Echoes of the Heart by Carole Webb

on
her forearms.
                Grateful
he had been there to catch her, she hoped he thought her trembling was due to
being frightened by the fall.   
    His grip loosened slightly
allowing her to inch down his body, their eyes locked in a stare.   When his hands rounded her rear to rest on
the small of her back, the already warm embers throughout her body ignited into
a flame.
    As her breasts
slid past his face, he nuzzled her cleavage.   She felt a sudden jolt then folded her arms around his neck while his
hat fell to the floor.   Their faces met
at eye level and his mouth covered hers in a steamy hard kiss setting her on
fire.   Welcoming the union, she parted
her lips returning his passion while she struggled to breathe.
    Nipples hardened
when he crushed her to his chest then he pulled her legs around him pressing
the strength of his maleness against her thighs when he backed her to the
wall.   His kisses penetrated deeper as
his hands roamed over her torso while the fire within blazed out of
control.   Her breaths turned to gasps as
he unbuttoned her bodice allowing warm hands to cover her breast while searing
lips kissed down her neck to end on the fullness cupped in his grasp.
                A
desire rose within her so overwhelming, she thought she might faint when his
tongue flicked across her hard nipple then traced a line to the other to repeat
the blissful torture.   His hand slid
under her skirts to slide slowly up her leg resting on the soft mound between
her thighs.
    She gasped tossing
her head back against the wall.   A deep
growl rose from his throat and his lips claimed her once more, muffling the
sighs as experienced hands continued their caresses.   His finger rimmed the inside edge of her silk
undergarment while his lips moved back to her breasts as he gently probed the
damp softness driving her mad as she quaked in his arms.   Oh, dear God, if he stopped now, she would
beg him not to.
    Uncontrolled
spasms shook her body and his mouth once again covered hers stifling a squeal
while her nails clawed into his back.   Instinct stepped in, her hand lowered to cover his hardness, gently
stroking through his jeans, and he sucked in a breath through his teeth.
    Voices from the
front room brought them both back to reason.   He lowered her gently until her feet reached the floor then he buttoned
her bodice while she ran fingers through rumpled hair.
    Cash reached for
his hat while smoothing his hair back then adjusted the fit.
    Raeden heard Diane call out.   “Rae, are you here?”
    “I’m coming,”
praying the shame did not show on her face as she marched smartly, smoothing
the folds of her dress.   Cash followed
behind, mannequin in hand, a mischievous smirk on his face.   Mortified, Raeden hoped the frame would conceal
the bulge in his jeans.
    Faced with their
questioning expressions, she decided to lie.   “Cash just helped get the figure frame down from storage.   I thought it would be perfect to display my
finished gowns near the window.”
    Diane’s eyes
roamed over both of them, hesitant to speak.   “What a great idea, Rae.   I
completely forgot it had been stored upstairs.”
    Embarrassed by her
emotional outburst with Cash in the back room, she snatched the mannequin from
his hands and clumsily maneuvered it into her workroom trying to maintain some
semblance of control.   I will never be able to face him after what
just happened.   How could he be so bold
to take such advantage?
    Cash’s voice
drifted into the room where she stood near the door.   “I’ll come by later to help with the big
crates.”   While he purchased coffee, she
peeked through a crack in the door to watch him strut like a peacock into the
street.

 
    ***
               
    Raeden sat in the
hotel dining room later in the afternoon, staring into the street, waiting on
the light lunch she had ordered.   Vivid
images of the earlier event flashed through her mind.   Her face