Page 104 of Charlotte's Reckoning
She nuzzled his hand, a soft sigh escaping her lips before she agreed. “It’s a different world out here. Like a chicken, I rise with the sun. And hauling water from the creek is the worst.” Suddenly she moved, surprising him by throwing a leg over his hips and straddling him. “But I’m used to staying up until 4 a.m., and my body hasn’t adjusted yet.”
His fingers traced the curve of her hips and waist, unable to keep from touching her, as he softly asked, “Is there anything I can do to help? Perhaps wear you out with physical exertion?”
“That might work,” she said, her eyes sparkling with interest. “And perhaps, at the same time, you could satisfy my curiosity about something.”
He grinned up at her. “Happy to help. What’s on your mind?”
“If you’re as skilled with your hands, mouth, and…other things…at a slower pace.”
Curling his hand behind her neck, he pulled her down until their lips barely touched. “There’s only one way to satisfy your curiosity.”
“How?” she asked, breathlessly.
“By showing you.”
With slow intent, he explored the sweetness of her mouth. Then he flipped her onto her back and trailed his lips all over her body—extra slow—especially when he spread her legs, settled between them, and took his time, teasing and tasting, until his scalp burned from her grip on his hair.
Once again, his name slipped out, half whisper, half moan, as she trembled with pleasure.
Before she fully caught her breath, he rolled onto his back, set her atop his hips, and plunged deep inside her. She rode him, not slowly but at a brisk, rhythmic gallop, his thumb stroking the pearly bud at the front of her sex. As he brought her to a third release, his ardent shouts mingled with her cries in the air thick with the heady scents of sweat, pine, and their passion.
Chapter 25
You Old Charmer
A chorus of chirping—so loud it felt as if the birds were in the room with her—and sunshine streaming through the cracks and tiny holes in her walls woke Charlotte the next morning. She pulled the sheet over her head, burrowing into her pillow, and vowed to move, sealing the gaps to the top of her repair list so she could sleep past dawn. Perhaps that would also mute the obnoxious birds.
A metallic clink near the bed made her roll over. Seeing Seth buckling on his gun holster unleashed a torrent of memories from the night before. The tender ache between her legs confirmed he hadn’t been a dream.
“Good morning,” he murmured, his voice huskier than usual from sleep.
“Is it?” she replied. “You’re leaving.”
“Sorry, darlin’, but I have to get to work.”
“Oh,” she said, masking her disappointment by reaching for her robe and slipping it on as she sat up. She was the one adamant about only one night, after all. “Let me make you coffee before you go. And there are a few of Letty Jackson’s muffins left.”
“Tempting, but I really don’t have time.” He crouched before her, his height nearly matching hers, seated on the bed. “It’s not as tempting as crawling back into bed with you, but we slept late. Let me make up for running off by taking you to supper tonight. You can’t get much closer to home cooking than the Laramie Restaurant.”
“No,” she replied, the residual warmth from the night before vanishing.
“Somewhere else, then?”
“Nowhere else,” she insisted. “Please don’t make this harder than it has to be. The town won’t accept me with you—ever.”
“And I told you I don’t care,” he replied calmly, but she could see the determination in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, but the answer is and always will be no.”
A low growl rumbled in his chest. “I didn’t know you could be so stubborn!”
“I prefer determined,” she countered, “especially when I’m right.”
“Fine,” he conceded. Yet, what he said next proved he wasn’t giving in at all. “I’ll bring supper when I return tonight.”
“But, Seth, I just told you—”
“I heard you,” he interrupted, his fingers gently caressing her cheek, “and I’ll protect our secret, for now. But I’m not leaving you out here alone more than I have to.”
