by Susan Fox
Allison sat frozen as she listened to Blue chronicle his business history with Charles. Blue raised his drink and took a long swallow before he set the glass down and pinned her with a harsh look. “Think you want to hear the rest?”
She stared, stunned, but was now compelled to hear everything. She gave a slight nod and Blue went on.
“Charles wantin’ my land bad enough to foreclose to get it, made me suspicious. But when I figured out he’d been talkin’ to those other bankers, I knew something big was up. He might be an underhanded S.O.B., but he can smell money halfway across Texas.”
His hard mouth twisted as he continued to watch her face. “So I got a loan with Ty Cameron’s banker down in San Antone to buy my ranch outta hock, and Ty hooked me up with some friends of his in the oil business. That’s when I found out for sure why Wallace was so hot to get my land.”
He broke eye contact with her to signal their waiter for the check. Allison sat stiffly as shame and shock churned inside. The waiter came over, oblivious to the tension between them. Blue scrawled his name across the bottom of the check, then got out his wallet to toss a generous tip onto the table next to the check.
He scraped back his chair and stood. Allison automatically slid her chair back to stand when he did. Neither of them spoke as he took her arm and they started out of the restaurant. Once they were in the main part of the hotel, Blue headed straight for the elevators.
The elevator ride to their suite was slow. Other guests came and went at nearly every floor. Though Blue kept a possessive hand at her back, she felt again the withdrawal that now seemed characteristic of him.
After what he’d told her about Charles, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that Blue might want to damage him. Blue had come from a hard, poor background. In the weeks before the wedding, snippets of information had come to her, gossip mostly, but since she knew so little about Blue, she’d paid attention to each tidbit.
Prior to striking oil, Blue had been about to work himself to death. Unable to pay a full crew of cowhands, he’d taken up the slack himself. His financial credit had been spotless before the fall in cattle prices, but he’d allowed himself few comforts. She’d heard the house he’d lived in—which was located at the old ranch headquarters two miles from the new house and headquarters—had a dirt floor in at least one room.
A man who’d worked so hard and done without so much to have his own ranch would naturally be outraged by anyone who would try to take it all away. Particularly if that someone knew the real fortune in the ranch wasn’t in its grass or cattle, but in the earth beneath it all.
When nothing worked to buy me out or run me off, Blue had said. She’d heard he’d been plagued by hardships that last year before he’d struck oil. Cattle thefts, a couple of fires…Allison was suddenly sick at heart.
Had Charles wanted Blue’s land badly enough to resort to criminal acts to get it? It wasn’t unheard of for a bank to refuse to grant an extension to a mortgage holder, though it was rare for one to refuse someone with a good credit history who had had a single bad year. It was unusual, though not illegal, to begin foreclosure on a first time loan default. In which case, a mortgagee with land collateral could qualify for a second mortgage from another financial institution to pay off the first mortgage and hope for a better year.
But what if Charles had talked other bankers in the area into refusing to loan Blue money? Charles knew most of the bankers in the counties surrounding theirs, but would he have asked such a thing? Was the regard other bankers had for him high enough for them to do it?
Personally, even if Charles had no connection to the other troubles on the Sumner Ranch, Allison saw his rush to take everything Blue had worked so hard for as greedy and criminal. Charles had married money when he’d married Aunt Pet and he’d made a fortune many times over with his investments. He was a millionaire. Why on earth would he try to hurt someone as honest and hardworking as Blue Sumner? Even if he’d suspected there was oil on Blue’s ranch, he couldn’t have known it would be a huge strike. And even if he’d known, why prevent its rightful owner from getting it?
After what Charles had done to him, Blue might feel justified in seeing him ruined financially, just as Charles had tried to ruin him. Though she would never condone such an action, Allison might have understood the impulse, except that Aunt Pet would also be hurt.
In those next moments, she became so worried about Aunt Pet that she didn’t register the precarious position she might be in herself.
Blue had his room key out for their door before it dawned on her that he might plan to use her to get back at Charles. His brisk, forceful move when he shoved the plastic key card into the slot, then pushed the door open increased her apprehension.
But when he slid an arm behind her back and leaned down to hook his other arm behind her knees to swing her off her feet, the jolt of terror she felt stopped her breath.
Blue’s face was an inscrutable mask. His eyes were lit by a mixture of lust and lingering anger, his mouth a tight, harsh line. Allison braced her hands on his chest in wordless self-defense and stared up at him with wide eyes.
He hesitated. “Just carrying you over the threshold, Mrs. Sumner. It got neglected earlier.” With that, he strode into the room as the heavy door swung closed after them.
Despite her faint move to signal she wanted to be set on her feet, Blue ignored it and stalked toward the bedroom door with her firmly in his arms.
Though Blue was still largely a stranger to her, he’d become at least familiar enough for her to feel a bit more ease around him. But his harsh profile made her feel truly estranged from him. By the time he set her on her feet next to the huge bed, she was trembling.
“This isn’t a good idea,” she blurted.
Her next breath stilled when Blue pulled her into his arms and his mouth landed demandingly on hers for a long, ravenous kiss.
