Текст книги "Within Temptation"

Автор книги: Tanya Holmes

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Текущая страница: 19 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Waking Sleeping Beauty

TRACE

____________________________

I swung my front door open two days later. Before I could even say ‘Hi,’ Shannon breezed past me sporting a gray suede jacket, black leggings, and riding boots. I cocked a brow and eyed the two leather suitcases she’d carried in with her. “What are you doin’?”

“Auntie’s out on bail. Uncle and Mead are with her.” She dropped the bags where she stood. “And I’m here to grovel.”

My heart did that crazy flipping thing it always did whenever she was within breathing distance. Truth was, she’d had me with the luggage. Hell, even before then.

Like the moment crazy ass Hesta Bradford pulled that gun. Just the thought of never holding Shannon again made me sick to my stomach.

Still, seeing her grovel for a bit was too tempting to pass up. So I stifled a grin and kicked the door shut. “You’ve got my attention.”

Her wary eyes never left mine as she unbuttoned her jacket with clumsy fingers. She seemed to deliberate for several tense moments before ambling closer, her steps hesitant and unsure. When just three feet separated us, she said, “The only time I ever felt good enough was when I was with you, Trace. It’s been that way since we were kids.”

I just looked at her.

“You know how you’ve been telling me to stop trying to be perfect? Well, I’m taking your advice, which means—if you want me—you have to accept all my faults, just as I accept yours. For example….” She cleared her throat. “You promised you wouldn’t fight anymore, but you ended up giving Mead a serious thrashing. His nose was broken, he needed five stitches in his—”

“I had a relapse,” I said, beating back a smile.

She gave a nervous shrug. “No, an occasional relapse is fine. We just have to…to have faith that we’re both trying to be better people. Well, not better people, but—I mean…just that we’re…you know, ‘trying.’” Uncertainty shaded her expression. “Oh, God, I’m babbling. Look, I’m in love with you, okay? Hopelessly and endlessly in love. And…and after today, everyone will know it.”

I balled my hands to keep from grabbing her. “How so?”

“I’ve got three surprises,” she said matter-of-factly. “First, I want to move in with you. At least until I go to closing on the Victorian. Then, once you sell this place, I want you to move in with me. That’s if you don’t mind. You don’t mind, do you?”

Screw this. I gave up and tugged her into my arms. “Really?” She nodded and I tossed back my head and howled. “Hell no, I don’t mind.”

“Thank God,” she said with a huge sigh.

I cupped her cute little butt and squeezed. “What’s the second surprise?”

“Remember the getaway you mentioned? Well, I’ve booked us a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

Another second and I’d have to strip her naked. “When?”

“Is this weekend okay?”

I scooped her up and spun her around. “Hell,” I gushed, setting her in front of me, “I’m almost afraid to ask what the third surprise is.”

Her mouth curved. “Sorry. You’ll have to wait a little while for that one.”

“Not a problem.” I squeezed her butt again. “I’ve got plenty to tide me over ‘til then.”

I crashed my mouth over hers in a thorough kiss that didn’t stop until both of us were breathless, trembling, and clawing at each other’s clothes. Once I’d ripped her panties to shreds, I tried to carry her to my room, but we only made it to the stairs.

I nudged her thighs apart. “You still sore?”

“I’ll just grin and bear it,” she breathed, kissing me feverishly.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” I drew back. “Are you sure?”

Shannon reached between our bodies and rubbed my cock over her wet opening. “What does that tell you?” she said in between breaths.

“That I….” I bit my lip. “That I need a rubber.”

“No. You don’t.”

I searched her face as the possible consequences floated between us. “You know what this means, right?” I asked, my tone sober, but thick with desire.

“Yes. I want every part of you.”

I hung my head for a beat. Her words had snatched the breath right out of me. “Then you got it,” I whispered, lifting my eyes. “May I have this dance, Miz Bradford?”

“You can have anything you want,” she whispered back.

I covered her mouth with mine and sank into her, inch by torturous inch. Just the feel of her tight warmth caressing me, teasing me, made me want to come. Once I’d buried myself to the root, I damn near lost my mind. Shit.

I’d have to take it easy, not only for her sake. If I went any faster the party would be over in no time. So I moved slowly, carefully, dragging my thick length in and out, giving her just what she needed—a gentle inner stroking.

