Mail Order Bride: Westward Christmas Novel (Montana Mail Order Brides, Book 11) (8 page)

Sasha sighed.  “No.  The only thing he said was that marriage didn’t mean that a couple had to be intimate like that.  It was clear that he was not interested and I didn’t press for more answers.  It was too humiliating as it was.  I simply started living my own life, although it was a rather tedious existence.”

Her statement told Ben that she’d had far too little fun in her life and could stand a change of pace.  The Watering Hole would certainly provide that for her.

Sasha saw a mischievous gleam in his eyes as he said, “Well, Ms. McCall, your life will no longer be tedious.  I shall see to that.”

She laughed and squeezed his hand back.  They rode most of the way back to town holding hands, sometimes talking, and sometimes just enjoying each other’s presence.  Sasha thought it was as nice a time as she’d had with Ben at dinner.  It was more intimate and relaxing.

Just before entering the town limits, Ben pulled his horse almost against hers and captured her mouth in searing kiss that left them both wanting more.  Then he smiled at her and they rode on again, parting at the square.

              When Sasha knocked at seven that evening, Ben opened the door to his apartment.  His breath caught at the sight of her.  She was so beautiful and he wanted to kiss her right then.

              “Good evening, Sasha.  Please come in,” Ben said.

              “Thank you, Ben,” Sasha said as she stepped over the threshold and began looking around.

              Ben asked, “May I take your coat?”

              “Yes, thank you,” Sasha said. 

              Her coat might be worn for function, but the gray satin dress underneath it was anything but.  Ben hung her coat up and came to stand in front of her.  The dress showed off her hourglass figure to perfection and revealed a tantalizing amount of cleavage.  Ben tried not to look at her chest too much, but it was difficult.

              “You look lovely,” Ben said.

              Sasha blushed at the compliment.  “Thank you,” she said, taking in the way his black suit fit his wide shoulders perfectly.  “And you look quite handsome.”

              He smiled and said, “Come with me.”

              Sasha started looking at the apartment more closely and stopped walking as she took in the opulence before her.  Brocade drapes, rich wall colors and warm wood accents met her gaze.  Her eyes travelled over the furniture, which was beautiful.  Expensive Persian rugs covered gleaming wooden floors of walnut.

              Ben smiled as he watched her look at everything.  “It’s impressive, isn’t it?”

              Sasha glanced at him and said, “It’s as nicely appointed as many houses I’ve seen, Ben.”

              “It’s my payment for being at the beck and call of the Watering Hole in case there is a medical emergency of some sort.  I tried to explain to Joe that he had already done enough for me, but he said that it was Jake’s decision and not his,” Ben told her.  “Come have a glass of wine and I’ll give you the full tour while dinner finishes.”

              Sasha followed him to the kitchen, where a bottle of wine sat chilling in a sterling silver ice bucket on a small table.  Ben expertly opened the wine and poured the fine Merlot into a Bordeaux glass and savored the bouquet. 

              “Mmm.  Jake has impeccable taste in fine wines and liquors,” Ben said as he poured a small amount in a glass for Sasha and handed it to her.

              Their fingers touched, and Sasha’s eyes found Ben’s as a tiny jolt of awareness shot through her.  Ben’s eyes had darkened the smallest bit, indicating that he felt the same thing she did.  He raised his glass a little and said, “A toast.  Here’s to saying goodbye to the past and embarking on a new, wonderful life.”

              Sasha smiled and said, “Hear, hear.”

              They touched their glasses together and took sips of their wine.  The rich, fruity flavor with a hint of chocolate filled Sasha’s mouth with sublime flavor and she said, “Mmm.  That’s splendid.”

              “Yes, it is,” Ben said, and proceeded to show her the rest of the three bedroom apartment.  It was a spacious, warm apartment complete with a den in which Ben could work.  Evidence that he did so was visible in the stack of charts and other folders on his desk.

              With the tour complete, Ben led her back into the kitchen, which was filled with delectable aromas.

              “Whatever it is you have prepared, it smells wonderful,” Sasha said as she came to stand beside him.

              Ben looked down at her and said, “While I was in Chicago, I fell in love with Italian cuisine, but there was this one little place that Marcus had told me about named Carrini’s.  Their food is divine.  I coaxed a lovely young lady into giving me their recipe for chicken parmesan along with their excellent garlic bread.”

