Mail Order Prairie Bride: (A Western Historical Romance) (Dodge City Brides Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

wearing her pink cotton nightdress, buttoned tightly at the neck. Good Lord, she felt like she was choking. The nightdress had been a gift from Garrison on that horrible night in the hotel, and it stung that she must wear it now. But what else was she to do? Wait naked in bed for her husband? Certainly not.
    By the time she heard those boots tapping softly down the hall, she was nearly frozen with fear. The key clicked in the lock, the doorknob turned, and the door slowly creaked open.
    The time had come. She was alone with her new husband, and he expected the marriage to be consummated.
    “Sorry I’m late,” Briggs said quietly, closing the door behind him. He stared at her only briefly, removed his hat, then turned and shrugged out of his coat.
    Sarah said nothing. She couldn’t. All she could do was sit up against the pillows, biting her thumbnail, taking in the details of his appearance in the flickering lantern light.
    He turned his back to her while he pulled the animal claw necklace over his head, set it lightly on the chest of drawers, then unbuttoned and stripped off his loose, white shirt. Sensations of awe exploded within her at the sight of his bronze, muscular back. He was large and strong. Bigger and stronger than Garrison—a thought that provided her with some peace of mind in some ways—for she had come here in search of a protector. But when Briggs got into bed with her, he would be very heavy on top of her. She would feel trapped. Confined.
    Looking away, she shivered, remembering what had come after Garrison had removed his shirt. At least this time, she knew what to expect. She had time to prepare herself, mentally.
    This was not that. This was a new life. And Briggs was not Garrison.
    Briggs took three slow, sultry steps toward the bed. “There’s no need to be afraid. I’ll be as gentle as I can.”
    Gentle?
    Her voice shook as she grasped for words. “We barely know each other.”
    He came closer, tilting his head. His expression was different from before, when he’d first looked at her at the train station with those callous green eyes. Now his expression was encouraging, reassuring.
    But no amount of reassurance would change what he was about to do to her.
    He raised a knee to the bed and crawled cat-like across her to lie on the other side. A faint scent of musk touched her nose.
    “I hope that by tomorrow, we’ll know each other better,” he replied in a soft voice. He settled down and cupped her chin in his hand. “Can I kiss you, Sarah?”
    Trembling, she nodded, then closed her eyes to prepare for the feel of his mouth upon hers. Her heart beat fast in her chest, her mind alive with horrible expectations. But when his hand caressed her cheek, then moved like a feather to her ear and played in the wavy locks of hair she’d just finished combing, she found herself feeling warm and a little less afraid.
    Then his lips moved over hers like a whisper, carefully at first. She quivered at the unexpected tenderness of it all, the flavor of his mouth, the unanticipated desire she was feeling. His lips parted hers in a smooth, sweeping motion, and his tongue moved into her mouth. A sensual response awoke deep within her. Her body was beginning to relax, her muscles letting go of their resolve to resist this. If only the rest of it could be as satisfying as this kiss, she thought. If only they need not go further.
    Briggs drew back and wet his lips, his hand still playing in the tendril of hair over her ear. “That was nice,” he whispered. “Would you like me to lower the lamp? Or would you prefer I leave it burning?”
    “No,” she blurted out too quickly. “I’d like it to be dark.”
    He leaned away and lowered the wick in the lamp beside them. The room went black, and Sarah said a silent thank you to be spared the expression on his face when the truth struck its inevitable blow.
    She felt him lift the quilt to climb under, and gathered from his movements that he was removing his