Blind Faith (24 page)

Tears seeped from her eyes when Will rolled onto his back then gathered her snugly to his side.  He didn’t ask why she was crying; he merely pulled her closer and gently wiped the tears away.  There was no need for words.  Will understood what he’d done, the gift he
had
given her.  Not just his heart, it was Serena’s
life
he’d given back to her.  The ugliness that had haunted her for so many years had been replaced by something far more powerful; the beauty of sharing herself with the man she loved.

Chapter 12

W
ill stared at the shadows dancing across the ceiling, physically spent but unable to sleep with his mind racing a thousand miles a minute.  Serena had fallen asleep over an hour ago with her head nestled on his shoulder and her slender body pressed close to his side.  He liked holding her like this.  He liked feeling her soft skin against his, the tickle of her long hair draped over his arm, the warmth of her breath on his chest.  But more than anything, he liked knowing he would wake in the morning and be able to make love to her again.

Maybe he wouldn’t even wait until morning.  Maybe he
would
let her sleep for a while longer then wake her.  That sounded like a much better plan than trying to sleep when he still wanted her so bad his whole body ached.  He’d never felt this way about any woman before, never felt such raw hunger and intense emotions all at the same time.  But then he’d never been in love before either.

There had been other women, of course.  It’s not as if he’d led a celibate life, but neither had he been the type to hop into bed with just anyone.  He’d known some fascinating women; some intelligent, some not so sharp, some extraordinarily beautiful, some with a more quiet grace.  But none of them had even come close to stirring the kind of passion that Serena did, and there had certainly never been this…fullness in his heart.  Or had he always been empty inside, and it had taken Serena’s love to make him feel whole?

Will knew the road ahead of them was going to be rough.  There would be opposition from McKinley, who would undoubtedly do her best to make sure her parents thought the worst of him.  But he
would
have Rose’s support, and as soon as he told Anthony and Sawyer that he was in love with Serena and wanted to marry her, Will was sure he
would
have their support too.  For Serena’s sake, he hoped McKinley would stop interfering and realize how futile it was to try to break them up. 

He had no desire to argue with the wretched woman every time they crossed paths, but what could he do?  She was so damned determined to skewer the truth, to cast suspicion on him every chance she got.  Because he
had
never shown any interest in her?  Because she was jealous of Serena?  Will didn’t think so.  Oh, he didn’t have any problem believing McKinley was vindictive
,
but there was more to it than that, and he was going to find out what it was if it killed him. 

His arms tightened around Serena.  There were still a lot of wounds to be healed, wounds that would have to be reopened before they could mend properly.  But it would happen when
Serena
was ready to confront her demons, when
she
chose to face her past, and not because McKinley decided to force it on her.   He felt fiercely protective of Serena, which made it that much harder to feel anything but contempt for her sister.

Shoving aside thoughts of McKinley in favor of something
much
more pleasurable, Will closed his eyes and relived the incredible experience of making love to Serena.  She’d been unsure of herself at first, a little frightened even.  Not of him, but of the way he made her feel.  That’s why he’d told her to undress him.  Letting Serena take total control of the situation allowed her to set the pace.  It had also given her the time she needed to overcome any lingering fear and reach a certain level of comfort.

Having to remain still while her soft hands stroked his chest had been damn
uncomfortable
for him, though.  All the endless nights he’d spent aching for her touch were nothing compared to the torture of just standing there while she explored his body.  Serena had no idea what she’d been doing to him, no concept of how hot she’d gotten him or how difficult it had been to take it slow once he started making love to her.

He could still hear those soft, throaty moans and the passion in her voice when she called out his name; the wild gasps, and finally, finally the rapturous cries when she climaxed.  His self-control had been hanging on by an extremely tenuous thread, and any chance he’d had of making it last was blown to high heaven the moment her inner muscles contracted around him.  Will had known it would be different with Serena; the emotional connection was too strong to expect otherwise.  He’d even been foolish enough to think he was prepared for the impact making love to her would have on him.  He’d never been so wrong about anything in his life.

Nothing…
nothing
could have prepared him for the surge of love that flooded his heart when Serena gave herself to him.  The emotional blast had shaken him, but what he experienced physically was beyond anything he could ever have imagined.  He’d held out as long as he could but his body felt like a time bomb, the pressure inside of him steadily mounting until he exploded in a rush of heat so intense he was still reeling from it.

It wasn’t enough.  Not even close.  He wanted Serena again, now.  He wanted to be inside of her, feel the satiny smoothness of her skin as their bodies strained against each other, giving and taking, kissing, touching…

Will clenched his jaws, squashing his wayward thoughts with the same determination he was using to fight the urge to wake Serena.  After the day she’d had, she needed her sleep.  And he needed something to take the edge off this insatiable hunger. 

