by Iris Abbott
Emma stumbled when Landon came to a complete stop on the walkway. She couldn’t help the feelings of doubt that were beginning to seep into her thoughts. She gathered her courage. “If you changed your mind, we can just go back to the ranch.”
Landon let out a groan as he realized he’d been so intent on keeping his desire under control that he hadn’t even complimented Emma on how stunning she looked. He lightly pulled her out of the flow of traffic. He cupped her cheeks with both his hands and looked deep into her eyes. “I haven’t changed my mind. You’re gorgeous, Emma, and I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone else. I can’t wait to caress and kiss every inch of your body.
Emma felt a sharp and sudden stab of desire. The warmth that had slowly been building since that morning was threatening to rage out of control. She clenched her inner thigh muscles trying to calm the unfamiliar ache she felt there. She was suddenly overcome with the desire to drive Landon out of control. And she had a feeling he didn’t have far to go. “If you think the dress is something,” she gave him a wink. “Wait until you see what I’m wearing underneath.”
Landon felt like he’d been punched in the gut. All sorts of enticing images floated through his mind. “It will be worth the wait I’m sure,” he whispered. He began guiding her toward the restaurant. “On second thought, dinner can wait, but I’m not so sure I can.” He changed direction and headed straight for their hotel. Landon was heedless of the fact that Emma almost had to run to match his fast pace. He was too focused on the erotic images in his head. And they were doing nothing to ease the tension in his body. He had to have Emma now, no more waiting.
He didn’t slow down until they reached the elevator. Emma smiled at him sweetly like she could read his mind and was enjoying his discomfort. There were a couple of businessmen sharing the elevator with them as they rode up to their floor. One of them smiled a greeting at Emma. Landon pulled her closer and wrapped an arm around her waist. His nonverbal warning was as clear as if he had shouted the word MINE for everyone to hear. He realized that was exactly how he felt. She was his. For the next week anyway, he reminded himself. He would deal with the fallout of her return to Georgia when the time came. Now he just wanted to bask in the warmth of her body and sate himself with her kisses and more.
Emma realized her earlier guess had been correct when Landon opened the door and led her into a large suite of rooms. There was only one bedroom. It was obvious he planned for them to share. Emma found her eyes drawn to the large king size bed that seemed to dominate the bedroom.
Landon spoke then and caused Emma to wonder if he could read her mind. “This suite only has one bed. If I misread the signals between us, or you don’t want to share that bed with me tonight, for any reason, you need to let me know now.” He slowly walked toward her before continuing. “Because once I start kissing you, I don’t think I’m going to be able to stop.”
Emma felt the heat in the room rise about a hundred degrees, and it had nothing to do with a hot summer night in Texas. She wanted to be with Landon more than she’d wanted anything in her life. “Trust me when I say that is not a problem. I don’t want you to stop. I feel like I’ve been waiting for you to make love to me for ages.” And indeed maybe she had been waiting for Landon.
Landon chuckled at her enthusiasm. “I promise you it will prove to be well worth the wait,” he whispered. He reached out and touched her cheek gently with his fingertips. Then he lightly traced her jaw, moved lower to caress her neck, and then even lower still to trace the outline of her sensitive breasts.
Emma shivered from the sensations his touch was creating. She heard the zip of her dress as he slipped it open in the back. Then she felt the luxurious slither of silk as the sapphire dress skimmed down her body to land in a heap on the floor. She stepped out of the dress and watched as Landon began to undress.
She couldn’t stop her hands from reaching out to touch the taut skin covering his chest and abdomen. Her fingers trailed lower until they reached his belt buckle. Before she could change her mind, she was unbuckling the belt and pulling it free of the loops in his pants.
Landon stopped her by placing his hands over hers. He noted she was trembling. He drew her body against his. His lips captured hers in a scorching kiss. He wanted to burn off her nervousness with the blazing fires of passion. He pulled her closer straining to eliminate all the space between them. She felt so good, like the silk of the dress she’d been wearing only moments before. His tongue darted into her mouth seeking possession. She willingly opened to let him in. After what seemed like an eternity the couple separated. Both were gulping in giant breaths of air.
They’d almost kissed each other senseless Emma realized. Her erratic breathing slowed and began to return to normal. She never even knew kissing could feel like this. Her head was spinning. She felt light enough to float! She heard the rasp of a zipper. Landon was disposing of his pants. That caused her breathing to speed up again.
Her eyes met his and while their gazes were still connected the couple finished undressing. When they were completely naked from head to toe, Emma moved back into the embrace of Landon’s arms. She felt him gently guide her backward. Finally, the back of her knees came into contact with the bed. They both sank into the mattress together, a heap of tangled arms and legs. This was all new to Emma, and she was struggling not to drown in the emotions steadily rising in her body.
She wanted to make Landon as crazy with passion as he was making her. She started at the corner of his lips and trailed small kisses to the sensitive spot between his neck and shoulder. Then she moved to his chest, where she used her lips, tongue, and teeth to tease the skin under her mouth.
It must have worked too because Landon let out a hearty groan. Emma unsure of her actions quickly withdrew her touch.
