“Ouch! Hell, woman, what are you doing?” Ray let her go and stumbled backwards, rubbing his head.
“I’m sorry.” She touched his cheek. “We had to stop, Ray, don’t you see?”
His pupils were dilated and his skin flushed beneath his day’s growth of whiskers. She could clearly see his engorged shaft beneath his pants. Her pulse thrummed through her and the ache between her legs howled in hunger.
“You didn’t have to pull my hair,” he muttered.
“It was better than kicking you…well, you know…there.”
His eyebrows shot up. “I’m surprised you know where.”
She shrugged. “I’ve had to protect myself. I didn’t really want to hurt you, Ray. I…I’m confused but I would never want to do anything to hurt you.”
He nodded. “I know that. I’m…sorry I went so fast. I didn’t intend… Dammit. I can’t seem to control myself around you.”
“I know the feeling,” Lily said. And meant every word. Even now, she was having trouble not dragging him to her bedroom to finish what they started. Her body positively pulsed with desire, with unrequited passion. It would be a long time before either one of them slept that night.
———
Ray insisted on staying home for another two days before they left. There were things he needed to do. Melody refused to leave without her Pa, so they all waited. Trevor and Brett hung around to escort them, much to Ray’s apparent annoyance.
Lily was nervous about meeting the rest of Ray’s family, but determined she would do her best not to embarrass herself. It might be inevitable; however, she would strive as hard as she could. Her body purred whenever Ray was around, like a lovesick puppy whining for its master. Lily tried to keep her distance from Ray, but it was impossible.
When they sat for dinner, his gaze strayed to hers, nearly singeing holes in her clothes. He seemed just as miserable and frustrated as she was. Soon that particular dam was going to overflow.
It was Thursday afternoon and Melody hid in the house somewhere. She heard Melody humming “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. Lily was just heading into the pantry, where the noise was the loudest, when a knock came at the door.
“Dammit!” Lily cursed, then stomped her foot. “I cannot believe I said that.”
She walked to the door, smoothing her hair and trying to calm her frayed nerves. She opened it to find three unfamiliar women on the porch. They were of varying ages, but were dressed similarly in dark blue and gray with big wool capes and fancy mufflers.
“Good afternoon. May I help you?”
“Oh, she’s so polite and well-spoken. I knew it,” the short, plump one offered. She had rosy cheeks and dark brown hair.
“Yes, yes, you’re always right.” The tall, thin one had graying hair and a hawk-like nose.
“Stop it, you two. You’re scaring her,” said the youngest of the three, with blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. She held out one white-gloved hand. “Hello, I’m Elizabeth Goodson.”
Lily was at a loss for words. Who were these three women?
“I’m Beatrice Kincaid,” the plump one introduced herself.
“And I am Edwina Malficent,” the tall one uttered with a sniff.
“We’re from Cheshire and we’ve come to welcome you to town.” Elizabeth smiled.
Lily returned the smile. “That’s wonderful. Please come in.”
She ushered them inside, then took their cloaks, bonnets, mufflers and gloves to lay on her bed, praying she wouldn’t trip, rip or destroy anything along the way. After dropping the load on the bed, she smoothed her hair again and returned to her guests. Never had she been visited by a welcome committee before.
She walked into the living room to find the three women whispering pointedly. They all stopped and turned toward her.
“I’ll go make some tea for us.” Lily escaped to the kitchen.
They made her nervous, no doubt about that. She fumbled a bit with the stove, but finally got the flames burning brightly. Her cheeks flushed and her heart had taken up residence halfway up her throat. After making the tea, she carefully arranged everything on a tray with some fresh cookies, and went back into the living room.
Again the three of them were in a tête-à-tête that excluded her.
“That looks lovely, Miss Wickham,” Beatrice said politely.
“Very lovely,” echoed Elizabeth.
Edwina just humphed. Somehow an angel was riding on Lily’s shoulder because she set the tray down and successfully poured the tea without spilling, breaking or dropping anything.