Allison’s hands were trapped between them. Alarmed at what he might have in mind now that she knew what Charles had done to him, she was far more immune to his kiss. She pressed mightily against his chest and labored to keep her lips stiff and together.
At just the moment she felt herself begin to weaken and give in, her resistance made him draw back. The lingering effects of his sensually forceful kiss made it difficult to get the words out.
Her soft, “Please, Blue,” was breathless. Her continued pressure against his chest gained her another inch and her brain began to clear. “We need to talk.”
“This isn’t the time to talk,” he said gruffly.
“I need to know your intentions.” Her reply stopped him just as he was leaning down for another kiss. His eyes went cool.
“About your uncle?”
Allison shook her head. “About everything. If you mean to use me to get back at Charles—if you mean to hurt Pet. Or me.”
His dark brows drew together in displeasure. “You think I’d hurt you to get to him?”
His near growl increased her apprehension. She looked up at him, unable to conceal it.
“I don’t know.” Her soft candor made his expression harden. The fire in his eyes began to burn with anger rather than lust.
She hastily added, “Because I don’t know you, I don’t know what to think. You just told me about the appalling things Charles did to you, things that might make you want revenge. Because I don’t know you, I’m worried about it. H-how do I know the big public wedding—your rush for sex—isn’t part of some plan to embarrass Charles. Or me.”
The swear word that burst from his lips shocked the color from her cheeks. He released her so suddenly that she almost lost her balance.
He stalked toward the huge windows that took up nearly the entire outside wall of the bedroom. She could tell by his swift, angry movements that he was ripping off his tie.
His low, “Get ready for bed,” served only to elevate her fears. He was clearly not about to talk to her. The tie slid out of his collar with a snap and he wadded it into a ball.
Allison’s sense about Blue, that he was a good man and a decent one, prompted her to try another tack.
“We haven’t talked about what either of us wants in this marriage.” Her quiet words seemed to have an effect. His angry movements stilled for several heartbeats before he tossed the tie toward a chair with normal force. Encouraged, she went on.
“If you mean for this to be a real marriage, then I would like it to be a real marriage also.” She hesitated when he flipped back the facings of his suit jacket to shove his hands into his pants pockets. He kept his back to her.
Her voice went softer and trembled a bit. “I want children. I hope to be able to love my husband with all my heart, and I hope…I hope he can love me at least as much. That’s why I don’t want sex right away, under the circumstances. I want it to mean something…profound. I hope it will be an expression of mutual love and tenderness and trust that it might never be if—”
She couldn’t get any other words out. She’d just confessed her deepest hopes for the future and she was suddenly terrified of Blue’s reaction.
She saw the angry tension in him ease and felt her own tension ease. The sense that her words had had a positive effect allowed her to add, “Please. If those are the things you want also—”
His low, “Get ready for bed,” was far less harsh this time and the rest of her tension slipped away.
She hesitated only a moment before she gathered her night things from the closet and escaped to the bathroom.
When she stepped out of the bathroom a while later, the bedroom was dark. The drapes on the huge window had been closed. The only light came from the sitting room. Curious, she walked toward the open door, her bare feet making little sound on the carpet.
Blue sat slumped in one of the armchairs with a drink. His jacket was off, his shirttail was out and completely unbuttoned. He’d leaned his head against the chair back. He saw her the moment she stepped into the doorway and his eyes moved slowly down her white satin wrapper as if he were trying to see through it to her nightgown and what was beneath. His gaze came back up to catch the color in her fair cheeks.
“You’re a virgin, aren’t you?”
The question was a blatant indication that his thoughts were more on sex than on revenge. She took little comfort from the perception.
“As they say, I’ve never met the man who hung the moon,” she answered quietly.
He took a sip of his drink but didn’t take his eyes off her. “I never quite figured out how to hang the moon. Never thought I’d have to.” He rested the half empty glass on the chair arm and took another long look at her.
She gave him a soft smile. “What did you think you’d have to do?”
When Blue smiled back, her breath stopped in her throat. How handsome he looked when he smiled. She felt her attraction to him multiply.
“Used to be, I didn’t think any woman would have me, so I didn’t think about it. Always had too much work to do, no extra cash. I couldn’t wine and dine ’em on a regular basis, though I did know how to get ’em into bed.”
He smiled again, as if he were thinking about a pleasant memory. “Got so from time to time one of ’em would bring along a hot meal some Saturday night. When we got done eatin’, one of us would make a move and I’d have a woman with me all night.”
Allison didn’t quite know how to take the information. She was embarrassed that he was disclosing details of his sexual history, but for once, he didn’t seem so withdrawn from her. She’d told him earlier she wanted to talk. She knew of no other way for them to get to know and understand each other. It was only fair that he also got to pick the topic of their conversations. She just wasn’t used to talking to a man about sex.
As if he’d just realized his choice of subject might not be the best, he added, “But just so you know, there hasn’t been an endless parade of women through my bed. I haven’t got any diseases and there aren’t any Sumner kids growin’ up somewhere.” He let the silence stretch. “Yet.”
“Why didn’t you marry one of them?”
There was nothing more than a heartbeat between her question and his reply.
“I wanted you.”
