Yesterday's Lies (12 page)

“Let’s not talk about the past.”

He let go of her, holding her only with his eyes. “We have to sort this out.”

“What’s the point? Nothing will come of it.” She felt the urge to back away but stood her ground. “I’ll admit that I loved you once, but it’s over. It’s been over for a long time.”

“Liar.” He reached for her, drawing her body close to his. When his lips touched hers, and she tasted him, her resistance fled. Familiar yearnings awoke within the most feminine part of her, causing a bittersweet ache that only he could salve. Instead of pushing him away, she was leaning closer to him, her body reacting to the sensual feel of his hands on her skin, her blood pulsing with need as it rushed through her veins. “You want me,” he whispered against her ear.

“No...”

“Let me love you.”

Desire was heating her blood, thundering in her head, and the touch of his lips on her face and neck only made the throbbing need within her more painful. “I don’t think—” she tried to say, but his lips cut off the rest of her objection.

She felt the warm invasion of his tongue and returned his kiss without restraint. When his lips moved downward to touch her neck and then slid still lower, she could do nothing but wait in anticipation. His tongue rimmed the hollow of her throat and she was forced to swallow against the want of him.

Suddenly, Trask released her, and Tory wanted to cry out against the bereft feeling she was left with. She watched as he strode to the den door and locked it, then moved toward her quickly banishing the cold feeling.

Warm hands outlined her ribs before reaching upward to mold a swollen breast. She felt her nipple tighten against the feel of his fingers and she let out a low moan of desire.

Slowly he removed her blouse, slipping each button through its hole and letting the fabric part to display her rounded breasts, swollen and bound only by the sheer white lace of her bra. His fingers teased the hardened nipple, and Tory leaned closer to him, the ache within her spreading throughout her body.

A primal groan escaped from his lips as he lowered himself to his knees and licked first one rose-tipped breast before suckling the other. The lace of the bra became moist and Trask’s warm breath fanned the sheer fabric to send sharp electric currents through Tory’s body. She closed her eyes and was blind to everything but the hunger for him. Her fingers twined in his hair.

The warmth of his hands pressed against the small of her back, bringing her closer to him, pressing more of her breast into his mouth. He groaned with the savage urgency of his lust, sucking hungrily from the white mound.

Scorching feelings of desire once awakened in Tory were impossible to smother. With each touch of his hand, Tory lost ground to the urges of her flesh. With each stroke of his tongue, the ache within her throbbed more painfully. With the heated pressure of his body against hers, she felt the urge to arch against him, demanding more of his sensual touch.

Five years she had waited for the feel of him, denying her most secret dreams and now the pain of those long empty nights alone was about to be rewarded. The scent of him was strong in her nostrils and the sound of his breathing filled her ears.

Her fingers curled in his hair as he removed her bra and took her naked breast in his mouth. She cradled his head to her body, holding on to him for dear life, knowing that her love for this man would never be returned and not caring about the consequences. This night, for a few short hours, he was hers—alone.

She moaned his name when his fingers sought the front opening of her jeans and touched the sensitive skin of her abdomen.

“Trask, please,” she whispered hoarsely as his tongue traced the delicate swirl of her navel and he pulled her jeans and underwear off her body. Slowly she was pressed to the floor by the weight of his body. The braided carpet felt coarse against her bare skin, but she didn’t care.

She helped him remove his clothes and her fingers caressed the fluid muscles of his shoulders and chest. His body tensed beneath the tantalizing warmth of her touch.

Sweat dotted his brow; his restraint was obvious in the coil of his muscles. When Tory reached for the waistband of his pants, his abdominal muscles tightened. With all of the willpower he could muster, he stopped her by taking hold of her wrist and forced her chin upward with his other hand. His eyes searched hers. “I love you, Tory,” he said, his voice rough. “I always have. But I want you to be sure about this...stop me now, if you have to, while it’s still possible.”

Closing her eyes against the flood of tears that threatened to spill, she tried to speak, to tell him how much she wanted him. Her lips quivered, but all the words she thought she should say wouldn’t come.

