Captain O'Reilly's Woman - Ashes of Love 1 Read online

  “Do you play?” he asked suddenly. His shoulder brushed hers.

  “Badly. But I love it,” she answered, laughing.

  “Well then let’s play, Samantha,” David enthused. “It’ll do my ego a world of good to whip your behind.” She followed him to a little kiosk, picked out a putter and a ball then turned to look up at him. There was a quiet, womanly smile on her face.

  “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you use my name.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “Yes.”

  David inhaled sharply and leaned over her. Lifting the brim of her hat he pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her forehead. “Get used to it, Samantha,” he breathed against her skin, smiling when she trembled. “I’m not just some stud for hire. I’m in this for the long haul,” he added with quiet surety then leaned away from her to gauge her reaction.

  “Wow,” she said breathlessly, feeling a little overwhelmed by his intense, unexpected sensuality. “I mean I always thought you were hot but I never imagined you’d...” Her voice trailed off self-consciously when she caught a glimpse of his utterly male smile.

  “I have been helplessly in love with you from the moment I saw you climb off that recruitment bus two years ago,” he admitted quietly then pressed a kiss to her neck, the base of her ear. When he felt her shiver in response he smiled.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Because I couldn’t,” he replied with quiet bitterness, kissed her neck once more then replaced her hat on her head.

  Samantha blinked up at him. She’d always had a thing for Captain O’Reilly—David, but had put it down to infatuation. A Pygmalion thing. Now, all she wanted was for him to kiss her neck again because it had felt wonderful. Maybe even the most erotic thing anybody had ever done to her.

  Maybe? Hell...it definitely was.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked quietly, breaking into her warm thoughts. When she blushed, he pushed. “Tell me,” he insisted with a gentle smile.

  “That...I’d like you to kiss me again. If it’s all right?” she asked nervously.

  Samantha felt her shoulders go down when David’s full, lusty laughter rang out. He wrapped his bear-like arms around her and hugged her fiercely. Her small body rocked with his. Again he dipped his head and feathered his lips across her neck.

  “I will always want to kiss you, Sam.” He said her name like an endearment and Samantha realized she was grinning ear to ear, and that she really liked the feel of his broad, muscular back beneath her hands as she returned his embrace.

  “Um, sorry to interrupt, Captain. It still is Captain, right?”

  He turned to find a man wearing a white apron and t-shirt, standing a few paces away. In his fifties, he had graying hair and narrow shoulders. David thought he looked familiar but couldn’t quite place the face.

  The man held out his hand. “Rawlins. Jacob Rawlins.” He turned back toward the sound of crunching gravel. A tall woman, about the same age as Jacob was walking toward them. Her one arm was covered with old burn scars...someone else who’d survived the Great War.

  David smiled suddenly and took the man’s hand. “Jacob. How’ve you been? It’s been, what, two, three years? You’re looking good. You too, Mrs. Rawlins,” David said, looking the woman directly in the eye. His smile widened. Looping his arm around Samantha’s shoulder, he drew her to his side. “The Rawlins were friends of my parents. Mrs. Rawlins here is the best baker in town.” He turned back to them. “This is Samantha Cooper.” He introduced her with unmistakable fondness.

  Samantha shook their hands but found herself wondering why they were looking down at her with such open pleasure.

  Jacob Rawlins handed David the neat brown sack he was holding. “The Misses wanted me to give this to you. We weren’t sure at first it was you when you pulled in. Your vehicle’s different than the last time but as soon as she caught a glimpse of you she called out that Captain O’Reilly was here and rushed out back to pack up a tin of her baking for you to take to the lake.” He looked down at Samantha fondly. “For you and your woman.” His gray eyes sparkled when he looked at her. “This man here brought our town back after the Great War. We owe him a great debt.”

  “Now Jacob,” David murmured dismissively.

