Naked Shorts (19 page)

“Ellen, get back here!” she heard James shout behind her. She threw a glance over her shoulder and saw him running up from the river, only dressed in pants and boots, naked from the waist up.

Ellen urged her mare to gallop faster. Seconds later she heard hooves of another horse in the distance. How could James have saddled his horse so fast? She hadn”t counted on him getting onto his horse this quickly.

Her mare was no match for James” mustang. Within a few minutes he had caught up with her and cut her off. She swung her horse around, not wanting to give in, and veered to the right, away from the river and back toward the copse of trees where they had camped.

“Damn it Ellen,” she heard him scream, “you”re in for an ass paddling when I catch you!”

Inexplicably, she shivered at the thought of his large hands connecting with her behind. For a moment the mental picture of him slapping her naked ass distracted her, and she didn”t pay attention to the direction she was riding in. Too late she saw the low ridge ahead of her.

Her horse suddenly dug in its hind legs and came to an abrupt stop, catapulting her forward.

She landed unceremoniously on the edge of the ridge. Momentum from her fall made her roll down the embankment. With horror she recognized what was waiting for her at the bottom of it.

She tried to brace herself, hold onto bushes or roots, but to no avail. She kept rolling.

“Ouch!” Ellen screamed as she finally came to a halt.

She felt dozens of spines prick her back and behind as she tried to pull herself out of the cactus she”d landed in. She didn”t bother looking up when a large shadow came over her. James would be gloating at her misfortune. There was no way in hell she”d give him the satisfaction of showing her pain.

She was surprised at his concerned tone when he kneeled next to her.

“Did you break anything? You could have been killed. Come, hold on to my arms, I”ll pull you up. Slow, steady. You don”t want any of the cactus spines breaking. It”ll be hard enough to get them all out of your skin.”

Ellen followed his instructions and held onto his arms. Careful not to put his hands onto any part of her body riddled with the sharp barbs, he pulled her out and brought her up to stand in front of him.

Ellen winced.

“Come, let me take care of you.”

In slow steps he brought her back to the campsite, the horses following James” click of the tongue.

“You”ll have to take your clothes off. Slowly,” he ordered.

She gave him a defiant look. “If you think I”m stripping in front of you -”

“Way I see it, you”ve got no choice right now. Let me help you.”

She tried to push his hands away, but he wouldn”t be dissuaded. “You brute!”

With steady fingers he opened the buttons on the back of her skirt and slowly pried away the fabric, careful not to break off any of the barbs. He let it fall to the ground.

***

James looked at her as she stood in front of him in her petticoat and blouse. This wasn”t exactly how he”d imagined undressing her for the first time, but who was he to complain?

“Unbutton your blouse.”

This time she obeyed his order. Slowly he pulled away the fabric and dislodged some of the cactus spines from her skin in the process. As the blouse fell away, she stood there in her chemise and petticoat.

“Off with your petticoat.” His voice was getting decidedly hoarser and his cock harder.

He helped her step out of her petticoat, leaving her with only her thin chemise. He could clearly see her curves underneath it, and at this moment was glad he stood behind her where he could not see her undoubtedly luscious breasts.

“Lie down on the bedroll, on your stomach. I”ll pull out the spines.”

He examined her back as she lay down. There were a couple of dozen barbs on her upper back sticking out through her chemise, and an even larger amount on her ass. He started on her upper back. As he pulled out the first barb intact, Ellen winced.

“Breathe, Ellen. It”ll hurt less if you don”t hold your breath. I”m being as careful as I can, but it”s still going to hurt.”

His anger at her for trying to escape had vanished and was replaced by concern. She”d be sore for a while, and there was no way she”d be able to ride today. They”d have to stay here another night until she was better.

Every time he pulled out another spine from her delicate skin, he placed his other hand around the area trying to ease her discomfort. He felt the warmth of her body radiate through his hand.

“You okay?” he whispered.

“Better, thanks.”

James started working on her ass, pulling one barb after the next out of her soft flesh. Small pearls of sweat started building on his forehead. He wasn”t sure how long he could go on touching her like this. She had the body of an angel, and all he could think of was burying himself inside her slick heat.

