“Naomi, we need to talk. Everything is happening so fast. I hadn’t planned to take advantage of you. Believe it or not, I’ve never been a man who takes advantage of honorable women. We shouldn’t be behaving like this. It isn’t proper.”
Naomi fought the urge to release a frustrated sigh. Talking was the last thing on her mind, especially if it involved proper behavior and society’s expectations of how a woman should act. She had had more than enough of being told how she was supposed to feel and behave. She had finally stumbled upon a man who made her feel alive again. She had been surprised by how much pleasure his touch evoked, and she wanted to relish the sensations once again.
Naomi didn’t want Aidan to be proper with her. She wanted more of the savage barbarian he had been just an hour before. She shrugged out of his grasp and resumed her exploration of his fascinating and delectable chest. She was determined to taste every rippled, well muscled inch of the broad expanse.
“I don’t want to talk, Aidan,” she said between kisses. “I want to make love again.”
“Naomi, listen. I need to apologize to you. I wasn’t trying to seduce you…”
Naomi placed a firm finger over his lips to silence whatever he had been about to say. “Don’t say another word, Aidan. I don’t want anything to spoil the way I am feeling. I couldn’t be happier with the turn of events. Now shut up and kiss me.”
The fleeting thought that he was the seduced rather than the seducer passed through his mind, but at that moment, Aidan didn’t care. Naomi leaned over and kissed him on the mouth, plucking at his senses with her moist lips and teasing tongue. He moaned as she deepened the kiss.
She straightened once more and caressed his chest and abdomen with hands of heated silk. She sat up on her knees between his thighs and trailed her dainty hand over his ridged abdomen. He held his breath as she tentatively grasped his throbbing erection. He moaned, and her eyes flew up to lock with his.
“Does that hurt?”
“No,” he gritted out through clenched teeth. “It feels too good to be true. I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
Her grin was positively wicked, and she grasped him more firmly and began to experiment. Her motions were those of a novice, but he didn’t care. It felt incredible. He guided her, showing her how much pressure to use and how to stroke him, and she eagerly complied. His obvious enjoyment thrilled her, and she fondled him ever more confidently, noting how he gripped the blankets and moaned with pleasure.
She leaned down and kissed him, and he gripped her head again, deepening the kiss. He groaned in ecstasy as she stroked him, clutching him tightly as she slid her tight fist up and down his length, just like he had shown her.
When Aidan began to kiss his way to her breasts, she surprised him yet again by rising up to eagerly dangle the luscious orbs just above his mouth. Truly, he must be in paradise. He nibbled on her sumptuous breasts while she kept him enthralled with her tiny fist.
He was close to losing it, so he finally pulled her hand away from his shaft and lifted her higher, until he could bury his face between her breasts. Naomi straddled his waist as he clasped her breasts in his two hands and feasted.
The sight of her … lips parted on a moan, shimmering hair tumbling in disarray all around them, ivory skin flushed pink with passion … surpassed every fantasy he had ever had. The sensations of her…hardened nipple in his mouth, hands like velvet caressing his shoulders, scalding wet flesh sliding against his abdomen…made him ache like he had never ached before.
He lifted her and held her poised over his throbbing erection. She locked her gaze with his and her eyes opened wide with shock.
“Like this?” she gasped.
“Yes,” he growled.
He gripped her hips and pulled her down onto his shaft with excruciating slowness while watching her reaction. When he was fully seated within her, they released mutual moans of approval. He held her down and thrust even higher up inside her. Her eyes opened wide, and her mouth formed a surprised O. He stroked into her only a couple more times before she caught on to what he wanted. Then she pleasured him, with undulating strokes of her hips. She gripped him so tightly that he could feel every ridge and hollow of her inner sheath.
“Like this?” she asked again, this time with a grin.
“Oh yes,” Aidan replied, his grin even more naughty than hers.
