Desiring the Enemy (5 page)

     “I think I’ll skip breakfast this morning. I’m not really hungry.”

     “What are you going to do with yourself today?”

     “I think I’ll go for a walk, then maybe do some reading on the back porch. It looks to be a beautiful day out.”

     “It sure is. Well, let me get things rolling here. I’d ask you to come to the stables with me but after what happened the last time I think we should avoid that. Even if he’s not here I don’t want it getting back to him from one of the ranch hands.”

     “You’re right. I don’t want to antagonize him any further.”

    “Okay sweetie. I’ll see you later.”

     When Mitch had called that morning to get together for drinks Wade jumped at the chance. He hadn’t seen his cousin in a while and spending some time with him always lifted his spirits. But more than that, he needed to get away from Jenna.

     “Hey Mitch, it’s great to see you.” Wade patted his cousin on the back, delighted to see him.

     “Hey buddy, how’ve you been? I haven’t seen you in ages.” Mitch was a couple of years older than Wade, and the one who always pulled him out of the doldrums.  He might like to party but he was always there with good advice when Wade needed it, and Wade needed it right now.

     “I’ve been good. Busy as hell at the ranch, but it’s what keeps me going.”

     “Marla called me a couple of days ago, told me you have a fine young thang living under your roof. Do tell.” Mitch gave him a devilish look as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, waiting for a response.

     “There’s nothing to tell. Uncle Stanley asked me to let her stay at the ranch for a couple of months. She’s going through some hard times and needed a place to stay.” Wade wished he could tell him the real reason Uncle Stanley had sent her but, as with Marla, he didn’t want to tarnish Mitch’s opinion of their uncle.

     Mitch studied Wade’s face for a bit, then turned serious. “You know Wade, you have to get over Susan. I know she hurt you, but you can’t stay away from women forever. Marla tells me that this looks like matchmaking on Uncle Stanley’s and Aunt Rose’s part. Why don’t you give it a chance?”

     “I
am
over Susan,” Wade said, a little louder than he intended to. He took a deep breath and continued, “I’m sure that one day I’ll find a suitable woman, this one just ain’t it.”    

     “What’s so bad about this one? Marla tells me she’s gorgeous, smart and sweet. What’s not to like?”

     “She’s just not the one. Let’s talk about something else. Tell me what’s happening with you.”

     The entire family knew that once Wade shut himself off a subject there was no sense in trying to break through. Mitch let it go, for the moment.

     “I’m doing well. This is my slow time so I’m taking it easy and enjoying myself a bit.”

     Mitch owned a thriving accounting firm in the center of town but he didn’t fit the mold of the boring accountant. When he wasn’t working he could party with the best of them, not your typical numbers man.

     “I’m glad to hear it. Have you broken any hearts lately?”

     Mitch would often speak of his exploits in such an entertaining way that Wade invariably ended up heartily laughing the night away. Today he wasn’t much into the conversation, his thoughts kept going back to Jenna. If she hadn’t been his uncle’s mistress he would have certainly pursued her. She was sexy as hell, and she awakened in him feelings that had been dormant for too long.

     The local bar Mitch had taken him to had a dance floor and as they sat drinking their beer two lovely ladies came over to them.

     “Hey handsome, care to dance?” one of them asked Wade.

     “And how about you, sexy?” the other asked Mitch.

     “Why, of course I’d like to dance darlin’.” Mitch stood up and gave Wade a wink.

     Wade watched as Mitch got lost in the dance crowd and turned to look at the eager young woman awaiting his response.

     “I’d love to dance,” he said to the blonde bombshell. Maybe a lovely new face was just what he needed.

     They got on the dance floor and she immediately began grinding him, but if she thought she was turning him on she was sorely mistaken. She must have realized that she wasn’t getting the expected reaction from him and became more brazen, pressing her body against his as she flipped her long blonde hair. How was it that just looking at Jenna made him so hard it hurt, yet this woman all over him did nothing but bore him?

