"Noah, wait! Don't leave."
He stopped with his hand on the door, his head bowed while every nerve in his body fired tingling zaps through his limbs. "I haven't kissed a woman in twelve years, Keri. Much more of that and I won't be able to stop myself from taking you."
"Then don't try."
His breath caught at her words. Was she suggesting…
He closed his eyes, imagined what her pale flesh would look like exposed as she sprawled across his bed. Every muscle tightened, tension coiling in his limbs until the ache was a physical pain. My God, it had been so long.
"Stay."
Her voice was so soft, longing so profound etched into that one simple word that it tugged at every part of his soul. He looked over his shoulder at her. She was right behind him, her breaths still panted out in sharp little bursts, and the look in her eyes was his undoing.
For some unfathomable reason, Keri wanted him.
She proved it the next instant by reaching for the buttons of her dress, unhooking each one clean to her navel. The ribbon on her chemise was pulled, the material gaping wide before she slid it all over her shoulders, the mound of fabric catching on her hips. Naked from the waist up, all that creamy flesh exposed, the question he'd been asking himself since first seeing her was answered when he took in the sight of her breasts. Her nipples were pink.
What little sense he had left fled in a rush of need so powerful, he barely remembered turning away from the door. He grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifted her from the floor, his mouth latching on to her left breast while he walked to the bed. His legs hit the mattress and he raised a knee, leaned down and lowered her, letting go of her breast just long enough to jerk her skirt to her waist. He was pulling her underwear down when she unfastened his pants and reached inside, wrapping her hand around his cock. He clenched his eyes tight as she stroked him, her soft fingers playing over his skin until he thought he'd spill himself before ever getting inside of her.
Pushing her hand away, he slid between her legs and plunged inside of her damp passage with one quick, smooth tilt of his hips.
He nearly lost it at the feel of her. He groaned, bit back a curse when she gasped, her muscles clamping tight around him. He kissed her again, trying to think of anything other than how good she felt. How he was about to embarrass himself by finding his release before even getting started.
Sliding one arm around her waist, he slid her up the bed, settling between her pale thighs before pulling out of her, then sliding back in. Small moans, deep in the back of her throat, raised the hairs on his arms. He reached under her, cupped her buttocks in both hands, his fingers tightening and squeezing her flesh as he stroked back and forth.
She captured his tongue, sucked on it until he couldn't think straight. Her legs wound tightly around his waist, trapping him against her as she rocked her hips, writhing under him in a dance so erotic, every nerve in his body tightened, the force of his thrusts getting harder while he clung to her. The pain from her short nails digging into his back and her slick heat drew his balls tight. It had definitely been too long.
She clenched around him moments later and stiffened, broke their kiss and threw her head back, a sound so guttural escaping her throat it grabbed every part of him and forced his own release. He emptied himself inside of her as his own yells mingled with hers.
The tide of pleasure rode his body until he was drained, collapsing against her as every ounce of strength he had fled. Keri was shaking beneath him. Or was it him who was shaking? He was too disoriented to tell.
Lying with her under him, Noah breathed in the floral scent of her skin, buried his face in her curly hair and tried to remember everything he could about her. One small taste would never be enough. He should have taken his time, stripped her naked and kissed every inch of her skin. Tasted her properly, drawing her pleasure out until she was unable to move.
Then doing it all over again.
Instead, he'd jumped on top of her and finished his business in an embarrassingly short amount of time. He sighed. He'd definitely been too long without a woman. He was surprised he lasted as long as he had. He'd been ready to spill in his pants the moment she kissed him. The fact he didn't do so when he entered her was a small miracle.
Their bodies cooled and his common sense returned by small degrees. When he was able to think clearly, he realized he'd not pulled out of her when he climaxed, their flesh still one. His heart thumped against his chest at the thought. How could he have been so stupid? What if….
He disentangled himself from her and stood, turning his back to tuck himself into his pants. The bed ropes squeaked when she moved. He knew he should say something but he couldn't turn around and look at her. Fear of what he'd see shining in her eyes when he did held him frozen.
He glanced at the clock, relief nearly staggering him. It was time to go. He headed to the door and slipped his coat and hat on. "I'll hitch up the wagon and wait for you outside."
Chapter Twenty One
Keri watched him leave, the small ache pulsing in her chest at his hasty retreat enough to make her throat and eyes burn.
Had it been so terrible he couldn't even look at her? She stared at the closed door for long moments, swallowed repeatedly to dislodge the lump in her throat, and told herself she'd not cry. He'd at least been kind enough to leave instead of listing her every fault as Robert always did.
The pain from Noah's quick dismissal still choked her, though, still felt as if he'd taken a fist to her instead of walking away as if she didn't matter. As if giving herself to him didn't matter.
"You asked for this," she whispered. "You practically begged him for it." And she had. She'd wanted him, but she knew before he even touched her that he'd shut himself off from the world and formed no connections or attachments to anyone. Just because she seduced him into bedding her didn't mean he'd sit around staring at her like a love-sick school boy afterwards while professing his undying love.
