A Breath of Heaven: El Camino Real (16 page)

“Cade, Cade, I wish it could have been
different.” Abby’s heart was breaking.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked with
anguish.

Abby pushed away from him, wiping tears
from her own eyes. “Afterward, there was no use. It was all over.”

“All over?” He didn’t follow. “Nothing was
over as far as I was concerned. You decided it was over.”

“It had to be.” She shuddered with the
memory, wrapping her arms around herself. “I was ruined.”

Fuck! “Ruined?” He ran his hands over her
hair, down her arms, finally framing her face. “You are here. In my arms. There
isn’t a damn thing about you ruined!”

“You don’t know. You haven’t seen.” She
shook her head, her emotions almost to the breaking point. 

“No, I haven’t. But I want to.” Cade
whispered tenderly.

“No!” She pushed at his chest. “You just
don’t realize…”

Cade was gentle, but he held on to her,
preventing her escape. “Did you honestly think this would matter to me? I
cherish you, all of you!”

“I can’t. I just can’t.” Abby felt as if
her world were caving in. A horrible feeling of panic was consuming her. She
was shaking, trembling, filled with nerve-wracking anxiety.

Cade could see she was very upset, and he
wasn’t going to stand for it. “Come here, let me hold you. It’s okay. We’ll do
it your way. I’d rather have you this way, any day, than any other woman in the
world.”

She let him hold her. “I wish…I want…” She
hiccupped a sob. Cade began kissing her.

“Don’t you dare cry.” He cradled her
close. “Just let me love you, that’s all I ask.” He stroked her back, loving
the way she felt, the way she smelled. “You’re my baby. Don’t you know that?”
To his absolute relief he felt her lips press soft kisses on his neck. He
accepted the caress and didn’t try to rush her, but when she sought out his
mouth, he cooperated fully. “God, I want you Abby. I want you all the time.”

She framed his face and began kissing him.
No one could say this was a gentle, easy kiss. It was hungry and passionate and
smack full of lust. Cade pulled her against him, his cock pressing into her
belly. “Take me, Cade. Make me yours.”

“I want you here. Now. Like last night.
Bend over the couch.” This time they didn’t even undress, which was fine with
Abby. He stood, took his erect cock from his pants and pumped himself, watching
her arrange herself over the padded arm. He flipped the little skirt up on her
back and with one jerk, tore the silky panties she wore completely off.

Abby groaned, soaking wet with arousal.
She spread her legs and tilted her bottom, presenting herself like a mare in
heat.

“You have the most glorious ass in the
world.” Cade took both hands and molded the heart shaped cheeks, sliding his
fingers between her legs and groaning when they came back coated with cream.
Holding her by the hips, he probed her opening, sliding in slowly. He loved
that he had to fight for every inch—she was so tight, she fit him so well.
“Feel good?”

“God, yes,” she whispered. Abby pushed
back and at the same time, she tightened down on him. “Hard, Cade, do it hard.”

He groaned and spanked her cheek. Abby
squealed. “I love it. I love how you take me. I love the sounds you make when
you’re inside me.”

Cade felt himself swell even harder.
Bending over her, he fit his hands between her and the couch, cupping her tits
and massaging them through the thin material of her dress. It wasn’t enough.
“I’ll buy you another dress.” He promised as he took hold of the neckline and
ripped it in half. Pushing her bra straps off her shoulders, he freed her tits
to his hungry hands. “Do you love me, Abby?” He had to know.

She couldn’t deny him. “Yes, Cade, yes!
I’ve always loved you. I never stopped.”

Her confession almost brought him to his
knees. Pushing into her, again and again, he filled her. Hard and penetrating,
throbbing, stroking, burying himself to the hilt repeatedly. “You’re mine,
Abby. Cum for me, squeeze me, darlin’.”

She could feel her clit swell, her sex was
wet, saturated with a need which was being met, superbly. Cade ground into her,
possessing her, riding her without mercy. It was so good, she couldn’t stand
it. His hips jerked against her, his thick, heavy cock driving into her until
she was losing her mind. Burning, stretching her, he pounded her pussy until
she was screaming, begging, “Please, Cade. Please.” Starbursts of pleasure
rocketed through her body, and tingles of sensation ripped through every cell
until she felt her climax explode in a tidal wave of bliss.