              “I’m sure it didn’t take much coaxing at all.  One look of those green eyes of yours would do the trick, I’m sure,” Sasha teased him.

              “So am I to take it that you like my eyes?” Ben asked with a raised eyebrow.

              Sasha wished she could take back her words as a flush crept over her.  But she couldn’t deny the effect his eyes had on her.  “Yes.  Very much.” 

              Ben said, “Thank you.  Your beautiful gray eyes have haunted me ever since we met.”

              Sasha’s eyes widened.  “They have?”

              “Yes, madam, they have.  They are quite alluring, I daresay,” Ben said.  He cocked his head at her a little and said, “I can’t believe that no one has ever told you what remarkable eyes you have.”

              Sasha took a sip of wine and said, “Once when I was a young woman there was a boy who told me that, but he was the only one until now.”  It was hard for her to meet his gaze.

              Ben again felt that cold anger inside at a man who was now dead.  If the man weren’t dead, Ben would have dealt with the man himself.  Then he realized that if Ken McCall were still alive, he wouldn’t be here with Sasha.  She would still be in Nebraska, miserable and lonely.  That slightly cruel part of Ben was glad that the man had expired, for he didn’t deserve a woman like Sasha.

              He reached over and put a finger under Sasha’s chin.  He tipped it up until he could look into those remarkable dove gray depths and said, “You are a desirable, beautiful woman, Sasha, who deserves to be cherished and loved by someone who can appreciate you.  Don’t ever forget that.”

              Sasha half blinked as tears threatened.  Her smile was slightly tremulous as she said, “That’s the nicest thing a man has ever said to me.”

              “I mean every word,” Ben said. 

              She smiled at him again and then Ben dropped his hand from her chin. Every instinct within him told him to kiss her, but he sensed that it was not quite the right time.

              He motioned to a chair at the table and said, “I hope you don’t mind if we dine in the kitchen.  It’s much more intimate than two people eating in that big dining room.”

              “I don’t mind at all,” Sasha said.  The idea of sitting close to Ben while they ate greatly appealed to her.

              Ben pulled out her chair and helped seat her.  “Excellent.  Now, I want you to sit and relax while I finish things.  More wine?”

              “Yes, please,” Sasha said.

              He poured with flair and then took off his suit jacket.  Going to the stove, Ben put on an apron and Sasha smiled at the sight of the suave Dr. Walker in a cook’s apron.  Without his suit jacket on, Sasha could see the way his white shirt strained over his back when he bent to take something from the oven.

              Images of his bare, powerful arms came to her and suddenly the kitchen was very warm.  Ben finished cooking the spaghetti, making sure it was al dente and not mushy.  The garlic bread was ready to come out as well.  He made their plates and took them over to the table.

Sitting them down, he asked, “Would you like more cheese?”

Sasha said, “Yes.  It looks scrumptious, Ben.”

“Thank you.”  Ben brought over a grater and a block of parmesan cheese and shaved some on top of her food.  Then he put the garlic bread in a basket and sat it on the table.

Going over to a drawer in a buffet that stood against a wall in the kitchen, Ben retrieved large, colorful cloth napkins.  He handed one to Sasha and said, “You’re going to need one of these.  It’s best to tuck it in at the neck to avoid staining your clothes.”  So saying, he sat down and took off his tie.  Then Ben undid the top two buttons of his shirt, folded a corner of the napkin down inside of his shirt, and spread the rest of it across the front of it.

Sasha watched him, fascinated by the exposed V of male flesh above the napkin.  Ben glanced at her and then again when he saw the awareness in her eyes.  Sasha took her own napkin and tucked hers all along the neckline of her dress.  Ben’s eyes followed every movement she made, and he was jealous of her fingers because they were able to touch her soft skin and he was not.

Ben forced such thoughts away, concentrating on their meal instead.  He poured both of them a little more wine. 

Sasha began to cut up her chicken.  She took a bite and the tangy, rich flavor of the sauce tasted incredible to her.  The chicken was tender and slightly spicy.  She looked at Ben as she smiled and chewed.

Ben had waited to see what her reaction would be.  “Judging by the look on your face, it’s edible?”

She said, “Edible is an enormous understatement, Dr. Walker.  Superb is more accurate, but not adequate.”

