Touch of Heaven Page 6

  “There are some storm clouds gathering in the south over there.” Rachelle pointed. She liked the small boat but the thought of being on the lake in a squall in the little vessel frightened her.

  “It will probably just blow over. We haven’t had rain here for weeks and it’s not forecasted.”

  Rachelle wanted to snap something about the weather on the lake being much different than what was happening in the small town half an hour away where the forecast was for but she clamped her mouth shut. With practiced ease she untied the white rope from the dock. She let it float out a couple feet before she grabbed the nose of the boat. She leaned forward and shoved off the dock, jumping into the front of the boat as she did.

  It was a move she had seen Sheldon do many times while she and Shanna were already seated in the boat and she silently congratulated herself for not falling on her face.

  The boat was about sixteen feet and had four seats. Rachelle seated herself in the one beside Sheldon since she thought it would be awkward to sit in the front and pretend to ignore him or sit in the back and also ignore him.

  He waited until she was settled and then he navigated the boat away from the dock and roared out into the main part of the lake.

  Rachelle held on, unused to such speed. The wind was picking up and the lake was choppy. The boat slammed up and down on each wave, the motion hard and jarring. Rachelle glanced at Sheldon but his gaze was fixed on the distance. She wanted to ask him to slow down or turn back. Wanted to ask where they were going and why he was driving like a maniac but she kept silent. She had never been in a boat without Shanna and clearly Sheldon valued safety much less when his daughter wasn’t present.

  Sheldon kept on driving, right in the direction of the gathering storm. Rachelle glanced up at the sky and back and Sheldon. She repeated the ritual several times, growing more and more worried. The clouds were black and angry looking and were suspended right above them. The wind had picked up into a steady howl and the boat slammed harder and harder as it crested the waves.

  A tremendous crack of thunder echoed around them and Rachelle glanced around wildly, wondering where the lightening had been. Her eyes met Sheldon’s and she saw the half worried, half wild look on his face. She was about to tell him she had told him so when the sky opened up, drenching them both in a few seconds.

  Chapter 12

  What did he have to prove? Sheldon had seen the clouds and knew that there was going to be one hell of a storm. He’d driven right into it like a bloody fool. He asked himself over and over again, what the hell did he have to prove? He was wild and out of control. The storm raging around them was nothing compared to the one raging inside his head and his heart.

  “Sheldon! Sheldon!” Rachelle turned her wet face towards him. Her eyes were wide, startled fear in their blue depths. Water beaded on her face, rolled down her nose, off her chin. Her clothing was plastered to her body, outlining all those glorious curves and planes to perfection. She screamed at him again and Sheldon snapped out of his trance. “We have to get to that island over there! This isn’t safe!”

  He followed the direction of her outstretched index finger and saw the small island she was talking about. He knew he could make it through the storm and back to their dock but the look of raw fear on her face was enough to make him change his mind.

  Gripping the wheel, Sheldon steered the boat around. They reached the island in a matter of minutes. Rachelle leaped out before they hit the rocks and she guided the nose in. She had the rope in her hand and found a large tree. She looped the length around a branch and Sheldon jumped out. He stepped back and admired her handiwork. He wanted to tell her that she had been born for this lifestyle but he changed his mind, sure she wouldn’t appreciate it at the moment.

  Rachelle stormed off, heading into the dryer part of the woods after the boat was secured. Sheldon followed though he was sure she would rather be alone.

  “Rachelle!” He called after her, hoping she would turn around. Above them the storm raged on, the peals of thunder splitting through Sheldon’s brain. He doubted the wisdom of hiding out in the woods during a lightning storm. “Rachelle, stop!” Sheldon lunged forward and grabbed her arm, bringing her up short.

  She spun around on him, her eyes spitting all the fire her tongue would not. “What do you want Sheldon? I have no idea why you brought me out here! I told you it was going to storm! You hardly speak two words to me and then you ask me out on this boat ride from hell and-”

  Sheldon didn’t let her finish. He brought his other hand to the arm he wasn’t holding and spun her into him, crushing her against his chest. She raised her face instinctively and his lops descended hard on her own, hungrily parting her mouth and tasting her as he longed to do.

