“They’re coming down closer…” She commented.
“Yeah.”
“It’ll be easier to get one if it’s right in my back yard.”
“Do they just come down for the garden?”
“No, there is a salt lick behind those trees. The coyotes are getting closer, too.”
They started walking again, slowly so Kelly wouldn’t get too tired. They walked side by side, and Ida realized that their hands were almost brushing together. Experimentally, she put her hand closer to his and got a small thrill as their fingers connected. Disgusted by her sharp reaction, she brought her hand back to her side quickly.
“Is this where you found me?” Kelly asked as they passed through the garden.
“No, you were in the trees.”
Kelly frowned. “How did I get there?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know how long you were there, either, before Ranger led me to you.”
“You often take strange men into your home?” he asked casually, pausing to catch his breath.
She stopped as well and turned to face him. The rooster crowed and a gust of wind blew her hair away from her face. “No. But you were injured.”
“You could have taken me into the city.”
“What’s your point?”
Kelly shrugged. “I’m just curious, is all.”
“I didn’t think you could be moved that far,” she explained. “Besides, it was late.”
“Of course.”
“Why do you have to say it like that?” Ida demanded, crossing her arms.
“Like what?”
“Like you don’t believe me. Like…like I’m lying.”
Kelly blinked. “Well…are you?”
“Why would I lie about that?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m starting to wish I had just left you where I found you.”
He took a step towards her, closing the space between them. He looked at her with earnest blue eyes. “You don’t mean that, Ida.”
“Yes, I do.” She spun around so he wouldn’t see the frustration and confusion in her face. Everything went wrong after she found him. Everything inside. “I really, really do.”
Kelly put his hand on her shoulder gently. “Oh, Ida, I thought we were getting to be friends.”
“No, you are not my friend.” She shrugged his hand away. “You are the person who eats my food and crawls into my bed.” It sounded a lot less damning than she meant.
“And helps you and chases your bad dreams away.”
“I told you…”
Kelly grabbed her arm, catching her by surprise, and spun her around. “What are you afraid of, Ida?”
“I’m not afraid of anything.”
“No,” he breathed, with something like wonder in his voice. “You’re not. Why is that?”
She pulled away from him. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“You don’t think so? I think there are a lot of things to be afraid of in this world. A lot of big bads.”
Ida didn’t want to hear about it. She knew there was a lot of big bads in the world, and cowering in fear wasn’t going to make the situation better. But running away might. She turned and continued on the path into the trees. He followed her into the thicket. The sun was nearly at the top of the sky now, and the ache in Ida’s stomach reminded her that it was noon, lunch time. She marched ahead of him, avoiding the branches and leaves that hung in her face. The leaves on the ground were still soggy from the night’s rain, and their steps were almost silent in the shadows. He kept up with her despite her ducking and weaving and sudden turns.
“This is where I found you,” she announced, coming to a sudden stop. The clearing was much smaller than she remembered it. In the bright sun, it was unspectacular and it didn’t seem like anything special. In fact, it was impossible to tell if it was really where she had found him, except for a few traces of blood on the grass that could have been his.
“You dragged me out of here?” He asked in wonder.
“It wasn’t easy.”
Kelly crouched and touched a spot of blood. “I would have been torn apart.”
“Possibly.”
He straightened and walked over to her. She was standing on the outskirts of the clearing, near the shadows but still bathed in the sun, her arms folded protectively across her chest. She didn’t back away when he approached, didn’t even take a step back when he invaded her space. His chest nearly touched hers, but she didn’t want to look away, didn’t want him to know how much he was affecting her, even without touching her.
Kelly reached up and brushed a stray piece of hair from her face, his fingers lingering too long, turning it from a friendly gesture into a caress. He slid his hand down her hair softly, and then across her jaw, and finally, he cupped her chin and tilted her head back. Sparks raced through her body and down her spine, and finally to her groin, where they ignited a flame of desire. She swallowed hard. She knew his intention, but she didn’t know how to stop him. If she should push him back, step away, remind him that she was married and he shouldn’t…
Kelly touched her lips gently with his. They were soft and warm from the sun. Her mind and body froze. She couldn’t push him away and she didn’t want to. He kissed her slowly, tentatively, and pulled back before she even had time to panic. She kept her hands at her side, digging her nails into her palms so she wouldn’t grab him. He moved as though he was going to pull back completely, but then caught her by surprise by leaving a small, but lingering, kiss on her cheek. It sizzled on her skin.
“Thank you,” he said softly, as he stepped back.
And for the first time in her life, she didn’t know how to respond. No smart or cutting words came to mind. So she ran. She knew that he wouldn’t be able to catch up with her, and if she could reach the barn, she could jump on Flash and just keep running…
“Ida!”
She didn’t turn around, even though his voice was laced with pain.
“Ida, please!”
She was almost out of the trees, and her breath was coming heavy, and her lips were still tingling where he had touched them and her heart was racing. She was frightened, and exhilarated, and that frightened her more.
