Devils on Horseback: Lee, Book 4 (10 page)

As she laid out a cloth on the bench, he watched her, his unreadable expression never wavering.

“I brought honey too and I hope you don’t mind, but I was thirsty for milk.”

His eyes widened at the sight of the bottle covered with condensation. “It looks cold,” was all he said.

“Oh it is. I learned from Gabby to keep it in the stream and it stays cool even without a root cellar.” Another thing Henry had been too lazy to dig out. All she had to store vegetables and roots in was a small trapdoor beneath the kitchen.

“Hmm, I guess I could use a drink, even if it is milk.”

Genny hid the smile at his casual attempt at pretending he didn’t want the milk. She poured some into the two mason jars she’d brought and handed one to him. As she slathered honey on a few biscuits, he drank the entire glass. When he realized what he’d done, his eyes widened and he looked at her guiltily.

“I brought plenty. Don’t worry.” She handed him a biscuit and took the jar to refill it.

Other than lesson times, they hadn’t been alone all week. It was the first time in days he hadn’t run the other direction when she entered the room if Sophie wasn’t present. Milk was apparently a magic potion. He leaned against the bench and munched on the biscuits, alternately taking normal sips of milk.

“This thing is called a cradle?” He pointed at the reaper lying on the bench.

“Yes, it’s a cradle. These long fingers attached to the handle, which I think is called a snath, let the wheat fall through so they lay down in a row for collection.” She ran her fingers along the handle and his gaze followed their path. “The handle is long enough to be able to stand up as you cut the wheat.”

“Ah, I see.” He stuffed the rest of the biscuit in his mouth then licked his fingers. “Probably should’ve washed my hands first but damn that was good.”

Genny smiled. “I’m glad you liked it.” She slid closer to him. “I wanted to come out here and see you. I think you’ve been avoiding me, Lee.”

“I spend time with you every night,” he protested.

“Now you know that’s not what I mean. Learning letters and numbers isn’t spending time together.” She held his chin until he looked at her. As her hand left his chin, the sound of his whiskers scraping her skin was loud in the quiet barn. “You’ve been hiding from me.”

He frowned. “No, I’ve been busy working on getting this farm back in shape. I’ve got to start harvesting in a few days, right?”

She scoffed at his excuse. “That doesn’t mean you have to get out of bed with the moon.”

“I get up early because—”

“Or lock the bedroom door.”

His gaze skittered around the room, landing anywhere but on Genny. The man apparently could not lie to her. “I don’t want you to throw your life away on someone like me.”

“Isn’t that for me to decide?”

“I thought it best for both of us.” He shifted away from her, but she followed. “People in town will think I took advantage of you.”

Genny chuckled without humor. “Not likely. No one in town really knows me or likes me, Lee, except maybe Gabby and Mr. Marchison. After living here eight years, I’m more of a stranger than you are.”

“I don’t understand.” He stopped moving away and looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Did your husband keep you prisoner here at the farm?”

“No, I chose to keep myself here.” She had started the conversation to test him, and now she’d opened up the door to the past which lurked behind her every second of every day. “I’m not the pristine widow you think I am, Lee. I’m trash from the streets of New Orleans.”

Her heart pounded as she let all the feelings she kept buried inside come creeping up her throat. So many nights she wondered if the first half of her life would ever fade from her memories. Obviously they never would. Deep wounds become permanent scars.

“Everybody has a past. Hell, I should’ve been dead ten times over already. Stupid, reckless ass that I am, I lost my arm six weeks before the war ended after years of fighting every damn day.” He laughed without humor. “Nothing in your life compares to the idiocy of mine.”

Genny knew he’d given her the opportunity to back away, to keep her secrets buried, but she didn’t want to. If there were any chance they could be together, he had to understand exactly who she was and where she’d come from.

“My mother came from a nice family in Louisiana. She had the unfortunate luck to fall in love with a gambler from New Orleans who’d come to visit at her parents’ plantation. She gave herself to him and he left her with a babe in her belly.” Genny perched on a barrel, sitting on her hands so Lee wouldn’t see them shaking. “She followed him to New Orleans only to discover he was already married. She didn’t care, she just wanted to be with him, no matter how much shame or abuse he heaped on her. My father was a bastard through and through. He set her up in a house in the red-light district and sold her to his friends. She let him turn her into a common whore, or not so common because the society men who fucked her did it with gloves on their hands and left her with scars.”

