Keeping Faith (Book 3 in the Red Valley Series)

Chapter 15

Cade woke from a sound sleep and lay there on his back, still sharing the narrow bed with Faith Matthews. What had he done? Hell, that was a stupid question, he knew exactly what he'd done. He just didn't know why. The woman laying draped over his body was not the kind of woman he took to his bed, and damn it to hell, she'd been a virgin too! He'd had his fair share of talented women, specifically Belle, but never had he ever been consumed with the white hot passion he felt for Faith.

His mind went back to her innocence. In his defense, there was no way he could have known. True, she was a lady but that didn't mean too much these days. Faith was a modern, independent woman who had no plans to marry, so why would she worry about saving herself for a husband that she would never have? Something clenched in his gut, it was a feeling he had never felt before and he did not like it at all.

Cade looked down at Faith sleeping so soundly and sighed. Her chestnut hair was spread out over the pillow behind her in soft waves. The fire had died down emitting a soft orange glow, so the only real light came from the lightning of the storm outside. Rain was still pounding down on the roof, so there was no hurry to get back to the house. They would not leave until daybreak even if it stopped raining right now. It would just be too dangerous for them to travel in the dark with all the mud. Cade flipped back the blanket and walked the few steps to the stove, stoked the fire, banked it then got back into bed. He reached over and ran his fingers down Faith's satiny soft cheek, then kissed her forehead as he snuggled against her soft body and went back to sleep.

Now she knew why her brothers and the maids went to the barn every opportunity they had. A slow smile spread across Faith's lips. It puzzled her why Cade had just run his fingers down her cheek and then kissed her forehead. This man was such an enigma. Faith lay there in thought and waited until Cade's breathing became slow and steady, then she opened her eyes to look at the man that had just made her a woman. He looked younger and so much softer when he was sleeping. Gently she brought her lips to his, placing a soft kiss on them; then Faith let her palm begin a slow exploration of the hard planes of his chest the way she'd been dreaming about since that day she'd seen him with his shirt off.

It was pretty safe to say that Cade Jacobs was definitely NOT made of stone, well at least most of him wasn't. Faith was obviously a novice, but to her, Cade seemed to be extremely passionate and well, hot. She lay there loving the feel of his skin against hers. Her hand continued to explore his body, sliding lower until she felt something warm, hard, and smooth. Slowly she lifted up the blanket to inspect what she had found. Faith gasped, oh my Lord! That had been inside her? No wonder it hurt at first. It's a good thing she hadn't seen it before they made love, otherwise she wouldn't have let him come near her with it. It definitely looked different now, than when she had seen him bathing. Wait. Why was it different?

She heard a low growl and the next thing she knew, she was on her back with his hands around her wrists over her head, pinning her to the bed. Cade's lips took possession of hers as he thrust his tongue into her mouth in a demanding kiss. Faith could feel the liquid heat pool in her nether regions, but this time she knew what to expect. She arched her back into him, moaning as he drew her breast into his hot mouth. Letting go of her wrists, one hand caressed her breast as he swirled his tongue over first one hardened nipple then the other, while his other hand moved down her body so he could slide his finger into her welcoming heat. Faith moaned as her hips moved toward him. It seemed her body had a mind of its on.

Cade brought his mouth to hers again. "You know." He said between kisses. "All you had to do was say something. I'm always willing to help out a lady."

Faith heard him but she wasn't listening. All she could think about was the torrent of feelings going on in her body. Cade rolled over on his back taking her with him. "What are you doing?" Faith panted in confusion and a fair amount of disappointment. Strong hands gripped her hips and lifted her up, then slid her down on his throbbing manhood. Her eyes slid closed as a moan of pleasure escaped her throat.