Outlaw Hearts(156)

The first time he took her, it had hurt so much that she had cried. Lloyd had been deeply worried, and she could see that worry in his eyes now as he hesitated.

“I don’t want to hurt you again, Beth.”

“It must get better,” she answered. She reached down and gently grasped him. “I’m not afraid.” She touched him out of purely innocent wonder, moved her hand over his hard muscles, felt his nipples. Her beautiful eyes were glazed with desire.

Lloyd looked down at her slender body, her full, firm breasts, her satiny white skin. Could there be any more pleasure for a man than drinking in the nakedness of a beautiful woman whom he loved with great passion? God, how he had hated hurting her that first time, but he could not keep from doing this, any more than he could keep from breathing. Her slender thighs were parted, the silky blond hairs of her love nest inviting. He touched it first, toyed with her until she gasped and he felt her sweet juices on his fingers. He leaned down to taste at her nipples, then pushed himself inside her, muffling her cries with a hot kiss. The way she returned that kiss told him there was no pain this time, only ecstasy. To his surprise and pleasure she arched up to him in a natural rhythm, driving him wild with a new boldness she had not shown the first time. He thrust himself deep inside her, excited that he was pleasing her so. His life spilled into her too soon, for he had done nothing but dream about doing this again ever since that first time.

He released his kiss, panting with emotion. “Just stay there,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I came so fast. Just give me a minute.” He studied her blue eyes, seemingly glazed with desire. “Was it better this time?”

“It was wonderful,” she answered, her lips looking a deeper pink, her breathing coming hard. “I want to stay here and do this all day. I love you so much, Lloyd. When we’re together I like to pretend time has stopped, and the day will never come when we have to be apart.” She leaned up and kissed hungrily at his lips.

He had wanted so badly to tell his father about that first experience, but there was something so beautiful and sacred about it that he hadn’t even been able to tell the one person in whom he had always confided, and who he trusted beyond measure. Besides, he wasn’t sure his father would understand. Jake had not fallen in love and married until he was thirty years old. Lloyd had always been too bashful to ask, but he could not help wondering if his father had learned about this in his early years through prostitutes, or if there had been some other love for him before his mother came along. If so, who was she, and what had happened? There were still things about his father’s past that seemed a kind of blur, but he had given up asking.

For the moment, it was all just a quick, passing thought. For the moment there was only Beth, sweet, trusting, beautiful Beth, who had been his friend for as long as he could remember, who was now his lover and would one day be his wife. Maybe they should have waited for this, but their passion was too intense, their desire to know they belonged only to each other too strong.

They made love a second time, more slowly this time. He discovered he enjoyed moving in teasing ways that seemed to heighten her passion, and together they learned the glorious wonders of being man and woman.

Again his life surged into her, and he came closer, folding her into his arms and pulling a blanket over them both. “We’d better be careful, or you’ll be sunburned in places you shouldn’t be,” he teased.

She snuggled against his shoulder. “This place will always be so special to me, Lloyd. For the rest of my life, no matter what happens, I will remember how it was here that I became a woman and first lay with the man I love. It almost makes me want to cry.”

“I’ll always remember it too. We’ll have good memories to take with us when we have to be apart. We’ll write every day. It will be like my mother says about my pa when he’s gone. She says they’re together in thought and dreams and in the heart. She says they’re never really apart.”

“That’s how I feel about you. We were friends for so long before we were lovers. We understand each other, Lloyd. It’s like we’re one person.”

“We are one person.”

He rolled on top of her again, and she studied the handsome face, traced her fingers over his lips. “I’ll wait forever for you, Lloyd. Promise me you’ll wait for me too.”

“You know I will. I don’t know why you even ask.” He smoothed some of her hair back from her face and kissed her tenderly. “One more time,” he whispered. “We can’t stay much longer. You’d better get back before they come looking for you.”