Relief surging through her, and she leaned over to kiss him lightly on the forehead, her breasts teasing his mouth.
He pulled her closer, then brought her imprisoned hand down between their bodies for his own purposes. He was turgid and ready, which sent her hormones into overdrive.
He came into her carefully, as if mindful that he’d been rough a couple of times during the night, but she was wet and eager, arching up to receive him. Whatever Jase wanted from her, she would give.
Afterward, he kissed the palm of her hand again, which seemed to be a thing with him, and told her he loved her again. She wondered if he meant it or if that was just his way of expressing gratitude for the use of her body.
They spent what little remained of the morning in bed, playing and experimenting with each other, laughing and talking. Even a day before, Laurel could never have believed she’d feel so much at ease with a man. It was as if they’d been together forever.
“Your hair is soft as silk,” Jase said, weaving his fingers slowly through the sable strands and watching them fall back in place. She’d worn it the same way as a teenager, he remembered. Sixteen years ago, the style had looked sweet and wholesome, but now it looked incredibly sexy.
He moved his hand along the nape of her neck and traced the curve of her ear, enjoying the way she trembled in response.
“I thought you hated me.” His voice was a low-pitched whisper. In fact, he’d spent his last few days in Bosque Bend expecting to be thrown in jail before finally realizing Laurel hadn’t told anyone about their encounter.
Cold comfort. The shame of everyone knowing she’d been touched by Growler Red’s lunkhead son probably would have been even worse than what actually happened.
She looked at him in surprise. “I never hated you. I was in love with you, but I was too young for what you wanted back then.” She rolled over on her stomach and looked at him through coyly lowered lashes. “But I’m all grown up now.”
“So I’ve noticed,” he said, flashing her a wide grin, his mood completely changing. “Hey, this is Sunday morning, and you’ve missed church!” He gave her a playful slap on the rump. “What would your father say? And how will you explain this lapse to the church council?”
Laurel had a sudden vision of herself, wrapped in her fringed bedspread, standing in front of that august assemblage and solemnly explaining that she hadn’t attended services because she’d been rollicking in bed with the historically notorious Jase Redlander all morning. Not that she went to church any more, of course. That avenue of comfort had been rather definitely closed to her. God might be merciful, but his earthly representatives were more circumspect.
Jase leaned back against his pillow, folding his hands behind his head. “You were old enough for love, but not for sex.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Damn, that’s something I talk to Lolly about all the time. I guess all of a father’s past sins come back to haunt him when he has his own children.” He turned toward Laurel. “Except for your father, of course.”
Her eyelids widened slightly, but she didn’t flinch. She even managed a slight smile. “My father—of course.”
“He gave Maxie and me twenty-five hundred dollars to get a start in Dallas,” Jase continued, looking into space. “It was a godsend, enough to support Lolly when she arrived.”
“I’m glad.” Generosity was one of Daddy’s best traits. Unfortunately not all the people to whom he gave money put it to such good use as Jase and Maxie.
His brows drew together at the memory. “Taking care of a baby was hard at first, and neither of us could give her a lot of time. Maybe that’s the reason Lolly’s so headstrong now. Maxie says first we neglected her, then we spoiled her, but we did the best we could.”
“I think she’s darling,” Laurel protested, reaching out to twist a clump of his chest hair into a ringlet. “And most teenagers are headstrong. They’re trying their wings, and sometimes they fly, sometimes they flop.”
He claimed her hand and took it to his mouth for a kiss. “I remember how you were, and I always wanted her to be just like you.”
“Was that the reason you gave her my name?”
Jase looked embarrassed. “So, she told you about that.” He moved his hands in a gesture of apology. “I guess I shouldn’t have hijacked your name, but I never thought you and Lolly would meet.” His eyebrows went up in question. “Are you…offended?”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Of course not. I’m honored. But you know that’s one of the reasons she thought I was her mother.”
“Yeah. She went through that damn annual and found your picture.”