By Honor Bound (3 page)

“No, ma’am.”

“Have you ever been married?”

“That’s enough, Mother!” Angela stood. “Isn’t it about time to eat? I’ll help you get the table ready.”

Patricia touched Abe’s arm as she stood. “She’s basically a good girl, but can be a bit pushy.”

“And too damn stubborn for her own good,” Mr. Franco grumbled.

“Grandpa, will you play cards with me?” Polly approached.

“Sure.”

“Abe, you want to play, too?” Polly gazed up at him.

If Angela hadn’t been so embarrassed by her parents, she would have laughed at Abe’s expression of relief. At least if they were playing cards the stupid conversation would end.

Dinner wasn’t much better. Though Mr. Franco was too busy eating to be much of a conversationalist, his wife talked enough for both of them. Angela had to admit Abe’s patience impressed her. By the time dessert was served, Angela had taken about all she could of her mother’s innuendos and her father’s sarcasm.

 “Looks pretty icy out there,” Angela glanced out the window over the kitchen sink as she washed the last of the dishes.

“Thank goodness Polly is staying with us for the next few days,” Patricia said. “I hate to think of her in a car with all that ice out there. Maybe you should stay, too, Angela.”

“No!” Angela exchanged glances with Abe. This time he couldn’t help smiling. “I’d much rather go home. I have planning to do for some students.”

“Honey, you could do that here.”

“No, Ma. I’m better off at home.”

“You mean with him?” Mr. Franco jerked his head in Abe’s direction.

Angela’s teeth ground. She was about to snap when Abe said, “You don’t have to worry, Sir. I have the utmost respect for your daughter.”

“Uh-huh. I know what young Marines are like.”

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m no longer a young Marine, Sir.”

“I think we should go now.” Angela dried her hands and walked to the closet, grabbing her coat and Abe’s. “Before the rain starts and everything freezes even worse.”

“But we haven’t had dessert yet!” Patricia said.

“We’ll get it later.”

Abe’s brow furrowed as Angela threw his coat over his shoulders and dragged him toward the front door.

“Polly, you have fun and be good for Grandma and Grandpa,” Angela called.

“Bye, Aunt Angela.” Polly rushed to the door and hugged her Aunt. She tilted her face up to Abe. “Bye, Abe.”

“Bye, darlin’.” He ruffled her hair then turned to Mr. and Mrs. Franco. “Thank you for dinner. It was delicious, ma’am.”

“You make sure Angela brings you by more often. You need to get fattened up a bit.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Again his eyes gleamed with repressed laughter.

When they reached the car, he chuckled, the deep, amused sound warming Angela to her toes and soothing her frustration after visiting with her parents.

“I told you!” she said. “Now do you understand why Jim didn’t want them to raise Polly? I’m surprised the two of us grew up without losing our minds completely.”

“I think they mean well.”

“They drive me crazy!”

“Your Ma’s a good cook.”

“Food. Is that all men care about?”

“Not
all
.” He glanced at her. The look in his eye made her shiver with desire. It was exactly how he looked last night before he kissed her. She had the feeling that if he hadn’t been concentrating on maneuvering the car down the icy road, he would have done so again.

It was dark with they reached her house. The freezing rain had stopped and moonlight bathed the front yard.

“Thank you for inviting me for Christmas,” he said as he parked the car and turned to her.

“Thank you for the ride.”

“You’re welcome.”

His eyes burned into hers. In spite of the frigid weather outside, she’d never felt warmer.

“Would you like to come in, Abe?”

“Would you like me to come in?”

She swallowed, her gaze sweeping his handsome face as she recalled the softness of his lips and the hardness of his body. “Yes, very much.”

Brushing a fingertip across her lips, he drew a deep breath. With a slight nod, he stepped out of the car. As Angela searched through her purse for the house key, he opened her door and held out his hand. She looked up, feeling almost like Cinderella stepping out of a pumpkin coach into the arms of her prince.

She took his hand. Her high-heeled boots slipped on the ice, but he steadied her, one arm wrapped around her waist and holding her close to his tall, steely body.

“I…I’m fine. Just clumsy.” She tilted her face up, feeling the warmth of his breath against her lips.

His mouth covered hers, his lips soft and moist, his tongue gently caressing hers. Angela’s arms wrapped around his neck and she giggled as he literally swept her off her feet.

