by Lily Graison
They shared a dessert, a slice of apple pie he said wasn't nearly as good as the one she'd baked and Laurel blushed to her roots when he told her how much he'd had to pay for it at the auction.
The stars dotted a clear sky as they left the hotel restaurant and the air had a bite to it. She tugged her coat closer as they walked back to the school. They both seemed to be lost in thought and the trip was made in silence. When they reached her door at the back of the school, Laurel was almost afraid to tell him goodnight.
She'd been courted a few times in her life and almost every one of those men had certain expectations at the end of the evening. Those expectations caused the butterflies she'd been fighting to control all night to swim so dizzyingly she had to take a few deep breaths to calm them down.
Holden was staring at her when she finally got the nerve to turn and look at him. Her pulse started racing the moment she did. Those expectations most men thought were their due weren't so bewildering as she looked at Holden. If truth be known, she'd say the nervousness she felt was from the fact he wasn't formally courting her and wouldn't expect any sort of goodnight kiss. She blushed when she realized she wanted it, despite what she'd told him earlier.
"Well." She tried to get her heated cheeks to cool but failed miserably when her gaze drifted to his mouth. Lord he had such nice lips. They were soft, too, she remembered and of all the men she'd ever kissed in her life, none had done it so expertly as Holden did. "Thank you for a lovely evening." He smiled at her, shifted his weight to one foot and Laurel felt dizzy all of a sudden. The anxiety was killing her. "Good night!"
She whirled on her heel, rushed inside her room and slammed the door, her heart beating so hard against her ribcage she felt foolish. She was a grown woman, not some simpering school girl but she felt like one. Giddy. Breathless. Hopeless.
Falling in love with a man she barely knew.
Sighing, she leaned back against the door, her arms falling to her sides. "You are an idiot, Laurel."
Turning her head toward the window, she wondered if she could see him from there but didn't dare move. If he saw her staring out at him, she'd die of mortification.
* * * *
Holden was half way down the street before he stopped, turned around, and walked back to the school house.
Since the moment Laurel had slammed her door in his face, he'd gone over everything Morgan had learned about her, and told him about, and every piece of information he was able to get from Laurel himself and none of it explained why she was so stand-offish at times.
Or why he got the impression her surly attitude was all an act.
She confused him more often than not and tonight was no exception. It had been a long time since he'd courted a woman and from what he remembered, there were certain things one hoped he got at the end of the evening. A kiss goodnight being one of them. A kiss he'd been anticipating until Laurel shouted goodnight to him and slammed the door in his face.
He'd seen her gaze linger on his mouth as they reached the room behind the schoolhouse and that was all it took for his cock to take notice and jump alive as if a hot coal had been shoved into his pants. He hadn't made his intentions of courting her be known yet, but by the time he left town tonight, Laurel would know it.
Rounding the school house, he didn't stop until he was on the little stoop by her door. He knocked, the sound loud in the surrounding stillness and when Laurel opened the door, her shocked gaze landing on him, he was near shaking with the need to have her.
She'd let her hair down, all those glorious curls dangling down her back and framing her face so perfectly, and he almost forgot why he'd turned back around and banged on her door as he stared at her.
"Holden? Did you forget something?"
He forgot something all right. His manners. "Yes Ma'am. I do believe I did." He reached for her, weaving his fingers into her hair and pulling her toward him, kissing her without another word, her shocked gasp giving him the entrance into her mouth within seconds. Her hands clutched his shirt and it only took a few seconds to realize she wasn't fighting him like he thought she might, but was clinging to him, her tongue tangling with his own, little mewling noises escaping her throat and making the incessant throbbing in his groin more profound.
She pulled away after long moments, panting for breath, and those amber eyes he'd admired the first time he saw her were shining with something he hadn't seen directed at him since the night he'd spent with her in Missoula.
Lust. Desire.
Her arms were around his neck in the next instant, her mouth so hot and wet against his own. Holden wrapped her in his arms, pulled her into his body and took everything he wanted from that kiss. Deepened it until he had trouble breathing past his need for her.
She took a step backwards and pulled him into her room, the door kicked shut without ever breaking contact with his mouth.
He turned her, braced her back against the door, his fingers moving into those luscious locks of hair and he was hard and aching by the time she pulled back for air. Her eyes glistened. Her lips wet and swollen and it took everything in him not to guide her to the bed and have his way with her.
Laurel inhaled a few deep breaths and blinked lazily at him. "I didn't want anyone to see us on the stoop." Her hands slid away from his shoulders to rest on his chest. "If anyone caught you in here, I would lose my job."
