Too antsy to go to bed, he sprawled on the sofa in front of the television, but instead of turning it on, he stared at the blank screen and let his own fantasies play across the thirteen-inch imaginary stage. Man, oh man, they wouldn’t go away. Faith in the shower. Naked and wet. Slick, fresh-smelling skin all rosy and glowing. Soft curves. Tempting. He closed his eyes. Yeah, he could see her now. A floor board squeaked. His eyes flew open. He could see her NOW!
“JeezLooeeze, Faith!” His heart slammed into his ribs.
There she was, standing right in front of him, her delectable curves barely hidden beneath a pair of his old knit shorts and one of his well-worn shirts. The sparkle in her eyes held the familiar glint of mischief he remembered so well. Her hair was still wet, a tangled riot of cinnamon curls just begging for his touch.
“I, um, didn’t think you’d mind if I borrowed some clothes,” Faith said, padding barefoot across the room. “It was easier than digging through my suitcase.” She gave a little shrug.
Next thing he knew, she was sitting beside him, her warm, damp body pressed against his. Her extremely sexy, just-showered scent shot through his bloodstream like high-powered rocket fuel, revving his personal engine at full throttle. No amount of self-control could keep him from reaching for her. And claiming her mouth.
“Faith,” he groaned when she placed her hand on his chest.
“I really want to kiss you.”
“I know,” she whispered, scooted closer, and lifted her face to meet his gaze. “I...I want that, too.”
His heart tumbled into her hands.
He was so close to exploding from sheer happiness, he wondered if kissing her would ever be enough.
The kiss started out hot, wet, and open-mouthed, escalating with dangerous speed to something incredibly frightening—and wonderful.
Oh, man, I’m in deep trouble here.
Deeper than he’d ever been, because Faith was kissing him back, slipping her hands under his shirt while her tongue did wild things in his mouth. Before he knew it, he was flat on his back with those sweet curves covering him like a heated blanket.
Did she realize what the hell this was leading to? Fate had to be playing some kind of crazy trick on him, because he could swear Faith was trying to seduce him. And if she kept on touching him like that, he was gonna give as good as he was getting. Oh, yeah. Real soon.
“Buddy Lee,” Faith murmured against his mouth, “do you want to, um...?” She wished she was better at this sort of thing. Convincing him she was willing to be a true wife wasn’t as easy as she’d expected, but she was determined not to make him regret one minute of his decision to help her and her baby. Ever.
She knew being with him would be different than being with Royce, but she hadn’t counted on the overwhelming intensity of what she was feeling. Hadn’t even known it existed until now. She’d never realized passion could be expressed with gentleness. With Royce, there’d only been roughness.
Yet when she kissed this man who’d been her friend for years, whose concern she’d taken for granted, fireworks went off in places so highly sensitive she was ready to burst into flames. Just a touch—a single kiss from him, and she sizzled from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. When he held her in arms so strong and gentle, she felt totally cherished and protected in a way she’d never known. This was beyond the limits of everyday friendship. More than mere sexual attraction, too. The depth of her feelings for him astounded her. Buddy Lee was more than a friend.
She wanted—no, needed—to show him how she felt. He was her hero and deserved whatever she could do to make him happy. And she wished with all her heart that her baby was really his.
“Faith.” He groaned her name. “Honeygirl, we have to stop. Now.”
His muffled protest hummed in her ear, his hot breath stirred newly discovered cravings of her own. Realizing he was the only one who could satisfy those needs simply added to her unsettled state. She wanted more of whatever was beckoning just beyond her reach. And she wanted it from him. Now.
“Why?” she whispered, kissing him hungrily before he could answer. “I’m already pregnant. Don’t you want me, Buddy Lee?”
“Aw, sweet Heaven, Faith,” he gasped after she gave him another mind-blowing kiss. “I want you so bad I ache, but what about the baby? I don’t want to do anything wrong.” His breath was ragged, hoarse. “You sure this is what you want, darlin’?”