     Wade danced for a little longer to avoid hurting her feelings, then politely excused himself. As much as he wanted to not think about her, Jenna’s face kept creeping into his thoughts. What was it about her? She was beautiful, as were many other women he came in contact with. But none had stirred these feelings in him, he thought, not even Susan. 

     When Mitch came back to the table he told him he was going back to the ranch. He wasn’t going to be good company and he didn’t want to ruin Mitch’s night.

     “I thought you’d be staying at the inn? We can party all night. Come on, don’t leave yet.”

     “I’m sorry, I’m just not into this tonight. We’ll arrange another outing soon, I promise.”

     As usual he had made up his mind and there was no sense in trying to change it. Mitch raised his arms in defeat.

     “Okay buddy. I’m going to stay here for a bit, are you okay to drive?”

     “Yeah, I just had the one beer and that was a while ago.”

     “Well, goodnight then,” It was obvious that Mitch wanted to get back to his companion and Wade had to laugh. 

     “Goodnight. It was great seeing you,” he gave his cousin a bear hug and left the bar.

     As he drove back he wondered what was going on with him. He knew there was no future with Jenna, but he just couldn’t get her out of his mind. She wasn’t an overtly sexual woman, but that made her even sexier. He kept thinking back to that kiss and felt himself getting hard, again.

     He got to the ranch and went in through the kitchen. He tossed his hat on the table and rubbed his neck as he stretched his back. He was tense and decided that a drink might loosen him up a bit. Taking out a whiskey bottle he poured himself two fingers over ice and felt the alcohol burn a path down his throat as he closed his eyes and savored the drink. Again his mind went to Jenna. Why couldn’t they have met under different circumstances? Why did it all have to be so sordid? He had to fight these feelings, but it was obvious he couldn’t do it alone. He looked skyward,
please God, show me the way.

***

     Marla had told Jenna that she was spending the night at a friend’s house and would be gone until the next day. Jenna was a little disappointed, she had hoped to hang out with her a bit. With Wade gone for the night it would have been like a slumber party. Instead she was all alone in the big house. Gretchen had gone home for the day and being the only one there made it all seem a bit spooky.

     After doing some of her usual reading she decided to go take a bath and call it a night. It had been a while since she had luxuriated in a nice hot bath and she thoroughly enjoyed the heat of the water on her bare skin. She closed her eyes expecting to relax, but the image of Wade invaded her mind instead. She wondered what it was about the man that made her body quiver at the mere thought of him.  And why did he seem to dislike her so much? She decided to try to put him out of her mind and thought instead of what her next move was going to be. She had to start looking for a place to live soon, but she would wait a bit before she dove into the search. In the meantime she would enjoy having this free time to recuperate and heal.     

     When she was done with her bath she wrapped a towel around herself. She needed to replace it with a fresh one from the linen closet and figuring she was alone in the house she walked out onto the hallway. As she walked out of her room she saw a shadowy figure and gasped.

     “I’m sorry I startled you,” she heard Wade say as he emerged from the shadows.

     “I thought you were out for the night,” she said, trying to catch her breath. She completely forgot that she was in nothing but a towel until she looked up and saw the look of utter desire in Wade’s eyes.           

     “I decided to come home instead,” his voice sounded gravelly as he stepped closer to her.

     She did nothing but stand there and wait for him to reach her. When he was mere inches from her she lifted her head to look at him. He smelled of whisky and aftershave, and the combination was intoxicating. When he lowered his head she offered no resistance.

     He began kissing her softly, and she returned the kiss. Soon the soft kiss became hard as he opened her mouth with his tongue. She was savoring the taste of him as he pressed his body onto hers. She could feel the hardness of his manhood against her ribcage and felt intense pleasure knowing that she was the cause of his desire. He slowly left her mouth and his lips glided onto her neck. She lifted her chin to give him better access, his tongue feeling hot against her cool skin. As he moved downward the towel fell off her body and he took one full breast in his mouth. He licked and suckled, her soft moans of pleasure emboldening him. His hand travelled down her body and settled between her legs. When he began rubbing her core she gasped and threw her head back, her body ceding complete control to him. His gentle strokes became more intense, he was rubbing harder and faster as he deeply sucked in her breast. She held onto his broad shoulders for support as he continued bringing her to the brink. Just as she was about to climax they heard the front door open. Marla was back!

