First Love by Helen Adams

Main Characters: Ezra and Inez

Follows "First Kiss" and "First Date"

A distant jangle of piano keys; the indistinct babble of voices talking and laughing over one another; a child's voice responding to her mother's unwelcome reminder of bedtime; the clopping of horse's hooves traveling slowly down the quiet street. Every sound seemed unusually loud to Ezra as he and Inez strolled slowly along the edge of town. His own heartbeat was the loudest noise of all, thumping in his ears at a rate that was surely much too fast to be healthy.

The temperature of the air around them was still warm but pleasant, the suffocating heat of the past few days tempered by a light breeze. Just the same, Ezra felt as if his entire skin might burst into flame from the fever of anticipation that gripped him. A bead of sweat was creeping down his spine with irritating slowness and he fought the urge to squirm inside his forest green coat. The pressure of his hand around Inez's smaller one constantly altered, fingers easing their grip as he worried that he must surely be squeezing too hard, but then tightening again as he began to fret that she might take his loosening hold as a sign of disinterest.

God, he could not recall the last time he had been so twitchy! Walking along beside him, Inez appeared perfectly calm, and he envied her the composure. In fact, some small irrational part of Ezra's brain was a bit irritated by it. Here he had all but propositioned her right in the middle of a public restaurant, baldly stating his disinclination to wait for a proper wedding night should she agree to becoming an official couple, and she hadn't even been shocked! She had simply smiled that wonderful, knowing smile that turned his knees to jelly and his stomach into quivering knots and agreed that waiting would not be her preference either.

"Where would you like to go now?" he asked Inez, working hard to keep his voice steady. "There are not a great many entertainments available for a newly courting couple."

Ezra held his breath, waiting to see how Inez would react to his casual use of that word. She smiled and hugged his arm, pressing her head against his shoulder for a moment. Dark eyes dancing with amusement, she looked into his face and raised one eyebrow. "Should I assume you are too much of a gentleman, after all, to do what we proposed inside the café?"

We? She was not choosing to assign responsibility for the proposition solely to him. That simple fact finally allowed Ezra to relax and he grinned, his gold incisor glinting in the moonlight. "If you are quite certain that your agreement was in earnest, my dearest, then I fear that I may prove to be no gentleman at all."

Tugging him into a convenient alleyway between two buildings, Inez wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. Ezra sighed in deep contentment as he melted into her embrace, arms encircling her body and pulling her tight against him as he gave in to the feelings he had been keeping in reserve since their surprising encounter in the saloon the previous morning. Inez responded with equal ardor, hands threading through his hair as she began to explore his mouth with a thoroughness that sent shocks of desire through him.

"Are you really quite certain about this?" Ezra asked breathlessly. The last thing he wanted was to change her mind, the excitement of hearing Inez say that she wanted him still tingling through his bloodstream, but he needed to know that she would not regret the action later.

Inez pressed a bit closer. There was no fear in her beautiful dark eyes and not a trace of hesitation in her voice as she said, "Si, so long as you are certain as well." Her expression was serious as she stared up into his eyes. "Inside the restaurant you spoke of a future. I am not like most other women and you, I think, are not like most other men. For me, this step would represent a perfect beginning, however improper it might seem to others. If you do not feel the same way, then please tell me, Ezra."

Heart thumping hard in his chest, Ezra stared into her shining eyes, imagining the future she offered. Did he truly want an equal partner, a woman with whom he could share more than just his body? He considered the question from a different angle. If Inez had said what he had expected her to; that she wanted courtship rituals and lots of time before moving any further, would he have been able to deny his own desires to give her that?

Drifting his fingertips over her smooth warm cheek, Ezra smiled, realizing that he would have done so willingly, for however long it took; however difficult it might be. He had never expressed it before, not even to himself, but he knew that he was already hopelessly in love with this woman. He would give whatever was in his power, and accept whatever she was willing to share.

"I do feel the same," he whispered, dipping his head to kiss her again.

Inez unfastened the button of his dark green coat, sliding both arms around his body as she opened her mouth and slipped her tongue past his lips. Ezra sighed contentedly, crushing her against him as his tongue tasted and grappled sensuously with hers.

