Leslie squeezed her eyes tightly shut, frustrated that she couldn’t get loose. Her body was beginning to betray her. His crude language and the reminders about all they had done had her body humming with need. Gabe could tell she was affected by his words. He wasn’t finished torturing her, and he nibbled the curve at the base of her neck as he continued.
“Or shall I tell them that I offered to call a halt before taking your virginity, but you begged me not to stop? Do you want them to hear that even after you let me fuck you, you were still eager for more? That you were so shameless, letting me spread you naked on my bed and then you begged me to fuck you again? In fact, you’re eager for more right now. Your pussy is weeping for more, kitten.”
Leslie’s traitorous body responded against her will when he thrust his fingers deep inside her. He stroked them in and out to a steady rhythm, grinning when she moaned helplessly. Her eyes popped open and met his. They could both hear the sounds of her wetness as he toyed with her. He held her startled gaze while he relentlessly probed her, emphasizing how receptive she was and how eagerly her body was responding to him. He chuckled when he pinched her clit and she arched her hips, helplessly reacting to his masterful touch. He withdrew his fingers and chuckled at her whimper of frustration.
“I think you have more in common with those saloon girls than you would like to admit, kitten. They’re always primed and ready to go, just like you are. Despite how angry you are, I could have you begging for my cock right now, if I wanted.”
Leslie felt overwhelmed by these new sensations. He was using her own body against her, and she blinked back tears as she glared up at him.
“You smug bastard. Why are you doing this? You don’t even want me for your wife. You want Lena Lewis. You love her, not me.”
Gabe hadn’t given Lena a single thought since Leslie had shown up the night before. Now that he did think about the other woman, he expected to feel disappointed that marriage to her was no longer an option. Instead, he was surprised to realize that he didn’t really care, but he wasn’t about to admit that to Leslie.
“You’re right. I don’t want you for a wife. But the fact is that you might be carrying my baby, even now, so I’m obliged to marry you.”
Leslie paled noticeably. She hadn’t considered that, but it still didn’t mean that she wanted to marry a man who would always be pining away for someone else. He hadn’t even bothered to deny that he loved Lena.
Leslie turned her face to the side, refusing to look at him. “That doesn’t mean we have to get married. It’s not likely that I got pregnant after just one time.”
Gabe gripped her chin and waited until she met his eye once again. “One time is all it takes, kitten. You played your little game last night, now it’s time to accept the consequences of your actions.”
Leslie opened her mouth to refuse, but then she clamped it shut again. Her mind raced. Wasn’t this what she had been dreaming of, marrying Gabe? Maybe he was furious with her and blamed her for what had happened, but she knew he would eventually cool off and forgive her. He had been furious with her many times before, but it always passed. He never stayed angry with her for very long.
She couldn’t really blame him for being angry with her right now. She had been rash, and as usual, her impulsive behavior had gotten her into trouble. But given enough time, his temper would cool.
The more important issue was whether he could ever grow to love her as his wife. Perhaps he could. She desperately hoped that he could. Especially with the way she loved him. If she was a good wife to him, sooner or later, he was bound to soften his heart. Maybe if she worked hard to be the best wife he could ever want, he would eventually fall in love with her. If there was even the tiniest chance that would happen, she was willing to take it.
Leslie took a deep breath and released it as a resigned sigh. “Fine. I’ll marry you.”
Gabe blinked. He had been expecting more of a battle. Her abrupt change surprised him, but then he studied her expression and realized she was up to something.
“What are you planning, kitten?”
She gave him a ridiculously innocent smile. “Nothing. I just realized that you’re right. We have to marry. It’s the right thing to do.”
Gabe narrowed his eyes as he searched her face. “You need to understand what kind of marriage we will have, kitten. As your husband, I will demand your obedience and submission in all things, especially in bed. Your body will belong to me. I will enjoy it as often as I want, anytime, anyplace, and in any manner I desire. And I’m warning you now, some of the things I intend to do to you will be painful. As my wife, I expect you to submit to my wishes and accede to my demands. If you do that, I will grant you pleasure beyond your imagination. If not, you will find only pain, frustration, and misery. You’ve ruined my chance to choose whom I want to marry, so you will serve all of my needs, whether you like it or not.”
Leslie swallowed hard and tried her best not to let any emotion show. If she didn’t trust Gabe completely, his words might have been frightening. But she knew him all too well. He was a good man, an honorable man, and he had always been her protector. Despite his threats, she knew he would never actually harm her. And something about his tone of voice, so stern and commanding, sent a tingle of arousal straight to her core. So instead of frightening her, his words thrilled her. She couldn’t wait to belong to Gabe.
“Fine. Now, if you would be so kind as to release me, I can get dressed, and we can go home to tell my parents.”
He stared at her suspiciously. “You need to realize that our marriage won’t be like most others. I’m only marrying you out of respect for your family. They’ve been good to me, so I’m determined to do the right thing. But you may as well forget any romantic notions about us falling in love. We can be friends and we will be lovers, but don’t expect anything more. Don’t expect love and romance and happily ever after, because it’s not going to happen.”