     He quickly picked up the towel and handed it to her.

     “Go to your room,” he ordered in a low growl.

     She was still in a fog when she heard him say “Now!”

     She ran into her bedroom and closed the door. Confusion overtook her and she again wondered what had just happened. One minute she was alone in the house, the next Wade was making love to her, and just as quickly it had all ended. It was the second time he had left her body aching for more. This time it was understandable, she knew that once Marla returned they had to stop, but did he have to be so gruff? There had been no gentleness in his tone. She felt as if she had done something wrong, like she had been the one to seduce him, when he had been the one to come to her.

     She slipped into bed figuring that rest was what she needed most, but sleep was elusive that night.

***

     What kind of a man was he? He had been making love to his uncle’s mistress, the woman who could destroy his aunt’s life. For the first time in his life he felt like ‘sleaze’ was the most appropriate word to describe him. He figured it was the whiskey that had made him lose control, but he only had the one drink. No, he had been in his right mind when he decided to take her in his arms. He could still see her, standing in the hallway with nothing but a towel covering her beautiful body. If she had offered any kind of resistance he would have stopped, but instead she allowed him to press her body against his, to take her breast in his mouth, to touch her in her most intimate spot. He imagined what would have happened if Marla hadn’t come home when she did. He probably would have led her into his room and right about now would be entering her. He found himself growing hard again and groaned inwardly. He walked to the bathroom, turned the cold shower on and stepped in. He braced himself against the shower wall as the water cooled his body and he felt like he could once again think clearly.
So much for divine intervention
, he thought as he remembered his plea to God. He was on his own, and he would have to be strong. This could never happen again, he would make sure of that.

***

     Wade came into the kitchen the next morning in a somber mood and asked Gretchen if she had seen Jenna. He needed to talk to her as soon as possible, he had to make it clear to her that what happened last night must never repeat itself.

     “She’s on the back porch. Let me get your breakfast,” Gretchen said as she hurried toward the stove.

     “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”

     Gretchen watched as he stepped onto the porch. When Jenna had come down this morning she’d also been in a dour mood, and she’d also declined breakfast. She wondered if they had an argument.

     Wade went around the side of the wraparound porch and saw Jenna sitting on the wicker glider, intently watching the beautiful expanse before her. She was wearing cut off shorts and a t-shirt, and she had slipped off her sandals as she slowly glided, her long leg propelling the swing. He couldn’t help the shiver that went down his spine as he watched her eyes close and all he could do was imagine her lying on his bed, sleeping peacefully after a long night of lovemaking.

    
Snap out of it
, he commanded himself. What happened last night was wrong and he should be ashamed of himself. He could not betray his uncle, even if his uncle was betraying Aunt Rose. And what about Jenna? Had she no loyalty toward Uncle Stanley? It amazed him how quickly she allowed him to move in on her when she was still with him. The thought strengthened his resolve to nip this in the bud.

     He cleared his throat, alerting Jenna to his presence.

     “Oh, hi Wade. I didn’t see you there,” she said tentatively.

     “Good morning Jenna. Sleep well?”

     Jenna looked at him, not quite sure what he expected her to say.

     “Not very well. I guess that’s why I dozed off.”

     “Neither did I.” His eyes looked out onto the beautiful grounds before he added, “I wanted to apologize about last night. I should have never acted on my impulses, you can be assured that it will never happen again.”

     Jenna couldn’t understand why he was fighting his feelings. They were both unattached and they were most definitely attracted to each other, neither one could deny that. Why not let nature run its course and see where it would lead them?