Just One Kiss (The Dream Catcher Series-Book Two) (21 page)

“You wanted me then?” She gasped.

“Sure I did. I was twenty, never had a girl, and for some reason I was attracted to
you
. Your lips looked soft and sweet and I wanted to taste them. Just to see if they were that sweet. But when you reached up and kissed me good-bye and pressed yourself up against me…well, I’m sure you knew then how bad I wanted that last kiss.”

“I felt that you were hard and ready, but I tried to ignore it. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I was flattered that I could make you…sorta come alive. I wasn’t even sure what I was ignoring. Told myself I was imagining things, a white boy couldn’t want a black girl.” A few minutes later, she moved. “That was so…wonderful. So innocently wonderful. You know I’ve been your slave ever since, don’t you?”

“You’re not my slave. Don’t ever call yourself that again.”

“Oh honey, that’s not a bad kind of slave, it’s a good one. I wanted you to take me that day. My underclothes were wet and I didn’t understand why. Things were happening to me; it was new, exciting and scary all at once. I remember so well. I thought my sisters were raped, but I wanted you to make love to me. To show me there was a difference somewhere. When I looked at you I knew you wouldn’t be cruel or mean, but sweet and tender. I needed to know right then that someone in the world would be that way.”

“I wouldn’t have taken you then, no matter what. You were still a child.”

“I guess I was…but I knew you could make a woman out of me. And once you kissed me I knew I’d never be a child again. I’d never have the innocence of a child again. I’d always want you. And now?” She glanced at him with a sultry smile.

“Now—you’re my woman, and always have been,” he declared, kissing her once more to prove it.

“I didn’t want to remember you, but I couldn’t get you out of my head or heart. I wanted to forget the taste of you on my lips. But I couldn’t. That was the day I fell in love. I told myself we could never make it work. That it was some kind of dream. But just one kiss sealed my fate.”

“We fell in love…”

She smiled. “Ask whatever you want. It’s yours.” She kissed him thoroughly on the lips now.

The kiss went on forever, as his hand continued to rub her all over, his hand going back and forth over her breasts that were splayed out in front of him. She felt weak and panted.

“We have to stop, I won’t be able to walk,” she murmured finally. “It’s crazy, I’m raw and sore and worn out, but I still want you. I still want to make love with you. What’s wrong with me? Is it always gonna be like this, with you and me?”

“I hope so. Besides, you started it.” He chuckled. “It’s called love, Hattie. And we have more than our share of it.”

“Is that bad?” She smiled contentedly.

“Love is never bad.”

“Kiss me one more time and prove it.”

“Where?” he whispered.

She giggled, then she pointed to the side of her lips. He kissed it. Then she pointed to the other side of her lips and he kissed it. Then, as she was about to get up, he bent and kissed her belly and on down to the soft curls between her legs. His fingers clutched the curls, wrapping around them.

He lay close. He parted her womanly lips there and looked at her, his eyes full of unhidden desire. His lips covered her heated flesh and his tongue worked its way down to the raw throbbing nub of her. She moved sinuously against him, her legs spreading so he could have a full view if he wanted. And he wanted to look at her, see every part of her, kiss every part of her, touch every part of her. Before he knew it she was thrusting against his mouth wildly pulling his head down and into her. Suddenly, she almost yelled the ecstasy of the moment as she climaxed. He supped her, his tongue licking and laving against her there, sending wild currents through her even now then he pulled her up hard against him and held her tight with his arm. She curled against the crook of his arm, sighing.

But they didn’t rest long.

His fingers continued to explore her hips and crevice. She rolled to her stomach and allowed him every advantage. He smoothed his hand down her hips, around them, moving always toward the crevice where he gently parted her to look at the sweetness of her. She moaned aloud. “No man has ever touched me like this…”

“Do you like it?” His voice sounded husky.

“Mmm…yes. As long as you are inside me, I love it. You are going inside me soon, aren’t you?”

“I sure am, sweetheart.”

His tongue shot out and over her then caressing her, laving her generously, before he pushed himself inside her and reached around to hold her breast as they began a new rhythm.

He moved her so her breasts dangled from the bed and he could squeeze her there as he moved against her gently.

