Moonwitch

by Nicole Jordan

Selena woke to the sensation of Kyle’s hands on her breasts and his body curved around hers, pressed against her back. He was warm and hard, his rising maleness stiff and insistent against the backs of her thighs.

  Drowsily she opened her eyes, disoriented for a moment by the delicious warmth. Sunshine streamed in the open window, flooding the strange red room with brightness. When she saw the clothing scattered over the floor, though, she remembered the activities of the previous night and blushed. Turning her head on the satin pillow, she glanced up at Kyle, seeing the golden flecks in his eyes that danced like warm sunlight.

  “Morning, Moonwitch,” he said huskily.

  She returned a soft smile.

  Kyle raised himself onto one elbow, his gaze roaming over her face. “How is it that you’re even more beautiful in daylight?”

  “How,” Selena demurred, “does one answer a question like that?”

  A grin curved the corners of his mouth. “By kissing me.”

  He bent his head then and gave her a long, leisurely kiss that set her pulse racing. “Do you know,” he said at last, murmuring against her lips, “that we’ve never made love in the daytime?” And before she could answer the question, he lowered his head and brushed his lips against her nipple. The bud was tender and sensitive, so that even the lightest touch aroused her. Selena drew in her breath and arched her back involuntarily.

  His tongue flicked out to continue the delightful torment. “Don’t you think,” he mused, “that we should remedy the oversight?”

  Selena’s eyelids fluttered shut, and when she responded with a breathless “Yes,” it was the last coherent word she spoke for a long while.

  It was even longer before she found the energy to slip out from under the muscular arm that Kyle had thrown over her in exhaustion and leave the bed to wash and dress.

  She found the water pitcher half-full and performed her ablutions with haste, for Kyle was watching her shamelessly. He had pulled himself up to lounge against the headboard, making no effort to hide his nakedness.

  To her own shame, Selena found herself stealing surreptitious glances at Kyle. He looked starkly masculine and gloriously rugged with that growth of dark stubble shadowing his jaw. The sight made her skin tingle with remembered pleasure. And when Kyle met her eyes knowingly, holding her in a lazy gaze, she realized he was quite aware of how his nudity was affecting her.

  He remained silent as she donned her chemise, but when she picked up her corset, Kyle shook his head. “Leave it. I want my woman to be a woman, not some trussed up goddess.”

  Selena cast a startled glance at him. “Very well,” she said doubtfully, and obediently let the corset drop to the floor. When Kyle grinned with a quick, boyish warmth, Selena felt her heart flutter. She returned his smile shyly, realizing how much she wanted to please him.

  Their intimate glance was interrupted, however, when a thumping knock sounded on the door. Selena had only enough time to snatch up Angel’s wrapper before Angel herself came bustling into the room.

  The redhead was carrying a tray piled with food, and she grinned broadly as she surveyed Selena. “I brought you two lovebirds some breakfast. Thought you might be in need of a little sustenance after so much exercise.”

  Selena’s cheeks turned the color of the brocade counterpane, but Kyle answered with an easy grin of his own. “Angel, my love, you know just how to win a man’s heart.”

  “Sure hope so. Otherwise, I’d be outta business, now wouldn’t I?” As she set the tray on the table, Angel’s glance took in Kyle. He had modestly covered the lower half of his body with a sheet, but his rock-hard stomach and well-muscled chest were exposed to her appreciative gaze. “You know it’s past noon?”

  “Is it?” His tone was bland.

  “Yeah, and I gotta have somethin’ to wear.” Angel went to the wardrobe and pulled out a high-necked dark blue gown. “Can’t go around in evenin’ attire on a Sunday. Wouldn’t be proper.”

  “I suppose,” Kyle said, casting an amused glance at where his wife stood rooted to the floor, “we should thank you for the use of your room.”

  “Don’t mention it. It’s the least I could do after the way you ran off those Bible pounders.”

  “All quiet downstairs?”

  “Downstairs, yes, but not up here, I reckon. Lord, a body can’t get any sleep with all the caterwaulin’ goin’ on.”

