Thinking of love made her wonder just what he was feeling. Was she just a convenient distraction, easily forgotten now that he had what he wanted? Had she just made a fool of herself? After all, she wasn’t exactly a perfect ten. Why would a man as handsome as Seth be interested in her, with her less than perfect body and the extra pounds nothing seemed to get rid of no matter how hard she tried. He should be with a more glamorous woman, a woman he could show off to the world.
By the time she’d reached Marci’s, Lauren had talked herself into believing that the attraction between them was all in her imagination, so she was relieved when Marci put her right to work preparing food for the feast. Hours later, she got into the shower, sweaty from cooking in the summer heat and more than ready to have some fun.
When she got out of the shower and walked back into the bedroom, there was a dress lying on the bed. She picked it up, unable to resist rubbing the soft leather against her cheek. The dress was beautiful, the bead work clearly done by hand, and Lauren knew that it was old. As tempted as she was to put it on, she couldn’t believe that it was for her, so she carefully laid it back down on the bed.
But before she could get dressed, Marci called through the door. “Did you find the dress?”
Lauren opened the door and let her in. “I can’t wear that, Marci. It’s beautiful but…”
“Of course you can wear it. I’ve had it in the closet just waiting for the right woman to come along,” Marci said, picking up the dress and handing it to Lauren. “You’ll look incredible in it. Seth won’t be able to keep his eyes off you,” Marci said, hoping for just the reaction she got.
Lauren blushed a deep shade of red and shifted nervously, trying to suppress a smile. “Seth and I are just friends.”
She was going to say more, but Marci held up her hand, she’d seen and heard enough to know that she was doing the right thing. “Just put the dress on and come downstairs,” she said, then slipped out of the room before Lauren could protest any further.
Lauren slipped into the dress, the soft leather smooth against her skin, only to realize that it would be impossible to wear anything underneath. Then she looked in the mirror and the discomfort disappeared, the dress was cut perfectly to hug her generous curves. The bead work, done in the deepest shades of purple, created an intricate pattern down the front of the dress, drawing the eye to her generous chest.
Another deep blush stained her cheeks, and the reserved part of her rejected the idea of wearing the dress anywhere in public. But the part of Lauren that remembered those wild rides on the back roads of Atlanta, ran a brush though her hair, considered makeup for only a second, then walked out of the bedroom, feeling every bit the beautiful woman she was.
When Marci saw her, she whistled and said, “That dress was made just for you.” Then she grabbed Lauren by the arm and pulled her out of the house, afraid she’d change her mind when she saw that Marci was wearing only a simple dress, made of the same soft leather, but with far less beading than Lauren’s.
Seth was already seated at the fire, dressed in a shirt and pants made of the same soft leather as Lauren’s dress. The beading on the shirt emphasized his powerful build and more than a few of the women in the gathering had commented on it. When Marci and Lauren walked into the firelight, the gathering quieted, the implication of her dress clear to all but the one who wore it.
When he saw Lauren, Seth rose to his feet and crossed the distance separating them with several long strides. His eyes devouring every inch of her until they came to rest on her face, and the smile she couldn’t suppress at the sight of him dressed equally fine. Their eyes met and a powerful wave of desire swept through Lauren, making her knees go weak and she stumbled into Seth’s arms. Embarrassed, she tried to pull away, but Seth held onto her firmly, his arm around her shoulders.
He guided them back to where he’d been sitting next to Grandfather, and the conversation in the room began again. Lauren was relieved to no longer be the center of attention, but dismayed to find that most of the women were dressed more like Marci, few had any bead work on their dresses at all. But she soon forgot as platter after platter of food was passed from hand to hand, each succulent morsel an equal to what she and Marci had made that afternoon.
When a cup of something hot was pressed into her hands, she took a deep drink expecting tea, but it wasn’t tea and it burned the whole way down to her stomach. Gasping and coughing, she looked into the cup and the smell of alcohol whiffed up her nose. Seth patted her on the back until she could breathe again, then downed his entire cup, without hesitation.
