Burning Love (Hell Yeah! Cajun Style), page 8
Chapter Four
“Jesus Christ!” Beau leaned his head against the door and listened to Harley cry out his name in ecstasy. It took every molecule of strength he had to keep this door closed between them. It wasn’t locked – he had tested it – and he had had no intention of interrupting her while she was temptingly naked and wet. . . . damn, “Be strong, Leblanc.” He wanted to do this courtship right, it was just too important. So, he had come upstairs to tell her there was a man at the door who said he was here to give her an estimate on a new roof. “Lord Have Mercy.” Had his cock ever been so hard? Pre-cum was leaking from his dick and all he could do was rub it and promise he would give it relief as soon as possible. “Later, Buddy – promise.”
Adjusting his engorged package, he went back downstairs to tell the man he’d just have to reschedule. Beau took the roofer’s card and his good-natured ribbing about the obvious erection he was sporting. “Good luck, Man. I don’t blame you for putting this off – there are just some things in life more important.” He hadn’t known the fella, but apparently the contractor had been in Firepower a time or two, because he had called Beau by name. He hoped Harley didn’t mind that he had changed her plans.
“I’m ready.” The soft-spoken words sent chills down his spine. Turning, he found her standing right behind him – cute as a button and hot as hell. “Was someone at the door?”
“Yea,” he handed her the card. “He said he would call and reschedule – since we had plans and all.” The blush on her cheeks intrigued him. It wasn’t make-up – it was residual passion, because he saw a matching hue on her upper chest and it was all he could do to keep from testing to see if that sexy flush would burn his fingers. “I hope that was all right.”
“Of course, I had forgotten all about the appointment. I’m glad you were here to take care of it. I probably wouldn’t have heard him knocking over the water running in the shower.” She smiled so sweetly at him that he almost sank to his knees.
“No problem, Cher.” He had to struggle to keep from commenting on what he had heard from her in the shower, but he had no desire to embarrass her. “Shall we go?” he offered her his arm and she took it, and he just felt like he had won hit the biggest Powerball lottery, ever. Talk about a fuckin’ high! – He was so over the top for this woman, he might never come down.
They made their way out to his truck, and he calmed his over anxious libido by taking note of the things she had done in her yard. “You’ve done a good job reestablishing some traditional Southern plants – I like it.” There was magnolias, crepe myrtles, Louisiana Iris, - a myriad of flowers and bushes that spoke of decades of history and the passing of life and love through the hour glass of time.
“This is the first real home I’ve owned.” She stood still while he opened the truck door for her and before she could protest, he picked her up and held her close – stealing a quick kiss before depositing her in the seat. “Oh – I like that,” she whispered and kissed him back for good measure. “I enjoy being with you.”
A simple statement, but one that made his blood pressure escalate to dangerous levels. “There is nowhere else on Earth I’d rather be than with you.” Lowering his head, he nuzzled her cheek, inhaling the essence of his Nada. “Push me away, or we’ll never get anywhere.” Playfully, she did as he asked and he shut her securely in, and went around to join her. “Are you ready to tell me where you went yesterday?” When she hesitated – he gave her a reprieve. “Okay – we’ll wait on that. Instead, tell me what you did after you left Brownwood.”
For just a moment, she paused – but Harley knew he wouldn’t judge, so she pivoted in the seat a bit so she could look at his face. Once again, she was struck by how devastatingly handsome he was. The chambray shirt he wore was light blue and the sleeves were rolled up, giving her an opportunity to see how strong his forearms were – the veins prominent, the muscles large and defined. She knew how good it felt to have those arms around her, how safe and secure – and she wasn’t used to relying on someone else for her well-being. Remembering the weeks and months after Brownwood was hard. “I ran and ran, hiding anywhere I could. All I could think about was Pell finding me; I had no idea he had been arrested. During the night, I came upon a homeless family and they let me hang around with them.”
