Kissing in Kansas Read online

  He shook his head at her. "I'm going to change for the movie and check times while you play with your books."

  Samara nodded, already lost in putting her things away. When she pulled out the nightgown she'd purchased for their wedding night, she started to ball it up and stuff it in the bottom drawer, but instead she held it to her. It was soft pink with spaghetti straps, satin, and form fitting. She grinned. She'd wear it that night anyway. He may think he was in charge of everything, but she had every right in the world to wear sexy things for her new husband on her wedding night.

  She pulled jeans and a sweatshirt from the suitcase, changing in the closet. She thought for a moment about pretending she couldn't reach the zipper on the back of her wedding dress, but she'd never done coy well. No, she'd be right in his face with what she wanted and needed. No need to start her marriage off with silly deceptions.

  When she was dressed, she hung up her wedding dress carefully. She'd felt like a princess wearing it, but she had never been a girly girl. It was time to get back to being Samara and not royalty. As the thought crossed her mind, she wished she'd thought to get a tiara for the wedding, but things had been too rushed. No matter. She'd still wear one whenever she wanted.

  She stepped out into the bedroom from the closet and found Henry sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at one of the books she'd unpacked. "You read romance?" he asked, his voice full of scorn.

  Samara sat down beside him on the bed, touching him from shoulder to knee. "I do. Do you want to know why I read romance?"

  "Why?"

  "Because romance books ensure something that no other genre does, something that is missing all too often from our lives today. Romance novels ensure a happily ever after. I can and do read other books, but when I want a true escape? A world where I know the boy will get the girl, and the girl will love being gotten, I read a romance. I read romance because I believe there's good in this world, and I refuse to think the way we see things is the only way it could ever be. I read romance, because romance is worth reading, and I dare you to tell me it's not."

  Henry stared at her for a moment, realizing he'd hit a nerve. "I don't think less of you for reading a romance—"

  "Yes, you do. I see it in your eyes. Let me tell you something, Henry Crider, some of the most intelligent women I know read and write romance. Even some men read it, and if you ever want to be able to treat a woman right? I suggest you make a study of it!" She got up and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

  One of her pet peeves was the way people made fun of romance. They acted like it wasn't real literature. Romance books were the bread and butter of every publishing company, and if that didn't make them real, she didn't know what did.

  Henry stared at the closed bathroom door, wondering if she'd just closed it because she had to get away from him. He looked down at the book in his hand and sighed. He never should have acted like her choice of books wasn't good enough. Being a husband was a lot harder than it looked.

  He put the rest of her books in the closet on the shoe rack, knowing he wasn't organizing them the way she would, but at least she wouldn't have to carry them herself. Moving her suitcase into the closet as well, he touched her wedding dress with one hand. Samara had taken his breath away when she'd walked down the aisle toward him, and he could honestly say, he'd been running scared since.

  Once Samara was certain she could control her temper, she stepped back into the bedroom. "What movie do you want to see?"

  He shrugged. "I guess that new romantic comedy." He knew he had to make up some ground and figured a chick flick was the best way to go about it.

  "Sounds good. I hope it doesn't make your goobies shrivel up and fall off." She preceded him out of the bedroom and down the stairs, determined to make sure he realized he was in the dog house. Why, if they were having sex, she'd send him out of the bedroom as soon as she was done with him and make him sleep on the couch!

  Henry watched her hurry ahead of him down the stairs. She was still angry, obviously, and he wanted to do what he could to keep the peace. "Do you have a car coming?" he asked, trying to be polite.

  "No, but I do know how to drive. I'll see about getting one if I need one."

  He opened the door for her and walked with her to his truck. "I'll get one. You'll definitely need one here. No public transportation in a town this small."

  "I'm used to walking. It's not a big deal."

  "But it would be hard to get groceries home if you walked." He fastened his seat belt. "Regular car or mom-mobile?"

  "What's a mom-mobile?"

  "Like a minivan or an SUV."

  "I don't care. Is one safer for the twins?" He hadn't exactly said it, but she had a feeling the girls would be her responsibility ninety-percent of the time. It was a good thing she liked kids.

  He shrugged. "I'd probably feel better with you driving a medium sized SUV or a minivan."

  "Then one of those would be fine. I certainly don't want the girls hurt if there's a wreck."

  "I'll look into it."

  Samara stared out the window. They'd left Teaville and were driving on a four lane country highway. All she could see on either side of the truck were wheat fields. "So much wheat," she finally said.

  He laughed. "We're in farm country in Kansas. Of course there's wheat."

  When he parked in front of the theater, she put her hand on the door handle. They'd said little to one another the entire drive. "Wait," he said. "There's something I need to say before we go in."

  She looked at him. "What's that?"

  "I'm really sorry. I never should have said that about the books you read. I've never read one, so I don't have the right to have an opinion on them."

  Samara nodded. "Thanks for admitting that. They're not all smut or trash, you know."

  "I don't think you'd read them if they were."

  She got out of the car, feeling slightly better, thanks to his apology. She wished he'd apologize for the whole "no sex" agenda, but she knew that would be pushing it.

