The Reluctant Rancher (18 page)

“
Let me get this straight.
”
 
Luke moved again and Mary found herself mesmerized by the muscles dancing beneath his sleekly smooth skin.
 
“
You think it’s demeaning for a man to use a term of endearment when speaking to a woman, but it’s perfectly alright for a woman to ogle a man’s naked physique?
”

“
What do you mean
,
ogle men’s bodies?
 
That’s ridiculous.
”
Mary felt the heat rush to her cheeks. Well, damn how was she going to get out of this now?

Again, Luke’s brows rose.
 
“Is it?
 
You mean you weren’t –
aren’t,
”
he amended, noting the direction of her gaze.
 
“
Ogling my chest?
”

The silence stretched between them, the drumming of the rain on the tin roof the only sound to be heard.
 
Mary darted a quick look at Luke’s face from beneath the thick veil of her lashes.
 
She knew that stubborn look.
 
He’d sit there all night long if she didn’t say something.

“
Oh, alright, I admit it.
”
 
Anger and embarrassment vied for top billing.
 
Thankfully, an
ger won. “
I was ogling you.
 
But you were ogling me, too.
 
It doesn’t mean a thing.
”

Luke laughed
, a soft
sound
that drew her gaze again.
 
His hot look killed her anger
and created
an answering flame deep inside.

“
That’s too bad it doesn’t mean a thing to you, honey, because it means a lot to me.
”
 
His hoarse whisper raked across her sensitized nerves.
“If you look a little lower,
you’ll
see exactly how much it means to me.”

Mary’s
han
ds trembled as she reached out and fidgeted with her spoon.
Only the telltale pulse at the base of Luke’s throat gave any hint of his thou
ghts. H
e took the silverware from her hand
and tangled
his fingers with hers.

“
Come here.
”
H
e tugged her across the small space the separated them.

Mary obeyed his command
. S
he heard the scrape of his chair seconds before her body met his.

Mary felt her whole body flood with joy.

And love.

It felt so good to think about it, t
o let it flow through her body and fill
all the dark and lonely places that had felt empty for so many years.
 
Lord, she thought, how had she done it?
 
How had she buried this need, this longing, for so long?

“
Mary?
”

The
 
look she bestowed on him answered the question as old as time itself. She knew they’d raced toward this moment since the dance. Since the day in the barn.
 
She lowered her head and his lips met hers halfway.
 
Their sighs of contentment mingled together.

The desire-filled kiss
 
blossomed with their longing. Mary wanted to shout
 
for joy and cry all at the same time.
Luke broke the kiss
and brushed
her hair back from her face in a tender caress.
 
She knew she would give herself to him tonight, but as he continued to stare at her, her confidence plummeted.
 
She’d seen that look before.
 
Rejection.
 
Disappointment.
 
She struggled to free herself from his grasp.

“
Damn it, Mary,
stop,” he
growl
ed and held her in place w
ith a bruising force.

“
I’ve been rejected before, Luke.
 
You don’t have to sugarcoat it.
”
 
After several minutes, she knew she couldn’t free herself.
 
She stopped and held her body rigid and waited for
him to release her.

“
That’s not it, baby.
 
I want you.
 
But not like this.
”
 
Ignoring
her protest, he lifted her
and
carr
ied
her to the bed.
 
H
e laid her gently upon the soft mattress.
 
“
All we’re going to do tonight is talk, Mary.
”
 
A slow, sexy grin split his face as he lowered his big body to hers.
 
“
And maybe engage in a little heavy petting.
”

Her heart melted at the look of intense longing in Luke’s glittering eyes. She wanted Luke Tanner. Wanted him as much as he wanted her. He had been a fire burning in her blood for days, for weeks. And if she was completely honest with herself, ever since that summer camp.

And she was going to have him tonight and damn the consequences.

Fully
aware
of the implications of her actions, Mary shifted her weight, plunging her leg between his, rubbing against his erection.

“Be sure, Mary. Be very sure.”

For only the second time in her life, Mary was completely certain about something. “I am, Luke. I am.”

He gathered her in his arms and kiss
ed her
.
 
His kiss was filled with
passion.
 
And promise.
S
he returned the caress
. She found
the roof of his mouth and strok
ed it with her tongue
.
 
He tasted of soup and salt.
 
All male.
 
She heard him groan
;
then he
became the aggressor
again. His tongue moved past her lips, finding her sweetness and exploring it with a hard, questing motion.
The kiss seemed to last forever.

