“Just put it on the edge of the porch,” she said, then opened her eyes and sat up, smiling. The water stirred, lapping at her golden breasts with their puckered brown tips.
Clearing his throat, Jake forced his eyes away from the tempting twin sights and walked over to the spot she’d indicated. He placed the bath sheets near the pile of her discarded clothing. He took in a deep, calming breath. It didn’t help. “I’ll be out front.”
Loreli sensed the struggle he was having with himself, and inwardly she smiled sympathetically. “Before you leave, hand me that soap there, please?”
Jake looked down at his feet and saw a bar of green soap lying near her clothing. As he bent to retrieve it, his hands were shaking so badly he wanted to curse. Willing himself to take in another series of deep breaths, he gathered himself, then slowly approached the tub.
When she took the soap from his offered hand, her voice was as soft as Eve’s. “Thanks.”
The tone of that one word resonated through Jake like the peals of a bell. Her beautiful body teased the man in him mightily, and the desire to stroke her damp breasts and then slowly brush his lips across the nipples grew stronger with each passing moment. In reality, all he need do was extend his hand and paradise would be his, but taking such an action would negate the vow he’d made to himself, and to her. “Am I a fool for insisting we wait?”
Loreli studied him. She knew what he was referring to. “Maybe, but I never had a man save me like a fancy dessert before. It’s pretty flattering when you think about it.”
Amused by her response, he said, “Plain-speaking Loreli Winters.”
“Well, it’s the truth. I know and you know too that if I really wanted to push you off the fence, all I’d have to do is stand, and this discussion, your vow, none of that would matter.”
The light in his eyes told her she was right.
“But I’m not going to push you because you’re a man of principle, Jake Reed, and I’ve only met a few men who can wear that hat.” She searched the planes of his face and offered seriously, “Men like you are rare as manna from heaven…” What would it be like to stay with him for the rest of my life? She quickly shook off the illogical musing and became herself again. You’re going to be replaced, remember! “Now, granted, I’ve been hot as a stove since the first time you touched me.”
He barked a laugh, saying, “Loreli!”
“It’s the truth,” she tossed back shamelessly. “And Lord knows, if I don’t get some relief soon, I’m going to explode.”
He chuckled. “What kind of relief?”
“The relief a woman gets when a man and woman play the two-backed beast. Providing its done correctly, of course.” She looked at him oddly for a moment, then cracked, “I thought you went to medical school?”
He grinned, “Sassy woman, hush up and explain what you mean.”
“You really don’t know?”
He threw up his hands, “Loreli. My daddy took me to visit a whore when I was sixteen because he said I needed to know how to work my plow and—”
She giggled, “He called it a plow?”
Jake’s eyes glittered with irritation. “Yes.”
Trying to keep the smile from her face, Loreli said, “I’m sorry. Go on.”
“No. Never mind.”
“Oh, stop looking so wounded and finish the telling,” she teased softly. “I’ve just never heard it called a plow before.”
He looked into that beautiful face, and again knew he’d never be able to stay mad at her for long. “All right, but behave.”
She raised a hand. “Promise.”
“Okay. After the whore, the next time was with a woman at Howard.”
“And none of these women took the time to teach you about ‘relief’?”
He shook his head. “Didn’t know I needed to be taught.”
For the first time since the conversation began, Jake realized he was discussing sex with Loreli. They’d had a similarly frank talk the night after their first, and yes, disastrous coming together in his bed, but in the world of a Kansas farmer, this was not something men did with women. Male friends, yes; women, no. Jake wasn’t uncomfortable talking with her, though, he realized. Her sassy openness and her unwillingness to judge him made it easy to talk.
“What about afterward—surely once you were grown?” Loreli asked gently.
“No, the women I’ve visited off and on charge by the quarter-hour.”
Loreli searched his eyes. “I see. Well, when a man spills his seed, that’s his relief, but a woman’s relief isn’t that obvious.”
