by Renee Reeves
"Morgan, sweetheart. If you're sore and I was hurting you you should have told me.” A slight frown played across his dark face as he smoothed a lock of hair over her shoulder. “Now I feel like a jackass for enjoying what was causing you pain."
Morgan bit her lip, tears trembling on her lashes. She blinked them away. “I'm sorry, please don't feel bad. Richard always got mad—"
A muscle in his darkly stubbled jaw started ticking. His eyes flicked to her scarred cheek.
"Hush,” he commanded softly but firmly. “I'm not him, and I don't want you to ever let me hurt you. I'm a big guy Morgan and you're very small. If you're too sore to make love this morning it's not going to make me mad. It just means that I'll have the pleasure of running you a hot bath and letting you soak while I go out and deal with Jake's damaged sensibilities. Okay?"
She nodded and he kissed her sweetly, lingeringly on her lips. Seeming entirely at ease with his total nudity and unconcerned about the impressive erection still straining against his navel, Nick stood up, then bent down and picked her up, cradling her high against his muscled chest. The crisp line of hair on his abdomen brushed against her hip, reminding her of how very naked they both were. Morgan knew he would never drop her but still looped one arm around his neck. The other she used as a maidenly shield across her breasts. Nick noticed and raised one eyebrow, giving her a boyishly lopsided grin.
"No one will disturb you up here so don't feel like you have to rush,” he said as he mounted the stairs with her locked against him. “I'll probably still be at the barn when you're done. Just come and find me."
He carried her past several doors and into what she assumed was the master bedroom. Nick's room ... with Nick's big king-sized bed on the far side. The covers were still turned down from the last time he slept in it. Erotic images flooded her mind about what could happen between those sheets and she felt her blood heat. Against her arm her nipples stiffened, poking and prodding her skin as if to remind her that they were there and seeking attention.
"Next time,” Nick whispered, nuzzling her ear.
* * * *
His bathroom was huge and stark white, with the only color coming from the grey slate tiles on the floor and the navy blue towels hanging on the towel bars. An old fashioned claw-foot tub sat beneath a large window and a separate glass enclosed stand-up shower was situated in the corner.
Once Nick had run the water and deposited her in the tub he muttered “to hell with dealing with Jake” and climbed in behind her leaving very little room to move, which meant she had had no choice but to sit directly on top of him.
Morgan leaned back against Nick's wet chest, sighing with delight as the hot water eased the soreness between her legs. “Ohhh ... that feels so good. I've never bathed with a man before. I figured you for a shower guy."
"Usually I am, that's why I had the shower installed, but this is a special occasion. Does your leg hurt?"
She nodded, “Yes, it's beginning to ache, but the hot water should keep it from cramping.” Nick ran his hands under the water along the length of her thigh, squeezing and kneading the sore muscles as he went. When she hummed her appreciation he soaped up a washcloth and began running it over her tummy and breasts, paying careful attention to each spot he passed. Her nipples were hard points and squeaky clean by the time he finished with them. The washcloth disappeared, his bare soapy hands smoothed over her skin, down her stomach to slide beneath the water, down her inner thighs and then back up to the juncture between her legs.
"Ummm ... Nick,” she moaned, shifting back against him as his fingers slipped around the soft folds of her tender flesh, made slick by the bath water and her escalating excitement. There was nowhere she couldn't feel him. His thick penis bumped against her back, riding her spine. His arm around her waist caged her to him as his fingers probed delicately. The chain tattoo wrapping his bicep flexed with each small movement of his hand.
"I thought—” She broke off, gasping as his fingers hit a spot that sent small sparks of electricity zinging through her.
"It's alright. Just let me wash you, sweetheart.” His voice was seductively soft against her ear, “I promise, nothing more than that."
Each gentle stroke told her differently and soon she was squirming against him in earnest, arching her hips up with little panting breaths. “Please ... oh ... I-I think I'm c-clean now.” She clutched his forearm when he ignored her. “Nick, you-you promised!"
