She stiffened. Familiar words Dean had growled before he used her. Would Lucas be rough and fast—or slow and caring? Her instincts favored slow and caring, but instinct had also put her in Dean’s clutches. Although tempted, it was too soon. “No, Lucas, I can’t.”
“Spend the night. Let me take care of you. Nothing else, I promise. You’ve had a shock, you shouldn’t be alone.”
Panting as if she’d run a race, Tessa turned to face him, and ran her tongue around moist lips.
Lucas smoothed her hair from her face. “What’s the matter, honey?” His voice rasped as he searched her eyes.
She crossed her arms, hugging herself. “I can’t, Lucas. I just can’t.”
His kissed her forehead. “It’s okay, no pressure.” He put his finger under her chin and tilted her face. “Ah, don’t cry, Tessa.”
“It’s just that I’m so...I don’t know. Scared, maybe.”
“Shh, it’s okay. I understand. Believe me, more than you know.”
He pulled her back into an easy embrace. She rested her head into the crook of his shoulder. They stood holding each other. Visions of a hot cup of tea, her soft snuggly bathrobe and bed—alone—teased her tired mind. The image was soon replaced with a picture of her head in Lucas' lap as he massaged her scalp.
Don’t go there.
Lucas kissed her gently on the mouth and released her. “I think we better close up and leave if you don’t want to deal with this mess tonight.” They put the lamps back on tables and turned them off. Lucas grabbed her keys and locked the door as they left. He placed his arm loosely around her shoulder as they walked to her car. “Will you humor me for a little longer?”
She raised her eyebrows in question.
“Let me follow you home. I’d feel a lot better if I saw you safe and sound to your doorstep.” He raised his finger to her lips when she began to protest. “No, not what you’re thinking. I’ll see you home, make sure you’re safely inside, and leave. Remember, no pressure, I want you to trust me.”
****
The weather didn’t seem ready to cooperate with Lucas' plans, but clouds or not, he had no intention of canceling this boat trip with Tessa. The Amore Perduto sat at the Waurika Lake Marina, ready to go. Yesterday, he’d fueled up and loaded a couple of beers, soft drinks, and ice in the fridge. With a grin and hope in his heart, he’d changed the sheets on the bed.
He jumped in the Jeep and headed to Tessa’s, replaying the night her store was vandalized. With all his years of investigating, he still couldn’t figure out how the little devils got in and out. The windows and both doors had been locked from the inside. But one thing he’d learned in his OSBI work was that kids could be clever. Her inventory list showed nothing missing. As Wally predicted, the police filed the report and dismissed it. Yet something about it continued to bug him.
On another front, even though Brandon had assured him a call to Dean Phillips' parole officer would be a waste of time, Lucas contacted her anyway. Yes, she confirmed, she hadn’t heard from Phillips since his release. He was four weeks late in reporting in. Reluctant at first, she finally agreed to call him if the parolee made contact. Mentioning his former association with OSBI might have helped to convince her. No matter what the PO said, every cell in Lucas’ body screamed Phillips didn’t check in because he was headed to Oklahoma.
Or was already here. Never one to sit and wait, it frustrated him there wasn’t more to do.
He braked in front of her house, a tiny cottage painted a bright white with pale blue shutters. Early summer flowers lined the entire front of the house. Crisp white curtains snapped in the breeze against the front windows. Tessa waited on her porch, picnic basket at her feet. In her white jeans and lemon yellow checked blouse, she carried her own sunshine. She waved at him and picked up the basket. Lucas put the Jeep into park and got out to help.
The weight of the basket took him by surprise. How much could vegetables weigh? “What did you pack?”
“Plenty of vegetables.” She smiled at his grimace. “And...cheese chunks, yogurt, crackers, fruit, and one very large cheeseburger from Mama’s House. You said you have a microwave on the boat?”
Lucas wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. “Yes, plus a refrigerator, small freezer, and stove. Thank you for not torturing me with all vegetables.”
“I also packed several bottles of water and a jug of tea.”