After enjoying the sight of her bouncing breasts, Aidan shifted his gaze down to Naomi’s glistening pink cleft. He stroked her outer lips, fascinated by the sight of her stretched around him as she impaled herself over and over. His broad shaft was glistening with her juices, and he enjoyed the sight of her taking him deep inside with every downward stroke. She was absolutely enthralling.
He located her clit and teased it as she loved him. Every helpless moan he elicited was like sweet music to his ears, and he gradually increased the stimulation until she was nearly frantic. Rising onto one elbow, he urged her forward. He captured one engorged nipple and suckled sharply on the sensitive peak. She climaxed with a gasp, clutching his head against her breast. Her inner muscles squeezed him in delicious rhythmic waves. He moaned with pleasure.
Aidan waited until the contractions began to ease. She had just begun to catch her breath when he rolled, pinning her beneath him. He thrust into her forcefully, braced on his arms to watch her face as he plundered her softness. She clutched him with her thighs, encouraging him to sink deeper inside her with every stroke.
Their joining became frenzied as they struggled toward their mutual fulfillment, until they finally reached their goal and their hoarse screams mingled in the air. He eventually rolled onto his back and pulled her against his side, where she collapsed in satiated bliss.
As they panted together, reality settled on Aidan like a leaden weight. He would have to find some way to find his bearings and get them back on track. As much as he relished her body, he wanted more from Naomi than just sex. She snuggled contentedly into the crook of his arm and dozed once more. Aidan remained wide awake and troubled.
He had never believed in love at first sight. Lust at first sight yes, but love took time to grow and develop between two people. That was what he had always believed before this had happened. Naomi had just satisfied his lust with mind shattering thoroughness, not once but twice in the space of two hours. If lust was all he felt for her, he would be feeling completely satisfied.
He was physically replete, but emotionally, Aidan felt anything but satisfied. He felt confused, out of control, and lost about how to proceed.
He wanted Naomi in every way it was possible for a man to want a woman. He had already decided he wanted her as his wife, before taking her to bed. He had recognized from the first that she was different from every other woman he had known. She was like a jewel among acorns, compared to the other ladies of his acquaintance. Aidan wanted her love, her trust, and her devotion for the rest of his life. Yet, he didn’t know anything about her.
How and why he could want her so desperately when he barely knew her was a complete mystery to him. Aidan didn’t like mysteries. He liked to be in control of his own destiny, not to have it knock him on his butt when he least expected it!
He hadn’t been prepared at all for Naomi to boldly seduce him. If he didn’t know better, he might be tempted to think she was a woman of loose morals who had had multiple lovers. However, there were too many instances during their lovemaking that had convinced him she was still a novice to sexual encounters. In fact, Naomi had surprised him with her naiveté multiple times during their lovemaking.
As a widow, he had expected her to be much more experienced, but the way she had tentatively handled his erection and been so fascinated by his naked chest let him know that she was not accustomed to male nudity. He had also been completely caught off guard that she was unfamiliar with different positions for intercourse. It had been obvious when Aidan took her from behind and pulled her astride him that she had never made love in those positions before. He coul
d only assume that her late husband hadn’t been very creative in bed.
The biggest surprise by far had come when Naomi had climaxed. Aidan was absolutely certain by her reaction that it had been her first time to reach orgasm. She had been shocked by the sensations she was experiencing. Her amazement had been clear on her beautiful face. That realization made Aidan think her husband must have been the worst kind of fool. How the man could have been married to a woman like Naomi and not taken care to bring her to sexual fulfillment was a complete mystery to Aidan. He certainly would never treat her so selfishly.
No … Aidan was certain that besides him, her husband had been her only other lover. Strange as it seemed, it was almost as if she was virginal, at least in her knowledge about lovemaking. There was no way she could so convincingly pretend to have such fresh innocence in bed.
The realization that she was so inexperienced pleased him immensely. Her late husband had had the honor of being her first lover, but Aidan intended to be her last. And, he had the privilege of truly awakening her sexually. He definitely had the better part of the bargain.
