A Run for Love (11 page)

“Umm.” Tori moaned. If she got any hotter, she’d explode. Only he could help her. Only his hands and mouth held the key to her release. She writhed beneath his hands, begging him with her body to not stop.

She needed him, needed to feel the weight of his body pressed against hers. He returned to her, his full lips covering her mouth. Jesse pulled away, leaning on both elbows. Their eyes met and held. “You take my breath away, darlin’. I want you so much. So much.” His hoarse voice sent shivers across her skin.

“I want you, too. I need to feel you.” Her insides fluttered at her admission.

He brushed her cheek with his thumb, his eyes full of something she couldn’t define. Shifting his body, he nudged her legs apart with his knee.

Yes, what she waited for. His hand slid down to circle her sensitive bud with his palm. Her eyelids grew heavy, but she stayed focused on his flushed features. Her legs quivered as he parted them further.

She jerked, awareness climbing from the tips of her toes to spread through her entire body. “Jesse, please.”

Poised to enter her, he whispered. “What, sweetheart, tell me what you want.”

“I want you. Please, don’t wait.”

Their fingers intertwined as he slid into her warmth until fully seated. Tori arched, meeting him, relishing the fullness. Aware of every place their bodies touched.

He slid in and out, taking his time. She grew frantic, edging him on. Jesse eyed her, sweat beading his forehead as he held back. “I don’t want to hurt the baby.”

“You won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Trust me.”

Close, her body prepared for what it craved. She tossed her head, helpless in her need. He calmed her with soft caresses, cupping her face to deepen their kiss. The thrust of his tongue imitated the movements of his body. Pleasure swelled, and she tightened like a coiled spring ready to release. Lights flashed behind her eyes as her muscles clenched, and waves of heat and pleasure engulfed her. Jesse thrust faster now. A guttural groan burst from deep inside his chest. He hugged her close, burying his face in her silky hair, as the warm liquid left his body and entered hers.

The beat of his heart pounded against her breasts as he gasped for air. Before she could focus on what had happened, he rolled and pulled her to his chest. Her bones had all melted. The cool air on her backside soon turned to a chill.

“Are you cold, honey?” He brushed wet ringlets of hair from her forehead, and reached to pull the blankets at her nod. Neither spoke as they lay in a tight embrace, their breathing and heartbeats growing steady.

Jesse kissed her forehead. “Tori, let’s discuss the baking tomorrow.” From a great distance, his voice slid over her sated body like fine silk as she floated into sleep.

Tori blinked rapidly at the bright sun in her eyes from the window next to her. Dust motes danced in the streaming sunrays. Jesse curled around her, his breathing tickling her neck.

She sat up, confused. Then remembered Jesse’s declaration that she would spend the night in his bed, his bedroom, his house. So he’d won a round.

Maybe two rounds. She wore his wedding ring. But nothing else. She gasped and pulled the sheet to her neck, making a move to get up.

“Where you going, darlin’?” Jesse mumbled, pulling her close to him.

“It’s late. I need to get to work. Oh goodness, Mrs. Bonner will be beside herself.”

“That’s fine, as long as you stay beside
myself
for a while longer.” He shifted and nibbled her neck.

She swatted him away. “Stop that. I have to get to work. And where in heaven’s name are my clothes?”

“Missing, I hope.” He resumed his assault on her neck.

“Jesse, stop. I have to leave.”

He laid back down with a sigh. “No, you don’t. You have the day off.”

“What!” She twisted around to glare at him.

“I arranged with Pastor Dave’s wife to do your baking. And there is a substitute teacher at school today. Call it a honeymoon if you will.”

“You can’t give me a day off. I’m the only one who can do that, so tell me where my clothes are so I can get out of here.”

“Nope.”

“Don’t do this. I’m serious. I need to get to work.” Nausea mixed with rising panic engulfed her. He was taking control, taking away her independence.

“Honey, you can take one day off. I closed my law office with work backed up from my trip. We’ll pack a picnic lunch and go for a ride out of town. Relax. Enjoy ourselves. See what it feels like to make love in the tall grass.” His voice deepened, and her heart quickened.

Heat started in her stomach and traveled to her face. She wrapped the sheet snugly around her and climbed out of bed. That left her new husband with nothing covering him, his erection waving in the air.

She glanced down. “Oh my.”

“Indeed.” He held out his hand. “Come here, we have some unfinished business.”

Her brows twitched. He had gained her interest and soothed her panic. She climbed back into bed and, for the next hour, forgot about cookies and school. Or her clothes, for that matter.

Small flowers dotted the landscape like a wave from an ocean of color. Although a hot ninety-five degrees, the day remained bearable with the ever present Oklahoma wind. Tori and Jesse rode side by side in Jesse’s buggy. Between them sat a picnic basket, covered with a red and white checked napkin he’d picked up from The Café.

His new bride had spent the first several minutes after rising emptying her stomach. He hoped that part of her pregnancy would end soon. He hated seeing her sick. He smiled as she breathed in the fresh air, holding her face toward the sun.

It appeared she enjoyed the day off from the drudgery, although she’d never admit it. He intended to take full advantage of this day of fun, and make sure his wife did, too.

“Well, you look happy.”

She swayed toward him as he maneuvered the buggy around a fallen tree. “Yes, I am. It’s a beautiful day, and it’s been ages since I went on a picnic. I’m glad you suggested it.” She gave him a dazzling smile and hugged his arm.

The pleasure on her face knocked him to his knees. When had she become to mean so much to him? He’d always cared about her, and her carrying his child meant the world to him. But it was more than that. Even if she hadn’t been pregnant, he wanted nothing more than to have Tori by his side, in his bed, filling his life. The pregnancy had allowed him to skip a few steps. Now he needed to convince her he wasn’t the bad guy.