“I wasn’t sure I’d like this, but the gentleness you show, makes me heat up inside. You never try to hurt me.”

“I don’t want to ever hurt you, my love.”

Then, as though his words consumed her, she moved against him pulling him in and welcoming his hot shaft. They both reached a climax quickly and he stayed inside her there until she completing relaxed against him, kissing her on the back and shoulders, kneading her breasts, and whispering love words in her ear.

He turned her on her back once more slowly, gazing at her breasts for a moment, kissing her for long drugging moments, his hand going from the softness of her breasts to the roundness of her hips and back. He stared down at her for a long moment, at how relaxed she looked, and so very thoroughly loved.

“I gotta go, I still want you but I gotta get out of here…” He stared down at her. “I guess there will be a lot of days and nights like this. I’m looking forward to every one of them. I’m glad we’re sleeping together every night now; it’s as it should be.”

“Yes, my love…” She took a deep breath, his eyes moving to her chest. “I don’t know why I love you so…why I’ve always loved you, but I’m sure glad I do, and I’m even happier knowing you feel the same about me. Knowing you’ve loved me all this time. I always thought maybe you did, from the way you kissed me and treated me back then. I mean, you could have just taken me for flaunting myself at you, but you didn’t. I felt like such a bad girl for loving you like I did. I dreamed about us being together. But it couldn’t be helped. I wanted you from the moment I looked into those beautiful eyes of yours. Your eyes spoke for you, you know. I could tell you was interested in me from the start. But I wanted to hear the words from your own mouth. I needed to hear them. I needed to know that what we had back then, and now, wasn’t something nasty and ugly. But from the heart.”

“There’s nothing nasty or ugly about lovin’ you, honey. Despite our colors, we were made for lovin’ each other. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. And you were the sexiest sixteen year old girl I ever knew. My God, the way you walked, your hips swaying…How’d you learn to walk like that?”

“I don’t know…”

“I’d never seen a girl your age walk like that. The way your nipples jutted out from that pitiful dress you had on, like they were standing at attention, just for me. I sure did want to touch them, and see them. God, you tempted me. Then the way your eyes flashed at me. So when you issued that challenge so boldly, it gave me the reason to take what you offered. Problem was I wanted more, a lot more than what I took,” he said and jerked on his pants and shirt to leave. “But Lord…when you said you liked my kiss, I wanted to haul you to the floor and take what you were trying to offer me.”

“It pleasures me that you really wanted me. And that bad, too. "Cause I felt the same.”

“I suffered a lot of guilt from that wanting. I wanted to take you right there in that dirty old shack and make you mine before I went to war, so you’d never love another, but you were just too young. I couldn’t do that to you. I could tell you’d never had done anything. Although I sure as hell wanted to be your first, I felt I shouldn’t touch you like that. I hoped and prayed you’d understand why.”

She stretched provocatively. “Don’t feel guilty, I felt the same. I couldn’t believe that at sixteen years old I’d found the man of my dreams. I was so hopelessly in love with you, and I thought we’d never be together.”

He touched her cheek with his hand. “We were too young back then. It was simply the wrong time and place, but our falling in love happened despite time, place, and age.”

She moved her head to love his hand and close her eyes.

“Why couldn’t I have been born white?” she wailed.

He shook his head and gathered her into his arm. He stared into her eyes, planting a hard kiss to her lips, then held her against him. “Lord, baby, you’ve got to know something. I wouldn’t have fallen in love with a white girl…don’t you see that? I never wanted anyone ‘til you came along. I wanted you…and it just didn’t matter what color you were. In fact, even Joe knows I never seen color. It was a little black girl that tied me in such knots. A little black girl that wanted me to kiss her. And despite knowing better, I couldn’t resist no matter how many times I tried to talk myself out of it. I wanted that kiss too.”

“You sure pleasured me…that day,” she cried, moving to kiss him again. “I didn’t wash my face for a week. I could still feel your lips on mine. And you pleasure me now too with your words, kisses, and body.”

He smiled against her. “That’s something I plan on doing for the rest of my life.”

“Promise?”

“Fact.”

Chapter Thirteen

A week later, Lee rode over to Mr. Harvey’s place.