  Her pointed reference to the cries of ecstasy coming from the room made Selena’s face flood a deeper shade of crimson, but Angel appeared not to notice. With a swish of skirts, she crossed to the door. Before she left, though, she turned to wink at Selena. “You just keep it up, honey. I’d say you’re doin’ fine.”

  Ready to sink through the floor, Selena stood still even after the door closed, her face burning. She couldn’t look at Kyle.

  She heard his soft chuckle behind her as he got out of bed. “Why are you so embarrassed, Moonwitch? I’m the one who ought to be mortified. Seduced by my own wife in a brothel! It’s a good thing my crew isn’t around to witness it. They would roast me alive. Now come and eat breakfast before it gets cold.”

  Selena ventured a look at Kyle, and her embarrassment turned to shock. He meant to eat without any clothes on, she realized. And he seemed totally unconcerned by his nudity, for he flashed her a teasing grin as he held out a chair for her.

  When she hesitated, his grin deepened. “Selena,” he murmured, laughter in his eyes, “it’s a little late for modesty between us.”

  She took her seat then, trying to appear unconcerned, as well. But she was grateful when he settled himself across the table instead of next to her.

  Kyle kept up a stream of light conversation as he served both their plates, and listening, Selena realized she had never seen him so cheerful.

  Eventually his good humor began to affect her, too, and she started to relax, despite the savage splendor of the bare, bronzed chest facing her. Halfway through the meal she was even responding to Kyle’s bantering remarks. By the time Kyle pushed away his plate, Selena’s guard was down. She wasn’t at all prepared for his suddenly serious question.

  “Well, now—” he leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands over his flat stomach “—do you mean to tell me what brought you here?”

  “I…” Selena looked away, deploring her regrettable tendency to blush. “I was worried about you… when you didn’t come home.”

  “So you came down here to spy on me?”

  “No, of course not!” Her eyes flew back to Kyle’s. When he raised a teasing eyebrow at her, Selena grew indignant. “Very well, I admit I wanted to know what you were doing here. But I didn’t intend to spy. I didn’t plan to stay, either. I was merely going to talk to you and make sure you weren’t pursuing other women. But Angel thought that would make you angry. Seducing you was her idea.”

  “I didn’t think it was yours,” Kyle said wryly. When Selena remained silent, he shook his head. “I can’t believe Thaddeus actually brought you to a place like this.”

  “I’m afraid I didn’t give him much choice.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “That you needed some clean socks.”

  “Socks?” Kyle stared at her a second, then threw back his head with a shout of laughter.

  “I know it was a feeble excuse, but that was the only one I could think of at the time. I didn’t want him to know why I was concerned.”

  Kyle’s laughter slowly died as he surveyed the soft flush on her cheeks. Was it possible that she might be jealous? Any woman’s pride would suffer over a roving husband, but Selena wasn’t the type to let her emotions show. Yet her distress seemed genuine. It was almost as if she truly cared. He was conscious of the pleasure that thought engendered.

  “I hope you know now,” he said softly, “that I wasn’t pursuing other women.”

  “Well, yes. I saw you last night fighting those men. And Angel explained the rest to me. I think you might have told me, though.”

  “I didn’t
want to upset you.” He paused, then glanced down at her breasts, where her wrapper had fallen open. Through the thin linen of her chemise, her rosy nipples were clearly visible. “Actually, I rather like the way it turned out. I was getting bored with my own company. That doesn’t mean, however, that I want you coming here again. As much as I’d enjoy having you, it would be too dangerous.”

  Selena nodded, though she barely comprehended what she was agreeing to, Kyle’s hot gaze was so distracting. It required a great effort to remain still and submit to his perusal without either covering herself or baring herself further.

  Kyle must have realized her dilemma, for he grinned. “Come on,” he said with a murmur of laughter. “Get dressed and I’ll take you home before we wind up in bed again.”

  She obeyed unwillingly, reluctant to end the pleasant interlude, and Kyle was fully dressed by the time she had finished buttoning up her gown. She was beginning to pin up her hair when she felt his hands warm on her shoulders and the press of his lips against her nape. “Leave your hair loose,” he whispered. “I like it better that way.”

  Selena shuddered, loving the way his hands and mouth felt on her body. His caresses were addictive. And it seemed as if he, too, were addicted to touching her, for his hands glided around her to cup her breasts.