  The theater had regular theater seats, but a long table in front of each row to use for their food. Samara preferred books to movies, so when it was time to watch one, it always felt better if she could accomplish something else while she watched it. Eating had to be done anyway.

  Once they were seated, she read through the menu and chose what she wanted, and then pulled out her Kindle to read through the previews and advertisements at the beginning.

  After the waiter took their orders, she immediately picked up her Kindle again. Watching her, Henry wondered if she was reading because she was angry with him, or if it was just because it's what she did.

  After the movie was over, he took her hand in his as they walked to the parking lot. She looked at him in surprise. "Keeping up appearances?" she asked.

  "No. I'm on a date with a beautiful woman. I want to hold your hand. Is that so awful?"

  She shrugged. It was so strange to her that he wanted to hold her hand, but he didn't want to make love. They were married. Maybe this was his way of getting to know her better?

  While they drove home, they talked about the movie. Samara would have preferred to read some more, but she didn't want to come across as rude on their first day of marriage. Maybe in a week.

  "I loved the scene at the restaurant where they kissed for the first time," she told him.

  "You did? The kiss didn't seem weird to you?"

  "Why would it seem weird?"

  "Well, they were on a blind date, and he kissed her for the first time within an hour of meeting her, in a public place. I think first kisses are for dark doorways as you say goodnight. Or in a car."

  Samara frowned. "Our first kiss was in front of a church full of people."

  "That's different."

  "Why? I'm not being rude, but I really don't understand."

  Henry shrugged. "Because we kissed as part of a ceremony, and we didn't get all weird and use tongue in front of people or anything. They
did."

  "Nah. I read the actors hated each other when they were shooting that movie."

  "Well, it looked like a very intimate, private moment that they had in front of everyone. Besides, I don't think people should kiss until the fourth or fifth date. A man needs to know he has real feelings for a woman before they ever kiss."

  It was as if a light bulb went off in Samara's head. "Is that why you think we should wait? You think we need to be sure we have real feelings for each other first? And it's not just lust?" Even when she'd been angry with him earlier, every time he spoke she wanted to jump his bones. He truly could turn her on with just a few words. It was going to be a long few months if she couldn't convince him to change his mind.

  "That's a lot of it. I don't think God wants us to just run around having sex with people we barely know."

  She nodded slowly. "So you don't think people in arranged marriages should have sex until they've known each other for a long time? There were even some arranged marriages in the Bible."

  "I never really thought about it," he admitted.

  "Maybe you should. The Bible says we need to wait until we're married for sex. Nothing says we need to wait until we know each other well enough to boink each other's brains out. We're married. We're attracted to each other. Well, I'm attracted to you, and I assume you're attracted to me?"

  Henry sighed. "Of course, I am. You're a beautiful, intelligent woman."

  Even though I read romance? "Then I think denying ourselves a pleasure that God set aside for married people is actually going against His will, not honoring Him."

  Henry parked the truck in front of their house. "I'll think about that. I just—I do want to know you better before anything happens between us. I'm old fashioned that way."

  "Well, you can think that's for the best, but I think we should just go upstairs, rip our clothes off, and go at each other like rabbits. I mean, why not?"

  He shook his head. "You have a way with words, Samara."

  She smiled happily. "I know. I'm going to write my own romance novel someday, and people are going to realize that there's not just fluff in my head." She unbuckled her seat belt and slid across the front seat to him. Reaching up, she touched his cheek. "We're in your truck in the dark. Isn't that one of your acceptable places for a first kiss, Henry?"

  He laughed. "It is."

  "Then first kiss me. The others don't count, because I had to initiate them all. Kiss me like you mean it."

  Henry took a deep breath. He knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do at that moment, but she was his wife, and she was beautiful. He lowered his head, his lips barely grazing hers at first, but when her lips immediately parted for him, he deepened the kiss. Wrapping his arms around her, so he wouldn't be tempted to touch her in a way that was inappropriate, he poured everything he'd been feeling the entire day into the kiss.

  Samara let out a happy sigh as he finally kissed her the way she'd wanted him to. One hand went to rest at the back of his neck while her other crept to his shoulder, softly kneading the muscles there through the thin tee-shirt he wore. If only she could find the magic words to convince him they should go upstairs and make love, making it a real wedding night, she'd be in heaven.

  Finally, Henry lifted his head, panting slightly. "You're some woman, Samara Crider."

  Samara smiled. He hadn't seen anything yet.

  Chapter Four

  "I'm going to get a long hot bath and read for a bit," Samara told him once they were inside.

  "You're not saying you'll read in the tub, are you?" Henry had never heard of someone reading in the bathtub.

  "Of course."

  He watched her as she gathered clothes, but stopped her when she got her Kindle from her purse. "You can't take electronics in the bathtub! Take one of your paperbacks."

  She sighed. "I might lose my keys or other unimportant things on occasion, but this is my Kindle. No way will I drop it. Besides, the paperbacks I brought are irreplaceable. They're signed by the authors!" She walked into the bathroom and closed the door, locking it behind her.