  “Rachelle,” Sheldon panted, pulling away. Her name was a plea. He was asking her to save him. To save him from himself. Did she know what hell he’d been in these past days since that night in the woods? His torture before seemed like a minor trifle in comparison. He could see in the depths of her eyes that it was the same for her.

  “We shouldn’t do this Sheldon,” Rachelle whispered. “It’s wrong.” Water dripped down her face from her wet hair and she shivered.

  The rain continued to fall, the storm crashing on though it was blowing itself out. They were mostly sheltered by the trees overhead.

  “It might be wrong but I can’t stop myself. I don’t know what you’ve done to me Rachelle. I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re like a witch. You’re a poison that has seeped into my veins. You’re a madness that I can’t get away from.”

  “That’s so complimentary,” Rachelle said dryly, rolling her eyes. She took a step away from him, breaking his hold on her.

  “I mean it Rachelle.” Sheldon closed the distance again, taking her arms once again. He was gentle this time. Her skin burned into his palms, the searing heat spreading upwards, radiating through his body and warming him. Liquid blue eyes glanced up and Sheldon’s heart melted.

  “I can’t do this Sheldon. It’s not fair to anyone, least of all Shanna. We’ve been through this already. I’m your nanny. We can’t do this.”

  “And I’ve told you to tell me before that you don’t feel the same way and you were silent. You could have told me no. You could have told me you were a bloody virgin! And you said nothing!”

  “I know that! You don’t think that I’m as haunted as you are!” Rachelle tried to tear her arms away but he held her fast. “She struggled again but her movements were halfhearted and Sheldon drew strength from that.

  “It’s been so long since I’ve felt anything. I know it’s wrong and I want to harden myself off against it. The last thing in the world I want is more pain and more grief. I know that I should stay away from you. Lord knows that I’ve tried. I’ve tried my best and I’ve failed. I can’t stop this Rachelle, any more than you want me to stop.”

  “I do want you to stop,” she whispered but there was no conviction in her words.

  “I need you Rachelle.” The brokenness of Sheldon’s voice startled him. “I can’t stop myself from wanting you and I can’t stop myself from needing you.”

  “Even if it’s wrong?”

  “Even if it’s wrong,” Sheldon echoed. He was done with talking. There was nothing else to say. Sheldon sensed Rachelle was done with fighting him too. He saw the same raw desire in her eyes that he knew was in his own. God, he thought having her would ease the ache. Would help him control himself. That he would want her less. What a fool he had been. He didn’t just want to have her again. He needed to have her.

  Sheldon slipped his hands up Rachelle’s arms, pulling her into him. He groaned when her own hands found the hem of his shirt and started to pull it away. Their clothes were a wet sodden mess but their desire made them frantic and it was only a few minutes until their clothing was in a twisted mess on the ground and they were standing naked in the woods.

  They faced each other, hardly daring to mov
e. Rachelle’s shoulders and breasts heaved with every one of her excited breaths. It was cold out, the trees blocking the warmth of the day. The howling wind and driving rain whipped through the trees, chilling them. Rachelle’s nipples stood out, hard and pink and perfect. Sheldon needed to taste her. He had never wanted anything so badly in his life.

  He wanted to go slow and savor his time alone with her but Sheldon couldn’t stop himself. He strode forward and took Rachelle into his arms, frantically kissing her, parting her mouth, delving inside with his tongue. Their moans mingled together as he crushed her to him. Her breasts hit his chest, her hard nipples pressing into his firm muscle. His hands found her hips and he lifted her easily. She wrapped her legs around his waist instinctively and he carried her over to a huge pine.