“Are you sure, Mr. Harvey? I would rather you have this land than anyone,” Lee offered as his eyes scanned the horizon, landing on the just harvested fields in front of him. He pulled a blade of grass and chewed on it as Mr. Harvey seemed to think about the offer. He wished he’d reconsider.

Mr. Harvey, a lean, forty-ish man with whiskers and blonde hair smiled. “And I’d grab it in a minute if I could. But I just can’t afford to take on any more. I’m sorry. I only got one son, and we can barely manage to help bring in our own crop, much less more. I do appreciate you offering to sell it to me first…The only other person in the valley with any money is Jeffries, but I’m sure he’d jump at the chance to buy it.”

“Then I guess I have no choice but to offer it to him now.” Lee sighed. “I didn’t want to leave the valley like this though. I’d like to think all of you here could live in peace once I’m gone. That me and my family are not the cause of so much trouble for everyone else.”

Mr. Harvey nodded, his green eyes staring off into the distance. Then, after a nod, he smiled. “I guess you’re right about that. But maybe you could use this to the advantage of the entire valley.”

Lee studied him for a moment. “What do you mean? How so? I’m all ears if you got an idea.”

Mr. Harvey lit a cigar and leaned back on his wagon full of corn. He wasn’t the kind of man to speak unless he had thought about it. He glanced up at the house then back at Lee. “Well, everyone in this valley would benefit from the water rights. You know that as well as I. Now if you was to take the water rights and sell them to me, then I could probably afford that much and I would control it. It wouldn’t have to be worked like the land, so it wouldn’t be a burden to me. By selling to me you’d be unleashing those rights to the entire valley. As I would instantly open it up, by charging a small fee every year to each farmer and rancher about.”

“That sounds fair.” Lee nodded. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe this would solve the problem all the way around.”

“Only thing is, I wouldn’t be chargin’ no one but the Jeffries. I’d just tell him that everyone was payin’ and post it on the property of the charge.” Mr. Harvey laughed.

Lee laughed too. “That’s wonderful…I should have come and talked to you long ago. You could have solved this problem for me. Alright, that sounds like a good thing to me. And I tell you right now, the charge for the water rights is one dollar.”

“Are you serious?” Mr. Harvey asked. “That doesn’t begin to sound fair.”

“As a matter of fact, I am very sure. You see, Mr. Harvey, I feel a little responsible for no one havin’ the rights for so long, and everyone needin’ them. Hadn’t been for the fights with the Jeffries this might have been settled long ago. But I’m leavin’ with everything I want in life, with a dream to look forward to. A happy life, Mr. Harvey. And I’d like to leave the valley and the people here happy about it all. Even before my folks died, I considered lettin’ people have water rights for nothin’. But Jeffries always had my back up about it. Now, I can leave it to the valley and that makes me happy again.”

Mr. Harvey nodded. “But why do you want to sell the place?”

“I’m moving to Texas.”

“What are you gonna do in Texas that you can’t do here?” he asked.

“I’m marryin’ Hattie, and I can’t do that here…” he finished, casting Mr. Harvey a look to see if there was censure in his face.

Mr. Harvey’s eyes rounded on him. “Well son, you’re gonna need a lot of luck.”

“I know.”

“Tell me something, is she worth it?” Mr. Harvey asked, not being sarcastic, just curious.

“And more…”

Mr. Harvey looked astounded. “Texas, huh? Well…good luck to you.”

“Thanks,” Lee said and tipped his hat to the man. “I’ll get those papers drawn up for you.” Then he left.

Lee studied the conversation and the longer he thought on it, the happier he became. Now all he had to do was talk to Jeffries.

He hated to sell to the Jeffries but maybe it was time to settle all the old scores and move on. Maybe it was time to end the war between himself and the Jeffries. After all, he was a happy man. He had his Hattie and a new family, and ole Joe. What more could he need? He was headed for Texas to see his good friends again. He could afford to be generous and the money from the farm would help pay for his future.

He wasted no time in going to see Mr. Jeffries that same afternoon. He wanted things settled and done.

The old man stood majestically in his huge ranch house surrounded by all his animal heads and collections of guns. The house was a museum of the western culture. Lee smiled as he moved into the room. All it needed was a saddle to make a cowman feel at home.