by Connie Mason
Julie could feel his arousal straining and throbbing against her as Rod lifted her from the tub and carried her to the bed where he thoroughly dried her with a large, soft towel. Then he slipped a nightgown over her head, tucked her beneath the covers, and settled down beside her.
“Are you comfortable, querida?” he asked solicitously.
“I’m fine, Rod, really. You don’t have to fuss over me like this.”
“Let me be the judge of that. You are to stay in bed until your feet are completely healed,” he ordered sternly. “Nola will look after Carlos and Felicia can help. Polly and Brett will amuse you while you are confined to bed. Will you obey me in this, Julie?” Though his face was uncompromising, a smile lurked at the corners of his mouth when he thought of all the times she had deliberately flaunted her strong will and independence.
“Yes, Rod,” Julie answered meekly. “I’ve had enough of roaming about, for the time being.”
Chuckling, Rod slanted Julie an assessing look. Did he detect a double meaning in her words. “It’s a good thing,” he teased, “or I’d be forced to tie, you to the bed.” Lightly he fingered a loose tendril of hair lying carelessly against her cheek before touching her trembling lips with a calloused finger.
Julie reacted violently to the soft brushing of his fingers against her flesh as a pulsing knot within her began to grow. Something flickered in Julie’s eyes that made Rod plant a tantalizing kiss in the hollow of her neck. But soon that was not enough as his mouth swooped down to capture hers, his tongue gently parting her lips, tasting, exploring, drawing from it a measure of her unique taste.
His voice was a husky purr. “Julie, Julie, I want you so desperately, but I know it’s too soon. I must leave, mi amor, or I won’t be responsible for my actions. I mean to protect you always, even from myself.” Then he was gone, leaving Julie aching with need to be possessed by the only man she could ever love.
Julie recuperated swiftly, her youthful stamina returning her to full health within a fortnight. Rod quickly slipped back into the role of patron as he once again took up the reins at Rancho Delgado. The cattle drive was about to begin but this year he would remain behind. His spare time was taken up with entertaining his guests and lavishing special attention on his wife and son. He was greatly heartened by Julie’s rapid recovery and happily planned a huge fiesta to celebrate the christening of little Carlos. Brett and Polly agreed with alacrity to act as godparents to the boy and were already spoiling him dreadfully. The date was set a week hence, after which Brett and Polly would return to San Francisco to take up their duties at the Pleasure Palace.
The first day Julie walked to dinner on her own two feet was a joyous occasion. Rod could scarcely keep his gaze from straying to her trim form enhanced by childbirth and her luminous face shining with happiness and health. She had dressed carefully for the event and knew she looked her best. Under Teresa’s tender care she had regained her lost weight and glowed with vibrant vitality. She had chosen to wear a bright blue gown of heavy silk fashioned with huge puffed sleeves and wide, scooped neckline that dipped low to expose the tops of rounded breasts. The skirt was pulled back over slim hips and caught in a bustle. Adrenalin surged through Rod’s aching loins at the sight of her.
The meal progressed pleasantly, the talk spirited, when Polly casually remarked, “Brett has asked me to marry him.” The look she lavished on Brett was starry-eyed and filled with love, leaving little doubt as to what her answer had been. The look, Julie gleefully noticed, was reciprocated. She couldn’t have been more pleased.
“Oh, Polly!” she enthused happily. “This is just what I hoped for all along! It’s about time Brett found a good woman to spend his life with.”
After much congratulations, Rod made a suggestion that seemed to please everyone. “Why not make it a double celebration? Padre Juan might just as well marry you when he comes to christen Carlos. I know it would make Julie happy to attend the wedding of her two good friends.”
After a brief consultation the couple agreed. Later, when Polly and Julie were alone, Polly said shyly, “I love him so much, Julie. I know I can never take your place in his heart but I’ll be a good wife to him.”
“Polly,” Julie chided gently. “Brett may have loved me at one time but the moment you came into his life all that changed. Any fool can see he is besotted with you. My future is with Rod and always has been.”
“How … how are things between you and Rod?”