He cleared his throat. “I have some salve that might help.”

He pulled out a small jar from his saddlebag and unscrewed the top.

“I”ll have to pull down your chemise a little,” he announced as he took the garment and slid it down her shoulders, exposing the pockmarked skin underneath. Taking a large dollop of the salve, he slowly spread it over the affected area and gently rubbed it in.

Ellen let out a low moan.

“Does it hurt?” he asked. He was trying to be as gentle as possible, but he was sure that even the slightest touch caused her pain.

***

“No, it feels good,” she answered instantly. “The salve, I mean. The salve feels good.”

Not his hands.

Definitely not his hands, Ellen lied to herself. It was just the salve that made her feel better, not the way his strong hands massaged it into her sore skin. Despite the calluses on his hands, his touch was soft and soothing. She locked her jaw in order not to let out another treacherous moan.

“I need to put some salve on your, uh, …” James seemed at a loss of words.

Seconds later she felt his hands pull up her chemise and the cool air brush her naked ass. She held her breath. She should protest, but the words got stuck in her throat when she felt his hands administer the cooling ointment.

She relaxed into his touch and closed her eyes. His hand softly stroked over her cheeks in a smooth circular motion, more of a caress than a medical treatment. The man had a magical touch, making her body relax and tense at the same time.

She sighed contently. As if in response, a moment later she felt two hands stroke her ass. His long fingers splayed outward then moved back and jointly moved down the middle.

Dear God!

She felt a bolt of heat shoot through her belly.

Lower, please!

His hands travelled back up before they briefly came to a rest. “Please,” she whispered. His hand slipped lower down to the apex of her thighs. “Yes,” she encouraged him, all the while knowing it was wrong to let him touch her this intimately. But she was aching, and she was wet and needy.

His finger slid toward her warm flesh. She gasped at the contact and pressed toward him.

“Ellen.” His voice was hoarse as he continued to slide his finger ever closer to her moist slit.

She hadn”t pegged him to be so bold - or so gentle.

“James, more.” He stilled. A second later she felt his hands being replaced by the fabric of her chemise.

His voice sounded rough when he spoke. “I”ll get cleaned up at the river. Stay here.”

Then he bolted faster than a horse being scared by a rattlesnake. She turned to watch him leave. Well, if that wasn”t a man in heat!

Ellen chuckled inwardly. Since plan A, namely to escape outright, hadn”t worked, she was back to plan B: seduce James into helping her.

CHAPTER FIVE

After James had announced to her that they wouldn”t be riding today, Ellen made herself as comfortable as her aching body allowed. Thanks to the salve James had applied, she felt better already. Not that she”d tell him, since a delay in their travel plans only worked in her favor.

The afternoon sun was warm and pleasant, and the trees provided sufficient shade not to get too hot. After lunch she watched as James took out a book from his saddlebag and sat against one of the trees.

They hadn”t talked much. When James had come back after applying the salve to her body, he”d been sort of withdrawn. She figured that the sight of her body had gotten him a little heated.

Now it was time to work her magic.

“What are you reading, James?”

He looked up. “I don”t think it”ll interest you.”

“I asked, didn”t I?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “It”s just some poetry.” James put his head down again and continued reading.

“Who is it by?”

“Some English poet.”

“Which one?”

“Lord Byron.”

Ellen pulled herself up. This cowboy read Lord Byron? Maybe she had underestimated him just a little.

“I like his poems. Why don”t you read one aloud?” she asked.

“I don”t know.” He didn”t seem comfortable with reading to her.

“Come on. I”m bored. Or do you want me to come up with any more ideas of how to

escape?” She pouted.

He shot her a chiding look. A few seconds later he started reading aloud. His melodic voice projected easily, and her ears felt as if she was being kissed by beautiful sounds of music. She closed her eyes and let the words roll over her. When he suddenly stopped, her eyes flew open.

“More,” she demanded.

He smiled at her and continued. Poem after poem came in the deep baritone of his voice, filling her with contentment. She looked out toward the river and the rugged country behind.

