He’d watched her? Impossible. And yet, she could remember a few times when she’d looked up to meet those crystal blue eyes across the crowed room. She had thought it was accidental. A coincidence. Could it be true?
Abby pulled her jeans on then reached for her sneakers, tiny bubbles of euphoria bursting inside her. He had noticed her! But the doubt demon still had her in its grasp. “I’m too skinny.”
“No, you’re not. A little underweight, maybe, but not skinny. And you’ve already gained a few pounds.”
After fumbling twice, Abby finally got her shoes tied. She couldn’t look at him as she stood. “Breakfast will be ready in a little while.”
* * * * *
Abby was in a daze as she rushed to slap sausages into a skillet. He liked the way she looked. She’d heard it with her own ears. And seen it with her own eyes. You couldn’t look at someone the way he had looked at her if you didn’t like what you saw.
A smile tilted up the corners of her lips as she put the coffee on. It was nothing short of a miracle that she didn’t spill the grounds all over the kitchen. She felt like dancing. She had the wildest urge to sing. A giggle escaped her at that idea. With her voice, she’d probably scare the feathers right off the chickens.
Soon, she had a stack of pancakes piled high on a platter and the smell of food filled the house. She was just about to set the table when Tate came in. Wearing a plain white T-shirt that hugged his body and jeans that clung to his long legs, he looked even better than he had yesterday.
“Where’s Buddy?”
“I guess he’s still getting ready for school.” Abby turned back to the cabinet to get the plates and felt Tate move up behind her. His left hand curled around her waist as he reached for a coffee cup with his right. He was so big, so strong and so very male. She wanted to lean back against him and just stay there forever.
Almost as though he knew what she was thinking, his hand slowly slid under her T-shirt, this time curving around the bare skin. “Just right,” he whispered, his breath warm on her ear.
Abby’s insides turned into a quivering mass of liquid heat that scorched every nerve ending in her body. When his lips brushed the skin on her neck she knew that if he didn’t stop she was going to melt into a puddle on the floor. She had no choice. Her bones were dissolving. “The p-pancakes are ready,” she managed to choke out.
“I’d rather have you,” he murmured.
As she braced herself on the countertop to keep from falling, her head whipped around to stare at him. She found herself lost in his eyes, couldn’t have looked away if the house had burst into flames.
It seemed to take an eternity for his lips to descend and even then it wasn’t what she was expecting. His mouth barely touched hers, his tongue flicking out to gently tease her parted lips. She could no more stop the shudder that ran through her than she could stop the tiny whimper at the back of her throat. He was killing her, slowly but surely.
“Wow! Pancakes!”
Abby jumped ten feet at Buddy’s voice, her heart leaping into her throat and lodging there.
Almost casually, Tate stepped away from her, reaching again for the cup he’d abandoned. But his gaze stayed locked with hers. “Looks that way,” he replied to Buddy’s exclamation.
She tore her gaze away from Tate’s and picked up the plates, her hands shaking. “Buddy, why don’t you take them to the table? I’ll get the syrup.” Her voice, she realized, was shaking almost as badly as her hands, but Buddy didn’t seem to notice.
Making a wide detour around Tate, she got the syrup out of the pantry. By the time she started toward the table, he had sat down, a foot crossed over his knee as he drank his coffee.
“Can I drive the truck to school today?” Buddy was looking at Tate hopefully as he took the syrup from Abby.
“You know better.”
“Dang, Tate. When are we gonna get another truck?”
Abby saw him glance at her thoughtfully. “I think you’re right, Buddy. We do need another truck. Tell you what. I’ll call Joe later today. He’s got that old Ford he’s been trying to sell. It’s not real pretty, but it still runs and we can get it cheap.”
“All right!” Buddy’s delighted yell rattled the glass in the windows.
“Before you get too excited, you pay for the maintenance and the gas. And the first ticket you get, it’s going up on blocks.”
