Dawn's Innocence

He gave her hair a gentle pull, exposing the soft, supple flesh of her neck. His tongue slipped along the curve of her ear and paused to sample the tiny lobe beneath, gently nibbling at the diamond stud earring with his teeth. Kacie's skin was warm beneath his lips as he ran them along the bounding pulse point in her neck. Her heart hammered like a jackhammer against his lips as he tasted and sampled his way to her collarbone.

Why in the hell did women wear so damned many layers of clothes? He wanted. Tristen wanted her naked now. His hands slid down the slope of her neck and over the arch of her ribs, across her belly and along the curve of her hip. Pawing at the fabric clumsily, he tugged the hem of her top free from her jeans. Better. His palms traveled over warm flesh. His fingers stroked at the rosy peaks hidden beneath a layer of lace and satin. He fumbled for a second with the front closure on the bra. And then, triumphantly, he palmed the freed flesh with fevered reverence.

More! More! More! His body cried eagerly. A few kisses and a couple of touches weren't even close to being enough to sate the raging hunger that burned inside of him. Clothes had to go. He reluctantly released his hold on her breast and grappled with her top. Stopped by her shuddering breaths and a dainty hand pressed firmly against his chest.

"Tristen." Kacie trembled with need beneath him. His erection pressed against her thigh. She was so close to the point where she wouldn't be able to form a sentence let alone a rational thought. If she didn't stop him now, she wasn't going to. She'd be lying if she didn't admit that she didn't want to stop him. Her body hummed with awareness and need. He had taken her totally off guard. His kiss had been so persuasive and felt so good. His hands on her body were so right. His touch was gentle, yet unyielding. She couldn't give in to this. Make up sex? Maybe, if they'd had sex before, she'd welcome it. But, they hadn't and she didn't want to have their first time together be in a fit of possessive, desperate emotions.

Guiltily, she thought about all the hours and the words that he'd said and mulled over the advice that she'd gotten from everyone regarding his interpretation of the act. She had to be sure, absolutely sure that he understood. She wasn't making any promises that she couldn't keep. "Tristen, stop."

Tristen gripped Kacie's camisole top in his fist. Masculine need hammered at the edges of his brain. Now she wanted to talk? Now? She'd been arching against him, driving her hips into his, panting in need, all about what they were going to do, and now she put on the brakes? "What's the matter?" His voice was rough and husky. He grappled for control. Sucking in deep breaths as he pecked a trail of light kisses from her collarbone to her lips. Pausing for a brief sample of their ruby sweetness before he shifted his weight off of her.

"You're all sweaty," Kacie mumbled stupidly, blindly grabbing at any straw she could grab onto.

"Take a shower with me then." Tristen slid off the bed and pulled Kacie onto her feet, dragging her toward the bathroom. A hot shower would be nice. Get her all soaped up and her curves all slippery beneath his hands. Sure. No problem.

"Ah. It's kind of chilly in here for a shower," she groused. What in the hell was wrong with her? He was offering her what she thought she wanted and now, with her body humming with arousal she was the one scrambling for some sort of imaginary moral high ground? How pathetic was that? What a lame excuse. She stepped away from Tristen and gripped his fingers in hers.

"I'll keep you warm." Tristen wrapped his arms around Kacie's waist and leaned her into his chest. He nuzzled the arch of her neck with his lips. God, he was horny, so ready to go he was about to burst. He couldn't think straight. He couldn't think about anything but stripping her naked and plunging inside of her. "I promise."

Kacie unwound his arms from her waist and walked over to the bedside table. Fumbling with a lamp, she found the switch and flooded the room with a warm, soft, golden glow. She had been so busy with Tristen's advances that she hadn't taken stock of the cabin. A cozy, homey place, decorated in rustic patterns, handmade quilts, and worn, but comfortable furniture. A natural stone fireplace stretched out across one wall. The dark hollow opening stretched wide like an empty yawning mouth. The floor beneath her feet was solid and well traveled. Hand woven rugs in a collage of color and texture were scattered about here and there. "Where are we?"

"This is Claire's dad's place. He only uses the cabin in the summer. The rest of the time, he lets whoever wants it use it. I come here when I need to be alone. Sometimes, even a pack animal needs a quiet place to think." Tristen buried his sexual frustration beneath busying himself with building a small fire in the fireplace.