“What do you mean?”
“Our relief happens inside. For me, the end is like throwing myself into a waterfall, but right now because of all this touching and kissing we’ve been doing, I’m sort of stuck on top. I really want to take the plunge, but—I’ll wait until the wedding night.”
“Do our bodies have to be joined for you to get relief?”
“Nope, but I’ll wait until the wedding night.”
“But I don’t want you to,” he told her plainly.
Silence.
He added quietly, “Especially if it’s causing you distress.”
Loreli didn’t know what to make of his offer. “Jake—”
“Tell me what to do…”
She studied him for a long moment, then said, “You’re probably in distress too. What about your relief?”
“We aren’t talking about me.” Jake knew she was right, though, he’d been aching hard for days. To deflect her concern, he bent down and ran a light teasing finger slowly over her breast. When her eyes closed, he stroked the damp flesh round and round, and then lazily up and down before tracing a whisper of a circle around the nipple. She arched, and he paid the same slow tribute to the other breast, tracing its nipple with just enough pressure to make her groan throatily.
He knelt beside the tub and kissed her parted lips, tasting their softness until her mouth rose to meet his in passionate welcome. All the while his hands kept up their play on her breasts, and Loreli arched for more.
He murmured against her lips, “Show me what to do.”
Loreli let herself feed on being kissed by him and kissing him in return before sliding his hand down her body and gently guiding it underwater to the treasure between her parted thighs. “Touch me here,” she whispered.
As he followed her instructions and his warm hand in the warm water began to explore, caress, and slide possessively across her yearning flesh, her legs parted wantonly. Loreli couldn’t hold her responses at bay; she’d been celibate for two years. This man had been teasing her body for nearly a week; and when he brazenly began to circle the key to her soul, then eased a bold finger inside, an orgasm powerful enough to satisfy three women rose up and shook her until she screamed his name across the miles.
Filling his eyes with this beautiful outrageous woman, Jake kept his hand still until she quieted.
Slightly panting, and still throbbing, Loreli felt his hand leave her, and she dropped back against the back of the tub, declaring softly, “Lord, that was wonderful.”
He grinned. “Was it?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Relief?”
She sighed with the glory of what he’d done. “Blessed relief. I can make it to the wedding now.”
She looked at him and searched his eyes. “What about you and your relief? I can help,” she offered boldly.
“Holding you in my hands and watching you on your waterfall gave me all the help I needed, thank you very much.” And it had. He’d need to bathe too, once she was done, and he felt no shame. No man could’ve stayed unmoved by the heated moments they’d just shared.
She smiled. “Okay, but next time, it’ll be your turn.”
He shook his head, “Are you always so scandalous?”
“Not usually, must be the company.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Well, this company is leaving. You want more hot water? That in there has to be cool
by now.”
Loreli splashed it a bit. It had cooled. “Is there any left?”
“Should be by now.”
“Then I’d like that very much. When I’m done, you can take your turn in here.”
“Sounds good.”
After Jake added more hot water to her tepid bath, he set the caldron back on the fire and left her alone to bathe.
The naked Jake stepped into the tub and sighed with pleasure at the feel of the hot water. He sank in up to his lower chest, his legs out. As he tested the tub’s dimensions with his long hairy legs, Jake found Brass Barber’s estimate to be correct. There was enough space inside to hold two people. Jake picked up his soap and one of the fancy washrags she had given him to use and began to soap himself. He wondered what it might be like to have Loreli in here with him. After tonight’s interlude, he’d never see this tub as just a tub again. He’d never seen a woman take such pleasure before. The women he’d visited in the past had shown just enough enthusiasm to make an inexperienced man like himself believe he was doing the deed well, but he knew better now. Women were like finely tuned motors; if one primed the gears and settings with the appropriate amount of precision, she’d sing. The memories of her in his hand made his member rise and his blood rush all over again. Damn, she was sweet. He wanted to touch her that way again, so he could watch her arch and hear her cry out his name. Jake had never had a woman reward him that way before, and as he washed, he smiled. He couldn’t wait for the wedding night.
