Restless Heart (15 page)

Sam smiled at her, his face aching from one end to the other. “I love you, Angel.”

The world seemed to stop, a moment suspended in time as she opened her mouth to speak. Sam’s entire life was there in front of him, caught in a single second as he waited for her.

“I love you too, Sam.”

Disregarding his soreness, his exhaustion, and his bruises, Sam hauled her close to him and captured her mouth in a kiss. His heart beat so damn hard, he thought it might just jump out of his chest.

She loved him
.

This was a defining moment in his life, when the rest of his future was decided. Angeline had made her choice and he could have danced on the roof, he was so excited to be the one she chose.

He forced himself to ease back, releasing her mouth. She stared at him, her gaze full of wonder. Sam felt the same wonder coursing through him.

“Let’s get that bath ready for you.” Angeline broke their connection, getting to her feet and heading for the stove.

“I’ll help you.”

“No.” Her voice was firm enough to stop him from rising from the chair. “I’ll do it. Just sit there and let me do what I need to do.”

Sam didn’t know what Angeline was thinking, but he respected her enough to do as she told him. He was tired enough to appreciate it too, even if he felt as if he could run to Texas and back after her declaration of love.

She moved efficiently, dumping each hot water bucket into the tub. Then she used the pump in the sink to fill each one with cool water from the well. By the time the third bucket of cold water was in the tub, he was more than impressed with her strength. Angeline was much stronger than she appeared.

“Now let’s get you undressed.” Angeline turned her attention to him. She removed his boots and socks, then set them aside.

Sam got to his feet and simply watched as she undressed him. It was a sensual experience, although there was nothing sexual about it. She took off his shirt, her breath catching when she saw him in the full lamplight. Her fingers traced the saber wound in his side, then the bullet scar on his shoulder, and the bruises on his ribs.

Her gaze went to his. “You’ve survived a lot of pain.”

He took her hand and kissed the back. “I survived so I could find you.”

Tears filled her eyes as she leaned forward and kissed each of the marks on his body. Sam felt his own tears building and blinked them back. Angeline flattened her palm against his chest and his heart reacted by thumping against her small hand.

She reached for his trousers and unbuttoned them, sliding down the rest of his clothes until he was nude. Angeline stepped back and gazed at him, stopping at his leg where the other, larger saber scar shone against his skin.

Without asking questions, or showing him pity, thank God, she held out her hand and led him to the tub. Wisps of steam rose from the water as he stepped into the water. She kept a firm grip on his hand, steadying him so he could sink into the heavenly bath. Sam groaned as the hot water surrounded his tired muscles.

“You have no idea how good this feels.”

She smiled and reached for a clean rag and soap on the table. “I think I have an idea.”

Angeline washed him from head to foot, without any sexual overtone to her actions. It was a task born of love. With each stroke of the cloth, she told him how much she cared for him. He heard her loud and clear, although she never said a word.

Her nails scrubbed his scalp, washing the mud from his hair until it was squeaky clean. By the time he was done, the water was more gray than clear. She picked up a clean towel from the back of the chair and held it out for him. Sam rose from the water, feeling relaxed and content, something he hadn’t experienced in many years.

As he dried off and dressed, she dipped the buckets into the tub and one by one, emptied it until there was only a small amount of water left. Then she filled another bucket and put it on the stove to heat, more than likely to wash herself. When she started to drag the tub toward the back door, he stopped her.

“Let me do that.”

“I can empty the tub by myself, Sam. Don’t think I’m incapable.” She kept dragging it, grunting with each yank.

He put his hand over hers. “Honey, there’s nothing I don’t
think you’re capable of, but I want to do this. For you. Please.”

Her face was covered in a sheen of perspiration, her hair a mess of strands sticking to her cheeks. Sam thought her the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

“Okay, thank you.” She wiped her forehead on her sleeve and stepped back.

Sam kissed her, tasting her sweat, her sweetness, and her love. “Thank you, Angel.”

He was rewarded by her eyes twinkling with the same love he felt in his heart. Sam made quick work of the tub, leaving it standing upright on the back porch to dry. By the time he made it back inside, she was filling another basin with water.