  “Wanton,” he said with a chuckle when she arched shamelessly against his palms, but there was unmistakable approval in his voice.

  Perhaps she was wanton, Selena reflected as they went downstairs to take their leave of their hostess. She had thrown herself at Kyle and practically forced him to make love to her. But she didn’t regret it. At least now he wasn’t avoiding her. Far from it. When she was seated before him on his big roan horse, Kyle wrapped an arm securely around her waist, settling her firmly against his body.

  And the closeness between them this morning wasn’t merely physical. Their hearts and minds seemed to be touching, as well. As they left both towns behind, Kyle continued to tease her with an intimacy that would have shocked her a month before. He roasted her particularly about Angel’s parting comment. The redhead had told Selena that if she ever required a job, she knew where to come. But while Kyle jested about Selena’s ability to become a prime attraction, his threat to flay her alive if she so much as put a toe inside Heaven’s Gate again held a possessiveness that warmed her. As they rode along the sun-dappled road beneath sentinel oaks and venerable cedars, Selena relaxed against him, enjoying the solid play of muscles at her back and the strong beat of his heart.

  Only when they were in sight of Montrose did reality intrude on their intimacy. Selena felt Kyle suddenly stiffen, and she followed his gaze to where a gig had drawn up before the house. A woman and child were seated in the carriage, while Bea stood beside them, deep in conversation. In spite of her best intentions, Selena felt her heart sink. Then she firmly yanked it back up again. Danielle was part of the legacy she had inherited when she married Kyle.

  “I didn’t plan this,” Kyle said quickly, as if worried about her reaction.

  “I know,” Selena answered with determined serenity. “I did. I thought you might like to have some time with your son, so I invited Danielle and Clay to visit.”

  Kyle placed a finger under her chin, turning her face toward his. He searched her eyes for a moment, then shook his head. “You,” he said in soft amazement, “are the damnedest woman.”

  She wasn’t certain but she thought it might be a compliment. She couldn’t mistake the approval in the tender smile Kyle gave her. It was reward enough, she decided, for her efforts to quell her jealousy.

  The meeting wasn’t awkward at all after the first moment, for everyone took their cue from her. When she greeted Danielle warmly and shook her hand, treating Danielle for what she was—a close family friend—they all relaxed.

  After that the visit took on the air of a holiday. Selena shook Clay’s hand, too, which made him giggle, and then proposed a picnic, saying she had promised Felicity one.

  “Pic-nic,” Clay parroted, clapping his hands.

  Danielle smiled. “I don’t think he knows what a picnic is, but I’m sure he would enjoy it.”

  Selena returned Danielle’s smile, then glanced at Kyle. “Perhaps you might take Clay for a ride while I locate your sisters. Would you like that, Clay, to ride on a horse?”

  The child obviously knew very well what a horse was, for he began to jump up and down with delighted shouts of “Horsey! Horsey!”

  So while Kyle took Clay up with him in the saddle, the ladies went into the house to find the younger girls and arrange for the food to be prepared.

  To one side of the plantation buildings, at the edge of a dry bayou, was a latticed summerhouse half-hidden by a line of cherry laurels and overgrown with yellow jasmine and wild azalea. The women spread quilts on the grass in the shade but neglected the food in favor of playing a game of blindman’s buff to entertain young Clay. Everyone but Bea joined in, and soon the air was ringing with shrieks of laughter.

  Half an hour later, Felicity got caught by Kyle. When he proceeded to tickle her breathless, an argument ensued.

  “Not fair!” Felicity cried, trying to escape. “Kyle cheated!”

  Merrily, Lydia defended her brother. “No, he didn’t, Cissy. You’re just miffed because you got caught.”

  “But he peeked, I saw him.”

  Still holding Felicity, Kyle feigned a wounded expression. “I did not ‘peek.’ Could I help it if something got in my eye and I had to raise the blindfold?”

  Zoe chimed in with laughter in her soft voice. “Kyle, you have to play fair. You have to chase us again.”

  “Play fair? I suppose you think I should pay a forfeit.” He made a threatening face at Felicity. “Very well, then, I’ll give you a kiss.”

