Crossroads (Chance City Series Book Three)

by Robin Deeter

  “I’m trying to make a point. She’s independent, makes her own rules, and doesn’t need bashfulness to keep her safe,” Nora said.

  “Nora, she’s had to be tough. She didn’t grow up like you did,” Wheels said. “I don’t want to talk about Wendy.”

  Being pressed so tightly against Wheels’ hard chest made Nora acutely aware of how powerful his muscles were. He held her easily in place as they talked, his eyes never leaving hers. One of her hands rested on his chest and the image of the way he’d looked without his shirt flashed through her mind.

  She flattened her hand out and ran it over the firm flesh under it. His pectoral muscle flexed under her touch, touching off a wave of longing inside her.

  “Nora, why did that upset you so much?”

  “Because I wish I hadn’t been so shy around you and because I’m jealous.”

  Wheels tried to ignore what her hand was doing so he could concentrate on what she was saying. “Jealous? Why?”

  “Because she got to do things with you that I didn’t. Things I thought about doing.”

  His eyebrows and pulse rose. “You thought about me like that?”

  Nora didn’t know if it was the beer, but she felt bolder. “Yes. Women do think about such things.”

  Wheels nodded. “I know, but I’m just not used to them thinking them about me.”

  Nora’s gaze turned seductive and Wheels was as trapped by it as she was by his arms. “Well, Carter, you’d better get used to it.”

  Hearing her say his name in such a soft tone sent desire coursing through him. Her soft lips met his in a demanding kiss and he rose to the challenge. With a groan, he used his mighty arms to lift her over onto his lap.

  Nora offered no objection, eagerly winding her arms around his neck as she deepened the kiss. She liked the way he tasted and the way he caressed her back made her yearn for him. Suddenly she needed more and quickly undid the first few buttons of his shirt but discovered that he was wearing an undershirt.

  Breaking the kiss, she said, “Damn it, Wheels.”

  He laughed. “What’s wrong?”

  “You know what’s wrong. You’re wearing too many clothes.”

  He arched an eyebrow at her. “Call me Carter the way you just did and I’ll take off my shirt.”

  She smiled and ran a finger over his jaw. “Please take off your shirt, Carter.”

  Wheels couldn’t remember ever taking off his shirt so fast in all of his life. He shouldn’t do it, but the hunger in Nora’s eyes drove all reason from his brain. Her pretty hands kneaded his bare flesh appreciatively and he’d never felt more manly. Her quickened breathing and the high color in her cheeks were evidence of how attractive she found him and it gave his ego a huge boost.

  The texture of his chest hair and warm skin against her palms was incredibly arousing to Nora and she explored his chest and stomach thoroughly. She traced the contours of his chiseled muscles that reminded her of a statue she’d seen of Hercules. They were hard yet supple as they flexed under her roaming hands.

  “You so virile with all these muscles. I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”

  Wheels couldn’t believe what he was hearing or feeling. As Nora kissed him hungrily, he discovered that her arousal heightened his own. Her genuine desire for him seemed to be the key to helping things below his belt work.

  He wasn’t paying her to be with him. She wanted him because she was attracted to him and he meant something to her other than monetary gain. As she kissed him and ran her hands through his hair, he wanted more than anything to give her the pleasure he knew she wanted. He wouldn’t take her virginity, but there were other ways to please her. Would she let him?

  Wheels growled when her fingers brushed his ear. Her ardent embrace gave him confidence and he worked his hand up under her dress. He couldn’t see her leg under her petticoats and dress, but he was able to discern that her thigh was firm and shapely when he squeezed it.

  Nora was beyond rational thought. She’d never felt such strong urges before and she wasn’t able to stop. She jerked a little when Wheels touched her intimately through her pantalets.

  His smoldering gaze met hers. “It’s ok, Nora. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to. If you want me to stop, say so. I just want to make you feel good.”

  He gently caressed her in a circular motion. By instinct, Nora moved her hips against his hand.

