Chapter Seventeen
S unday lunch with Arlene and her family was pure torture. Of course, it was lovely to see everyone, but by the time they’d finished dessert, Laura was convinced she’d burst into flames at any minute.
Molly was happy to sit on Cooper’s lap. Laura had wanted to leave her in the kitchen, but was assured they were used to animals sitting with Cooper during meals.
Luke was on her right, chatting nonstop about his visit to his friend yesterday, but it was the heat radiating from the body on her other side that was wreaking havoc with her senses. Hayden’s earthy, musky scent was enough to send her blood rushing through her veins. He also kept finding reasons to touch her, reminding her of the two nights she’d spent in his arms. She was ready to explode.
Yesterday morning, she’d still been pacing her kitchen, trying to figure out how having a fling was supposed to work, when Hayden had called again. He’d picked her up around lunchtime and she’d spent the rest of the day and night with him.
It was bittersweet. They’d hardly slept. Hayden had unleashed a wild woman, one she barely recognized. Up until now she’d never thought of herself as very sensual, but when she was with him she’d discovered feelings and emotions she’d never felt before.
They wouldn’t often be able to be together, she knew that. Both she and Hayden worked during the day, and in the evenings, he had a son to look after. She also couldn’t stay with Hayden when Luke was home. Nobody needed to tell her that. It would complicate things even more.
Being so close to him, but unable to touch him freely, was getting more difficult by the minute. The smirks on everyone’s faces weren’t helping, either.
A quick look around the table assured her everyone had finished eating. She got up, picking up her plate and Luke’s. “Thanks, Arlene. I’m doing the dishes today.”
“I knew there was a reason I liked you.” Becket grinned as he got up with his own plate.
“Nonsense, you’re our guest,” Arlene tried, but Laura just smiled.
“I’ll help Miss Anderson,” Luke called out.
“We’ll both help,” Hayden said, as he also got up.
Everyone ended up in the kitchen, Molly still happy in Cooper’s arms. While Laura rinsed the dishes, Hayden stacked them in the dishwasher. He made sure his fingers touched hers every single time. Inhaling deeply, she tried to concentrate on the task at hand.
“So, Hayden, what exactly is going on between you and Laura?” asked Cooper, scratching Molly’s ears.
Laura’s breath caught in her throat. Oh, dear. She didn’t dare look in Hayden’s direction.
“Dad likes her,” Luke said.
“Laura, what about you?” Becket asked.
“Okay, you two, that’s enough,” Hayden said as he closed the washing machine. Taking Laura’s hand, he turned to look at the rest of his family. “I’m taking Laura home. Luke, will you please stay here with Grandma until I’m back? Mom?”
“Of course, he can stay and so can Molly.” Arlene smiled, holding out her hand toward Luke. “Come on. I’ve bought new books. I’m so happy you’ve discovered reading…” They disappeared around the corner.
“Take your time,” Willow said. “I’ll take Luke home with me and stay with him until you’re back.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that,” Hayden said as he took Laura’s elbow and steered her toward the front door. He handed her jacket to her and put his on.
“We haven’t finished the dishes,” she said while slipping into her jacket.
“Don’t worry about that.” He’d opened the door, and grabbing her hand, he pulled her after him. Without talking, he walked in the direction of her house with such long strides, she had a hard time keeping up.
By the time they got to her house, they were both breathing hard. Without asking, Hayden unlocked the front door, steered her inside, and kicked it closed.
Before his jacket hit the ground, he was pushing her against the wall. She tried to catch her breath, but his mouth found hers in a searing kiss, rekindling last night’s embers. Within seconds, she was burning up. Without breaking the kiss, she shrugged out of her jacket before slipping her arms around his neck.
Reveling in the taut muscles beneath her fingers and the stubble of his beard against her face, she melted against him.
This was what she’d been waiting for the whole day. This was what she’d been craving—being like this, with him. How was she ever going to let this cowboy go?
*
Usually Hayden had a lot of self-control, but around this gorgeous creature he didn’t stand a chance. He wanted her with a fever that had been burning inside of him since he’d dropped her off at her house earlier this morning.
His hands had found their way beneath the soft blue top she was wearing. Desperate to touch her soft curves, his fingers slipped beneath her bra. His whole body ached for her, but he also wanted to spend time kissing her. It was all he’d had on his mind all day.
Angling his head, he deepened the kiss and their tongues met, mingling with their groans. He loved how she leaned into him. But it wasn’t enough. Not nearly.
He pulled his shirt over his head. As he dropped it on the floor, Laura’s top joined his. She was leaning back against the wall, her eyes dark pools of blue ink, her breath coming through her lips in gasps. A fist of desire hit him in the gut, the force so intense, it nearly knocked him to his knees. Beautiful. So, so beautiful. Today, an ink-blue bra covered her gorgeous breasts.
“Laura,” he breathed, as he bent down to taste her while he ran his hands over her hot flesh. Her hardened nipples against his mouth were so erotic, he struggled not to lose control. Her moan reverberated right through her body while she stroked and loved his body with her soft hands. He was ready to explode. The waiting was over.
With his blood racing through his veins, he lifted his head. “I want you. Right now, right here.”
With her eyes never leaving his, she shimmied out of her jeans, while he kicked his to the side as well. His eyes dropped to her satiny legs. “These”—he lifted her one leg against his hip—“these are the holy grail,” he muttered before he caught her mouth again.
