“Shut up, Dustin.” Kissing him, she led him to the bed that he had made, tugging him down. Toeing her shoes off, she then knelt at his feet, taking his boots off.
“Do you love me, Dustin?”
He told her the truth. “More than the air I breathe.”
Jessie gave a sweet smile that he felt in his soul.
“If I lived a thousand lifetimes, in a thousand different bodies, you would steal my heart every damn single time.”
“I would?”
“You would,” he told her.
“You said something before you left to go home about me breaking your heart.” She started to unbutton his shirt, parting it when she reached the end.
Dustin gave her the partial truth. “You broke my heart every time I looked at you but couldn’t have you.”
Jessie took his hat off that he had put on before jumping out the window, tossing it aside. “Mr. Porter, you sure know how to sweet-talk a woman.”
Taking her by the arms, he fell back to the bed, pulling her over him. “I love you, Jessie.”
“I love you, Dustin.”
Dustin had kissed so many women he had lost count long ago, but he could remember every single detail of the few they had shared.
Jessie was playful and sensuous, arousing a passion in him that only she could quench. She brought out carnal longings that had him wanting to rip her clothes off and fuck her until she screamed for mercy.
Turning her until her head lay on the pillow, he shrugged out of his shirt before moving to her side to stare down tenderly into her face.
He wanted the shade of hazel ingrained into his memory, as well as the way she was staring back at him—her love shining out of their depths, her lips begging for his. The beguiling expression on her face showed no fear or hesitation.
Unbuttoning her pajama top, he watched for any reaction that she would want him to stop. Helping her rise, he took it off before gently easing her back down.
Placing a kiss on each of her strawberry-colored nipples, he rose to his knees to slide her bottoms off, seeing the tiny green panties. He didn’t take his eyes off hers as he slid them down her hips, laying them on the rest of her clothes.
Moving back up to her side, he trailed a finger across her collarbone until he reached the brown leather cord, hooking it over his finger to raise the beads from her chest.
“I see that Holt found some more.”
“He didn’t. I did.”
Dustin counted them. She had eight beads on the cord.
“You find them at the same spot he did?”
“Yes.”
Studying the small beads, he narrowed his eyes, making out miniature designs on them. “I wonder what they were used for?”
“Some of the beads were used for trade, but those were glass, and the government commissioned them from Italy. These are just clay. I think they were used for ornaments to sew on their clothes.”
“I was such a dick back then. I regretted it as soon as I did it.”
“I hope you’re not expecting me to give them to you again. I’ve gotten used to wearing them.”
He shook his head at her. “I don’t expect anything from you that you don’t want to give me.”
Jessie placed a fingertip at the pulse beating at the base of his throat. “What are you thinking about? Your heart is beating like a hammer.”
“I’m thinking about how much I want you, and I don’t want to scare you.”
“I’m not scared. I don’t remember anything he did to me—thank God. At first, it almost made me crazy, but now I hope I never remember. I know you, Holt, or Knox will find out who did it, but I’m not going to live my life afraid anymore. I’m not going to let him scar my soul, and I’m not going to let it spoil our first time together thinking about him. Okay?”
“It’s more than okay for me. The only memories I want on your mind are the ones that we’re going to make tonight.”
She teasingly licked her lips. “Are they going to be good?”
“Baby, they’re going to blow your mind.”
Dustin went slowly, kissing her until she was clinging to his shoulders. Then, covering her body with his, he had to grit his teeth to keep from coming in his jeans when her breasts cushioned his chest.
“Lord, have mercy,” he groaned, nuzzling the side of her neck. Dragging his lips to the cleft between her breasts, he turned his head to the side to glide over the mound of her breast to her strawberry-colored nipple. Twirling his tongue along the peak, he then sucked the tender bud between his teeth.
As she arched under him, he had to start counting backward to remain in control. He didn’t want to take her in a frenzy of heated need. He wanted to introduce her to lovemaking gently before showing her the wanton woman she could be under his hands. For now, he would entice her with words, kisses, and gentle touches. When she became more comfortable with making love, he would show her the lust that would have her begging him for the release he could give her.