by Paige Tyler
Dalton, for his part, seemed to find the whole thing amusing, and only encouraged Cord to take a punch at him until Rachel stepped between her brother and Cord.
“Dalton, stop it,” she yelled, forcing herself to be heard over his shouted taunts. “Can’t you see that you’re making a fool of yourself?”
Dalton Jeffries didn’t seem to care, however. He took a step forward and would have pushed his sister out of the way had Rachel’s husband, Matthew, and another man that Kayla didn’t recognize not grabbed hold of him from behind.
Terrified that the men holding Cord and Dalton wouldn’t be able to keep the two men from going at each other for much longer, Kayla hurriedly stepped in front of her husband.
“Cord, please,” she pleaded, lifting her hand to rest it against his cheek, hoping that he would look at her. “This is our wedding day. Please don’t let him spoil it for us. Please.”
Her softly spoken words must have gotten through to him because she felt him relax against the men holding him back, saw his gaze shift from Dalton Jeffries to her. She smiled up at him.
Lucas and the other man must have sensed the tension beginning to disappear from Cord as well because they released their hold on him and took a step back. Glancing warily at Dalton Jeffries, Kayla saw him nod jerkily to the men that had been restraining him. When Matthew and the other man didn’t release him quickly enough, he shrugged off their hold.
Kayla tensed, expecting him to lunge for her husband, but he merely gave her and Cord a contemptuous look.
“Enjoy your happiness while it lasts,” he sneered before turning on his heel.
Dalton Jeffries’ words sent a chill racing up Kayla’s backbone, and she stared at him in stunned silence as he pushed his way through the guests that had been crowded around the dance floor. Wetting her lips nervously, she turned back to Cord to find him watching the other man’s retreating form.
Almost as one, the guests around them began to whisper among themselves, but anything they said was lost to her ears as the small group of musicians began to play again.
“What…what did he mean by that, do you think?” she asked Cord.
Her husband was silent a moment before answering, and when he did, he reached up to gently caress her cheek. “He’s just all talk,” he admitted. “But like you said, this is our wedding day, and I don’t intend to let Jeffries or anyone else spoil it.” He grinned suddenly. “If I remember correctly, we were in the middle of a dance, weren’t we, sweetheart?”
Kayla allowed him to pull her close, but it was difficult for her to forget Dalton Jeffries words. Despite what Cord had said, he seemed to be finding it difficult to forget them as well because he was tense and preoccupied as they danced. However, by the time they were ready to cut the cake a short time later, both she and Cord had begun to relax.
Kayla would have headed back out onto the dance floor after they had finished their cake, but Cord held onto her hand and pulled her behind a big oak tree.
“I’ve been waiting to get you alone all day,” he said huskily, his mouth against hers. “Do you think anyone will notice if we leave?”
She laughed lightly, as eager to be alone with him as he was with her. “I think it’s traditional for me to throw the bouquet before we do.”
He kissed her again, his mouth warm and insistent on hers. “Then throw it so that we can get out of here.”
There were only a handful of unmarried women in Copper Creek, and most of them still in their teens, but Kayla barely had time to see which girl had caught the bouquet of daisies before Cord took her hand and hurried her out to the waiting cart.
“Why, Mr. Holderness, whatever will our guests think?” she asked breathlessly, smiling at him as he lifted her into the cart.
“That I can’t wait to take my wife to bed,” he told her.
She blushed, looking around to see if anyone had heard. “Cord!”
He laughed. “Well, it’s true.”
The ride back to the ranch seemed to take longer than usual, and by the time they got there, Kayla was almost trembling with anticipation. Back in New York, she had heard of girls that dreaded their wedding night, but she couldn’t wait to make love with her husband.
Since all of the ranch hands were still back in town, Cord had to unharness the horse from the wagon, then give him food and water before they could go inside. Rather than go up to the house while Cord did that, however, Kayla followed him into the barn.