The kissing went on for several wonderful minutes, until a crash and whoop from the nearby saloon intruded upon their senses, forcing them apart with a startled jump.

"I believe a bit more privacy is in order," Ezra said, blushing a little as he realized that he had been so distracted by his desire that an entire crowd of spectators could have gathered around them and he would have remained oblivious to it.

"Si, but where should we go?" she asked, hands lightly gripping his waist, as though reluctant to lose contact.

Ezra's tongue poked between his lips as he considered the matter. "There's no way to make it upstairs to my room without being observed, and I fear we would encounter the same difficulty if we attempted to head around back to your own domicile."

"The stable?" she said hesitantly, though it was obvious from her tone that she would rather not and Ezra understood her reluctance perfectly. It would be very wrong to reduce this beautiful moment to the sordid level of two overheated bodies just rutting away in the hayloft.

Overheated . . . Ezra had an idea. "Would you object to taking a little walk?" he asked. At Inez's questioning look, he said, "There's a small grotto just outside of town, next to Forge pond. Popular with picnickers during the daylight hours, but it should be deserted at this time of day."

A mischievous sparkle lit her eyes as she grinned. "Unless some other couple has had a similar idea."

Ezra chuckled. "I suppose that is a possibility. The temperature is still warm, and having indulged in a few naps in the grass of that grove, I can assure you that it should be quite comfortable for - "

He paused, too much the gentleman to speak the words out loud, but a mental flash of the two of them lying in that cool soft grass, bodies pressed together without the restriction of clothing between them, had him catching a sharp breath and backing off a half-step, not wanting Inez to be frightened by how excited he had suddenly become.

"Perfect," she breathed, kissing him again, and Ezra knew that she had detected his arousal anyway. "Let us go."

~*~*~*~*~

The forming of a plan seemed to cool their mutual fire. They strolled slowly, clasped hands swinging gently as they walked and talked about various unimportant matters. The pond was approximately a quarter mile past the west edge of town and Inez heaved a small sigh of pleasure when she saw the little glade. The pond laid tucked back from easy detection in a grove of shade trees, with cool-looking grass growing wild and tall all around its bank. Protected by the thick trees overhead and nourished by the water, this grass had avoided being wilted into dead brown patches like most of its kind. It lay before them lush and green and welcoming.

"It looks as if the heat of the past week has not even touched this place," Inez said in wonder.

"I've been intending to revisit this cool and inviting setting ever since the temperatures first began to soar," Ezra admitted, "but somehow the right moment never presented itself."

She smiled with a trace of shyness. "You will think me silly for this, mi querido, but I am glad of that. I like to think that this was waiting, just for us." Her eyes drank in the sight of the moonlight rippling over the surface of the tree-lined pond, giving it a mystical beauty. "Tan hermoso."

"Very beautiful," he agreed, breathing deeply of the scent of desert flowers traveling faintly on the soft breeze. This was a perfect spot for lovers, and happily, no one else had come to lay claim to it. Lifting Inez's hand, Ezra placed a kiss on her palm. "But it is not half as beautiful as you are."

Inez moved into the circle of his arms, eagerly accepting the press of his lips against hers. Ezra kissed her with all the tenderness in his heart, his earlier ardor having given way to the desire to take his time, to make this moment as pleasurable as possible for them both.

The moonlight seemed to glimmer in Inez's dark eyes when their kiss finally ended, shining temptingly off the ruby surface of her lips when she licked them in anticipation of Ezra's next touch.

"I love you, Inez," he breathed, feeling a little shocked at how easily the words came. "I want you to know that, before anything else happens."

She stilled, studying the emotions shining bright and honest in his clear green eyes. "Te amo, también, Ezra," she said, tears choking her even as a light of pure happiness filled her lovely face. "Siempre."

"Always," he repeated, once again lowering his lips to meet hers.

Passion ignited once again as Ezra felt her pushing the coat off his shoulders, lips never leaving his for more than the second or two necessary to draw breath as her strong fingers unfastened his tie and the gold filigreed buttons of his new vest, then attacked the smaller pearl inlaid ones of his gray silk shirt. She seemed almost frantic to touch his skin and that knowledge drew a groan of need from Ezra. His own dexterous fingertips made short work of Inez's white lawn blouse, sending the fine garment fluttering to the ground.