When she could finally speak, she said, “I thought that was tea.”
“It definitely wasn’t tea,” Seth said, laughing.
Lauren giggled, then covered her mouth. “What was that? I’m not much of a drinker,” she said from behind her hand, the silly smile on her face impossible to remove.
“I’m not sure, but it’s definitely not tea,” Seth said again with a silly grin to match hers.
Hours later, Lauren and Seth had both consumed more food than they’d ever thought possible as well as two cups of the fiery hot beverage. Lauren was past the point of tipsy, but didn’t care. Sitting next to Seth, surrounded by people having a good time had relaxed her as much as the alcohol had. Seth had taken her hand at some point and never let go, his thumb tracing little patterns on her palm, sending shooting flashes of pleasure through her.
When Grandfather signaled that it was time for the lease to be signed, Seth got to his feet and presented him with the ceremonial quill as he’d been instructed to do. Marci, who had been sitting next to Lauren through dinner, handed Lauren a small pot of ink and gestured to Grandfather. Honored to be included, she got carefully to her feet and stood in front of Grandfather, who dipped the quill in the ink and signed the lease.
She started to return to her seat, but Grandfather began to speak. “We are on the boundary of a new frontier and we have our new friends to thank for that. Together they’ve forged a lasting bond that will carry them to the end of their days.”
Lauren tried to listen to Grandfather’s words, but she was so distracted by Seth standing next to her that they faded. She could smell Seth’s alluring scent, wood smoke, mixed with something very male that she couldn’t quite name. Her mind drifted to the times he’s kissed her and held her in his arms, the possibility of more so alluring she let her mind wander farther than it should have in her tipsy state.
The next thing she knew, the quill was in her hand and Marci was gesturing for her to sign her name. She watched while Seth signed the document, wondering what she’d missed when she’d drifted off, knowing that this infatuation with Seth was becoming a problem she couldn’t avoid dealing with any longer. She’d been thinking about him when she should have been doing her job. Now she’d have to ask Marci what Grandfather had said.
Marci watched Seth and Lauren sign their marriage document feeling proud of herself; the wedding had gone off without a hitch. Unless you counted the fact that the bride and groom were unaware that they’d just gotten married. Now all she had to do was put the last part of her plan into action and the rest would take care of itself. Smiling at the couple, she pulled them over to the door.
“I’m sorry, you guys, but I need your help,” she said, trying to look serious.
“Of course, Marci. Anything you need,” Seth said, thinking that something bad had happened.
“Well, I seem to have more people in my house than beds. I can put the kids on the floor but…. Oh, I’ll just say it, I was hoping you wouldn’t mind moving to one of the other cabins,” she said, wringing her hands as if she was really upset. “I feel terrible, but I don’t know what else to do.”
Chapter 9
When Marci had explained the situation in detail, they could do nothing but agree, however that was before they discovered that the little cabin had only one bed. Lauren suddenly had the feeling that they’d been set up, but couldn’t imagine that Marci would do so
mething like that.
“She must have forgotten that there was only one bed,” Lauren said, feeling nervous and strangely excited at the same time, her head still spinning from the alcohol.
“I don’t think so,” Seth said, looking around the room. Marci had clearly planned this; even slightly inebriated, he could see that.
He turned to say something else to Lauren, but instead his attention was riveted to the sight of her standing in the shadows of the room. She looked so nervous, he suddenly felt protective of her. This feeling was quickly followed by a wave of desire so strong he’d pulled her into his arms before he could stop himself. Once she was there it felt so good he couldn’t have let go of her if he’d wanted to, and that was when he realized that the last thing he wanted to do was let go of Lauren.
What he wanted was her, he didn’t stop to think about the ramifications. Instead he lowered his head and captured hers in a kiss that ignited a fire between them. A fire that had been smoldering for days, just waiting to erupt into flames, and Seth’s kiss did just that. The rational part of Lauren knew that she should put a stop to the kiss, but the kiss began to consume her, making her body come alive with feelings she’d never felt before.
