While her mouth devoured his, her hips lifted of their own accord to bring his erection closer to her core. Damp and aching, she needed him there. Now. She whispered his name when he took his mouth from hers.
He snagged a condom from his back pocket before shedding his jeans and shorts and tossing them aside, along with the boots that thudded noisily against the floor. With trembling fingers, he ripped the foil package open and sheathed himself.
And then he sheathed himself in her.
The joining of their bodies was the end, for a moment, the goal she had been spiraling toward, the answer to a longing so intense she had begun to believe that she could not live without it.
And then Luke began to move, to make love to her with the gentle sway of his hips. She stretched to accept him, as he buried himself inside her. The joining made her complete, satisfied her, but as he moved within her she found a new beginning.
The pleasure of completion swirled just out of reach as Luke moved tenderly within her. Each long stroke took him deeper. Faith wrapped her arms and her legs around him and swayed up and into his slow thrusts. They found a perfect rhythm, their own divine dance.
For all her perfectly logical arguments, Faith knew, deep down, that there was a purely emotional reason she wanted Luke and no one else. She opened her eyes and watched his face as he loved her. He was so beautiful. So good and wise and noble.
If she believed in love, she might think shed fallen for Luke the first time shed laid eyes on him. Love at first sight was a ridiculous concept, and yet how else could she account for the way she felt? And she did feel. Illogically and with a much too heavy dose of a purely feminine vulnerability, she experienced a rush of emotion she could not explain away.
Luke plunged deep and hard, and she could not think of anything else but the way he filled her. She wanted this to last all night, but all too soon they danced faster, driven by need and passion. Faith came with a hoarse cry, her body wrapped around Lukes. Buried deep inside her, he found his release moments after she did as her inner muscles caressed and milked him.
Entwined and spent, they collapsed. Faith raked her hand down Lukes side; she had the energy for nothing more demanding. He kissed her, a gentle kiss very different from the arousing caresses theyd exchanged moments earlier.
She held on tight, as her breath fought to return. Her body continued to tremble gently, and if she cared to monitor her heart rate and blood pressure at the moment, she would find them most definitely altered.
Had she almost sent Luke away tonight? How foolish it would have been to turn her back on him, to deny what she felt for this man.
Its lucky that you had a condom with you, Faith said when she was able to speak.
Lucky? Luke raised up and smiled down at her. Honey, a man makes his own luck.
She hadnt been able to let him go earlier, but she should send him away now. Thank you very much. That was pleasant. Ill see you tomorrow. She held on tight. You knew, she said softly. You knew we would be together tonight.
He shook his head. I hoped. Theres a difference.
Hope. Earlier today shed had none. Right nowShe pushed aside all her doubts and fears of the uncertain future. She would not worry about what was to come, not tonight. She would not think about Jake Ingram and his fantastic story, the siblings she was beginning to remember, the questions about her past. Not tonight. Luke was here. He thought she was beautiful. With a glance, he made her quiver.
Does it bother you? he asked, his smile fading. That I was prepared for what happened here tonight?
No, she said honestly. Im glad. I didnt even think of Heavens, was she blushing? It made little difference. Her entire body was flushed, pink and warm and well loved. I guess I didnt think at all. Im glad one of us did.
What am I, Faith? Lukes smile drifted back. An eternal optimist or a scheming lecher?
Well
Before you answer, theres something you should see. He rolled away, reached for his jeans and delved into the pockets. When he moved his body away from hers, Faith was acutely aware of her nakedness. She grabbed the bedcover and quickly pulled it around her so that she was at least partially covered.
Luke was busy for a moment. All in all, he came up with eight condoms from various pockets.
Faith smiled as he tossed the condoms onto the bedside table. But it wasnt the shiny foil packages she thought of when she considered his question, it was the expression on his face when hed turned to her and said, I do believe in love.
She snaked her arm around Lukes neck and pulled him close. Eyes closed, mouth hungry, she kissed him the way he had kissed her: with everything she had to give. He answered in kind, as she had known he would.
No, she was not ready to send him on his way with a thank-you and a friendly handshake. She wanted more. She wanted him here all night long.
When she took her mouth from his, she said, Eternal optimist. Most definitely an eternal optimist.
Nine
O ne in the morning had come and gone much too quickly, and still he couldnt sleep. Luke drew a sleeping Faith closer against him. She sighed and nuzzled, and then became still. For someone who had tried very hard to explain away her feelings in an unemotional, logical manner, she was a surprisingly spirited lover.
He hadnt told Faith that she was the first woman hed been with since his wifes sudden death. It was an uncomfortable confession, and besides, there had been no time. One minute hed been leaving, the next shed been drawing him to the bed and he hadnt been able to think of anything or anyone else.