The heavy skirts proved more resistant to his efforts, so he abandoned them for now and set about unfastening the long row of closures holding her corset-cover in place. That still left the corset itself, and a thin cotton shift beneath. The sight of Inez's beautiful dusky-skinned breasts curving over the upper edge of the frustrating undergarments, just begging to be freed to his touch, had him gasping with want. "How on earth," he grated as the corset stubbornly refused to pop open, "do women managed to function with all of these layers?"

Inez laughed merrily. "You can ask that? I have made my way past coat, vest and shirt and now I find an undershirt barring my way!"

A sheepish grin met her exasperated teasing. "Touché, my dear." He sighed. "As much as I would like to fulfill the role of the bodice-ripping rake from one of Mr. Wilmington's favored dime novels, I fear that I am doomed to frustration. It's not terribly romantic, but perhaps we would be better off each divesting our own garments."

A somewhat embarrassed-sounding giggle escaped the normally unshakable Mexican barmaid, surprising and charming Ezra. "I believe that may be best," she agreed.

It was surprisingly tantalizing, Ezra discovered, watching from afar as small nimble hands quickly unfastened a row of hook and eye closures he had not even realized were present in the waistband of Inez's voluminous red skirt, allowing the heavy material to drop to the ground. She picked up the fine clothing and settled it neatly over a thick tree branch where it would not become ruined by the grass, and set about losing her garters, stockings and neat high heeled kid boots. Soon, there was only the corset and short shift remaining and Ezra gulped at the lovely vision of full breasts and long shapely legs.

He shifted uncomfortably as his still-confined manhood made an insistent attempt to point him in the right direction, and Inez smiled, looking both embarrassed and shyly pleased by his obvious approval of her body. "I believe you are falling behind," she hinted, fingers pausing at the top closure of her corset.

Ezra started, realizing that she was quite correct. Setting his clothing neatly beside her own, his shaking hands quickly unfastened and removed his trousers. Shedding his boots, socks and undershirt with equal alacrity he paused for a moment at his underwear. Anyone with eyes could see how heavily aroused he had become by the amazing feast that was revealed to his eyes as Inez bravely removed the last of her clothing, but he felt a little worried, remembering what she had told him earlier.

Taking a deep breath, Ezra slid the thin cotton drawers down his hips and stepped free, allowing Inez the full view of him. She looked up and down his body wonderingly, the touch of her fingertips endearingly shy as they stroked lightly over his bare chest and the tense muscles of his stomach. The reddening of her cheeks was barely visible in the soft moonlight but Ezra saw it, having been expecting and watching for such a sign, as her gaze traveled down to his erection. She seemed unsure how to proceed.

Ezra reached out to take her hand, drawing it forward and encouraging her to touch his most sensitive area, hoping to erase any lingering fears she might have. He could not quite stifle the gasp that escaped when she hesitantly encircled the engorged flesh with her fingers and began to slowly examine it. The hesitance of her touch was enough to tell Ezra that she was not remotely experienced at this. He wondered suddenly if he might actually be the first man she had ever seen fully unclothed. It disturbed him to realize that her younger self might very well have been assaulted without ever seeing that which was causing her pain. That fact might make tonight a bit easier on her, but the sheer callousness of such an act caused a fresh surge of anger to spear through Ezra's heart, wishing he could put a bullet through the bastard himself.

He cleared his throat. "You told me during dinner that you had once been assaulted by a violent man when you were a girl?" he began carefully. When Inez nodded, he pressed on. "I want, no actually, I need to know if there has been anyone else since that first time."

Quickly clasping his hand around hers when she made as if to pull away from him, her eyes and mouth hardening, he hastened to add, "I'm no innocent, Inez, and I'm not judging you. I have no right to judge anyone else's past, but I care for you very deeply and I'm suddenly worried that this experience . . . well, that I may hurt you or that my touch may cause you to make unpleasant associations."

Her expression became tender, a trace of tears sparkling in her eyes as she listened to his slightly fumbling explanation. "Your touch will bring me nothing but pleasure," she promised, the certainty in her voice easing an ache from his heart. "I cannot imagine you ever deliberately doing anything that would bring harm or pain to a woman."

