Lonesome Bride (20 page)

"Oh, Caite,” Jed exclaimed finally. Laughter had left his voice rough. “I reckon watching you try to get that saddle on Tripper was about the funniest sight I ever saw!"

She looked at him, lower lip thrust into a pout she could not control. “If you saw I was having trouble, why didn't you offer to help me?"

"If I recall correctly, Caitleen, you proudly denied needing any assistance,” Jed pointed out.

She sniffed. “Shorty didn't seem to mind helping me."

Jed turned to look at her suspiciously. “What's that supposed to mean?"

Now it was Caite's turn to smile. “I'm only stating that Shorty was more than happy to help me, Jed. You, on the other hand, seemed to find more pleasure in mocking my efforts."

"Shorty was just being nice,” Jed said roughly.

He was scowling, she noted with pleasure.

"Why, Jed Peters!” she exclaimed, her voice practically dripping honey. “Are you jealous?"

Jed barked out a laugh markedly absent of humor. “Don't be a fool, Caitleen. Jealous of Shorty? Why in tarnation would I be jealous of that beat up, old trail hound?"

Caite shrugged artlessly. “We are often jealous of those who have what we do not..."

Before she had barely finished speaking, Jed had reached over and grabbed Tripper's reins from her hands. Ignoring her gasp of surprise, Jed halted both horses side by side, so close he was able to lean over to her.

"Does Shorty have you?” he growled, nose to nose with her.

Frightened by his sudden intensity, Caite realized she had taken the joke too far. Before she could explain to Jed what she had meant, he had grasped her shoulder with his free hand. His face grim, he shook her none-too-gently with each word.

"Does he?” Jed spat the question as if it had left a sour taste in his mouth.

"Jed, stop! I..."

"Answer my question, Caitleen! Does Shorty have you? Is that the game you're playing?"

His eyes were burning so fiercely Caite's first thought was to pull away. Still seated on Tripper as she was, however, she could not move far enough to escape his grasp or his questions. She had never seen him so angry.

"So you're spreading your legs for Shorty, is that it?"

"Jed, stop it!” Caite cried tearfully, jerking her arm out of his grasp. Her movement overbalanced her. With a strangled cry, she slid off of Tripper, unable to stop herself. She hit the ground with a muffled cry, pain instantly erupting everywhere.

"Caitleen!"

She heard Jed's shout, but ignored him. Let him think she was dead, for all she cared. She was a mass of aches and pains, not to mention severely frightened, and all because of him. He's lower than a worm, she thought grimly, rolling herself into a tiny ball.

"Caite, are you all right?” Jed was kneeling beside her, trying to uncurl her.

"Leave me alone,” she muttered, unable to put much force behind her words. The fall had knocked the wind right out of her. She gathered up as much strength as she could from her aching leg and kicked out at him. She caught him right in the shin, and managed to smile at his yelp of pain.

"Caite, I'm sorry,” Jed said, rubbing his shin and keeping his distance from her warily. “I didn't mean..."

"No, you never do.” She was able to breathe a touch more easily now, and although she knew she would be black and blue from head to foot on the morrow, her aches were fading. Caite rolled to a sitting position, slapping off the dust.

"You're all right.” He sounded so relieved she looked up at him.

"Jed, what got into you?"

"Just tell me one thing.” He reached out a hand to help her to her feet, but she declined his offer, preferring instead to risk getting up on her own. “Are you?"

"Am I what, Jed?” she asked in exasperation.

"Are you intimate with Shorty?"

"Intimate with Shorty!” Caite was flabbergasted. “How dare you suggest such a thing?"

"But you said I was jealous of what Shorty had that I don't,” Jed said. “What in the heck did you mean then?"

Caite just goggled at him for a few seconds. She was not sure to be flattered or appalled by the conclusions he had drawn from her comment. She finally decided to be neither.

"I meant,” she stated patiently, “that you were jealous because Shorty was a gentleman for helping me with the saddle, and you were not. That is all I meant."

"Oh.” He seemed suddenly sheepish and crestfallen. “I reckon I owe you an apology."

"I reckon you do.” And not for the first time, she thought.

To her surprise, Jed stuck out his hand and grabbed hers, then pumped it up and down enthusiastically a few times.