Julie hesitated. “I’m not sure. We have not spoken about Elena yet. Or my reason for leaving the rancho like I did. But he treats me very well, almost too well,” she mused thoughtfully. “He has not attempted to make love to me since our return although I’m certain he wants to.”
“You know how concerned he is over your health, Julie,” Polly offered. “I’m sure he is waiting for the right moment. If you could have seen him when he was searching for you, you would not doubt his love.”
“I’d feel better about it if he told me,” Julie retorted, openly skeptical. “I’m not a mindreader.”
“Neither is Rod, Julie,” Polly reminded her. “Have you told him how much you care for him?” Julie flushed, realizing she had been as close-mouthed as Rod on the subject.
After her conversation with Polly, Julie decided the time was ripe for meaningful communication between her and Rod. Instinctively, she knew the first overtures must come from her. With that thought in mind, Julie took extra pains preparing for bed that night. The nightgown she slipped over her head fell like cobwebs over her body, revealing the full splendor of upthrust breasts and curving hips. The dark blond thatch between her thighs became a tantalizing shadow beneath a veil of gauze. Her long amber locks fell in silken strands about her tiny waist, the result of an hour of vigorous brushing, and Julie glanced in the mirror, satisfied that she looked her best. Being completely devoid of any kind of vanity, she could not know just what a tantalizing picture she made or how dramatically her appearance would affect Rod. Drawing in a deep, steadying breath, Julie gathered her courage and silently entered Rod’s darkened room through the connecting door.
Rod was not sleeping. The painful ache in his loins and his desire for his lovely wife was keeping him awake. With longing he glanced toward the connecting door and blinked rapidly, certain his burning desire for Julie had conjured up her delightful image to goad and torment him. The moon was full and bright as errant moonbeams drifted in the open window to paint her in hues of shimmering silver, her pale gold body clearly visible beneath the gossamer material of her nightgown, causing Rod to groan as a surge of heat swelled his loins. He moaned in frustration as the ghostly figure of his love poised provocatively in the doorway.
“Por Dios, Julie, if you are real don’t torment me like this!” he cried aloud, his anguish causing his voice to crack dangerously. “But if you are a figment of my imagination, I hope never to awaken from this dream.”
With tantalizing slowness Julie undulated into the room, the movement of her shapely hips driving Rod mad with desire. “I’m real, Rod,” she murmured when she reached his side. “Feel me, I am flesh and blood.”
Rod needed no further urging as his hands sought the soft mounds of her breasts, molding them to fit his palms, rubbing her nipples gently with the heel of his thumbs as they surged into erectness at his first touch. Julie felt herself tauten with excitement as a warm pleasurable lassitude pervaded her flesh. It had been so long since she had felt Rod’s hands on her body that her knees threatened to give way beneath her. She flushed with pleasure as she felt Rod s dark eyes rake her from head to toe. As his ardent gaze rippled over her it was as if tongues of flame seared the thin material from her body and left her bare in the wake of their wildfire.
“Come to me, querida,” Rod urged, his face alive with anticipation. “If I don’t make love to you this very minute, I will surely die.” Effortlessly he lifted her into bed and deftly stripped the filmy gown from her body.
“We must talk first, Rod,�
�� Julie forced herself to say, the inflection in her voice telling him the last thing in the world she wanted was to talk.
“And we will, mi amor,” Rod moaned with barely suppressed desire. “Later. Much later.”
Julie gasped when he drew the tender flesh of her nipple between his teeth to nibble maddeningly until she felt the pressure filling her loins and becoming unbearable. For long minutes the only sound in the room was the muffled breathing of two bodies passionately engaged, punctuated by deep groans of pleasure.
Rod’s lips slid upward to capture her mouth and Julie felt the soft warmth of his tongue invade the honeyed caverns within, the moist tip sliding leisurely along the contours of her lips. Soft kisses fell like rain against the corners of her mouth, along her smooth jawline before pausing at the tender spot where throat joined shoulder.
“Mi amor, my life would be worthless without you beside me,” he whispered, much to Julie’s delight. “I love you.”