Trask kissed her softly and wound his fingers in the thick auburn strands of her tousled hair. “If only I could make you happy,” he murmured before capturing her lips in his and shifting his weight so that his body covered hers in a protective embrace.

As his flesh touched hers, his body heated until it glistened in a film of sweat. Her arms wound around his back and she clung to him as he became one with her, moving gently at first and then more quickly as her body responded to the familiarity of his touch. His hands massaged her breasts in the rhythm of his lovemaking.

“Oh, God,” he whispered against her ear as the heat within her seemed to burst and he, too, surrendered. “Tory,” he called, his voice raspy. “Just love me again.” And then he fell against her, his weight a welcome burden.

The tears that had been welling beneath her lids began to stream down her cheeks. “Shh,” he whispered, “everything will be okay.”

Slowly Trask rolled to his side and held her close to him. He kissed her and tasted the salt of her tears. For several minutes, they clung to each other in silence and Tory, her head pressed against his chest, listened to the steady beating of Trask’s heart. Surrounded by his strength, she was lost in her feelings of love and despair for this man.

“Regrets?” he asked, once his breathing had slowed. Tenderly he brushed a tear from the corner of her eye.

“No...”

“But?”

Her voice trembled slightly. “I’m not sure that getting involved again is the smartest thing to do. But then I’ve made a lot of questionable decisions lately.”

He propped himself on one elbow and stared down at her. His face was shadowed but even in the darkness Tory could see the seductive slash of his smile.

“Why not...get involved, that is?”

“I only agreed to see you because of the letter...and, well, having an affair with you now will only complicate things.”

His grin slowly faded, and his hands caressed her bare shoulders. “I think you’d better say what you mean and quit beating around the bush.”

Tory gathered her courage. The next words were difficult, but necessary. She couldn’t continue to live in a crystal dreamworld that could shatter so easily. “All right, senator. What I’m trying to say is that I’m not comfortable with short-term affairs. You and I both know that when all of this...note business is cleared up, you’ll be returning to Washington.”

“You don’t like dead-end relationships?”

“Exactly.”

“You could come to Washington with me,” he suggested. His arms tightened around her, holding her close to the contours of his body.

Tory almost laughed. She reached for her jeans. “And what would you do if I took you up on your offer?” she said. “I’m no more ready for the Washington social scene than you are to explain a mistress from Oregon.”

“I was talking about a wife, not a mistress.”

Tory’s heart missed a beat and pain darkened her eyes. “Oh, Trask. Don’t—”

“I asked you to marry me five years ago—remember?”

“That was before the trial.”

“Forget the trial!” He jerked her roughly to him and she was forced to gaze into the intensity of his eyes.

“How can I? You’re here, looking for another conspirator in your brother’s death, for crying out loud!” She jerked on her jeans and reached for her blouse as all of the old bitterness returned to her heart. “And don’t think that just because we made love you have to dangle a wedding ring in front of my nose. I fell for that trick once before—”

Trask’s patience snapped. He took hold of her upper arms and refused to let go. “You’re so damned self-righteous. I don’t know how to make it any clearer to you that I love you. Asking you to marry me isn’t a smoke screen for some dark ulterior motive. It’s a proposal, plain and simple. I want you to be my wife and I was hoping that you could rise above the past and come to terms with your feelings as a mature adult woman!”

“I can.”

He let go of her arms. “And?”

The lump in her throat swelled uncomfortably. “I love you even though I’ve been denying it, even to myself,” she whispered. “I love you very much, but...but I’m not sure that I
like
you sometimes. As for marriage—we’re a long way from making a decision like that.”

Trask’s back teeth ground together. “Have you been seeing someone else?”

Tory let out a disgusted sigh. “No. Not seriously.”

“I heard that you were going to be married a couple of years back to some schoolteacher.”

Tory smiled sadly with her confession. “It didn’t work out.” She turned away from him and began dressing. He watched as she slid her arms through the sleeves of her blouse.

“Why?”

Wasn’t it obvious?
“Because of you. As crazy as it sounds, senator, you’re a hard act to follow.” She smiled sadly at her own admission. How many times had she tried to deny, even to herself, that she still loved him?