  “It does feel good. We shouldn’t, I shouldn’t, but I need … something.”

  Wheels’ voice had roughened with desire. “I know what you need, sugar. Will you let me give it to you?”

  She nodded. “Don’t stop, Carter.”

  He moved his fingers faster over her sensitive flesh, increasing the pressure slightly. Nora gasped and hung on tighter as sweet tension built inside her. Wheels used friction to get her to the peak.

  Nora moaned, gasped, and then cried out as sharp ecstasy crashed down on her. Wheels murmured words of approval to her as he drew out the pleasure as long as possible. Knowing that he made her feel so good gave him great satisfaction.

  Never had Nora imagined that such intense sensations existed. Her fingers dug into Wheels’ shoulders as the waves of bliss rolled over her. When the feelings subsided, Nora leaned against Wheels, breathing heavily. Wheels withdrew his hand and embraced her, kissing her temple.

  Nora took a few moments to get her wits about her before raising her head and meeting his gaze. “I don’t regret what just happened. Does that make me a harlot?”

  Wheels smiled and brushed her hair back from her face. “No, sweetheart. It makes you human.”

  “That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt,” Nora said.

  “I’m glad. I wanted to give you pleasure, honey.”

  “You certainly did. Now I know why people want to make love so much.”

  He chuckled. “That would be why.”

  Nora caressed his jaw. “What about you? It’s not fair for you not to have pleasure, too.”

  Wheels burned for her, but he wouldn’t violate her any more than he already had.

  “Nora, I shouldn’t have done that, but I’m not sorry. That said, I won’t go any further. I won’t cross that line without being married. I want you so badly, but I have too much respect for you to do that,” he said.

  She rested her head on his shoulder, keeping her gaze lowered so he couldn’t see the tears in her eyes. She blinked furiously to hold them back, finally closing her eyes tightly to hold them in.

  Softly, she said, “I respect you, too, so as wonderful as that was, I won’t let it happen again until I can reciprocate. It’s not fair to you and it makes me feel badly.”

  “Don’t feel bad. No reason to. I do agree that we shouldn’t get carried away like that again, though. It’ll be hard, but I’ll behave myself from here on in. It’s your fault for being so beautiful.”

  Nora didn’t respond and at first he thought she was angry. Then he felt how slack she’d gone and heard her deep, regular breathing and realized that she’d fallen asleep. Settling her more comfortably on his lap to accommodate his arousal, he leaned back and let her rest. Keeping himself in check was a welcome challenge because he often battled to reach that kind of condition.

  As he watched the clock, he pondered the situation. It was true that Nora’s honest, passionate response to him had fanned the flames of his desire, but he’d been so focused on her that he hadn’t been thinking much about himself. His excitement had occurred naturally as he’d pleasured her.

  He remembered something that one of the doctors in Mississippi had told him when he’d asked about his sexual capabilities.

  Dr. Sorensen had said, “There are a lot of theories about this, but one of the most common things we hear from patients regarding the subject is that they have the most success when there’s an emotional attachment to their partner. So you might want to keep that in mind.”

  But he hadn’t. Wheels had been so caught up in the need to prove that he was still
a man in every way that he’d pushed that advice to the back of his mind. Every time he’d failed, it had been a blow to his ego and it had made him more determined to succeed the next time.

  Wendy was pretty and exciting, which in the days before his injury would have been enough. However, it hadn’t always been enough with Wendy. If he’d had a bad day or a problem he was dealing with, those thoughts had intruded, ruining his concentration.

  But focusing on Nora had consumed him and everything else had faded away. He hadn’t thought about Luther or the project he’d started working on. All he’d cared about was the sweet, vibrant woman who now slept in his arms.

  Gazing at her, a feeling of such tenderness came over him that it stole his breath. His feelings for Nora shifted, changing from friendship to something much stronger. He’d fallen in love with Nora. It was as simple as that. Happiness unlike any he’d ever known filled him and he grinned as he fought laughter.