That caused Landon to growl this time. “Don’t stop! That felt so good. I’ve been burning for your touch for a while now.”
Emma gave him a shy smile and began to explore his chest. She grazed her nail across his nipple. She bit her lip and let out a moan of her own when Landon returned the favor. Her breasts were heavy and the nipples ultra-sensitive. She thought she was going to jump a mile off the bed when Landon scraped his teeth across the swollen buds.
“You’re so responsive,” he praised. “I love it when a woman is as turned on as me.”
“And are you turned on?” Emma just had to ask the question.
Landon guided her hand to his swollen erection. “This is what you do to me, Emma. This for you and only you,” he promised.
Emma was awed at the unfamiliar feel of heated steel encased in velvet. She ran her hand the length of his erection. Her confidence grew, and her heated caress moved faster.
Landon shuddered and yanked her hand away. “You’re killing me! And I want this to last! It’s my turn to touch you. His fingers and hands skimmed her body. He cupped her breasts and tweaked the nipples before moving down her body.
Emma gasped when his hand brushed her thigh. Emma ached, and she needed some kind of relief. Her thighs parted on their own accord. Her gasp turned into a tortured moan when Landon’s fingers parted the dusky pink lips hiding her feminine core. Emma arched her back and then almost jumped off the bed when he lowered his head and placed a kiss on the sensitive bundle of nerves just above her nether lips.
Landon grabbed Emma’s hips to hold her in place. Then he flicked his tongue on the swollen bundle of nerves before dipping into the molten heat of her inner recesses.
Emma thrashed her head and hips despite Landon’s hold and murmured words of reassurance. Her body was wound tight, and she thought she might explode. The sensations were so strong. They were unlike anything she’d ever experienced before, and she panicked. She managed to move her hand. She grabbed Landon’s hair and pulled. “Can’t take anymore,” she pleaded.
Landon chuckled but placed a soft kiss on her inner thigh. They were both ready. He couldn’t wait to feel Emma wrapped around his body. He rolled Emma ont
o her back, donned protection, and entered her in one quick thrust. He felt the physical barrier just before he tore it, but it was too late to stop or even slow down. He captured her cry of pain with his mouth.
He used his arms to steady himself and was careful not to move his lower body. He felt the warm tight tissue of her inner core tightly clench his throbbing erection. He knew she needed time to adjust to having him inside her and he’d give her that time even though not moving was about to kill him. He took a deep breath and tried to hang onto the last tattered remains of his self-control.
Emma felt the pain tear through her as Landon took her virginity. She froze. Along with the pain, however, came other sensations. Sensations that were so strong the pain began to disappear until it faded into the background swallowed by other much better feelings. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his back and lifted herself into Landon’s kiss. She felt her body begin to relax. She focused on the kiss Landon was lavishing upon her swollen mouth.
She flexed her hips to get closer. A jolt of pleasure shot through her lower body. She moved again. A moan of tortured pleasure escaped her lips. As if on cue Landon began to move inside her and the pleasure she was feeling steadily climbed. She answered his thrusts with moves of her own. Eventually, they settled into a rhythm that put them both on a path to intense pleasure.
When it was over Emma was so sated she could hardly move. Making love had been everything she’d ever imagined and more. She was fiercely glad her first time had been with Landon. She felt the lassitude of sleep seep over her. She wanted to cuddle, but Landon moved out of her reach.
“I need to dispose of the condom,” he mumbled. Then with a sharper tone, “You should have told me you were a virgin, Emma.”
“Why? Would it have changed the outcome of tonight?” she wanted to know. She knew she sounded a little desperate, but she couldn’t help it. This night had been very special to her, but instead of holding her in his arms as if the night had meant something to him too, Landon was berating her for not advertising her virginity.
“Yes, no,” Landon let out a heartfelt sigh. “I don’t know Emma. You just should have told me that’s all.” He got off of the bed and moved toward the bathroom.
Emma curled into a ball as far as she could get on her side of the bed. If there had been another bedroom, she’d have made use of it. The night had started out so promising. Now it was just another bitter memory of rejection that stung Emma’s heart.
It was a good thing Landon had remembered to use protection. She certainly hadn’t thought of it. At least now there wouldn’t be any unwanted consequences from their night together. The last thing she needed was for him to accuse her of trying to trap him into marriage. She welcomed the sated lassitude that seeped into her body. Emma fell into a deep sleep.
Landon took his time in the bathroom. He shouldn’t have been so harsh with Emma, and he wanted to give himself time to calm down before going back out there to face her. When he finally did return it was to find Emma fast asleep clinging for dear life to the edge of the bed. He had wanted to apologize for being so abrupt with her. He’d just been shocked that she’d never had another lover that’s all. Besides he could have hurt her. She should have told him, but it was a moot point now. Things would look different to both of them in the light of day he decided before falling into a restless sleep of his own.
TEN
Emma felt like her heart was going to break into a thousand small pieces. The wedding was only five days away, which of course meant that she would be leaving Texas and going back to Georgia in six days. Just the thought of leaving the ranch and Landon was enough to start the tears falling. Who knew when she’d see him again, if ever. She already felt like she had cried more than enough for one lifetime, but it looked like she still had more tears left to shed.