She stroked him again, a startled look flashing across her face when her fingers experimentally caressed the tender skin of his balls and it caused the organ in her palm to jerk in response. Seeing Ezra's slightly embarrassed smile, she releasing her grip and flung both arms around his neck, kissing him hard and pressing her nude body tightly against his.

Ezra groaned into her mouth, hands gliding sensuously over her warm smooth skin, deftly releasing the pins holding her hair in place and sending it cascading down her back. His fingers tangled in the rich dark locks as he released her lips long enough to drop a few soft kisses along her throat and shoulders, then returned to dart his tongue back inside the sweetness of her mouth, every answering flick of Inez's own tongue sending a fresh bolt of desire straight to his groin.

"There has been no one else," Inez panted, moaning in desperate want as Ezra dipped her slightly so that he could latch his mouth onto a nipple, teasing it with tender expertise. "It was long ago, a clumsy painful assault in my father's barn. It was terrifying and humiliating, and I never wanted to repeat that experience, ever again. Between that man and my experience with Don Paulo, which I know would have been exactly the same had I not escaped; I never believed that there could be anything more for me than that. I believed it until I came here. Until I met you and began to know that I, too, could feel strong desire for a man's touch."

Ezra had stopped his attentions, staring at Inez in horrified astonishment. Good Lord, no wonder she had been reluctant about suggesting the stables as an alternate location for this!

"Oh, darlin', I am so sorry that happened to you. Couplin' between a man and a woman . . . well, the first time usually is rather painful and it can certainly be a little clumsy if both partners are inexperienced, but it should never, ever, be frightening or humiliating." He pressed a tender kiss between her breasts, sliding his hands up her sides to cup the soft mounds in his hands, gently caressing each one with his thumbs as he lightly suckled her nipples into hard peaks. Touching his lips and tongue to random places over her skin, he slowly dropped to his knees, hands massaging the soft roundness of her bottom as he dropped a kiss into the nest of dark curls at her center. "A woman's body is an amazing treasure to be won, a beautiful gift of softness and curves, with so many wonderful secrets to be explored that any man should regard himself as lucky, even blessed, to have won her permission to do so. No woman should ever have this experience demeaned to nothing more than an exercise in fear and pain."

Inez was panting lightly, knees trembling as her legs involuntarily separated, inviting more of Ezra's touch. Her hands were shaking as she carded them through Ezra's thick brown hair, her fingers clenching convulsively around the hard muscles of his shoulders when she felt his thumbs gently separate the folds of her most intimate place, exposing her to the touch of his hot, shockingly agile tongue.

He smiled around the quick deliberate probing of his extended tongue when he heard Inez cry out and felt her collapse against him, knowing that the strength of his arms and hands beneath her thighs and buttocks was all that was keeping her upright. Not about to stop now, he redoubled his efforts, pressing his lips up to lightly pinch the sensitive bud that was swelling steadily under his ministrations.

Inez bucked in his grasp, gasping and holding the breath until her lungs could take no more as Ezra's wicked wonderful tongue brought forth shock after shock of unfamiliar pleasure.

"Oh, Ezra," she breathed, as the sensations began to fade and he gently lowered her to lie down in the soft grass. He covered her body with his own, keeping himself braced on knees and forearms, allowing the hot heavy weight of his desire to rest upon her still clenching stomach as he gently pressed his lips to hers. Inez's arms slid around his hard body, her kiss almost desperate as her hands began to explore the hard ridges of muscles defining his back and shoulders. "Thank you, mi querido. Thank you for showing me what this should be like."

Ezra's lips peppered small caresses over her face and throat. He knew that she was still recovering from what was certainly her first sexual completion, but her reactions were making him feel desperate for that which was still to come. He began to rock his hips as they kissed, allowing his cock to rub against her flat stomach. A soft sound of pleasure at the feeling could not be held back, and Inez looked up at him in momentary surprise that quickly transformed to understanding.

"Should I . . . am I to do what you just did?" she asked, the uncertainty in her voice reinforcing Ezra's awareness of her relative inexperience in the art of love-making. Her hand closed around his swollen penis and Ezra's breath hitched.