Logically, he knew Faith would never be satisfied to live in a town like Rockland, not even for a few months. Shed be gone too soon, before they had a chance to discover if they had anything besides the passion she tried to reason away.
Without the interference of that annoying logic, he wanted more. Fishing, dancing, days without the stress of the epidemic pulling them in several different directions. Maybe they didnt have anything but thissexual attraction, mutual need. No matter. Theyd never have a chance to find out if there was more.
He lay there for a while holding Faith, listening to her breathe. The touch of her flesh along his was like a drug; he didnt want this night to end. He should go home. Nelda and Abby were long asleep, but in the morning theyd expect him to be there. Still he didnt want to go. Not yet. He dozed but not deeply.
Faith hadnt been sleeping long when she began to move restlessly, bringing Luke fully awake again. She didnt roll away from him, but held on tight. Her breathing changed, became shallow and uneven, and she began to mumble nonsense in her sleep.
Now and then he made out a single word among the nonsense. No. Breathe. Mark.
Ah. Another Mark dream. He took some small pleasure from the obvious fact that the dream was not pleasant.
Should he wake Faith and bring an end to her nightmare? Shed been sleeping so well until just a few moments ago. And she needed her sleep. Before he could make a move, the decision was taken from him when she woke with a start.
For a moment she appeared to be truly afraid and a little surprised, but the fear faded quickly and was replaced by contentment. The Faith he now held was a heavy-lidded and assured woman who looked as if she was never afraid
. Of anything.
Youre still here, she said in a husky voice.
Yeah.
She reached out and touched him, her fingers fluttering down his chest. Good. Her eyes were hooded, sleepily sexy, curious. Dark hair that had been through his fingers many times tonight tumbled and tangled around her body. She turned her head and a few twisted strands fell over her cheek as she continued to touch him.
The rooms only light came through the open bathroom door, but it was enough. In fact, the light was perfect. No bright glare dimmed the sight of Faith as she watched the gentle motion of her pale fingers on his chest, then lifted his hand and placed it where she wanted it, on her breast. She closed her eyes, tossing her head back and sighing deeply as he caressed her. When you touch me there I feel you all through my body, she whispered.
Prim Dr. Martin was, at the moment, his wild Faith.
He kissed her, and she met him with ardor, her mouth taking as well as giving, demanding more. Her tongue danced with his. Her hands were never still, her body quivered and grew warmer.
Do you want me again? she whispered, tossing back the sheet to bare them both. Her body lying beside his was soft and pale, feminine and deceptively delicate. Faith might look delicate, but she was stronger than she appeared to be.
She touched him boldly, without a moments hesitation, wrapping her fingers around his length and stroking once. He was already hard, had been since the moment shed laid her hand on his chest.
You know I want you, he answered.
She smiled and cocked her head to one side. Prove it, she whispered. Make me shudder, Luke. Make me scream. She latched her mouth to his, parted her lips and kissed him deeply.
He rolled her onto her back and parted her thighs with his knees. She laughed lightly. Not so fast, lover. We have all night. With a gentle shove, she rolled Luke onto his back.
Lover? He dismissed the strange endearment when Faith leaned over him and gave him a sexy smile.
Ive never done anything like this before, you know.
He suspected she was telling the truth.
Ive always been afraid to tell the few men who have been in my life what I want, what I feel. She leaned forward and nuzzled against him, kissed his neck while she stroked his length with a maddeningly light touch. Her mouth came to rest against his ear. Im not afraid right now, she whispered.
No, she was certainly not afraid.
You make me quiver, she said softly. She tilted her head and teased his neck for a moment, sucking lightly, trailing the tip of her tongue there. No man has ever made me burn, not like this. I throb, Luke. I ache and yearn, and something savage grows until I can no longer contain it. I want you inside me again, and again. I will never get enough of you.
There had been a touch of nervousness in the air when theyd come together the first time. Was it always that way with a first time? He had forgotten, it had been so long. Still, a little wariness in this particular situation seemed right. Natural.
Faith knew no nervousness this time, she had no reservations of any kind. She touched him as she pleased, guided his hands with abandon when she wanted to be touched. The sight of her delicate hand shifting his to lay it over her breast again erased any reservations he might have. The way she moaned when he tweaked the nipple gently washed away any sense of uneasiness he might have experienced when she awoke seeming slightlydifferent.
And that was just the beginning.
Faith tasted and explored and moaned. It was as if shed never seen or touched a mans body before, and she wanted to acquaint herself with every curve. Not only that, she tested him, searching for and finding the places on his body where her hands and mouth could drive him wild. No, beyond wild.