When the words Julie longed to hear fell effortlessly from Rod’s lips, all her doubts disappeared like ashes in the wind, serving to unleash all her pent up ardor. Rod groaned with pleasure as her hands freely roamed the hard ridges of his shoulders and back, molding his firm buttocks, finally sliding along his flanks to grasp his engorged manhood. Experimentally, she glided her hand back and forth until Rod moaned and stayed her hand.
“The night is young, querida. If you keep that up it will come to an abrupt conclusion. I have been too many months without you for patience.” Julie giggled but obediently removed her hand from his member. “Lie back,” Rod said, “and let me love you.”
Julie swallowed convulsively as Rod’s eager lips scalded a path downward along her body, teasing first one nipple with his teeth and then the other, molding the mounds against his palms until the coral buds grew rigid against his tongue. He suckled gently for several minutes until her milk began to flow copiously, then slid downward, murmuring hoarsely, “Food for the Gods. I hope my son realizes how lucky he is.”
Julie tensed as his tongue flicked across her ribs, pausing briefly at her navel, running his tongue maddeningly around the rim in a circular motion while his hands slid between her legs and his fingers slipped inside her moistness. Julie arched her back against the intoxication of his sensual massage and when he tightened his hands around her waist to hold her close as he began to nuzzle the blond triangle of curls that beckoned him with promise of delights, she cried aloud. He growled in satisfaction as he felt the exquisite pleasure he gave her shudder through her slender body and he wanted only to give more. When his lips and tongue possessed the tender bud nestled in the golden forest she begged for him to desist, certain she would die if he did not, already contemplating death if he did.
But Julie had nothing to fear. Rod did not desist, increasing his gentle torment until she grew rigid, the tension building as his tongue darted fire against the very source of the bittersweet longing flooding through her. Then the splendid violence of his mouth drove her over the brink of reality into a maelstrom of bursting stars and erupting planets.
Uttering a cry that seemed barely human, Rod surged upward, plunging again and again into her throbbing warmth, taking her fiercely, ardently, driving between her thighs with ever deeper strokes. A burst of sensation came with penetration and Julie felt herself responding to his ardor despite the intense pleasure she had experienced only moments before. Too long denied, wanting, craving, Rod thrust and thrust, grinding his body into hers, his breath rasping in his chest, his blood pounding against his temples. Once again Julie found herself crying out for release as waves of ecstasy throbbed through her. And then he freed her in a bursting of sensations that raced like lightning between them as Rod’s climax eclipsed her own violent response.
Julie felt Rod soften and slip from her body and she sighed in pleasant exhaustion. “Did I make you happy, mi amor?” he asked lazily.
“Extremely,” blushed Julie, aware of the peace and contentment flowing between them. “Will it always be this way, Rod?”
“Always,” Rod pledged solemnly, kissing the tip of her nose playfully. “But only if you don’t tax me too greatly with your demands.”
She answered his teasing smile with a smile of her own. “My demands!” she taunted with mock indignity. “Would you rather I lay back like some meek miss while you take your pleasure and deny me mine?”
“I want you just as you are, mi bruja. Long ago your saucy manner bewitched me and I’m afraid I’ve come to enjoy your spirit and wild nature, especially in bed.”
Suddenly Julie grew serious. “Did you mean it? What you said, I mean, about loving me.”
“You need never doubt me again, querida. I love you passionately, with my whole heart and soul. You made me the happiest man alive when you gave me my son. But even if you had not given me Carlos I would still love you, despite your willful ways.”
“I have always loved you, Rod. Even … even when I had reason to hate you. Even when you bedded Elena and she told me you wanted me out of your life.”
“I will never cause you grief again, Julie,” Rod vowed, tightening his grip on her slim shoulders. “Do you believe me?”
“Yes, Rod. I believe you. Can you forgive me for leaving without giving you a chance to explain? I never meant to place your son in danger.”
“There is nothing to forgive, mi amor. I know how persuasive Elena can be when she wants something. Manuel told me everything. I’ll admit I was hurt to think you did not trust me enough to tell me what was troubling you. But afterwards, I was too worried to think of anything but your safe return.”