A miserable sob crawled its way up her throat before she could stop it.
Scrubbing her face, refusing to succumb to a crying fit, she inhaled a cleansing breath, then stood, fixed her clothes and walked to the kitchen. She grabbed a bowl of warm water, carried it back behind the blankets around the bed and washed, trying to figure out what exactly had come over her to begin with.
One moment she was trying to reassure Noah that the scar on his face meant nothing, that it didn't matter as much as he thought it did, and the next, she was kissing him as if she had a right to.
If you could call such a carnal act a kiss. A shiver raced up her spine just thinking about it.
Noah Lloyd may have lived his life as a hermit for the last twelve years, but sweet heavens could that man kiss. She wasn't sure if it was because it had been so long since he'd done so or if he was just that good at it. Whatever the reason, she'd tingled clean to her toes the moment he slipped his tongue into her mouth, her breasts aching while a wild pulse beat between her legs. She'd wanted to crawl into his lap, strip him bare, and drown in those soul stealing kisses and never come up for air.
But he'd pushed her away and stalked to the door instead.
The loss of contact had been jarring. She hadn't wanted a man's touch in so long, she was amazed her body still responded, but what that one kiss did unhinged her. She'd wanted him so much it hurt to watch him walk away.
But why had he walked away to begin with? Had she been too bold?
Her cheeks heated just thinking about the way she'd bared her breasts to him so he wouldn't leave. Then cringed at the thought. What must he think of her? She'd acted like a shameless wanton, practically threw herself at him, squirming underneath him while trapping him against her with her legs around his waist. And nearly choked on her own screams when she'd come to completion, her release sneaking up on her so fast she was almost embarrassed.
Another delicious tingle raced up her spine when she remembered how complete she'd felt. How alive.
&nb
sp; She sighed and finger combed her curls into place, glancing into the small mirror hung by the bed. Her face was flushed. Her eyes seemed too wide and too bright. She looked close to glowing. She snorted a laugh while studying her reflection. Five intense minutes with Noah Lloyd between her thighs and she looked like a different person.
She chalked it up to the fact she hadn't wanted a man so intensely in…well, ever. She'd not minded lying with John. She may not have loved him, but she'd given herself to him without regret and enjoyed it for the most part, but their coupling had never been so… passionate. She'd never ached for more so soon after.
Keri blew out a breath then banked the fire, slipped on her coat and hat and grabbed the box of pies she'd baked for the party. Snow still covered the ground, the clouds threatening to spill more at any moment. She spotted Noah by the wagon, his arm laid along the sideboard with an unreadable look on his face. Just seeing him standing there took her breath. He looked like a completely different person now with his tamed hair and his beard trimmed neatly.
He turned his head to look at her, their eyes locked, and for one brief moment, she thought she saw the same desire she'd seen in his gray eyes earlier. It was gone in a flash, though.
Noah took the box of pies when she reached him and sat them in the back, then held out his hand to help her into the wagon. He didn't lift her in like he'd been doing lately, instead, he held her hand so she wouldn't fall. He almost acted as if he didn't want to touch her now.
Her chest clenched tight at the thought. She shouldn't have come on so strong. She regretted doing so now.
Neither said a word on the ride to town and Keri was glad when they pulled to a stop in front of the school. Noah's silence was killing her.
The streets were filled with wagons, the sound of children's voices echoing down the street to mingle with the music she could already hear. The entire town was adorned with evergreens, ribbons in red and gold dangling from wreaths and the air seemed to buzz with excitement. The sidewalks were cluttered with people, their happy, laughing voices creating a soft hum that was carried on the breeze. A crisp wind blew in from the mountains, the biting nip stinging her face and as worried as she was about what Noah thought of her, her heart felt light.
She saw Aaron and Sophie, the smiles on their faces bringing one to her own lips. Noah held his hand up to her and she looked over at him. No emotion showed on his face and he barely looked at her. He helped her to the ground without a word.
A barrage of questions were on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't get a single one articulated enough to ask them. When he grabbed the box of pies and started for the stagecoach station, she followed along behind him wondering if her wanton behavior had forever ruined what tentative normalcy they had. If Noah couldn't even look at her, how would they be able to live in the same house together? And where would they go if he asked her to leave?
* * * *
"What in the world did you do to that man?"
Keri looked up to find Abigail and Laurel Avery next to her but they weren't looking at her, they were staring across the room, their eyes wide and filled with curiosity. She turned her head to see what held their attention and saw nothing unusual. Well, nothing other than Noah leaning against the wall looking bored out of his skin.
The haircut she'd given him, not to mention his trimmed beard, caused more than one head to turn when they'd walked into the building. Keri couldn't blame the residents of Willow Creek for staring at him, though. She was having a hard time not doing so herself. Regardless of what Noah may think, Keri wasn't the only one to notice how handsome he was despite that scar on his face. The more time she spent looking at him, the more she realized Isabelle must have been the most shallow girl in all of Charleston to give up a man that good looking. A man who obviously cared for her enough that her rejection sent him running to the other side of the country to escape the pain.
