by Merry Farmer
“Am I interrupting?”
“Yes,” Luke answered, crossing his arms, tempted to slam the door in his face.
Travis stepped into the house and thumped Luke on the back before he could, still chuckling. “Congratulations, partner.”
“Thanks.” Luke grinned, doing his best to pretend nothing was out of the ordinary below his belt. “I’m a lucky man.”
“I’m sure you are.” Travis cleared his throat to end his laughing and gave Luke’s back one last thump before stepping away from him. “How is she?”
Luke’s chest did a funny spasm, somewhere between squeezing and thundering. “She’s a dream,” he answered. “Beautiful, spunky, full of fire and vinegar.”
“Good. She’d have to be to put up with the likes of you.”
Even that friendly ribbing couldn’t dent Luke’s good mood. “She’s everything I could have asked for and more.”
Travis’s expression shifted to mischief. “So how do you think she’ll feel about you heading out tomorrow to lead up the cattle drive?”
Shock dropped like a rock into Luke’s gut, quickly followed by the sensation of pride and victory exploding through him. His jaw dropped, and it was a moment before he could form the words, “Really? You’re going to let me lead the drive?” It didn’t seem possible for one man to have as much luck as he was having that day.
“Franklin says you’ve earned it,” Travis said, giving Luke an approving nod. “He’s been impressed with the commitments you’ve made recently, that saloon fight notwithstanding.”
“I swear, I won’t let anything like that happen ever again. I just want to do a good job, prove myself, be a leader.” Luke could have danced, his soul felt so light. Marrying Eden had worked. One little “I do,” and he’d gotten both the promotion he’d been dying for and the promise of loving whenever he wanted it.
“Now, I should explain that for this first drive, you and I will be leading it together,” Travis went on.
Luke’s exaltation slipped by a hair. “Together?”
Travis held up his hands. “It’s nothing personal. This is the way things are usually done. You’re an experienced cattleman, but since you’ve never led a drive before and this one will be longer than the others we’ve done, you’ll be shadowing me.”
“Shadowing?” Maybe he’d started his celebration too soon.
“This time,” Travis stressed. “Just in case we run into any problems.”
Luke rocked back on his heels and studied his friend. Was he really being given the promotion he wanted so badly or not? It sounded a little to him like he was still under someone else. “Well, all right. If that’s the way things are done.”
“They are.”
Travis opened his mouth to go on, but the bedroom door clicked open and Eden swept into the room. Luke’s heart dropped to his feet at the sight of her. She’d taken off her traveling jacket and fluffed her hair up a bit, but she was the same gorgeous, spritely, bright-eyed wife that had left him in an embarrassing state ten minutes ago.
And she gave Travis a glance that was a little too appreciative, as far as Luke was concerned.
“Hello, who are you?” she asked, sashaying up to Luke’s side.
Travis twitched into a grin that just kept growing and growing the more he looked at Eden. “I’m Travis Montrose. And you must be Mrs. Luke Chance.” He held out a hand.
Eden took it, shook, and leaned forward to say, “That’s Eden Chance to you.” She even added a wink.
Luke’s good mood thumped to the ground. He scowled. “Travis was just going.”
“Was he?” Eden blinked innocent eyes up at Luke, clasping her hands behind her back.
“He was,” Luke growled.
Damn him, Travis chuckled. “I was.” He nodded to Eden. “Ma’am.” Before turning, he winked at Luke. “Enjoy your wedding night. You’ve earned it.”
Luke was caught between wanting to puff up his chest and gloat, and wanting to give Travis a black eye. It would do no good giving the man who he would be working so closely with for the next couple of weeks an injury, so he swallowed his jealousy and nodded as Travis shut the door. But Lord help him, if anyone ever looked at his wife like that again, he’d—
Eden stepped around in front of him, leaned against him, and threw her arms around his shoulders. “Sorry. I’m used to being friendly. It helps you get out of sticky situations.”
