TIS THE SEASON...FOR ROMANCE (WESTMORELAND/MASTERS/JEFFERIES)

by Jackson, Brenda

  “I like the changes,” he said truthfully. And he liked the fact that she enjoyed setting the table for each meal. At first he thought a formal place setting looked odd in the middle of such rustic scenery, but he’d since gotten used to it and thought it was special.

  “You need me to do anything to help?”

  “No, just relax. Dinner will be ready in around ten minutes.”

  “Okay.”

  His idea of relaxing was standing there leaning against the counter, out of her way and watching her. There were still times when he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. It wasn’t unusual for him to stop his chores in the middle of the day to come find her and assure himself that her presence in his home was not a figment of his imagination.

  Those were the times when he would find her, sweep her off her feet and end up making love to her right then and there. He enjoyed those times. And for a few seconds…okay more than a few…as he stood there watching her he could recall each and every time they’d made love. She was the most giving person, without any restraints and it seemed that she, like him, was determined to make up for lost time.

  Total fulfillment. That gypsy certainly had predicted his future for this year right.

  He smiled as he stood there and continued to watch her. She was wearing a long skirt, one of those that came to her ankles, a cute blouse and was in her barefeet. He’d told her he preferred seeing her hair down, flowing down her back and she always wore it that way for him. She had a nice figure, curvy, enticing and shapely and to his way of thinking, she looked to be a woman in her late thirties instead of someone who’d celebrated their fiftieth birthday just a few months ago. She was one sexy looking lady, and she was definitely a lady. But in the bedroom things his lady could become a wanton sexpot in his arms.

  His smile deepened when he thought about that night they’d seen each other at the restaurant and what their reaction had been to each other, and –

  “Okay, Corey, why are you standing over there smiling?”

  He blinked upon realizing he’d been caught. “I was thinking about a number of things – making love to you, the very thought of you being here on my mountain, but what just crossed my mind was that night we saw each other at Joe’s Place and our reaction to each other.”

  Abby tilted her head back and covered her hands with her face, remembering. “Oh my God, I can’t believe that once you stepped outside it was on with us. We started kissing without me first finding out if you had a wife somewhere. And you didn’t bother asking me anything about Larry before we kissed.”

  He chuckled. “That was one hell of a way to say hello, how are you and nice seeing you again after all these years.”

  She dropped her hand and a smile touched the corners of her lips. “Yes, but I’m sure if you had a wife she would not have understood.”

  He nodded. “Probably not. Would Larry Winters have understood?”

  She paused for a second and then said, “I’d like to think that he would have but he was a man.”

  “What about Madison. You said she was close to her father. Will she accept me in your life?” he asked.

  Abby shrugged. “I’m not sure, Corey. I want to believe that I raised a sensible young woman who will want me to be happy. I rarely dated in the ten years since Larry’s death, and she would be the one to encourage me to go out the few times I did, even when they were only business-type affairs. So a part of me wants to believe she will understand and be happy for me.”

  She crossed the room to Corey and wrapped her arms around his neck. “But when I do talk with my daughter face-to-face, I will be completely honest with her Corey. It might bother her to know that her father and I didn’t share the storybook romance she assumed, but Larry and I loved each other in another way. It was based on friendship and not passion.”

  “And you think you know about passion?” he asked, reaching out and pulling her closer to him and leaning down to nuzzle the part of her neck that was exposed.

  “Umm, I know all you’ve taught me. First as a young woman of eighteen and then now.” She eased even closer to him and loved the feel of his aroused body part pressing against her. There was just something with a woman knowing she was desired by a man; especially this particular man.

  “Want to learn some more?” he asked, whispering in her ear and then proceeding to suck on her earlobe.

  His action sent desire sliding through her. “What’s there to learn? Seems pretty automatic to me. You touch me and I respond.”

  “Umm, touch you in what way, sweetheart? Like this?” He leaned back and reached out to cup her breasts in his hands. He had encouraged her not to wear a bra around the house and she’d taken him up on it. Now the feel of his hands through the material of her blouse was torment of the most heated kind.

  And when he lifted her blouse and his mouth went to her bare breasts and began sucking, she felt the pull deep in her womanly core. Corey’s mouth should be outlawed.

  “Corey?” she managed through an intense groan with the feel of her inner muscles clenching.

  “Umm?”

  “What about dinner?”

  He lifted his head and smiled at her and the lustful look she saw in his eyes basically gave her his answer, but she wanted to hear him tell her anyway. He had such a way with words.

  “I happen to like this meal right here. My favorite appetizer.”

  “But it always leads to other things.”

  “I know,” he said, dropping to his knees in front of her and tugging down her skirt past her hips as he did so. He leaned back on his hunches, met her gaze and smiled. He looked pleased to see that she wasn’t wearing any panties. She’d discover not to bother around Corey and had learned to get undignified and unladylike real quick where he was concerned.

