Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger (4 page)

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Authors: Lori Copeland

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #General, #Contemporary, #Westerns, #test

BOOK: Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger
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face, securing part of it with a large barrette on the top, letting the rest hang freely down her back, trying bravely to forget the night she had become Jason's wife. Adding a light natural-color lip gloss to her soft lips, she snapped her purse closed.
''Well, cat," she remarked to Tabby, "I'll see you after a while." When he heard his name, he walked courteously to the front door with her.
Jessica stepped out into the mounting heat of the afternoon, her eyes falling on the old pickup Uncle Fred had kept all these years. "Good grief!" she agonized. She had completely forgottenthat was the only means of transportation she had at the moment. She hadn't brought her own sporty little Datsun with her. After receiving the call from Doc Perkins that Aunt Rainey didn't have much longer, she had simply thrown her things in a suitcase and had a friend drive her to the airport.
That truck has to be at least thirty years old,
she thought with distress as she looked at the old gray jalopy sitting in the driveway. It looked like an accident on its way to happen, she observed as she walked around the truck, her eyes taking in the faded paint and dented fender on the right-hand side. The old running boards were beginning to rust away from the sides of the truck. As she peered into the stifling hot interior her heart sankit certainly didn't have air conditioning. She could almost hear Uncle Fred's booming voice on that hot summer day fifteen years ago when she had complained of the heat as he was driving her home from church one morning.
"You hot, punkin?" he had joked. "Well, why didn't you say something sooner? I'll just turn on the air-conditioner and cool you right down!"
Jessica looked up at him with skepticism and replied rather agitatedly, "We don't have any air-conditioner in this old truck."
"Why, we do, too, punkin," he assured her. "I've got that old reliable two-sixty kind."
 
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Still not ready to believe him, she asked suspiciously, ''What's that?"
"Why, I just roll down two windows and go sixty miles an hour," his voice boomed. Then he and Aunt Rainey both laughed uproariously. Jessica gave him a blank look and could not for the life of her see what was so funny. Grown-ups could be so dumb sometimes!
Opening the door on the driver's side, she got in and turned the key in the ignition. After a series of groaning protests the old engine came to life.
"Well, it's been awhile," she reminded it, "but I think I remember how. Now, if you'll just cooperate with me, you and I will get along fine."
After thinking it over for a minute the truck gave her its answer. It promptly died.
"Horseflies!" she muttered and began the tedious grinding again, trying to breathe life back into the engine. Sweat was beginning to trickle down her back and thoughts of a salvage yard were dancing merrily through her mind when it backfired once and then sprang instantly to life.
"That was wise," she assured it and ground the old gears into reverse.
Now it was trying too hard to please her. The gas pedal seemed to want to go a lot faster than she wanted to, and the engine was revving so, she had to keep a foot on the brake as well as the gas pedal. She shot out of the farmyard at an alarming speed. Luckily the road was very lightly traveled, so she had it more or less to herself as she headed for town. As she bumped along the dirt road her eyes swept across the unchanging countryside, until the scenery seemed to fade away, replaced by memories of her wedding night, which surfaced unbidden to burn vividly in her mind.
Deciding that it was best not to tell Uncle Fred or Aunt Rainey until after they were married, Jessica called home, explaining that she had decided to spend the night with a
 
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girl friend in town. She hated to deceive her aunt and uncle, but she wasn't sure how they would react to the marriage. No, it would be far better to face them already married.
It took them a couple of hours to drive to the border town of Denison, Texas. They were married quietly by a twenty-four-hour justice of the peace. Promising her a ring as soon as they got back, Jason took her tenderly into his arms, sealing their marriage vows with a kiss of love.
Leaving the small wedding chapel, Jessica clung to Jason's arm, her love and happiness shining in her luminous eyes. On the way back home they found a small out-of-the-way motel nestled in a large grove of pine trees where they could spend the night. Opening the door, Jason scooped his young bride up in his strong arms and carried her across the threshold, his mouth covering hers in a kiss of total possession.
It suddenly, dawned on Jessica she knew absolutely nothing about being a wife to Jason. A look of indecision crossed her radiant face as Jason let her slide seductively down the length of his body to the floor.
''Is there any particular reason for that frown on your beautiful face, Mrs. Rawlings?" Jason asked, his mouth nibbling on the sensitive part of her earlobe and making Jessica shudder deliciously. Bringing her slender fingers up to his golden-brown hair, she wrapped them snugly in the thick, wiry texture before drawing his searching mouth down to hers for a long, exquisite kiss. It was several minutes before Jessica could sanely answer Jason's question.
"No. I just suddenly realized I know nothing aboutbeing a wife to you," she whispered shyly. "I don't know the things that please you, the things that make you happy, the things that are important in your life."
With a tolerant grin Jason brought her face close to his. In the dim light of the room she could see his tender eyes grow serious. "We have the rest of our lives to find out
 
