Cowboys are Forever (18 page)

Marielle stared back at him. Her heart thudded and her blood began a slow pounding in her veins. She felt that she stood at the edge of some tremendously important turning point in her life. Now, if she took that one last step, there would be no going back. She studied the man who faced her, taking in every detail of his features … his coal black hair, dark brown eyes, firm, sensuous lips, the angle of his masculine jaw where that telltale muscle twitched.

She’d tried so hard to ignore her own attraction to him, fought to subdue her feelings, told herself all the reasons why he was not for her. But as she studied him, this special man who’d come into her life and given it new meaning … she felt something happen deep inside her. The hope in her heart she’d tried to suppress was opening up and unfolding like the tightly furled petals of a flower opening its face to the warmth of the sun. She exhaled slowly, a deep, trembling sigh. Then she took that last step.

As Marielle came into his arms, Trey crushed her to him fiercely. He’d seen the answer to his unspoken question in her gorgeous green eyes. His hands roamed her pliant body feverishly and she melted into him, murmuring soft sounds of encouragement. He kissed her, thrusting his tongue urgently into her hot, wet mouth. She arched against him, raking her fingernails across his shoulders and whimpering small cries of pleasure.

His groin throbbed, aching with the need to satisfy his desire. He cupped both hands around her full bottom and pressed her to him tightly, wanting her to feel his almost painful arousal. Then, he suddenly swept her up in his arms and strode toward the bedroom. He set her down and began stripping off his clothes, as she pulled her long nightgown over her head and stepped out of it. He was thrilled that her impatience matched his own. They’d waited long enough, he thought, catching his breath in wonder at the sight of Marielle, naked in the moonlight.

A full moon shone through the window of her bedroom, casting its light on the breathtaking woman who stood in front of him, clothed only in its slivery glow. He paused and simply looked at her, marveling at her beauty.

Her perfect body glimmered with porcelain whiteness. Her auburn hair tumbled around her cream shoulders and the peaks of her full breast stood up proudly, rosy-tipped and tantalizing. His eyes moved downward to her slender waist and lushly rounded hips. The nest of auburn curls at the mysterious vee of her womanhood, those impossibly long legs … .then back up to her incredible eyes, sparkling like jewels in the pale oval of her face. Her eyes beckoned him, enticed him. In their gleaming depths he saw a promise of ultimate pleasure … unending happiness … .everything he’d ever wanted; forever. He seized her hungrily, and pulled her down onto the featherbed, eager for forever to begin.

Marielle felt faint with pleasure and anticipation. Trey’s lean, muscled body rose above hers and she was breathless at the sight of his masculine beauty. Every inch of him was firm, solidly powerful male. She guided him to her, patient, wanting to feel him inside her … .filling the emptiness that cried out for the release that only he could provide. She cried out as he entered her, rose to him, urging him to bury himself deeply inside her. He groaned hoarsely as she rocked beneath him, shuddering with pleasure. Placing his hands beneath her writhing hips, Trey slowed his thrusts and whispered words of passion into her neck.

His hot breath on her skin drove Marielle into an even greater frenzy of need and desire. Accelerating the pace, craving release from the nearly unbearable sexual hunger surging though her body, she refused to be denied any long … and swept Trey along with her. As their bodies fused in the white-hot heat of fulfillment, she cried out his name.

Much later, toward morning, Marielle woke to find Trey propped on one elbow, regarding her lazily. He smiled at her tenderly. “Morning, tigress,” he said, a twinkle in his dark eyes. She grinned, then stretched and yawned luxuriously. Her skin still tingled from their lovemaking and her body felt pleasantly tired. All in all, she decided happily, she felt wonderful.

“Is it morning already?” she asked. “I thought that I only dozed off for a little while,” She smiled suggestively at Trey.

After their first heated lovemaking, they’d exchanged pillow talk and then embarked on another, slower round. Marielle felt deliciously sated. Trey was everything she’d ever fantasized about in a lover.

She’d laughed when he had admitted to being jealous of Ben Connor. Trey had been mollified by her firm denial of anything going on between herself and the forest ranger. Marielle felt gratified that Trey was a little territorial about her. She wouldn’t want a man who’d make her miserable with endless accusations and unfounded jealousy. But the fact that he displayed some possessiveness and was actually afraid of losing her to another man just showed her that she was important to him.

As he was to her, she thought now, studying the handsome face so close to hers. The shadow of a beard on his firm jaw only made him more rakishly attractive, she decided. He learned toward her and that shadow of a beard prickled her face delightfully as he kissed her. She almost purred with contentment.

“Actually, Mari,” he told her, his hands beginning a slow exploration of her body, “it isn’t quite morning yet. That’s why I woke you up, because this night isn’t finished yet. And until it is … .” He drawled, “neither am I.”

Marielle floated around the house the next morning on a cloud of bliss. Last night in Trey’s arms she’d felt a sense of utter wholeness, as though she’d found the elusive happiness that had been missing her entire life … and now she was complete. What an idiot she’d been, she reproached herself cheerfully, amazed in retrospect at her own stupidity. How could she have ever been afraid that love would take something away from her, or somehow make her less than she had been before?

Samantha had been right—it
was
shocking what love could do. And Marielle was in love with Trey. She knew now that she’d been falling steadily in love with him from the moment they’d met. She felt like hugging herself with joy over her unbelievably good fortune.

Marielle believed he loved her right back. When he’d left this morning, he’d said that he had something important to talk to her about. A small, secretive smile played at the corners of her lips. She felt that she already knew what he wanted to talk about.

If anyone had told her a month ago that she’d be eagerly awaiting a proposal of marriage, she’d have laughed. Now, here she was, ready to take that leap of faith and join her life with Trey’s … no longer afraid.

Trey whistled softly as he sat at his desk in his home office. His thoughts were full of Marielle … my Mari, he told himself with a thrill of possessive pride. He couldn’t believe now that he’d been such an idiot about her at first. Only a fool would have had any reservations about a woman like her. She was perfect.

Trey grinned broadly.
Nearly
perfect, he qualified, and chuckled fondly. She really did have a knack for getting herself into trouble. But he didn’t mind. He’d gladly make it his life’s work to rescue Marielle from whatever zany situation she got her beautiful self into. If she’d let him.

He leaned back in his chair, his expression sobering. What if she didn’t want him? After all, he was far from perfect himself. He had a good spread up here, made a good living by his standards, and was perfectly happy up here in these mountains. But would it seem like enough to Mari?

She had probably been used to more sophisticated guys back there in New York. She’d made brief mention of some man who’d dumped her when she lost her job at that publishing company. Trey scowled fiercely. In his opinion, she sure hadn’t lost anything there. But maybe she didn’t feel that way. Maybe she still carried a torch for that fellow.

No, he decided. No way. He knew his Mari well enough by now to know that she couldn’t have taken him to her bed last night and made such passionate love to him unless she cared for
him—
Trey. She loved him. He was sure of that. They hadn’t talked about their feelings for each other last night. He smiled. They hadn’t had much time for talking. But their bodies had spoken the age-old language of love to each other.

Marielle loved him. Now he had to work on overcoming the aversion she seemed to have toward marriage. He’d just have to convince her that being married didn’t have to be bad—that it wouldn’t be bad for them and that, in fact, it was a good thing. The two of them spending the rest of their lives together … living, laughing, loving together … the way it was supposed to be.

He really couldn’t understand why she was so dead set against it, he thought, puzzled. Then he laughed as the irony of it struck him: just a short while ago,
he
was the one that was doggedly determined never to take that walk down the aisle again.

Now, for the life of him, he couldn’t remember why.