"I would love that," he replied honestly, "but I think this first time I would rather proceed in a more standard fashion, if you wouldn't object."

For a moment, he was sure she hadn't understood what he was asking for, then she smiled and the light of desire shone once again in her beautiful brown eyes. Not waiting for him to offer instruction, she lifted her hips and used her hand to guide him to her entrance.

The passage was still hot and slick from her release and Ezra slid inside easily, closing his eyes and swallowing down a groan. It had been a long time since he'd had the opportunity to enjoy this sensation. And knowing that it was Inez who was offering him such a willing welcome made this better than anything he'd ever felt before.

"Are you all right?" he choked out, fighting down the immediate urge to thrust.

Inez lifted her knees and wriggled her hips in search of a more comfortable position, and Ezra nearly whimpered with the pain of his need. His cock was throbbing with every beat of his heart and he didn't know how much more restraint it could take.

A smile filled with mischief bloomed over Inez's lovely face as she seemed to realize what she was doing to him.

"I feel wonderful," she replied honestly, kissing him again. Experimentally, she squeezed her inner muscles around the intruder and this time Ezra could not prevent a guttural groan. "You feel so thick. So heavy inside of me. I never would have imagined."

"Why not?" he blurted, suddenly unaccountably miffed at hearing what sounded like a slight against his size. Maybe he wasn't as tall or strong as some of his compatriots, but he still felt fairly sure that he could hold his own in that region.

Inez seemed to read his mind for she laughed and began to roll her hips upward, encouraging Ezra to move. He did so immediately, unwilling to waste another moment, and sighed with happiness and relief as he began to fully experience the tight heat massaging his cock.

"I only meant, that you dress so beautifully and always look so neat," Inez began to explain, gasping at the newness of being firmly but gently taken by a man. By a lover. "I never would have guessed you were hiding such amazing . . . treasures."

Ezra smiled at hearing her repeat his descriptive words back to him. He wanted to lift up on his arms and thrust deeper, but somehow he could not bring himself to push away from the warm soft body holding him so passionately close. The short shallow movements were exquisite torture, forcibly prolonging the build-up of heat and pressure in his loins, but he wanted almost desperately for Inez to enjoy this night, to think back on it with purest ecstasy and long for his touch with the same relentless craving he already felt for hers.

She was rocking in his arms, moaning and gasping with each tiny thrust, her inner muscles already spasming and twitching as he drove her once more towards the peak of her pleasure. He swallowed her cry with a deep kiss as Inez reached her second climax, allowing his tongue to mimic the action of his cock. Then it was his turn to shout with instinctive triumph as his partner's clenching, grasping channel at last brought him to the pinnacle, every muscle tensing with shock and pleasure as the fluid of his completion gushed forward into her welcoming body.

"Inez," he whispered, holding her as tightly as he could manage while the strength seemed to flow from his limbs. "Oh, my darlin', I love you so much."

He was glad that he had said those words to her before, instead of waiting until this moment. He meant every single syllable. The emotion was fairly pouring from his heart as he held her strong beautiful body against him, his face buried in the long silken waves of her hair, but he knew that he would be feeling the very same way if these last few minutes had never happened.

"Ezra?" she said in wonder, stroking a hand along his left cheek. "Mi Corazon, are you crying?"

Startled by the question, Ezra lifted a hand to cover hers, realizing only then that his eyes were indeed leaking tears. "I'm sorry," he murmured, embarrassed by the display. "This has never happened before. I can't imagine what's come over me."

The kiss Inez placed upon his lips was so full of tenderness that he nearly started weeping all over again. "Do not apologize. I feel it too. I love you, Ezra." She kissed him again and he could feel the warmth of her own emotional overflow. "I love you."

As the last vestige of evening fell away into the darkness of night, the bright moon kept a kind and benevolent watch over her charges. They rose from the trampled grass, eyes averting in a display of strange shyness over their naked state as they walked hand in hand into the sparkling pond and swam together, allowing the cool water to wash away the heat and sweat of their recent lovemaking. All too soon, however, the need overwhelmed them again and they coupled for a second time on the water's edge, taking their time as hands and mouths eagerly learned each other's most intimate secrets.