“And I have plenty of soft drinks on the boat, and even a beer for me, so at least we won’t die of thirst.” He swung the passenger door open, helped Tessa get situated, then placed the basket in the back seat before making his way to the driver’s side. “Did you bring your bathing suit?”
She glanced at the clouds overhead. “I did, but I doubt it’s warm enough to swim.”
“I don’t know. It looks to me like it’s clearing up, I think we’re gonna have sunshine after all.” He slid his sunglasses from his forehead, blocking out the tiny bit of sun coming through the clouds. He slid a Carrie Underwood CD in the slot and headed to the lake.
By the time they reached the marina, sunlight sparkled like small diamonds on the water. Boats lined the wharf, rocking gently as Lucas and Tessa took the short walk from his car to the end of the pier where the Amore Perduto awaited. Lucas carried the basket with one hand, his other firmly gripping their interlaced fingers.
“Lucas, this is beautiful!” He hadn’t seen her smile so big since they’d reconnected, and he liked it. He wanted to see her look like that forever. Happy.
“Thanks, I’ve had a love affair with her for a long time now.” He tugged Tessa forward, and they climbed into the boat.
“What does Amore Perduto mean?”
He glanced at her briefly and looked away. “It’s Italian.” He got busy untying the ropes anchoring the boat to the dock.
She tilted her head. “But what does it mean?”
“What?” He’d have to get his hearing checked out sometime soon. Yeah, right.
“What does Amore Peduto mean?”
Lucas dropped the ropes into the boat and turned to her. “It means love lost.”
“Oh. What a strange name.” She picked up the basket and carried it down the stairs to the galley.
Lucas watched her descend. His wife of twenty-four years was never interested enough to ask what the Italian phrase meant. Good thing. It was as close as he came to cheating; naming his boat in memory of what never had been between him and Tessa. If things went the way he hoped they would, he’d change the name to love found.
****
Rivulets of sweat ran down their faces as the scorching sun sat high in the noon sky. A feeling of rightness filled Lucas like never before. After he wolfed down the burger and chunks of cheese and fruit, he had a good excuse to pass on the vegetables. A cold beer and two iced teas quenched his thirst but still left him warm enough to crave a swim in the clear blue water.
He stood, pulled off his white T-shirt, and tossed it aside. When his hands moved to his belt buckle, Tessa stood abruptly, her eyes wide. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going for a swim.” He continued to unbuckle his belt and shoved his jeans down. Tessa spun, turning her back to him. “I’m wearing a swim suit under my jeans.”
She turned slowly and managed a small, tentative smile. The blush rising over her cheeks sent an ache straight to his heart. “See.” He held his arms out. “Bathing suit.” He threw his jeans on top of the T-shirt. “Why don’t you join me?”
She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. “It certainly seems hot enough now.” She picked up a white canvas bag with Tessa embroidered in dark blue thread on the front, and hurried down the stairs. Each day he’d seen some of Tessa’s natural enthusiasm for life, so much a part of the girl he remembered, emerge. This boat trip had been a great idea.
Lucas gathered the remains of lunch, smiling when he crushed the hamburger wrapper, and tossed it across the deck into the garbage can. “Score!” He w
as forced to walk across the deck, though, when a soda can missed.
Tessa came up the stairs fixing her hair into a top knot. Her red and white two-piece swim suit still managed to cover her whole lovely body. Not quite as modest as he’d expected with the high cut legs, he smiled broadly when she reached the top of the stairs. “Very nice.”
“Thank you. It’s called a tankini. I bought it only yesterday. It’s been ages since I’ve even owned a swim suit.” Her face glowed with a slight blush and happiness.
Progress. He approached her and placed his hands on her sun-warmed shoulders. She didn’t flinch, or stiffen. Encouraged, he leaned in, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. “You take my breath away, Tessa Jordan.”
Her hands slid up his chest, circled his neck. He pulled her closer and captured her lips. When she moaned softly, he slid his tongue in, swept around the inside of her warm moist mouth. He swore he tasted honey. Her fingers tightened on his shoulders, she leaned into him, her soft body fitting nicely into his hard one.