The top of his dark head came into her peripheral vision and he nipped her neck, “Shhh ... just let me comfort you, that's all I want Morgan.” The tip of his middle finger circled her wet flesh, sliding down the slit of her body, then stroking upwards to tease her stiffened clit. “You're so beautiful, all wet and slick and shimmering. With your hair pinned up I can see all of you ... every inch."
Morgan closed her eyes and let her head fall back against his shoulder while his deep voice filled every recess of her body and mind. Her nose brushed his stubbled jaw and she turned her head, pressing her mouth against the skin of his throat, stifling her moans against him.
"Your breasts are flushed and deep rose from the water; your nipples look like glossy red berries ... My God, it's mouthwatering ... the most tantalizing sight I've ever seen.” He kissed her neck, binding her with his rough, sensual talk. His finger flicked her woman's bud relentlessly, “You make me so weak it's scary.” Her body rose and fell as he heaved a deep contented sounding sigh.
"God Nick ... please...” Her hips arched, sloshing water over the rim of the tub. Morgan leaned forward beneath the water and grabbed his hand, intending to pull it away. “I—I can't take much more!"
"Yes you can.” He ignored her frantic efforts to pull his hand away and she finally gave up, flopping breathlessly back against his chest. “That's right, relax back against me ... you're getting close now sweet.” Her stomach and thighs quivered. Tension filled her muscles as she strained against Nick's moving hand, sobbing, clawing at him. While rubbing her clit he pressed his free hand to her opening and pushed one finger slowly inside. His voice, low and gravelly, sounded near her ear. “I can feel all those little muscles starting to flutter, like butterfly wings kissing my finger ... there...” he moved his finger slightly deeper, back and forth, “that's right baby, relax and let yourself come. I don't want anything from you right now but to make you come."
One more push from his fingers and her body tightened, every nerve drawing taut, then exploding as release coursed through her. Heart pounding she jerked against him while her inner muscles squeezed and sucked at his fingers, holding him firmly inside her. Mindlessly she cried out, not caring who heard or that water was sloshing all over, soaking the floor. Dazed she fell back, resting against him, limp with exhaustion and satisfaction.
Nick's hand left her clit. His palm moved up her trembling stomach to clamp against her ribs, locking her firmly against his chest. She felt his penis still hard, pressing heavily against her spine.
Nick buried his mouth against her temple. “God Morgan,” he groaned, “I swear there's nothing in this world more beautiful than watching you come.” She felt him grin against her skin, then his voice lowered into a seductive whisper, “Except,” his breath caressed her cheek, his lips brushed her hairline in a silken kiss. “Except maybe feeling it."
The heartfelt tenderness of his words, so poetic and out of place coming from a man who looked so hard-edged and dangerous brought tears to her eyes. They flowed over, down her body to melt into the bathwater while she lay against him, limp, quivering, and breathless. “God, Nick ... I'm so wiped out. I don't think I have enough strength to even get out of the tub now."
"That's what I'm here for—giving orgasms and helping with baths. Sit up, let me get out and grab some towels, then I'll get you out."
Morgan tilted her head on his shoulder, looking up at him. There was a twinkle in his blue eyes as he met her gaze and smiled. Her heart caught on a beat as love exploded inside of her, filling her up until there was
no room for anything else but him. Nick leaned forward, shifting her until he had enough room to get his legs beneath him. She felt his chest muscles ripple against her back as he braced his hands on either side of the tub and lifted himself out.
Oh ... wow. Her brain skittered and then did a double-take, trying to process a completely naked and dripping wet Nick. He turned to grab a towel and her eyes skimmed over his heavily muscled back and buttocks, which were as tight and hard and as dark as the rest of him.
Talk about an ad for a women's magazine...
Morgan watched him as he dried off, letting her eyes follow wherever the towel led. Slowly it ventured over his chest, then made a leisurely glide down his sternum. A slow controlled sweep brought it over his rippling abs before heading for the line of dark hair that arrowed down his navel. And then he turned again, offering her an unobstructed frontview that made her almost choke.