“Damn!” Beau maneuvered the truck off of her property and onto the river road. “Anything could have happened to you. I should have realized that bastard was lying. Pell was a sadistic son-of-a-bitch and telling me you were dead was his last ditch effort to torture me.” He slammed his hand on the steering wheel. “Honey, I’m so sorry. If I hadn’t been so young and stupid, I would have had enough sense to come looking for you.”
The scenery they were passing was captivating. Glimpses of the bayou could be seen peeking through the trees. Leaves with all the colors of the rainbow heralded that the year was waning down. But none of it held her interest, only the man before her was important. “Stop,” she placed a hand on his arm. “There was no way for you to know. Nothing else bad happened in New Orleans after I left Brownwood – not really. The Watson’s, the homeless family, they were kind and warned me about the dangers of being on my own, not that I didn’t already know, but it was nice to have somebody care. At first I thought they had two boys, but as it turned out, the children were girls. That shocked me. The Mom explained that they were dressed that way on purpose, with their hair cut short and wearing boy’s shoes. Perils of the street seemed mild compared to what I’d been through, but if I could make myself invisible, I wanted to do that. So I borrowed a knife and they helped me cut my hair right then. Even though they didn’t have much, they shared what they could and when I walked away from them – I was a boy.”
“There is no way in hell you were a convincing male, Sweetheart. You are decidedly the most feminine female I have ever seen.” Harley studied his face, looking for signs of disgust. There were none. What she saw was anger for her – remorse – a longing to turn back time. A muscle in his strong jaw jumped, betraying the unleashed tension he was holding in. “I want to know everything, but I will be honest with you. The thought of you alone on the streets, thinking that I wouldn’t care enough to come back for you - that tears me up, Nada.” The old name slipped out, evidence of his turmoil. He slowed down as they approached a denser portion of the swamp. A small dirt road led off to the right marked by a sign that said, ‘Reptile Preserve’. “We should have talked it out, made plans. I just had no idea that you would run away before I came back to rescue you.”
Gravel and rock on the road crunched under the tires. A bigger sign with an alligator in bright green with his tale curled over his back announced they had arrived. As he slowed to a stop, Harley knew she had to explain enough to make him realize what had happened was neither of their faults. “We were kids, Beau. I was thirteen and you were sixteen. Pell was a professional criminal and the worst kind of bully. After you left, he turned on me and I knew that I had to get out when the opportunity arose.” When he turned off the engine, she unfastened her seat belt and shifted until she was kneeling, facing him. Harley wanted to look in his eyes – his beautiful eyes and reassure him. “When you escaped, I was so relieved. If you had stayed there, one of two things would have happened. He would have pulled you so deep in the mire of his criminal activities that you would have been lost, or he would have ended up killing you. Never, not once, did I regret you had gotten away. My running off – my escape – was not because I didn’t have faith in you. Somehow, I just knew - I was convinced I had to get out of there. Pell would have killed me.”
“Christ!” Beau shifted his seat all the way back with his left hand and clasped her around the waist with his right. “Come here, Baby. And this time let me hold you – please. I just want to hold you. Nothing else.” She let him move her to his lap where she lay between him and the steering wheel, her head on his shoulder and his arm anchoring her in place. “Tell me what happened next.”
Cradled in his arms, her palm on his chest, she could feel his heart beating. The hard muscles of his torso felt like the safest resting place in the world. This close, she could see the growth of his beard, the five o’clock shadow that always showed up ahead of time. God, Beau was all man. Unbidden, she cupped his jaw, reveling in the rasp of his beard against her skin. “Have you ever heard of PoBoys?” At his nod, she continued, her hand still stroking his face. He leaned into her caress like a big, contented cat. “It was several days later, after I had left the Watson’s and realized I was out of options – hunger drove me to knock on the back door of a restaurant and offer to wash dishes or mop floors in exchange for something to eat.” At his harsh sigh, she placed one finger over his mouth to quell his regret. “It was my lucky day. Raquel Dumaine opened her door and her heart to me. She fed me, let me work that day and the next and soon I was not only cleaning, but cooking too. Lucky for me, she put a cot in the backroom and I lived right on the premises. Raquel figured out I was a girl, pretty quick. But she went along with my wish to disguise myself. In fact, she would perpetuate the idea by talking to me and about me in front of others – and she always referred to me as ‘her little lad’. The regulars bought my act – for the most part – although once or twice I would feel interested stares. Of course, there are plenty of men who lust after young boys, so that could have been an explanation.”
