Leather and Lace (Tempered Steel Book 2)

by Adams, Maggie

  Angel ran her hands over his shirt front, coming to rest on the buttons. With the tentative touch, she flicked open the first one, and growing bolder, she pulled at each one in turn, lifting the shirt out of his jeans and pushing it off his shoulders. He winced and she murmured soothing words as she kissed each bruise on his collarbone and chest. Lifting his arm, she planted feathery kisses on the ugly welts across his ribs and back. She felt the tears form again at the pain he must have suffered at the hands of the horrible men who had captured him.

  Sam sucked in his breath and felt himself grow hard as her tender kisses lovingly caressed his skin. He knew he couldn’t stand much more when she reach for the snap of his jeans. His beautiful Angel was offering him comfort and passionate love. Just as she always had.

  Sam led her to the wingback chair near the fireplace. The moon cast an incandescent glow to the room as he settled her on his lap, and brushed her hair back from her fore head. He kissed her softly and she answered in kind, stirring in his arms to reach around his neck to pull him closer and deepened the kiss, but he stilled her movements with reluctance.

  He put her head on his shoulder. “This love I have for you is so intense, so potent, I can’t think straight half the time. You are the only person who has ever been able to stir in me such passion. Or such anger,” he confessed ruefully.

  “I love you Angel, and yet, in my insecure moments, I find myself doubting you. How can you be real? How can you love someone like me? Help me, Angel; help me to understand why you did what you did so many years ago. I’ve tried, I just can’t seem to let go.” He smoothed her honey colored hair with a gentle hand.

  “God knows I want us to start over, to be together. I can’t live without you, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get over these moments of mistrust. You destroyed me that day at the courthouse. When you walked over to your father and took his hand, I think I died inside. I just can’t go through that agony again. I think it made me a little crazy as it is,” he whispered.

  Angel wept at the anguish she heard his voice. She’d done the right thing, but they had both paid the price. She took his hand and squeezed it, trying to get past the tears in her throat so she could finally tell him why she had betrayed him that day. “When we got back into town, I was so happy. I was married to you. I thought my father couldn’t touch us now. After I saw that deputy plant the drugs on you, and you were arrested, my father took me home. I immediately went to my mom and told her what I had seen. She was appalled that he would do something like that, but I can’t say she was surprised. She said she was afraid something like that would occur, eventually.”

  She took a deep breath, preparing to tell him the whole truth about the family. “You see, he’d done the same thing to her. He courted her and wooed her, then arranged it so her parents would find them in a compromising position. He never really wanted my mother. He wanted her money and her name.”

  Sam continued to hold her, murmuring words of comfort. “I knew my father was a ruthless, cruel man, but all this, it was too much to take in. I saw him plant those drugs on you. Well, I saw the policeman pull it out of his pocket anyway. He really hated you. I don’t know why. Maybe it is because for all his money and power, you were more respected, more honorable, than he knew he could ever be.” She looked up at Sam. “You wouldn’t be manipulated like all the others. You were everything that he knew he was never going to be.”

  Sam felt uncomfortable with her praise. He was no saint. Before he could correct her, she continued. “Anyway, I stupidly thought I could confront my father about his treachery and if he didn’t come clean about his scam, I was going to leave. After all, I was adult, a married woman in fact. I didn’t think there was anything he could do to stop me. I was so naïve.”

  She started crying again. Sam held onto his patience, knowing he was about to hear something truly dreadful. He just wanted it over with so he could purge himself of all the doubts he harbored about her loyalty. Now he knew, and he should’ve known back then. Only something truly terrible would’ve kept her from him.

  “I approached the door to the library. It was closed, but I could hear my parents yelling. My mother was so disgusted with what my father had done. She was defending you, demanding that my father drop the charges and fix the mess he made. I opened the door so I could interrupt to add my thoughts to it. My father was standing near the fireplace. My mother was facing him, her hands on his upper arms, begging him to listen. He shrugged off her hands and took a drink from the glass in his hand, dismissing her and her objections like nothing.