Good ... Lord ... no wonder she was beyond sore this morning. As Morgan's eyes lowered along with the towel she realized another part of him was rising, thickening and lengthening. Choking on a startled breath her eyes shot up to his face. He grinned and laughter lightened his dark, normally intense eyes.
"You keep looking at me like that babe and you're never going to be able to walk again.” He draped the towel around his hips, blocking her view of his penis although the obvious tent it made in the material drew her eyes like a magnet.
He snorted a laugh and yanked a fresh towel off the bar, throwing it over his shoulder. “Didn't get a good enough look? Want me to turn slowly and flex?” He lifted his tattooed arm and flexed his bicep, making the muscle knot. The image was supremely male, slightly intimidating and for a moment an inner swelling of caution darkened her mind. Unaware of her momentary relapse Nick grinned and winked at her and almost as if by magic her mental slip backwards was gone. Richard was gone.
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Chapter 27
Leaving the warm house and warm woman upstairs was one of the hardest things he had ever done but Nick shrugged into his jacket and headed out the back door. Jake would have the horses all fed by now but Nick knew his brother would have questions. Besides if Morgan were feeling anything near what he himself was feeling right now he was pretty sure that she could use a few minutes alone.
Last night and this morning had been ... beyond his fantasies. Electric. Mind-blowing.
Sex—no, making love—to Morgan had left him feeling like his life before her had been empty. A shell of what it could be. Just him going through the motions and living half a life. And now ... now he couldn't see a future without her. Nick stopped halfway to the barn and stood there, drinking in the frost-bitten morning air. Letting the crispness sting his nostrils and clear his head.
She was so sweet. So perfect. So deserving of something right. Even moreso now that he had sampled her body. And the simple truth was that no matter how many times he wrapped himself in Morgan's warmth, no matter how many times he indulged himself and blacked out the rest of the world with her, the simple disastrous truth was that he was still a convicted murderer.
* * * *
About forty-five minutes after Nick left her alone to dress and refresh her makeup Morgan had gathered enough courage to leave the security of the house and face him in the bright light of day. She just hoped she wouldn't melt into an embarrassed little puddle in front of him and Jake. Jake ... her cheeks burned as she thought of Jake almost walking in on them this morning. Oh God ... he knew that she and Nick hadn't even made it upstairs to the bedroom.
She stepped outside onto the back porch, glad that her leg was only mildly achy and that her limp would not be too bad today. The bath and massages from Nick had helped with that.
It was a chilly morning with dew still making a sparkling blanket over the ground. Horses of all different colors grazed contentedly in the pastures surrounding the house. She inhaled deeply, taking in the view from the house, breathing in the freshness of the farm, the peacefulness of such beauty. Her mind wandered back to the story Nick had told her about his childhood and Buckshot. Through sadness and with determination he had been able make this beautiful place—his dream—a reality. A sudden, fierce gladness about that infused her.
Knowing she had dawdled long enough she stepped off the porch and made her way towards the barn. A very swaybacked appaloosa in the closest field caught her eye and she pictured Nick as a child, dark haired and already exceedingly handsome, riding the horse bareback, free as the wind, laughing and happy.
The barn's oversized double doors were open so Morgan ventured partially inside, straining to hear any noise that would alert her to Nick or Jake's whereabouts. Several stalls were standing open but all she heard were the soft nickers of curious horses. Morgan walked over to the open tack room and peeked in, only to be disappointed. She had hoped that maybe Nick might be in there cleaning something and she could face him in private before seeing his brother again. But except for an endless array of gleaming tack it too was empty.
Something brushed against her ankles as she turned to leave. A black cat, its motor revving loudly, was winding its slinky body between her legs, rubbing itself against her ankles. Richard's disdain of anything alive and furry had forced her to live for years without the joy of a pet. An absurd burst of elation gushed through her and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to stroke that furry little body. To feel its coat beneath her palms, alive, warm, and purring.
She squatted down and wiggled her fingers at it, grinning as the cat flipped onto its backside and did a series of twists with its paws in the air, trying to look as cute as possible. Its motor cranked up even louder, as if to make sure it had her attention.