The possibilities intrigued Aidan tremendously. Naomi was his ideal woman. Not only was she intelligent, mature, witty and charming, she was also stunningly beautiful. She was slender but with generous curves. She had a lush sensuality that called to him on every level. She had been incredibly responsive to his touch. She had not just accepted his advances. She had met them eagerly and made demands of her own.
Her sensuality was the stuff of Aidan’s dreams. However, it was apparent that all her voluptuous energy had never been truly explored or appeased. Aidan was definitely eager to continue her sexual enlightenment, but he wanted more from her than that. He wanted her as his wife. They had somehow gotten the cart before the horse, and he wasn’t sure how to proceed now.
If he thought she would accept his proposal, he would have asked her to marry him then and there. The prospect of marrying a woman he barely knew didn’t frighten him in the least. For some reason, he knew with absolute certainty that he and Naomi would be happy as husband and wife. He could feel their connection all the way to his bones.
However, he was equally certain that marriage was not what Naomi wanted, at least not yet. He was determined to bring her around, but he knew that would take time and careful wooing.
She was like a skittish filly being fitted with a bridle and saddle for the first time. If he asked her to marry him now, he risked scaring her. She would bolt and shut him out of her life. He needed to get to know her better and to win her affections before taking the next step in their relationship.
As he lay stroking her hip, all the questions that had plagued him since he met her two days before resurfaced in his mind. Why was a woman as beautiful as her all alone? Why had she come to this place? What were her hopes and dreams? Why didn’t she want to discuss her past?
Until he had answers to questions like these, there was no way to know how to win her heart. Until he won her heart, there was no point in talking about marriage.
Naomi stretched and rose onto one elbow. She gave him an impish grin. “Now can I feed you some breakfast, Aidan? Everything is cold by now, but you must be hungry after working so hard.” She winked and her smile turned mischievous.
Despite his worries, Aidan made an effort to mimic her lighthearted humor as he kneaded her bottom with bold familiarity and returned her smile with a crooked grin. “Yes ma’am. We have work to do. Stop trying to distract me with your luscious body, or we won’t accomplish anything today.”
Naomi giggled. He gave her bottom a sharp slap and watched with interest as she hopped up from the bed. She gave him a playfully petulant look of indignation before tossing her hair over her shoulder and walking to retrieve her discarded nightgown and robe from the floor. He was pleased to note that she had already lost most of her shyness about being nude in front of him, and he watched her dress as he donned his own shirt and buttoned his breeches.
They shared a breakfast of eggs, bacon and biscuits. Even though the food was cold, everything was delicious, and Aidan mentally added another item to his list of reasons he wanted Naomi for his own – she was an excellent cook.
Afterward, he unloaded the wagon, bringing in the peaches and other supplies necessary for making canned peaches. By the time he had finished ferrying the items inside, Naomi had cleaned the dishes from breakfast.
“Why don’t you get dressed and come outside?” he suggested. “I want you to have a look at the garden with me, and you can decide where you want everything planted.”
Naomi smiled. “Alright, give me five minutes.”
Although Aidan would have liked to stay and witness Naomi dressing, he decided it would be far better to wait for her outside. He needed some time and space to gather his wits. If he was going to win her heart, he would need to show her that he was good at something besides bedding her.
He scanned the garden patch, quickly deciding where each vegetable and herb should be planted. He would have to get rid of the weeds first, but even so the task would only take him a couple of days to accomplish. After that, he would have to find some other reasons to be near Naomi, because spending time with her was at the top of his list of priorities. Not only did he thoroughly enjoy her company. He needed time to get to know her and to find the answers to his questions.
Naomi emerged from the cabin looking fresh and feminine in a dress of light blue muslin. Her hair was brushed and wound neatly into a bun at her nape, and she had a white apron tied around her waist. Aidan was assailed by the thought that she looked like a perfect farmer’s wife. No one would ever guess that less than an hour before, she had been a temptress in his arms. She crossed to stand beside him as they turned their attention to the garden.
