Chapter Six
Nerves bit at her as she walked into the living room to find Jared leaning against the opposite wall next to the big stone fireplace with a drink in his hand and his eyes focused on her.
“Come here.” His eyes narrowed when she froze before she sauntered toward him and stopped a few feet from him. He crooked a finger. “Closer.”
Sky swallowed but took the steps. She drew in a deep breath when his scent and his warmth hit her, making her slightly dizzy for a moment.
Jared noticed the glazed look in her eyes, curved an arm around her waist, and pulled her tightly against him to support her if she was to faint.
“Settle down,” he said gruffly when she tried to push away from him.
She could tell he liked it when she relaxed and rested against him. He set his glass on the mantel, curved a hand around her neck, and used his thumb to tilt her head up.
Sky looked up into his eyes. She tried to steady her breathing and shook her head.
“I think this is inappropriate, Jared. We’ve only just met.”
“I’ll give you some time to get used to me.” The arm around her waist tightened. “But tell me something, are you a virgin?” he asked.
Sky gasped as a flash of shock bled down her spine, and she tried to jerk away from him.
Jared shook his head. “Sky, Honey, no one’s going to hurt you, especially me. I promise. But I need to know.”
“God. Why?” her voice high and a little frantic.
“Because the first time I take you, I’ll have to be extra gentle with you. I don’t want to hurt you. I need to spend more time preparing you to take me.”
Sky was horrified at the rush of moisture that dampened her panties and the ache that took over her body. “Oh, God,” she whispered to herself as her chin dropped. “Yes,” she murmured softly after a long moment.
She caught the satisfied smile on his face.
“That’s good, Baby. Thank you for telling me.”
They stood silently for several moments.
Sky’s stomach cramped as a thought popped into her head.
“Jared, do you expect to have s-s-sex tonight?” she stuttered nervously and was not strong enough to look up at him.
“As much as I would love to be able to sink into you right now, I’ll wait until our wedding day.”
Sky wished he wouldn’t be so blunt. She wasn’t used to being around people, and hardly ever men.
She guessed Jared was more masculine than the average man, and that made him even more intimidating to her.
His size and strength astounded her, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to it.
Her hands gripped his biceps to steady herself.
She noticed there was no give in his muscle, and his arms were more than twice her size.
Sky looked up at him. “When is that?” she stammered.
“We’ll go tomorrow for the license, and then it will be a two-day wait before we can go in front of a judge to get married.”
“So, three days?” she asked in shock.
“Yes. We have three days to get to know each other and for you to feel more relaxed around me.”
There was no way she’d feel more comfortable with him in just a few days. She had to admit she couldn’t ever see herself being comfortable in his presence. He was just too big, strong, and brusque.
“And ... and if I’m not ready?”
A slow smile crossed his face. “I’ll make sure you’re ready to take me.”
Sky cringed and bit her lip fretfully. “That’s not what I meant. I meant ready even to start to...” She stopped and swallowed. “You know ... even have sex at all.”
“I’ll make sure you’re ready for that, too. But be prepared and come to terms with the idea, the minute we get home after the marriage, I’m going to have you butt naked and under me.”
****
He swore under his breath at himself. He needed to shut his mouth.
He knew he was a blunt bastard. He’d always been like that, and living on the ranch, around mostly just men, made it worse.
The only woman he was in contact with was Abby, his housekeeper, and she’d been on the ranch longer than he had and could argue with the toughest men and come out the winner.
His father had been the same way. He always spoke with growls and grunts unless his mom was around.
It still amazed him that his father turned into a totally different man when he was with his mother.
Affectionate and soft-spoken. He didn’t know how his dad ran a ranch, but Jared didn’t want to need Sky like his dad needed his mother.
It was apparent she wasn’t used to it, and it made her uncomfortable, so he’d try to curb his language until she got to know him. He also reminded himself that it was only the first day together.
Jared felt her tremble.
“Look at me,” he demanded softly.