He scooped her up and sank into a chair, continuing his assault on her mouth as she settled in his lap. His heart jolted and his pulse pounded. All the years of emptiness fell away as he held her in his arms. As a young man he’d admired her, felt a strong attraction to her, but those feelings had grown, and now it all came together into what could only be called love. He loved this woman, and would do anything to keep her, protect her, and make the rest of her life happy.
She pulled away, putting shaky hands to her lips. “I think a nice cool swim is a good idea at this point.” Her legs swung over his knees, she stood and backed away. It took him a minute to focus, to get his breathing under control.
His befuddled mind wondered who the hell had mentioned swimming. “You want to swim?”
Her chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “Yes, I think it’s a good idea.” She turned and bent to pick up her towel from the deck, and the back of her tankini opened.
“Tessa.” Lucas' voice sounded strangled to his own ears.
“What?”
He leaped from his seat, grabbed her shoulders and held her at arm’s length. The sun cast almost an ethereal glow on her skin. His eyes grew wide and his mouth broke into a huge grin as his gaze focused on her lower back. “You have a tramp stamp!”
Chapter Six
“Oh, I always forget about that.” Tessa pulled free of Lucas' hold, heat rising in her face. She turned and walked backward until she hit the boat’s handrail. She unconsciously slid her hand around to her lower back to cover the tattoo of a colorful butterfly set in the middle of a string of vines.
Lucas continued to grin broadly. “You mean to tell me, little Tessa Jordan, with the long skirts and high neck blouses, eating all the vegetables on her plate, has a tramp stamp?” He sauntered toward her, his eyes boring into hers, lethal in his pursuit. “Turn around so I can get a better look.”
She stretched her arms from her side, gripping the railing with both hands. “No. It was a mistake. A bit of rebellion after my divorce.”
“Aw, come on, honey. Just one look.” His teasing tone turned husky as he put his hands on the smooth skin of her upper arms, and eased her toward him.
Tessa’s grip slipped, and slowly her arms fell to her side. She was lost. The touch of his calloused hands on her arms, the smell of his body close to her, was an aphrodisiac to her senses. His palms slid across her back, fingers tangling in her hair as he took possession of her mouth.
Unable to continue to fight the attraction, she rose on tiptoe to put her arms around his neck. She wove her fingers through the silky strands at the back of his head. So many times as a girl she’d imagined this. So many lonely nights during her marriage she craved this. Her insides quivered at the memory as his fingers teased the skin running down her spine, settling on her rear as he cupped and kneaded the flesh.
Lucas broke the kiss, leaving her mouth burning with fire. His smoky eyes met hers as he took her hand and led her to the narrow stairs.
The large bed was an oasis in the storm that buffeted her senses. He sat on the edge of the bed, pulled her close between his legs. Shaky hands wandered up her back to her neck and untied the top of her swimsuit. He unhooked the clasp at her back and it slid to the floor in a gentle rustling. Her breasts sprang free, the nipples already hard and aching for his touch. Reverently, his hands supported their weight while his thumb gently rubbed the tender nipples.
“Lucas?” Her voice was fragile and shaking.
“Shh, sweetheart. I would never do anything to hurt you. I want this only if you do.”
Tessa closed her eyes and leaned her head back. A soft smile teased her lips. With a swift movement, Lucas hooked his thumbs into the sides of her suit bottom and whisked it down. Her whole being flooded with desire, and a soft moan escaped when he encircled her waist and pulled her forward to lie alongside him.
His tongue teased the shell of her ear. “We’ll stop anytime you say so.”
A knot settled in her throat at his tenderness, his caring.
He rose on one elbow and gazed over her lovingly. “You’re even more beautiful than my most erotic fantasies.”
Her hair, now freed from the top knot, fell like a curly silk curtain over the bed. His large hands cupped her face and held it gently. His mouth devoured hers once more, moving to nibble, sooth and suck the sensitive skin on her neck.