Lee watched her, not moving from his spot, the leftover milk in the jar beside him. “You knew this as a child?”

“How could I not? I grew up with my father coming by to ignore me and bed my mother. This was Sunday only. The rest of the week, men would come by with the ‘secret password’ he gave them to use my mother’s services. Each of them had their own nasty way of getting their satisfaction, from whips to candle wax, and some of them were sodomites. Thank God I wasn’t a boy.” The laugh that came from within her was laced with pain and bitterness, but she let it loose, glad to have some of it gone. “Sometimes they even wanted me to watch.”

“Jesus Christ,” he breathed.

“By the time I was ten, there were men who wanted to bed me, even begged her for the experience. They liked them young and tight, don’t you know. She had begun to like liquor a bit too much, and spent most of her time either in bed with the men, drinking with them around it, or passed out on it. I was raised by a housekeeper named Mrs. Markum who pitied me enough to make sure I was fed and took baths. I think my father might have paid her to do it.” She shrugged at the memory of the cold, thin woman who served her meals and scrubbed her raw with a brush in the tub. “One night, one of the men came by but my mother was too drunk to service him so he raped her. I tried to stop him, but he slapped me, then raped me too.”

Lee stepped toward her, but she held up a hand to stop him. “Let me finish. I want you to understand just what a wonderful person I am. I can’t let you touch me until I finish, and then you might not want to touch me.”

“Then I’ll stay right here.” He moved over and sat on the barrel facing her.

Genny took a deep breath and swallowed back the tears of pity that threatened. Self-pity brought her nothing in her life except heartache, there was no need to let it loose again, especially now.

“It took me some time to recover and that was only because Mrs. Markum called a doctor. I found out who the man was, stole money from my mother and hired two street thugs to kill him.”

She let that information sink in, not daring to look Lee in the eye. He had to know and she had to tell him everything.

“I never went without a knife to protect myself after that. When my mother found out what I’d done, she slapped me and told me never to tell my father. She didn’t care that I’d been raped or that I’d had a man killed. She only cared that the man she loved would never find out how his friend was killed, as if he ever loved her enough to care. I existed in a world you can’t even imagine, Lee. It all came to an end when she sold me to Henry for a hundred dollars.”

“Pardon me?” His voice was incredulous.

“You heard me right. Henry was a widower who wanted a tight vessel in his bed and on a trip to New Orleans, he visited his cousin. After spending some time with us, he offered to buy me and she accepted without a backward glance. I let Henry do what he needed when he needed to, cooked for him, and cleaned for him. Everything changed when I had Sophie.” She paused as emotion washed over her. Her daughter was the person who had saved her. “There wasn’t anyone in my life who knew me, wanted me, or loved me until Sophie. She loved me unconditionally, gave me every kiss and hug she could. Henry had trouble getting his business done in bed with me after a few years, so he went to town for company. I was never so glad to hear my husband was whoring.”

Genny closed her eyes, remembering when she found out about Henry’s death. “Doctor Barham came out to the farm to tell me Henry had died at Aphrodite’s. He wasn’t a good man, Lee, and I was glad he was gone. Two men had died in my life, one by my doing, the other by my wishing. I’m more of a black widow than a woman to love and cherish.”

This time she couldn’t stop the tears so she let them flow freely down her cheeks. Lee didn’t need to think she was an upstanding citizen deserving of the town’s respect. She was simply a piece of trash from a whore’s womb who was lucky enough to have her husband die and leave her a beautiful daughter and a rundown farm.

Lee could have tried to pat her on the back and tell her it would be all right. Yet he didn’t and she was glad for it. Instead, he handed her the cloth from the bench and held her hand until the silent sobs passed. He might pretend to be a bear and a mean-spirited bastard, but Genny knew better.

She meant what she’d told Zeke. Lee was a good man and she could love him so easily. She’d never loved a man before, but she’d never met a man as damaged as she was.

“That’s quite a tale, Genny,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “I’ve only got one thing to ask you. You gonna finish that biscuit?”