“Agreed,” she said with a nod. Although his words cut her to the quick, she was determined not to show her disappointment.
Gabe frowned as he studied her stoic expression. He would have expected more of a reaction from her. It was unusual for her to be so acquiescent. Her meek acceptance of his terms only infuriated him more. He scowled and tightened his hold on her wrists as he goaded her further.
“And you need to understand that once we are married, I will not tolerate any more misbehavior from you. You will obey me in all things, or you will be punished. No wife of mine is going to behave like a wild, spoiled little hoyden. Do you understand?”
“Understood,” Leslie replied.
She would have agreed to any stipulations just to win her freedom. If he continued to pin her beneath him much longer, she was going to either beg him to make love to her again or break down and cry from his lack of tender feelings for her. Either of those outcomes would be completely humiliating.
“Will you please let me get up now?”
Gabe finally released her with a snort. She tried her best to ignore him as she hastily dressed. Her body flushed beneath his steady regard. She focused on breathing as deeply as possible to steady her trembling fingers while she pulled her clothes on.
He watched as she donned her clothes. Despite his anger, his body was reacting to her, and his cock was as hard as steel. He ignored it and brushed past her while she was winding her hair into a tight bun.
“I’ll hitch the horses and meet you outside,” he growled.
The short ride to Leslie’s house was silent. They didn’t exchange a single word, and they did their best not to look at one another.
The only interaction came when the wagon bounced over a particularly big bump, and Leslie sucked in a hissing breath. Her bottom was still aching from her spanking, but she would be damned before she mentioned it. Gabe noticed, though, and he sent her a mocking grin. She turned away with an indignant huff, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
When they reached her home, Leslie jumped down
and ran up the cabin steps just as her pa came out onto the porch. Brian McKenzie stopped her as she tried to brush past him. He took in her mussed hair, kiss swollen lips and burning cheeks. She mumbled an abashed apology and fled inside the cabin.
Gabe removed his hat and mounted the porch steps. Before he could say anything, Brian grabbed him by his collar and shoved him up against the wall. Brian’s face was a mask of fury. Although her father was nearly twice his age, the two men were evenly matched in size and strength. It was uncertain which of them would win in a fight, but Gabe didn’t have a single doubt that the older man could beat the hell out of him if he chose. When Brian spoke, his voice was a low, menacing growl.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t skin you alive.”
Gabe swallowed hard but managed to meet the older man’s eye unflinchingly. “I’ve come to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage, sir.”
Brian narrowed his eyes even further. “Don’t you think you should have done that before you slept with her?”
Gabe blushed but held the older man’s gaze steadily. “Yes, sir. I’m sorry. Things got a little out of hand, but that doesn’t change the fact that I intend to marry Leslie. I would sure like your blessing, though.”
Brian’s grip tightened on his collar. “And what does Leslie want?”
It took all of Gabe’s self-control not to shove Brian away and free himself. But he knew he deserved the other man’s anger, so he didn’t resist.
“She has agreed to marry me, sir. We’d like to be married today, if that is acceptable to you.”
Brian cocked his head to one side. “She’s agreed to marry you? You don’t make it sound like she wants to very much. In fact, she looked like she was going to cry just now. And you were telling me just yesterday that you had it in mind to marry some other young lady.”
Gabe felt another guilty flush steal over his cheeks. “It’s not like we planned this, sir. It just happened.”
Brian growled low in his throat, but he released the younger man and took a step back, turning away with a disgruntled huff. “You’d better tell me what happened.” When Gabe’s eyes widened, Brian shook his head. “No, I don’t want details of what happened between the two of you last night.” He pinned Gabe with an accusing glare. “Unfortunately, I can figure that out on my own. I want to know why my daughter was out all night with you. Did you conspire to meet with her?”
“No, sir.”
When Gabe didn’t offer any further information, Brian stared at him intently. “Let me guess, she just showed up at your place, without an invitation.” Gabe didn’t answer, but his eyes darted away. Brian nodded. “That sounds like Cat. But instead of bringing her home right away, like you should have, you seduced her.”
Gabe was so tempted to blurt out his side of the story. He had tried to call a halt to things numerous times, but Leslie had looked up at him with those pleading bedroom eyes and begged for more. It definitely hadn’t been a one-way seduction.
He wanted so much to explain that if it hadn’t been for Leslie’s impulsive behavior and determination to have her own way, none of this would have happened. But somehow, Gabe couldn’t bring himself to lay all the blame on her. He knew in his heart that most of the guilt lay on him. She had tempted him beyond his ability to resist, but she hadn’t forced him. He was the older, experienced one. He was the one who should have had more self-control. He sighed and met the older man’s gaze steadily.
“I didn’t mean for things to happen the way they did, and I’m sorry, sir. I made a mistake, and I let things get out of hand. But I intend to do the right thing by your daughter, and I promise to be a good husband to her.”
The two men stood motionless as they studied one another. Finally, Brian released a sigh and held out a hand. Gabe took it gratefully. The older man squeezed so hard that Gabe felt like his bones were going to crack.
“You’d better be the best damned husband for my daughter,” Brian growled, “or I’ll break every bone in your body.”
