Shotgun Groom Read online

  She wanted to voice her disappointment, but when he settled between her legs, she realized this was it and gripped the blanket once more. He leaned forward and kissed her, and she would have responded if she hadn’t become aware that his tip was at her entrance, gently pressing into her. She braced herself and told herself he’d be holding her afterwards.

  “April?” he asked, sounding uncertain.

  “It’s alright,” she whispered.

  “I don’t know. You’re tensing up.”

  Before he could move away, she reached between her legs and angled his erection so his flesh was intimately pressed against hers. “Enter me,” she said.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him toward her, figuring once he started going inside her, he wouldn’t be able to stop. And she was right. He couldn’t. He slid into her with no effort, and she gasped. But it wasn’t from discomfort or pain. She gasped because she realized it felt good. She didn’t know it could feel that way, and as he moved inside her, she became aware that the more he moved, the more she liked it.

  “Yes,” she moaned and shifted so that he was deeper inside her.

  He groaned and kissed her again.

  This time she brought her hands up to the sides of his face and traced his lips with her tongue. He opened his mouth, and she tasted him, deepening the kiss and reveling in the sheer ecstasy of the moment. Who knew making love could be like this? Why couldn’t Harvey have been this gentle with her and waited for her to be wet enough so when he entered her it didn’t hurt? She forced her mind off of Harvey and thought of Joel who, for all his inexperience, at least knew enough to be gentle and wait for her to be ready for him.

  Ending their kiss, she murmured his name and encouraged him to keep going. He whispered her name in return and continued to move inside her, his movements starting slow, as if he wished to prolong the sweet agony building between them, and she worked with him. Each thrust was bringing her closer to something wonderful he’d began with his fingers, and she wanted nothing more than to find completion in the act.

  The momentum of his thrusting grew faster, her hips moving faster in return and her legs pressing him closer to her, if such a thing was possible. When she felt him grow stiff above her, she cried out for him to wait, but it was too late. He was climaxing and she was close but not there with him. She was familiar with this part of the act, and usually she was relieved when it came. But right now, she wasn’t relieved. Lovemaking had ended too soon, and though he was receiving his pleasure, she wasn’t getting hers. She didn’t begrudge him his fulfillment. He was good to her and deserved it, but after years of not enjoying the marital bed, she wanted to find her fulfillment as well.

  Gasping, he relaxed and collapsed in her arms. She held him, very much aware that the ache between her legs was still insisting she satisfy it. After his breathing grew more regular, she licked her lips, thinking of what she might ask him. She couldn’t ask him to get hard again. He wouldn’t be able to do that right away, but then she thought of something that had been helping her in her desire to find release.

  “Joel?” she whispered.

  He lifted his head and kissed her. “I’m sorry. I heard you tell me to wait, but I couldn’t.”

  Her heart softened at the disappointment in his voice. “That part is alright. I was wondering if you’d put your fingers in me again, like you did before?”

  Rolling off of her, he shifted until he was settled next to her and did as she requested. “Like this?” he softly asked.

  Her flesh, still sensitive, was quick to resume its former state of arousal. She moaned and murmured, “Yes. Like that.”

  His fingers caressed her, and once again, her hips moved in rhythm with him. His palm settled over her sensitive nub, and she gasped in surprise. Before he could lift his hand, she pressed it firmly over her nub and moved against him.

  “Oh April,” he murmured as he kissed her neck. “I’ve never experienced anything lovelier than this.”

  She groaned, her hips shifting impatiently until she knew she was at the peak. With a soft cry, she climaxed, her hips becoming still while her core clenched around his fingers. So this was what it was like to find fulfillment in the act. She took note of each wave of pleasure as it traveled the length of her body. She had no idea it’d be this intense or leave her feeling so lightheaded that she could barely hear Joel tell her that he was glad they were married.

  Once her mind cleared, his fingers slipped out of her and he lifted her so that he could get her under the blanket. He settled under the blanket next to her and drew her into his arms. Her body still tingling with satisfaction, she rested her head on his chest and draped her arm around his waist. She couldn’t remember a time when she felt so relaxed she couldn’t move.

  “April?” he softly asked.

  “Hmm?”

  “Don’t get me wrong, I would have stopped earlier if you said to, but I’m really glad you wanted to keep going.”

  She laughed. “Me too.”

  He brushed her hair off her shoulder before he placed his hand on it. “April?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Did it hurt for you, with your first husband?”

  Taking a deep breath, she softly replied, “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry. If I’d known, I would’ve been more careful.”

  “I don’t see how you could’ve done anything differently. Besides, if I remember right, I’m the one who insisted you enter me.” Her eyelids grew heavy and she smiled. “It all felt good with you.”

  “It did?”

  Appreciating his concern that she experienced only pleasure with him, she said, “Yes. It was wonderful.”

  “Good. I’m glad.”

  “Joel?”

  “Yes?”

  “We’ll be doing this often, won’t we?”

  Giving her shoulder a playful squeeze, he said, “Just try to stop me. As soon as I’m ready to go again, I have a feeling I’ll be waking you up.”

  “You won’t hear me complaining.”

