Secret Love - Brenda Jackson [32]
As they stepped into the cabin and closed the door behind them, Jake pulled Diamond into his arms. He had to leave and return to camp. The men would be spending the next three to four nights on the range to continue moving the herd and as was customary, he would be with them. But now, the only thing he wanted was to take a hot shower and go to bed—with Diamond.
He didn’t want to think of the mistake he was making, knowing there could never be anything between them but these stolen moments. Their worlds were as different as day and night, but while she was here in his world he wanted to be with her.
He refused to compare her with his ex-wife any longer. Jessie had been spoiled, selfish and self-centered. Diamond was different. She was thoughtful, kind and considerate. She was everything that was good and decent. And she didn’t hate ranching and cowboys like Jessie had. She respected both, and he appreciated her for it. But he knew he could not even think about them sharing anything beyond two more weeks.
“I have to leave, Diamond, to go back.”
“Yes, I know and I understand,” she said, unwrapping her arms from around his waist.
Jake thought for a moment. Yes, she would understand. She was that type of woman. “What are your plans while I’m gone?” he asked her, wondering if she would be doing any more baking to pass the time away.
Diamond didn’t say anything for a long while as she looked up at him. Finally she said, “I’ll keep busy until you come back and make love to me again.”
Her words combined with the warmth of her smile nearly made him lose control all over again. He gently pulled her back into his arms. “Are you trying to make it hard for me to leave you?” he asked, placing a kiss on her temple.
Her smile widened against his shoulder. “You asked me what I’d be doing, didn’t you?”
Yes, he thought, he had asked her, and one thing he had discovered about Diamond was that she was straightforward and open with her answers.
He leaned down and kissed her lips. “Come walk me out.”
She walked him out onto the porch and watched as he mounted his horse. After he’d gotten settled, he sat with his hands folded on his saddle horn and looked down at her.
“Good night, Diamond. Pleasant dreams.”
She smiled saucily. “And they will be, Jacob, since they’ll be all about you.”
He grinned before urging his horse on. He told himself to keep riding and not look back, and he’d almost done just that until he had gotten to the top of the valley. Then he couldn’t help himself and glanced back anyway. Diamond was still standing there, looking at him. Jake stopped his horse. He turned around and began galloping back down the path at a swift speed.
Diamond saw him coming back and wondered why he was returning. She stepped off the porch into the yard, not afraid that his horse would trample her. One thing she knew for certain was the fact that he was an expert horseman. Coming alongside of her, he reached down and captured her in his arms and swung her up in the saddle in front of him.
Jake captured the startled surprise off her lips, kissing her long, deep and hard. Then he quickly released her and placed her back down on her feet before turning and galloping off again. This time he didn’t look back.
“Wow!” was the only word Diamond could say at the moment. She just stood there until horse and rider were no longer in sight. It was another minute longer before she turned and went into the cabin.
Once inside she released a deep sigh as she replayed in her mind the scene that had just taken place. She touched her lips and felt heat surge through her body. She also felt something else…aches.
She couldn’t remember the last time her body had ached so much. Her thighs and backside were killing her. But these aches were special aches. She had never been happier to have aches that resulted from making love to the man she loved.
Sighing again, her thoughts slid back to all the activities she had been a part of that day. The time spent on the range and with Jacob. She shivered