“That’s some consolation,” he said, relief evident on his face. He had pulled on his cords, and pushed his arms through his shirt, but it was still gaping open, displaying in erotic detail, the muscles of his chest and abdomen. “I want you to consider my proposal.”

“I think it’s five years too late.”

One dark brow quirked. “Better late than never, isn’t that what they say?”

“‘They’ aren’t always right.”

Trask smiled cynically as he helped her to her feet. “Marry me, Tory. I need you.”

“Not now, don’t ask—”

“We put it off too long once before.”

“I can’t make a decision like this; not now, anyway. We’ve got too many things hanging over our heads. I...I need time, and so do you.”

“You think that I’m caught up in the moment.”

Her head snapped up. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“What would it take to convince you?”

“Time—enough time to put all of what happened behind us.”

“Five years isn’t enough?”

Tory smiled sadly. “Not when one party is interested in dredging it all up again.”

He leaned forward, pushing his forehead against hers and locking his hands behind her shoulders. “I love you and I’m worried about you.”

“I’m fine,” she tried to assure him.

“Yeah, I can tell.” He patted her gently on the buttocks. “So who would want to fill that gorgeous skin of yours full of buckshot?” he asked.

“No one was shooting at me.”

His face became stern. “Whoever shot the calf wasn’t playing around.”

“I’m okay,” she insisted but he didn’t seem convinced.
“Really.”

“I think you should come and stay with me at the cabin. You’d be safer.”

“I can’t.”

He rubbed his chin in frustration. “Look, Tory, I dragged you into this mess and now it seems to be getting dangerous. I feel responsible.”

“You don’t have to. I can look after myself.”

“If another person was involved in the Quarter Horse swindle, he’s also involved in murder, Tory. Jason’s murder. There’s no telling to what lengths he might go to protect himself. The dead calf and the potshot taken at us today are serious.”

“Don’t try to scare me; I’m already scared.”

“Then?”

“I told you, I can handle it.”

Impatiently Trask raked his fingers through his hair. “I want to keep an eye on you, but I have to go to Salem, to the penitentiary, tomorrow.”

“To talk to George Henderson?”

“And Linn Benton.”

Tory felt her throat constrict at the mention of her father’s two “partners” in the horse swindle. “Do you think that’s smart?”

Trask’s eyes narrowed and in the darkness Tory could see the hardening of his jaw. “If someone else was involved, they’d know about it.”

“And what makes you so sure they’d talk to you?”

“I already set up the meeting through the warden. Henderson and Benton are both up for parole in the next couple of years—your dad took most of the blame, you know. While he was handed down thirty years, they plea bargained for shorter sentences.”

“It was never fair,” she whispered.

“Because Calvin didn’t even try to defend himself!” When she blanched he touched her lovingly on the chin. “Look, knowing the likes of Benton and Henderson, they won’t want to stir up any trouble that might foul up their chances for parole.”

“And you intend to throw your weight around, now that you’re a senator and all.”

“That’s about the size of it.”

“Isn’t that unethical?”

“But effective.”

She couldn’t argue with his logic, though she didn’t like the idea of involving Henderson and Benton. A small feeling of dread skittered down her spine. “When will you be back?”

“Tomorrow night. I’ll come by here and let you know what happened.”

“Good.”

“Are you sure you won’t come with me to the cabin?” he asked, pushing a wisp of hair out of her eyes. “It might be safer.” Once again his eyes had darkened seductively.

“That depends upon what you call safe, senator,” she said teasingly, trying to push aside her fears. “Besides, the Lazy W is home. I feel safer on this ranch than I do anywhere in the world. I’ve managed to make it by myself for five years. I think I’ll be okay for the next twenty-four hours.” She winked conspiratorially at him and he couldn’t resist kissing her provocative pout.

Trask realized that there was no point in arguing further with Tory. Short of bodily carrying her to the Blazer and taking her hostage, there was no way of getting her to leave the ranch. “Just remember that I love you and that I expect you to take care of yourself.”