As they sipped their tea, they spoke of the weather and how cold it was compared to New York. The conversation was odd, stilted. Something was amiss with these visitors, but Lily didn’t know what and her internal alarms clanged noisily. Lily waited for the proverbial other shoe to drop.
Elizabeth wiped her mouth with a napkin and set her teacup on the tray. “That was very nice, Miss Wickham. Thank you. After I spoke with my mother in the general store, I knew we had to come out and welcome you.”
Lily waited.
“And to warn you,” Elizabeth continued.
“Yes, definitely warn you,” chimed in Beatrice.
“That is an evil, hateful man you are working for,” Edwina proclaimed. “He has sinned in the eyes of God and this town. He continues to harbor a bastard half-breed child and thumb his nose at society. Mark my words, he will bring you down to the depths of Hades to which he has sunk.”
Lily was absolutely speechless. She’d known something was amiss, but hadn’t expected this.
“We would like to offer you a job as a school teacher in Cheshire.” Elizabeth’s tone was cajoling but insistent. “There is a position open and it includes living with my family in town. The pay is only fifteen dollars a month, but we would treat you as one of our own.”
“Yes, yes, one of our own.” Beatrice apparently enjoyed repeating things like a parrot.
“The most important thing is to get you away from that man before he forces himself on you,” Edwina said with a firm nod.
Lily knew her response to these women was important. What she wanted to do was boot them on their bustled behinds out the door. She also wanted Melody to be able to hold her head high in town and small-minded thinkers must always be tolerated or they could make life a living hell.
“I don’t know what to say to all this, ladies. Mr. Malloy has been the kindest employer I could ask for. He has done nothing untoward nor has he acted like a devil. Melody is a wonderful child and I enjoy teaching her. While your offer is most kind, I prefer to stay on the Double R Ranch, particularly since I signed a contract to do so.”
There, take that.
Elizabeth’s blue eyes grew cold and hard as she listened to Lily. “You will regret staying here. My sister couldn’t stay under his thumb, especially after he presented his Indian bastard in place of her stillborn daughter.”
Now Lily was shocked. What in the world was Elizabeth talking about?
“Mark my words, Miss Wickham, Raymond Malloy will stop at nothing to get what he wants from women. Then discard them like broken dolls.”
Lily couldn’t help the traitorous shiver that snaked up her spine at the fervor in Elizabeth’s voice or the fire in her eyes. She acted like a woman scorned.
“I-I appreciate your assistance, but I will stay.”
With more dire warnings as they suited up to return to town, the three of them left the house like the three witches of Macbeth. Leaving trouble brewing in their wake.
———
Ray could tell something was wrong with Lily. She wasn’t her usual smiling self. In fact, during dinner, he swore she scowled at him, but when he turned to look, her glance darted away. Trevor kept up his ever-present chatter and Brett remained as quiet as a stone.
“Some witches came to the house today,” said Melody.
Lily’s mouth dropped open. “Melody.”
“It’s true.” Melody talked around a piece of b
read in her mouth. “I heard you say they was witches after they left. They also said bad things about my Pa and about me.”
Lily looked as if she didn’t know whether to paddle her fanny or hug her for finally talking to her.
“What witches?” Ray asked Lily.
She frowned at Melody. “They weren’t witches. They were a welcoming committee from town.”
Melody snorted just like her father. Trevor snickered.
“Who were they?” Ray demanded.
His heart thumped and his palms grew damp. He had a feeling he was not going to like the answer.
“I don’t remember their names,” Lily said, her eyes dropping to her plate. Using her fork, she toyed with the ham.
“I do. Beatrice somebody, Elizabeth Goodson and Edwin Mali-something. They were mean and told Lily awful things,” supplied Melody.
“You don’t talk for three weeks and now you decide to tattle. Melody Malloy, I hope you’re good and ready to start your lessons.” Lily appeared exasperated.
Ray’s heart clenched and a river of fury coursed through him. It was worse than he thought. “Elizabeth Goodson was in this house? That bitch had the balls to walk through my door?” His voice rose as his anger washed over him. “I can’t believe you let her in my fucking house.”
