Pages

Tuesday 18 October 2011

The Trouble With Love (Chapter 20)

Chapter 20
To Susannah's surprise, the question Hogan had asked was unexpected. The man had wanted to know when she would marry him. Not if, but when. Had she played hard to get and coquettish? Why bother? Game playing just wasn't her style. She was an up front kind of girl who knew what she wanted.
            Much later, at the Midsummer Night's Fest, Susannah and Hogan watched the fireworks explode over Courthouse Square. Like just about everyone who attended the annual festival, they were content after a long evening of good food, cold beer, and the small town production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" which proved to be more comical than Shakespeare probably intended when the entire cast spoke with broad Texan drawls.
            Hogan's talented fingers drew lazy circles on Susannah's shoulders, making her breath quicken and her insides turn to mush. Each time his hands slid over her shoulders and traveled a bit farther south until Susannah grabbed his hands in both hers. In a whisper, she warned, "My mother is right over there."
            "Yeah, but it's dark over here," Hogan whispered back. "And she and Walter have eyes only for each other." He kissed her ear then his mouth slid down the side of her neck. He found the sensitive spot on her neck and flicked it with his tongue. He deepened the pressure with his mouth, and Susannah moaned.
            His quiet chuckle held more masculine superiority than she could allow him to get away with. She squirmed away from him. "My cousin's mother is on the other side. And she's got her two nieces with her."
            "Yeah, but they have eyes only for the fireworks." He pulled her back against him and went to work with his mouth. His sly hands reached for her.
            Susannah managed to gasp, "What about Allison and Brian or Luke and Paula? They could look over here at any moment."
            "You worry too much. Are you going to revert to being rule-bound, prim, and proper?"
            Susannah scooted back between his widespread legs. He wrapped his arms around her, and she wriggled even closer, eliciting a quick groan from him. She grinned, knowing that what she felt wasn't his gun. His body was hot against hers. She felt like purring.
            Instead, she parried his question. "Prim and proper, huh? Hmm. Let me think about that." Hogan's hands slid down her arms, raising the gooseflesh. Susannah reached for his hands. She knew the darkness hid them from view, but, in that moment, she really didn't care. When he signed, she knew what he thought so she surprised him by boldly placing his hands on her breasts.
            Hogan laughed and hugged her to him. "I love you, Susannah Quinn."
            "And I love you, D. E. Hogan." With a muttered exclamation, she thrust his hands away and turned.  Exasperated, she asked, "Am I going to have to go through the rest of my life calling you by your last name?"
            "Well, since you've agreed to marry me, I guess I can trust you with my secret."
            "Is your name really gross? Something like Dork or Dweeb?"
            "No, but it's bad enough. First, let me tell you how I got the name. When my mom was a kid, she was on a dance show."
            "What fun. But what's that got to do with your name?"
            Hogan sighed. "She named me after the guy who was the star the day she met my dad who'd also come to the show. She always had a soft spot for that singer. He was singing when she first saw my dad, and she said it was love at first sight."
            "Well, it can't be Elvis or you'd be E. P. Hogan," Susannah joked. "I can't imagine what D. E. stands for."
            "Duane Eddy."
            Even Hogan's pained expression couldn't stop her laughter.  "Duane Eddy Hogan?"
            He scowled. "See, that's why I didn't want to tell you. I knew you'd laugh."
            "I'm not laughing, darling. It's cute. It's adorable. Why I might eventually get used to calling you Du-ane," she drawled, giving it two distinct syllables.
            "You do, and I won't be responsible for my actions." He pressed her to the blanket they lay on, not caring if everyone in the world watched.
            "Is that a threat or a promise, Hogan?" Susannah asked, her green eyes sparkling with a promise of her own.
            "That's a promise, Deputy Quinn, and it's a promise I intend to keep. Trust me. "