Genny’s laugh burst from her throat, which was still tender from the tears. He hugged her then, tucking her beneath his chin and simply holding her. She knew there’d be no locked door that night.

Chapter Seven

The moon shone brightly through the lacy white curtains on the tiny window. Lee shifted uncomfortably on the bed, his body still awake, eager for what it shouldn’t have—Genny. She’d told him a hell of a story about her life, but she’d been an innocent child, a pawn in the game of adults who should have done better by her. Lee wasn’t any better than they were. He didn’t deserve a woman who he could say “Fuck you” to.

It was as if he had a volcano inside him that just exploded at will, spewing hot lava all over everyone closest to him. When she’d cried in the barn, he didn’t know what to do, so he just let her cry. God knew he wanted to break something and tear up New Orleans looking for the sorry-ass parents of hers. His anger knew no bounds.

Zeke had dealt with it for years somehow, but he didn’t take much shit from Lee, never had even when he was just barely a teenager taking care of their family. Lee sighed and rubbed his palms against gritty eyes. It was the middle of the night and he hadn’t slept a wink, and he was hungry. After their afternoon snack, Genny had left him alone in the barn. He’d wanted to say thank you for the cold milk and biscuits, which happened to be his favorite, but hadn’t. Instead he spent time figuring out how to use the cradle, then walked around the farm for hours.

It helped him understand how the fields were laid out, what obstacles were around the property and just how much fucking work had to be done. Of course he’d told Sophie to tell Genny he wouldn’t be there for supper. Coward that he was, he still didn’t know what to say to her.

He hadn’t eaten supper and his stomach yowled into the quiet night. Genny kept the leftover bread wrapped in a towel near the sink. Maybe if he just crept out real quick and got a piece he’d be able to sleep. As he reached for the doorknob, he thought about putting on his drawers, but decided against it. The house was silent as a tomb and it would take longer to get dressed than to snag a bit of bread.

The inky blackness of the night was only broken by patches of moonlight shining through the meager window. Lee stood in the doorway, allowing his eyes to adjust before he went any farther. No need to break his leg and add to the fun.

Finally, he could see the barely discernible outline of the furniture and started forward. He went slowly as to minimize the noise and any injuries. By the time he reached his destination, he’d only stubbed his toe twice, which he considered a fabulous victory. The bread would taste even better for it.

He stared into the darkness as he unwrapped the bread as fast as he could, trying not to think. If he didn’t turn his mind off and stop the thoughts from crowding him, he’d never get any sleep.

“Lee.”

He started at the sound of his name. Maybe he’d fallen asleep standing there and dreamed hearing her call his name. However when cool hands slid up his back, he dropped the bread and recognized it was no dream.

“Genny?”

What the hell was she doing? Did the woman have no sense? There was no reason she should be within ten feet of him, much less touching his buck-naked body in the kitchen.

“You’re so warm.”

Hell, he was going to be hotter than a prairie fire in about two minutes.

“This isn’t a good idea,” he forced himself to say.

“Mmm, I was never much for good ideas. In fact, my mama always used to say I was a bad idea walking.” She kissed the center of his back and he closed his eyes, savoring the soft heat of her lips.

“Genny, you should go back to bed.”

She chuckled, a warm puff against his skin. “That’s the whole idea, cowboy. Only I planned on joining you. Much to my surprise, you weren’t there.”

No, I was too busy thinking about you to sleep.
“I meant, you should go back to your bed.”

“Ah, but that’s where I was going. Remember, you’re sleeping in my bed.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and he realized two things at once—she was naked and her nipples were harder than diamonds.

“You can’t, I mean, we can’t. Genny,” he sputtered, unable to even form a doggone sentence.

“Oh yes, we can. We have no reason not to be together, Mr. Blackwood.” She reached down and took hold of his already rock-hard dick. “Besides, you’re dressed for the occasion.”

Lee barked out a laugh, then clapped his hand over his mouth lest he wake Sophie up. Who knew what the child would do if she found them like this?

Genny walked around him, trailing her hand along his waist until she faced him. He could barely see the pale gleam of her face in the blackness. She leaned forward and licked his nipple.

“Geeeeeeeeeennnny.” Each time he tried to say her name, she nipped, scratched or bit a nipple. He jerked around like a puppet, his dick slapping against his stomach as he had no luck controlling his response to her ministrations.