Careful not to disturb her, Will eased his arm from beneath her head and slipped out of bed, taking a few seconds to pull the comforter up to her shoulders.  He considered searching for his jeans or at least his boxers but it seemed a waste of time and energy to cover his nudity when there was no one but him and Serena in the house.  Of course, McKinley had a key and knew the security code, but it wasn’t likely she
would
be slinking around in the dark on the slim chance he’d come back home.  Not that he wouldn’t put it past her. 

A grin tugged at the corner of Will’s mouth as he shuffled towards the door.  Seeing him emerge from Serena’s bedroom completely naked and fully aroused would probably send her into convulsions.  Then again, coming face to face with McKinley would undoubtedly deflate him faster than the cold shower he intended to take.  The woman was a definite mood killer.

He’d just made it to the door when he heard the soft rustle of bedcovers.  Glancing back, he could just make out Serena’s silhouette as she sat up in bed.  Sounding a little bewildered, she called out his name.

“It’s okay, honey,” he assured her, “go back to sleep.”

“You’re leaving me?”

Will smiled in the darkness.  “Only for a few minutes.  I’m going to take a quick shower and then I’ll be back.”

“A shower?  Is it morning already?”

“No, it’s probably around midnight.”

“You’re taking a shower in the middle of the night?”

“
Yeah, a...
uh
, c
old one,” he said with an embarrassed laugh.

“Why would you…”
s
he stopped abruptly when it obviously dawned on her why he was doing it.  When she spoke again, her voice was soft and inviting.  “Come to bed, Will.”  She drew the covers back.  “The shower can wait until morning.”

Fantasy became reality as he crossed the room and slipped between the sheets, taking Serena in his arms.  Will lowered his head to kiss her and found her lips parted and ready, her silky skin rapidly growing warmer as his fingers sought the moistness between her thighs.  There was no containing it this time; he was too far gone by the time he buried himself inside of her.  With unbridled passion, Will made love to her for hours, long past the point when they should have been weighted down from lack of sleep and pure exhaustion. 

It wasn’t until the first rays of early morning light streaked across the bed that Will realized he’d kept her awake all night.  The sexual hunger had been satisfied but the need to keep kissing her was more powerful than ever.  He couldn’t get enough of her
,
and it was with great reluctance that he settled back against his pillow,
al
though he kept Serena tucked close by his side.

Will pressed his lips to her damp forehead, absently stroking her hair.  “I’m sorry for keeping you up all night.”

Serena snuggled closer.  “Are you really?  Sorry, I mean.”

“No,” he said with a chuckle, “not really.”

“Me either.”

Within minutes, they were both sound asleep. 

Neither of them heard the soft click as the front door opened, followed by a sharp beep as the security alarm was deactivated.  But Rufus did.  He lifted his head, ears perking up at the sound of cautious footsteps in the hallway.  The low growl vibrating in the back of his throat halted when the bedroom door inched open and he recognized the figure standing there.  He made no further sound, but his hackles remained up until the intruder backed out of the room, leaving as silently as
she had
come.  

                       
                                       
***

“Good morning, beautiful.”

Serena turned away from the stove, a soft smile playing on her lips.  “Morning has come and gone, lazy man.  I
hope you don’t mind, but since i
t’s nearly one-thirty in the afternoon
, I opted to make lunch instead of breakfast
.” 

Two strong arms curled around her waist and kept her firmly locked against Will’s body while he delivered a devastatingly tender kiss.  Memories of last night unfurled, igniting a fire in her belly that made her wish she hadn’t been so eager to slip out of bed to prepare a special meal for Will.  Just as that one terrifying night all those years ago had changed her life forever, so had this one beautiful night with Will.  That
sickening
fear and aversion to physical contact seemed to have dissipated; she felt nothing now but sheer pleasure from his touch.

“I feel like a bird that has escaped from their cage,” she said when Will drew his head back.

“Ready to spread your wings and fly, are you?”

Serena smiled up at him.  “I already have.  With you.”

“I can’t argue with that.  It did seem as if we were soaring through the clouds last night.  Several times.  But right now,” he dropped a quick kiss on her lips, “you better keep your feet on the ground and finish what you’re doing.  I’m starving, and whatever you’re cooking smells wonderful.  I
would
hate to think you went to all this trouble only to serve it up burnt to a crisp because I distracted you from your duties.”

Serena arched an indignant brow.  “My
duties
?”

“Of course,” Will said, his tone as arrogant as his reply.  “As my woman, your duties include keeping me well fed.  Did I forget to mention that?”

“Hmmm,” her lip quirked, “I think there were some things I forgot to mention too.”