Courage Under Duress (SYTYCW)

Chapter 12

The weekend had come to pass and a new week had begun only to have rolled by just as quickly as the first.  There hadn't been any more incidents where Dominic was concerned.  Last Friday had shaken me up so much that Thomas and I had taken to sharing a bed again.  A week later, things were just becoming bearable.

As the days flew by, I grew increasingly worried about when the time came for Thomas to go back to work on Monday.  I had yet to spend a significant amount of time alone inside the house or on the grounds.  For all I knew, Tom thought I was fine during the day if only a little skittish around the ranch hands.  I didn't want to worry him.  The man lived his life, trying to make everything easier for me.  I had gone from having a man who didn't give a shit about me to one that cared so much it was almost a fault of his.

In two weeks, my bruises have all but gone away with the exception of those on my rib-cage.  My ribs have healed some although yesterday's attempt to ride Denver proved that I just wasn't ready yet.  Disappointed, I settled on walking the mare around the corral.  The bandage around my hand was removed but my two broken fingers were stuck in finger splints.  The cuts on my face look more like fading scratches.  For the first time in years, I was able to pull off mascara and lip gloss on their own.

As our nights together grew more comfortable, Thomas and I hadn't had another moment since last Friday night.  It was hard living in close proximity with one another, knowing of our mutual attraction yet holding back because of fear.  My trust in him was explicit, however.

Sharing a moment, only for one of us to pull back, discuss things in order to remind each other of how great things could be, was wearing me thin.  We teased and laughed, we held hands, and cuddled frequently, but it felt too G-rated, even for me.  I wasn't thinking of having sex but after sharing a few kisses, I wanted more of those.  I wanted to taste him but with every opportunity that presented itself, his lips would land on my forehead, cheek or the top of my head.

Since I knew there wasn't a lack of interest, I blamed the lack of news about my divorce from Dominic.

Speaking of my pending divorce, I had been calling Hannah throughout the week.  Yesterday, I voiced my thoughts and told her that I knew he wouldn't sign.  She urged me to wait until the end of the week before she began the procedure to force things with the courts.

"Oh no!  She's thinking again," I heard an amused Tom cuddling me from behind.  I turned around in his arms so I could face him and smiled.  "Good morning, beautiful."

"Good morning," I said.  He rolled onto his back and I followed, leaning with crossed arms, over his chest.

"Care to tell me what's got you thinking so much first thing in the morning?"  I loved that every morning, for the last week, we'd wake up slowly; sometimes talking, sometimes dozing off.

"You."  I said and settled my chin on my arms, studying him.  It wasn't a lie.  Everything from my progress and my joy revolved around this man.

"Is that so?"  He reached up and pushed back a strand of hair from what I could only assume was a bee's nest.  I nodded my response before rolling off of him and onto my back, my arms over my head.  "Now why'd you go and do that, I was comfortable."

"Well, one of us is going to have to get up and make breakfast at some point," I said and made a move to get up.

"I don't think so."  He bolted upright, grabbed my arm and pulled me back toward him.  The velocity with which I crashed onto him had me landing sprawled over his chest, both of us laughing.  Our faces were inches apart.  "If you wanted to kiss me so damn much then why didn't you?"  He chuckled and I couldn't help the giggle that snuck out.

Thomas' laugh was cut short when my hand brushed the hair away from his forehead.  I studied his face as I allowed my fingertips to trace his eyebrows, his cheekbones, and the bridge of his nose.

"What are you doing?" he asked as my fingers touched his jawbone.

"Shh..."  I continued touching.  He was quite handsome with that morning shadow of his.  My fingers traced the dimple in his chin before they reached his lips.

"E."  I ignored his tortured warning.  His hands gripped my waist and squeezed.  My hands cupped the sides of his face and I tilted my head down, letting my lips caress his for a few seconds before I pulling back.  I opened my eyes to gauge his reaction.

He didn't do or say anything.  My thoughts went dark and I tried to pull away.  He wrapped his arms around my waist, pinning me to him.  "You're not going anywhere," he said, "not until you do that again."  I felt the heat climb up my neck and it settled in my cheeks.  "God, I love that blush."  He lifted his head and captured my lips with his.   The kiss was hungry and it pulled me in.  I needed more and so I caved to his request.  Our kiss remained sweet and the bedroom's temperature had gone up a few degrees within the last fifteen seconds.

I was the first to pull away and smiled at the smile that played at those delectable lips I had just kissed.  Kissing his cheek, I hid my face in his neck.  With one hand on my hip, the one played with my hair.

"That was a great way to jumpstart my day."

"Mmm."  I nodded into his neck.

"Hungry?"

"Famished.  Can I help you with breakfast?" I asked.  "I feel so useless and-" I bit my lip.

"You can't just stop there."  He rolled us over so he could hover over me.

"It's not that I'm ungrateful for what you're doing for me but I'd like to return the favor from time to time...especially with the cooking."

"Okay."

"You're not going to fight me on this?"

"No, because I know it would make you happy," he said, kissing one cheek while rubbing the other with the back of his hand.  "I wanted you to feel doted on for once."