Beau kissed the palm of her hand. “How long did you work there?” Shouts from outside the vehicle made Beau glance up, but he waved a hand at whoever was making the racket and turned his attention back to her. “Were you happy?”
How did she answer that? Happiness was never her goal; survival had been Harley’s motivation. “I wasn’t unhappy. Working at PoBoys’s taught me a lot. And I met my next employer – a man who gave me a chance and was better to me than anyone in my life, but you.”
A slight grimace came on Beau’s face. “You’re making me jealous, Babe. Who was this man?”
Harley couldn’t help but chuckle as she thought about her savior. No human being had ever looked more like Santa Claus than Captain Jerald Thibodeaux. And he had managed to bring peace and good will into her life as well. “There was one man – a rotund gentleman who came in quite frequently and he always ordered a Denver omelet and I made sure it was hot, and just the way he liked it with extra cheese and peppers. One day, he offered me a job, and I spent two years cooking for him and his crew on The Crescent Moon – a big tug boat that moved barges up and down the Mississippi River.”
Beau looked amazed. “I can’t believe you. You worked on a tugboat? And you were still passing yourself off as a boy?” Harley was finding it hard to be still, he was rubbing her legs – from knee to the apex of her thighs and the smooth, sensual strokes were setting her on fire. Before she realized, she lifted her hips, offering herself to him and the gesture did not go unnoticed. With an audible growl, Beau captured her lips, “If I don’t get inside of you soon, I’m going to go stark-raving-fuckin’ mad.” He ground the words against her mouth and sucked on her bottom lip, “I heard you in the shower – those sweet, little moans you were making. You said my name – come on, Baby – say it again.”
He had heard her? She felt the blush rise. “I got to get up,” What could she say? “I – uh – I uh . . .” as she was struggling for words, a tap on the window caused her to leap in his arms.
“I got you, Baby.” Beau scowled at Indiana. Rolling down the window, he fussed. “Your timing is lousy, Buddy.”
“The gharials are about to mate. You wanna watch?” His expression was one of true wonder – there had been no intent to interrupt.
“They’re not the only ones who were trying to mate,” Beau muttered under his breath and Harley got tickled. Beau felt her giggle and smiled and hugged her, kissing her on her forehead. “We’ll finish this conversation later, Sugar. I want to know when you’re going to let me love you. Okay?”
She gave a brief – hesitant nod – before he turned his attention to Indiana. “We’ll be right there – just give us a minute. Okay?” Slowly, comprehension dawned on Indy’s face and his mouth opened in a slight, apologetic ‘O’ – and he backed away. “Are you okay? You’re still trembling.” He stroked down the soft skin of her arm.
“Yes,” she chewed on her bottom lip. “I was just embarrassed to find out you heard me in the shower.” The thought of making love with Beau had been on her mind a lot lately – but discussing it with him was scary. “What’s a gharial?”
“Trying to change the subject?” He laughed and held her close with one hand while he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “Don’t be embarrassed. It nearly killed me, but I loved every moment of it.”
“Yes, I am,” she answered solemnly – “I don’t want to be the cause of you not joining your friend.”
Lowering his voice, he pushed his groin against her soft hip. “The reason we’re delaying a second or two is to give my cock a chance to return to normal size.”
Pink bloomed on her cheeks and Beau was amazed. “Nada – my love – how can you seem so innocent? It’s as if you are untouched.” Before his eyes, everything changed. Harley stiffened and moved out of his arms, straightening her clothes. “What did I say?”
“Nothing,” But, he could tell she was upset. Shit!
Did she think he wanted her to be completely inexperienced? He knew better – she was almost thirty years old. “Baby, I didn’t mean that I expected you to be a virgin?” Hell, open mouth, insert foot.