Once Jake had cleaned up and put on fresh clothing, he went in to help Loreli move around the items in their “department store.” It was pitch-black outside, and were it not for the small lamp atop the piano, it would be just as dark inside. As it was, the parlor was filled with dark spaces and wavering shadows. They tried to lay her large feather mattress flat on the floor. Working in the poor light, it took a while to clear a space wide enough to accommodate its size, but once they did, they set it in place, and Loreli belly-flopped on it like a happy child. “My bed,” she proclaimed, “my bed.”
Jake smiled at her antics and admired the view she presented. She was dressed in a pearl pink wrapper that was belted around her waist. The tight draw threw into relief the prominent curve of her tempting behind. “Did you find your bedding?”
She turned over and looked up at him. He was bathed in shadows but she could see his glittering eyes. “I did.”
Jake could see that the wrapper had loosened from her play. The panels had opened showing off the lacy border of the long pewter nightgown she had on beneath. The tops of her breasts rose temptingly above the vee-cut bodice.
As the silence rose and the shadows flickered, their gazes remained locked. Both knew what they wanted. He gazed down at her spread like an angel on the soft, bare mattress and became aroused by the knowledge that, once again, all he need do was reach out and paradise would be his.
Without a word, Jake took a seat on the edge of the mattress, then leaning over her kissed her slowly, husking out, “I can’t get enough of you…”
And he couldn’t; whether it was her mouth, her throat, or the feel of his hands on her silken skin, Jake wanted to spend eternity just like this.
As the kisses deepened, their passionate breathing floated in the shadows. Lying beside her now, Jake teased the lace border of the pewter gown over her nipples and thrilled at the way her body arched. The soft sound she made in response to his loving thrilled him even more—so much so that he dragged the bodice down and reacquainted himself with the hard jewels of her breast. He dallied, lingered, and savored the knowledge that he was the one setting off the fever in her blood. Needing no more guidance or tutoring, he ran his palm fervently up and down her gowned thigh, kissing her mouth, the smooth line of her jaw, then slid the fabric up her hip so he could savor the bareness hidden beneath. Fueled by the memories of their earlier interlude, Jake touched her, coaxing her to reveal the treasure he’d so delicately opened before, and she parted her thighs willingly, wantonly, letting him explore and learn.
Loreli could feel the waterfall rising, could feel herself straining beneath his bold touches. Once again, he had her hot as a stove; playing her, circling her, causing her legs to part even more and her hips to rise. Just when she knew she could not take any more, the spasms of completion rocked her again, and she cried out hoarsely.
When all was silent once again, a smiling Jake Reed bent down to kiss her good night. He covered her up with a fancy quilt nearby, then blew out the lamp and left her to seek his own bed.
Chapter 13
The next morning, while Jake was out feeding the hogs, a knock sounded at the front door. Loreli, in the midst of unpacking, called out, “Be there in a minute.”
The girls, who were seated on the floor removing china plates from a large crate, set aside their chore to go to the door with Loreli. Moving around was not easy, however. A mountain of items had to be stepped over, moved aside, or squeezed past in order to get through the room. The knocking came again, sounding impatient this time, so Loreli yelled out, “I said, I’m coming!”
Her efforts to hurry resulted in her bumping into the edge of a crate upon which sat a large oriental vase. The collision sent the red and gold urn rocking precariously on its circular base, but Loreli steadied it, then headed to the door. “Sorry, I—”
She stopped. Standing on the porch was Sol Diggs, and he appeared to be furious.
Loreli said coolly, “Good morning, Mr. Diggs, can I—”
“The sheriff and I went out to evict Matt Peterson yesterday, and do you know what Peterson showed me?” he snarled.
“A renter’s deed?”