Afterward, they talked. Dressed lightly in only shift and drawers they sat wrapped in each others arms on the ready-made seat formed by a fallen tree, allowing the light breeze to dry them fully as they talked about all manner of subjects. Hours passed as they discussed matters both great and small, learning more about each other's past, their concerns for the present, and their mutual hopes for a bright future together.

Ezra marveled inside at how comfortable he felt here, alone with Inez, as if the two of them were the only two people on earth. All of his barriers, both physical and emotional, had been set aside and he found an amazing sense of peace filling him as he realized that he could discuss his private concerns and dreams freely with her, with a lack of self-consciousness that shocked him. And it was clear that she felt the same way. He had found out more about her in these last few hours than he had learned in almost a year of friendly acquaintance.

"I never want this night to end," he said, sitting up straight and pressing both of her hands between his own as he looked deeply into her eyes, trying to read her innermost thoughts.

Inez went still, seeing the seriousness in pale green eyes that seemed to shimmer in the soft light of the moon. "Neither do I."

"I know what I'm about to say is rather unusual for a first date," he went on, a smirk playing about his lips, "but, then, nothing about this date has been particularly usual. A fact for which I am profoundly grateful."

She drew in a sharp breath as she watched Ezra stand and turn, only to drop to his knees in the soft grass at her feet. "Ezra, are you sure you want to do this?"

He smiled and nodded, remembering that he had asked her that very same question earlier in the evening and reveling in how wonderfully things had turned out. A startling certainty filled him that this venture would be even better, if only they had the bravery to undertake it.

Taking a deep breath, he did something he had rarely possessed the courage to do and spoke straight from his heart. "Inez, I love you, more than I've ever loved anyone in my entire misbegotten life. And I feel with every ounce of certainty in my soul that I always will love you. Would you give me the great privilege of turning this newfound relationship into a permanent one?" Swallowing down a surge of emotion, he kissed her knuckles, and then asked simply, "Will you marry me, Inez?"

Fresh tears sparkled in her eyes as she cradled his face in both hands and kissed him with all the love in her heart. "Si," she whispered. "Oh, Ezra, I will be honored to marry you."

Ezra responded to her kiss with passionate intensity, trying to infuse it with all of the feelings he could not find the proper words to express. Then, standing both of them upright, he wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up and twirling her about, laughing with equal parts giddiness and disbelief. "I can't believe it. We're engaged!"

Inez laughed as well. "And you will undoubtedly be the most handsome and dashing husband in all of Four Corners." Kissing the tip of his nose, she added saucily, "I bet you will even like settling down and having a wife to come home to every night after you leave the tables."

"If every night has the promise of being like this one, I may be spending far less time at those tables," he fired back, dropping his head to nibble playfully at her collarbone as he set her back down. "For it's a certainty that I'll have the most beautiful wife in the Territory to come home to."

Delighted, she hugged him tight, then she grinned ruefully. "You do realize that Senor Buck will insist upon being the best man at our wedding, and probably will tease us both mercilessly about the wedding night long after it has taken place. He will likely also tell anyone who will listen that this was all his doing."

"Well, I believe he's earned the right to a little fun. And in a sense, he's right about our relationship," Ezra admitted, smiling into her eyes. "If he hadn't kept pushing, I might never have opened my eyes about how I really felt. But I won't tell him any of that, if you don't."

She laughed again. "Si, it will be our little secret."

The moon smiled down upon the happy lovers as they slowly dressed and began their leisurely way back towards home, Ezra's arm about Inez's shoulders and hers wrapped tightly around his waist, her head resting on his shoulder as they strolled, completely unmindful of who might see and whisper over their intimately disheveled state.

It mattered nothing to them that tongues would surely wag and fingers would surely point when it became known that the local lawman gambler and lady bar manager were about to form a legal union, just as if they were respectable folk. It did not matter a trice if those sour faces frowned on them. Their friends, the people who truly mattered to them, would be delighted. And even if they weren't, that would not matter either. Because Ezra and Inez knew that they belonged together.

Neither one had ever felt so complete.

THE END

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