She pushed up to her toes and planted another of those kisses that left him with no idea which direction was up on his lips. Before he knew it, he had his arms around her waist, pressing her close to his chest. The curve of her breasts tight against his chest felt like a dream, and her fingers playing in his hair were heaven.
When he got a chance to come up for air, he just had to ask, “Are you sure you weren’t a whore before living at Hurst Home?”
As soon as the question was out, he mentally smacked himself upside the head, but Eden only laughed.
“I swear I was not.” The shake of her body against his as she laughed had him worked up like a bull in spring. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t know which end of a mattress is which.”
The sensation that he was about to crawl out of his skin if he didn’t get her naked under him in short order slammed him again full force. “You’ll have to show me.” He bent toward her, eyes trained on her lips.
She gave him a quick peck, then wiggled out of his embrace. “Right after supper, sweetheart. I’m famished.”
She danced around him, heading to the kitchen. Luke stared after her. This was going to be the longest evening of his life.
Eden finished off her last bite of fried chicken, relaxed against the back of her chair, and signed with contentment.
“That was delicious.” Luke echoed the substance of her sigh, resting a hand over his stomach.
“It’s amazing what you can do when you have a full kitchen and adequate supplies.” She’d just sit there for another minute, feeling full and content, then she’d clear away the plates. And then the fun would begin.
Luke’s expression quirked to curiosity. “Did you not have enough to eat before you went to Hurst Home?”
Eden tapped her fingers against the edge of the table, wondering how much to tell her new husband and how fast. “Sometimes,” she answered slowly. “Sometimes we have more than enough. Other times…” She shrugged. Life on the run could get tricky in a heartbeat.
Luke frowned, rubbing his chin and regarding her as if working out a puzzle. “You didn’t work at a whorehouse, you don’t have that sort of skittish look that Franklin’s bride has, which makes me think you weren’t beat on by anyone.”
A pang of sorrow for Corva—and too many of the other girls she’d become friends with at Hurst Home—hit her heart. “I’d like to see a man try to raise a hand to me.”
That brought a proud grin to Luke’s face. “So why were you living at Hurst Home?”
Eden tilted her head to the side and studied Luke. Broad shoulders, strong arms, hesitant eyes. He’d been just jumpy enough during supper to hint he was waiting for “dessert.” She could spill her story now, tell him all about her brothers, and run the risk of Brent’s prediction that no man would want her for who she was being true, or she could get him out of those clothes and into their marriage bed, where he’d want her for other reasons. It’d been a while since she’d had fun with a man that way. Just maybe, if her luck held out, it could be more than just fun. She wasn’t too proud to admit that she wanted it to be special, forever, with her husband, with Luke.
She made up her mind and pushed her chair back, standing and carrying her plate over to the counter with the sink. “I was in danger. Let’s just say that.”
Luke stood and carried his plate to the sink as well. “But how? I can’t imagine a girl as tough as you being in any kind of danger at all.”
She liked the grin that tweaked his lips when he said that. She liked the fond spark in his eyes. Some of her friends back at Hurst Home were l
oath to ask Mrs. Breashears to find them a husband because they believed there was no way a woman could love and trust a man at first sight. Well, Eden wasn’t the kind to carry silly notions about love around, but the one thing life had taught her was that when a trustworthy man came along, you could tell in a heartbeat. It was about time she staked her claim to Luke Chance, heart, soul, and especially body.
“You know what’s more dangerous than my reasons for being at Hurst Home?” She lowered her voice to a purr and swayed closer to Luke.
“Uh…” His jaw went slack and his eyes dropped right to where they should, her chest.
She played along, reaching up to undo the buttons of her blouse, opening it to show him the swell of her breasts straining against the top of her corset.
“The trouble we could get into.” She finished her thought. “That’s more dangerous. What do you say?”