“How dare you go behind my back—”
Loreli remembered that the twins were standing at her side. “Girls, why don’t you go finish unpacking? Mr. Diggs and I need to talk.”
“Yes, Loreli,” Bebe said, her eyes on Diggs. “Come on, De.”
Loreli, not intimidated at all by Diggs, stepped out onto the porch. As she did, his eyes widened fearfully and he stepped back. Loreli supposed he hadn’t expected her to face up to him. In his world, when he bellowed, folks probably quivered; well, Loreli was not from his world. “You were saying?”
He took a moment to puff himself up again. “I sold you that deed in good faith.”
“And after you did, how I choose to exercise my ownership is none of your business.”
“You knew I wanted him off that land.”
“Yes, I did, but the deed is mine now. You’ll have to find someone else to lord it over.”
“I’ll get you for this, see if I don’t,” Diggs growled.
“Oh, now you’re threatening me, Mr. Diggs?”
“If the shoe fits.”
Loreli tossed back with bitter glee. “When I’m done with you, you snake, you won’t have any shoes! Now get off my porch.”
He glared at her, then stomped back to his carriage.
An angry Loreli watched the banker drive away. When she turned back to go inside, Jake was standing in the door. He cracked, “You do have a way with words.”
“He threatened me, Jake,” she declared incredulously.
“I heard him.”
“Do you think I should let the sheriff know.”
Jake shrugged. “Maybe, but I don’t think Sol’s dangerous. Just greedy. One thing I regret, though.”
“What?”
“That I wasn’t there to see Diggs’s face when Matt Peterson showed him that deed.”
Loreli chuckled. “Me too.”
Silence fell between them. This was the first private moment they’d managed to share since the day began. His memory kept going back to the previous night’s sensual encounter, and hers did too.
He asked her softly, “Am I promoted?”
She tossed back, “Front of the class.”
His mustache lifted. “Glad I improved so fast.”
“So am I.”
Bebe suddenly appeared next to her uncle. “All the plates are
out of the crate,” she told Loreli through the screen. “Can we place them in the hutch?”
Loreli beamed down at her. “Yes, you may.”
Bebe rushed off to give her sister the good news.
Jake opened the door and Loreli stepped inside. She stopped in the entranceway and stood less than a breath away. He bent down and kissed her gently, whispering, “Good morning.”
Loreli was so dazzled by the unexpected greeting that when it ended, it took her a moment to recover enough to say, “Good morning to you, too.”
They spent the rest of the morning unpacking the remaining crates and attempting to bring order to the chaos. Chairs were set about. The piano was placed and then draped with its embroidered maroon cover. A set of end tables were positioned; the red oriental urn sat atop one, while the other table supported a large, fancy lamp. Everything that could be placed was, and any item that couldn’t be was moved to the barn to be stored. When they were done, the once bare house now looked like a home. The only things missing were the paintings she’d wired Olivia about and specifically asked be shipped. They hadn’t been found in any of the crates, so Loreli assumed they’d arrive in a shipment of their own.
After a luncheon of sandwiches and cold water, Loreli and the girls moved on to their next task: preparing the old attic room for occupancy. Tying a rag around her hair and grabbing a broom, she and the girls ventured up the narrow stairs. Jake went to fetch a crowbar and some window screening and joined them a few moments later.
First order of business was to take down the wood covering the window so light and fresh air could flow in. Jake tackled that. A few minutes later, the deed was done and sunshine filled the room. The breeze lifted decades-old dust and everyone began to sneeze and cough.
“Girls, how about you head downstairs for a moment until Loreli and I get some of this dust swept up?” Jake said.
Neither twin complained a bit about being asked to leave.
Once the girls were gone, Loreli, wearing a handkerchief tied over her nose and mouth, began to sweep. She stiffened at the sight of large spiders skittering ahead of her broom. Spiders were one of the few things in life she couldn’t abide, but Jake wouldn’t let her squash them. “They eat mosquitoes, among other things, Loreli.”
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