Ben took a bite and nodded.  “It’s close to Mr. Carrini’s, but I’m afraid his cannot be duplicated.  I’m very happy that you like it.”

“Mmm hmm,” Sasha said as she began eating her garlic bread.  She was suddenly famished and began twirling her spaghetti and taking rather large bites.  After a few, she suddenly felt the need to burp.  Sasha knew it wasn’t going to go away, so she tried to let it out quietly.  It was no good, however, and it was audible in the quiet kitchen.

Ben looked at her and his mouth curved up at the corners.  Sasha couldn’t prevent the second burp that came out.  Sasha covered her mouth and flushed in embarrassment. 

“Thank God you did that, because I’ve been trying to keep that in check myself,” Ben said, and let out his own burp. 

Sasha began laughing and more burps came out.  “I am so sorry.”

“Not to worry,” he said and chuckled.

They didn’t talk much during the rest of the meal.  Rather, they ate heartily and burped and laughed all throughout dinner.  It was a meal they would never forget.  Halfway through, Sasha became bold and she felt it must have been the wine, but she told Ben that she would like to see his brachial arteries again.  Immediately Ben rolled up his sleeves and Sasha’s heart began to do a funny little dance.

Ben saw the desire in her eyes and he had to keep his own under control.  She let her eyes rest on his arms and then travel up over his shoulders to finally look into his eyes. 
There’s that she-devil again.  Doesn’t she realize what looking at me like that does to me?
he thought as his hand tightened around his knife a little. 

He cleared his throat and it broke the tension in the room.  They finished their meal, both of them groaning over how much they had eaten.

“Dr. Walker, I can’t remember ever eating such a delicious meal, especially prepared for me by a man,” Sasha said.

“It was my pleasure,” Ben said as he rolled down his shirt sleeves.  He noted that they had wrinkled, but he didn’t care.  He decided against putting his tie back on.  It wasn’t as if he needed to look perfect to go to the Watering Hole.

Sasha sighed loudly as he covered up his arms again and Ben asked, “Is everything all right?”

“Oh, yes.  Fine,” Sasha said.  “Just very full.”  She hadn’t known that her sigh had been audible until Ben had noticed it.

Ben laughed.  “I know what you mean.  We’ll work it off, though.  Someone’s sure to play music, so we can dance.”

Sasha said, “That sounds like fun.  I haven’t been dancing in, well, since before I was married.”

“Then I’d say it’s time to get back on the dance floor,” Ben said as he rose from his chair.  “Do not worry about all of this.  I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”

“All right,” she said.  Ben held out his hand to her and she stood up. 

Swiftly Ben pulled her close and brushed his mouth over hers.  Sasha let out a shaky breath and ran her hands over his chest before his lips firmly claimed her mouth.  Ben tasted of wine and sauce and Sasha would have been content to keep kissing him, so intoxicating a combination was it. 

Sasha couldn’t keep her hands off Ben and he didn’t seem to mind her exploration of his chest and shoulders.  Ben curved a hand around the back of her head and increased the pressure of his kiss, and Sasha let out a little moan.  All of a sudden, Ben felt her undo a couple of his shirt buttons and slip her hands inside against his bare skin.

A ripple of desire ran through him, but he made no sudden movement for fear that she would stop.  Sasha wanted him, craved him like nothing else she’d ever craved in her life.  That fear rose within her again and she withdrew her hands from his hard muscles. 

Ben sensed the shift in her.  He slowly released her and ended their kissing.  He smiled into her eyes and said, “I think we should go downstairs,” even though he would much rather stay where he was with her.

Sasha nodded.  “I, um, think you’re right,” she said and backed away from him.  She lowered her gaze as he buttoned his shirt again.

Ben said, “I’ll get your coat for you.”  He needed to move away from her for a few moments and he guessed that she could use the space, too.  As he retrieved the garment, he heard music coming from downstairs and smiled.

Sasha took several deep breaths to clear her mind of the passion Ben brought out in her.  She turned then and went into the large parlor.  Smiling at Ben, she took her coat from Ben, but didn’t put it on. 

“We can go down the inside stairs,” Ben said.  “That way we don’t have to go out in the cold.  It’s also quicker.”

Sasha thought that the cold air would have been welcome at that point, but she smiled and said, “All right.”