"You must be Boo,” she said, rubbing its exposed belly. “Your dad and I saw you out hunting last night.” Her fingers slid through the silky black coat, enjoying the massaging sensation of the cat's purrs beneath her fingertips. “I heard you have a little family somewh—” She stopped, her attention caught by a tense male voice approaching the barn.
"—told you you were full of shit, Nick. That excuse gets real old, real quick."
Nick's deep baritone caressed her ears. “I can't lose Morgan, Jake. Damnit, I love her."
Morgan caught her breath, her blood slowing in her veins as the words sank into all the pores of her body. Her brain was the last thing to grasp them. I love her. Morgan had thought, dreamed, of a lot of things since meeting Nick, but hadn't let herself dare to hope for so much, so fast. She wasn't even sure she was ready to hear that particular declaration, and she hadn't—not officially yet since he had only said it to Jake—but even hearing it unofficially felt very, very good.
Giving the purring cat one last rub Morgan took a deep, shaky breath and rose to her feet, wiping her damp palms against her shirt front. If she had enough nerve to do everything she had done last night and this morning with Nick then, she had enough nerve to face him right now. Jake or no Jake.
Jake was talking again, sounding slightly frustrated so she started towards the barn entrance intending to let them know she was there. Boo followed beside her, tail twitching importantly.
Nick's next words froze her in her tracks.
"Morgan needs someone more like you,” he said. “Sweet. Easy-going. The romantic type.” A tense silence followed. Morgan, confusion churning in her gut, strained to hear any reply, hoping that Nick was just fooling around with Jake. Surely he couldn't be trying to ... surely he couldn't mean...
"I'm only saying what's best for her, Jake."
Feeling increasingly sick she edged to the open doorway, staying plastered to the wall and concealing shadows until both brothers were in her line of vision. Nick had his back to her, holding a young horse while Jake was mounted on a blue roan quarter horse. Boo paused beside her, watching her with gleaming greenish yellow eyes.
"Sweet? The romantic type?” Jake gave a sharp bark of laughter. “I am so sick of hearing that shit goddamnit!” He threw his arms out to the side in a gestu
re of surrender, startling a snort from the horse Nick was holding. The lines of his lean, handsome face hardened and in one graceful movement he swung down from the roan. “Fine,” he said and threw his horse's reins at Nick, “if that's what you think is best why don't I go up to the house right now while she's all rosy and blissed out from a night with you and see if I can get lucky? Hell, maybe she'll have been thinking of you and already be soft and wet."
Nausea churning in her gut she watched Jake give Nick a hard smile, then moved as if to brush past him towards the house. “Oh yeah,” he continued, “the more I think of it the better it's sounding. That way I won't have to waste much time on foreplay or swee—oomph!"
Morgan saw Nick's back muscles bunch and then his arm moved in a lightening fast jab. She covered her mouth with her hand, smothering a horrified gasp as Jake went flying, landing on his back a few feet away.
* * * *
Nick let his fist fly, knuckles connecting with Jake's jaw. At the last moment he had pulled the full force of the punch, but still the blow was enough to knock his brother off his feet. Instant, sickening regret seeped into Nick's stomach. The horses he had been holding jerked backwards, yanking the reins out of his hand and took off into the barn. Nick didn't give them a second glance, knowing they would each go to their stall. Jake sprawled in the dirt, holding his jaw and glaring up at him. “Jesus Jake, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"
"Shut up.” Jake sat up, massaging his jaw and wincing. “Shut. The fuck. Up. The only reason I'm staying down here is so I don't knock your thick head off your shoulders.” Jake glared at him, daring him to open his mouth. Wisely Nick kept it shut. “I deserved it for saying what I did, but I said it to piss you off and make you realize what a stupid shit you're being.” Jake's palm slapped the ground, frustration evident in every line of his body. “Jesus Nick, you've never acted like such a damn fool before. She looks at me"—Jake shoved a finger into his chest—"like a friend or a brother. She looks at you like—oh ... shit."