“What are you doing? Put me down.”

“I don’t want to let you go.”

She swallowed hard, her heart racing. God, she didn’t want him to let her go! Never in her life had she experienced such a reaction to a man. It was as if their souls were intertwined. Though she couldn’t explain how, she felt she knew Abe, that somehow they belonged together.

You’re being a fool, Angela. He’s trying to get you to bed. That’s all
. In truth, she wanted to get him in bed as well. All through her teens and her adult life, she’d never slept with a man. She’d always told herself when the right man came along, she’d know it and there would be no hesitation. Now here he was and she knew without doubt it was right.

When they reached the door, he placed her on her feet so she could open it.

“It’s cold in here,” Angela said as she stepped inside. “Would you like coffee or tea?”

 “Whatever you’re having is fine.”

Angela rubbed her hands together to warm them. “I think I’ll build a fire.”

“I’ll do it.” He headed for the living room. “Might as well make myself useful.”

Oh, he was going to be useful all right, Angela smiled.

Her head spun as she stepped into the kitchen to prepare tea. Just when she thought her life would settle down, something completely unexpected had to happen. Her attraction to Abe was so powerful that she couldn’t help feeling the elation of new love, yet part of her feared the future. What if she did fall madly in love with him and, like Jim, he left her far too soon? Yet, that was the risk everyone took. Life had no guarantees. She knew that well enough.

She jumped as arms encircled her from behind and Abe’s stubbled face and warm lips nuzzled her neck. He moved so quietly for such a large man.

“Don’t think this is a common thing for me,” she said, trying to keep coherent thoughts as he kissed her neck and hugged her close to his powerful frame. Her eyes half-closed, she reached up and stroked his face. “I don’t usually act like this with men I just met.”

“I know.”

“How do you know?”

“Just a feeling. Sometimes that’s all you have to go with.”

She turned, gazing up at him. His sapphire eyes stared intently into hers. Her hands slid up his arms and across his impossibly broad shoulders. What did he feel like under all those clothes? Was his chest smooth or hairy? Did he have scars? He must. What did his cock look like? Was it big and veined like the ones in dirty magazines her girlfriends had gotten hold of in high school? Was it ruddy or pale? What would it feel like? She couldn’t imagine.

“I won’t lie, Angela,” he said in a hushed voice. “I want to take you to bed.”

“I know.”

“I should go.”

Clasping the back of his neck, she tugged his face closer as she stood on tiptoe and whispered against his lips, “No you shouldn’t.”

“The fire’s going.”

Taking his hand, she walked to the living room and knelt on the rug in front of the fire. Abe unfastened the top buttons of his shirt and stretched out on his side. He tugged her alongside him and stroked wisps of hair from her face. He kissed her forehead and each eyelid.

“Abe?” She slid her hands up his torso and began undoing the rest of the buttons on his shirt.

“Yes, darlin’.”

There it was. That endearment spoken in his deep, sultry drawl just for her.

 “What’s going to happen tomorrow?”

His brow furrowed.

“I mean, what’s going to happen to us tomorrow?”

“You’re not getting rid of me fast, if that’s what you think.”

She smiled. “No, that’s not what I thought.”

“Yes, you did.” His eyes glistened with amusement. “Like your Daddy said, you think I’m some wild Marine with bad intentions.”

“What if I’m the one with bad intentions?”

He smiled slightly and kissed her, pushing her gently onto her back and stroking the column of her throat. Covering her mouth with his, he parted her lips with his tongue. Hers met it, so warm and tender, as they caressed one another with long, slow strokes. His deft fingers unbuttoned the front of her dress. The tops of her plump breasts were exposed above the neckline of the cream-colored slip she wore beneath. He kissed the soft, pink-tinged flesh while stroking the slight swell of her belly and the curve of her hip.

Angela kicked off her shoes and slid her foot up his calf.

“You’re a beautiful woman, Angela,” he said.

“Thank you.” She caressed his smooth nape. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

He sat up, shrugged off his shirt, and tugged his T-shirt over his head.

Angela’s mouth went dry at the sight of his long torso. Without a pound of spare flesh, every bone and muscle shone like a granite statue chiseled by the most talented artist. Scars marked his torso, some faded white, others still pinkish. Closing her eyes, she swallowed past tightness in her throat. The idea of him suffering combined with the knowledge that Jim had died enduring the same tortures was almost too much to tolerate. She drew a deep breath and shook her head. If Abe had lived through it, then she wouldn’t turn chicken on him now.

