A huge grin lit up his face. “Thank you. Now wait here and I’ll come get you when I’m ready.” Then he took off through the kitchen as though he was worried he’d change his mind. He called over his shoulder, “And don’t you dare touch those dishes. Why don’t you finish off the wine?”
I sat back down and poured the last bit into my glass, looking out into the now-dark yard. Fireflies floated through the yard, their lights blinking sporadically, making Jed’s yard look magical. I closed my eyes and imagined a life with him here—sitting together on the porch swing, picnicking in the yard out back, cuddled up on a sofa watching TV, cooking in the kitchen—it filled me with such contentment. I imagined him coming home from the garage, sweeping me into his arms and kissing me the way he’d just done, and I wanted that life more than I’d ever wanted anything in all my born days.
I was so lost in thought that I should have been startled when he gently slipped his hand over my shoulder, but it felt right.
I covered his hand with mine and glanced back at him.
“What were you thinkin’ about?” he asked as he walked around and knelt in front of me.
I could have been coy. I could have held back lest I scare him away, but Jed had been talking about long term, so I would too. “You,” I said softly. “Us.”
He grinned up at me. “And?”
“I love your new house. I can see us being happy here.”
He looked relieved, then pulled me to my feet.
“When I look at you, I see forever, Jed,” I admitted. “That scares me.”
He didn’t say a word, just held my hand and led me upstairs, pausing in front of his closed bedroom door. Then he lifted his hand to my face and stared lovingly into my eyes. “I realize that I’ve hurt you by not sleepin’ with you, and I’m sorry. But so many men have taken advantage of you.”
A new horror washed through me. What if Jed couldn’t bring himself to sleep with me because I’d been raped? What if that freaked him out so much he didn’t want to touch me?
His gaze narrowed. “Sunshine, whatever is runnin’ through that creative mind of yours, just reel it back in and make it heel. Let me finish.”
“Okay.”
“Man after man has used you. They’ve hurt you in the most brutal way.” His eyes darkened. “I want to rip them limb from limb for daring to lay eyes on you, let alone touch you, but I can’t. The only thing I’ve known to do is treat you with the respect you were owed by those men. The respect you are owed by any man, but especially me.” He paused. “I didn’t want you to just sleep with me, Neely Kate. I want you to know that I will always treat you with respect and love.”
“Jed, you do.”
“I didn’t want to sleep with you until I could tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that I love you, and hopefully give you time to catch up. You deserve a man who respects you enough to wait. To treat you like the precious gift you are.” He stared down at me with love and adoration. “I love you, Neely Kate Rivers. I’ve been waitin’ my whole life for you. Waitin’ a month to sleep with you was nothing.”
Tears stung my eyes. “Say it again.”
He grinned. “I love you, Neely Kate. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to marry you and make you mine.”
My elation dampened. “I’m still married, Jed. I can’t marry you.”
“We’ll track down the bastard and get him to sign the papers,” he said, as though it was as easy as going to the grocery store to buy milk. “But that’s not gonna stop me from loving you now. Ceremony or not, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
His face radiated with happiness and he pushed open the door. “Now let me show you.”
Chapter 22
Jed had set multiple candles around the room, their flickering flames serving as the only light. The soft music playing felt like an invitation, and I stepped in, taking it all in. His brown and beige bedspread had been removed from the bed, now replaced by a white blanket and a pile of white pillows.
I looked up at him with a questioning look. “When? How?”
He laughed. “It wasn’t easy. I never expected you to come over until I brought you here, and I was sure you would see the bags in the closet.”
I walked to the foot of the bed. “I saw them but never thought a thing about them. You didn’t have to do all of this.”
“I wanted our first time to be special,” he said as he followed me in.
“More special than you tellin’ me you waited to say you loved me first?” I shook my head. “Jed…”
“I’ve wanted to sleep with you for months, but I knew I had to wait.” A hungry look filled his eyes. “But we’re done waitin’.” He paused and held my gaze. “Unless you’ve changed your mind. You’re in control tonight, Neely Kate. You’re callin’ all the shots.”
“I haven’t changed my mind. I want you even more.” I gave him a mischievous grin. “So I tell you to take off your shirt, you’ll do it?”
He reached for the knot of his tie. “Just say the word.”
I walked over to him and gently brushed his hands away, then captured his face with my palms. “Let me get one last look at you all dressed up.”
He laughed. “We can dress up again. I can take you to Shreveport. Or Little Rock.”
I tilted my head. “While this was fun, and I definitely want to do this again, I don’t think we’re dress-up-very-often kind of people.”
“What about that fundraiser dinner tomorrow night?” he asked in surprise. “You were all excited about bein’ high society.”
“I wanted Joe to not be ashamed to call me his sister, and he proved that he wasn’t ashamed when he introduced me as his sister to all those sheriff deputies.” I shrugged. “It doesn’t feel as important as it did before.” I reached up and kissed him. “I was lookin’ for a family, Jed. I’ve found that with Rose. I’ve found that with you.”
He slowly slipped an arm around my back and gently tugged me to his chest. “Don’t forget you’re callin’ the shots. You’re in total control.”
I knew what he was doing. It was another gift from this amazing man who didn’t have a selfish bone in his body as far as I was concerned. “Show me how much you love me, Jed.”
“Gladly.” He kissed me, soft and gentle. I wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to him, demanding more, which he willingly gave. His hand lifted to the back of my head, pulling me closer, as his other hand slid up my back to find my zipper.
I stepped back, dislodging his hand, and he watched me with a mixture of patience and desire. “I want to undress you first.”
He grinned, holding his hands out at his sides. “I’m yours to undress.”
I closed the distance between us again and reached for his tie, loosening the knot, then tugging it over his head and tossing it on the floor. “We don’t want to lose track of that. We might want to use it later.”
His eyes widened at that and his nostrils flared, and I wondered if Jed wanted to tie me up or be the one who was tied down. I didn’t dwell on it as I quickly undid the top button of his shirt, then stretched up to place a kiss at the base of his neck. His next two buttons followed, with my mouth blazing a trail down his chest to his perfectly rippled abs above the waistband of his pants.
“Can I touch you?” he asked in a raspy voice.
I smiled up at him. “Of course.” I dropped to my knees and unbuckled his belt, then unfastened the clasp of his pants, placing a kiss on the bare skin above his underwear.
He groaned and lifted a hand to the back of my neck, his fingertips gently caressing.
Smiling to myself, I slowly unzipped his fly, the bulge in his underwear springing into the gap. I placed a kiss on his underwear, working my way down to the bottom of the zipper. I reached up to his waistband and tugged down, sliding his pants over his hips and then pushing them down to his knees. I bent down and lifted his foot, slipping off his shoe and sock, then moved on to the other. Once I’d removed both shoes and socks, I tugged his pants to the floor, and he kicked them to the side.