Landon already seemed to be withdrawing from her. They rode in the car the entire trip from San Antonio to the ranch without saying a word. She guessed he was still mad at her for some imagined sin that only Landon was privy to. She had wanted to remedy the problem this morning after they’d both had a good nights sleep and time to think. They should at least be cordial to each other. If they weren’t talking when Lynn got back to town, and she found out why there’d be hell to pay.
Things didn’t go as she had planned, however. Landon had already been up and out of the house before she could make it downstairs for breakfast the morning after their return. It appeared that Emma’s night of wondrous passion was quickly starting to shape into a one-night stand. Not the most comfortable situation in which to continue her friendship with Lynn. And it certainly didn’t give her hope for furthering her relationship with Landon.
The thought of leaving Texas and never seeing Landon and possibly even Lynn ever again was enough to break her heart, but she couldn’t fathom any other outcome. His comment the night before about them enjoying the limited time they had together was a big clue as to what he thought about their night of passion. His great disappearing act this morning only served to increase Emma’s feeling of isolation and loss.
Emma hated being one in a long line of temporary lovers to fill Landon’s arms. She had no one to blame for this mess but herself. She knew the score going in, and even though she was hurting right now, she wouldn’t trade their night of lovemaking for anything. She would always have that one night with Landon tucked close to her heart. And what a night it had been. Her body shivered at just the memories. She couldn’t have dreamed of a better introduction to the pleasure of making love.
The doorbell rang. Emma thankful for the reprieve snapped out of her fretting. She opened the front door to the deliveryman from the wedding boutique. He smiled at her. “Package for Ms. Lynn James,” he announced.
“She’s still out of town, but I’m her maid of honor. I’ll be happy to accept it on her behalf.”
“Not a problem, I just need your signature on the dotted line please.” The man gave her a wink as he passed her the clipboard and pen.
Emma was in a hurry. She couldn’t wait to unzip the heavy-duty garment bag so she could see the finished dress. She was already making plans on how to display the dress in Lynn’s room. She scribbled her signature on the clipboard and handed it back to the deliveryman. She took the bag, which was bigger than she was, closed the door, and carefully made her way to the upstairs bedrooms. She wanted to take the dress out of the garment bag so that the train didn’t get wrinkled. She decided to hang the wedding gown on the back of Lynn’s bedroom door. That way when she returned from Mexico, it would be there to greet her in all of its splendid glory.
Emma found her best friend’s room and opened the door. It was a room fit for a princess. Emma thought not for the first time how lucky Lynn was to have a family that loved her so much. Being a part of that family would be wonderful. And not just on the outside looking in, like Emma had been for the past six years.
Emma laid out the garment bag on Lynn’s queen size bed. She slowly pulled down the zipper. She was excited to finally have something with the wedding go as planned. Emma was so involved with the unveiling of the dress that she didn’t immediately notice there was a problem. She took the dress out of the garment bag and carefully unfolded the train. A sinking feeling began in the pit of her stomach. The dress was now unfurled to its full length, as Emma held it out in front of her.
“Oh my God,” Emma exclaimed as she got her first good look at the wedding gown. Three diagonal diamante studded straps winked back at her in the sunlight. It was the wrong dress! Instead of Lynn’s white and silver gown with the ruched skirt and corset back, Emma was staring at the white and ivory gown with the open back and diagonal straps.
She couldn’t believe the boutique had made such a colossal mistake. She cursed herself for not checking the contents of the garment bag before the deliveryman left. Now she would have to call the boutique and let them know about the mix-up. She hoped this latest glitch could be fixed with a simple swap. There would be no har
m done if she could exchange the dresses.
She found the boutique’s phone number on a paper attached to the outside of the garment bag. She found her cell phone and punched in the corresponding numbers. She impatiently tapped her foot while she waited for someone on the other end to answer the phone. Emma breathed a sigh of relief when a saleslady finally answered.
“Hello, Satin and Silk Bridal Boutique, this is Linda. How may I help you today?”
“Hi, Linda, my name is Emma Sharpe, and I am the maid of honor for Lynn James.”
“Oh yes, I believe we put Ms. James’s dress on the delivery van this morning. It should be arriving anytime now,” the saleslady assured Emma.
Emma took a deep breath. Maybe she should just ask for the manager because she didn’t want to have to spend all day fixing someone else’s screw up. “That’s why I’m calling,” Emma told the woman. “I did receive a package from your boutique, but unfortunately it’s the wrong gown.”
“That’s impossible,” the saleslady told Emma. “Our manager personally oversaw the packing of all the wedding gowns that went out for delivery this week. Maybe you just think it’s the wrong dress after all you’re not the bride.”
Emma worked hard to hold her tongue to keep from saying the biting comment that popped into her mind at the sales ladies lack of understanding and poor public relations skills. One thing was for sure, she wasn’t doing the wedding boutique any favors. Emma knew good help was hard to find, but this woman really took the cake.