"I won't let that happen." She blinked up lazily at him, licked her lips and sent his thoughts racing in directions they shouldn't have. "I didn't come back to invite myself to your bed so your position as school teacher is safe."
She nodded, her gaze lowering to his chest briefly. "And why did you come back?"
He grinned and put a finger under her chin, lifting her head so he could see her. "Because I wanted a kiss. I thought that was obvious." Even though the room was bathed in shadows, he could see her cheeks redden.
"Is that all you wanted?"
He laughed. "Not by a long shot, darlin', but I'm a patient man. I can wait."
She smiled up at him, lifted up on her toes and kissed him again, this time without the frenzy of hurried motions. It was soft, lingering and he cursed his neglected groin for demanding so much attention and distracting him. When she broke the kiss, her lips swollen from his kiss, he knew being a gentleman would be harder than he thought it would. Especially when she whispered, "Make love to me."
* * * *
Common sense told her to let him leave but she'd made many stupid decisions in her life, what was one more? He was still staring down at her, his breath as labored as hers. She raised her hands, her fingers brushing the buttons on the front of his shirt and the need to touch him, skin to skin was too much.
She popped the first button, glancing up at his face as she unhooked the others. "Don't read more into this than there is, Holden."
He watched her hands, his chest rising quickly as she reached the last button on his shirt. "And what is this?"
Laurel nearly sighed when she pulled his shirt apart, his chest displayed in the filtered light coming from the single lamp on the table. She looked up into his eyes and licked her lips. "I want you."
His nostrils flared, his hands resting on her waist, tightening.
"I'm not making any promises about the future. Call me selfish but all I want is for you to make love to me like you did in Missoula. Make me feel something other than misery."
He stared at her for long minutes, the thoughts crossing his mind shining in his eyes before he nodded his head at her. "One day at a time, Laurel." He pulled his shirt from his pants, tossing it to the floor.
Much like their one night in Missoula, they undressed each other amid breathless kisses, their clothes thrown across the room to land in a growing pile on the floor. The air inside her room was cool but she ignored it, the warmth of his body more than enough to keep her from shivering.
He kissed her again while cupping her bottom in his hands, lifting her slightly until she felt him against her slick folds. Sh
e broke the kiss, stared at him as he slid inside of her, and her sharp inhale of breath filled the silence in the room.
Bracing her back against the door, he grabbed her left leg, wrapped it around his waist and never took his eyes off of her as he slid in and out of her, the heat from his body burning when they made contact.
He watched her, intense concentration on his face as he loved her and it wasn't until her stomach clenched that she realized how different this time was from their night in Missoula. Then, it had been all about the pleasure of it. Rough, mindless abandon with one goal in mind. Now, it was felt soul deep. She could see it in his eyes, feel it burn in her own, and her heart ached to the point she couldn't breath.
Wrapping his arms around her, he picked her up, turned and walked to her small bed, laying her down before kissing her. Their limbs entwined, sweat soaked skin slid against the other and when he lifted his head to look at her and whispered, "marry me," she grinned, wrapped both legs around his waist and said, "no."
His thrusts became harder while his soft whispers of "marry me" were a constant echo in her ear.
When she climaxed, her nails were digging into his back, her hips lifting to meet his thrusts, she bit her tongue to keep from screaming out, "yes" to his adamant demand.
He stopped long enough to let her catch her breath before he started moving again, the intense look on his face still there but something in his eyes promised things that made her stomach quiver. His thrusts became harder, his head lowering to capture one nipple between his lips and as he suckled her, his cock filling her so completely, Laurel knew she'd never be able to stick to her plan. Not with him. She wanted him too much. Her body craved him to the point of desperation. Ached to have him, always, and she knew… consequences be damned, she'd let him have his way and have her. She just hoped her heart would survive it.
Chapter Seven
A rooster crowed somewhere in town and Laurel blinked against the inky darkness of her room. Holden stirred behind her, his arm tightening around her waist, his lips tickling a path across the back of her neck. She smiled and pulled the blankets up, tucking them under her chin.
They lay quietly for long minutes, neither speaking, fingers seeking out warm places on each other's skin until Holden sighed, kissed her shoulder and crawled from the bed.
Laurel watched him dress, admired the play of muscle under his skin and wondered if she was doing the right thing. In the heat of the moment, the mind could be fooled enough to accept almost anything but once the sun rose, would letting this man love her seem as wonderful as it had the night before?
Old fears resurfaced, the play of memories that tormented her most days whispered for her to protect her heart. To not trust him but when he turned to look at her and smiled, she willed her heart to silence.