"Caite, I do sincerely apologize for shouting at you and knocking you off your horse,” Jed apologized. “And for assuming you and Shorty were—"

Caite held up her hand to silence him. “Please do not repeat your thoughts on what you assumed Shorty and I were doing. I shall not be able to look at him the same way ever again anyway."

"So you don't have designs on him?"

His question was so ridiculous she would have laughed, if not for the sincere and worried look on his face. Oh, he tried to hide it all right, but she could see it there anyway.
Why was he so suddenly concerned anyway? Could it be he cared after all?
She pushed the thought firmly from her mind.

"No, of course not,” Caite responded more gently than she had thought she would. “Why would you think that?"

Jed shrugged, his cool exterior returning. “I know he thinks highly of you, that's all. And since you turned me down..."

So that was it. Just because she had turned down his proposal, that meant she was out searching for another man to fill her bed? Sudden, burning anger filled Caite like a flash flood filling a gully.

"You are an idiot!” she shouted, causing Jed to step back.

"I'm an idiot?” he asked, anger hardening his face as well.

"Yes, an idiot.” Caite advanced on him, poking her finger into his hard chest. “How dare you think such a thing of me? Do you not realize if I do not marry you, I will not marry..."

She stopped herself, realizing at two things at once. First, she had just nearly told Jed he was the only man she would ever consider marrying. Second, she was touching him.

She did not have time to pull her hand away from his chest before his hand snaked out and grabbed hers. Tugging gently, Jed managed to pull her closer to him until she was within inches of the very body she had vowed to avoid. She could smell him, leather and fresh air, and her knees weakened.

"You were saying?” Jed breathed, locking his emerald gaze on hers.

Caite shook her head, unable to speak. She looked around everywhere but at him, noticing for the first time Zeus had run off. Tripper, solid, reliable Tripper, was a few yards away cropping grass, but Zeus had vanished.

"Your horse is gone,” she noted, trying desperately to ignore the pressure Jed was exerting on her hand to pull her closer inch by tantalizing inch.

"He probably ran back to the ranch,” Jed said in the sensuous voice she found so distracting.

Just hearing him speak, coupled with his hand pressed to hers and her hand on his chest, was enough to turn her thoughts in a direction she most emphatically did not wish them to go. She was not sure if she wanted to pull away or to step further into his embrace.

"Don't you want to find him?"

Jed shook his head, lifting her chin with a finger and forcing her to look into the vivid green depths of his eyes again. She saw lust burning in them. Was it his or hers reflected there? She opened her lips to speak, but suddenly her mouth was too parched for words.

"You were saying something about marriage,” Jed whispered, tilting his head to hers, his lips so close she could almost feel them on hers.

Caite did not want to finish her sentence. She did not want Jed to know she was determined to lead the life of a spinster rather than face a marriage to someone else. Or worse, a loveless marriage to him. She did the only thing she could think of to distract him from his question. She kissed him.

Somehow, the tables had turned again. He had just been ready to slant his mouth to hers, to taste the sweetness of her lips, when all at once she had grabbed him by the back of the neck. Suddenly everything was arms and lips and sweet, feminine, questing tongue.

Jed had planned on kissing her to show her who was boss, but now it seemed as though Caite had the same notion. A flicker of annoyance shot through him, to be almost simultaneously replaced by arousal. He had an armful of wriggling, kissing woman. Who was he to complain about who was in charge?

He had just enough time to realize she had hooked her heel behind his before they both tumbled to the ground. Her hat came loose in the fall, sending the heavy weight of her braid to slap him in the face. Not taking his mouth from hers even for an instant, Jed reached out and tugged away the piece of rawhide Caite had used to secure the plait.

As the strands began unraveling, Caite broke the kiss long enough to sit up and shake her tresses until they tumbled harem-scarem over her shoulders and down her back. Straddling him with her eyes closed, she arched her back slowly, running her fingers through the lengths of her hair. Jed could feel the soft cleft of her womanhood through the worn fabric of her trousers. She was sitting directly on his jutting manhood, and all that separated them were a scant few layers of material.