  “He started talking about the horrible things they were going to do to you in prison, vile things Sam, things that turned my stomach. He was ranting and raving, getting all excited about the idea of making an example of you to the townspeople. I think my mother realized how disturbed he truly was. She grew pale and started to leave. He turned to her and asked her where she was going.”

  Angel stopped to catch her breath. She was so ashamed of her father, but so very proud of her mother. He had to know what she did for them. “My mom did the bravest thing I’ve ever seen, Sam. She faced him, and she told him she was taking me. We were leaving him. She was filing for divorce. She was going to see that the charges against you were dropped,” Angel said in a low voice filled with pain as the years melted away. She was once again forced to relive that horrible night. She tightened her arms around Sam.

  “He just stared at her for a moment. Then, without any warning, he backhanded her across the face. Her head snapped back. I saw her fall!” Angel stared at Sam not really seeing him. “There was blood trickling from her mouth. He had cut her with his ring. She was so still, lying there, I thought he had killed her. All I could do was scream. He looked at me, and he shouted that he was going to ruin you and your family,” she sobbed.

  “He was completely unhinged. He started pacing the room, mumbling about how he hated your family. When he came across my mother on the floor, he kicked her out of the way! Like she was some trash!” Angel yelled in outrage.

  “I ran to her. I yelled at him to get away from her. I was so frightened and angry. I tried to help her,” Angel whispered. “He grabbed me by the hair and told me it was my fault. He shook me and said it was all my fault! That if I’d only listened to him, none of this would’ve happened.”

  Sam couldn’t stand anymore. “Hush, baby, hush. It’s going to be all right. Everything’s all right now.” He felt the rage boiling inside him. He wanted to dig the bastard up and kill him all over again. Stroke was too easy. He wanted the bastard to suffer. He hoped he was suffering in hell.

  Sam stroked her shoulders, but she batted his hands away. “Don’t do that! That’s exactly what he did! He pulled me close and said everything was gonna be fine as long as we did what he said,” she cried as the tears flowed unchecked down her cheeks. “As long as I was his good girl, this wouldn’t happen again.”

  Angel swiped at her tears. “It was my fault, Sam. I put all of us in danger. But I didn’t know! Oh God, he was such a monster! He smiled at me and told me to help my mother, then he went upstairs. He left her hurt and bleeding on the floor. Like nothing was wrong, like he’d done nothing wrong, that nothing had happened.”

  Sam was ashamed of his doubt. “Oh God, baby, the time you went through. I am so sorry.” He held her close as his own eyes misted over. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry for everything.”

  After a few minutes, Angel felt cleansed. “I helped my mother to her room and bandaged her up. We then formulated a plan to get away. We couldn’t leave you behind, Sam. We knew Father was demented; he would find a way to kill you, for sure. And he could possibly go after your family. He had threatened to do that.”

  She kissed the hand holding her so tightly. “You didn’t understand what you were up against. We didn’t fully understand it until that night. I had to protect you.” She gripped his hand, hard. “I had to. I prayed you would someday forgive me, but I had to act out the picture of the subdued, dutifu
l daughter. I had to keep you safe. That’s why I took his hand in front of the courthouse. I had to make him, and everyone, believe that he had won. I didn’t dare let them see my love for you that day.”

  “That night God granted me a miracle. Father had a stroke. I was so glad. I was glad he was dead, and if that makes me a bad person, I guess it does. But my mother and I were finally free. And I could go to you.” Angel kissed him softly.

  “But I was too late to explain. You left that evening. When I tried to write you, the letters were returned. I didn’t know what to do. I went to your family and explained about my father planning to hurt you. I couldn’t tell them all of it. It was too fresh, it hurt too badly, and I was so ashamed. They understood, but they said you didn’t want to see me. I played my part too well.”

  Angel went on to explain how her mother had decided to leave all the bad memories behind when Angel finished college. She and Angel’s grandmother decided to retire to Arizona. “When Grandma Bea passed, Mom was going to come back, but she met a wonderful man in Yuma. She married a few years ago and went to live in Washington. I told her about our marriage then. She was so glad that I have you. She hopes you forgive us for the deception, but we didn’t know what else to do.”

