Without speaking, he drew her close, his hands molding her against him. The contact was so intimate that she gasped. Her conscience whispered that this was wrong, but she had no desire to push him away. The sensations that coursed through her body were too powerful to resist.
“Lord help me, Hanna,” he murmured. “I almost died from wanting you these past weeks. And now here you are, in my arms. I must be the luckiest man on earth.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
EVER SINCE HER EARLY TEENS, HANNA HAD TRIED TO IMAGINE WHAT her first kiss would be like—the kiss that would change her from a girl to a woman. In the weeks since the dance in town, her fantasies had spun around Mason—how he would hold her, how his lips would feel, even how they would taste.
Not that she’d counted on Mason being the one to give her that kiss. It would more likely be some awkward farm boy or even Ulli—a kiss to shrug off and forget. But she’d been wrong. Mason was here, and the kiss of her dreams was about to happen.
Her heart slammed the walls of her chest as he leaned toward her. As his lips brushed hers, warm from the sun and as smooth as the skin on a horse’s nose, she felt a shock of pleasure. Unbidden, she rose on tiptoe to heighten the sensation. His mouth teased her, nibbling and nipping until a compelling ache rose in the depths of her body. She whimpered, begging for more. Only then did he take full possession, crushing her lips with his, tasting and devouring. Dizzy with need, she let him, pressing close.
When his tongue slid into her mouth, tasting faintly of whiskey, she was startled. But as the tip stroked the silky inner surfaces, new sensations awakened like opening flowers. Every part of her seemed to shimmer with life. The voice of her conscience still whispered that this was not only wrong but foolish, but Hanna was beyond listening. She gave a little moan as her body responded to his mouth and to the hand that had moved to a breast, stroking the exquisitely tender flesh through her clothes.
Lost in a swirl of new sensations, she was barely aware of a faint sound, like the boom of a faraway cannon shot. In an instant it had passed. Was it only the pounding of her heart she’d heard? But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except the here and now, and Mason’s lips on hers.
Suddenly he thrust her away from him and stepped back, leaving her damp and breathless. Bewildered, she stared at him.
“We have to stop this now, Hanna.” His voice rasped with emotion. “If we go on, I could hurt you, damage your reputation, even ruin your life. I care for you too much to let that happen.”
Hanna lowered her gaze. Scalding shame rose in her face. Mason was right. What had she done? What had she become? When he’d pulled her into his arms, why hadn’t she slapped his face and fled, as any proper lady would do?
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She nodded, hands fumbling to smooth back her hair and reposition the loose pins.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Hanna,” he said. “I’d give anything to love you the way you were meant to be loved. But I know you belong to another man. I saw you with him earlier. I have no right—”
“Just go.” Hanna was angrier with herself than with him. How could she go back to Ulli now that she’d behaved like a wanton in another man’s arms? How could she marry him, now that Mason had shown her what she’d be missing—and what she was never likely to have?
But how could she not marry the man who offered her family the chance for a better life?
Her mother’s shopping basket lay at her feet where she’d dropped it. Mason picked it up and handed it to her. “You go first,” he said. “I’ll wait a bit, then cut around behind and come out next to the saloon. Nobody will notice.”
Hot-faced, Hanna walked out of the alley, crossed the street, and returned to the place where Ulli had left the buggy. Sheltered from the sun, and from prying eyes, by the raised hood, she huddled in the seat, fighting tears and hoping no one had seen her.
Mason’s kisses had awakened responses she hadn’t known she possessed. Like a prairie fire, they’d blazed out of control. Even now, they were smoldering below the surface. But his words had made it clear that what had happened between them was no more than a stolen moment. Now it had ended—in the most humiliating way, with her sneaking out of the alley like a criminal. Her only choice was to get on with her colorless life, do what was expected of her, and forget it had ever happened.
She remembered her friend Lillian, and how she’d glowed with life when Webb Calder was dancing with her. Now Hanna understood that glow. She’d experienced it herself in Mason’s arms. But Lillian was loyal to her husband and to their way of life. She was wise enough, and strong enough, to keep her wedding vows.
But was she happy?
Maybe that didn’t matter.
“Here you are.” Ulli had come up alongside the buggy. “Did you get everything you needed at the store? You took so long getting back that I was beginning to wonder where you were.”
“Yes, I found everything. But I didn’t hurry. I took my time.” All of this was true. So why did she feel as if she’d just lied?
“Well, then, let’s go and get some barbecue,” he said. “I hope you’re as hungry as I am.”
At the mention of food, Hanna’s stomach clenched. The last thing she felt like was eating. “Please go ahead without me, Ulli,” she said. “I’m not feeling well. Most likely it’s just the heat. I’ll stay here and wait for you.”
“Nonsense.” Seizing her hand, he gave it a forceful tug. “What will people think if I leave you and go back alone? They’ll be saying that we must’ve had a quarrel. Now stop acting like a child and do as I say.”
Resisting would only make things worse. With a sigh, Hanna let him help her down from the buggy and lead her through the crowd to the long table where the last of the barbecue was being served. Ulli handed her a slab of bread and meat, then took one for himself, devouring it with big, hearty bites.
Hanna forced herself to take small mouthfuls and chew them. Looking to one side, she could see that Mason had returned to his place near the bank entrance. She turned away, hoping he wouldn’t see her but knowing that he probably had.
“Aren’t you going to finish that?” Ulli asked.
“Take it.” She handed him her bread and meat and watched him wolf it down, a thin trail of juice dribbling from the corner of his mouth.
While he finished, Hanna forced herself to smile and nod at people who passed. Her feet, in their too-tight high-topped shoes, had gone numb. Her lips stung with the memory of Mason’s kiss and the humiliation that had followed. Today’s outing had been a miserable mistake from beginning to end. All she wanted now was to go home.
* * *
Blake had seen Hanna come out of the alley, fussing with her hair and looking as if her heart had been broken. He had also seen Mason slipping behind the store, coming out on the far side of the saloon, and crossing the street to return to the bank.
He’d held back the urge to catch up with his brother and give him the tongue-lashing he deserved. Mason would probably laugh in his face. In any case, it appeared the damage had been done. He could only hope that the girl had suffered nothing worse than wounded feelings.
He had watched Hanna from a distance to make sure she was safe. Only after she’d climbed into the buggy did he turn away, find his horse, and mount up to go back to the sawmill.