I gazed down at this beautiful woman, at the flush in her cheeks, at the desire in her eyes, and my heart swelled. Damn if I wasn’t in love, as in poetry and daffodils, as in forever and a thousand days. Her voice, her scent, her mind, body, and soul—everything about Shannon took my breath away, and the thought of getting her pregnant, of her womb swelling with my child, would make my looming orgasm all the more sweeter.

“I’m about to come,” I rasped.

She clung to me, gasping and moaning. Her nails scored my back as I aimed for the same spot that had unraveled her before. The second I hit it she screamed my name and her sheath gripped my cock like a palsied fist.

That’s when I lost it.

Breaths raw and choppy, I shoved my hands beneath her and drove myself as deep as I could go. Heat squeezed my balls, drawing them up tight. The pressure surged to the back of my spine, churning and rising until it exploded. Then, with a soul-rattling groan, I found my release and splashed into her.

TRACE

____________________________

Shannon was still asleep when I awakened hours later. As she shifted beside me, I glanced at the towel by the bed. The one I’d used when I’d taken her the first time. A pink circle stained the terry cloth—Shannon’s virgin blood. The sight filled me with male pride, and possessiveness. She was mine and it was time I made it official.

The nightstand drawer gave a low squeak when I eased it open. I quietly waded through the jungle of keys, paper clips, and junk, until I found what I was looking for. Fear made my heart skip, but determination pushed me forward.

“Hey, sleeping beauty.” I leaned over, kissing her neck. “Time to wake up.”

Shannon blinked her eyes open and smiled. “Mmmm. Hey yourself,” she yawned. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve got a surprise for you.”

She stretched, then pushed herself up and yawned again. “Okay, now I’m intrigued.”

Courage fled for an instant, but I found it again when I looked into her eyes. “Twelve years ago, your mama asked me if I’d ever been in love. I told her no, but it was a lie. She was drunk and I didn’t feel like getting into—hell, it doesn’t matter. My point is….” Fear climbed my throat again. “Um, a while back you—you asked if I’d ever said the words ‘I love you’ to another human being. I told you ‘once,’ but you didn’t believe me.” I hesitated. “Well, I wasn’t lying that time.”

She furrowed her brows. “Who—”

“That ‘once’ was you.” I took her hand in mine. “Te quiero, Sombra.”

I held my breath until the memory slowly dawned on her face.

“I said those words after I gave you the necklace, but your Spanish was about as bad as my temper.” I smiled and opened my palm to reveal the old gumball ring she’d given me long ago. “Eres el amor de mi vida,” I said, then added, “That means, you’re the love of my life.”

Her eyes welled as she stared at the trinket and cupped her mouth.

“I found it the other night in the basement.” I slipped the band over the pale line on her ring finger, the place Montgomery’s ring used to be. Pride welled, but so did insecurity. “Now this is just a proxy, but the one I’ll buy you tomorrow won’t be much better.”

“Shhh.” She set a finger against my lips and smiled. Love shimmered in her eyes. “Anything coming from you will put his ring to shame.”

My chest tightened and I almost couldn’t breathe. “God help me, girl. I’m so in love with you…I-I can’t even think straight.” I swallowed. “Shannon Bradford, will you marry—”

Before I even finished, she tackled me on the bed.

I laughed beneath a deluge of hugs, kisses, and squeals. “Uh, does that mean ‘yes’?”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Hell Freezes Over…Again

TRACE

____________________________

Society Scoop

By: Erica Davies, Senior Editor, The Dirty Dish

Hello, darlings, it’s great to be back at the helm, and I appreciate all your thoughtful cards and letters. My honeymoon was stellar! But then, how could a two-month cruise around the world with the sexiest man alive be anything but fab? J.T. sends his regards, and his new movie “Unthinkable” will be coming soon to a theater near you.

Now unless you’ve lived in a cave for the past two months, you must’ve heard all the sordid details surrounding the Lilith Bradford murder drama in Willow’s Corner, West Virginia. I won’t bore you with a recap. Besides, I’ve got a related story that will blow that rusty boat right out of the water.

Some time back, I announced the engagement of Shannon Bradford and Darien Montgomery. As you’ll recall, Montgomery was the prosecutor who sent Tracemore “Butcher Boy” Dawson to the slammer. Given recent events, we now know Dawson was an innocent man.

But I digress….

Long story short, Montgomery and Bradford have called it quits. In the immortal words of B.B. King, “The Thrill Is Gone.” I got it straight from one of the horse’s mouths. Believe it or not, Shannon Bradford herself called Yours Truly, two months ago, giving me the 411 of a lifetime.