When she had roused him to the point where he could no longer think, she once again grasped and guided his hand. This time she laid his fingers on the soft flesh of her inner thigh, urged those fingers higher, then tossed her head back and sighed when he caressed her. Her hair fell over her shoulders and down her back, swaying gently in time with his caress.
Almost abruptly she moved away, tossing herself onto her back and moaning gently. She stretched across the bed, and as Luke rolled atop her she put her arms around him and drew him close, guided his body to hers as she whispered, I suspect these bodies were made for nights like this. My body for yours. Yours for mine. She licked her lips and told him, in a most direct and inelegant way, exactly what she wanted him to do.
He almost forgot to grab a condom from the bedside table, but he had not completely lost his mind. Not yet. They made love harder this time, faster. Faith didnt just moan when she found release, she screamed. Her nails raked down his back, her body convulsed under and around his, and while their bodies shuddered and then toppled, she whispered his name. Three times.
Faith stretched like a cat, smiled and opened her eyes slowly. She caressed his face with tender fingers and feathered quick kisses over his mouth. Her tongue flicked in and out, as if she were hungry for his taste.
So it was certainly surprising when she said, You have to go now.
What?
I have work to do. She kissed him gently, then not so gently.
Work? No, he protested. You need to sleep.
Faith smiled and moved against him, her body undulating slowly. I wont get any sleep if you stay.
She had a point.
She didnt rush him from the room, not exactly, but she did very gently assist him in getting ready to go. His clothes were handed to him, while Faith did not bother to dress or even to wrap herself in the sheet. He had sensed a little bit of modesty in her earlier, when hed first removed her sweater, but now she had none. None at all.
At the door a naked Faith handed him his coat. As he slipped it on, she kissed him. No hands, no cuddling, just mouth to mouth in a way that was surprisingly erotic. While the kiss continued, she reached around him and opened the door. At two in the morning there was no one about, which was a good thing since she held the door wide-open and continued to kiss him, mouth open and tongue teasing. He was cold. She had to be freezing with that wind buffeting her bare skin.
She took her mouth from his, muttered good-night and slammed the door in his face.
Luke stared at Faiths motel room door, more than a little stunned.
And feeling as if hed made love to two very different women tonight.
Faith woke alone. Naked, cold and alone. She glanced around to see if perhaps Luke was in the bathroom, but no one stirred. He was gone.
She should be disappointed that hed slip out in the night without saying a word, but he surely had his reasons. It was considerate of him not to wake her, right? So why did it hurt? Her heart grew heavy, and she blinked back a hint of moisture that stung her eyes. Her evening with Luke had been a one-night stand, not a romantic interlude! She had no right to expect anything of him.
Sun broke through the tiny part in the drapes. Sun! Faith sat up straight, then glanced at the bedside clock. Eight oclock! She never slept so late. Why had Luke allowed her to sleep so long?
As she swung her legs over the side of the bed she glimpsed the condoms that were left from last night. They were scattered across the table, where Luke had tossed them so casuall
y. Seven? Hadnt there been eight? Hed only used the one, but that had been before hed emptied his pockets. And then hed disappeared while she slept.
Faith shook her head and pushed her hair away from her face. Maybe shed miscounted. She had been thinking less than clearly at the time.
Even if Luke had walked out without kissing her goodbye, even if taking him as a lover was a bad idea, she could not be sorry. Shed never known a night like that, and never would again. For some reason Luke found her beautiful. He saw her as a woman, nothing else. Nothing more. Shed needed that last night. For that gift, she would always be grateful.
She showered and dressed, prepared to walk to the clinic if necessary. But when she stepped outside her motel room, she discovered an army private waiting to escort her. The young soldier said Dr. Winston had requested that he be there to transport her when she was ready to go to the clinic, and to keep anyone else from disturbing her.
So, Luke was more considerate than shed thought, when shed first awakened and found him gone. That took some of the sting out of waking up and finding his side of the bed cold.
She was still tired. Faith yawned as the soldier drove her to the clinic in an old green jeep. She didnt want to think about last night and this mornings rude awakening, so she watched the town of Rockland go past her window. No wonder Luke loved it so! There was so much beauty here, and more than that, there was kindness. In the people, in the very atmosphere. It was a good place to live, to raise a child.
Her driver had been silent most of the way, but when they turned into the clinic parking lot, he asked quickly, Is everything going to be all right, maam?
What? His questions jerked her away from her newfound appreciation of Rockland.
Family Secrets: Books 5-8 Page 82