  “No, let him say his piece, Captain O’Reilly,” Mrs. Rawlins insisted. Her voice was low pitched, beautiful even. Samantha got a sense that she said little but what she did say was important. “He was just a kid. Hadn’t been in the Army more than a year. But he managed to persuade them to bring a whole squadron here. They stayed six months. Cleared out a gang of thugs that had taken over the place. Rebuilt our little hospital. Repaved this road into town, got most of the businesses back up and running amongst other things.” She lifted her chin defiantly. “We don’t forget things like that.”

  David looked down at the ground, fingering the sack in his hand, uncomfortable with their praise but forced himself to accept it graciously. “You’re welcome,” he said quietly and smiled unconsciously when he felt Samantha’s arm come around his waist and hold him closer.

  “How long have you owned this place?” Samantha said brightly, kindly, breaking the silence that had fallen. David tightened his arm around her shoulders, touched her bare arm with his rough fingers. The way she leaned into him made him hope she felt more than heard his quiet sigh of gratitude.

  “Two years this fall,” Jacob Rawlins answered happily. “We pull in a lot of the summer trade but we also do a brisk business in town at the Saturday morning open-air market. My produce and the Missus’ baking,” he added with pride. “We’re looking into building up a dairy cooperative this winter. Cheese and such. Ice cream for the summer trade. A number of local farmers are already in on the plan.”

  “Well you’ve got a perfect location for it here, Jacob,” David responded, looking around. Scouting locations and identifying opportunities were his bread and butter. “And a central, modern facility will ensure a quality product. A safe one too.”

  All four of them nodded quietly. Too many children had died unnecessarily over the past twenty years because of unsanitary food handling.

  “Anyway, we just wanted to say hello. We’ll get back to work now and leave you two alone,” Jacob said, smiled and started to turn away. His wife stepped toward Samantha.

  Samantha looked up when the woman’s rough hand reached for her. Gently, she touched the side of Samantha’s face and looked down at her with that same unaccountable fondness her husband had. “Will you be staying? Here. With him for awhile?” Mrs. Rawlins asked quietly. Her eyes smiled as she stroked Samantha’s cheek then smoothed back a fire-bright lock of hair before letting her hand fall back to her side.

  “Yes,” Samantha answered without thinking yet knew it was the truth. “For some time. I hope.”

  Mrs. Rawlins exhaled slowly and smiled. “That’s good,” she said with a contentment that caught Samantha off-guard. The woman’s words warmed her despite that.

  Mrs. Rawlins turned back to David. “You look more and more like your father, Captain O’Reilly.”

  “Thank you,” David replied quietly. “But it’s just David. Here, it always is.”

  * * *

  After the Rawlins left them, David and Samantha played a round of mini-putt. As promised, she was really bad at it, which turned out to be a good thing.

  They were back in the Jeep now and back on the road. Feeling brazen when she did it, Samantha slid her hand onto David’s knee. He folded her fingers in his, lifted them to his mouth and kissed her knuckles before laying her hand back down.

  As they drove, her hand in his, she remembered the game they’d played. How he’d stood behind her. So close that the warmth and strength of him eclipsed her. His arms around her. His hands on hers. His face tucked in beside her cheek. Holding the putter with her, he’d showed her how to improve her stroke. She’d enjoyed the game but she’d enjoyed being with him more. The small physical intimacy was far more of a rush than
any fumbled kisses she’d shared with her two, lone and best-forgotten boyfriends. They’d been children. David was a man. Although there were times when she still felt more like a kid than a woman, she never did around David.

  There was a time, she knew, when people would have frowned on the differences in their ages. But the Great War had left humanity with the freedom, and often the necessity of such pairings.

  “You didn’t actually bring the Corps here?” she asked suddenly. “Yourself, I mean?”

  David grinned wryly and glanced down at her. He was dressed casually in broken-in jeans, boots and a neatly pressed, Oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top two buttons undone. His clothes hinted at the sculpted mass of his body.