The silence wrapped around them. Allison couldn’t help that his answer touched her. That strange new emotion she’d felt when he’d kissed her that Sunday afternoon began to stir, sending an odd warmth through her heart.
“You don’t know me,” she said softly.
“I know your reputation. You give your time to others with your charity work, you’re kind to everyone and you’re beautiful. I gambled that you’re as perfect as you seem to be.”
Allison laced her fingers together in front of her, and felt her face redden. “That’s quite a fine compliment, but I’m afraid you’ve lost the gamble. I’m far from perfect. I lose my temper sometimes, there are days I don’t want to do another minute’s work for a charity and I actually told off Henrietta Cline, Marjorie Hampton and Elinor Johnson within the last year. I was so hard on Elinor Johnson that she still refuses to acknowledge my presence in church or on the street.”
Blue actually chuckled and Allison was instantly taken with the sound of it. “God, I love to hear you talk. You still got some of that quick Yankee accent.”
Allison’s smile was interrupted by a yawn, and she jerked up a hand to stifle it. Blue rose immediately from his chair and came toward her.
“It’s been a long day, Mrs. Sumner. I think we should go to bed.” The low sound of his rough voice was sexy and Allison tensed. She still wasn’t certain what his expectations were. And it was their wedding night.
Blue stopped in front of her, then reached out to touch her cheek with the back of his fingers. The next thing she knew both his hands were on her shoulders. He squeezed gently then eased his light grip. His hard fingers moved in small circles as if he were testing the feel of the smooth satin fabric.
His hands slowly moved off her shoulders and down her arms. When they reached her elbows, he moved his hands off her arms and gently gripped her waist. He pulled her slightly toward him and bent his head for a soft, gentle kiss that made her ache. When he withdrew, he leaned down slightly and swung her into his arms.
Taking only a moment to flip the wall switch that turned off the sitting room lamp, he strode confidently through the darkness to the side of the big bed. Allison held her breath as he lowered her feet to the floor and let her stand on her own. The bed had already been turned down, so he reached for the narrow sash of her wrapper and slowly, as if he were prolonging the action, untied the sash and let the ends fall softly to her sides.
This time when his hands came up to her shoulders, he’d slipped his fingers under the wrapper. He slid it off her shoulders with the same unhurried movement as he’d untied the sash.
He didn’t kiss her on the mouth, though she was suddenly aching for him to, but he did lean down to kiss the delicate flesh of her neck, then brushed a second, lingering kiss on her shoulder. And then he pulled her wrapper all the way off and tossed it behind him to the foot of the bed.
“Go ahead and get in.”
New tension twisted inside her. Did Blue expect to have a normal wedding night after all? As Allison climbed into the bed and drew the sheet and light blanket up, she shivered, as much from the fear and excitement of the question as from the air-conditioned air.
She lay back against the pillow and listened to the brisk sound of Blue undressing. She heard every move he made in the darkness. She heard his shirt come off, the belt hiss from the belt loops and the quiet zip and rustle that told her he’d removed his slacks.
She could make out his tall, wide-shouldered body as he walked around to the other side of the bed and drew back the covers. The big bed dipped when he got in. She stiffened when he reached for her and pulled her into his arms.
She was so tense she almost didn’t realize he’d stopped moving. Now that he had one arm under her pillow, and the other across her waist, he relaxed. His rough, “Night, Miz
Allis,” prompted her to whisper, “Good night, Blue.”
The strange sensation of lying in a man’s embrace in a bed should have kept her awake for hours. Her accidental discovery that she was the only one who had worn clothes to bed should have been good for a totally sleepless night.
But the stressful day caught up with her almost immediately and she slept in her new husband’s arms the whole night.
CHAPTER FIVE
IT WAS a new and pleasant sensation to wake up next to Blue. The drapes blocked a good share of the morning sun so she couldn’t tell what time it was. The arm across her waist flexed and brought her solidly against his naked heat.
Allison tensed, but the feel of Blue’s solid warmth was unexpectedly comfortable. If she had any hope at all of their marriage becoming more than a financial arrangement, she had to give moments like this a chance.
What she’d said to Blue the night before about the kind of marriage she wanted had been much more than a ploy to avoid sex. She truly wanted those things, though after she’d felt forced to marry Blue, she’d secretly despaired of ever having them.
The fact that Blue’s rush for sex had been halted by her confession touched her. This small confirmation that he was a decent man made her soften toward him even more.
The arm across her waist moved and Blue’s big hand curved around her ribs. His hand began to move, stroking lazily up and down her side, from just below her breast to her hip. The slow movement produced a tantalizing ache deep within her.
His hand stilled and Blue shifted up on his elbow to lean over her. Heavy beard-stubble darkened his rugged jaw. His eyes, so blue and hungry in the soft light, searched hers. His fingers inched up and hesitated just beneath her breast. His thumb gently traced the swell and the light contact sent heat through her.
At just the moment he leaned down, she realized his intent. Self-consciousness made her jerk her hand up and press her fingers over her lips.
Her raspy, “Pardon—I have morning breath,” and her abrupt shift away made his brows come together in surprise and amusement.