When Seth’s hands began to explore the soft leather of her dress, Lauren suddenly realized that she was wearing nothing underneath, and stiffened in his arms, the reality of what they were doing suddenly awakening her rational mind again.
“Seth, we can’t do this for so many reasons,” she said, her mind focusing on all the reasons this was a very bad idea.
Seth took her face in his hands and stroked her cheek with his thumb. “Lauren, for just tonight ignore what your mind is telling you. There are no directions for what’s happening between us, but I do know this, I want you more than I’ve ever wanted a woman.”
Lauren pulled out of his arms and crossed the room. “I don’t know, Seth. I’ve never been good at that. Besides the fact that it’s not a good idea professionally, I’m just not the right kind of woman for you,” Lauren said, thinking of the extra pounds she carried and what he’d think when he saw her without the dress.
Seth crossed the room and turned her around to face him. “What are you talking about?” he asked, this insecure side of Lauren catching him off guard. Then he understood. “Lauren, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, you’re exactly the kind of woman I should be with, intelligent and sexy. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
Lauren wanted to believe him, wanted that more than anything right then. She looked up into his eyes and saw the desire, a desire so powerful his blue eyes suddenly looked green. Sucking in a deep breath, she said, “Seth, I haven’t…I mean only once…and it was….” She trailed off unable to say more, the memory of the one and only time she’d had sex making her shudder with disgust.
Seth’s protective instinct suddenly surfaced again and he pulled her closer. “If you don’t want to do this, I’ll stop now. But Lauren, I want to make love to you, more than I’ve ever wanted anything. We’ll go slow, I promise.”
Looking into his eyes, Lauren wanted more than anything to discover what real passion was like and to have this man teach her. Deep down she knew that all her fears were baseless, her instincts screaming at her that this man could show her what it really meant to be a woman, if she’d only let go of her fears and trust him. In what was either the smartest or the stupidest move of her life, she stretched up on her tip toes and kissed Seth, a kiss that told him exactly what she wanted.
Seth’s impulse was to pull to her over to the bed, strip her dress off, and bury himself inside her to satisfy the driving need that had flooded him with her kiss. But Seth knew he had a woman in his arms who deserved to be wound up slowly and delicately, deserved to have the passion that lurked just under the surface released in a magical way. He took control of the kiss, using it to unleash some of the need he felt, delving his tongue into her mouth and ravishing it until he knew the taste and feel of it like it was his own.
The minute she kissed him, Lauren stopped thinking, her entire awareness focused on the man who held her in his arms. As his tongue invaded her mouth, she felt only pleasure, a pleasure that seemed to awaken other parts of her body. When his hands slid up her back to untie the leather string at the back of her dress, she tensed for a moment, then relaxed when he broke the kiss and whispered, “I’ve been thinking about his moment for a long time.”
He slid the dress from her shoulders, then gasped when it fell to the floor to reveal that she’d been wearing nothing underneath. “If I’d known that was what was under that dress…” He couldn’t finish his sentence, his desire had robbed him of his words.
Instead, he began to unbutton his shirt, but before he could get more than one button undone, Lauren pushed his hands away. The bone buttons slid easily from their holes, revealing Seth’s powerful chest sprinkled with dark curly hair. When the last button slid free, Lauren ran her hands over his chest, the muscles rippling under her touch. Seth groaned, sending a fresh wave of desire racing through her, quickly followed by a new and different feeling of pleasure, one born with the knowledge that she had the power to bring him pleasure. When she reached for the button on his pants, Seth quickly unhooked it and his erection sprang free.
He took Lauren’s hands in his and wrapped them around his throbbing penis. “This is how much I want you. This is what you do to me.” Then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed as if she weighted nothing.