“When can we get it?”
“Later this week. But it’ll have to have insurance and tags before you start driving it.”
“No problem. I’ve been saving up.”
Abby watched Tate finish off his breakfast while they talked. When he was done, he pushed his chair back and stood. With a quick glance at Buddy, he stopped next to her. “I’ll be working around the barn today if you need me.”
She nodded, wondering why she heard a lot more in that statement than the words he’d actually spoken. And worse, he wasn’t even out of sight before she was fighting the urge to follow him.
Chapter Fourteen
She was killing him. Slowly but surely. Tate dumped a bucket of feed into the grain box of one stall and went back for more, shaking his head in frustration. A constant ache, low in his abdomen, had been with him since Saturday night. Even before then, now that he thought about it.
That dream he’d had this morning sure hadn’t helped the situation. It had been the first of its kind he’d experienced since he was Buddy’s age. If Abby hadn’t woke him when she had, he’d probably have embarrassed both of them. But damn, it had been nice while it lasted. He’d been making love to Abby and things had just started to get interesting.
He sighed as he dumped feed into another trough. She had been so obviously embarrassed when he’d seen her getting dressed. He’d tried then to let her know he wanted her. And just in case she hadn’t gotten the message, he’d practically given her a written invitation later in the kitchen. You couldn’t get much blunter than that.
God, when she’d made that sound low in her throat, it had been all he could do not to drag her down to the floor and make love to her right there in the kitchen. At least he knew now that she wanted him as much as he did her. He could work with that. And he’d let her know that he was going to be here all day. The next move was hers. He could only pray she wasn’t too shy to do something about it.
He opened the doors leading to the pasture, gave a piercing whistle, then stood out of the way as the horses charged the barn. After the usual bickering and mayhem, they all settled into stalls, munching contentedly.
Tate had just gathered up the grooming tools and was heading for the first stall when he heard the back door of the house shut. Leaning a little, he looked out the barn window.
Abby was walking toward the chicken coop, a bucket of feed in her hand. Dog was still on the porch, chowing down on the contents of a pan. So he’d been right. Abby was feeding the dog leftovers. At this rate, he’d be so fat that he wouldn’t be able to chase a rabbit.
He kept watching as she fed the chickens, her glance constantly turning toward the barn. “Come on, Abby,” he muttered under his breath. “You know you want to. It’s not that far. Just put one foot in front of the other.”
Almost as though she heard him, she paused on her way out of the pen, one hand still on the gate, her gaze locked on the barn. Tate held his breath. She took one step, then a second. When she stopped, he felt like screaming. Abruptly, she turned back toward the house.
Well, hell. Maybe he was asking too much of her. Maybe he should just go back to the house right now and… No. He shook his head. Abby knew he wanted her. But he wasn’t going to coerce her into it. She had to at least meet him halfway. Of course, at the rate they were going, he might well be dead before she got around to it.
Giving up for the time being, he went back to work, a snort of disgust escaping him when he saw the mud covering Diamond’s back. Sometimes he wondered if she did it just because she knew they’d have to spend twice as much time cleaning her off as t
hey did the rest of the horses.
By midmorning, he had six of the brood mares ensconced in the box stalls, and the rest moved to the pasture nearest the barn where he could keep an eye on them. He’d also brought the yearlings in closer. Now that the crops were in the ground, it was time to continue their training. There were at least four in the bunch that he hoped would bring top dollar. Making sure they were well trained would only increase their value.
He was so deep in plans that he almost didn’t hear the noise from the front of the barn. When he did glance up, he went still. Abby was standing framed in the opened door, looking like she was ready to bolt at the least excuse.
Pulse racing, Tate forced himself to act casual. “You don’t have to stand out there. Come on in.”
At the sound of his voice, she jumped slightly and he realized she probably couldn’t see him from where she was standing. He stepped out into the center aisle and saw her head turn in his direction.