"Jed.” Caite opened her eyes and looked at him. The sun shining behind her created a halo of light around her form, but cast a shadow so he could not clearly see her face. “About Shorty..."

He tensed. “Yes?"

"I just want you to know...” She hesitated, seeming uncertain as to what she wanted to say. “I could never ... I mean, not with him..."

Jed did not want to spend another moment thinking or talking about Shorty. He grasped Caite's wrists and tugged her down to him with a groan. Her kiss was fire against him. Her groan told him she felt the same.

Running his hands down the length of her back to cup her buttocks, Jed arched his engorgement up against the sweet juncture of her thighs. Caite responded by rubbing herself against him, up and down, until he thought he would die from the torture of it. He had to have her beneath him. Never mind they were in the grass with the late afternoon sun beating down all around them. He needed her now.

Swiftly, Jed grabbed Caite's waist and rolled her over so he was atop her. Both of them were breathing hard, and her lovely pale complexion was flushed. Aching with his arousal, Jed bent to press fervent kisses along the length of her jaw and down her neck. When he reached the barrier of her shirt, he swore lightly in frustration, making her laugh. The husky sound swept through him like wildfire.

"Let me,” she whispered, reaching trembling fingers up to undo the first of the buttons. The next and the next opened like magic beneath her hands, exposing more and more of her creamy flesh until she had undone them all.

Reverently, Jed bent his head to first one pink-tipped mound and then the other, sampling each. At the laving of his tongue against her erect nipples, Caite arched into his embrace, offering herself even more to his touch. Jed was eager to oblige.

Lord, everywhere she smells so sweet!
He reluctantly left the perfection of her breasts to smooth his tongue along the soft firmness of her belly, all the way to the waistband of her borrowed trousers. There he stopped, struggling with himself for control. Already he could envision the exquisite auburn triangle of curls nestling between her sleek thighs. He lifted himself off her enough to undo the drawstring around her waist.

Caite stopped him with a touch. “No fair,” she smiled, indicating his broad chest still modestly covered by his shirt. “If I am going to risk being burnt by the sun, you should, too, Jed."

In reply, he knelt to pull the offending garment up and over his head. Then he lowered himself to her again, so the crisp, dark curling hairs of his chest scraped her nipples lightly. He could feel every inch of her soft flesh pressing against him as he dipped his mouth to hers once more.

Caite sighed against his mouth, curving her hips up beneath him so he realized once again that their private parts were touching, kept apart only by their clothes. Caught between the delicious sensation of Caite rubbing against his erection and wanting to continue undressing her, Jed gave in to the moment.

"Lord, what you do to me,” he breathed into her ear, matching her movements with his own. Soon they were moving their hips in tandem, the pleasure torturously enhanced by the cloth separating them from each other.

Caite smiled, her beautiful eyes flashing up at him. “And you to me,” she replied, and winked naughtily.

At the wink, Jed was desperate to have her. Lifting himself off her so he could find his own waistband, he began forcing open the buttons as fast as he could. At his action, Caite reached down to the drawstring holding her pants tight against her and loosed it. Their identical eyes locked, neither having the will to look away as each slid out of restraining garments.

Jed was afraid to look down, afraid the sight of her completely naked before him would have him shooting his pistol before he had aimed. His eyes were drawn relentlessly to the triangle between her legs. He had to close his eyes against the auburn curls, just a shade darker than the lovely hair on her head.

"Please, Jed,” he heard her whisper, and the muscles in his thighs and buttocks shook from holding back his climax. With one, swift motion, he slid into her, capturing her mouth with his even as she cried out.

She was like velvet against his throbbing arousal, and hot as the sun beating down on his back. Jed tried to remain still for a moment, fully aware he was far closer to the edge than he would have liked. Beneath him, Caite mewled slightly, not giving him the chance to regain control. She began rolling her hips, urging him to pull out of her, then drawing him back in with the pressure of her hands against his buttocks.

"Caite, Caite,” he groaned, lost in the sensations sweeping through him and helpless to resist what she was doing.

He saw the telltale flush creeping across the skin of her chest that let him know she, too, was nearing her peak. They were perfect together, moving in the rhythm both had defined. He winced as her fingernails dug into his back and behind, but the sting only added to his pleasure.