He laid her down on the bed, then joined her, their naked bodies touching for the first time making them both gasp with pleasure. Seth found Lauren’s mouth, his tongue again exploring, but this time his hands began to roam as well, skimming her cheeks, across her collar bone and down her chest until he found her swollen breasts. He cupped them in his hands, massaging each one until Lauren was riding on wave after wave of pleasure.
Sure that she’d never experienced anything like this and might never again, Lauren simply gave herself to the pleasure, unable to fight her longing for Seth any longer. She cried out in pleasure when Seth’s mouth left hers to clamp onto her swollen nipples, first one then the other. Something stirred deep inside her, a need she couldn’t explain, a need that had her reaching for Seth’s swollen member.
His groan of pleasure only intensified her need, and when his hand trailed down her stomach to come rest between her legs, she knew what she wanted. She spread her legs and shocked herself by saying, “I want you to touch me.”
Seth’s finger found her clit and he began to rub her in little strokes, whispering in her ear, “Those are the sweetest words I’ve ever heard.”
As he rubbed her, Lauren felt a tightness inside her begin to grow, waves and waves of pleasure radiating out from deep inside her until with a burst of the most intense pleasure yet. Her body convulsed, her orgasm making her cry out Seth’s name. Then she went still in his arms, too spent to do anything more than lay there, her body practically vibrating with a satisfaction she hadn’t known was possible.
Seth had never felt such intense pleasure from simply pleasing a woman, it drove him nearly to the edge but he managed to get control at just the last minute. He wanted to analyze what Lauren was doing to him, but he needed to feel her velvety wetness embracing him, so he shifted between her legs and slid inside her. She was just as hot and wet as he’d imagined, and so tight he had to hold very still or he knew he would hurt her. When Seth’s body joined hers, Lauren wasn’t sure if she was feeling pleasure or pain, the feeling of him inside her, stretching her a mixture of both.
But as her body adjusted, the pain disappeared and she was filled only with pleasure, a pleasure so amazing that she sucked in a deep breath and threw her head back in ecstasy. Still motionless inside her, Seth kissed her exposed neck, until Lauren began to move beneath him, the gentle thrust of her hips telling him that she was ready for more. Seth began to move slowly inside her, gentle thrusts that took all his control, only driving himself into her hard
er, when she began to moan with pleasure.
Seth was close to losing control, of letting himself crest the wave of pleasure that his body was striving for, but he wanted Lauren to go with him so he reached between them and found her swollen nub and used his thumb to gently rub it. Lauren went wild beneath him, her orgasm almost instant, leaving her trembling in his arms.
Lauren was soaring on a wave of pleasure so intense all she could do was hang on to Seth as her body convulsed the pleasure so intense she thought she was going to burst. The feeling of Seth’s length throbbing as he spilled himself inside her sent another wave of pleasure through her, her body clenching around him until she collapsed back on the bed, too exhausted to move.
Later, they lay entwined on the bed together, Lauren’s head resting on his chest. She was half asleep but felt more content than she’d ever felt in her life, the sound of Seth’s heart beating in her ear reassuring her that what had just happened was real. She’d never understood what was possible between a man and a woman, her one experience having been a total disaster, but now she knew what all the fuss was about.
Seth lay with Lauren in his arms, feeling more content than he had in a long time. It came as a shock to him to realize that something so wonderful had been waiting for him all this time; even more of a shock was the realization that he’d never be happy with another woman. His body was beginning to relax, his heart rate to lower as the endorphins washed over him, his last conscious thought that he was in big trouble, but that he didn’t really care that much, especially if this is what it would be like to be with Lauren all the time.
The next morning, Seth woke with Lauren still cradled in his arms, the feeling that she was right where she should be still with him. But then his head began to pound and a thirst like none he’d ever known came over him. He stumbled out of bed and across the room to where a pitcher of water stood. He gulped down half of it, then pulled on his clothes. Looking back to the bed where Lauren was still asleep, he ducked out the door to answer the call of nature. When he stepped out there was a rolled-up paper tied with a ribbon on the door step, but he didn’t stop to pick it up.
Weak For You: BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 15) Page 9