At the sweetness and devotion in his voice, she nearly wept. Passion and desire rocked through her entire body, and the sudden dampness between her thighs both shocked and excited her.
Her fingers worked to unbutton his jeans, trembled as she slid the zipper down and gazed into his desire-darkened eyes. ”It isn’t wrong. We’re married, remember? And yes, I want this.” His jeans hit the floor. His shirt followed, leaving him wearing only his boxers. She stopped his weak objection with another deep kiss.
Without breaking their lip-lock, she wiggled out of her own shirt and heard Buddy Lee’s sharp intake of breath when she took his hands and placed them on her bare breasts. Pleasure did a slow-dance through her nerve endings as he massaged their sensitive peaks with his work-roughened palms.
Bodies naked from their waists up, they strained to touch, to feel, to absorb. His arousal pushed against her thighs, hot, hard and demanding. She straddled him, the thin fabric of their remaining garments proving no barrier for the powerful need rocking them both. Within seconds, his boxers and her shorts joined the growing pile of discarded clothing.
“Oh, God, Faith, you are so beautiful.” Buddy Lee could barely speak around the emotion clogging his throat.
He held her tenderly, slowly taking her heavy breasts in his mouth and tugging at their sweetness one at a time until she trembled against him and begged for more. Easing one hand between their bodies, he found her wet and hot, so ready for him he nearly lost it right then and there. But when he would’ve turned her over and pulled her beneath him, she shook her head. His breath jammed in his throat. Oh, please, don’t change your mind now, darlin’.
“Let me,” she murmured, slowly lowering herself onto him until the full length of his rigid erection was buried deep within her welcoming softness.
Ah, God! He didn’t dare move, just lay there surrounded by her pulsing heat while she kissed him senseless. The torture was exquisite.
Nothing in his lifetime could’ve prepared him for the way his heart filled with love for this woman. With desire. With hope that his love might be returned. She was his world—and he wanted to be hers.
Gripping her buttocks, he held her motionless until he could no longer resist the temptation to thrust his hips upward. Her cry sounded like a shout of triumph as she matched his moves with a sensuous undulation designed to drive him over the edge.
In desperation, he claimed her mouth and kissed her deeply as their bodies drove into each other with a passion neither tried to subdue. He could barely control the blinding explosion hovering on the edge of his sanity.
Just when he thought he could no longer hold back, she cried out his name and came with such shattering force around him, she brought him to his own paralyzing release.
Buddy Lee slowly opened his eyes in the early morning half-light. Faith slept next to him, her body spooned into his, warm and oh, so soft. One of his arms draped across her waist, the other one was tucked under her and rapidly growing numb. He moved them both, taking care not to wake her, then rolled to the side of the bed so he could observe her more easily while he rubbed the feeling back into his arm. My God, what have I done?
His heart ached with the beauty of seeing her in his bed. He’d just experienced the most fantastic hours of his life and his body still thrummed from the intensity of making love with her. In total disbelief that she had been the one to initiate the wild and wonderful intimacy they’d just shared, he let his gaze roam her gloriously naked body. What the hell was that all about? Had he missed a signal somewhere?
She was the best thing
that had ever happened to him, but he was afraid he’d just screwed up his chance of becoming a permanent part of her life. Like an insensitive clod, he’d taken advantage of her vulnerable state of emotions. Hadn’t he read somewhere that women were often highly sexual during pregnancy? Something about needing to be reassured of their sex-appeal? If he’d been thinking with something other than the lower part of his anatomy, he would have realized the situation was volatile the minute she gifted him with that mind-boggling kiss.
Considering the rough handling she’d gotten from Royce, why had she offered him anything more? Not once had she ever given him the slightest reason to believe she cared, except as a friend. Never encouraged him to hope for any other kind of relationship with her. And he’d been careful not to reveal his feelings, even though he’d almost slipped in Mexico.
He’d really slipped tonight, hadn’t he? She would have no doubt now that he wanted her. Man, he was pathetic.