“Mmmm, salty and sweet. I wonder what color they are?” She stroked him. “One of these days we’re going to do this in bright sunlight so I can see what I’m tasting.”

Before he knew what she was about, she dropped to her knees and took him in her mouth. Damn fool that he was, he almost came immediately, but he beat it back, biting his lip and clenching his fist until he could concentrate on exactly what she was doing. And it was like an angel had descended from heaven to be his for the night.

In the shadows, he couldn’t see, he could only feel. Her hand cupped his balls, gently massaging them as her thumb pressed against the base of his staff. The warm heat from her tongue and her lips surrounded him, sucking him deep toward her throat. Her teeth lightly skittered along the length of him as she bobbed up and down, alternately nibbling and swirling her tongue.

He put his hand on her head, and the soft waves curled around his fingers as if recognizing him. Lee reveled in the feeling of having this smart, beautiful woman on her knees pleasuring him, just for the sake of doing it. She made little lapping noises like a kitten as she alternately played and then tortured him.

No woman had ever simply sucked him without payment, and even then he could tell the whores didn’t enjoy it. It was money for fucking, and they did it to avoid starving. Genny did this because she wanted to, and he damn sure wanted her to.

“You’re quite hard, Mr. Blackwood.” She squeezed the base as she licked the top of his dick like it was a sucker.

Lee grunted, at a loss for how to respond. The woman had a magical mouth, and he was wondering how long he’d be able to stand upright, much less hold back his orgasm. But he did because he wanted to make love to her.

Make love.

Not hardly, but it was at least making like. He liked Genny, respected her and surely wanted her. She pulled him deep into her mouth, sucking so hard he knew she could already taste his seed.

“You need to stop now, Genny.” It almost killed him to say that. “I won’t make it to the bed if you don’t.”

She gentled her movements, lightening her touch until she was kissing the tip of his throbbing erection. “Sometime soon, I won’t let you stop me.”

Now that made the stupid thing jump again, this time slapping her in the cheek. She giggled and a laugh bubbled up his throat in response. So this was what being happy felt like. He didn’t remember it as so amazing and pure. It was all Genny, leading him by the hand, or by the dick in this case, and showing him exactly what happiness was.

The woman was pure magic.

She stood and grabbed his head for a hard kiss. “Now let’s get to that bed.” Latching onto his cock like it was a leash, she led him through the gloomy cabin until they reached the bedroom. After pulling him into the room, she shut and locked the door. She tugged him toward the bed. He didn’t need the tug, but it damn sure felt good.

“Now, I was thinking I’d like a ride tonight.” She pushed at his chest lightly, and he understood what she wanted.

He lay down, wondering just how this woman knew exactly what he’d been dreaming about doing with her. It was uncanny, and a bit frightening. He’d think about it later because right about then, all he wanted was to feel.

She climbed onto the bed slowly, kissing her way up his erection to his stomach. After a quick bite on the nipples, she reached his lips and teased him with light kisses as she straddled him. He felt the heat from her pussy as she leaned down to kiss him. Their mouths fused, her tongue thrusting into his mouth as she lowered herself to rub against his length.

Genny was wet enough to make them rub against each other easily, the crisp pussy hairs tickling him with each slow slide. “You feel good, cowboy. So good.”

“Not as good as you, Genny girl.” He pushed against her, prompting her to gasp. Lee knew from Zeke that a woman had a kind of button on her cunt that was like a little dick, loved to be rubbed and licked. Next time he’d return the favor and try his hand, or his tongue rather, on her. “Put it in before it’s over.”

She bit his lip, making him remember just how wonderful her teeth were. “You’re bossy.”

“You’re sexy. Now put it in.” He reached down and rubbed her slick folds until she lifted up just enough for him to slide the head of his staff into her. God, he could hardly stand it, she felt so damn good. Then she sat up and took the length of him inside her.

Lee’s breath caught in his throat and he’d have sworn his heart stopped for more than a moment. Heaven on Earth, that’s what she was. So tight, hot and sweet. He groaned in sheer bliss.

“Did I do that? You really are big, oh so big.” She breathed in short gasps as she began to move, sliding in slow, deliberate movements.