For some reason, her eyes were drawn to the leather strap that Cord had used to spank her with the other day. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure that Cord wasn’t watching, she reached out and stroked the supple leather with her fingers. Reaching up, she lifted the strap off the hook and held it in her hands. Her pulse fluttered as she remembered what the strap had felt like against her tender skin.
“Abigail?”
Still holding onto the strap, Kayla whirled around to face her husband. He glanced at the leather strap, but said nothing, merely lifting a brow.
Kayla didn’t know what made her do it. Perhaps it was the alcohol in the punch she’d had to drink at the wedding. Or the fact that they were all alone here. Or perhaps she just wanted another spanking. Whatever it was, she didn’t question the impulse, but simply gave herself over to it.
Her pulse skipping a beat, she walked over to where Cord stood and handed him the strap without a word. Then, giving him a saucy look over her shoulder as she went, she sidled past him to walk over to the hay bale he’d bent her over the other day and bent over it of her own accord. With a naughty little smile, she slowly lifted her wedding dress to reveal her pantaloons. Had she known she was going to be spanked on her wedding night, she probably wouldn’t have worn them at all, but as she slowly pushed them down, she realized that the act of doing so while Cord watched excited her.
Cord had been hard most of the day, and now, gazing at his beautiful wife’s bare ass, all he wanted to do was step up behind her, grab her hips and plunge deep inside her. But the thought of tanning her bottom made him even harder, especially since she obviously wanted it so much.
Doubling the strap in his hand, he let it slap lightly against her left cheek. Despite the fact that it wasn’t at all hard, the leather still left a faint pink stain on her skin, and Abigail gasped. A slap to the other cheek resulted in a matching rose-pink marking and a soft sigh that could only be one of pleasure.
Tightening his grip on the leather, he smacked her again, a little harder this time, and she let out a startled, “ooooh!”, dancing from one foot to the other.
His mouth quirked. “Too hard?” he asked.
Kayla shook her head and gripped the edge of the hay bale, waiting for strap to smack her again. This time, the leather licked the tender area right below the curve of her cheek, and she moaned as she felt herself getting wetter. Another spank followed, then another and another, until she was sure that her bottom was glowing with color.
Abruptly, the spanking stopped, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Cord undoing the buttons on his pants. With a seductive little giggle, she pushed herself upright and dashed past him toward the barn door. Behind her, she heard Cord’s deep-throated chuckle as he ran after her.
Exhilarated from the spanking she’d just received, Kayla picked up her skirts and hurried up to the house. She had just pushed open the door and stepped inside when she felt strong arms wrap around her waist from behind. She laughed delightedly as Cord spun her around in his arms and kissed her. Then with a groan, he swung her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing and carried her upstairs to their room.
Setting her down on her feet beside the bed, Cord took a moment to study his bride. With her face flushed, her eyes bright, and her lips full from his kisses, she was even more lovely, he thought.
“Did I tell you how beautiful you look in this dress?” he asked, his voice husky.
She smiled. “Yes, but I like hearing you say it anyway.”
He grinned. “And did I als
o tell you that from the moment I saw you in it that I couldn’t wait to take it off you?”
She blushed, but said nothing, not trusting herself to speak.
“Turn around,” he commanded softly.
Kayla did as he bid, and a moment later, she felt him undoing the tiny buttons on the back of her dress. He gently pushed the dress off her shoulders and down her arms, then over her hips until it was an embroidered pool of fabric at her feet. Clad only in her chemise and petticoat, she turned to face him.
She held her breath, waiting for Cord to undo the laces of her chemise, and was surprised when he reached up to take the pins from her hair instead. The glossy tresses fell to her waist in thick waves, and as they cascaded down her back, he slid his hands in her hair and covered her mouth with his own.
She lifted her arms and hooked them around his neck, melting against him, and she was breathless when he finally lifted his head. He did reach for the laces on her chemise then, and she was surprised to see that his hands were trembling a little. With the laces undone, he gently pushed the material off her shoulders, and then caught his breath as he gazed down at her bare breasts.