"Oh, it's a nice place," Kacie said as she gingerly sat on the edge of the bed. Watching Tristen twist wads of newspaper into kindling and stuff them in between the logs, she stumbled over what to say next. She was still half dressed. The cups of her bra dangled open beneath her untucked shirt. The bed was a tangle of twisted covers. Tristen's shirt was a wad of dark fabric on the floor. The muscles of his back bunched and tensed as he crouched to build the fire.

"My dad and Gina spent a lot of time here when they first got together. Gina really had a rough time when she and dad first met." Tristen took a long matchstick out of a box sitting on the hearth. He struck the match against the rough stones and the end of the match sputtered to life. He held the flame to the newspaper till it caught on fire.

"What happened?"

Tristen shrugged his shoulders. "It was bad, lets just say that. Dad...Gina...they saved each other's lives." He didn't want to ruin their night together telling horror stories from his dad's past.

"Oh." Kacie said in a small voice. The tight and strained muscles in Tristen's back told her all she needed to know. Bad, was an understatement.

"Gina and your dad haven't been married very long, have they?"

"Not really." Tristen adjusted the flue. He leaned on the rough stone of the fireplace, watching as the logs began to catch fire.

"What happened to your mom?"

"She died." Tristen swallowed the lump he got in his throat whenever he talked about his mom. He still missed her terribly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry." Kacie winced and shuffled her feet uncomfortably.

"You're not. It was a long time ago. I was ten when it happened. She died giving birth to my sister." He glanced over his shoulder at Kacie and gave her a smile.

"Mouse."

"Marianne," Tristen gently corrected. "She's named after my mom." He sat on the bed beside Kacie and nudged her playfully with his shoulder. He studied his hands intently, floundering over what to say. "My dad fell apart after she died. He...disappeared, on the inside, till Gina saved him. He likes to think he rescued her, but in truth, she rescued him. Sometimes, the bond extends beyond the grave. Dad died when mom did and he was lost for so long. Gina helped him find his way home."

"Your dad loved your mom a great deal. She must have been really special. You miss her too."

"Everyday." He slid open the drawer on the nightstand and fished around inside. The black velvet box creaked as he opened it and pulled out a ring. He clutched the ring clumsily between his fingers. The dainty circle dwarfed by his big palm. "This is yours, if you ever decide you want it." He opened his fingers, dropping the ring into her palm. "It belonged to her."

Kacie held the ring between her index finger and thumb. The delicate white gold band glittered in the firelight. Multicolored prisms of light reflected in the facets of the heart shaped stone. "Tristen...I."

"This was her promise ring. Now, it's yours... and the promise that goes along with it. You don't have to say yes, ever, if you don't want to. I want you to know that. But, if you decide that you're ready, all you have to do is say the word."

"I don't know if I ever can. Look at your mom and dad... how can you ever think of risking yourself for something that doesn't last?"

"Who says it doesn't? My dad still loves my mom. I still love my mom. In so many ways, she's still with us. I see her eyes when I look at my reflection the mirror. I hear her wit in Daniel's sarcasm. And I feel her joy in my little sister's laughter. My dad loves Gina, every bit as deeply as he loved...still loves... my mom, just differently. Love is the only thing that does last. Love isn't a risk. It's an investment."

"Tristen, what are we doing here? You honestly believe in the bonding. I know you do. Why risk it on me?"

"Because I love you. You already have my heart and my soul. Always will. I'm not risking anything. All that I am is in your hands."

Kacie nervously fiddled with the ring in her palm. Being apart from him for just two days nearly tore her in half. He was all she thought about. Being near him was the only thing that felt right and secure, brought her peace. "I do love you. I'm just..."

"Scared."

Kacie nodded. Gently she opened his hand and dropped the ring into his palm. He silently slipped the ring back into its box and put it on the nightstand. His arms draped over her shoulders and he rested his chin on the top of her head. "Tristen, are you sure you know what you really want? Are you certain about what you're getting yourself into?"

"Babe, I've known it since the day we met." He released her and stood. "I'm going to take a shower. Sure you won't join me?" A devilish grin spread across his lips as she spotted the condoms scattered in the bottom of the drawer.

"Are those the condoms you bought that night at the Super Center?"