Since I was on my honeymoon, this story languished on my voice mail. But here’s the cherry on top. Young Miss Bradford is gaga for the Butcher Boy—as in head-over-heels.

Before you ask, yes, I did check the source. I called Bradford three days ago. Regretfully, an earlier column I ran about her was steeped in fiction. You remember the S&M and swinging? Well, that source was as genuine as a six-dollar bill.

In this case, not only did Bradford confirm the voice mail she left, she also gave me two juicy updates. When I asked why she decided to go public, in The Dirty Dish, no less, she simply replied, “I want the world to know how much I love him.”

Awwwww…..

Here’s another crouton to toss on your salad. Bradford and her Butcher Boy exchanged vows two months ago at someplace called Miller’s Pond in Willow’s Corner, and the pair honeymooned in Paris. They’re also expecting an autumn visit from the stork.

But that’s not all. Following his rousing success in the Kidd Mann murder trial, Darien Montgomery of Jacobs and Montgomery (Sears Bradford has since left the firm) will represent Dawson in his petition to get his sentence overturned.

Now if this isn’t a sign that the apocalypse is upon us, I don’t know what is.

I rolled the tabloid into a funnel and tossed it on the dashboard of my brand-new Jeep. I kept my face neutral and stared down the quiet street in New Dyer’s historic district, knowing my wife had been sitting on pins and needles for the past two minutes.

“Well?” Shannon prompted.

“Interesting.”

“Interesting?”

I slanted a brow up. “Yep.”

She snatched the funnel from the dashboard and started beating me over the head with it.

I burst out laughing, grabbed the paper weapon, and hauled her into my lap. “You’re sexy as hell when you’re mad.”

“Interesting?” she yelled. “You call that interesting? Do you have any idea how hard I—”

I crushed my lips to hers, wishing I could crawl inside her mouth, she tasted that sweet. The battle of tongues went on for a good five minutes. While our kisses grew in intensity, so did the voice in my head, the one that warned if we didn’t stop, I’d have to take her hard and fast in the front seat of my Jeep. Again. We’d done it last week after I’d picked her up from her therapy session with Doc. She’d had a breakthrough and decided sex in a Jeep was a great way to celebrate. My back still hadn’t recovered.

I slowed the cadence of my kisses. Moved my mouth from hers, to her cheeks, her eyelids, while I slid my hand up and down her arm—my way of bringing her back to reality. Once our breathing turned sluggish, I rested my forehead against hers. I was holding the most beautiful woman in the world.

My bride. My wife, my dream come true.

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

Her angelic face lit up. “You liked it?”

“Nope. I loved it.”

She beamed a smile, but then her eyes began to well. Baby hormones. “How was I to know she was on her stupid honeymoon? Two months I waited.”

I chuckled. “Yes, but it was still a beautiful surprise.” I nudged my chin at the crumpled tabloid. “That right there’s the fourth best thing you ever gave me.”

She frowned. “The fourth?”

“Uh-huh.”

“What’s number three?”

I grinned down at her. “The gorgeous hand you gave me in marriage.” I kissed her upturned palm, and did the same to each of her fingers.

“And number two?”

I flattened my hand on her belly. “This precious baby.”

Her eyes twinkled with delight. “And what’s number one?”

I tipped her chin up. “You, Mrs. Dawson.”

Then I slammed my mouth over hers and we went at it again. Seemed all we ever did was make love. Shannon said baby hormones made her frisky. But hell, I wasn’t complaining. If this was a pregnancy side effect, I’d keep her in the family way forever. And after two minutes of tongue hockey, I was rock-hard and ready to explode.

“Hey,” I breathed. “Unless you plan on giving the neighbors another show, we’d best get in the house.”

She righted her clothes. “But we’ll be late.”

“Twenty minutes, tops.”

Cholly had sent Shannon a personal invitation to The Slam Dunk’s grand opening, which was in less than an hour. Bev got one too. Hopefully, she’d leave Icky home.

Shannon grabbed her purse. “Which room?”

“The kitchen. We haven’t done it in there yet. Come on.”

I dragged her out with me, but remembered the satchel with my calculus book in the back. After I slid the strap over my shoulder and slammed the door, I stood with Shannon beneath the carport of the Victorian she’d fallen in love with—the house that was now our home.