  The bark was hard and scratchy but Rachelle acted as though she didn’t even feel it when Sheldon rammed her back against it. She reached down between them and gripped his aching, hard cock in her cool palm and guided it to the warmth of her entrance. Her body opened for him and he slid in, groaning at the delicious friction that traveled right up the shaft of his cock. He buried himself there in her wet heat, his balls tightening painfully as he struggled to control his release.

  He moved began pounding her hard, slamming his cock in and pulling it out all the way only to burry himself up to the hilt again. Their flesh slapped together, the sounds of their joining igniting a roaring inferno inside Sheldon that he was powerless to put out.

  Rachelle moaned and whimpered. Her body took everything he had to give her and begging for more. This time they didn’t have to be quiet. With the storm raging overhead, Rachelle screamed her pleasure with abandon. Her body clenched around Sheldon, her tight heat milking him and pulling his climax from his body. He threw back his head and roared out his own pleasure as he came inside Rachelle in hot bursts that left him drained and shaking.

  When he finally let her down from the tree, Sheldon gathered Rachelle into his arms to warm her. The storm was finally letting up but the wind was cold.

  “Come,” he whispered as he led her back to where their clothing had been discarded. “I’ll start a fire and we can dry off before we go back.”

  Chapter 13

  Rachelle couldn’t remember the last time she’d ever felt so blissfully satisfied. The ground was cold and hard below her. The cool of the earth seeped into her back but Sheldon’s arm pillowed her head and shoulders. She leaned into him, snuggling closer, seeking his warmth.

  Above them the trees swayed restlessly in the receding wind. The storm was blowing over and patches of blue sky and even spots of sunlight filtered through the branches. To their left, a small fire crackled and popped, smoking the clothing they’d laid out more than it dried the articles.

  Without thinking, Rachelle ran a finger over Sheldon’s broad chest, tracing the outline of his muscle under the smooth skin. She sighed, her body shaking a little with the effort.

  “We both know this isn’t right. We can’t keep doing this.”

  Sheldon was silent for a long while. “I know,” he finally said, his voice deep and husky. “I know that it’s wrong. After… well, after my wife died I couldn’t even look at another woman. I just… loved her so damn much and I never wanted anyone else. Until I met you. I assume that you know about my wife. I would have thought Shanna would have mentioned it.”

  “She did,” Rachelle said softly. She stopped trailing her finger around and set her palm down flat on his chest. “I’m sorry Sheldon. I really don’t know what to say about all the things that happened. I’ve never lost anyone close to me before. I don’t know what it’s like or how to get through it or what it should be like afterwards. I have no experience with death.”

  “Do you think that anyone should want another person after the love of their life was taken from them? That’s what I’ve really struggled with. I didn’t expect to feel such an attraction for you but it was there from the minute you stepped through the door of my house. I didn’t know how to deal with it and I’m afraid I haven’t done well.”

  Rachelle sighed. She closed her eyes, searching for the right words. “I don’t think we should keep doing this Sheldon. It’s only going to see one or both of us get hurt. I couldn’t imagine what Shanna would think if she found out.”

  “She would be happy if you told her. She likes you.”

  “She did ask me once if I would date you if you asked me. I thought it was a strange question but maybe she’s far more perceptive than either of us realize.”

  “I don’t think she knows about this but she probably knows that I’m different when I’m around you.”

  “Yes. I think that was what she was trying to tell me. That she’s noticed you’re happier.” Rachelle carefully didn’t mention what Shanna had said about Sheldon being more like his old self since he met Rachelle.

  “I don’t want to lie to her but I’m not ready to tell her that I want to see other people. I just don’t feel that it’s right. Trying to replace her mother with someone else.”

  “I don’t think that’s what we would be doing. I don’t think we should be doing anything,” Rachelle carefully amended.

  “I hire nannies because they are supposed to be there to fill the void in Shanna’s life. I am always very specific about what kind of nanny I want. Age, training, characteristics, previous experience. I want Shanna to have a friend but also a female that she can look up to and ask the tough questions. I have no idea how to answer those for her and she’s getting older. She could really use a mother.”