  He would have held Nora all night, but it was getting late and her family would worry. He didn’t want them to get the idea that anything untoward had occurred, even though it had. Guilt settled on his shoulders as he thought that he’d betrayed their trust in him. But Nora was a grown woman. She was also innocent.

  Wheels stopped his mental tug of war, coming to a decision. It was time to talk to Doug. Kissing Nora’s forehead, he shook her a little.

  “Wake up, honey. Time for you to be getting home before your daddy comes looking for you.”

  Nora came alert with a start. “Oh! I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I nodded off like that.”

  Wheels gave her a huge grin. “Don’t be sorry. I take that as a huge compliment.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that means I did it right.”

  Nora’s cheeks turned pink as she moved off his lap. “Yes, but I just wish—”

  Wheels took her hand. “Nora, I know this is a very sensitive topic, but it’s important to talk about it. Remember that I said I’m not always able to make love the normal way?”

  His face turned red, too, but he was determined to make her understand.

  “Yes.”

  “You have to face the fact that that will happen sometimes and you can’t take it personally. It’s the way my body works, or doesn’t work I guess you’d say. When it doesn’t work, you need to understand that giving you pleasure is going to make me happy. So there’s nothing to feel guilty about. And it might, uh, actually help things.”

  Clearly this subject was hard for him to talk about and Nora once again admired his bravery. Not many men would have the sort of integrity and consideration to discuss it with a woman before marriage.

  She understood that he was trying to ensure that there would be no surprises if they were to ever marry. Nora had imagined being married to Wheels, sharing a life with him. Knowing all of this about him didn’t change the way she felt about him.

  “Nora, I need you to do something for me.”

  She smiled. “Anything.”

  His expression sober, he said, “I need you to think about all of this. I’m getting very serious about you, but you need to decide if this is something you could live with.”

  Nora tried to respond, but he shook his head.

  “No, honey. Don’t answer that now. Please give it careful consideration. I can’t tell you how important this is to me. Will you do that for me?”

  His heartfelt request made it impossible for her to refuse. “Yes, I will.”

  “Thank you.” He pursed his lips. “I really hate you walking home alone.”

  She cupped his jaw in her hand. “I’ll be fine. You’re not breaking your house arrest again. I’ll call you as soon as I get home.”

  “Ok.”

  Nora gave him a soft, lingering kiss before she went out the door.

  Chapter Ten

  Wheels rolled back and forth from the kitchen to his bedroom. He needed the exercise, but he was also trying to burn off his anxiety. He’d called Doug that morning, asking him to stop by around lunchtime.

  Since Doug and Aaron owned Guthrie’s Livery, the largest livery in town, he could take time off whenever he needed to and he’d readily agreed to come see Wheels.

  Wheels had just made a couple of fast circuits around his kitchen table when a knock sounded on his door. He quickly opened it and smiled at Doug.

  “C’mon in. Thanks for coming over,” he said.

  “Sure thing,” Doug said, stepping inside and shutting the door. “You don’t look too bad for a jailbird.”

  Wheels grinned. “Well, house arrest is a lot better than sitting in a jail cell.”

  “I’d say so.”

  “Make yourself at home. You want a beer or something to drink?”

  Doug’s blue eyes sparkled as he sat down at the table. “I’ve never met a beer I didn’t like.”

  Wheels fetched them a couple of beers and rolled into the place at the table he always used, handing Doug his drink.

  Doug took a swig and then gave Wheels a speculating look. He knew Wheels well and based on the tense way the younger man held his shoulders, he knew that this wasn’t a strictly social visit.

  “What’s on your mind, son?”

  Wheels held Doug in high regard and his approval mattered a great deal to him. “Well, it’s about Nora. She’s a sweet, wonderful woman and she—”

  Doug’s expression changed from smiling to furious so quickly that Wheels stopped speaking.

  Doug pointed at him. “You listen here, Wheels. If you think you can just drop her like a hot potato, you’ve got another thing coming. I know my little girl and she’s been in love with you for a little while now.”