Hesitantly, she moved forward. “I thought I’d come out and see what you wanted for lunch.”
Tate barely stopped the smile that threatened. So what if she needed an excuse? She was here and that was all that mattered. It couldn’t have been easy for her to gather the courage to do this. “Sandwiches will be fine.”
“Okay.” She hesitated again, then started to turn.
He couldn’t let her leave. She might never take this step again if he did. “I put some of the brood mares in the box stalls earlier. Looks like Sugar Baby could go any time now.”
Abby paused. “Sugar Baby?”
“Yes.” He took a step closer. “Her mother died not long after she was born. We tried to bottle-feed her, but she wouldn’t take it. It was looking pretty hopeless for her until we discovered that, if we put sugar on the nipple, she’d take it every time. That’s how she got her name.”
“Which one is she?”
Tate held out his hand. “Come on and I’ll show you.” His heart rate went up another notch when she slipped her hand into his. She smelled so damn good. Like soap and shampoo, but with an underlying scent that was uniquely hers. It was, he decided, sexier than any exotic perfume he’d ever smelled before.
He led her to the stall and stopped in front of a bay mare who watched them with curiosity, her delicate ears cocked forward. “This is Sugar Baby.” He propped one arm across the top of the stall door, gently pulling Abby closer while her attention was centered on the horse.
“She certainly is huge, isn’t she?”
“That’s the foal.” He shifted slightly, bringing her almost entirely into the circle of his arms. “You’ve been sewing this morning,” he commented.
She glanced up quickly. “Yes. How did you know?”
He released her hand and plucked a white thread from her hair, showing it to her.
“Oh.” She ran her fingers through her hair as though searching for more.
Tate knew the exact instant she realized how close together they were standing. Her hand ceased all motion and her gaze dropped to his mouth.
Hardly daring to breathe, he leaned toward her the tiniest bit. “Do you want me to kiss you, Abby?” He kept his tone soft and low.
She made a funny little noise that defied his powers of description, then nodded.
Keeping a tight rein on his emotions, he brushed her lips with his, then pulled away enough to see her face. “Like that?”
Scarlet flooded her cheeks and she lowered her eyes. “No.”
He curved his hand around the back of her neck under her hair, his thumb caressing the skin just below her ear. “Then how?”
“Like you did this morning,” she whispered.
The mixture of elation and desire that slammed into him left his knees weak and shaking. Holding her in place, he tilted her chin up. As soon as their lips met, hers parted. He let his tongue skim the opening, teasing her as he had in the kitchen, tasting her sweetness until he was dizzy with it.
When he finally let his tongue slip farther inside, she made the same sound she had this morning, the one that had been driving him crazy all day, and he couldn’t stand it another minute. His mouth took possession of hers and he plunged all the way in. Her tongue met his tentatively and he almost came unglued. A groan tore its way from deep inside him. “Abby, let me love you.”
“You really want me?” Even now she sounded surprised.
He took her hand and guided it to the front of his jeans. “Woman, I want you so badly it’s killing me.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth made an “O” of wonder as her fingers explored the hard length of the bulge. Tate had to close his eyes against the images that mouth conjured up. Just her touch had brought him closer to the edge than he’d ever been before with all his clothes on. He didn’t know how much more he could stand.
When her hand closed around him and squeezed, he knew he’d reached his limit. “Abby.” His voice was strangled, desperate.
“Yes.”
His eyes flew open. There was a look on her face he’d never seen before, a sudden gleam of confidence. And more, so much more. When his mouth claimed hers this time, he knew there would be no stopping for either of them.
Her arms slid around his neck and Tate realized she was standing on tiptoe, straining to reach him. He straightened, bringing her feet completely off the floor while he supported her. “Put your legs around me,” he murmured against her lips.
As she complied with no hesitation at all, he slid his hands under her bottom, pulling her tightly into him, and turned toward the stall he had prepared first thing this morning. Prepared while he’d prayed he wasn’t wasting his time. Prayers were answered, he thought dazedly as he lowered her to the horse blanket spread over the deep, clean-smelling hay.