“Understood, Mr. McKenzie. You have my word that I’ll take good care of Leslie and do everything in my power to make her happy, sir.”
Brian nodded. “In that case, you have my blessing. I guess I’d better make some arrangements.”
“I’ll arrange everything with the preacher,” Gabe offered. “Would it be too soon if we met at the church at noon? I’d prefer to settle things today, if possible.”
“Fine. We’ll see you there.”
Brian watched as the younger man made a hasty departure. He waited until Gabe was out of sight before he shook his head thoughtfully.
“Cat is gonna turn your whole world upside, young man. I just hope you’re ready for it.”
Brian released a pensive sigh as he entered the cabin. His wife, Sarah, was waiting for him, and he pulled her in for a hug.
“Where’s Cat?” he asked, kissing the top of her head.
“She’s in her room. She said she needed some time alone.” Sarah remained within his arms but pulled back enough to look him in the eye. “I heard you raking Gabe over the coals.”
“Eavesdropping again?” he asked, raising a teasing brow.
“I wasn’t eavesdropping,” she said defensively. “I just couldn’t help but overhear. You weren’t exactly whispering.” Seeing the laughter in his eyes, she rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Stop changing the subject, you big tease. I thought you wanted Gabe and Leslie to get married. You’ve said more than once that they would be perfect for each other.”
The corners of Brian’s mouth twitched with irrepressible humor. “I do want them together. He’s exactly the husband she needs. She doesn’t know that she needs someone to take her firmly in hand and make her behave, but she does. She can’t continue to run around like a tomboy. It’s time she grew into a young lady. For that, she’s going to need a husband who is strong enough to take control. Gabe is just the man for the job.”
Sarah looked puzzled. “Then why did you make him think you were going to kill him?”
Brian grinned down at her. “Because it never hurts to put the fear of God into the man who will be marrying our daughter. And I will kill him if he ever does anything to hurt her.”
Sarah sighed as she shook her head. “You are incorrigible, Brian McKenzie. You know as well as I do that he’d never hurt her. He’s always been extremely protective of her.”
Brian’s expression turned serious. “I know. That’s what’s worrying me.” Seeing Sarah’s confused frown, he sighed heavily. “She’s always been his little buddy. He doesn’t think of her like a woman. I’m just worried because I know how much she loves him. I know that he cares about her, but he doesn’t love her in the same way.”
Sarah smoothed the frown lines from his forehead and smiled knowingly. “I think he loves her more than he realizes. I’ve seen the way he looks at her sometimes, like he’d like to gobble her up. That’s probably why things got out of hand between them last night.”
Brian’s frown deepened. “Thanks for planting that image in my head,” he grumbled. “The last thing I want to think about is someone making love to my daughter and lusting after her all the time.”
Sarah laughed with delight. “You are such a hypocrite, Brian McKenzie! As I remember, you looked at me the very same way when we first met, and you didn’t stop at just lusting after me, either. You had no qualms about luring me into your bed prior to our marriage.” She flashed him a smug smile. “But it didn’t take long before you were professing your undying love for me.”
“Yeah, but that’s just it. I loved you almost from the first moment I met you, angel.”
Sarah stretched up to kiss him lightly on the lips. When she pulled back, she gave him a serene smile.
“Not every man makes up his mind as quickly as you do, Brian. I’m confident that Gabe will grow to love Leslie every bit as much as she loves him. It’s just going to take time for them to redefine their relationship. He’s thought of her almost like a little s
ister for years. Everything has changed now, but it might take some time for Gabe to figure things out.”
“Well, he’d better figure it out soon,” Brian grumbled, “or I’m going to knock some sense into his thick skull.”
Sarah laughed, shaking her head. “You’ll do no such thing. This is their business, and you are going to mind your own.”
“Oh yeah?” Brian raised a brow.
“Yeah,” Sarah said with an emphatic nod.
“Well, if you aren’t going to let me meddle in their business, you’d better provide me with a damn good distraction.”
As he said the words, he began opening the buttons on her bodice. Sarah, tried to bat his hands away, but he was relentless.
“Brian, stop it. I heard you make arrangements for the wedding to be at noon. I have to help Leslie pack and get ready. I’m so glad that I already made a beautiful dress for her to wear, but I need to press it for her. We need to notify the rest of the family, and someone needs to tell the Thompsons and the Boyds. I’m sure they would want to attend the wedding. There’s a million things we have to do, and there’s not much time to do them.”
By that time, Brian had all of the buttons on her bodice unbuttoned. She shook her head with a groan. She knew she couldn’t resist his charm for long.
Brian backed her down the hall and into their bedroom. He closed the door and pressed her up against it. She felt a thrill, just as she always did when Brian grew amorous, which happened about every other second. Twenty years together, and the man was still insatiable. She loved it!
“Aren’t you listening to me, Brian? There’s no time for hanky-panky, I tell you.”
“Sure there is, my naughty angel. Just a quickie, hmmm? All the excitement this morning has made me as horny as the devil.”
Sarah couldn’t suppress a giggle as he began nibbling his way down her neck. “You’re always horny.”
His Sweet Kitten (Return To The McKenzies Book 1) Page 6