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those things about each other,'' he told her lovingly, stroking the side of her smooth face tenderly. "As for being a wife to meI have a feeling you'll catch on quick," he added wickedly. "You certainly have all the right equipment for the job." His hand rested lightly and possessively on one of her soft, firm breasts. Jessica could feel her knees begin to tremble as Jason's hands reached for the zipper running down the back of her dress, sliding it down slowly until it reached the bottom. His mouth began a slow search of her neck, exploring the hollows, nibbling hotly around her ear, grasping its lobe between his strong white teeth. Jessica drew her breath in sharply, her legs nearly buckling from weakness. With gentle hands he let the soft fabric slip quietly to the floor. The only sound was the uneven breathing of the man and woman standing in the middle of the small intimate room and the rustling of her dress as it hit the floor.
"There's no need to be afraid, Angel," Jason promised huskily, his mouth lightly toying with hers. "We'll take it nice and slow. I'll show you the beauty of becoming a woman." His mouth became firmer as it opened over hers, his tongue searching for hers in the moist recesses. He continued to draw her nearer, his hands effortlessly unsnapping the clasp on her bra, letting it join the white eyelet dress on the floor. He stood back to get a better view of the magnificent form before him, resting his hands on her hips. "Beautifulsimply beautiful." His deep voice was barely above a whisper. Jessica gloried in the fact that her new husband was pleased with hershe wanted to spend her whole life pleasing him. She loved him so much she thought she would burst with happiness. Overwhelmed with emotion, she reached for his face to pull it to hers, her lips longing to taste his kisses once again. He complied willingly, his hand gently caressing the smooth, taut curve of her belly, his thumbs crooking under the rim of her lace panties, sliding them over her hips, eliminating the last remaining article. A tiny quiver washed over her
 
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as his hands surveyed the curve of her hips, the soft delicacy of her buttocks. He whispered soothing words of love against her lips, calming her fears and heightening her passion. ''You're mine to have and to hold from this day forward, Angel. I'll never, never hurt you," he breathed just before he brought his mouth down to sweetly partake of the feast before him.
As Jason moaned softly against her throat Jessica swooned toward his comforting body, unable to find the words to tell him of her feelings at this moment. Her love for him expanded and overflowed as he gently lifted his young timid bride and laid her on the bed. She trembled as he pulled away to remove his clothes. He smiled reassuringly, bringing his mouth back down to capture hers for a brief kiss. "Angel," he whispered, "my clothes are going to have to come off if we are going to have a wedding night."
Her eyes searched his longingly. "I know, my darling Jason," she murmured softly. "I'm not afraid."
He lovingly stroked her hair back from her face and kissed each eyelid. "I love your eyes." Then he kissed the tip of her nose. "I love your nose." Then each cheek. "I love your lovely face." Her lips parted slightly as she opened them in a silent pleading. "Yes, Angel, I love those, too," he assured her, his mouth descending to hers in a long, passionate, mind-drugging embrace, her hands clutching wildly at his shirt. He raised his face from hers, reluctant to leave her for even a second. "Would you like to do the honors of undressing me?" he asked in a husky passion-laden tone.
Jessica felt her cheeks warm at the suggestion, but at the same time it stirred a secret longing in her to discover the delights of Jason's body, to feel every inch of his manliness. She smiled tenderly, her hands reaching for the buttons on his shirt. "Since this is my first day on the job, you'll have to be patient with me."
Jason covered her tiny hands with his, clutching them
 
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to his chest. ''Take your time, Angel. As I told you before, we've got a lifetime." He brought her hands to his mouth and kissed each fingertip before releasing them to continue their pleasurable task. Her slender fingers tried desperately to release the buttons, fumbling with agonizing slowness, shaking so hard she cried out in frustration, "Please, you do it, Jason."
A deep chuckle emanated from his throat as he stood up to strip his clothing, letting his join hers on the floor in wild array. Jessica watched in awe. The sight of his nakedness sent surges of hot liquid through her veins. He was more than a dreamhe was realhe was hers. As he reached to enfold her in his arms once again he rasped hoarsely, "Come here, Angel. It's time for lesson number two."
It was as if a slow burning ember caught a sudden wild gust of wind as they clung hungrily to each other. Jason seemed to lose the last precarious hold he had on sanity as the soft curves of Jessica's body blended intimately with the hard, granite strength of his.
Jessica's hands began a slow search of Jason's body, gliding over his back, his strong thighs, his firm buttocks. As she became familiar with every part of her love she elicited tortured groans from him. She writhed in agonizing desire as he took her exploring hands in his and directed them to a new and different place, his groans turning into sweet tormented moans as she shyly began to gently caress him. The feel of her slender fingers fluttering over his skin kindled an urgency in him that had a will of its own.
"Angel," he moaned, "I don't think I can wait any longer."
Her body moved closer in response to his urgent plea. Her mouth searched for his in the darkness, her kiss transmitting a message loud and clear. She was readyeagerto become his wife.
The wall of control completely burst as Jason moved to
 
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let his body possess hers in a way it never had before. Jessica became lost in a white sphere of fire and delight, demanding to know the full joy of her body's new awakening. Rising to unbelievable heights, Jason and Jessica hung suspended in air, soaring together on a swelling tide of rapture, before drifting back gently, lightly, to earth.
As they lay in the afterglow she clung weakly to him, her face buried in his moist chest, tears of joy falling like soft summer rain against his skin. A low throaty chuckle rumbled in Jason's chest as he held her, lovingly stroking her damp, raven hair.
''See, I told you, Mrs. Rawlings," he teased softly.
"Told me what?" Jessica whispered shakily.
Bringing his mouth back down to hers, he whispered softly against her lips. "I just had a hunch you'd learn fast!"
"Oh, Jason," she murmured tenderly. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be like this."
"Then I gather you have no complaints, Mrs. Rawlings?" Jason pulled her close, the sweet languidness of their lovemaking still holding them prisoners.
"No complaints, Mr. Rawlings."
They drifted off into a contented slumber, only to awaken toward early morning to search hungrily again for each other, their young bodies eager and ready for each other, the newness of their love overriding all else. They watched the sun come up together, lying in each other's arms, happy, secure, and content in their new life together.
At the sound of a horn honking sharply behind her Jessica abruptly forced her attention back to her driving. The truck seemed to have taken on a life of its own, and by the time she came screeching into town, mothers were frantically gathering their children in off the street. She came roaring up the drive of old Judge Baker's house in a cloud of dust, the engine dying a jerky death as she reached down to turn off the key. The elderly man stand-

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