“
Your hair has driven me crazy for the past two months.
”
He smoothed the
long strands away from her face before his hand traveled
down the soft fabric of her shirt
. He
cupp
ed
the roundness of her shoulders
before h
is fingertips
traced the burgeoning curves of her bre
asts. He lingered at her nipples. She moaned as he plucked them with his fingers.
He started to lift her shirt but she stopped him. “Pleas
e, Luke. I’d like to keep it on.
”

“
Why M
ary?”

Mary couldn’t meet his eyes. How could she tell the man who was about to become more intimate with her than any other human being on earth ever had, that she was afraid to let him see her completely naked? A lifetime of insecurities and inhibitions could not be shed with the discarding of a shirt.

For an instant, Luke’s hands tightened on the fabric beneath his hand. She was afraid he would refuse her request. His fingers loosened his grip and eased up towards the neck of her shirt. He
unfastened
the buttons, stopping just below her breasts. “I want to see you, baby. Please let me.”

Mary’s eyes filled with tears as he waited for her to reveal herself to his eyes. She knew he would never force her or scold her, no
matter what she decided. But she wasn’t ready, Instead, she
pulled the flannel aside, baring her breasts to him. For an
endless
moment, all he did was stare. Then he lowered his head, covering her with soft, burning kisses. “God you are beautiful.”

With a reverent touch, he covered one breast with his
hand and squeezed the soft mound
until the nipple
hardened
into a tight little bud “I’ve thought of you every night, ached for you since you came to the ranch.”

Mary couldn’t answer, her breath had been lost
the
moment
he’d
touch
ed her
. His hand cupped her hips bringing her into contact with his hard male form. His body was cradled on top of hers. She moved her legs restlessly, seeking his strength.

He rose from
the bed and removed his jeans. His mouth was swollen
from
the
intensity
of the kisses they had shared. He bowed his head as if in prayer. She knew what was causing his restraint. Holding out her hand she urged him to her. “Luke, please love me.”

He lowered his body to hers. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t.” She felt precious
and
all the more desirable for his concern.

He moved
his hips
in a slow circular motion, letting her feel just how much he wanted her. Mary gasped at the full evidence of his desire.

“I’m on fire,” he whispered. “Burning. . .”

“I am too,” she moaned. She twisted and arched beneath him. Never had she felt such intense longing, such overwhelming sensations.

Her hand wandered ove
r his muscled back. She
snuggled deeper into his arms, welcoming his strong embrace.
 
She had never felt so safe.
 
“
I love you, Luke.
 
I’ll always love you.
”

The quiet declaration didn’t seem to startle him and Mary wondered how long he had known about her feelings.

“
Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Mary,
”
he said quietly.
 
“
Love lasts as long as the night.
 
No longer.
”

“
That’s not true,
”
she denied.

“
We’ll take it slow.
 
See what happens.
”

“Okay
,
”
Mary agreed, meeting his mouth as it descended toward hers, but promised that one day she would show this reluctant rancher just how much she loved him.

Tonight she would show him with her body, and tomorrow she would tell him with her soul.

He arranged the long strands of her hair over her body.
It was just long enoug
h to hide the blushing pink
of her breasts
while
still exposing their creamy
fullness. He
plucked at
t
he
r
osy
tips
with his thumb and forefinger.
Again
and again he repeated the caress unt
il Mary thought she would die f
r
om the pleasure
.

She arched
, aching to feel the warm sweet heat of his mouth. Obeying her silent demand, he lowered his head. The rosy peak felt the rough sweep of his jaw seconds before his lips enclosed it, drawin
g her deeply into his
mouth. Sh
e felt a primitive tug deep in her womb as he
increased the pressure.

Long moments later, he eased away and Mary groaned her frustration. He just smiled. “Stop me now, baby. If you have any doubts, stop me now.”

Luke was amazed at the depth of his
passion for this woman.
But he would stop, even if it killed him,
if
that was what she
wanted. He knew she was offering him more than the token words
of love
she had uttered. And he didn’t know which touched him more.

“No,” she cried. “This is what I want.
You are what I want.”
She took his lower lip between her
teeth
and nipped gently.

“I’m a big man, Mary,” he cautioned. “I’ll try not to hurt you.”

“You won’t
.” She
parted
her legs for him and his questing fingers found the entrance of her body. She was warm and wet, ready for what was to come. He moved
over
her and pressed into her honeyed warmth, letting her body adjust to
his as he joined them together,
inch
by tantalizing inch.