Tristen chuckled. "And you thought I was bragging when I bought the extra large."

Kacie gulped as Tristen dropped his pants. He sported a huge erection. "I believe you now." She nervously toyed with the stack of condoms. "Was this a set up? How'd you know I'd come with you? How'd you know we'd make up?"

"I was hoping." His smile widened and the corner of his mouth curved in that sexy seductive smile that absolutely melted her and kicked up the butterflies in her stomach. "You find me irresistible. Admit it."

"I admit nothing."

"Doesn't matter. I know the truth. I'll leave the bathroom door open. In case you change your mind." He sashayed toward the shower, flashing his ass at her. He chuckled beneath his breath as he heard the covers rustle. He'd laid it all out there for her. Told the absolute truth about everything. His emotions had been stripped bare as his body. She was going to join him. She was just one of those women that had to do things on their own terms and in their own time. He cracked the door, just like he said he would and turned on the shower. Sliding inside of the hot spray, he soaped up and waited.

Chapter 73

Kacie heard the spray of water splash against the tile and the shower door slide open. Steam rolled out of the crack in the door in a white, damp cloud. He really was full of himself. Really. She stared at the spill of bright light shining across the wood floor. He'd given her plenty to consider. Nervously, she stood on her feet. Tomorrow seemed like such a long way off. All that she could see was the here and now. Anything beyond that was pure speculation. Life was full of risks and chances. Opportunity only came around once, maybe twice in a lifetime. He'd given her his heart. And he had hers in return. No matter how hard or how often she put on the brakes. She was already on a collision course with fate. No use denying that now.

"Hell." She peeled off her top and threw it on the bed. Her bra and jeans were quickly added to the pile. She stepped out of her underwear. Standing naked in the middle of a cozy love shack and a night made just for the two of them. She took her first step forward.

Her first steps were timid, shy and unsure. Each step carried her closer to the bathroom door and to the man. The man who always knew exactly what to say and what to do and who knew, in no uncertain terms, how to make her fall helplessly and hopelessly deeper and deeper in love with him.

The steam engulfed her as she tiptoed inside the doorway. The shower door slid open with a chink of glass and steel. Swallowing her nervousness and fear, she took the hand he offered and stepped into the hot spray of the shower and the even hotter fire of love.

Tristen pulled Kacie inside of the shower and slid the door closed behind her. Kacie's body was a slippery slope of wet, dangerous curves, slick against his skin. Her skin was a shade or two lighter than his, glistening with the hot spray of the shower. Her black curls wound up into tight springs from the steam in the air. Gently, he pushed them away from her ear with his fingers. "Is the water hot enough for you?" He dipped his knees and adjusted his throbbing erection into a better position, right in between the sweet part in her thighs. His eyes rolled with the jolt of the sudden heat and surge of sensation caused by the soft down at the apex of her sex brushing against his sensitive length.

"Yeah," she croaked. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest as he sandwiched her in between his muscular biceps and leaned hard into her, reaching for the soap. His hard length pressed against her soft core, melting her with its heat as it teased along the heart of her. She rested her head against Tristen's chest as he ran his soap slicked hands gently over her aching nipples. Lathering them with gentle fingers and soft strokes. Her knees wobbled from the overwhelming surge of lust coursing through her veins.

Tristen nuzzled the shell of her ear. His hands skated across the sleek points of her breasts. Pausing to tease one fully erect peak and then the other. The smooth backs of Kacie's thighs quivered against his quadriceps as she responded to his touch. The scent of their combined desire mixed with the floral soap, intoxicating him and coaxing his touch to become braver. His fingers trailed down the curve of her belly and wound into the soft down between her thighs.

He was aching to bend her over and take her. The best way to learn how to swim was to just dive in and splash around. God he wanted to. Ease his ache deep inside of her, plunge in and paddle madly until he learned exactly the right strokes to keep himself afloat. His hips involuntarily bucked. His erection jumped at the sudden increase of heat and the gentle friction caused by the rubbing of flesh against flesh. Easy boy, he mentally talked his urges down to a dull, aching, throbbing, pulsating roar that tugged at the nerve fibers of his body from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. This was Kacie. He was out to impress and make her come back for more. This was not a rush job. As it was, when the actual moment came, he wasn't exactly sure how he was going to keep the freight train surging between his thighs from going off the tracks.