Tessa’s heart hammered in her ears. Every one of her senses was filled with Lucas. His smell, his touch and the salty taste of his skin. She ran her hands over his back, helped him remove his swim trunks. The skin on skin sensation, the feel of his muscles as he moved, shot to her core, making her restless. An ache of awareness filled her and she squirmed against him, wishing for deeper contact. When his warm moist mouth covered her nipple and suckled, she jerked.
“Lucas.” The word was a breathless sigh. “Please.”
He nudged her knees apart, settled between her legs. Bracing himself on his elbows, he watched her with heavy lidded eyes. Steady hands smoothed the damp curls from her face. “I need to know how long it’s been, sweetheart, I don’t want to hurt you.”
Tessa ran her fingers through the dark hair hanging over Lucas' forehead, her eyes lost in his piercing blue ones. Tears sprang to her eyes. “Not since before my divorce, eight years ago. I’ve been so afraid.”
“It’s okay, we’ll go slowly. As long as you’re with me, there’s no reason to ever be afraid.” He flashed a lopsided smile, and brushed a gentle kiss across her forehead before his lips seared a path down her neck and shoulders.
His caring words sent a shiver along her skin. So gentle and patient, her heart melted. She’d dreamed of this forever. When his fingers made their way to her center, where they circled and fondled, preparing her body for him, she knew this was no dream. But a mind-spinning reality she more than craved. She needed this to survive.
She grew restless, all her heat and awareness focused on Lucas' fingers, sensations that teased her with the completion she craved. The evidence of his desire pressed against the soft skin of her stomach, increasing her own craving to have him inside her. Slowly a spring tightened in her core, waiting for something only he could give her. “I want this. With you. So much.”
He slowly entered, giving her a chance to grow accustomed to the feel and size of him. She shifted; he went deeper, closed his eyes and groaned. Her breath caught as he moved his hips in the age old rhythm of love. His crushing weight, soft murmurs of encouragement and praise, and powerful thrusts brought her closer to something out of her reach.
Lucas eased to one side, brought his hand between them and circled her nub with his thumb. Lights exploded behind her eyelids as her muscles contracted and unfamiliar waves of pleasure washed over her. She moaned, called out his name, pulled him closer.
He picked up his pace, and within minutes threw his head back and stiffened before collapsing on her. He took in great gulps of air, nuzzled her neck, and licked her skin. He quickly rolled to th
e side, and pulled her against him, the sweat making their slick bodies slide against each other.
They lay panting, her head tucked in the crook of his shoulder. The cool breeze from the small porthole drifted over them, calming their overheated flesh. Tessa ran her fingers lightly over the dark hairs on his chest. “Lucas?”
“Hmm?” He kissed the top of her head.
“I never felt that before.”
He shifted away from her, and glanced down. “Seriously?”
“Never. I’ve read about it, always wondered, but never felt it.” A flush crept over her cheeks at her confession.
Lucas wrapped his arms around her, and held her close. Tessa closed her eyes and remembered the first time she and Dean made love and he discovered her one indiscretion in college and called her a slut for not being a virgin. For the remainder of their long and miserable marriage he continued to treat her like one. Sex had been rough and uncomfortable. He took his pleasure then dismissed her.
This experience with Lucas was so different from what she was used to, yet so special—just like him. His fingers gently massaged her scalp as he dropped soft kisses on her forehead, mumbling words of love. The rocking of the boat and the beat of his heart beneath her ear soothed her into sleep.
****
Dean entered the dimly lit bar. Fuck, that shit-kickin’ cowboy music makes my ears bleed. How the hell do they put up with that? “Hey, honey. Get me a Bud.” He threw a five dollar bill on the bar.
The big blonde tending bar, who most likely had never been called honey in her life, glared at him. She reached under the bar, pulled up a brown bottle dripping ice water and popped the top. “You want a glass?”
“Nah.” Christ, what a dog. Stringy hair, fifty pounds too many, and a tattoo on her neck. Sure as hell not one to bring home to mother, or anywhere else well lit.
She slammed the bottle down, swiped the five dollar bill and walked off.
There better be some change comin’ in my direction. As if she read his thoughts, she glared at him, rang up the sale, took out a single and two quarters, and dropped the money in front of him.
Tessa's Treasures Page 5
