“Lord.” Daniel felt as if he’d just discovered sex for the first time. Struggling for breath, he looked at the woman in his arms with awe. She was so incredibly responsive, he thought. She was still clinging to him.
She was also still shaking. Daniel’s gut twisted. He turned to his side, pulling her with him. “Hey. Hey. Are you okay?”
Sara burrowed her face into his throat but didn’t say anything.
He stroked her hair in a soothing motion. “Sara?”
“Give me a minute.”
Daniel tensed. She sounded all choked up, making him fearful that she was crying. He counted to sixty and lifted her chin. Her dazed but tear-free eyes met his.
He felt a punch of relief and something else. She looked the way he felt. He swallowed hard and tried to grin. “You didn’t tell me I was going to need a pacemaker.”
Her expression solemn, she shook her head. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You can say you’re okay.”
“I’m okay,” she said in a quiet, uncertain voice. She took a deep breath, then her gaze skittered away and she bit her lip. “I just remembered I need to let Pavi out. I meant to after dinner, but…”
“I distracted you,” Daniel finished for her. “I’ll do it. It won’t take—”
“No!” Sara worked free of his arms and sat up. “You’re the guest. Do you want something to drink? Wine? Beer? Coffee?” She started to stand, but Daniel caught her around the waist and pulled her down.
“Sit tight. You’ve done enough tonight.” He rose and stretched. “I think I can manage coffee.”
Heedless of his nudity, he walked from the room.
Sara was in a quandary. She’d mentioned Pavi as an excuse to get away from the scent of their lovemaking, to get out of bed, where her defenses had been stripped. Going to bed with Daniel had been more than a mutually pleasurable experience. His kindness had seemed more personal, as if he actually cared for her.
Sara made a face. Daniel cared for everybody, she reminded herself. Something, though, about the way he looked at her made her wonder if he saw her as something more than the wild woman. The notion frightened her, and if she were honest, she’d admit it thrilled her too.
Did she want him falling for her? Did she want to ruin another good man? her conscience chided. Did she want to try again?
She saw him step through the doorway carrying a mug and a package of cookies. He wore a grin that charmed her worries away. She couldn’t contain an answering smile. “I wish I had a camera. This would make an interesting picture. Nude man with coffee and Oreos. What would your brothers say?”
“They’d say, ‘You lucky dog,’ because if they said anything else, I’d have to beat ’em up. Here.” He set the mug on the night table. “With sugar and cream,” he said before she could ask. “Want a cookie?”
“Sure. Where’s your coffee?”
“We’re sharing,” he answered with a sly look.
“Oh.” Wondering what he was planning, Sara took a quick gulp.
“Speaking of my brothers, it crossed my mind that dinner at Sara’s house is different from dinner at Daniel’s house. What did you think of Christmas?”
Sara’s gaze fell to the bedspread. “It was fun, noisy and friendly. Your family seems close. It was very nice of you and Carly to invite me.”
Daniel heard the beginnings of that polite, distancing tone in her voice, but he forged ahead anyway. “Did Jarod’s questions bother you?”
She shifted and tugged the bedspread over her. “They were normal questions.”
He put his thumb under her chin and lifted it. “We’ve just been as close as two people can get. Can’t you talk to me?”
Her eyes looked defensive. “Just because our bodies have been close doesn’t mean I’m going to bare my soul too.”
Daniel felt as if he’d been slapped. He pulled his hand away. “Sorry.”
Sara sighed and shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I guess I’m feeling a little strange.” She gestured vaguely with her hand. “This being our first time and everything.”
Daniel narrowed his eyes, feeling a twinge of uneasiness in his gut. “Was it what you expected?”
“No.”
His heart seemed to stop beating.
She sighed. “It was more… Oh, I don’t know how to describe it. You were more than I expected.”
His heart settled back into its normal rhythm. “Do you mean my body was more, or something else?”
Sara nodded. “Yes, your body.” She blinked. “Yes, something else.”
“Sara—”
She put a finger to his lips. “I told you earlier I didn’t know what to say. I still don’t. But you’re more than I expected.” Her gaze fell over him in a warm, womanly way that made him feel incredibly glad he was a man. “You’ve got a great body and I haven’t really had the kind of opportunity I’d like to explore it.” She lifted the package of Oreos out of his hand and placed it on the nightstand with her coffee. Then, slanting a sultry look at him, she put her hand on his chest and swirled her fingers through the spray of hair. “Do you mind if I explore now?”