“Tell me, what did you have in mind?”
Aidan motioned with his hand as he showed her the boundaries of the imaginary sections. “I thought potatoes here, then carrots, onions, garlic, beets, radishes, cabbages, rutabaga, beans and herbs over there.” He waited for her reaction and was pleased when she merely nodded her head and smiled.
“That sounds perfect. I’m sure you know how to design a garden much better than I do.”
He grinned down at her. “I think you are the first woman I’ve ever met who doesn’t have to make a bunch of suggestions and changes.”
Naomi quelled the urge to tell him that her easy acceptance of his plan was due to her total ignorance of how to plant vegetables. She had never planted or tended a garden in her life. That fact had not even entered her mind before she had made her impulsive decision to buy a farm and move to Oregon. Maybe she was naïve, but she had assumed that she would simply figure things out as she went along, and she was immensely grateful that Aidan knew what needed to be done. She flashed him an answering grin.
“As long as you don’t try to tell me how to can peaches, I won’t tell you how to plant a vegetable garden.”
Aidan laughed and gave her a squeeze around the waist. “That’s a deal. Now, you had better go back inside. I can’t work with you out here. The sight of you is simply too enticing.”
It was Naomi’s turn to give a delighted laugh. She gave him a fleeting kiss on the mouth before stepping out of his arms. “I’ll leave you to it then. Call if you need anything.”
She retreated to the cabin before Aidan could reply. He watched until she had disappeared inside and then blinked a few times to clear his head. She was a mystery alright. A saucy, tempting, beautiful mystery, and he intended to unravel every last one of her secrets!
*****
Aidan worked diligently for the rest of the morning, stopping only to share a hearty lunch that Naomi prepared for him. The weather was hot and humid. Aidan had removed his shirt while he worked, and Naomi couldn’t resist repeatedly admiring the view as they sat in the shade on the wagon bed eating leftover stew and fresh cornbread that she had made that morning.
He was dirty and glistened with perspiration. She should have been r
epulsed by the grime. Instead, the sight of his rippling muscles and the masculine smell of his musky sweat made her hunger for his touch. She felt moist and achy between her thighs, and she surreptitiously squirmed to ease the unfamiliar sensations.
“So what brought you to Oregon?” he asked, trying to make his inquiry sound like idle curiosity rather than a burning desire to know more about her.
Naomi shrugged and looked off toward the nearby trees. “I just wanted to make a fresh start. What about you?” She eyed him with interest.
“The same reason, I suppose. My brothers and I moved out from Kentucky to build a life for ourselves. We wanted a challenge, and we certainly found one here. But we love our joint venture, working as a team to carve out our own place in the world. Slowly but surely, we’re establishing our farm as a very successful enterprise.”
“How many brothers do you have?”
Aidan noticed that she had very adroitly shifted the questions from herself to him. However, he decided it might make it easier for her to open up if he told her more about himself and his family first.
“I’m the oldest of three,” Aidan said with a smile. “My middle brother, Brian, is a handful. He loves to tease and play practical jokes. He torments those he loves, but he never really means any harm. In fact, he has a heart of pure gold. He’s definitely a rebel though. He gets himself into more trouble than you can imagine, especially with the ladies. They are drawn to him like moths to a flame.”
Naomi laughed and eyed him with sparkling eyes. “Oh really? I can’t imagine the ladies being any more drawn to him than they are to you. We were practically mobbed at church yesterday.”
Aidan shrugged and gave her a bashful grin. “I guess I must have a certain appeal. After all, I attracted you, and you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever met.”
Naomi shook her head and rolled her eyes, but Aidan was pleased that her cheeks turned a charming shade of pink. “What a flirt you are! What about your other brother? Tell me about him.”
Second Chances: Aidan's Bride (The McKenzie Series #1) Page 7