To be here with her like this, steeped in her scent, driven to the brink of madness by her soft skin, the satiny texture of her hair around his face, had seemed impossible. His need for her was more intense than anything he’d ever experienced.
Catching her mouth with his again, he slipped his hand down her body to her core. She was ready for him. And then he couldn’t wait another second. The need to be one with her was so intense, so overwhelming, nothing else mattered.
With a cry, he entered her, and only when she clamped around him like a velvet glove did the chaos inside him settle. Both her legs wrapped around him, pulling him closer. For a second, they held one another, their breathing labored, his muscles straining. And then, completely in sync, they began to move.
Not wanting to miss a thing, he watched her, trying not to let the red mist blur his vision. In awe, he watched her flushed face, her eyes dark and stormy, and her hair tangled in his fingers.
Inside him, something moved, struggling to break free. Something had changed, but pushing the thought aside, he focused on giving the woman in his arms as much pleasure as he could. Wave after wave of sensation broke over them and together, they crested.
*
It was early evening when Hayden left. With her lips still tingling from his last kiss, Laura closed the front door and walked back to her room. Molly was still at Arlene’s, but before she could fetch the dog, she had to get dressed.
Dreamily, she walked back to her room. Oh, my. The bed was still rumpled and one pillow had ended up on the floor. Picking it up, she pressed her face into it. All Hayden. A groan escaped. How was she supposed to fall asleep tonight?
What the man could do with his hands and mouth… Blushing, she touched her warm cheeks. She’d never felt so beautiful, so cherished, so loved before.
The room tilted, and she quickly sat down on the bed. Loved. For long minutes, she stared at the pillow in her hands. Loved. With a groan, she dropped her head in her hands. She’d gone and done exactly what she shouldn’t have done—she’d fallen in love with the cowboy.
That was why she’d welcomed him into her bed so quickly. Her heart had known how she felt about him before she’d consciously realized it. She loved him. With every fiber of her being. Deeply, irrevocably, passionately.
He didn’t feel the same, though. A fling, that was all that this was. Temporary, snatching moments together when possible.
The lump in her throat was sudden, unexpected. She swallowed the sob that was about to slip out. Jumping up, she blinked a few times and cleared her throat. It was no use crying over something she couldn’t change or stop. That was something she’d learned the hard way when her mom had fallen ill.
Happily-ever-after was a myth, after all. She knew that. Not even her beautiful mother had one. Yes, she’d married the love of her life, but then an illness nobody could have predicted had taken over her body. There hadn’t been a cure.
Grabbing her jeans, she quickly slipped them on. At least she had a dog who loved her unconditionally.
Minutes later, she crossed the lawn to Arlene’s house. At the front door, she inhaled deeply and made sure her hair was in place. It was a bit disconcerting, knowing she was about to see the mother of the man with whom she’d made love for the last few hours.
Arlene was gracious, as always. Only the twinkle in her eye gave her away. “What about a cup of tea?” Arlene asked as Laura bent to pick up Molly.
“Thanks, Arlene, but I still have a few things to do for tomorrow’s class. Thanks for keeping Molly. I hope she didn’t make a mess?”
“Not at all. She fretted a bit when Cooper wanted to leave, but he did that thing he does with animals and she calmed down.”
“That thing?” Laura asked. She’d picked up here and there about Willow’s ability to just know things about her loved ones. Although she didn’t understand it, she’d experienced the way Cooper was with animals herself when she was at his place for dinner and to pick up Molly.
Arlene smiled as she accompanied Laura down the footpath. “My mom was fey, as the Irish call the ability to have a foreboding when something bad is about to happen. Willow gets that from her. She also seems to know what other people feel. She can read their emotions, so to speak. That’s one of the reasons she prefers to live on the ranch.” Arlene chuckled. “That and her preference to swim naked in the hot spring on the ranch. Cooper has it too, in a way, although I think he deliberately directs his instinct toward animals. Since Willow was a little girl, she’d know things about her brothers they’d rather not have anybody know. Used to make them so mad. And Coop…he has such a big heart, I worry about him sometimes. And you know what? I think our Luke has been blessed with the same thing. I’ve only recently become aware of that.”
Surprised, Laura looked at her. “Really?”
“He knows how his dad feels about you. Hayden wouldn’t have told him.”
Laura swallowed. Arlene obviously knew what Laura and her son had been up to earlier in the day. She should tell her what was really going on. “Hayden and I…it’s only temporary.”
Arlene looked at her. “And how do you feel about that?”
Looking down at Molly, Laura swallowed. “I want to be with him for as long as he wants me.”
“Because you love him?”
Laura inhaled sharply. “How…?” Too late, she realized she’d confessed her love for Hayden with that one word.
“Oh, sweetie,” Arlene said, giving a quick hug. “They were all still struggling with Walker’s death when Madeline became ill. Hayden never had time to really process his grief. He has Luke to look after. He’s a protector and always has been. My oldest believes he must be strong all the time because that’s the way to safety. He’s been denying his own fears and weaknesses for so long, I don’t even think he knows that. But when you’re around, Laura, he’s different. I can see something of the son I remember in his eyes. Don’t give up on him too soon?”
Laura couldn’t speak. Her throat was clogged up. Nodding, she returned Arlene’s hug before she left.
She wasn’t the one who was planning on giving up. Drama and complications—exactly what she hadn’t wanted when she’d arrived in Marietta. But then, her heart had decided otherwise.