Every nerve ending in his body went on alert. Daniel sucked in a deep breath and flattened his hand over hers. “If I didn’t know better, I might think you don’t want to answer my questions. I might think you’re trying to distract me.”
Sara silently laid her head on his chest. Her hair felt silky against his skin and her breasts teased his belly, bringing him another twist of pleasure.
“Nothing to say?”
“I take the fifth. You don’t want me to…explore?”
The woman should be put behind bars for her seductive abilities. She didn’t seem the least bit concerned about her nudity. If he could just get her to trust him enough to share a few more of her secrets… One thing at a time, he decided, feeling his loins thicken with desire.
He squeezed her hand. “I’m more than willing for you to explore, but you need to remember about the Pushy Pendletons. I’ll be asking those questions again, and next time I’ll be expecting answers.” He tossed the bedspread off the lower half of her body and lay down next to her. He went one step farther in making himself appear defenseless by releasing her hand and spreading both of his on either side of his body. “Do your worst.”
“Just remember,” she said, lazily stroking her tongue across one of his nipples, “you asked for it.”
Three hours later Daniel walked out to his truck. He would have liked to stay the whole night, but Sara didn’t want the neighbors talking. His legs felt like stretched-out rubber bands. His cardiovascular system felt as if he’d run a marathon. His brain had turned to mush, and he was ridiculously delighted with the fact that there wasn’t a smidgen of lipstick left on Sara Kingston’s delectable mouth.
It took him three tries to get the truck in gear, and he still had to fight the overwhelming temptation not to go back to the house for more.
Whatever he’d expected from Sara Kingston—and he’d expected a lot—he hadn’t expected to feel such intensity of sensations. She’d tickled, teased, taunted, tormented and satisfied him in a way he’d never before experienced.
He drove through the dark night, concentrating on the hours he’d spent with her. He was beginning to comprehend the possibility of how she could ruin a man, although Daniel didn’t put himself in the ruinable category. He was too self-disciplined and sensible to let a woman destroy him, but the fact remained that Sara Kingston packed a punch. She had been so utterly focused on pleasing him. She’d made him feel like the most important man in the world.
The only thing that grated on him was the way she’d avoided answering his questions. Maybe it should have been enough that he had possessed her body and she had possessed his. After all, that had been his goal, to have her sexually. But something about her made him crave more.
Pulling into his driveway, he made a promise to uncover all her secrets. Then, he sensed, he would feel satisfied. Then he wouldn’t have this edgy I-think-about-her-too-much feeling. Then his hunger for her would wane.
He got out of the car and walked to the front door, careful to keep the screen door from slamming as he entered. Not wanting to wake his brothers, he made his way quietly to the large den, where he found Troy asleep on the sofa. He turned off the TV.
Troy sat up. “That you, Daniel?”
“Yeah. Why don’t you go to bed?”
Troy yawned, stood and stretched, then squinted his eyes at Daniel. “Your hair’s all messed up.”
“Thanks,” Daniel said dryly.
“Where are your socks and tie?”
“In my pockets.” Daniel tried not to grind his teeth. Troy could be such a pain, he thought, and decided to head for the privacy of his own room.
Troy laughed, following him down the hall. “Looks like you had some night.”
Daniel ignored his brother and opened the door to his bedroom.
“So you gonna tell me about it? Was Sara a great lay, or what?”
A rush of fury sped through his veins. He whirled, grabbing Troy and forcing his brother against the wall. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that word in the same sentence with Sara’s name again. What goes on between her and me is private. Do you read me? It’s none of your damned business. And you’d better keep your stupid mouth shut around her unless you have something polite to say.” Daniel saw his brother’s expression of horror and dropped his hands.
Disgusted with Troy and with his own violent reaction, Daniel turned away.
“Sorry,” Troy murmured.
“Okay,” he said. “Get some sleep.” Daniel walked into his room, shutting the door behind him. He gave a heavy sigh and looked at the floor. His emotions were more out of control than he’d realized. If this was what happened after one night with Sara, he was going to have to be very careful in the future, because it sure as hell wasn’t going to be his last night with her.
She’d seen him every night except two since the first time they’d made love. They’d start out just talking or sharing a meal, but they couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other and always wound up in bed.
Tonight, however, due to her monthly cycle, she wasn’t in the mood to make love. So she left a carefully worded message with Troy that she was tired and would see Daniel in a day or so.
She’d had a long day at the office followed by a volunteer committee meeting to discuss starting a food closet for Beulah County. There was a relentless, depressing rain falling outside, and if she were sensible, she’d stay away from chocolate and salt, take a nice hot bath and go straight to bed.