“You’re so beautiful,” he told her hoarsely, carefully cupping each rounded sphere in both of his hands.
Kayla gasped as he brushed one turgid peak with his thumb, only to let out a soft moan when he bent his head to take the other nipple in his mouth. Clutching his shoulders, she arched her back, offering herself to him. Happy to oblige, Cord swirled his tongue around her nipple, all the while gently massaging her other breast with his hand. She moaned again.
“Cord,” she breathed, when he lifted his head to gaze down at her a few moments later. “I never imagined that making love would feel this good.”
He gave her a throaty chuckle, his eyes dancing. “And that’s just the beginning, sweetheart.”
And it was.
As he spoke, he undid the button on the back of her petticoat. It fell to the floor on top of her dress, leaving her completely naked.
Kayla felt herself blush right down to her toes under his heated gaze, and she would have looked away had Cord not lifted her chin when she tried to do so. Then, holding her gaze with his own, he slowly began to undress.
She watched, almost breathless with anticipation, as he first loosened the tie around his neck, and then undid the buttons of his shirt. The material parted to reveal tanned skin and a muscular torso, and even though Kayla had seen Cord without his shirt before, the sight of his bare chest had no less of an effect on her, and she caught her breath. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but knew she could never be so bold, and so instead, she watched, transfixed, as his hands went to his belt.
She wet her lips, unaware how arousing the unconscious gesture was, and then caught her breath as he pushed down his trousers to reveal his manhood. She had never seen a naked man before, especially one so well built, and she stared at his hard length in fascination.
Suddenly realizing that she was openly staring at him, she blushed and looked away, but before she could even think what to do next, Cord swept her up in his arms and kissed her. Bare skin touched bare skin from head to toe, but all she could seem to concentrate on was his hard length as it pressed insistently against her hip.
Then Cord was gently lowering her to the bed, and she couldn’t think about anything at all, except how good it all felt.
Cord trailed kisses down her neck and over her breasts, paying special attention to her hardened nipples before moving lower. Kayla moaned with pleasure as his mouth found that secret place between her thighs, and then moaned again when she felt his tongue gently dip into her folds and swirl around the sensitive nub he found there.
“Cord…” she breathed, her fingers threading into his hair as pleasure coursed through her.
But what he was doing felt almost too good, she thought. So much so that she wasn’t sure if she could take it, and her fingers tightened in his hair. But then she felt the most glorious tingling feeling down there, and suddenly stopping him was the furthest thing from her mind. A pleasure so intense consumed her then that she literally felt dizzy from it, and she cried out.
Cord kept his mouth on her for a moment more before he lifted his head, and when he did it was to find his beautiful bride looking at him with complete and utter wonder in her eyes.
Not able to wait any longer, Cord settled himself between her thighs. Supporting himself with one outstretched arm, he reached down with his free hand to touch her, and almost groaned when he found her silken folds slick with wetness.
Using his hand, he guided himself to the opening of her pussy and rested the head of his hard cock there. It took every ounce of control he had not to thrust himself deep inside her with one swift motion, but knowing that she had never been with a man before, he was determined to make her first time as painless and as pleasurable as possible.
With that in mind, he began to slowly slide inside, and saw her eyes widen in surprise. She felt so hot and wet and tight around his cock that it took everything in him not to give in to the urge and thrust the rest of the way into her pussy. But somehow, he managed to maintain control, and was rewarded with a moan from Abigail. The sound was nearly enough to send him over the edge right then, and he had to stop and take a deep breath before moving inside her.
Cord’s thrusts inside her were slow at first, and Kayla found herself matching his rhythm with her own. She clutched at his shoulders, wanting to pull him closer. He complied, carefully lowering himself on top of her, and she was amazed at how perfect their bodies fit together.