  “I don’t think you know just how much I love tasting you.”

  She shook her head, chuckling. “I have a pretty good idea, trust me.”

  Another lustful gleam appeared in his eyes. “But just in case you have any doubt…”

  He pressed his face to the center of her legs and breathed in her scent and Abby thought it was one of the most erotic things that a man could do. But he didn’t stop there. He tilted his head to place a kiss on her belly and then proceeded to lick around her navel and dipped his tongue into the indention before licking around it again.

  She grabbed hold to his shoulders as sensations began spiraling inside of her and she knew it would be much later before they sat down for dinner. But she had no complaints.

  Corey leaned back and glanced up at Abby. Curly black hair seemed to billow around her face before falling past her shoulders. The eyes staring back at him was filled with heated passion, all the passion any one man could ever want and need. And at that moment he knew he needed her in his life, for the rest of his life. Somehow they would work out the details of where they would live later. He would be open to the thought of living with her in Boston part of the year if that’s what she wanted. He just wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and refused to be separated from her ever again.

  Figuring since he was down here on his knees, that now was just as good a time as any, he asked. “Will you marry me, Abby?”

  Her eyes widened and he could tell she was surprised by his question. And then he saw it, that one lone tear that slid from her eye. Was that a tear of happiness or one of regret as to what her answer would be?

  The hands gripping his shoulders tightened and she pulled in a deep breath and smiled said. “I wonder how many women have received a proposal from a man in this position.”

  He chuckled. “What’s wrong with this position? I am on my knees.”

  “Yes, you most certainly are. And I’m naked.

  He shrugged. “So, will you marry me?”

  A wave of love surged through Abby. What were the chances of this happening? The man she had fallen in love with at eighteen, the man she’d live without for thirty-two years, was now back in her life at
fifty. Very few people find love the second time around and with the same man.

  “Yes, Corey Westmoreland. I will marry you. I’d be honored to be your wife. I love you and I will always love you.”

  Corey came to his feet and pulled her into his arms and held her, burying his face into her neck, needing the comfort he found there. Moments later he pulled back and met her gaze. “We’ll go shopping for a ring the next time we’re off the mountain. Do you have an idea when we can have a wedding?”

  “Umm, what about around the holidays?”

  He nodded. He would have preferred sooner but he’d take it. “And will you return to Boston until then?”

  She threw her head back and laughed. “And give up this? Fresh air, peace and quiet, a beautiful Montana sky, and Corey’s Mountain? Are you kidding? I will need to go back in a few weeks though, and talk face to face with Madison. But I plan on returning just as quickly as a plane can get me back here.”

  “What about that business you own?” he asked, smiling from ear to ear.

  “I plan to keep Abby’s Manor but I have a competent staff who can continue to manage things for me. Any other business I have I can handle when I return in a few weeks to see Madison. So as far as I’m concerned I’m all set.”

  She reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. “My place is with you, Corey. I’ve been without you in my life for thirty-two years and I refuse to live a single day without you again.”

  He reached out and pulled her to him where she belonged and where he was determined that she would always stay. He lowered his head and kissed her, mating with her mouth in a way that had his aroused body part pressing hard against his jeans. He then remembered she was naked with her skirt at her feet. He pulled back and swept her into his arms.

  She smiled up at him as he moved through the house. “Should I ask where you’re taking me?”

  “To the bedroom to finish what we started in the kitchen.”

  As intent on seizing this very special moment as he was, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled his mouth down to hers. He stopped walking and gave her the kiss she wanted.

  And moments later when he lifted his head, he stared down at her and whispered in a low voice. “You are my heart and Corey’s Mountain will always be our home.”

  “Yes, always.”

  He carried her up the stairs to the bedroom and placed her in the center of the bed. Then he stepped back to remove his clothes, knowing as usual that she was watching his every move.

  And then he joined her on the bed, and needing to be skin to skin with her he pulled her into his arms. She yielded everything to him and when his head dipped between her legs to finish what he’d started in the kitchen, she cried out his name.

  His hands clamped tight to her thighs as his mouth had its way with her; taking his time to taste her the way he enjoyed most, over and over again. And when he felt her body began to shudder, he continued to give her pleasure.

  “Corey, please…”

  He felt her body explode beneath his mouth and he pressed his tongue inside her deeper as he held on to her quaking thighs. And when the last shudder had passed through her body, he eased up over her, and placed his aroused erection at the entry of her wet womanhood and then slid inside, enjoying the way her tight body clenched the head of his penis. She was hot. She was ready. And she was his.

  He began to move inside of her, thrusting in and out, he whispered just how much he wanted her and how much he loved her. She writhed beneath him, groaned his name and wrapped her legs around him to keep him inside of her.

  Not that he was going anywhere, Corey thought. And no sooner had that thought filled his mind, he felt a rush like no other fire through his blood stream. He threw his head back and almost felt the veins pop in his neck.