“Ida!” His voice was weaker. She slowed, halted, turned around. Despite her fear, she couldn’t leave him bleeding and in pain. She still had a responsibility to him. He was clutching his shoulder with one hand, bracing himself against a tree with the other hand.
“What did you do?”
“Tried to run after you.”
She approached him warily, partially expecting this to be just a trick. But his new shirt was a bit darker beneath his hand, and she suspected he probably tore his stitches. Well, he shouldn’t have tried to run after me. You shouldn’t have tried to run. Shut up.
“Let me see.” With shaking fingers, she unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. The wound was trickling blood, but it didn’t look as awful as she had thought it would. “How much does it hurt?”
“It’s not bad…Why did you run away? I thought you weren’t afraid of anything.”
“I’m not,” she insisted.
“But you ran.”
“You keep crossing the line,” she said, suddenly angry. “Why do you keep doing that?”
“It was just a friendly…”
“It wasn’t a friendly anything, Kelly! We are not friends.”
Kelly tilted his head. “What’s the matter? Are you afraid of letting me too close?”
She took a deep breath and said slowly, as if that would help him understand it better, “I am married, Kelly. Have you never heard of marriage before? I took vows…”
“Yeah,” Kelly retorted, “and he walked all over them on his way to California.”
“Don’t insult him!”
“Don’t insult my intelligence, Ida. And don’t be stupid.”
“I am not stupid…”
“No, you’re a smart girl. A
brilliant girl. So why can’t you understand that your husband le-” Kelly stopped suddenly when he saw the flash of hurt in her eyes, the sudden tightening of her jaw, the way her shoulders tensed as she drew in on herself.
“I think you can walk home by yourself.”
“Ida, wait…”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t want to hear anything else from you.”
“Please, I didn’t mean…”
“You don’t know anything about me, or Liam, or our relationship.”
“You’re right,” he conceded. “You’re right, I don’t.”
“So don’t talk about things you know nothing about.”
“I know a few things,” Kelly said gently.
“Like what?” She asked, despite herself. She didn’t want to hear what he thought he knew, didn’t want to hear his justifications for kissing her, didn’t want him to make her believe it.
“That he hurt you.”
“No…”
“He hurts you everyday when he doesn’t come back and doesn’t write.”
“Don’t you know when to keep your mouth shut?”
“I don’t like to see you hurt…”
“Then why keep bringing it up?” She demanded. “Why keep reminding me that…that…” She growled with frustration and turned her back on him. He reached out and touched her shoulder, holding her gently, before she could make a run for it.
“I’m sorry.”
She wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for, but decided it would be wise to just accept it and let the matter drop. She walked away.
“Ida, wait…” He hurried behind her, ignoring the pain in his side. “I really am sorry.”
“Okay.”
“I didn’t mean to…You’re right, it’s none of my business.”
“Okay.”
“And I’m sorry for kissing you. That wasn’t…I’m sorry.”
“Just…” She was going to say don’t let it happen again but she couldn’t force the words out of her mouth. “Let’s go change your bandage so you don’t ruin that shirt completely.”
She wasn’t sorry he kissed her, despite her anger and shock. She wasn’t sorry at all. The contact was so—needed. The strawberry soft feel of his lips was enticing and intoxicating and, God help her, not nearly enough. In fact, she still felt light-headed. She let her mind wander as they walked. He could kiss her for hours, and then let his mouth trail down her neck, across her soft breasts, latch onto her nipples, then move further down…Ida sighed and tried to push the thoughts away. It would never happen. She may want him, but she would never actually let anything happen.
When Kelly caught up with her at the cabin, he removed his shirt without her direction. She bit her lip and worked quickly, cleaning the blood away from his skin and applying a clean bandage. She also checked to make sure his ribs were still tightly bound, and she may have taken a second longer than necessary to confirm that his ribs were indeed fine. The entire time she worked, Kelly looked at her with concerned, caring eyes.
When was the last time anybody cared?
“Do you think…?” She started hesitantly, and then stopped, biting her tongue.
“What?”
“Nothing, never mind.”
“What, Ida? Do I think what?”
“Maybe he…” She shook her head.
“Ida…”
“Maybe he left me for a reason,” she finally said in a rush, as if the words were racing the tears.
Kelly frowned. “What possible reason could he have to leave you?”
Ida was surprised by his question. It stopped her short. “Because I…well, I’m not a normal girl, am I?”
“No, you’re an extraordinary girl.”
“But I’m not…I’m not what my mother always tried to teach me to be. I’m not like my sister, or my friends…”
“How’s that?”
“I’m not a lady.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means that I’m…”
“It means that you’re strong and capable.”
“It’s too much for some…people…”
“I imagine it is, Ida.”
“But not for you?” She challenged.
“No.”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she stepped away.
“What, you don’t believe me?” He asked.
“I have to…”
“Don’t walk away, Ida.” He grabbed her wrist. “Don’t.”