It had been so long since a man looked at her like that. Looked at her as if he saw nothing but her and the feeling was euphoric. She returned his smile and sat up, tucking her knees into her chest while securing the blankets around her. "Can you make it back to the ranch without anyone knowing you were out all night?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "Not likely. The ranch hands will see me come in but Alex should still be in the bed." He picked up his discarded hat from the ground and dusted off the brim. "She's the only one I care about knowing. The rest don't matter."
He crossed the room, his booted feet hitting the floor loud enough to echo in the silence. Sitting on the side of the bed, he pushed her hair over one shoulder and leaned down, laying a kiss to the skin he'd exposed. "Thank you for last night."
Laurel blushed, glad the room was bathed in shadows. "Don't thank me. It makes it seem sordid if you do."
"All right." He stared at her for several long moments before grinning. "Can I come calling on you again?"
It was Laurel's turn to laugh. "I'll feel completely used if you don't."
"Does that mean I can court you openly, then?"
The moment of truth. Did she want him to court her? Men didn't court women for lack of better things to do. They did it in an attempt to woo them into marriage and Holden had already told her that's what he wanted. Did she?
Memories of the past night replayed through her head and the pleasant shivers of anticipation running laps up and down her spine were answer enough. She leaned forward, kissed him softly on the lips and smiled when she pulled away. "Don't do anything crazy. I've had enough attention as it is. Having you come running to town everyday with bushels of flowers will be embarrassing."
Wrapping her in a hug, he kissed her until her toes tingled, her stomach clenched and desire burned hot and needy through her body.
"I'll try not to embarrass you," he said. "But be warned, I've not courted a woman since before I married Maggie. I'm prone to over do it on occasion."
They talked until the sky started to lighten with streaks of pink and orange then she wrapped herself in the bed sheets and walked him to the door. More kisses and soft whispers filled the air and when he asked to escort her to the dance the following weekend, she didn't dread the prospect of going. She had something to look forward to now.
Letting go of the past was harder said than done but it was time to come out into the open and shine as she once did. And with the man now sneaking around the side of the school house, she knew that was once again possible.
* * * *
The sun was peeking over the mountain when Holden drew to a stop by the barn. Pete, one of the ranch hands, gave him a knowing smile as he walked over and took the reins of his horse from him before leading the animal into the barn.
The house was quiet but wood smoke could be seen from the chimney in the back. Issac was up and preparing breakfast, as usual.
Holden took the front steps two at a time, the smile on his face, he knew, would be there for days. He wasn't sure what he'd done to finally break through Laurel's reservations about him but he couldn't be happier. He'd have done just about anything to win her over but it didn't look as if he'd have much trouble now. All he had to do now was convince Alex that she wasn't a she-devil like she supposed she was.
Entering the house and walking to the stairs, he started up but froze on the third step. Alex was sitting on the second floor landing, a hard scowl painted on her otherwise cherubic face. Her eyes were narrowed, her mouth pinched into a thin white line and he blew out a breath.
He climbed the remaining steps and sat on the top one, leaning his back against the wall. He didn't say a word, just looked over at her and waited.
When she stared back, the disgruntled look on her face becoming more fierce, dread filled him. Of all the things he wanted in life, Alex's happiness was foremost in his mind. If she didn't accept Laurel… He didn't even want to think about it. He couldn't choose between them. Alex would win every time.
She said nothing for long minutes, the ticking of a clock somewhere in the house the only noise and the longer she sat staring at him, the angrier he became. He knew she was upset, and really couldn't blame her. It had just been the two of them for so long, the change was sure to be upsetting, but he needed to remember who the adult was.
Shifting his position, he gave her a stern look and said, "Say it. Whatever it is. Let's have this out once and for all."
She exploded. He barely understood a word she said her words erupted in such violent succession that she was winded in a matter of moments. He let her vent, watched her face turn bright red and when tears filled her eyes, sliding down her cheeks to splash on her nightgown, he sighed, rubbed a hand over his face and reached for her.
He hadn't heard her cry so hard in ages, the last time being two years ago when she fell from a tree in the backyard and bruised her ribs. He let her cry until she was hiccupping so badly, he thought she'd lose her breath completely.
Sitting her up, he wiped her tears away, placed a kiss on her forehead and pulled her back against him. They sat in silence until he heard his father stirring in his room, until the smell of bacon and oven-fresh biscuits fil
led the house. Leaning back to look at her face, he smiled, pushed her hair away from her damp cheeks and said, "I love you, you know."
