A Wanton Woman (Mail Order Bride of Slate Springs 1)

I nodded.

He smiled then and the harsh edges he bore the night before were gone. “Good. You had a long trip and if you weren’t weary enough from that, Luke certainly wore you out.”

I flushed then and he grinned broadly, as he brushed one finger across my collarbones.

“You turn pink when you’re embarrassed. Everywhere.”

I looked away from his mesmerizing eyes. “Where’s Luke?”

His hand stilled. “Are you afraid of me?”

“No. I just… wondered.”

Walker sighed. “He had an errand to run but will be back soon.” He glanced over his shoulder to the window. “The weather is fair again today, but there are clouds over the mountains, which means it’s snowing up there. While I wanted to stay at least a day, if not two, with you in this bed, we need to get home.”

My mind cleared then and I remembered Carl Norman. “Oh!”

I tried to move away from Walker, but he didn’t shift. Big as he was, I wouldn’t be able to get up unless he let me. The idea of him keeping me in bed—of wanting me beneath him—was quite nice, for John had never even held me. Not once. But the longer we remained in Denver, the chance of Carl finding me grew. While I couldn’t be sure he would follow through with his threats, I couldn’t ignore them. I had to keep moving. The sooner we were in Slate Springs and the pass closed behind us, the better.

“Yes, we should hurry.”

Walker moved his arm and I pushed up and slid to the side of the bed. Sitting up, I realized I had no covers, no way to shield myself except to tug the sides of Luke’s shirt together, but it still gaped open. While he’d seen me the night before, naked and beneath Luke, the morning light hid nothing.

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that Walker hadn’t moved, just remained relaxed and comfortable as he watched me. While he had a gleam in his eye that indicated interest, he was not making any kind of advances. He did not seem the least bit bothered by waking up with a woman he barely knew.

“You seem quite at ease. Is this something you do often?” I bit my lip as soon as the words escaped, for they were sharply barbed and not deserved.

Walker’s eyes narrowed, but he did not offer any other indication that he was bothered. He studied me quietly for some time, long enough for me to want to squirm under the intensity of it.

“Jealous, doll?”

My mouth fell open. “What? No! I shouldn’t have said… I mean it was… let me up.”

“I am not keeping you in bed.”

“Yes, but I need more than Luke’s shirt.”

“I’d rather you didn’t cover yourself at all, for you are quite lovely. Ah, the blush again.” He smiled softly and I refused to look down at my chest where I knew it was turning as pink as my cheeks. “I was no virgin coming into this marriage, and neither were you. We have both been married before. I have vowed to be true to you and I will, but we can’t make the past go away. What I did before you is of no consequence.”

I sighed and studied him. He was not apologizing for any women he’d been with before, for he had no reason to do so. He was correct. What he did before my arrival was of no consequence. He was also correct in that my shrewish questioning was out of jealousy.

“I’m sorry.” It was simple, but enough, for he nodded.

“To answer your question, I am at ease because I am happy. I find I am enjoying being married again very much.”

“But we haven’t… I mean—”

“Fucked?” he asked. “You had no problem with the word last night, doll.” He tugged gently on the tail of Luke’s shirt, but not hard enough to pull it from my grasp. It was enough for me to know he could easily strip me bare, and more than with words. “Say it.”

“Fucked,” I murmured.

“Good girl. We will fuck soon enough,” he vowed. “And I enjoyed sleeping with you in my arms. Did Luke not please you?”

I pursed my lips. “You have forced my hand. How can I deny that he did? How can I deny that I didn’t enjoy it?”

His grin returned. “And yet you are afraid that I will find you… what?”

“A whore,” I whispered, looking away.