  Rachelle didn’t quite know how to respond to that. Sheldon was talking in circles and she figured he probably just needed to talk to someone. She was shocked that he was opening up to her after so many weeks of hard silence.

  “I think we should just try and get through the summer the best way we know how. And then Shanna will be back in school and I’ll go on to another job and you can forget all about me.”

  Sheldon reached up and stroked Rachelle’s hair away from her forehead. He made a low noise in his throat that she wasn’t quite sure how to interpret. He shoved himself upright so fast that Rachelle fell to the ground hard. He loomed over her, his face near hers.

  Her breath came hard, hitching in her throat at the lust rising in his eyes. “What if I don’t want you to do that? What if I want this more?”

  Rachelle groaned and closed her eyes as Sheldon kissed her hard. He bruised her lips passionately, parting her mouth and sweeping in. His kiss was dominant, meant to claim her. She had little doubt that he meant what he said. It was just so strange, to hear such brutal honesty from him.

  Sheldon’s hand trailed lower, over Rachelle’s belly. He stroked her hotly before moving down lower. He found her clit and massaged her gently until she was panting and ready for him again. With a wicked smile of triumph, Sheldon loomed over her, already positioning himself between her legs to claim her again.

  Chapter 14

  Sunlight streamed through the bedroom window when Rachelle finally woke. She stretched in her twin sized bed, exhausted from the late nights she kept with Sheldon.

  Despite what she’d said, despite all her protests and her good intentions, Rachelle waited long into the night for Shanna to fall asleep. She’d slip from her bed into Sheldon’s room. He was always awake and waiting for her.

  Each night, Rachelle told herself it would be the last time and each night Sheldon made a liar out of her. The summer was fast slipping away and Rachelle couldn’t manage to deny herself Sheldon while she had him. Soon their ideal time at the cabin would be over and they would be forced back into real life. No matter what Sheldon thought, Rachelle knew there was no way she could keep seeing him.

  “Rachelle!” Shanna bounded into the room. “You’re finally awake. You never used to sleep so late.”

  Rachelle barely managed to hold back a groan. She swung her legs out of bed. “I’ll be right there. I’m just going to get dressed.”

&
nbsp; Shanna nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her. Rachelle dug in the small dresser and produced a pair of jeans and a blouse. She slipped into her clothing, too tired to care that the blouse was rumpled. She needed to stop these late nights with Sheldon. God, she probably stayed in his room until the early hours of the morning before slipping back into her own bed, always deliciously sore and secretly aching for more.

  The smell of frying bacon and eggs greeted Rachelle as she exited the room. Her stomach flopped over. Not only was she exhausted lately from the lack of sleep, she was totally nauseous, like she was hung over. Maybe that’s what being so tired all the time did to you.

  “Good morning Rachelle,” Sheldon said pleasantly, setting a plate of food in front of her at the table.

  “I’m not feeling well,” Rachelle admitted, pushing the plate aside. “But thanks anyway.”

  Sheldon looked at her with concern. He tactfully didn’t say she’d felt just fine the night before. Rachelle glanced out the window then back at Sheldon, who was still eying her. She saw the worry in his eyes and wanted to alleviate it. Instead of refusing the plate she slid it back in front of her, picked up her fork and took a few bites. Her stomach rolled and pitched violently but she managed to force a few bites down.

  After the torturous breakfast, Shanna begged Rachelle to go down to the beach area with her. Rachelle went gladly, hoping the fresh air would do her good.

  Shanna was just stripping off her clothing for a swim, as the morning was already a hot one, when Rachelle felt a surge of nausea sweep over her. With horror she realized she was going to throw up.

  The beach area was lined with bushes off to the left side and Rachelle ran to them. She bent over and retched up the little she had ate. Tears blinded her, running down her nose and streaming down her cheeks at the force of the heaving. She grabbed her stomach and slowly sank to her knees with a groan.