“Well – I’m not – a virgin, that is. Far from it.” She looked embarrassed, uncomfortable – and he felt like a heel.
“I didn’t mean. . . .” he began trying to make amends without knowing what to be sorry for. She opened the passenger side door – walked a piece off from the truck and stood, her arms crossed around her waist, holding herself tightly. Hell! He slammed the door and went to her. “Baby, what did I say?”
She lifted her tear-streaked face and he wanted to hit someone – but he was the one who made her cry. Wiping the tears from her face, she gave him a faint smile. “I’ll tell you later, I promise. Just don’t press me now. Let’s go see your animals.” Holding out her hand, she waited for him to take it. All he wanted to do was grab her up and haul her off to his man-cave, but he forced himself to take it slow. Something was up; he didn’t know what – yet, he was determined to set it right if it was in his power to do so.
“All right, Sugar.” He took her hand, squeezing it lightly and led her down the path to where the crocs and alligators were kept. “Before we got distracted, you were telling me about your days on the mighty Mississippi. Were you able to maintain your male persona all that time?”
“Yea,” she laughed wryly, “Until my breasts began to develop. I was a late bloomer, but when I blossomed – it was hard to hide them.” Almost self-consciously, she folded one arm over her breasts as if remembering. “When Captain Thibodeaux discovered the truth, he was very kind.”
“Over here, Boss.” Indy motioned for them to come to a special holding pen.
“Wait till you see this pair. They are incredible. I call them Cyrano and Roxanne and soon you’ll see why.” He led her up to a sturdy mesh fence and there they saw two huge crocodiles. “These beauties are very special. They are on the critically endangered list, and I am giving them a safe and secure place to breed.” Harley seemed to be fascinated.
“I have seen pictures, but never been this close to one. They’re huge.”
Beau loved to talk about his boys and girls. “The Gharial crocodile is one of the largest crocodile species in the world. Look at that elongated and narrow snout which becomes thinner with age. Cyrano has a bulbous growth on the tip of his snout, known as a 'ghara'. Only the males have that distinctive bulge and the Gharial are the only reptile where you can tell the difference in the sexes by just looking at their faces.” He pulled Harley close and laid his chin on her hair. “And they are big – reaching a length of twenty three feet.” She shuddered in his arms, so he laid it on thick. “And look at those jaws, they’re razor sharp.” As he said the last two words, he squeezed her quick and hard – making her jump.
“You!” she immediately gasped and grabbed his arms, partially amused and partially annoyed. “Don’t try and scare me – I’m not afraid”
“There they go.” Indy pointed as the two monsters slid into the deep holding pool.
Beau could tell that his friend and employee was intrigued by his affection for Harley. He gave his buddy a smile and a tilt of his head to indicate that he wanted him to keep his distance – he wanted some time alone with his woman. So, Indy dropped back, following at a respectable distance. “Watch this, crocodile sex takes place underwater. Cyrano will approach her and touch her softly, blowing bubbles underneath her and rubbing his jaw against her.” Just like he said, the big male courted the female. “If Roxanne accepts him, he will gently push her under the water. It’s not a fast process, he’ll take his time with her – make her happy.” Much to his delight, Harley was rubbing his arm like she was absorbing strength from him – strength that was hers for the taking. “And it won’t be a one-time thing,” he whispered in her ear. He was speaking for himself and for Cyrano. “He will take her numerous times to ensure that he plants his seed and the eggs are fertilized.” A mighty splash in the water pronounced that the deed was well underway. “Come on, they deserve some privacy.”
They walked on down the shady path, surrounded on both sides by high protective fencing. Up ahead a smaller brown alligator watched them as he paced the fence – his eyes never leaving them. “What is he doing?”
“That’s Castro and he is wishing you would get close enough so he can take a bite.”
“What kind of crocodile is he? He’s beautiful.”
“That’s a Cuban crocodile and their habitat is disappearing as fast as the home of the Indian Gharials.” At that moment, Indy came up by them and tossed a dead chicken over the fence and the croc literally sprung up in the air and caught the treat.
