’d taken two of his fingers without pain. But there was also no denying his cock was thicker than his two fingers. Much thicker.

  Beneath his hand, her thumb swirled over his sensitive head. Damn it, he couldn’t wait any longer. He caught her hand by the wrist, stopping her. “Do you trust me, Sarah?” He couldn’t help that his voice sounded more like a growl.

  With no hesitation, she nodded.

  He reached up and pulled her down to him, capturing her mouth in another kiss. As she relaxed her body over him, he shifted and rolled on top. Though she was tall for a woman, he was acutely aware of how small she was. Not fragile, just less wide of hips than most of the women he’d had, softer. Definitely more fragile than Nate.

  Her arousal reached his nostrils, a spicy scent that promised to burst on his tongue in an explosion of flavors when he finally allowed himself that pleasure. Her dusky nipples thrust up at him, enticing him to suckle them.

  He worked his way down her body, taking his time to make sure she’d be ready for him, exploring her soft belly, the curves of her hips, the bend of her knee. Despite her protests and the color flooding her face until it was as bright as a fresh-picked strawberry, he settled between the satin-soft skin of her thighs. He kept his eyes on hers as he ran his tongue through her folds, kissing and nibbling, discovering what made her breath hitch, what made her squirm, what made her groan. For a virgin, she was a surprise. She was sensuality wrapped in a beautiful package, promising pleasure for the rest of his life. Only once perspiration beaded her skin and she could no longer hold back the tiny whimpers did he act on his desires.

  Holding his shaft in one hand, he positioned himself at her entrance. He’d done everything he could think of to ready her and uttered a silent prayer that he wouldn’t hurt her. With a single flex of his hips, he pressed his shaft through the thin barrier at her entrance. He sucked in a breath when she winced and forced himself to stop his forward motion.

  “Sarah? Are you all right?” Please God, don’t ask him to stop, because she felt so fucking good around him, he didn’t think he could pull out now.

  In an infinite gesture of trust, Sarah wrapped her arms about him and pulled him deeper inside. Still he didn’t move, letting her adjust to his girth. He nearly came undone when she started moving beneath him, a gentle undulation that caressed both his cock and his belly. He reached between them and stroked that spot he knew would give her pleasure.

  He had to remind himself to go easy on her, remind himself that this was her first time and she’d be sore enough afterwards. But from the way she moved beneath him, the way her heels clamped onto his butt, holding him in place, he didn’t seem to be hurting her.

  Slow and easy, he glided back in until he was fully buried within her. He flexed his hips, alternating his strokes between shallow and deep. She gasped during one pass, her muscles tightening around his shaft. But was it from pleasure or pain? He glanced up and found her biting her lip.

  “It’s okay, darlin’, you can make whatever noise you want. I need to know whether you like what I’m doin’ or not.”

  “I like it,” she choked out. “Do it again.”

  He flexed his hips, withdrawing from her. On the slow press in, her fingers dug into his forearms. Her soft gasp told him he’d found the sweet spot, especially when her movements became more frantic, her breathing ragged. Yup, she sure enough liked it right there. He filed away the knowledge for the future.

  Soon he was thrusting, lost in the sheer pleasure of the way her sheath excited every inch of his cock. Any hesitation she’d shown at first disappeared, and she matched his passion stroke for stroke.

  Between his rasping breath and her moans, and the way the headboard banged against the wall, anyone passing by in the corridor would have no doubt exactly what was going on in this room.

  His hips ground against hers, and she stiffened beneath him. She was so close, but fear or embarrassment was stopping her from taking that leap. Her reached between them again and found her engorged bud, flicking it once, twice with his thumb.

&nbs
p; With a long shuddering gasp, she climaxed, her body softening, heating around his cock in an embrace so tight he couldn’t hold back. Need raced down his spine, bowing it as his balls drew up tight to his body. His seed jetted from him in long steady pulses, her sheath milking every last drop.

  His lungs burning, he collapsed beside her. If he’d had any doubts that they’d suit when they were standing in front of the preacher this morning, she’d just removed one. When it came to the pleasures of the marriage bed, he had no doubt he’d done his duty.

  Something inside him shattered when she rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled closer. Despite what she’d been through, what she still faced, she trusted him. A complete stranger.

  She was a gift, one unexpected, unlooked for. One he would treasure forever.

  Chapter Four

  “It’s been a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” The leader of the four Texas Rangers who had accompanied them touched the brim of his hat to Sarah before shifting in his saddle to face Nate. “You shouldn’t have any problems from here, so if you don’t mind, we’ll leave you and head into town.”

  Nate shook the Ranger’s outstretched hand. “Thanks, Zack. I appreciate you accompanying us all this way.”

  “My pleasure. My mama will be pleased to see me back around these parts. And she’ll be right happy to hear there’ll be a new member of the congregation to help her with the church socials.” His gaze briefly slid to Sarah before returning to Nate. “As for that matter we discussed, we’ll head back in the morning to check out your suspicions.”

  That her family had planned to steal back the horses, Sarah knew he was trying not to say. “Excuse me, but what will happen if you find proof that they have been rustling?”

  “That’ll be up to the circuit judge, ma’am.”

  If they made it to court. If anyone else discovered what they’d been doing, Walt and her stepfather might face a lynch mob. Sarah wasn’t sure how she felt about the emotions tumbling inside her.