“Darlin’, if you keep this cheerful mood up, I’m going to have to believe you like being married.”

“Don’t push your luck.” She tapped him on his arm, but continued to smile as she gazed around. “Oh, isn’t it just beautiful out here?”

He pulled the buggy next to a creek. After alighting, he spread the blanket while Tori unpacked the food. Mrs. Bonner had provided a feast of fried chicken, hard cooked eggs, fresh bread, and sweet tea.

He stretched his long legs out on the blanket after they both did justice to the food. Apparently her stomach troubles were over for the day. “Can we talk again about your work schedule?”

“The baking for the restaurant is my business. Mrs. Bonner counts on me, and I need the money.” Avoiding his eyes, she looked down and brushed the crumbs off her dress.

“I make enough money. You don’t need the extra work before a long day at school.”

“
You
may make enough money, but I have four children to support.”

“I can. . .”

She stopped him with her finger over his mouth. “My nieces and nephews are
my
responsibility. But let’s not spoil the rest of the day arguing.” She stood and stretched, her chest expanding as she took in a deep breath. “Let’s take a walk by the creek.”

He doubted he could walk comfortably, with his blood coursing to the wrong place. “I think I’d rather see how it feels to make love in the tall grass.”

“Is that all you think about?” She smiled down at him.

He reached his arm out. “Yes. Now come here.”

“Honey, you need to see Dr. Hendricks.”

Tori rested her head on Jesse’s shoulder as they made their way back from the creek, remnants of their picnic thrown into the back of the buggy.

Her brows furrowed. “Why?”

“Because I want to make sure everything is okay, and ask him a few questions myself.”

Tori sat up and regarded him. “Won’t Dr. Hendricks know I got pregnant before our wedding?”

“Of course, we only got married yesterday. I know I’m good,”—he smirked at her—“but not that good.” He raised a questioning brow. “You’re not worried about gossip, are you?”

“Well, a little bit. I mean, what’s to stop him from telling his wife, who will tell her friend, who will tell someone else? You know, gossip spreads.”

“For heaven’s sake, the man’s a doctor. He took an oath, he won’t spread gossip.”

“I’ll think about it. I don’t want to go right away.”

“You know, Tori, I’m beginning to think when you say, ‘I’ll think about it’, it’s your way of saying, ‘The answer is no, but I don’t want to argue about it now.’”

She grinned and changed the subject. “Tell me some more about your childhood.”

Jesse’s hand tensed on the reins. “Why?”

“I don’t know. I had a boring one. Me, Aunt Martha, school.” She shrugged. “I never even knew my brother, because we were so far apart in age. Did I tell you how he died?”

Jesse glanced at her. “No. What happened?”

“He worked in a bank. One morning a robber came in, shot him in the head. And the yellow-bellied scum did that after Henry handed over the money. Michael, at least, knew about me because Henry and I wrote back and forth, so the authorities wired me. I met the four children the day of the funeral.”

“That’s rough. Poor kids.”

“Yeah, a pretty dark time.”

“And their mother?”

“She died two years ago of influenza.”

“I imagine this hasn’t been too easy for you, either. I give you a lot of credit for taking them on. It must have been difficult being thrust into the role of parent to four children. Especially with two of them adolescents. Many people would have sent them to an orphan’s home.”

“Never.” Her eyes flashed. “I know what it feels like to be unwanted, a burden. Even if we didn’t make it, I would go down fighting.”

“You’re an amazing woman, Tori Cochran.” He paused. “I like the sound of that.”

Tori rolled her eyes.

They rode several miles in silence before Jesse glanced at her. “I’d gotten and given so many beatings defending my mother, the school authorities invited me to leave by the time I turned thirteen.”

“What did you mother say?”

Jesse snorted. “I don’t think she even knew. Or cared.”

Tori’s stomach dropped. At least Aunt Martha, in her own strange way, had loved her. And cared what happened to her.

“What did you do with your time?”

“I spent a couple years drifting around town, not doing much. Then I discovered the library and spent most of my days reading everything I could get my hands on.”

Tori nodded. “That’s good. Most kids would have gotten into trouble.”

“Oh, I did a little bit of that, too. But I became friends with the librarian, Miss Tanner.” His lopsided grin released the butterflies in her stomach. “She was very old, and started off hating me. I guess she expected me to hide books in my shirt and walk off without checking them out properly. After a while, we became friends of sort, and she helped me get scholarships to both college and law school. I never had a whole lot of money in my pocket while in college, but I earned enough sweeping out stores and loading wagons to keep myself fed.”

Tori squeezed his hand. “Did you ever see your mother after that?”

Jesse hesitated. “No.”

Jesse put his arm around Tori’s shoulder, hugging her close. He’d told her enough of his childhood, more than anyone else on earth knew. Over the years, he’d trained himself to block out most of it. Kept reminding himself he wasn’t Jesse Cochran, the whore’s kid, but Jesse Cochran, the attorney and upstanding citizen.

There was no point in revealing the worst moment of his life, the last time he’d seen Rosie. He had just graduated law school, had been away for years. He entered the brothel and spotted her right away across the garish room. Nothing had changed. The odor of stale tobacco and liquor hung heavy in the air. A picture of the naked lady sprawled on a couch still hung on the wall. The scantily dressed and heavily made up whores were gathered in a corner, waiting for business.

Rosie broke away from the group and sauntered toward him, her hand on her hip, a smile on her aging face. A black and red dress hugged her curves, the hem barely covering her private parts. Bright red nails ran up and down his arm. “Hi, cowboy.” She gazed at him through heavy lidded eyes. “Want some action?”

His stomach churned and bile slid up the back of his throat. His mother didn’t even recognize him. He’d turned on his heel and left.