  Moments later he slumped against her and then shifted their bodies so they could lie side by side while he held her in his arms and their bodies still intimately connected.

  This was where she belonged, in his arms on Corey’s Mountain. For always.

  * * *

  The Westmoreland Saga continues when Madison Winters sets out in search of her mother.

  Read STONE COLD SURRENDER!

  Stone Westmoreland had an eye for the ladies…

  And charm that never failed. He was an experienced player who played for keeps. So who would have guessed that prim and proper Madison Winters could rattle his nerves without even trying? She had him feeling all protective, and all sexed up, too. Before he knew it, Stone had volunteered to help Madison find her mother, who’d gone missing in the mountains.

  Stone was willing to play the knight in shining armor, but only if it meant the hard days of trekking through the wilderness would result in the ultimate payoff - passion-filled nights under the Montana starlit sky with the delectable Miss Winters…

  COMING IN 2011

  THE MADARIS FAMILY REUNION GETAWAY CRUISE TO PUERTO RICO, THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND THE BAHAMAS

  Saturday, April 30, 2011 to Saturday, May 7, 2011

  Cruise Theme: SWEET SIXTEEN

  Come help Brenda Jackson celebrate 16 years as a published author!!

  Also, special tribute in memory to the King of Pop – Michael Jackson and his music, so bring your glove and dancing shoes!

  And returning by popular demand the Bachelors Auction!!

  VISIT BRENDA’S WEBSITE FOR DETAILS

  www.brendajackson.net

  2010 IS A VERY GOOD YEAR FOR ROMANCE BRENDA JACKSON STYLE!!

  JANUARY

  WRAPPED IN PLEASURE

  (COMBINATION MADARIS AND WESTMORELAND NOVEL)

  FEBRUARY

  RAVISHED BY DESIRE

  (REISSUE OF A LITTLE DARE AND THORN’S CHALLENGE)

  MARCH

  HOT WESTMORELAND NIGHTS

  APRIL

  SENSUAL CONFESSIONS

  (A MADARIS NOVEL)

  MAY

  SPONTANEOUS

  (A JEFFRIES NOVEL)

  JUNE

  HIDDEN PLEASURES

  (A STEELE NOVEL)

  JULY

  IN TOO DEEP

  (A SILHOUETTE DESIRE ANTHOLOGY)

  AUGUST

  STAR OF HIS HEART

  (BOOK 1 OF KIMANI LIMELIGHT CONTINUITY)

  SEPTEMBER

  A NEW WESTMORELAND NOVEL (Untitled)

  NOVEMBER

  ALL HE DESIRES

  (NEW NOVEL UNDER THE MADARIS PUBLISHING COMPANY)

  DECEMBER

  BACHELOR UNLEASHED

  (The 2nd novel in the Bachelors in Demand Series)

  COMING JANUARY 2009

  FROM NATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR CARMEN GREEN

  THE RETURN OF THE HOODS!!

  Loren Smith’s new career as a pastry chef is finally bringing the former model out of her shell. But when a fire forces her to move in with her best friend, she doesn’t expect to be living under the same roof as sinfully seductive Robinson Hood! And soon the sexy undercover investigator makes her his personal mission.

  Rob finds Loren as fragile and irresistible as the airy confections she whips up—and he isn’t about to let her go back into retreat mode. The widowed P.I. wants her to know only his sensual touch. But first Rob has to earn her trust. Which means taking it slow and hot until he has the wary beauty right where he wants her—in his arms, in his bed…and in his heart.

  COMING THIS SPRING

  National Bestselling Author

  Adrianne Byrd

  Surrender to Love

  Julia Kelley’s abusive husband has been murdered…and she’s afraid she might be next. Penniless, she hits the road with her six-year-old daughter, only to have her car give out in the middle of nowhere. Julia is sure that her luck has turned from bad to worse…until handsome mechanic Carson Webber comes to her rescue…in every way imaginable.

  Coming March 1, 2010

  Wherever Kimani Press books are sold.

  (This novel is a 2002 re-released title.)

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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br />   BRENDA JACKSON is a die “heart” romantic who married her childhood sweetheart and still proudly wears the "going steady" ring he gave her when she was fifteen. Because she’s always believed in the power of love, Brenda’s stories always have happy endings. In her real-life love story, Brenda and her husband, Gerald, of thirty-seven years live in Jacksonville, Florida and have two sons, Gerald Jr., and Brandon.

  A New York Times Bestselling author of over seventy romance titles, Brenda is a retiree who worked thirty-seven years for a major insurance company. She divides her time between, family, writing, being CEO of her own publishing company and traveling with Gerald. You may write Brenda at P.O Box 28267, Jacksonville, Florida 32226; her e-mail address at WriterBJackson@aol.com, or visit her website at www.brendajackson.net