“Abby, Abby, my Abby Grace,” he whispered
the words as he jackhammered inside of her with rapid strokes. Waves of heat
flowed between them, making them one and as her pussy still milked him with her
release, he leg go—pulsing, jetting, filling her with his cum, giving her all
that he was—mind, body and soul.

She was shaking in his arms, trembling.
With the greatest of care, he turned her. Gathering her in his arms, he
embraced her warmly on the couch, her head buried in his chest. Cade kissed her
face, loving the way they felt together. “I want to turn back the clock, Abby.
I want to ask you the question I intended to ask you all those Christmases
ago.” He paused, framing her face, looking into her eyes. “Will you be my
girl?”

Abby clung to him, hiding her face from
him and from the world. “It can’t work, Cade. How would it work? If you were to
ever see me, I couldn’t stand it.”

Cade sighed. He didn’t know what to do. He
had offered himself, his love, his promise to love her—no matter what. “I’m
here, Abilene. I’m yours.” He brushed the damp hair from her face. “But now,
you’re going to have to make the next step. When you’re ready, come to me. Give
yourself to me. All of yourself. And I promise, as God as my witness, I’ll
never give you one reason or one moment to regret it.”

“What’s Santa Claus bringing you tonight?”
Justice asked his sister as they stood at the back of the lake house, watching
the wedding party assemble for the rehearsal of tomorrow’s big day. Pam was
giving the preacher a hard time, just as they expected. She couldn’t make up
her mind where she wanted her bridesmaids to stand on the dais or if she and
Jase were going to light the unity candle before the second song or after it.

“A lump of coal.” She grinned. “I’ve been
pretty bad.”

“Good. You deserve to be bad.” He winked
at her.

She hit him playfully on the shoulder.
“Not that kind of bad.” Her eyes immediately sought Cade out. He was standing
next to Jase in the line of groomsmen. Then, she asked a question that had been
bothering her. “When Charlee’s dad was here the other day, did he happen to
mention her?” She didn’t understand everything about Justice and his childhood
friend’s relationship, but Abby missed Charlee. “She was so much a part of our
lives for so long.”

Looking uncomfortable, Justice kept his
eyes on the activity at the front of the church. “No, I didn’t.” He cleared his
throat. “I didn’t think about it.”

“That’s a shame.” Justice didn’t act like
he wanted to talk about it, so Abby let it go. “You’d better go take your
place. It looks like we’re about to finally get this show on the road.”

Justice hurried to the front and Abby
moved even closer to the back. Her only role in the wedding was to show
up—thank God. The cream of the crop in Texas society was here. She recognized
the Governor, two state senators, the Houston mayor, a dozen oil barons and
several movie stars. None of them held her interest as much as her rugged
cowboy.

And he was hers. For the taking.

If she could just find the courage to
reach out and grab him before he gave up and walked away.

“Will you take this woman?” the preacher
began, but Jase spoke up, always the clown.

“Somebody! Anybody! Will somebody please
take this woman!”

Pam glared at him, not seeing the humor.

Abby shook her head, slipping out the
door. She’d seen enough. Hurrying back to the main house, she made sure the big
pots of gumbo were warm and waiting for the guests to come and serve themselves
as soon as the rehearsal was over. She’d wrapped Cade’s gifts and put them
under the tree back at her house. As soon as they finished here, she wanted to
take him home and watch his face as he opened them. The Cowboy Hall of Fame inductee
announcement wasn’t her only present for Cade.

She had made up her mind.

Tonight, she was going to give him her
trust, her love and her body. Her completely unclothed, bare to his eyes, body.
And if he rejected her, she would die.

* * *

“For me?” Abby was amazed at the size of
the box she found under the tree. She met Cade’s eyes. The love shining out of
them almost took her breath away.

Pointing to the oversize present, he
smiled. “I hope you like it.”

She knelt by the tree, feeling like a
child again. After the rehearsal dinner, the family had gathered in front of
the fireplace and opened gifts, but it hadn’t been the same, not with all the
outsiders milling around. The elder Kings had made sure everyone in attendance
had a couple of presents to open, but the magic of Christmas had been lost as
far as Abby was concerned. Until she came home. To Cade. “I love it.”

He laughed. “Open it before you decide.”