“Rod, I—”
“No,” Rod murmured, planting a finger on her lips. “Let me continue. Too late I realized that I had become so caught up in the roundup that it must have appeared to you as if I was deliberately neglecting you. But just the opposite was true. I wanted you so desperately I could not trust myself with you. Teresa warned me that to continue marital relations with you so far advanced in pregnancy would endanger our child. Under the circumstances, aware of my intense desire for you no matter what, I thought it best to safeguard your health by placing myself out of temptation’s way. I removed myself from your bed deliberately, and worked long hours until I fell asleep at night exhausted. I realize now my judgment was faulty, leaving you hurt and vulnerable to Elena’s false tales. I should have told you the truth and not taken it for granted that you understood.”
“If you thought to explain, I would have given birth to Carlos safely in my own bed,” Julie reflected wistfully. “Never again will I allow Elena or anyone else to drive a wedge between us. And you, husband, had better never look at another woman again,” she warned saucily.
“How could I with an enchantress like you fulfilling my wildest fantasies? I called you bruja once and witch you are for you’ve held me enthralled since first we met, even though I knew it was folly to want you so.” Then his lips created a song of love against hers as he whispered, “My need for you is so great I want you again. Come to me, querida.”
Much later, after they had loved again and were temporarily sated, Rod broached a subject that Julie could tell he had given much thought. “I spoke with Padre Juan today. He told me he could no longer keep the small son of Elena and Manuel. He asked me to find a home for him.”
“And did you?” Julie asked quietly.
“Julie, I feel a certain responsibility for the boy. Elena’s family and mine have been friends for a long time. Montova blood flows through the boy’s veins. But I do not do this for Elena. Manuel sought to undo the wrong done to you and died attempting to bring you to safety. For honor’s sake, I am obligated to find a proper home for the child.”
Julie remained thoughtful for a long time and finally came to the conclusion that the sins of the mother could not be held against an innocent child.
“I have spoken to Teresa and she agreed to take the boy,” Rod continued. “But first I wanted to make certain you wouldn’t be upset by his presence h
ere on the rancho.”
“No, Rod,” Julie said firmly, her words stunning him. “I don’t want Teresa raising the boy.”
“Julie!” Rod exclaimed, “I know Elena meant you nothing but harm but the babe is innocent of any wrong doing.”
“You misunderstand, Rod,” Julie contradicted softly, entwining her arms about his neck. “I want to raise him myself. I will treat him as I would my own son. We can adopt him if you like. I am a Delgado and your honor is mine.”
“I love you, mi amor,” Rod whispered, her generous offer swelling his heart to bursting.
She turned in his arms as his soft breath fanned her cheeks and his lips sealed their love forever.
EPILOGUE
Baby Carlos behaved like an angel during the christening but raised such a ruckus during the marriage of his Godparents that Nola was forced to remove him from the room so that Padre Juan could perform the wedding without further interruption.
Ramona and Carl moved temporarily to the hacienda so that Brett and Polly could spend a week alone in their small casa before returning to San Francisco.
Following the ceremony, Padre Juan imparted a piece of disturbing news to Rod. It seemed that Elena had been captured by Pico, a fierce bandit and Mexican hero. He preyed mostly on Anglos traveling El Camino Real. Though his hideout was never found, it was assumed he found refuge in the hills surrounding San Luis Obispo. It was a simple matter to identify his victims for he always left his grisly mark. He hacked off their ears.
As rumor had it, and Rod found no reason to doubt them, Pico was so entranced by Elena that he kept her with him. Several days ago, banditos led by Pico and an aide, Manuel Vergara, rode into San Luis Obispo to pawn valuables taken from a party of gringos. Elena was with them, whether by choice or not was not clear. They were surprised by a posse and Pico, using Elena and his men as decoys, somehow managed to escape. Before Padre Juan could be summoned, the posse, in a fit of anger over losing Pico, forthwith hung Elena, Manuel Vergara, and the half-dozen or so men in the party.