Time seemed to stand still for a moment as every sound in the house was swallowed by the bellow of his fury. Lily looked truly frightened and Melody took off like a scampering mouse. He sensed his brothers staring at him hard.
“I…I didn’t know who they were,” Lily stuttered. “They showed up here and—”
“You do not let anyone in my house without my permission! She isn’t worth the air that she breathes or the ground she slithers on. She is not to be let in this house. As for Beatrice, she’s a moron, and Edwina Malficent is an obnoxious old crone who likes to throw hell at people.”
Lily’s mouth opened and closed without making a sound.
“Do you understand me?”
Lily nodded, then pushed her chair back and stood. “Excuse me.”
She turned and left the room quietly.
“Jesus, Ray, you didn’t have to flay her hide. She probably doesn’t know anything about the Goodsons or what people in town to avoid. Have you told her?”
“Shut up, Trevor. It’s none of your business.”
Brett wiped his mouth with his napkin. “You were a mite harsh, Ray. You might want to apologize to Lillian. From what Mel said, they weren’t very nice to her.”
Brett didn’t speak much, but when he did, Ray listened. His temper seemed to have a mind of its own and took off at will. He did yell at Lily and it wasn’t her fault.
God, he hated apologizing as much as he hated talking about his feelings.
———
Lily sat on her bed and blinked back tears. She wasn’t going to cry over Ray yelling at her. She ought to be used to it. Ray’s favorite method of talking was yelling. But it still hurt. She didn’t do anything wrong intentionally. Obviously Elizabeth was well-known to Ray, and intensely disliked.
She sat there staring out through the window into the inky night until someone knocked softly at the door.
“Yes?”
“It’s Ray. Can I come in?”
She had never heard him knock before. Should she be nervous or impressed?
“Come in,” she called out.
The door opened slowly and Ray’s bulk filled the doorway. For a moment, he was nothing but dark shadows, then he came into the light thrown by the lantern. He had his hands in his pockets and was looking at the floor. She had never expected to see a repentant Ray.
“I came to say I’m sorry. It ain’t easy for me. I reckon I’ve said it less than half a dozen times in my life. Trevor about knocked my ass in the ground for yelling at you.”
“I didn’t know who they were. I didn’t mean—”
“I know you didn’t. I acted like a horse’s ass. Those three have been treating me and mine like shit for five years and I’m sick of it. This was the first time they came to my house though and it really rankled me.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “You don’t need to be sorry. I’m the one who came to apologize.”
Her heart felt immeasurably lighter than it had for hours. “Thank you, Ray. I accept your apology.”
He raised his head and looked at her. The current between them was strong enough to make the hairs on her arms stand up. Tired of fighting the rapids, she decided to throw herself into them, to get carried away downstream. Lily stood and walked over to Ray. She reached behind him and closed the door, locking it. The sound of the key turning in the tumblers was loud in the quiet room; the only other sound was the fire crackling and their breathing.
“What are you doing, Lily?”
She came up behind him and laid her palms flat on his back. He was warm, nearly hot to the touch, and so very firm. His breath hitched as she explored his marvelously wide back.
“I can’t sleep anymore, Ray. Dreams of you are tormenting me.”
He made a sound like he was choking, then cleared his throat. “Tormenting you?”
Her hands barely reached above his shoulders, but she continued to caress him, including the incredibly soft hairs curling around the nape of his neck.
“Mmm hmmm. I can’t get rest because of it. You started this and I want to finish it.”
She walked around the front of him, trailing her hands down his arm, then across his gorgeous chest.
“Jesus, Lily, what are you doing?”
She looked up and when brown met green, the decision was completely made. She cupped his face in her small hands and brought his lips down to hers.
Yes.
It was what she needed. What she desired. At that moment, she didn’t care if she went to hell. It was worth it. He resisted at first, but she nibbled and kissed until he groaned and swept her up into his arms. His hardness pressing into her softness. Like the key in the lock.