  Sam kissed her tenderly. “There’s nothing to forgive. I know that now. I only hope she could forgive me for putting you through such a nightmare.”

  “Oh no, Sam,” Angel looked up at him, concerned. “Don’t you see? You saved us from him. We might never have known just how horrible he really was until he hurt one of us too badly. No, Mother’s happy I have such a wonderful man to love. And one who loves me.”

  “After the way I treated you all these years?” Sam asked incredulously.

  “I said you were wonderful. I never said you weren’t stubborn.”

  Sam chuckled and Angel snuggled closer. He held her, trying to come to grips with everything she had told him. He had lived with her betrayal for so long, he didn’t know quite how to handle the fact that he had been wrong, completely wrong. His hands roamed up and down her arms in an unconscious act of comfort as he mulled over the agony and torment. He was humbled by her faith and trust in him. She had been so strong for so long. He’d been such a fool!

  He bent his head to kiss her and realized she’d fallen asleep. Let her rest. She’d been through hell and back for him. His Angel. His guardian angel. Watching over him and protecting him from the evil in their world. Her goodness had shone like a beacon in his dark life. How could he have ever doubted her love? Sam sighed and fell asleep wondering at his good fortune.

  Sam awakened during the night, the weight of Angel’s bottom pressed against his erection. He jumped when he felt her tongue flick on his ear. He turned and smiled down at her, but the passion blazing from her dark eyes took his breath away. He lowered his mouth instead as she met him halfway. Their gentle kiss quickly turned into a wild tangling of tongues as they conveyed their love with kisses and whispered declarations.

  Sam gathered Angel close and stood up, never breaking the kiss, as he trotted quietly across the carpet to the large brass bed. He had dreamt of this moment for many years, but now that it was here, he wanted their first time reunited to be a perfect union. He held her close with one hand as he turned back the wedding ring quilt that covered her bed and gently placed her amidst the pillows.

  Sam lifted her T-shirt, pulling it above her head, freeing her breasts to his hot gaze. He pulled back and stared at the pink and cream perfection. Her nipples puckered, hardening in anticipation. She reached her arms out to him. He gathered her close, loving the feel of her against him. He kissed her ravenously and she more than matched his ardor. He couldn’t stop touching her, kissing her, needing to get closer to her fire. His finger slipped beneath the waistband of her shorts and panties, slipping over her mound to the wetness hidden from his gaze. She moaned into his mouth. He repeated the caress, dragging the rest of her clothes from her body with his other hand. He stood up, then, to admire the beauty he had uncovered.

  Bathed in moonlight, the room held the promise of sweet ecstasy as he stared at the beautiful woman waiting for him. Her golden hair was spread out among the pillows. Her eyes were alight with passions fire, her lips swollen from his kisses. Her curvaceous form was lit by the moon’s glow, making her seem ethereal in her beauty. She was perfection.

  She was his Angel.

  Angel watched Sam with smoldering eyes as he began to disrobe. After all these years, she was going to be reunited with her one and only lover. She trembled at the thought. Her fantasies couldn’t compare to the real man. He was much larger, his magnificent form all sinewy muscle and rough skin. He slid next to her, gathering her in his arms. She touched the SEAL tattoo on his bicep. His piercing blue eyes blazed with passion as his rakish grin promised untold sexual delights. He was her Adonis come to life. He was perfection.

  He was her Sam.

  Angel skimmed her hands across his broad shoulders, down his arms and over his powerful thighs. He shuddered in reaction to her touch. With a wicked grin, she repeated the tender assault, her fingers brushing against his hardness.

  “I missed this.” She stroked him lightly and he flinched. “I missed us.”