There was an even chance that he didn’t hear her question. His eyes stayed fixed on her breasts as she unbuttoned the rest of her blouse and shrugged out of it, tossing it over one of the chairs at the small kitchen table. She followed that by unhooking her corset and shrugging out of it. Years of getting dressed and undressed on the run had enabled her to shed her clothes in a flash.
Luke’s eyes widened as her breasts hung loose underneath her thin cotton chemise once her corset hit the floor. She grinned at him, standing boldly, shoulders thrown back to accentuate her chest. It was an invitation, and Luke took it up. He reached out, cupping one of her breasts in each hand. Lord, it felt good to have a man’s hands on her. Big, strong hands. Shivers of anticipation for all the ways she could give in to this big, strong man and let him have his way with her, any way he liked, coursed through her, pooling between her legs.
But Luke just stood there, breathing hard, pupils dilated, holding her breasts. He didn’t even brush his thumbs over her nipples or lean over to kiss or suckle them, or squeeze or do any of the things other men had done to play with her. Sure, the bulge in his trousers was growing by the second, but it was almost as if…as if…
“Luke, have you ever been with a woman before?” she asked in her kindest voice.
He remained frozen for a few more seconds before sucking in a breath and taking a half step back. His hands dropped to his sides. “No, ma’am.”
Eden’s heart blossomed in her chest, and the ache between her legs grew. “Why not?”
Luke blinked and met her eyes. A deep blush filled his face. “Well, that wouldn’t be proper now, would it?”
She couldn’t help but laugh, a low, throaty laugh that had him licking his lips. “I can’t say I’ve met many men with enough honor and good sense to stay out of a woman’s bed because it wouldn’t be proper. Usually other things take over and honor flies out the window.” She nodded to his trousers.
“My pa always said it was better to respect all women like they’re someone else’s wife and get acquainted with your hand than to do something you might regret,” he blurted in one long breath, then added, “I’m very well acquainted with my hand.”
He blinked and went beet-red, as if realizing what he’d said. Eden giggled, more charmed than she’d ever been in her life.
“Your pa sounds like a wise man.”
Luke wiped a hand over the wince that’d come to his face. “He is. Look, that was a stupid thing to say, I’m—”
She cut him off by surging into him, throwing her arms around his neck and slanting her mouth over his. He was stunned at first as she traced her tongue along the line of his mouth, but a breath later he softened, parting her lips and joining her in a dance of tongues and passion. His arms slipped around her waist, then just as quickly, one hand moved up to hold her breast. Eden’s heart sang, shooting desire through her. This was going to be her best night in a long time.
In short order, Luke lifted his other hand to cradle her breast, then broke their kiss to lean back and watch as he circled and squeezed her. He did more than just stare now, testing their weight, moving his thumbs and palms over her nipples until they were hard, and squeezing, all with rapt attention.
“They’re just so wonderful,” he answered an unspoken question in an awed voice.
“Never seen a pair before?” She tried her hardest not to giggle at his innocence and to respect his discovery.
“Seen? Yes,” he admitted with a blush. “Touched? No.”
“Well, here.” She stepped back and drew her chemise up over her head, dropping it on the floor.
Passion flared in Luke’s eyes as Eden leaned back against the counter, arms gripping the edge, to give him a good look. “I’m your wife now,” she told him. “So you can look and touch as much as you like. You can even kiss them.”
His eyes widened, as if the idea was new. Without words, he stepped closer to her, reaching to cradle her breasts once more. Only this time, he took her suggestion and bent to lay a soft kiss on top of one. The deep hum that swelled up from his chest had Eden gasping for breath, but not as much as his mouth as he shifted his kissing down to her nipple. When he closed his mouth around its stiffening point and sucked, she gasped so hard she lifted to her toes. Luke may not have had experience, but he had keen instincts. His tongue tasted her, laving until her nipple ached and she moaned in approval.
Luke inched back, peering up at her. “You like that?”
“Sweetheart,” she panted, “I love that.”
“Good,” he answered with a rogue’s grin and went back to work.