Sitting on his heels, he gazed down at her. He knew for a fact that she hadn’t put on a bra this morning and he couldn’t wait another minute to touch her. His hand skimmed over her T-shirt, grazing a nipple that instantly hardened, and he watched her eyes glaze over. When he let his fingers trace it, outlining the erect shape, her head went back and she arched against his hand.
Suddenly touching wasn’t enough. He wanted to feast his eyes on her breasts, taste them until she was moaning with pleasure. He wanted to make up for what he’d done to her before and he was going to do it even if he was writhing in agony before it was over.
Still moving as though afraid she’d run, he pulled the T-shirt over her head. She didn’t run. The look she turned on him was so trusting that a lump formed in his throat. “Abby,” he whispered. While his hands found her breasts, his mouth covered hers again just in time to catch her whimper.
Somehow he got her jeans off and, as his mouth traveled down her neck, he slid his hand down the warm silky skin of her abdomen, the place where his child nested, snug and safe. That thought brought on an ache almost unbearable in its tenderness and for a moment he let his hand rest there before moving on.
When his fingers parted the curly mat of hair and touched the delicate folds of skin, Abby cried out, her body almost coming off the makeshift bed. She was so hot, so wet and so ready for him. He had never known anyone so responsive before.
His jeans suddenly became much too painful. He paused long enough to undo his belt and pull the zipper down, breathing a sigh of relief when he sprang free.
But apparently Abby thought he was about to make love to her right that minute. And why wouldn’t she? Wasn’t that exactly how it had happened on her first and only other time?
She touched his arm, her face pink again. “I-I want to see you, too.”
“I know you do,” he whispered, then leaned over and kissed her again.
As soon as he could tear himself away from her lips, he sat up and pulled off his boots, then yanked his T-shirt off. He even managed to get his jeans off in record time. When he was as nude as she was, he stretched out beside her. He wouldn’t have thought it possible, but as Abby’s gaze moved over him, his erection swelled even more.
She had bee
n right, Abby thought. He was glorious. Not even her imagination had done him justice. Had there ever been another man like this one? She was dying to touch him, but her courage only went so far. Right now it was enough to know that he really wanted her.
When he leaned over to kiss her again, this time deeply, slowly, thoroughly, she turned to meet him. If she couldn’t bring herself to run her hands over him, at least she could feel his body pressed tightly to hers.
It seemed to take forever for his mouth to trail down to her breasts, but when he took a tender nipple between his teeth and flicked it with his tongue, it took all her willpower to keep from screaming with pleasure. It took another eternity for his hand to find its way back to the throbbing ache between her legs, but when it did, when he caressed her with light circular motions, she knew ecstasy was moments away.
When he moved away from her, she whimpered. She didn’t want these feelings to stop, ever. His murmured reassurance was lost in the pounding rush of her own heartbeat. Then he was kneeling between her thighs, his hands on her hips pulling her in to him. She expected to feel his weight cover her, as it had the time before, but it didn’t. Instead, with her bottom supported on his hard thighs, he used one hand to guide himself to her opening.
Tate was shocked at how tiny she was. He wanted to plunge inside her, bury himself as deeply as possible, but he didn’t dare. With his teeth clamped together in effort, he entered her slowly, just a little at a time, pausing with each movement to give her time to adjust. What seemed hours later, he was finally fully encased in her velvet-covered steel trap, afraid to move, afraid to even breathe. The sensation was so exquisite that even the smallest twitch could send him hurtling into the abyss.
His hand went back to her center, grasping it as his thumb slid over it, wanting to make sure she got as much pleasure from this as she was giving him. But he was totally unprepared for her reaction. With a startled cry, she bucked against him, forcing his fingers to tighten even more. With her frenzied movement, she partially unseated him.