There was beauty all around her, even in this wild and unforgiving country.

“Your voice is beautiful,” she hummed. “Do you often read to somebody?”

James shook his head. “I only read for myself.”

“No sweetheart back in town?” She could estimate her chances at seducing him better if she knew whether he had a girl.

“Now, why would you be wanting to know personal things like that?”

“Just making conversation,” she defended herself.

“Well, Mr. Riley isn”t going to like that kind of conversation. He likes his woman to be all prim and proper. That”s what he”s requested. A real lady. Not someone who is getting ideas in her head of how to tempt a simple cowboy.”

That Mr. Riley sounded worse and worse. She”d give him a lady! Maybe if he found out that she wasn”t quite as much of a lady as he thought, he”d let her go. There was an idea.

“James, do you think you could give me more of that salve? It”s starting to burn again,” she complained. Her skin felt perfectly fine now, but if she couldn”t sweet talk him, she”d better use her body.

“It”s only been a few hours. That salve should keep working a lot longer.” He seemed suspicious of her claim.

“Well, it”s itching and burning.” To prove her point she started to scratch at her shoulder.

James put his book aside and jumped up. “Stop scratching. You”re going to make it worse.”

He came to where she lay on the bedroll, salve in hand. He handed it to her. “Here.”

“I can”t do it myself, I can”t reach there.” She handed him the salve back. “Please.”

He exhaled sharply and kneeled down next to her. “Fine.”

His hands worked the salve into her upper back. His movements felt rushed, as if he didn”t want to touch her.

“Are you angry at me?”

“No. Why would I be angry?”

“Because I tried to run away.”

“You”ve got your punishment for that, so there”s no need for me to be angry.” His hands slowed down and massaged her much softer now.

She let out a deliberate moan. His hands suddenly stilled.

“Could you please do the rest too?” Ellen asked waving her arm toward her ass. She wouldn”t let him get away this easily.

***

James shifted next to her and took a deep breath. He”d wondered how long she”d work at trying to seduce him into helping her. Did she really think he didn”t know what she was trying to do?

Earlier, she”d offered herself to him. Quite deliberately, he”d touched her beautiful body before he”d withdrawn making her want more. And now she was back.

He lifted her chemise and looked at her round cheeks. The red marks the cactus spines had left looked a lot better. Instead of rubbing the salve over her, he”d much rather slide his tongue over her and kiss every inch of her flesh.

He took a small amount of salve and rubbed it over the affected area in a slow circular motion. It felt as if she arched toward him, and he knew he wasn”t imagining it. His gaze drifted to the few stray curls at the apex of her thighs, dark brown and glistening with moisture. She was wet. James could not only see it but he could also scent her arousal.

As he slid his hand toward her center, he felt the draw of her body.

“Lower.”

His hand moved of its on volition. It only travelled two inches until it reached its destination.

His finger dipped toward her center, attracted by the wet heat that had pooled there. The moment he touched her moist folds and slid his finger forward, she spread her legs wider.

“You”re beautiful,” he whispered and drove his finger into her sheath. Her muscles gripped him. “And so tight. You”re made for love.” Slowly but rhythmically he slid his finger back and forth. Ellen panted. She might have started this to seduce him, but he could sense that her body was taking over, and her control was slipping. He was in charge now - the little darling had no idea what she was in for. What would she do if he started pleasuring her in earnest?

“Roll on your back, my sweet,” he instructed and was surprised that she followed his demand without complaint.

Her chemise was bunched above her thighs revealing her triangle of red curls. “Let me show you just how much pleasure this uneducated cowboy can give you. Men do have their uses, even if you don”t want to admit that.”

“James, you wouldn”t possibly touch what”s meant only for Mr. Riley,” she hedged. The wicked darling was playing with him.

“What Mr. Riley doesn”t know …”

Then he sank his head between her spread thighs and put his mouth to her wet pussy. He soaked in her scent before his tongue darted out and licked at her warm flesh. Her cream spread in his mouth, and he swallowed.