  He chuckled and her smile grew wider. After a minute passed, he let out another one of his sighs, but this time she didn’t mind it since it was a sigh of contentment.

  ***

  Joel woke up just as dawn was breaking. A smile crossed his face as he recalled the previous night. Who knew that being intimate with a woman could be so wonderful? No wonder his brothers told him he was missing out on one of the most pleasurable parts of living by refusing to get married. At the time, he shrugged off their jokes, but now he understood why they all seemed to get the goofiest grins on their faces when he saw them as newlyweds. So they were right. Few things were better than enjoying the marital bed. He’d never come out and admit it to any of them, but they were right.

  He snuggled up to April and kissed her cheek. She looked so beautiful in the early light of day. As much as he wanted to stay in bed with her, he needed to use the privy. Though reluctant to leave, he slipped out of bed and got dressed. He headed on to the outhouse and then decided he might as well go to the barn and beat Sep to the morning chores.

  He didn’t realize he was whistling until Sep entered the barn and called out, “You sure do like that tune a lot.”

  Glancing up from where he was feeding the horses, Joel said, “My pa used to whistle it all the time. Guess I picked up the habit without realizing it.”

  “At least my sister doesn’t get annoyed with it like she does the sighing.”

  His lips turned up at Sep’s joke. “I don’t know. If I whistled it enough, it might bother her.”

  Sep laughed. “Nah. You could probably let a whole bunch of snow into the house and she’d thank you for giving her something to clean up.”

  “Somehow I doubt it, though she might be less inclined to dump water all over me.” He motioned to the cow. “You want to get the milk this morning?”

  “Sure.”

  “I’ll leave you to finish up then.”

  Joel patted him on the shoulder a
nd headed out of the barn. Eager to see April, he hurried to the house and slipped off his boots and coat once he was in the kitchen. He washed his hands before he went up the stairs. Since neither Nora nor April were making any noises, he figured they were still asleep, so he quietly entered the room and sure enough, they were sleeping. He threw off his pants and hopped back into bed where it was still warm.

  He reached for April and she woke up with a shriek. “Shh,” he whispered. “You don’t want to wake up Nora.”

  Giggling, she said, “You’re cold.”

  “I went outside to help Sep with some chores.” He shifted so that he was holding her in his arms. His body surged with desire at the memory of how great it felt to be inside her. Kissing her, he let his hand slip to her breast and fondled the nipple which hardened for him. When he ended the kiss, he whispered, “Last night was the best night of my life.”

  Her face flushed a pretty shade of pink, and she traced the back of his hand with her fingers. “It was mine, too.”

  “Good. We’ll have to see if we can make tonight even better.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her. “Unless you want to try to do it now.”

  “I can tell you’re ready,” she replied, moving her hip so that it pressed more firmly against his erection.

  He groaned and kissed her again, this time letting his tongue trace her bottom lip until she parted her lips for him. Accepting her silent invitation, he slipped his tongue into her mouth to deepen the kiss. She let out a soft sigh and brought her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. He loved having her in his arms. She was absolutely wonderful. Soft and warm and welcoming. Nope. He couldn’t think of anything better than doing what he was right now.

  Unlike last night, she responded to him right away. She’d been hesitant before, but she wasn’t today, and he took that as a very good sign. He didn’t know the specifics on her relationship with Harvey, but he understood enough to know that Harvey hadn’t treated her well, in or out of the bedroom. But she was quick to adapt to Joel, and that was something he didn’t take for granted. He vowed he wouldn’t give her a reason to ever be hesitant to be in bed with him.

  He lightly squeezed her breast, and she arched her back so she was more fully inside his palm. In the dark of the night, he hadn’t been able to see her bare flesh, but he could now as the day was starting. Letting go of her breast, he moved the blanket so it settled around her waist. His mouth left hers, and he left a trail of kisses down her neck, encouraged by her soft moans which told him she wanted him to keep going.

  His hand slipped back under the blanket and traveled from her abdomen to the dark patch of curls that would take him to her entrance. Her legs parted for him and his fingers teased her. She murmured for him to put his fingers inside her, and he was ready to comply when his lips reached the top of her breast. Blinking, he stopped what he was doing and brought his head up so he could get a better look at the scratch above her breast. From the looks of it, it happened recently.

  “Did you scratch yourself?” he asked, bringing his hand up to the mark, trying to judge the size of the nail that made the wound. She grabbed his hand and kissed him, but he pulled away from her. “You didn’t do this.” If she did, she’d just tell him. But she was hiding something. “Who did this to you, April?”

  “I don’t want to think about it.”

  “Well, I do. Look, you’re my wife, and because of that, you’re a part of me. If someone hurt you, they also hurt me. Do you understand?”

  Furrowing her eyebrows, she nodded.

  He brought her in his arms and kissed her temple. “It’s alright, sweetheart. You’re with me now. I’ll do everything I can to protect you, but I have to know what I need to protect you from.”

  She took a deep breath and softly said, “It was Lou.”

  “Lou?”

  “Harvey’s brother.”

  “I know who he is. I was just surprised. I thought all he did was come into the house before Sep made him leave.”