Perfect.
Ray pulled her body to him tightly. His hard arousal pushed against her throbbing pussy, making her gasp with pleasure as heat flowed between them. Her pulse pounded through her veins like a primal drumbeat.
Yes.
“Please, Ray…”
Lily started yanking at his shirt, but it remained tucked into his pants.
“Help me.”
He moved away from her lips for a moment to wrench his shirt over his head. She saw a magnificent blend of muscle and reddish-brown chest hair, muscle and sinew together as perfectly as God intended.
“Now you,” he murmured as he claimed her lips again. His tongue darted inside her mouth as he deftly unbuttoned her dress until it pooled around her waist. With one shove, it landed on the floor along with her petticoats. His hands crept down to the bottom of her chemise and slowly lifted it up. The cool air hit her breasts and her nipples grew even harder, peaked with ripeness and hunger.
Yes.
He broke the kiss again and stepped back to pull her chemise off. Naked except for her stockings, she felt the sudden urge to cover herself. Her hands drifted toward her breasts and Ray growled, a sound that made Lily shiver as she dampened in excitement.
“Don’t you dare.”
He cupped her more-than-ample breasts. She closed her eyes and gloried in his calloused fingers pinching, caressing and plucking her sensitive nipples. With each touch, an answering tug sounded between her legs, and the ache within her intensified.
Lily couldn’t stop herself from exploring his chest and stomach, feeling the wiry hairs beneath her fingers. She dipped lower toward his waistband just as his hand landed between her legs. Her pussy clenched with want as he cupped her and she squeezed his hardened cock. They both sucked in an audible breath. Time stood still as their eyes met.
“Are you ready for this, Lily?”
“Yes, yes and yes. Please don’t tell me you’re going to stop.”
“Only if I want to kill myself.�
� Ray laughed hoarsely. “I can’t fight this anymore, Lily. I…just can’t.”
She fumbled with his buttons until he took pity on her. In a blink, he flipped them open and shimmied off his pants and long underwear. Lily had seen naked men before, but Ray put them to shame. He was perfectly formed, even generously formed. Wide shoulders graced with layers of bronzed muscle followed by long arms that seemed sculpted from warm granite. His chest led down to a nicely formed belly then to his cock, which stood at attention, pulsing and hungry, cupped by a pair of balls and a nest of brown hair. His legs were long, tapering to a pair of feet that seemed larger than average. He had scars, too many scars, but they appeared a natural part of Ray—he was a man marked by scars inside and out.
For now, this here and now, he was hers. She reached out and stroked him. His cock was long and smooth, hard and pulsing. She closed her eyes and imagined this was the first of a lifetime of loving with him.
He swooped down to kiss her with a ferocity she hadn’t felt yet. His hand crept between her legs again and began to rub back and forth. The pleasure zinged through her as she grew wetter and swollen against his fingers. She needed more, she needed him.
“Like roses and petals,” he said.
“Like steel and satin,” she replied.
She felt him smile against her lips and wished like heck she could have seen him smile.
Ray slowly started backing her toward the bed. When her legs hit the mattress, he picked her up and sat her on the edge. His hands pushed her thighs open so he could nestle between them. The first time his cock touched her hot flesh, she moaned in tune with him as desire sang through her veins.
Yes.
He rubbed himself in her wet pussy, the friction and heat driving her to distraction. Her body clenched, needing him, wanting him.
“Please…” she whispered.
Ray grabbed her mouth in a profound, soul-wrenching kiss as he pushed himself inside her inch by inch. She stretched to accommodate him, her body overcome with pulsing need. When he was fully sheathed, tears pricked her lids from the sheer perfection of having him inside her. It was more than just sex—it was heaven.
He began to thrust in and out as one hand caressed and tantalized her breast, the other stroked her nubbin of pleasure. Bolts of pleasure shot through her, making her legs twitch as she struggled to maintain control of her body. Her legs wrapped around his back and he plunged over and over, deeper and deeper, touching her womb and her heart.
The Treasure Page 8