Gently, he coaxed her thighs farther apart with the palms of his hands. His fingers slicked against the soft, mound of black down and slid inside the sleek slit. Searching out the places that he knew she liked for him to touch. "Feel good?" His voice was a husky moan. Her body bucked as he found exactly the right place and stroked the nub of flesh with the tip of a finger.

YES! GOD YES! Feel good was an understatement. Sensation pulsed from the point of friction along her limbs. She nodded, spreading her thighs further apart in encouragement. His body was hard and rigid against her palms as she reached behind her and smoothed them down the curve of his back, lower cupping his butt with her fingers. Rapid breaths and a moan of sheer delight escaped her parted lips when a deep growl of interest rumbled through his chest.

The water was slowly going from steaming hot to lukewarm. The shower was quickly burning through the last of the hot water. Damn teacup sized tank. He was going to have to cut their fun in the shower short. He personally had taken enough cold showers over the past few weeks and wasn't about to take one more. Ever. Grumbling a curse, he withdrew his arms from Kacie's body, flipped off the water and reached for a towel.

Kacie exhaled a long breath as she stood in the shower. Her rubbery legs wobbled and trembled without his body to support her weight. Tristen was quick on the rebound, producing towels. The towel he used to dry her was soft against her skin. Tristen took his time, drying her off with broad, efficient strokes. She took the towel from his hands and draped it over her shoulders. Watching with deep interest the muscles rippling across his chest as he drug a towel across his back. The bathroom was a hot, steamy tropical oasis. She so was not looking forward to the arctic blast that would bite into her skin when he opened the door. Talk about a buzz kill and shrinkage.

Her body was already aching and throbbing with need. A deep sigh of frustration escaped her lips as Tristen dug through the cabinets, searching for something. "I knew there was a robe in here somewhere," he said in triumph. Pulling the robe out of the back of the towel cabinet. He shook out the lengths of blue terry cloth and draped them over her narrow shoulders. "This should keep you warm enough."

Kacie was grateful for the ugly blue robe. The loops of terry cloth were rough against her skin. The thing had been washed and worn probably a thousand times. "Thanks. What about you?"

Tristen secured the towel around his waist and tucked the ends at his hip. "I warm up quickly." He turned the knob and a blast of cool air rushed through the open door, quickly dissipating the clouds of steam. He rushed for the bed, leaping beneath the covers and patted the mattress for her to follow.

Kacie timidly stepped out of the bathroom. Abandoning the last droughts of heat contained by the tiny room. The fire roared merrily in the fireplace. Dancing shades of orange and yellow frolicked along the walls. Actually, it wasn't as cold as she'd expected. The fire did a good job of chasing away the chill and so did the sight of Tristen. Sprawled out across the bed, with the covers bunched up around his waist, exposing the broad chest she loved so much. Grinning slyly, he patted the empty space next to him and held up the blankets in invitation.

She returned the smile and slid her arms out of the robe. Her fingers held the rough edges closed as she padded barefoot across the cool planks of wood. The damp curls of her hair were cool against her cheek, dripping moisture down her neck and onto the collar of the robe. If she was going to back out now, this was the time. Once she crawled beneath those covers there was no going back. Nervously, she bit her lip. Thinking about her options.

Tristen saw a glimmer of hesitation spread across Kacie's face. His brows squashed together in a deep frown. "Kacie, come here." Her knee dimpled the bed as she climbed in with the robe still clutched tightly in her fist. "What's wrong?" Women, would he ever get a clue to their rapidly changing minds and moods? She was all hot and bothered in the shower and now, she acted like a nervous teenager on a first date.

Kacie shimmied under the covers. Clutching the robe with her trembling fingers. Doubts danced in her head like the flames danced across the walls. What if she wasn't everything he expected. He'd been looking forward to this for twenty-one years. Expectations were high. What if he was as disappointed as she'd been after her first time? She'd been expecting fireworks and overwhelming all encompassing passion. The boy, hell, she barely remembered his name now, had been all wet, sloppy kisses and clumsy pawing hands. The moment was over almost the second it began. One push, a couple of grunts, and that was all there was to it. She couldn't bear the thought of letting Tristen down. "Nothing."