  She chortled as he planted his lips on her cheek, then screeched as Kyle rubbed his jaw against hers. “Ouch, your face is scratchy.”

  Chuckling, Kyle released her and made a grab for Lydia, who laughed and scurried out of his way. Selena, who had paused to watch the dispute, wasn’t so lucky.

  “I think I could learn to like this game,” Kyle acknowledged as his powerful arms snaked around her waist. His mouth swooped down, but his kiss landed on her lips, not her cheek, and lasted far longer than was proper.

  “Not fair, Ramsey,” Thaddeus protested. “You’re supposed to be paying the forfeit, not receiving it.”

  When Kyle allowed Selena to come up for air, she was flushed and breathless. He grinned at her, his cheeks creasing with wicked dimples, and went sprinting after Clay, who squealed with delight. “Come, young fellow,” Kyle said as he scooped Clay up in his arms and adjusted his blindfold. “You can tell me when I’m getting close.” And the game got under way again.

  Their play finally ended when Thaddeus, as the blindman, tripped over a vine and wound up with flowers in his hair. Yet the laughter never stopped, even when they finally collapsed on the quilts, for as soon as Thaddeus began complaining about his loss of dignity, Horatio squawked unsympathetically and told him to stubble it. Felicity had begged to be allowed to bring the parrot along, which proved a delightful diversion.

  “Sub-ble it,” Clay echoed, pointing to the bird. Danielle grimaced and caught her son’s hand, while Bea shook her head.

  Pulling Clay onto his lap, Kyle ruffled the boy’s blond hair. “I wouldn’t say that if I were you, lad. Your mama wouldn’t approve. You’d best stick with ‘Come to tea.’”

  “Tea! Pretty corset, awk!”

  Kyle flashed a grin at Selena. “Someone really ought to teach that bird to keep his tongue between his beak.” Then he reached over and tweaked Zoe’s nose. “What about it, puss? Should Horatio take lessons in the schoolroom with you?”

  “Oh, Kyle.” Zoe smiled shyly.

  Leaning back on his arms, Kyle eyed the parrot with speculation. “I’m hungry. I wonder what roast parrot tastes like.”

  That brought a shriek of protest from all his younger sisters, and they haste
ned to lay out the food to keep Kyle from eating their pet.

  After stuffing themselves on roast chicken and lemonade and peach cobbler, they sprawled lazily on the quilts, and even then the laughter continued.

  Selena watched them all quietly, contentment flowing through her like warm wine, like a drug, the happiness and friendship so potent that it made her heart ache. She felt as if she truly belonged; this was her family, her life.

  Her gaze fell most often on Kyle. He was lounging beside her, allowing his youngest sister to tug on his arm in an effort to make him return to their play. When Felicity poked at his jaw and asked Kyle why his face was so scratchy, his deep-grooved dimples flashed.

  Rubbing the dark stubble on his chin, Kyle glanced up at Selena, his gaze locking with hers. “I forgot to shave this morning. I was otherwise occupied, if I remember correctly.”

  A soft blush crept to her cheeks. There was laughter in his eyes, and tenderness, and something more that looked very much like gratitude. When he reached beside him to curl his hand over hers, her heart did a sudden flip-flop. She could feel the warmth, the strength of his fingers as they smothered hers. Her blush deepened as she returned his gaze, the memory of his hands waking her body that morning rippling through her.

  Minutes passed as they looked at each other while the laughter and chatter of the children faded. Kyle couldn’t tear his gaze away. He was too caught up in watching Selena, in surveying her cool beauty, in contemplating her warm lips and unbound hair with remembered pleasure. She never ceased to amaze him. The startling way she had shed her decorous behavior and become a creature of passion, the kind of woman every man dreamed of having in his bed. The way she had welcomed Clay and Danielle. Far from wresting him from his child, Selena actually seemed to understand his need to be a father to his son. More than that, she seemed determined to bring them together. How very grateful he was to her—

  “Clay, come back here this instant! You aren’t to play there.” It was Danielle, calling after the toddler, who had wandered away. The inquisitive child was nearing the edge of the dry bayou, where an earth slide had resulted in a sharp drop-off of some forty feet.