I’d made a sizable down payment with the sale of Gary’s cracker box, hoping the move would distract Shannon from all the chaos going on in her family. For weeks, her aunt’s arrest had hung over her like a dark cloud. And with Sheriff Gray’s death and Mead’s governor’s bid in the toilet, I wanted more than anything to lift Shannon’s spirits. From the looks of things, my plan had worked. Seeing the happiness in my wife’s eyes while I renovated her dream house filled me with joy like nothing else. But her new billboards ran a close second.

Shannon Dawson of Dawson Realty: A Name You Can Trust.

Hot damn! I grinned every time I drove past one of them.

“Woooooooo,” Shannon shrieked, when I swept her up, whirling her around beneath the carport. “You’re nuts!”

“What’s wrong with carrying my family over the threshold?”

“How many times are you going to do this?”

“Until you get too fat.” I made a face. “Damn, how many months are you?” She smacked the back of my head. “Ow!”

“Fat jokes. Pregnant woman. Bad idea.”

“I’ll file that away for future reference.” I tackled the porch, then set her down. “You happy, Mrs. Dawson?”

“Deliriously, Mr. Dawson.”

“That’s good to hear ‘cause I’ve got a little problem that needs your attention.”

I shoved the door open. Warm air scented with lemon floor polish wafted out as I slipped inside, tossing the satchel.

She strolled into my arms and cupped my cock. “Hmmm. That…problem is anything but little.”

“Exactly,” I said with a grin. Then I captured her mouth and kicked the door shut.

Swoosh.

A NOTE TO READERS

I hope you enjoyed Within Temptation. Stay tuned for Temptation’s Edge, Book 2 in the standalone, Sons of Temptation trilogy.

Temptation’s Edge is a straight contemporary romance featuring Trace’s baby brother Coltrane (Cole) Elias Dawson and Eddie Gray’s baby sister Nina Penelope Gray. 

After two years in Saint Mary’s Asylum, Cole is finally getting out, but is Temptation, West Virginia ready for him? And most importantly, is he ready for Temptation?

Expected release: 2015.

Curious about Cole? Then be sure to put Temptation’s Edge on your Goodreads ‘To Read’ shelf.

You can also check out the sneak peek at the end of this book.

Enjoy!

APPRECIATION

Brittney,Colette&Nicolas—Sorry for all the time I spent away from you in the writing cave.

This is what I was doing.

Mommy—Thanks for pushing me to reach higher.

Daddy—Ditto. God, how I miss you.

Grandmom (my 2nd mom)—Ditto and ditto.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A gazillion thanks to my uber-talented editor and friend, Nikki, who believed in this story and me from the start; and, to the sweet and sassy Tara, sister-from-another-mother, beta reader extraordinaire, and partner-in-crime.

Two thumbs up to the amazingly awesome Argie, friend, beta reader, and trusted advisor; and, to the fiercely fabulous Mitzi, cheerleader, friend, and chief mischief-maker.

Huge props to the marvelous Melissa, friend, book doctor, shrink, and co-conspirator. This story wouldn’t have seen the light of day were it not for you.

Mega kudos to The Sons of Temptation Street Team. Ladies, each of you holds a special place in my heart.

High-fives to my final edit beta readers (AKA the Ladies in Shining Armor): Amber, Angie, Eugenia, Geri, Sonia, and Tianna. I also want to send special thanks to Risa and Tina for all their help and encouragement.

Shout-outs to my Southern Fried Chicas blog mates: Amie, Denise, Mel, Raine, and Vanessa—I can’t thank you all enough for your endless support over the years.

Much love to Roslyn, for your friendship and wisdom. Also, a ton of gratitude to Kathleen, who taught me how to word paint. Thanks also to Amy, Angelle, Chase, Karen, Lynn, Mary, Pam, Rhonda, Roseann, Shari, Stacey, and Theresa—all of these wonderful people suffered through earlier versions of this manuscript, in some form or fashion. I may have lost touch with a few of you, but I’ve never forgotten how much you helped me.  Last, but certainly not least, to D and J—THANK YOU! Y’all know what you did.

Ladies (and Gent), thanks for taking this wild ride with me. I’ll love you forever.

Best wishes,

Tanya

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tanya Holmesis a former Romance Writers of AmericaGolden Heart® finalist, a recipient of theMaggie Award for Excellence, theMICA Award, as well as Overall Winner of theSandy Haddad Award, and a two-time finalist and one-time winner ofThe Emily (Best of the Best). She's happily married with children and loves reading, writing, and a good cup of coffee—but not necessarily in that order.