  She cleared her throat. “Sep did make him leave, and if Lou hadn’t been drunk, he would have killed Sep. He’s a good shot.”

  “Sep got him somewhere because I saw blood on the porch.” After a moment of silence, he asked, “So when did the scratch happen?” He knew he wasn’t going to like the answer, but he had to know.

  “He came into the house while Sep was in the barn. He tried to take advantage of me. I said no, but he was drunk and… Um… He was trying to, but Sep stopped him.”

  Joel breathed a sigh of relief. “Why didn’t you tell me he tried to rape you?”

  “I thought about it, but Sep didn’t want me to so I didn’t. It wasn’t easy for him to see Lou doing that.”

  “I imagine it wasn’t easy for you either.”

  “No,” she softly replied, snuggling closer to him.

  He tightened his hold on her. Now he understood why Sep held a gun to him when he came out to check on Nora. The kid was only fourteen and just watched an adult attack his sister. Sep was acting out in fear. If it’d been him in Sep’s shoes, he would have done anything to protect his sister.

  “You and Sep are close,” he commented, rubbing her back.

  “It’s been just the two of us taking care of Nora and the farm for almost a year.”

  “Didn’t anyone from your church or any neighbors help?”

  “Harvey drove them away.”

  “That’s a shame.”

  She shrugged.

  “If you want, we could go to the church my family attends. You saw the size of my family. They make up a fourth of the congregation.”

  Chuckling, she said, “Why am I not surprised?”

  Sensing the change in tone, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. Nora stirred from behind the divider he set up, so he ended the kiss. “I think she’s telling us it’s time to get the day started.”

  Before he could get out of bed, she held onto him and asked, “Do you still want to be intimate with me, even knowing what Lou did?”

  Surprised she even had to ask the question, he stroked her cheek with his thumb and looked into her eyes. “Of course, I do. What Lou did was awful, but it doesn’t change the way I feel about you. You’re my wife, and I care about you.”

  Blinking back her tears, she smiled and whispered, “I care about you, too.”

  Nora called out for her mother, so Joel gave her a quick kiss. “As much as I was hoping to get intimate before she woke up, something tells me I’ll only want you more after you teased me this morning.” He got up from the bed and picked up his pants.

  “I teased you?” she playfully asked as she eased out of the bed, her hair falling in soft waves over her shoulders.

  He noted where her hair ended at the top of her nipples. Then his gaze fell lower to the dark patch of curls between her legs. He hadn’t gotten a good look at her last night, but now that he did, he wanted nothing more than to get her back into bed so he could make love to her. But that would have to wait. Nora was awake, and there was no way he could be in bed with April unless Nora was sound asleep.

  Not being able to make love to her, however, didn’t stop him from watching as she got dressed. He wanted to memorize how she looked so he could think of her during the day. When she was fully dressed, he slipped on his pants.

  “I’ll get the coffee going,” he told her as she picked Nora up from the crib. He ruffled the little girl’s hair. “Good morning there.”

  Nora giggled and held her arms out to him.

  “Wonderful,” April said. “I’m being replaced.”

  “No one ever takes the place of a mother.” He kissed April’s cheek and told Nora, “I’ll hold you when you get downstairs, alright?”

  “Go on. We’ll be down in five minutes,” April replied as she carried Nora to the dresser and grabbed a clean cloth diaper.

  “You know, it just occurred to me that there’s a good amount of time during the day when she takes a nap.” His eyebrows rose suggestively. “
We don’t have to wait for tonight.”

  Though her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink, she winked at him. “I’ll let you know when I put her down for a nap.”

  Counting down to how long that would be, he left the room and headed down the steps.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Two days later, Joel took April, Sep, and Nora to Sally’s. As he pulled the sleigh to a stop, he asked Sep, “Do you want to join me in making my rounds with Doctor Adams? I promise to treat you like an equal.”

  From where he sat next to April, Sep gave Joel a skeptical look.

  “I know I’ve been treating you like a little kid,” Joel said. “On the way here, I recalled how my brothers and sisters treated me like I couldn’t do the job right because I was the youngest. I didn’t care for it back then, and I reckon you don’t care for it now, given the punch you gave me on Christmas day.”

  Surprised, April glanced between her husband and her brother. “What?” Turning to Sep, she asked, “You punched Joel?”

  His face red, Sep shrugged. “It just happened. I was upset and didn’t think about the consequences.”

  She studied Joel, wondering if he was as angry as Harvey had been when Sep punched him. Sep hit Harvey when he caught Harvey throwing a bowl of hot soup at her. Harvey was drunk and wanted a sandwich, and even though she reminded him that he asked for soup, he referred to her as an insolent whore and threw the bowl at her. Sep got up from the table and decked him. The problem was, Sep had been thirteen and was no match for him. That was the first time Harvey took Sep to the third bedroom. Heart racing from the memory, she swallowed and asked Joel, “What happened when he hit you?”

  “Nothing,” Joel said. “Well, I told him to get the coffee going.”

  Turning her gaze to Sep, her eyes begged him to tell her whether that was true or not because she had to know if Joel struck back. Even if it would break her heart because she’d fallen in love with her husband, she had to know what kind of man he really was.