He pressed her breast up toward his mouth, alternately sucking—hard and soft—licking, and nipping with his teeth, as if working out what he liked best. Eden had to grip the edge of the counter as pleasure pooled between her legs, making her knees weak. If this was what Luke could manage on his first attempt, she shuddered to think what he could do to her with a little practice.
She did shudder when he switched to her other breast, sending a shot of cold air to her sensitive, damp nipple. His attention to that side only lasted for a few seconds before he stood straight and let out a shuddering breath.
“I feel like I’m about to burst,” he told her in a low growl. “I think we should get to bed before it’s too late.”
“I think you’re right,” she replied, equally breathless.
They didn’t wait. Luke took her hand and marched out of the kitchen, through the Hen House’s main room, and into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them. He went straight to work on the buttons of his shirt and trousers.
Eden only had time for a quick glance around the room. She’d unpacked her trunk as fast as she could earlier, storing her few clothes and hiding all the things that needed to stay hidden until she had a chance to explain her past. Luke didn’t appear to be in any mood to search under the bed or at the back of the drawers in the bureau as he tossed his shirt aside and shucked his pants, and Eden didn’t care one way or another once he straightened and displayed all his naked, male glory to her.
“Good Lord.” She pressed a hand to her pounding heart as she stared at the size of his penis. It stood thick and tall, at full attention, tip gleaming with moisture, ready to go.
A flash of self-consciousness pinched Luke’s desire-flushed face. “You don’t like it?”
Eden reached for the back of her skirt, fumbling to undo the fastenings so she could get naked as fast as possible. “Sweetie, I’m gonna ride that like a green-broke stallion.”
She dropped her skirts as she finished, stepping out of her damp drawers as fast as she could and launching at him. Luke’s eyes widened and darkened at the split-second view of her fully naked that he got before she threw herself against him. He backpedaled until he hit the bureau. She covered his grunt of surprise with a mad-capped kiss, humming at the sensation of her body pressed fully against his. He was hot, his skin soft with sweat, enough hair on his chest to mark him as a man without keeping her skin from brushing against his. That wasn’t all she wanted, though.
She reached between their bodies, closing a hand around h
is length. Her body quivered in anticipation as she stroked him, imagining how sweetly he would stretch her. Her nether regions practically begged her to crawl up on him and sheath him inside so she could feel it. Heaven help her, she was going to scream in all the best ways once he got to the point where he had control.
Control that he wouldn’t have if this was his first time. The thought cooled her by a fraction, and she leaned back, moving her hands to his hips. Sure enough, he was breathing heavily after just a little bit of play. There was no sense in pushing him to the edge before he learned what to do once he got there.
“Come on, sweetie,” she whispered instead. “That bed isn’t gonna warm itself.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he growled.
She gave him the moment of respite that he didn’t know he needed by pushing away and turning to walk seductively around to the far side of the bed. He looked at all the right things, her pale backside, the sway of her hips, her thighs, as she walked. She swallowed a laugh as his hand flinched toward his cock. Well, it was what he was used to, after all. Maybe once they got comfortable with each other, she would let him pleasure himself while looking at her. Although why eat gristle when you could enjoy a flank steak?
She threw back the bedcovers from the far side of the bed. “You coming?”
He didn’t wait another second. Before she could climb all the way into bed, he launched himself between the sheets. Their bodies met—hot and ready—in the middle of the cool sheets. Luke groaned as he stretched beside, her, wrapping his arms and a leg around her. One hand went straight for her breast and his mouth sought hers out in a kiss that made up in passion what it lacked in finesse.
There were still a few lessons her new husband had to learn before she would let him run wild, though. Eden clasped his hand over her breast and drew it down over her side and stomach, through her thatch of curls, and on to the wetness between her thighs. He hummed in surprise and delight, and she gasped when he tightened his hand around her mons. The sensation of him claiming that part of her as his—even though he didn’t know that’s what he was doing by holding her so possessively—sent electric sparks across Eden’s skin.