Instead, she concentrated on the light dusting of hair that covered his chest, tapered down his flat abdomen, and disappeared beneath the waistband of his trousers. She sat up and splayed her hands across his back, her fingertips tracing several jagged scars.

“Are you going to be cold down here on the floor?” he asked.

“Somehow I doubt that.”

While he finished undressing, Angela did the same, rolling off her stockings and sliding out of the dress. She was about to remove her slip, but her gaze riveted to Abe. For a moment, she was unable to move, only stare. She’d never seen a naked man in the flesh, but Abe was far better than anything she’d looked at in those stupid magazines.

His legs were incredibly long, dusted with hair, and curved with rock-hard muscle. With narrow hips and buttocks big and tight enough to make a woman’s heartbeat skip, he personified male beauty.

Again, he stretched out beside her. Angela inched closer as he drew her into his arms. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her cheek against his chest and inhaled his sexy scent of clean, male flesh. His body was so warm and hard. Nothing compared with being wrapped in the arms of a man like this!

“I want you so bad, Angela,” he said in a husky voice, one of his hands pressed against her back, the other buried in her hair, stroking tenderly.

“Then take me, Abe.” She tilted her face upward and gazed into his eyes, her pulse racing. “Take me.”

Abe’s hand swept down her shoulder and arm. It slid across her lower back then cupped one of her smooth bottom cheeks. He kissed her temple and cheek before claiming her lips in a kiss that made her forget everything else.

“Oh, Abe,” she murmured, refusing to take her hands off him even as he sat up.

Angela’s breathing quickened. He looked so gorgeous, kneeling there, his lips slightly parted and his eyes burning with lust. Reaching up, she caressed his chest and brushed a fingertip across one of his flat, pink nipples peeking through the crisp hair. It felt soft, the nub scarcely visible. Her hand trailed lower, feeling his ribs and the hard, defined abdominal muscles.

Her gaze fixed on his cock. It stood, thick and pinkish, above a nest of dark hair. The balls dangling below were large and looked so full, so alluring, that she couldn’t resist taking them in her hand. They spilled over her palm as she gently squeezed, loving their softness and warmth. He drew a deep breath as her fingers ran up and down his cock. Now
that
felt hard. Stiff and hot, like steel covered in warm velvet. The little eye in the smooth, bulbous head fascinated her. She ran her thumb over it and around the underside.

“Do I pass the test?” he grinned.

“Looks good to me,” she replied, gazing at him through her lashes and tossing him a coquettish look. “Not that I have anything to compare it to.”

“You know, Angela,” he slid the straps of her slip down her shoulders and inched toward her feet where he tugged off the entire flimsy piece of satin and lace, “I kinda hope to keep it that way. Are you going to take off those undergarments, or do you want me to do it?”

Her heart leapt and she licked her lips as a sudden case of nerves struck her. In moments, she would be completely naked with a man who stirred her like no one ever had. Was she nervous? Of course. Did she still want him? More than anything she’d ever wanted in her life.

Sitting up, she unhooked her bra. The heat of his gaze was almost tangible as she bared her breasts and tossed the bra aside. They were full, rounded globes tipped with rose-colored nipples now elongated with desire. Her entire body was covered in smooth, creamy flesh tinted delectable pink. She was pleasantly rounded with flaring hips and long, curvaceous legs. Abe could scarcely wait to be buried deep inside her.

But he would have to. He knew without question this responsible and pretty tutor was innocent in the ways of love. Though he sensed no fear in her, curiosity such as she exhibited, as well as the naïveté of her touch told him she had little experience with men.

Damn, he felt lucky. It was as if after a year of the worst kind of hell, he was being rewarded by finding the woman of his dreams. Reaching out, he brushed his hand down her arm. Her skin was so soft and warm. Not only did she arouse him physically, but she reached inside him and touched upon buried emotions. All his life he’d longed for the true affection only offered by a family. As a child he’d been denied the love of his parents. Into adulthood, no woman had ever breached his cool, warrior’s heart. Maybe it was fear, like one of the shrinks had suggested. Fear that if he did love somebody, they’d be snatched away. He protected himself with his loneliness. What he didn’t have, he couldn’t miss.