It was designed to torture him, of that he was certain. Lying on his back, he was at her mercy for the most part. He needed her to go faster, harder, so he started thrusting up each time she came down.

She let loose a moan he’d remember until the day he died, like a panther growl in the darkness. So he thrust against her again, then again until she caught his rhythm and abandoned the teasing altogether.

“Yes, oh yes, that’s it.” He grasped her hip on the right and pressed his arm into her thigh with his left. Then he realized if he pulled his knees up, he could really give her a ride.

“Oh God Lee, oh God, oh God.” She grabbed her breasts, pinching the nipples, like a moonlight goddess come to life above him.

Lee felt his orgasm begin somewhere near his feet. It traveled up through his legs and surrounded his balls until he lost control. Genny shouted his name in a husky whisper as her cunt gripped his dick so tightly he came until his ears rang and his heart slammed against his ribs. Her legs squeezed him even as her own fingers squeezed her breasts. Lee watched her face as she came around him, the rapture, the bliss, the amazing woman who gave of herself freely.

As he returned back to Earth, he realized he may have lost something more than his inhibitions that night. He lost a piece of his heart as well.

* * * * *

Genny sat down gently, sore from her night’s ride. She smiled into the depths of her coffee, hiding the happiness from Sophie’s prying eyes. Lee had gotten up early again, made coffee and went to work. She should really be embarrassed for sleeping later than the sunrise, but the sex had been so overpowering, so amazing, it had plumb worn her out.

Sophie had to shake her awake, complaining her stomach was about to rub a hole in her backbone. Now the girl was happily stuffing her face with biscuits, ham and eggs while Genny’s body still hummed with the truly satisfied feeling of a woman who’d been pleasured the night before.

“Why are you grinning at your cup, Mama?”

Genny couldn’t stop the laugh from escaping. “It’s a beautiful day and I’m happy, I guess.”

“You’re an odd duck today.” Sophie said that so matter-of-factly, Genny’s mouth dropped open. The child had never said such a thing before and Genny wondered if she’d ever cease to amaze her.

“Now where did you hear that?” Genny shook her head in wonder.

“Mr. Marchison. He said it about that lady who wears the hats and smells like mothballs.” Sophie screwed up her face in imitation of Hettie. “You know the lady who yells at you if you touch her flowers.”

“Now that’s not polite. Miss Hettie is just proud of her roses.” Genny agreed with Sophie’s assessment, but she had to at least pretend to teach the child manners.

Sophie shrugged. “They have thorns that hurt you, like Mr. Blackwood. He’s kinda pretty but he’s got thorns too.”

Before Genny could contemplate how the child could make such a comparison, an accurate one too, she continued on. “You love him, don’t you?” Sophie stared at her, brow furrowed.

This time it was Genny’s turn to stop and stare. “Pardon?”

The moppet nodded sagely then gobbled the bite of eggs. “You can marry him. It’s all right, you know. I didn’t like him to start, but he works hard even if he only has one arm. I think he’d be a better Daddy than Pa was.”

Genny was astonished, truly astonished at her daughter’s insight. The girl was amazing, and Genny was thankful for such a gift. “You’ve got it all figured out, haven’t you?”

“We would live here like a real family again.” Sophie stood up and kissed Genny on the cheek. “I want to be a family again. Mr. Blackwood makes you smile even if he does give you a rash on your neck.”

Genny hid her embarrassment with a laugh, and Sophie headed toward the door, skipping and humming. A knock stopped her in her tracks. She looked back at Genny. “Sounds like trouble, Mama.”

Genny shook her head. “That’s silly. It’s just someone coming to visit.” Of course, they didn’t receive many visitors at the farm so it was an unusual occurrence, but with Lee there, they had protection. She stood and walked over to the door, with less trepidation than she had in a long time.

When she opened it Sophie darted out and ran toward the barn. A man stood on the porch with dark hair and a fancy suit holding a silver-tipped cane. Her stomach dropped toward her feet when she recognized Mr. Newman from the bank in town. Did Henry have debt she didn’t know about?

He smiled and Genny remembered just how handsome the man was. “Good morning, Mrs. Blanchard.” With a wide smile and a nicely trimmed beard, he was probably thirty-five, unmarried and sought after by women in town. She’d never had a thought for catching his eye although she could see the appeal.