Then Cord’s mouth was on hers, and she could no longer think at all. His thrusts were coming faster and harder now, and as they increased, so did her pleasure until she was moaning beneath his kisses and clutching his shoulders. And then, when she thought that the feelings could not get any more intense, they did just that. The rush of sensations coursing through her body threatened to overwhelm her. The only thing keeping her tied to the here and now was the feel of Cord’s hard muscles, and the groans that he was making. She felt a deep sense of satisfaction that she was bringing him as much pleasure as he was bringing her.
After, as Kayla lay with her husband’s arm protectively wrapped around her, and her head pillowed on his muscular chest, she gazed at Cord’s wedding ring on her finger and a smile curved her lips as she fell asleep.
For Kayla, the next two weeks flew by. Even though Cord wasn’t going on the upcoming cattle drive down to Kansas City, there was still a lot to do in preparation for it, so he was busy most days. On top of that, there seemed to be more problems with Dalton Jeffries. Cord never said anything to her, but she knew that more fences had been cut, and that some of the cattle had even been shot. She knew that he was really tense about it, and that he and the ranch hands spent a lot of time patrolling the property. However, even with all this, he still managed to find time in his busy schedule, to spend with her, either finishing up early in the evenings whenever he could, or stealing away with her for a midday ride and a picnic lunch.
They made love at least once a day, sometimes more than once. In their bedroom, on the floor in front of the fireplace, out under the shade of a big tree on a picnic blanket, even in one of the stalls in the barn. Sometimes, as a prelude to their lovemaking, he’d even give her a playful spanking, which only made their joining even more incredible. And each time, Kayla felt herself falling more and more in love with Cord.
Since Cord didn’t want her riding alone, Kayla spent most of her free time sketching. Taking Cord’s suggestion, she had asked Rachel if she would consider selling some of the dresses in the general store on a consignment basis, and the other girl had loved the idea.
As for Cord, he was so happy to hear that she would finally be pursuing her dream that he bought her her own sewing machine. According to Rachel, it should be arriving any day now, and, eager to start making some of the clothes that she had been designing, Kayla couldn’t wait for it to finally show up.
It wasn’t her blond-haired friend that stood on the doorstep, though, but a tall, slender man with dark hair and wire-rimmed glasses.
Kayla stared at her fiancé, William Delmont, speechless.
“Aren’t you going to ask me in?” he said. Behind the glasses, his grey eyes were cold, and his voice had a hard edge to it as he spoke.
She swallowed hard. “How…how did you find me?”
His mouth compressed into a thin line. “I received a telegram from a man named Dalton Jeffries,” he replied. “It seems that he’s a friend of this rancher you’ve been deceiving all these weeks, and was concerned for the man.”
Her blood went cold at the mention of the name. She should have known, she thought bitterly. But how could he have possibly found out the truth?
“You look surprised,” William observed, his tone mocking. “What? Did you really think you could pretend forever?” He continued before she could answer. “Not that it matters because I’ve come to take you home.”
Her brow furrowed. “This is my home, William. I’m not leaving.”
His eyes narrowed. “Don’t be ridiculous! Of course you are,” he insisted. “You have responsibilities, Kayla. And we are to be married, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“I’m already married, William, so you’ve wasted your time coming here, I’m afraid,” she said.
To her surprise, he threw back his head and laughed. “Your marriage to this rancher isn’t even legal, much less binding, my dear,” he told her scathingly. “You married him using a false name, remember? Abigail, something-or-other, wasn’t it?”
She frowned. That couldn’t be true, she told herself. She and Cord had made vows.
He must have seen her look of disbelief and recognized it for what it was because he laughed again, and there was no mistaking the derision in his voice when he spoke. “You really thought you were married, didn’t you? I guess you’re not as intelligent as I gave you credit for being.” He shrugged. “No matter. It’s lucky for you that I’m prepared to overlook everything you’ve done, Kayla, including sleeping with this rancher. When we get back to New York, we’ll simply tell anyone who asks that you were off visiting relatives or something, but that now you’ve returned to marry me.”