She looked up. The fear that darkened her eyes unsettled him.
“Baby,” he said and wrapped a hand around the back of her neck. “I won’t ever hurt you.”
Sky lowered and shook her head, and her hands clutched the top of his jeans on either side of his hips to steady herself. “But you might not even know you’re hurting me.”
“I absolutely will know if I am hurting you.”
“How?” she asked and peeked up at him through her lashes.
Jared swiped his thumb over her bottom lip. “You have to trust I know what I’m doing. We’ve only just met, but you will get to the point of trusting me sooner than later.”
“What if I don’t know how to trust? Or if I’m horrible in bed? You don’t know if you are even going to like me.”
Jared pulled her tighter against his chest and rested his chin on top of her head. “Oh, I know I’m going to like you just fine.”
“What if I don’t like you?”
Jared snorted out a laugh. “Stop. I need you to trust that I know what I’m talking about.
Let me demonstrate something.” He slid his hand around to her front before cupping her breast and lightly rubbing his thumb over the hard tip.
He watched as her body jerked in his arms, her eyes started to close, and her breath hitched in her chest.
He tightened his arm around her when Sky tried to jerk away from him. He growled when she tried to pry his hand off her breast, making her stop immediately.
“Give me a second. Do you feel that, Sky?”
Her hands gripped his shirt.
“Answer me.” He hardened further at the sweet little mewling sound that came from her throat. He could come just to watch her and listen to the sounds she made.
Sky slowly nodded and let her forehead rest against his chest. She didn’t understand why she wasn’t fighting him more, or at least screaming. She decided it was because she felt safe with him. Other people might call her na?ve, but she wanted—no, needed—to trust she was right about him.
Jared’s voice deepened. “Right now, your breasts feel heavy, and your nipples ache, your stomach is tight, your pussy is wet, and you’re feeling shaky and weak.”
Sky drew in a sharp breath at the same time her head snapped up in disbelief. “How do you know?”
“Because I know a woman’s body. I know how to make you feel good, and soon I’ll make you crave my touch and only my touch.” He increased the pressure on her nipple and smiled when she gasped for breath, and she shuddered in his arms.
Jared released her nipple, brought her against his chest again, and wrapped his arms around her before leaning his chin on top of her head, giving her time to settle.
“Why did you advertise for a wife?” Sky asked softly against his chest.
Jared rubbed his cheek against the top of her head and breathed in her sweet scent.
“Because I want children to pass the ranch to. Why did you answer the ad?”
“I didn’t, my da...” Sky started to shake her head, then froze. “I-I mean, the ranch looked like something I would like, and I always dreamed of being a wife and mother.”
He felt her stiffen and could tell her explanation was a lie. She was incredibly easy to read. He knew he would eventually find out what was upsetting her, but now wasn’t the time to push her any more than he already had.
“I can’t imagine the men you came in contact with hadn’t ever tried to snatch you up.”
Sky gasped in a burst of emotional pain and pulled away. She was surprised and a little disappointed that he let her. She kept her head down and smoothed a few wrinkles in the dress she was wearing.
“You don’t have to say things like that.”
“Like what?”
“Nice things.”
Jared stood to his full height and frowned down at the top of her head.
He’d seen something in her eyes before she’d lowered her head.
Someone had severely damaged this woman’s self-esteem.
As much as he wanted to argue with her right now, she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to really listen.
Later, they would work on her self-esteem, and he’d start her education on what his expectations were.
“Come on, Baby. Let’s go eat, and then I’ll show you around.”
He grasped her hand and pulled her along behind him.
At that moment, Jared realized he felt really good, even content.
He hadn’t noticed how humdrum his life had become.
Only a few hours had passed since he’d met her, and she’d already shown him what he was missing.
He now looked forward to the days, months, and years ahead of him.
They would make a family together, and he was determined to make sure she had everything she needed to be happy, because there was no way in hell she was ever leaving him.