  He was going to be a pain about her reading everywhere. She could tell. That was a fight she was ready to win.

  After her bath, she slipped into her wedding nightgown and left the bathroom, flipping off the light as she went. Henry was already in bed, but he wasn't asleep yet, and he looked at her as she climbed into bed.

  He groaned. "Can't you wear shorts and a tee-shirt to sleep? Go in the closet and get one of my tees."

  "No, I'll be a lot more comfortable in this. Unless you'd rather I took it off?" She grabbed the hem and started to lift it. She didn't know how she'd react if he told her to do it, because she'd never stripped for a man, and down deep, she was really not exactly thrilled with her body. She was female after all.

  Henry closed his eyes quickly, holding up one hand. As much as he wanted to see her naked, he was worried about where it would lead. "No, fine. Wear that to bed."

  Samara smiled, knowing she'd won that battle. She slipped into bed, sliding straight to the middle to cuddle against him.

  "What are you doing?" he asked.

  "Well, you want us to get to know each other better, so I thought we could snuggle up together and talk." She made certain to keep her voice innocent as she wrapped one arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. He was wearing pajamas, and she felt like laughing. If he'd slept in more than just his underwear in the past twenty years, she'd be shocked.

  He looked at her for a moment before nodding. "What do you want to talk about?"

  "Anything. Why don't you tell me about Scotland?"

  As she'd suspected would happen, when he talked about Scotland, his brogue became deeper and more pronounced, sending shivers through her body. "My parents moved back there about five years ago. They said it was where they'd always planned to retire, and Dad's health made it necessary for him to retire then. My brother and I ran his business after that. I try to make it back to Scotland every couple of years, to see my parents and other family there. They only met the twins briefly for the funeral."

  "Oh, that's sad. What are your parents like? Obviously your dad was a hard worker, but how about your mom? Was she the June Cleaver type?"

  He smiled. "In some ways. She was like a cross between June Cleaver and Rosanne. She would always have special snacks waiting when we got home from school, but she told it like it was, with every bit of sarcasm inside her. I miss her every day."

  Samara smiled. "I'm glad you're a tight-knit family. Do you have any other siblings? No sisters?"

  "Nope. Just me and my brother. That's why the twins mean so much to me, I think. I felt like my world ended when James died."

  "I felt the same when I lost each of my parents." She stroked his chest with her hand, her fingers sliding between the buttons on his pajama top. "Time will help. It won't heal you entirely. I still cry over silly things that remind me of my parents a lot."

  "Do you have any siblings other than your brother? What was his name? Wayne?"

  "Yes, I have one sister, but she's insane. Her name's Barbara." Samara didn't like to think about her sister, so she rarely spoke of her.

  "Insane how?"

  "Oh, in one of those boring sisterly ways that I can't explain. Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

  "Was she at the wedding?" he asked.

  Samara gave a short laugh. "I forgot to tell her I was getting married. Oops."

  Henry laughed, shaking Samara in the process. "How could you forget to tell her?"

  She shrugged. "I'm a lot closer to my brother than I am to her."

  "I can tell. You invited him to your wedding!"

  She grinned. "Well, I did, but he told me he already had plans for the weekend and couldn't make it. I was really mad at him. He walked into the bride's room, and he shocked the snot out of me. Lachele called him right after you two spoke, and she told him he'd better be here or it would totally ruin the day for me. He came ready to give me away."
r />   "Oh, I had no idea he'd surprised you. That's really nice." He was finally getting more comfortable with lying in bed with her and just talking. It seemed strange, but it was a good strange.

  Samara yawned. "I can't believe how tired I am. What time is it?" She knew there'd been a time change, and she'd been up early for her flight, but it still didn't seem like it should be time for her to be so sleepy yet.

  Henry glanced at the clock. "It's just after eleven. Is that late for you?"

  "No, that's about normal, but I was up early, and I'm still on East coast time. Are you sure you don't want to take advantage of our wedding night and make this beautiful bed shake?"

  He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "I'm sure. It's not that I don't want to. I feel like waiting is the right thing to do."

  "Fine." Samara rolled to her side of the bed, and fluffed her pillow, reaching over to turn off the lamp on her nightstand. "Good night, Henry."

  Henry smiled as he watched her settle down to sleep before turning off his own light. He'd asked for a wife, and he'd gotten her. No doubt about that. She was everything he wanted in a wife. God help him.

  *****

  Samara woke up in bed alone, uncertain if she was happy or sad about that. One less chance to wear her nightgown in front of her new husband, but it also gave her a minute or two to regroup. Things had definitely not gone the way she'd expected the day before.

  She ducked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and got dressed, before going downstairs. Henry was in the kitchen, pacing as he talked on his cell phone. "I'll need it as soon as possible."

  Samara walked to the fridge, digging around to see what would be good for breakfast. She hoped he hadn't eaten yet, but a look at the clock said it was only seven in the morning. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of business he was doing so early.

  She heard him set the phone down and turned to him, hugging him as if their marriage were a real one, pulling his head down for a morning kiss. "Are you hungry?"