With a happy laugh, she began tearing into
the wrapping, but whatever the box held, it was heavy. Cade had to help her.
When at last the lid was off, Abby covered her mouth as she exclaimed with
astonishment. “How beautiful!” And it was. A magnificent stone bowl,   sculpted
from pure Texas granite, carved with horses around the rim drew her fingers. “Is
this a McCoy?”

“Yes, Aron McCoy made this. It’s one of a
kind.” He spoke the name of one of Texas’s premier artists, a rancher from
central Texas. “I can’t believe this!” She threw her arms around Cade’s neck.
“You know me so well.” He picked it up and placed it on her dining table. The
piece was a good yard across and weighed over a hundred pounds. “We may have to
reinforce the table.”

“It’s perfect. Perfect.” She kissed him
and ran to the tree, bending over to pick up his gifts. “Here, sit down so I can
watch you open them.”

Cade smiled. They were like children. “I
have something else for you. The sculpture wasn’t all.”

“That’s not all I have for you, either.”
Abby teased, praying she was doing the right thing.

He opened the box and stared as if what he
saw didn’t make sense. Picking up the watch and the belt buckle, he weighed
them, clearing his throat. The certificate proclaiming his election to the
Cowboy Hall of Fame was read and reread again. “You did this?”

“No, you won the title with your talent,
devotion and sexy smile.” She kissed him on the cheek. “I just sent the
paperwork in.”

He placed the items on the coffee table
and pulled her into his arms, finding her lips with practiced ease. Cade kissed
her tenderly, thoroughly, worshiping her mouth with his. “I can’t believe you
did this. You love me, don’t you?” He held her by the shoulders and looked into
her eyes.

“Yes, I love you and if you want me, I’m
yours.” Slowly, she stood, took a deep breath, closed her eyes and prayed she
was doing the right thing. There, in front of the fire, in front of the tree,
in front of the man she loved, Abby began to undress. She stood and removed her
cocktail dress, took off her shoes, shed her bra and panties, and exposed her
body to him. Vulnerable. Hopeful. Scared to death.

Cade swallowed, staring at her. He could
tell this was the hardest thing Abby had ever done. And standing still, letting
her do it was the most difficult thing he’d ever done. It was hard for him to
wait until she was finished, he wanted to grab her up and never let her go. But
he let her shed her clothing, revealing to him her beautiful body and the
blemishes that were nothing more than a testimony of her love – for him.

“Merry Christmas, Cade.”

Before God, Cade could declare that none
of his fantasies even came close. Abby unclothed was magnificent. Her perfect
hour glass figure made his heart and his cock swell. Creamy skin, tiny waist,
flared hips, breasts so perfect they brought tears to his eyes. There was not
one damn thing wrong with her face or her body. The place over her mons and on
the top of her thighs that she’d been so worried about was nothing—nothing. He
saw it. He knew what it was. But to him—it was all Abby. Abby who loved him
enough to lay down her life in his stead. “Is this what you were worried
about?” Cade went to his knees. “This little spot? Why I can barely see it! If
you hadn’t told me it was here, I wouldn’t even have noticed.” With every word,
he sought to reassure her that she was perfect. “You’re beautiful, my darling.”
She was just right. She was his beloved.

“Are you sure?” Abby was about to cry.

“Oh, Honey, I am more than sure.” With
reverence, he stood, covering her body with his, kissing her lips, her neck,
her shoulders, making his way down her body, loving and laving every inch of
her soft skin. “Tonight, I get to do something I’ve dreamed about for years.”

Abby realized what he meant. “No, I don’t
think—”

He brooked no argument. Picking her up, he
carried her to the rug by the fireplace, near their Christmas tree. Tenderly,
he laid her down, pausing for just a moment to take in her beauty. When she
would have covered herself, he stopped her, meeting her gaze. “Put your hands
over your head, Abilene. And don’t you move a muscle unless you’re writhing in
ecstasy.” He winked at her. “I’m going to go down on you. I want to eat you
alive. I want all of that sweet honey cream on my tongue, on my lips. Hell, I
want to devour you, Abby.”

His words and the look on his face almost
made her cum before he ever even touched her. Trembling with need, lust and
fear, she spread her legs, exposing all of her shortcomings, her
scars—everything that she was.