“I don’t want to talk anymore,” she said, almost pleading.
“Okay. We don’t have to talk.” He pulled her down and she didn’t resist. He cupped her face with one hand, and his thumb caressed her cheek. He searched her eyes, pausing too long, giving her too much of a chance to flutter away like a trapped butterfly.
“I can’t…” He cut her words off with his mouth, and she immediately opened her lips beneath him, inviting the warmth of his mouth, the pressure from his tongue. He pulled her against him, onto his lap. She didn’t resist at all, and her hands rested lightly on his bare shoulders.
He moved his hand up her thigh, over her hip, and paused just below her breasts, splaying his fingers across her stomach. She could feel the heat of his hand through her shirt. He didn’t try to move his hand higher, and she relaxed against him, comfortable with the way he was touching her, the way he was kissing her, allowing herself to enjoy the contact.
“Let me touch you,” he breathed against her lips. “Let me touch you, Ida.”
His fingers worked the buttons on her top until the lower half was hanging open, exposing her soft stomach. She moaned when his calloused fingers traced her belly button. She didn’t push his hand away. She wanted him to move lower, higher, she didn’t know, didn’t care, as long as he kept touching her.
“Do you want me to stop?” His voice was as smooth as her skin. “Tell me.” His lips were on her jaw now, the hollow of her neck, his tongue silky hot against her pulse.
“I…don’t know…”
“Well…you think about it while I do this…” His hand was sweeping beneath her shirt, still skimming the skin, just below her breasts, around her back, down her spine. She couldn’t stop the soft moans, couldn’t ask him to stop, couldn’t do anything but arch into his touch, arch into his body.
“I can’t, Kelly,” she finally moaned in anguish.
“Yes you can,” he promised.
“But it’s…wrong…” she said weakly.
“Doesn’t it feel right?”
Ida couldn’t answer.
Chapter Seven
Kelly held her close to him with one hand against the small of her back, his fingers caressing her skin softly in rhythmic circles. Every time he drew his fingers down her back, she gasped. She couldn’t keep track of all the ways and all the places he was touching her because her entire body was singing.
With his other hand, he rubbed her stomach. He pushed his fingers below the waistband of her pants—they were big enough that he had plenty of room. He skimmed her hips, but didn’t try to push between her thighs. His fingers fluttered against her, and the butterflies in her stomach echoed his movements.
She clutched his shoulders, afraid that if she let him go, she would fall. His curly, mussed hair tickled her forehead as she kissed him hungrily. He abandoned her mouth to cover her neck and throat with small nibbles. Her body trembled as chills raced down her spine, and exploded across her body everywhere he touched her.
Kelly returned to her lips, delving deep into her mouth with his tongue. He explored the silky depth of her mouth, tasted her hunger, let her invade him with her own tongue. She had been shy at first, but now she was not hesitant at all. She kissed him as though she had never been kissed before, like she would never be kissed again. She kissed him, and gasped for breath, and moaned his name, and every inch between their bodies felt like a mile.
She pushed against him, and Kelly winced.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine…” He tried to
kiss her again, but she pulled her head back.
“Are you sure?”
The hand that had been on her back clasped the back of her neck and he pulled her forward. “I’m fine,” he whispered before claiming her mouth again. He didn’t move his hand from her neck, but began to massage it gently. One by one, he rubbed the knots out of her neck with his strong fingers until they were gone.
Ida felt like she was melting beneath his touch. She couldn’t even moan her approval as he continued to massage her neck and shoulders. It felt like dozens of small orgasms rolling through her body as her muscles began to relax—her jaw wasn’t so tight, her shoulders weren’t so high. The small headache in the back of her head, the one that had been so constant she never even thought about it anymore, faded. He never broke the kiss, his lips working magic on her mouth.
“Oh my God,” she moaned, his tongue catching the words.
“You’re so tense,” he murmured.
“I know…”
He left her neck, and now concentrated on her shoulders. There were knots there, too, small, sore bundles that she would never be able to rub out herself. He took time with each one, and Ida really felt like she would slide right off of his lap and onto the floor.
“Do you like that?” Kelly whispered.
His other hand was still busy rubbing her stomach, hips, and thighs. He never quite got close enough to her wet center, something that both relieved and frustrated her. She could tell that she was practically dripping for him, and the ache between her legs was spreading up her lower stomach. She could feel her pulse there, and her mouth was dry. She wanted him to move his fingers just a bit lower…
I can’t let him keep doing this. But she couldn’t stop him either. Her brain was no longer functioning. All that mattered was the way his able and quick fingers were now lower on her back, kneading the muscles, and working out the kinks. The tension seeped out of her body, inch by inch, and she felt relieved down to her fingertips.
“Doesn’t that feel good?” He whispered in her ear, his hot breath making her shiver. His voice was so low that she thought it vibrated against her skin.
“Ye-es…”
“I can make it feel so much better,” he promised, and then licked her delicately with the very tip of his tongue.
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