  “Yes, actually,” he said dismissively. “The town was in a bad way but the population was large enough to warrant Army intervention. The geography was worth preserving and the place is central to a number of other smaller communities. I put together a proposal and the squadron commander forwarded it on.” He shrugged. “It was accepted.” Again, he lifted her hand and kissed it before laying it back on his knee. “These people took care of me after my family died. I was only ten. They deserved to get something back for that.” He sighed. “They weren’t supposed to know it was my proposal, though.”

  “Ah,” Samantha breathed. “So you’re now the bright, shining, local-boy-makes-good fellow in these parts?”

  David laughed and squeezed her fingers affectionately. “Yeah,” he admitted wryly. “I suppose you could say that.”

  They drove on. As they got closer to town, they passed more and more inhabited buildings. The local township depot, with shiny municipal repair vehicles and road-maintenance trucks. A farm-supply store and some commercial manufacturing facilities. Samantha recognized the logo of the company that made the crayons she’d loved to play with as a child. More houses now, with neatly tended lawns and flowers by the front door. An auto-body shop and a take-out fish and chip place.

  “Great fries,” David commented easily, pointing. “But the ones from the marina are better. I’ll take you there for lunch one day in the boat.”

  The speed limit had dropped significantly almost a half kilometer back and the road was narrower. It was lined with businesses and shops—none of them boarded up—with tree lined, residential streets beyond. They stopped for a red light. There were shiny cars parked on an angle and people on the streets, going about their business. A bank with customers going in and out of it. A large pharmacy. Clothing boutiques. A paint store, gift shop, an insurance office and too many other businesses to identify before the light changed and David pulled ahead smoothly.

  “The marine lock is just on the other side of that bridge,” he said, tipping his head up. They passed a little side street dominated by a bustling marina.

  Samantha spotted the restaurant sign next to the entrance. “Home of the touted fries?” she asked.

  “Yep.” David slowed down to let a car pull out of a spot in front of them then continued on. “Grocery store’s just up here,” he said, checking his blind spot before turning. “We’ll need some supplies. Me, I could manage to live on love. But that little body of yours probably needs three meals a day just to keep going.”

  Rolling her eyes and exhaling audibly, Samantha resisted the urge to smack his shoulder. She unfastened her seatbelt when he pulled into a spot. Grabbing her oversized, straw bag from the back seat, she rooted around in it until she found her hairbrush. After giving her hair a quick once-over she put her hat back on. When she turned back to him, she found David watching her with an intensity that made her breath catch. She felt a warm, erotic flexing in her loins.

  “I never told you how much I love your hair,” he said quietly. Reaching out, he combed his fingers through it, where it fell across her shoulder, the back of her neck. Lifting a thick tendril and holding it up to the light, he admired the flash and luster of it then lifted it to his nose and inhaled slowly. His eyes drifted shut before he let go and brushed it back over her shoulder.

  “Oh...my,” Samantha breathed unsteadily. Her hand fluttered nervously over her heart before settling on her chest. His intense sensuality caught her off guard, as it had before. She had no vocabulary to tell him how exciting she found it. Him. Instinctively she knew her feelings were written on her face...for him, or anybody walking by for that matter, to see.

  He seemed to understand what she was still only barely aware of because something in his eyes intensified. It made her insides squirm and pulse deliciously.

  As he unclipped his seatbelt, he said, “That’s the nicest compliment anybody’s ever paid me.” He leaned into her, kissed her neck then stepped out of the Jeep.

  Still blinking, Samantha looked up when she heard her door open. Smiling contentedly, she accepted the hand David held out to her and stepped down onto the running board then onto the asphalt. She smoothed her short skirt and looped her bag over her shoulder. Then, her hand in his, followed him into the grocery store.

  Pneumatic doors whooshed open and a quick blast of artificially cooled air hardened Samantha’s nipples. Pulling a cart away from the neat row just inside, David turned back to her. Before he could discipline his reaction, he felt his eyes widen as he looked at her body.

