Double Identity
Page 16
“Good.” He kissed her, putting everything he felt for her in the kiss. When he finally lifted his head, they were both trembling. “I’ve never heard you tell me how you feel about me, you know.”
She paled, a reaction he hadn’t expected, and he frowned.
“Do you honestly believe I would have gone to bed with you if I didn’t love you to distraction?” she replied. “I tried to convince myself at first that you were someone to date until you grew tired of me. But it was more than that. Much more. I’ve never felt so much love for anyone as I feel for you.”
Jude’s heart seemed to swell with her words. He’d hoped, but hadn’t been sure. “Are you talking about the evening you seduced me?” he asked her, teasing.
She blushed. “I was hoping you’d forgotten that.”
“I’ve forgotten nothing about you,” he said, and proceeded to slide each item of clothing from her until she stood before him in all her unclothed splendor. Then he lifted her and placed her gently on the bed. He removed his clothing in record time and lay down beside her. He cupped her breast in his hand and said, “You are so beautiful.”
She ran her fingertips across his chest. “You make me feel beautiful, Jude.”
He took his time making love to her. He kissed and caressed her all over her body until he could no longer stand not to be inside her. As soon as he moved over her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and locked her legs around his hips.
He didn’t rush his entry; instead he continued to kiss and stroke her. She gasped when he pulled one of her nipples into his mouth, keeping his rhythm slow and easy until she lifted her hips in an effort to make him move faster. He chuckled and rolled until she was on top, and then he encouraged her to set their pace.
Jude let her move over him until he could no longer hold back. He held her hips while he moved in an escalating rhythm that brought both of them to an explosive climax.
She collapsed against him and he slowly stroked her back, following her spine from top to bottom and back up. Her hair spilled around them and he ran his fingers into its silkiness.
He didn’t know how long they lay in that position until she shifted and slid off him. He turned to face her, drinking in each feature. He was still finding it hard to believe that she was actually here in his bed.
Carina slowly opened her eyes and smiled at him. He smiled back. “I’ve been meaning to ask you,” she said. “When do you intend to make an honest woman of me?”
He froze in shock for the barest minute before he said, “You mean it? Will you marry me?”
She placed a light kiss on his mouth and replied, “I thought you’d never ask.”
He grabbed her, held her as tightly as he could without crushing her and laughed, feeling the joy well up from deep inside. “Well? Will you?”
“Yes.”
“Today? It’s too late for today. Can you stay over until Monday?”
She chuckled. “Actually, I was thinking more like June, say on the date I first met you. What do you think?”
“Two months. I’m not sure I can hang on until then.”
She kissed him again. “I have faith in you, Mr. Crenshaw. You’ll manage just fine.”
Epilogue
Once again, the Crenshaws had cause for yet another celebration. Jude and his bride, Carina, had been married earlier in the day at the ranch and now all their friends and family were there to wish them well at one of Joe’s famous barbecues.
When Jude had asked her if she wanted to be married in San Antonio, Carina had said no. The notoriety caused by her brothers’ arrests and trial had taken its toll on the privacy of their family. So Jude suggested they be married at the ranch, as his brothers had been. Joe and Gail’s sons seemed to have started yet another tradition for the Crenshaw clan.
Earlier in the day when Jude went to stand beside the pastor before Carina joined him at the altar, he was glad to see Mr. and Mrs. Patterson in the small group attending the wedding. Connie looked as though she’d rather be anywhere else, but at least she’d come for Carina’s sake.
Now it was time to celebrate and if there was one thing the Crenshaws knew how to do, it was how to throw a party.
Jude and Carina sat at one of the picnic tables—after she’d changed out of her wedding gown—and watched the crowd swirl around the food on several laden tables.
“I’m sorry your parents left so soon after the wedding,” he said, raising their clasped hands to his mouth and placing a kiss on the back of her hand.
“Dad said that he’d promised Mom if she’d come with him, they wouldn’t have to stay and pretend to be happy about the marriage.”
“Whatever the reason, I’m glad they came.”
“Me, too. Dad believes that eventually she’ll come around and told me not to give the matter any more thought. He said we’re welcome to come visit anytime.”
“Hey, you two,” Jake said, walking over to where they sat. “You’d better get something to eat or Dad will think you don’t like his cooking.”
“Sure he will,” Jude replied, grinning. “As if he’s noticed who’s in line and who isn’t.”
Jake sat across from them. “It’s good to see you so happy, bro.” He looked at Carina and added, “Thank you for rescuing the family from having to look at his long face. Boy, he was a basket case over the Christmas holidays. I figured we might have to shoot him to put him out of his misery!”
Carina nodded graciously. “Of course, that’s the only reason I decided to marry him, for the family’s sake.” She ruined her solemn pronouncement by chuckling.
“When do you have to go back east?” Jake asked.
“Not until after the fourth of July,” Jude replied. “I guess my boss and co-workers are just as relieved I finally got married as you are. They gave me a party with a bunch of gag gifts and I was told to take an extra week off.”
Jake laughed. “I’m not surprised, if you’ve been anything at work like you were here last winter.”
“I wasn’t that bad, was I?” Jude asked, his eyebrows drawing together.
“Yep, you were, so congratulations again for finding the love of your life. Wasn’t it about a year ago that you were telling me you had no intention of getting married? Mm-mm. How the mighty have fallen.”
Their mother walked up in time to hear Jake’s remark. “Actually, I’ve heard that same statement from each of my sons and look at the three of you now. Domesticated. Who would have believed it?”
Heather came running over to her daddy to tell him something really important before she dashed away to be with her friends. Carina smiled. “She’s such a doll.”
“When she’s asleep,” Jake added.
Jude looked at his mother. “I haven’t heard anything from Jason. Does he even know that I was getting married?”
“I don’t know if he got my e-mail or not. I haven’t heard from him in several weeks, which always worries me. His work is so hush-hush that I never have any idea where he is or what he’s doing.”
Jake stood and said, “C’mon, y’all, let’s eat. I, for one, am starving.” He looked at Jude and said, “And you need to keep up your strength.”
Carina blushed and laughed while Jude helped her up and shot a cool glance at his brother. “Has anybody told you what a wit you are?”
“Nope.”
“Not surprising.”
After everyone had eaten, the band began to play. Jude took Carina’s hand and led her onto the cleared patio. He took her in his arms and began to move to the slow love song. “Do you remember the song?” he asked.
“I’ve heard it, if that’s what you mean.”
“This was the song that was playing when I asked you to dance the night we met.”
“Oh. So you asked them to play it for us.”
“Um-hm.”
She rested her head on his chest. “Sometimes I have trouble reconciling the fact that the tough government agent and the oh-so-romantic man I know are the same person.”
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br /> “I gotta admit, it surprises me, too. My army buddies would be laughing their heads off if they could see me now.”
She stopped and rested her hands on his cheeks. “I know the agent is skilled and does his job admirably, but it’s the romantic who stole my heart.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7695-0
DOUBLE IDENTITY
Copyright © 2005 by Annette Broadrick
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*Sons of Texas
†Daughters of Texas
††Secret Sisters
◊The Crenshaws of Texas