Mail Order Bride: Westward Christmas Novel (Montana Mail Order Brides, Book 11) by Linda Bridey Read Free Book Online

thing, Ben.”
                  He nodded.  “There’s no rush, Sasha.  Neither one of us is going anywhere.”
                  “Oh, no.  I don’t feel as though you are rushing me.  Not at all.  I’m afraid it’s me who’s in a rush,” Sasha said.  “That didn’t come out right.”
                  Ben saw she was becoming flustered and looked up and down the hall to make sure it was empty.  “Would you like to talk inside?  Just talk?”
                  “All right.  I suppose that would be okay.”  Sasha unlocked her door and they entered her room. 
                  She lit a lamp and then removed her coat.  The room was nice and toasty.  She sat in one of the chairs and Ben sat down opposite her.  He didn’t take off his coat.
                  “Ben, you can take your coat off and get comfortable,” Sasha said.
                  “You’re sure?” Ben said.  He wasn’t normally this hesitant around a woman, but something about the way she was acting threw him off.
                  Sasha began laughing.  “Oh, Ben, do you think I’m afraid of you?”
                  “I’m not really sure what to think right now, Sasha,” Ben admitted.
                  This made her laugh again before she said, “I think it’s the other way around, Ben.  It might be you who’ll be afraid of me .”
                  Ben smiled.  “I don’t understand what you’re saying here, sugar.”
                  Sasha sobered as she contemplated where to start and how much to tell him.  She wanted to be honest, but she didn’t want to scare him off or appear needy.  She straightened her spine and said, “Ben, after the first year or so, my marriage was in name only.  Ken, my late husband, was a cold-blooded, lifeless man who wanted nothing to do with me at all.”
                  Ben was quiet for several moments as what she’d said sank in.  “You mean…”
                  “I mean he did not touch me, we barely spoke, and we slept in separate rooms,” Sasha said.  She fidgeted with her skirt a little as she waited for his response to her admission.
                  His black brows drew down and his green eyes held her gaze.  He couldn’t believe that any red-blooded male wouldn’t want a woman like Sasha.  Her figure was tantalizing and he already knew how sweet her lips tasted.  Her hair color reminded him of honey and those soft gray eyes had haunted him for several months.
                  Sasha watched his face tighten and some kind of primitive light shone in his eyes.  At first she thought she’d somehow angered him.  In a soft yet rough voice, Ben said, “I think it only fair to warn you that I intend to touch you, converse with you, and if we marry, we will never sleep in separate rooms.”
                  His words spoke to her in ways that she would never really be able to articulate to anyone.  Ben must have seen it in her eyes, however, because suddenly he stood before her and pulled her to her feet.  He didn’t ask, he didn’t announce, he just kissed her.  Those strong arms of his closed around her and his mouth settled on hers firmly.  It took Sasha a few moments to catch up, but when she did, her response was fierce.
                  Ben hadn’t been expecting that, but wasn’t put off by it in the least.  He liked the passion he sensed existed inside her and welcomed it.  It was not a gentle kiss, and it was not tender; it was animalistic and Sasha had never behaved so wantonly.  She was getting a taste of the fierceness inside him and wanted more.  And it scared her that she was willing to cast aside her inhibitions so easily and yet it excited her, too.
                  Sasha’s willingness enflamed Ben’s desire to a fever pitch and he