before, but hadn’t ever witnessed. It was probably the perfect time, but she simply couldn’t form the words.
His work-roughened hand came up to caress her cheek and she closed her eyes to keep herself from leaning into his hand and giving him yet another mixed message. “Okay, so you’re not ready to tell me what’s holding you back. We’ve only known each other for a short period of time and you need to know more about me. You don’t fully trust me yet.”
That wasn’t it, she thought silently with misery overwhelming her. “Actually,” she said as she twisted her fingers together, “you need to know me better. There are a lot of things about me that you might not like.”
He almost laughed out loud at the idea of this sweet, gentle, intelligent woman having a past that could be so horrible. “So tell me now. I can look at your lips that are still soft and swollen and that might counter any anger I’ll have with you for whatever heinous crimes you’ve committed in the past.”
He was trying to make her laugh, but it really wasn’t funny. “You joke but…I really am not who you think I am.”
He couldn’t help it when she said things like that. He threw back his head and laughed. “Sierra, there’s no way you can convince me that you aren’t the sweet, warm, caring woman I’ve come to know over the past few weeks.”
“I’m not all that sweet,” she grumbled, wishing he wouldn’t make her sound like a saint. “I’m not really all that kind either.” He’d agree with her as well once he heard how cruel her father was before he’d died in prison.
“I doubt that you even had a handful of lovers,” he joked. When she blushed and looked away, he stilled. “Is that it? Did you have a lover in the past who…”
“No!” she gasped, pulling away from him.
He still stood before her, motionless. “Sierra,” he said with a deep, serious voice, “have you ever had a lover?” he finally asked.
Sierra bit her lip and shook her head, almost ashamed to admit that she was still a virgin.
Drake took a deep breath, taking her hands and placing them flat against his chest. “Is that what you’ve been trying to tell me?” he asked softly.
Sierra wished it were that simple. As embarrassing as it was to be a virgin at her age, it still wasn’t the worst of her crimes. “No. That part might be true, but it isn’t the worst of it.”
“Might be true? Or it is true?” he teased.
She glared at him. “You’ve already guessed that it is true so let’s not beat that one to death, okay?”
Drake laughed, delighted. He liked the fact that she’d never let anyone touch her the way she’d let him touch her. And he knew that she’d never gone this far with anyone. He now understood all of her tentative touches, all of her hesitation in making their relationship physical. She just didn’t understand how good it would be between the two of them. Whatever horrible thing she had lurking in her past, it couldn’t be that bad. She was just too smart and sweet.
“It’s going to be okay, Sierra,” he said and pulled her into a gentle hug. She was stiff for only a moment before she melted into his arms. He wanted badly to question her, to find out more, but he sensed that she wouldn’t reveal anything else today. “How about if we ride a bit longer, then I’ll take you back to your place?” He pulled back and looked down at her. “Unless you would be willing to let me cook for you tonight?”
She immediately shook her head. “More riding would be great, but you’ve already fed me lunch. I can manage my own dinner.”
He left it at that but the thought occurred to him that he wanted to feed her every night. And every morning. He remembered seeing her coming out of the bathroom earlier today in his shirt and he wanted to be the man who bought all of her clothes for her, gave her everything.
She was too independent to allow that, but it was a primitive reaction that struck him deep and hard. He wanted her, not just for the afternoon or the night. But forever. He wanted this woman in his life and the idea of marriage to her, to be able to wake up with her in his arms for the rest of his life, was