“Is that for my father?”

She shook her head. “No, he washed up earlier. I fed him dinner and supper too. He told me lots of stories about you and your mother.”

“Really?” Sam’s father hadn’t told him stories about his mother except when he was not very lucid. After she died, he could hardly bear to hear a story much less tell one.

“Oh, yes. He even said I was the same size as she was.” She smiled at him. “He’s really very charming.”

“I’m glad you got to know each other. And thank you for taking care of him while I was, um, unable to.” Sam had relied on himself for so long, he felt odd asking for help. Yet with Angeline, it was different.

She tested the water on the stove again, and apparently decided it wasn’t quite ready yet.

Sam’s body began to heat, and not from the warmth of the bath. “This water is for you?”

She blushed and glanced down at her feet. That was a habit she had when she didn’t want to talk about something. Sam wasn’t going to let her get away with it. He chucked her under the chin until she looked up at him, meeting his gaze.

“I need to wash up.”

Sam’s heart thumped so hard, his cock hardened almost instantly. “Let me wash you.”

Angeline’s mouth turned cotton dry as she stared at Sam. His eyes were dark and wide in the lamplight, his half-dressed body tempting her to touch him. This time it would be as something other than as a nurse. She’d told him she loved him and she knew he loved her.

She knew he wanted to marry her, and Angeline wanted that too, so much so she could almost taste it. However, before she could experience pleasure with him again, she had to show him her scars. He’d allowed her to see all of his; he’d been vulnerable and open. Now it was her turn.

The warm kitchen encouraged her to be brave, to use that inner well of strength she’d been building over the last year. She stepped back and reached for the buttons on her blouse. His body jerked and she could clearly see the outline of his engorged cock in his trousers.

Angeline knew it was up to her—she controlled the situation rather than being the victim of someone else’s power. This time her hands were not shaking. This time she was not afraid to be the woman she’d become.

“Sit.”

He obeyed immediately, dropping to the chair, his gaze never leaving her body. She smiled as power surged through her. Angeline had never felt more alive.

First she removed the fossil from her pocket and set it on the table. It was one of her most precious possessions and she was never without it. Then she took off her shirt and skirt, laying them on the back of a chair. Her chemise hid much, but she wasn’t about to keep it on. It was time to show Sam everything. Before she pledged her life to his, she needed him to see exactly who she was.

Angeline turned her back to him and pulled the chemise and pantalettes off, exposing every inch of her skin. Each scar from the lash must have shone in the light. Her stomach
danced as she waited a full minute until she turned around. His smile had faded and instead she saw sympathy and fury.

“Did your supposed husband do that to you?”

“He could not perform as a man without inflicting pain. I could not refuse him or deny him. We all experienced the lash, each of us caring for the other afterward.” Angeline remembered Lettie sobbing softly as her wounds were cleaned and salve applied. Those were the only times she had ever seen her friend cry.

Angeline refused to cry, earning her more lashes from Josiah. She nearly died the last time he’d beaten her. It was the very reason she and Lettie had escaped, the impetus for her flight into the world. Into Sam’s life.

“Jesus, Angel, what did he do to you?” Sam reached out with a shaking hand and turned her. His hand ran down her back and buttocks with a gentle touch.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m no longer the same girl who accepted lashes for what she’d done or hadn’t done.” Angeline turned around, inches from his warm skin.

This was the moment when she would decide the rest of her life. She took his hand and put it on her breast. The nipple peaked against his skin.

“Marry me, Angel.”

It wasn’t the first time he’d asked, but it was the first time she was ready to say yes.

“Only if we can spend the rest of our lives making love.” She smiled through her tears.

“I think I can do that.” He pulled her closer until her body was pressed against his.

His lips lightly grazed hers. Angeline closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she shook with her awakening passion. Sam claimed her mouth with his and they were lost in a lovers’ kiss.