  Damn, David thought to himself. I’ll be lucky to get out of here without embarrassing myself. He’d been dying to kiss her lush mouth ever since that day at the abandoned sheep farm. But he hadn’t. For some reason he didn’t fully comprehend, he wanted to save that until they were home. His home. On his land. He also realized he was just barely managing to keep his hands off her, despite the fact that they were in a public place. He wanted to kiss every inch of her and wanted to start with those perfect breasts of hers. Wanted to feel the hard, full points tight against his tongue as he—

  “David!”

  Damn. She was the last person he wanted to run into right now but there was no help for it. Quelling his horniness, David forced a smile and turned toward the tall brunette rushing toward him with outstretched hands.

  “Hello, Cheryl. Good to see you,” he greeted her with appropriate warmth, hugged her quickly then stepped back.

  “Sam, this is Cheryl Rogerson. Cheryl, this is Samantha Cooper.”

  He introduced Samantha with unmistakable affection. The tall woman took in the proximity of their bodies and the way his hand casually came around Samantha’s waist and rested on the top of her hip.

  “No,” Cheryl breathed delightedly. She reached out and hugged Samantha hard. “Pinch me quick. You’ve finally managed to land yourself a girl. And a real beauty too,” Cheryl added approvingly. Her hands on Samantha’s arms squeezed affectionately before releasing her. “And not one of those blow-up dolls that deflates every time you shove them in the dishwasher.”

  “Jeez, Cheryl,” David hissed, looking around. “You’ve still got the smuttiest mouth I’ve ever met.”

  “And you’re getting fat,” she shot back, slapping his taut abdomen with the back of her hand.

  He shot her a hard look but Cheryl simply laughed and turned, waving to two children hovering around a display of chocolate bars. “Kids. Come here and say hello to your mother’s old friend. You remember meeting Captain David O’Reilly?”

  “Oh yeah,” one of them, a girl and the oldest of the two, looked up at David intently. “You’re the one named after my school.”

  “Actually, dear,” her mother corrected her, brushing her short brown hair out of her eyes, “the school is named after David. Not the other way around.”

  “Oh. Right,” the girl acknowledged, then accepted the hand David held out to her. She shook politely, said good-bye and rushed back to the chocolate.

  “How old are they?” Samantha asked.

  “Eight and six. And the baby’s almost a year now,” she added, nodding toward her shopping cart. A baby carrier was propped up on top of it. Her other children started to argue and she headed for them. “Listen, David, you and Samantha come by for s
upper while you’re here,” she called out over her shoulder. “No arguments. I’ll call and we’ll set a date.” She waved good-bye then closed in on her children. “Hey. What did I say?” she demanded firmly. “You know there’re people in Asia who’ll pay good money for child labor.”

  Samantha chuckled but David simply rolled his eyes, grabbed their cart and headed for the meat department.

  “How long have you known her?” Samantha asked casually as David looked over the hamburger. He picked out a couple of packages and threw them into the cart.

  “Remind me to get buns,” he said absently then walked on. “Cheryl? Forever,” he answered as he picked through the steaks. “We grew up together. My one and only childhood sweetheart.”

  “Oh really,” Samantha purred with rising interest. She glanced back at the tall brunette, watched her firmly plant her middle child into an empty corner of her shopping cart and head for the check-out. “Should I be jealous?” she teased.

  “Would you like to be?” he shot back, dipping his head and finding that sweet spot he loved to taste just behind her ear. “Would you think I’m even hotter if I had hoards of adoring women clamoring after me?”

  She laughed softly then gave his shoulder a little shove. “I’d think you were hotter if your colon wasn’t plastered with all that beef you’re buying. How about some poultry? Or fish?”

  “Urgh,” he groaned. “A man does not want to be reminded about the state of his colon when he’s doing his very best to seduce a beautiful woman.”

  “Captain O’Reilly!”

  The laughter in David’s eyes froze and Samantha clearly heard him think—just like he’d said it out loud, “Shit on a stick.”

  She held her laughter back when he disciplined his expression, smiled and turned toward the man who’d spoken.