A sudden flash of insight nudged him and he sat up. Gratitude. Of course. She’d felt sorry for him and the sex was her way of saying thanks. He should’ve realized that before his raging testosterone had blown his common sense to kingdom come.
He grabbed his boxers off the floor and stormed into the shower. No way would he let her see how much he was hurting. Falling in love had never been part of their bargain. And he sure as hell didn’t want gratitude. No matter how earth-shattering their lovemaking had been, he’d better remember the rules if he wanted to keep Faith and the baby in his life. He wanted that more than ever now. How else could he protect them?
Chapter Eight
The note was propped against a chipped Don’t-Mess-With-
Texas mug next to the coffee pot. She saw it as soon as she padded into the kitchen, and had to bite her bottom lip to keep from crying. With her mood already less than jolly, she was teetering on the edge of anger, yet disappointment fed the ache in her heart.
Waking up alone in Buddy Lee’s bed was definitely not how she’d imagined this morning would be. Not after the way they had shared the night.
More than a little puzzled by his disappearance, she glanced around the empty room and tried to keep her heart from nose diving. Had she been too aggressive? Too bold? When she remembered his enthusiastic participation, she didn’t think so. He’d been totally involved in every aspect of their intimacy.
So what had gone wrong? Why had he slipped out without waking her?
Confused and hurt, she snatched the slip of tablet paper from the counter.
"Faith," he’d written, "Sorry I had to leave early. Coffee is ready. Please rest today. I’ll be home tonight. BL"
Terrific. She crumpled the paper, tossed it at the waste basket and missed. Her conscience reminded her that at least he’d had the decency to leave a note, even if he hadn't mentioned anything about last night. What had she expected him to say, after all? Agonizing over it wasn’t going to help matters. Or change them.
Tears of humiliation stung her eyes as her highly-charged emotions battled for control of her mood. She’d hoped he would be there so they could talk about what had happened between them. Surely she wasn’t the only one who felt they’d gone beyond the boundaries of friendship. Discovered something more.
Deciding to skip the coffee and caffeine until she checked with a doctor, she took orange juice from the fridge instead. She would take care of the matter of finding an obstetrician today while Buddy Lee was at work. She wasn’t totally inept.
There was also the problem of her car and clothes to be picked up at the other house, but she could wait until later to do that. Maybe she’d stop by to see her mother, too, even if it meant a chance encounter with her father. The inevitable couldn’t be avoided forever. She could handle the situation with her parents, but the fear of running into Royce crawled across her skin like an ugly spider. That was a confrontation she wanted to avoid at all costs.
Phone book in hand, she found the listing for an obstetrician with an office near the interstate and dialed.
Trouble, looking a whole lot like Faith’s daddy, barreled out of a black Lincoln Town Car in front of the repair shop just as Buddy Lee finished his first brake job of the morning. There was no mistaking the identity or the mood of the scowling man headed his way. Instinctively, he rubbed his nose.
“Aw hell, here we go again,” he muttered and lowered the hydraulic hoist holding the Ford Bronco he’d been working on. He wiped his greasy hands on a coarse shop rag, catching a glance of the sleek automobile as he strode past the front window.
Beryl Morgan was silhouetted behind the dark tinted windows of the town car. A twinge of sympathy for the frail woman tugged at his conscience. How had she managed to live under such dominance for so long? And why? Bittersweet memories of his own mother’s plight nudged their way into his thoughts, but he banished them with a shake of his head.
He’d discovered a long time ago that protecting the one you loved was a painful experience. His mother’s love for him had caused her one agonizing sacrifice after another. Even at the tender age of six, he’d known a profound loss and sense of guilt when she’d died. And he sure as hell understood the pain of harboring that same kind of protective love for Faith all these years. Being married sure didn’t make it any easier. The swamp just kept getting deeper and the alligators bigger.
He braced himself.
“Something on your mind, Mr. Morgan? I’m kinda busy, so unless you want to make an appointment for that Lincoln out there, you’ll have to excuse me.” He was damned tired of being screwed with.