  Angel watched Sam through her lashes, fascinated by the play of emotions written on his face as he reached for her. She felt the swelling in her breasts, their weight becoming more pronounced, aching for his touch. It was all she could do not to grasp his hand and just place it there. Her nipples puckered in anticipation. When she finally felt his light caress, she was unprepared for the intensity of sensation that roared through her body to pool at her core. She moaned as a ravenous hunger burned through her body like wildfire. She arched her back as he took her nipple between his fingers, the painful pinch sending millions of sensual tingles clashing throughout her body. Angel moved her legs restlessly, silently pleading for him to end this exquisite torment.

  “I dreamed of this, of you, baby,” Sam lathed the tender bud, soothing the slight pain. He brought her to his mouth, sucking gently the tender raspberry, but no fruit had ever tasted this sweet!

  “Sam, please,” Angel begged. She reached out and engulfed Sam’s pulsing hardness in her hand, feeling the warmth of velvet smoothness as he swelled. He groaned when she ran a finger of the moisture at his tip, bringing it to her mouth.

  “Oh baby, that feels so good, but I’m not made of stone,” he whispered as he kissed the palm of her hand then lightly nipped at the tips of her fingers.

  “You could’ve fooled me.” She chuckled and laughed outright as he tickled her ribs.

  “You always were so ticklish.” Sam smiled. He slid one finger slowly from her chest, to her stomach, stopping at the top of her mound with a devilish grin. “Show me. Show me, baby, where you want to be tickled.”

  Angel smiled, remembering their backseat games. “Like this?” With the natural grace she was born with, she parted her legs, opening herself to his view.

  His eyes admired her beauty as he lowered himself between her legs. He knew that there would never be anything sexier than the way she looked right at this moment. He was surrounded by her feminine scent. Her passion lured him like the mythical sea sirens of old. He had to touch her, taste her. Claim her as his forever. She was presenting herself in all of her beauty to her man. She beckoned him with her womanly charms. She tantalized him with her very essence. She was his woman to love, and she offered herself with a joyous smile.

  He flicked his tongue against her clit and she groaned. With a smile, he swirled his tongue around and around her sensitive nub, felt her body tighten and press toward him. “Not yet, Angel baby,” he whispered against her flesh, making her quiver. “I’ll tell you when you can come.”

  “Bossy,” she gasped and her breath hitched as he forced his tongue inside her, his face pressed against her flesh.

  His head came up and he slapped her mound lightly. “Damn straight, baby. Get used to it.” He took her clit between his lips
and tugged lightly. Angel whimpered.

  He glanced up at her from between her legs and smiled. “I want you to grab hold of the brass spindles and don’t let go.” When she did as he required, he spread her legs wider. “Hold tight, baby. This is going to feel so good.”

  Sam stared at her creamy perfection, spreading her lips apart and prepared to feast. His finger found her entrance and ruthlessly pushed in and up until he found her sweet spot. She tensed. “Tighter, baby. Hold yourself tighter. Come off the bed if you need to. I’ve got you.”

  He grabbed her ass as she lifted and her heels dug into the mattress. His tongue continued its relentless assault on her clitoris as he added another finger to her tight passage. Angel cried out.

  “Not yet, baby. Soon. Just let me……” Sam twisted his finger slightly. He felt Angel’s muscles contract against them. “Now, Angel. Come for me!” He pressed higher and bit down lightly on her clit. She screamed in climax while Sam greedily lapped up all her sweetness.

  Sam levered himself on top of Angel as her tremors subsided. She felt so damn good, and he was going to make her feel unbelievable once again. He knew he couldn’t wait longer. He lifted her legs, and she wrapped them around him, kissing his shoulders welcoming him. He could feel the aftershocks of her climax against his cock. Sam looked into her shining eyes. He was about to make it up to her. All the heartache she’d been through would be replaced by his love and his passion. He would see to it.

  He raised up on his arms, placing himself at her entrance. “I love you, Angel. I have always loved you.”

  The fragile hold on his passion was threatening to shatter. He looked between their bodies, watched as her warmth enfolded his body within hers. She was so warm and moist, her muscles contracting on his cock. He reached for the sensitive nub that would bring her to the pinnacle of release again. A touch, slight circles with his thumb, and soon she was moving against him, begging him to end her torment.