And he took her. Lying between her legs,
he took Abby’s hips in his hands and lifted her. Lowering his head, he laid his
lips against the soft, slick folds. They were swollen, glistening with
passion—for him. God, he was excited. He hoped to hell he could please her
before he blew. Pressing his fingers into her thighs, he opened her wider,
kissing her all over. Every scar, every place she’d suffered—for him. Cade
shook with excitement. God, he was here, his lips buried in Abby’s pussy and
grateful for the privilege.

With tender kisses, he licked and lapped
at her mound, letting his tongue trace the delicate feminine shape. He felt her
hips lift. She wanted more. Fingers tangled in his hair and he didn’t fuss. She
was accepting him, giving him a gift beyond measure. She was so sweet. So soft.
He was ravenous for her taste, for her trust. Over and over again he licked and
nuzzled, kissing her slit from top to bottom. Her moans and groans of ecstasy
only made him want more. Spearing his tongue deep into her channel, he showed
her how much he wanted her, what she meant to him. Cade gave of himself and
regretted none of it.

“Cade!” She keened. Abby was past
thinking, past comprehending anything other than Cade and the pleasure he was
giving her. The gift. The acceptance. She could feel her sex clenching around
his tongue and she pressed upward, wanting more, wanting all he could offer.

God, he could lick her forever. Cade
thought his heart would burst with pure happiness.

“Cade, please…” she moaned.

He lifted his lips, just long enough to
speak. “Tell me, Baby, what do you want? I’ll give you anything in my power.”
He knew what she wanted, but he wanted her to ask. He wanted to be the one she
came to, ran to. He wanted to be the source of her joy, her pleasure and her
happiness. “Ask, Baby. Ask me for what you want.”

“Touch my clit, lick it, suck it! Please!”

“Oh, hell, yeah.” He chuckled. He gave her
what she needed. Taking the sweet button between his lips, he sucked, rolling
his tongue over it and listened to her fly apart. She bucked, she writhed, she
pushed her pussy into his face, tangling her fingers in his hair.

“Cade!” she screamed.

Abby was lost. Lost in the pleasure.
Floating in a sublime place where nothing could ever hurt her again.

He needed to cum. And he wanted to be
inside Abby, riding high and hard. “God, you’re sweet.” He moved up her body
and sank deep within her. She was wet, hot and satiated from his loving.
Sitting up, he pulled her thighs over his, exposing her to his gaze and to his
attention. “Look, Abby. Look at us. This is me and you—together.”

She looked at where they were joined. His
skin dark. Hers light. He was hard. She was soft. He was perfect and she…she
was loved. And that was all that mattered. “Make love to me, Cade.”

He recognized her surrender and he gloried
in it. Pulling her up in his arms, he fit her to him, his lips on hers, her
legs around his hips and her arms around his neck. He watched her face, her
eyes. Pumping his hips, he moved his cock deep into her scorching core. She
helped him, using her sheathe to tighten and grip, milking him with every
exquisite movement of her body.

“I love this,” she whimpered, her fingers
threading in his hair.

Cade breathed her breath, studying the
golden flecks in her eyes, amazed that they were here, together, joined. He
couldn’t hold back. It was too much. His cock was set to bursting. He pushed
in, pumping hard, short strokes, willing her to cum again. “This good?” He
laughed when she nodded, unable to make a sound. “Feels damn good to me, too.”
He kissed her neck, licking her, nipping her. “I’m going to make love to you
every day for the next fifty years and twice a day on Sunday.”

“Okay,” she whispered the word, giving
herself to him, accepting the fact they had a future. And with that release of
will, she let go of all of her worries and fears, catapulting them both into an
orgasm so big and overwhelming, it was impossible to tell where she ended and
he began—they were one.

“I love you, Cade. I love you so much,”
she whispered – saying the words out loud that she thought she’d never get to
say. 

* * *

Abby opened her eyes. It was a brand new
world. She had shown herself to a man, given herself completely to a man—and
not just any man. Her man. Cade Tallbull. The man she’d loved for most of her
life. Sometime during the night, he had carried her to bed, for she awoke in
her own room. The ceiling fan was the only noise she heard. Turning, she
expected to find Cade next to her, sleeping peacefully. But he was gone.

Gone.

She jumped up, checking in the bathroom.
“Cade!” she called. He must be in the kitchen. “Cade?” Abby raced through the
house. Nothing. Her heart was pounding. Running to the front, she looked
outside and his pick-up was gone. Tearing through the house, she looked for a
note on the mantel, dresser, counter—anywhere.