The burly banker sputtered. “I, ah, you...”
“Yeah?” Buddy Lee prompted, waiting impatiently for the man to say whatever he had to say and leave. His day was going from bad to worse by the minute.
“Her mother isn’t well. You knew that when you decided to ruin our lives by taking Faith away. Now, all Beryl does is cry all day long. Her doctor says it’s depression.” Lionel swiped a snowy white handkerchief across his perspiring forehead with an unsteady hand.
Why, he’s an old man. Momentarily shocked by this realization, Buddy Lee quickly covered his surprise. Old or not, Faith’s daddy was an unfeeling son-of-a-gun where his daughter was concerned. Always had been.
“That’s a damn lie. Faith left because she wanted to.” He wasn’t going to bring up the subject of the baby unless her daddy did. No sense asking for more trouble.
“Marrying her won’t get you a free ride on my money, you know, even if you did get her pregnant,” Lionel said, his caustic words edged with arrogance.
“Never thought it would,” Buddy Lee snapped back. Of all the damn fool ideas! He almost argued the point about the pregnancy, but for once his good sense kicked in on time. He turned and walked away instead. Didn't need to hear any of this crapola again.
“Wait!” Lionel hurried after him. “How much would you take to have the marriage annulled? To give up your right to the child? I’ll write you a check right now.”
Buddy Lee spun around so fast he left his good sense behind. Otherwise he wouldn’t have put his tender nose in the line of fire again. But he planted himself right in front of his adversary, leaned forward and stared him straight in the eye. Even though his hands itched to shove the man’s degrading words down his throat, for Faith’s sake he restrained himself.
“There isn’t enough money in the whole world to turn me into that kind of low-life. Walker’s my name, but, by God, it’s Buddy Lee, not Boyd. I’ll take care of what’s mine and that includes Faith and the baby.” Anger boiled in his blood, spewing out on his hard-bitten words. “Morgan money has never interested me, so you can take your bribery and stuff it...sir!”
Lionel shook a beefy fist at Buddy Lee’s face. “Be careful,” he warned, “or you’ll wind up a no-account loser, just like your old man.”
With a final curse, the furious banker stomped out of the shop, leaving Buddy Lee feeling like he’d just tangled with the granddaddy of all alligators. Damn!
T
he long walk from the house to the subdivision where she’d left her car on Thursday gave Faith a chance to reflect on the extraordinary results of her impetuous wedding and subsequent honeymoon in Mexico. Results she’d never expected in a million years.
When she’d asked Buddy Lee for help out of sheer desperation, she’d anticipated a little resistance from him, but remembering how he’d stuck up for her in the past, she’d been pretty sure he’d help her out of this sticky situation, too. After all, it wasn’t like she was asking him to be her mate-for-life. She didn’t even want a long-term relationship, since her choices of partners kept turning out to be jerks. Besides, having this baby was going to be enough of a challenge.
So what was this ‘thing’ happening between her and Buddy Lee? Hot sex was no reason to start imagining anything beyond friendship. Okay, maybe her gratitude had gotten a teensy bit out of control, but his reaction had bordered on shocking. Over the top. Her thoughts sped down that path of remembered pleasures—and the side trips he’d taken her on. Trips she’d never experienced before until now. Who would’ve thought she and good ol’ Buddy Lee could get it on like that? Or that they could generate sparks hot enough to ignite a flame like gasoline spilled on a brush fire.
Either the walk had exerted her or her imagination was working overtime, because by the time she reached the house, her heart was racing just thinking about the possibilities that might occur in the night ahead.
One look at the empty driveway, though, and her thoughts segued into a whole different zone. Where was her car? Why wasn’t it parked in the driveway where she’d left it?
She raced up the steps, yanked on the door. Of course, it was locked. She remembered leaving her key on the hall table when she’d fled. Dumb, dumb, dumb, she chided herself.
And since Daddy’s idea of high-security measures had been to omit any windows in the garage, she couldn’t tell if the vehicle had been put away or not. She chewed her lip in frustration.