  Wheels’ mouth actually dropped open and then he rushed to allay Doug’s suspicions. “No, sir. I don’t wanna break things off with Nora. I wanted you to come today so I could ask you for permission to officially court her.”

  “Oh, I see,” Doug said, his temper cooling. “So what are your intentions towards her exactly?”

  Wheels had a healthy respect for Doug’s protectiveness of Nora and he knew that it was imperative that he set Doug’s mind at ease. It was also best to be direct.

  Meeting Doug’s gaze, Wheels said, “Doug, I love Nora. The last thing I want is to stop seeing her.”

  Doug took another swallow of beer, crossed his arms over his chest, and fixed Wheels with a steely look. “How much do you love her?”

  Wheels couldn’t stop smiling. “More than I could ever really say. She’s a special woman and I want to make her as happy as she makes me. It’s not every woman who would see me and not my chair. That’s only one reason I love her, though.”

  Doug scratched his chin as he continued looking at Wheels. “And just where do you see this courting going?”

  “Going, sir?”

  “Yeah. Are you going somewhere with this?” Doug asked.

  Wheels was very confused. “Well, I asked you if I could court Nora, but you haven’t answered me. That’s where I was going with this.”

  “So you just want to court her and that’s it?”

  “Uh, well—”

  Doug ran a hand over his face. “Look, do you see yourself marrying her at some point?”

  Wheels’ heart lurched. “I mean, um, sure … that is—”

  “Let’s do this, Wheels. You can court Nora and if you decide that you want to marry her, you have my permission to do that, too,” Doug said. “And I sincerely hope that’s where you’re going with this.”

  “You do?” Wheels wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly.

  Doug laughed at Wheels’ shocked expression. “Yeah. I know that my girl couldn’t find a better man anywhere. I’d love having you as a son-in-law. You just keep that in mind, son. All right?”

  “Yeah. Great,” Wheels said quickly. This wasn’t how he’d envisioned the conversation going at all. He wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.

  Doug stood up, clapped Wheels on the shoulder, and said, “Good to see you, buddy.
Take care.”

  Wheels nodded mutely, still not sure how to react. Doug smiled and went out the door. As Wheels sat there, he swore he heard Doug laughing. A grin spread over his face and he let out his own laugh.

  *****

  Carly gazed at Ray as he slumbered in the predawn hours. The past three weeks had gone by in a blur of romantic outings and passionate nights. True to his word, Ray had taken every precaution to prevent pregnancy after their first couple of nights together. Although she knew that it was for the best, Carly was anxious to conceive. It was difficult to be patient and draw their ruse out for a believable amount of time.

  As her eyes traveled over the man who would become her husband, she smiled as she thought about the jealous looks her acquaintances often sent her way. It was both daunting and amusing to see just how many women had taken advantage of Ray’s services in the past.

  He’d been completely faithful to her, coming to her room almost every night. There had been nights when they’d both been too tired to make love, but sleeping in each other’s arms was a wonderful experience all its own.

  Sharing a bed with Ray was like sleeping with a furnace. He was always hot and rarely slept under the covers. He also slept naked, just as he was right then. As he lay on his stomach, the contours of his muscular back were even more defined in the moonlight coming through her French doors.

  Her eyes traveled over his shoulders, back, tight backside, and strong legs. She’d never seen a man who possessed such masculine beauty before. It was no wonder that he’d been in such high demand as a hustler.

  She was now well acquainted with sexual hunger and a strong pang hit her as she watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful that she hated to wake him, but it was time. Leaning over, she kissed his shoulder and caressed his back.

  “Ray, time to get up.”

  He stirred and smiled. “Morning, lovely lady.”

  She chuckled at his use of the nickname he’d given her. “Good morning.”

  Rolling over to face her, he hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

  “Mmm. You feel so nice,” he said, his eyes still closed. He slid a hand down to her backside. “That feels even nicer.”