She hadn’t expected his lips to be so soft, yet so demanding. He kissed her hungrily, devouring her lips with his. Then
she felt his tongue. A delicious shiver ran straight down to her toes. He slowly licked her lips and then tickled his way inside her mouth. Her tongue answered his with bold strokes. He growled in his throat, deepening the kiss. Suddenly his arms were around her, crushing her breasts against his hard wall of a chest. Angeline stopped thinking about what she was doing and let her hands roam over him.

Her body was throbbing painfully as she moaned softly in his embrace. His right hand reached up for her breast and caressed the underside. Angeline caught her breath as his thumb felt the hardened nipple. Her mind reeling, she could think of nothing but the desire that was raging through her body.

This time was different, special, because they had pledged their lives to each other. Sam kissed each inch of exposed skin until she was breathing heavily. He lapped at her nipples, then bit each one gently.

Angeline moaned and swayed on her feet. “Please, Sam, please.” She didn’t know what she was asking for, but she knew she needed it and soon. Her body was familiar with his and craved his touch.

Sam scooped her into his arms and carried her to his bedroom, laying her down gently on the bed. He climbed up beside her and kissed her softly.

“My wife.”

It was as if they’d pledged their hearts and now their bodies. One soul, one heart. She felt tears prick her eyes as he slid into her.

“Oh, God, Sam.” She felt out of control, anxious to be his, to join with him and find that perfect moment.

He kissed her again as he began to thrust in and out, slowly at first, then faster and faster. She pulled her knees up, exposing herself to him completely.

“Oh, Angel.” Sam held her knees as he plunged in deeper and deeper, touching her very soul.

Angeline cried out as a powerful release hit her so suddenly,
she couldn’t form a coherent thought. Her mind scattered to the winds, like dandelion puffs. She scratched at his arms, pulling him down to her.

His mouth captured hers in a soul-searing kiss as he found his own release. She felt the tears as they fell, tears of joy, tears of a love found.

Angeline woke suddenly as if someone had clapped right in her face. She sat up, realizing she was in a strange bedroom. It took her a few moments to remember she was in Sam’s house, in his bed. She let out a sigh of relief and glanced around the dark room. It would be the first of many nights she would be with him, and she’d need to get used to where everything was.

A sharp smack from her left made her tumble out of the bed. Her hip slammed onto the hard wooden floor, stealing her breath. What had just happened? She shook off the impact of the fall and tried to figure out what was going on.

She heard a rustling on the bed and a moan. Angeline got up on her knees and peered over the top. Sam was tangled in the sheets, which had twisted around his leg while he thrashed.

He was having a nightmare.

Angeline got up and rubbed her hip, then walked around to the other side of the bed. On the small table, he’d left a glass of water next to the pitcher, along with a clean rag around the rim. She guessed it wasn’t the first nightmare he’d had, judging by the fact he had everything next to the bed rather than on the washstand at the other side of the room.

She didn’t want to wake him too abruptly, but she also didn’t want him to suffer any longer than necessary. Angeline leaned down and took his hand.

“Sam, wake up.”

He squeezed her hand so hard, she heard her bones rubbing together. She gasped at the pain and decided the quiet method wasn’t going to work.

“Sam! Wake up!” she shouted near his ear. “You’re hurting me, Sam. You need to wake up.”

He moaned and mumbled something that sounded like “Angel,” but he didn’t release her hand. She didn’t want to do anything to hurt him, but she couldn’t take the pain much longer.

Angeline pinched the skin between his shoulder and chest. Sam let go of her hand and sat up so fast, he knocked his head into hers. Angeline fell to the floor again, this time on her knees.

“Angel?” He sounded confused and uncertain, scared even.

“I’m here, Sam.” She leaned down and pressed her forehead against his.

His breath came in hot gusts as if he’d been running. Both his face and his body were covered in sweat; the acrid odor made her nose wrinkle.

“What happened?”

“I think you were having a bad dream, and I, um, had to wake you up so I pinched you.” Her hand still throbbed from the crushing grip he’d used.

“Did I hurt you?” He grabbed her sore hand and a cry of pain popped out of her mouth. “Oh, God, Angel, I hurt you. I’m so sorry.”