Laurel slid a glance her way. "For the past two years, Holden has tried his best to befriend Noah without much luck. He could barely get him to talk to him, truth be known. Noah rarely came to town and when he did, he spoke to no one unless he had to." She grinned. "Now he's taken in you and your children and venturing in to town twice a day, has cut his hair and trimmed that god awful beard. And all of this in a matter of weeks so, I'll repeat my earlier question. What did you do to him?"
The laughter in Laurel's eyes matched Abigail's, she noticed, when the women turned her way. They both wore beaming smiles and looked at her as if she'd performed some magical feat. "I didn't do anything," she said. "He asked me to cut his hair so I did."
A quizzical look drew Laurel's eyebrows high. "Oh really?" She turned to stare back across the room. "Now why do you suppose he wanted to look presentable after all this time?"
"I don't know." And that was the truth. She didn't know why Noah had wanted his hair cut. She'd asked herself that same question a dozen times and she'd yet to come up with a reason other than he just got tired of it. She knew it had to be more than that, though, but it made more sense than the one her heart tried to make. The one where he cut it so she'd look at him as she would any man. So she'd see him as someone she'd want to be with and not some wild, backwoods hermit.
She'd not missed the looks he'd been giving her lately, looks that caused her pulse to leap under her skin and her thoughts to go places they had no business going. Noah had never said anything disrespectful to her, and she had no reason to believe he wanted anything from her, but those looks made her think things no decent woman should. And today, she'd acted on them like some wanton harlot who hadn't seen a man in years.
Her neck and face burned hot all of a sudden and she turned, looking back at the table filled with cakes, cookies and pies, trying to get the blush staining her face crimson to disappear.
The chatter beside her grew, more voices joining in with Laurel and Abigail's. Keri finally got her heated face to cool and turned back around. Laurel introduced her to her other sisters-in-law, Sarah and Emmaline, and those four Avery women talked to her as if they'd known her the entirety of her life.
For the first time since leaving home that starless night last spring, Keri felt as if she belonged somewhere. If Peter never sent for her, she'd be content here in Willow Creek with these people. Assuming she had a place she could call home.
She glanced back at Noah. He'd told her she was welcome to stay with him until Peter was found but what would become of them if her brother never turned up? Would Noah expect them to leave? Or would he let them stay on permanently. And if so, in what capacity?
A man she'd never seen before stepped into her line of sight and she blinked up at him. He smiled at her, his kindly eyes wary. When he glanced at the Avery women briefly before looking back at her, Keri realized it was her he wanted to speak with.
Why, she had no idea.
* * * *
An uneasy feeling crept along Noah's spine as one man after another stopped in front of Keri and spent long minutes talking with her. He didn't know who half of them were but he didn't get out much, either.
Those men seemed to linger after they'd said their peace, the Avery women slowly being pushed to the side, and irritation gnawed at him just seeing them with Keri.
He glanced around the room, trying to ignore what was happening, and wished he would have stayed with the wagon. The eyes of nearly everyone in the building were on him. He felt their gazes burning into his flesh like a live thing crawling across his skin.
Asking Keri to cut his hair was a bad decision to begin with but letting her trim his beard was just plain idiotic. What had he been thinking? The answer whispered inside his mind a moment later. He'd been wondering if those smiles Keri gave him meant anything or if she was just being nice.
He got his answer to that one real quick. His body still hummed in remembrance of her kissing him. Of her bearing her breasts and clinging to him as he sank into her warm body.
Pleasant chills shot up his spine just thinking about it. He
wondered if anyone could tell by looking at them that they'd been intimate. Not that it mattered. Marshal Avery said he'd spread the rumor of him taking a wife and his coming to town daily with Keri and her kids had to have been noticed by now. Maybe that was why everyone was staring at him. The fact he was at a social event when he never bothered with attending any before.
He glanced around the room again. He was still being watched but the looks thrown his way were more curious than anything. He knew his appearance would cause a stir and draw unwanted attention to himself but at the time, he'd not been thinking straight. He'd only been thinking about what Keri would think, not the people in this dusty little town. They probably thought Keri was the reason for the sudden change. She was, but he wasn't about to make that public knowledge. He wasn't even sure he wanted her to know.
Thinking of her, he glanced back her way. Those men hovering around her were finally starting to wander off. The unexplained tightness in his chest eased a bit seeing them leave. She smiled, her eyes lighting up the room and he couldn't look away.
Her face was flushed, the same way it had been after their earlier encounter. Remembering it brought the sound of her phantom cries screaming back through his head. He heard her breathy moans until his skin tightened, the collar of his shirt choking him with need to hear them again. But, her silence on the way to town told him he'd never get the chance. Of course, that was probably his fault. He'd ran like a scalded dog the moment the deed was done but damn it all, what was he supposed to say afterwards? Thanks? Sorry it was over before it really began? Can I make it up to you later?
Willow Creek Christmas Page 15