But on the way home she picked up a bag of cheese popcorn, three chocolate-filled doughnuts and a videocassette of Dr. Zhivago.
After taking a hot bath she put on her oldest flannel nightgown and planted herself on the sofa with the popcorn, a doughnut and the remote control. A third of the way through the movie she started bawling.
About the time she reached for the tissues, the doorbell rang. She quickly blew her nose and ran to the door. Peeking through the window, she swore.
Sara cracked the door open. She didn’t want to invite him in. “Hi, Daniel. Did you get my message?”
“Yeah.” His voice was dark and confrontational. “Troy said you were tired of me.”
Sara fought a surge of frustration. “I didn’t say I was tired of you. I just said I was tired.”
“Are you gonna let me in?”
Daniel’s hair and suede jacket were wet, and he looked as if he had every intention of camping on her doorstep if she didn’t invite him in. She sighed and swung open the door.
Emanating displeasure, he stepped in and stood in the hallway for several moments, not saying a word. Sara’s sniff broke the silence, and he studied her face. “Have you got a cold?”
She sniffed again, imagining the sight he beheld. Her eyes would be bloodshot, her nose red and her skin splotchy. “No. I always cry when I watch Dr. Zhivago.”
“You’ve been crying!” He was obviously horrified.
“Yes. Daniel, this isn’t a good night for me. I’m worn out and I don’t really feel like—” she waved her hand, searching for the right word “—entertaining.”
His brow furrowed. “You don’t have to entertain me. We don’t have to go to bed every time we get together, either.” He looked slightly abashed. “We can talk.”
Sara pushed her hair back from her face, wishing she weren’t having this conversation. “Due to natural technical difficulties, I won’t be going to bed with you for the next few days.”
He was silent for a while. She saw exactly when the light dawned.
A look of discomfort flitted across his face. Then he shrugged. “Carly used to get cramps and yell or cry a lot.”
“So what did you do?”
“I gave her a hot-water bottle and a hug.”
Warmth flooded her at the thought. “That was nice.”
He shrugged again. “You’ve got cramps?”
Sara shook her head. “Backache and tears. Not a stellar night, so I’m sure you’ll understand if I don’t—”
“How about a back rub and a hug?”
She blinked. He’d disarmed her. “I, uh…” She was at a loss. “This isn’t going to be all that enjoyable.”
“It’s okay, Sara. I just want to be with you.”
His simple declaration touched her deeply. She felt her throat tighten and her eyes brim with tears. “Oh, damn you,” she wailed. “Who needs Dr. Zhivago with you around?”
“Come here.”
“I don’t think so.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
He came toward her and drew her stiff body into his arms. He felt so good, his clean, musky scent conjuring up memories of the nights they’d shared. She was overwhelmed and overcome, so it shouldn’t have been any big surprise when she burst out crying.
He carried her to the sofa and handed her a tissue.
Sara collected herself and blew her nose. “This is so humiliating.”
Calmly ignoring her embarrassment, Daniel took off his jacket. “If you lie on your stomach, I can start that back rub.”
Sara acquiesced, burying her head in a pillow.
“Upper or lower?” She felt the sofa dip as he sat on it.
“Lower,” she murmured.
At the first, firm touch of his hands, she moaned.
“Good?”
“Yessss.”
For several minutes he continued to knead the small of her back. Although the massage felt wonderful, Sara felt compelled to protest. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I know.”
“Daniel—”
“Sara, relax. That’s all I’m asking from you tonight. You don’t have to be sexy, cute or even too polite. Just relax.”
And in spite of herself she did.
After Daniel finished the back rub, he pulled her beside him and wrapped his arm around her. “Do you remember the first time you heard about the birds and the bees?”
Sara nodded. “One of my foster parents gave me a short, vague explanation, but I didn’t get all the details until health class in seventh grade. What about you?”
Daniel rubbed his chin against her hair and smiled. “My mother always wanted to be a country-music star.”
“Really? My mother wanted to be a Rockette.”
They looked at each other and laughed.
“My mother was always making up these crazy songs that didn’t rhyme. When it came time to have ‘the talk,’ she made up a song that described the reproductive process from beginning to end.” Daniel chuckled again. “To the tune of ‘Amazing Grace.’”
Sara stared at him. “I don’t believe you.”
Daniel raised his hand as if he were on the witness stand. “I kid you not. I’d swear on a Baptist hymnal.”
“What did your father do?”
“My father adored my mother. He would have done just about anything for her, but this was one time when he drew the line. After she sang it to me, he told her that he would take care of ‘the talk’ from then on. And he told me just to forget I’d ever heard Mama’s little song.”
“Bet you remember it.”
“Word for word. It was…unforgettable.”
“She must have been wonderful.”
Daniel nodded, absently stroking Sara’s hair. “She was very passionate about everything she did. She wasn’t one for half measures. It was tough for all of us when she died. I used to think it was worst for Carly. She was so little, and she stuttered for a long time after Mama died.” He paused, deep in thought.
“But it was worst for my father. It was like someone turned out the light and nothing could turn it on again. I felt sorry for the woman he remarried, even though she could be mean as hell.”
Daniel made a face. “Eunice was always on Garth about something.”
His family was more important to him than he probably realized, Sara thought, hearing the intensity in Daniel’s voice. “What about you?”
“Eunice didn’t mess with me. I was old enough, and after Dad died, the farm passed on to me.” There was strength and confidence in his voice. Sara imagined a younger Daniel with all that confidence and understood why Eunice had never attempted to usurp his position. “She moved out when Carly was sixteen. I sent her money every month until she died.”
“At one time or another I imagine all of your brothers and Carly have looked to you when they needed something. It’s amazing that you kept everything together.”
Daniel shook his head. “I haven’t always come up with what they needed. Like with Garth—” He broke off, remembering a particularly tough period several years ago.
Sara hated seeing the pained expression on his face. “Who did Garth call when he and Erin had problems with the mare?”
“Me,” he admitted, and tugged her hair. “And you’ve heard enough about my family history tonight.”
Sara wasn’t sure she would ever hear enough.
Daniel fascinated her. Everything she learned about him made her want to know more.
“Did your mother ever go to New York to audition for the Rockettes?” he asked.
“Not that I know of. She stayed in that same little town in Minnesota most of her life. If she hadn’t had me, maybe…”
“Did she ever say that?” he asked in a low voice.
Sara hesitated. “Daniel, I don’t have any cute little stories about songs my mother made up. She was young, alone and confused. I think she wanted to put me up for adoption, but something inside her wouldn’t let her. And after all these years I’m not sure if that would have been better or not. I was jerked from one foster home to hers for a little while and back to a different foster home. I would have loved to have had one home, one person I could have been sure of, but there wasn’t anyone. Stability will always be important to me. I think that’s why I got…” She winced, unsure if she wanted to reveal anymore.
“Married?”
Sara nodded. “I found out there’s a difference between physical stability and emotional stability. Big difference,” she murmured.
Daniel paused for a moment, watching different emotions flow across her face. He wished he knew what stirred those emotions. He wished he knew so much more about Sara. “What was he like?”
“He was older, a lawyer with grown children from his first marriage. He seemed lonely.” She gave a faint smile in remembrance, and Daniel felt a pinch in his gut. “I wouldn’t go out with him at first, but he was so nice about it that I felt guilty. In the beginning he was easy to be with. I felt comfortable with him, and he didn’t place any demands on me. When he asked me to marry him, I thought I’d feel secure. And I did, in a way, that first year.”
“But something changed after the first year,” he concluded, because she didn’t look happy.
Sara pressed her lips together. “Yes. He found out about some of my background and—”
Within his arms Sara tensed, and Daniel could feel her distress. He frowned in confusion. “About your mother?”
“Yes.” She hesitated and continued. “He also found out from a colleague about another relationship I’d been involved in several years ago before I even met him. He was terribly embarrassed and felt betrayed. Before he was killed in a car accident, I think he was considering a divorce.” She cleared her throat, and Daniel could hear the defeat in her voice. “That last year wasn’t much fun. He didn’t want to be around me.” She bit her lip and looked away. “He wouldn’t touch me.”
Sara must have been devastated. She was someone who craved physical closeness, and Daniel was more than happy to accommodate her need. He tightened his arms around her. “I don’t think I would have liked your husband.”
“He was a good man, Daniel, well respected by everyone both professionally and personally. He just couldn’t handle that I was—”
“Warm, beautiful and human. He wanted a woman with a pedigree and a perfect past. In my opinion he got something better and didn’t know what to do with it.”
“Don’t.” Sara shook her head. Tears welled in her eyes. “Don’t make me into something I’m not. Don’t make us into something we’re not. I’m the wild woman, and this is your crazy, passionate affair. Don’t ever forget that.” She drew in a deep breath. “Ever.”