Never Surrender (5 page)

Taima rose and pointed at his son. “Keep him with you
until I return.”

He raced toward the horses, seeing a shadow slip into
the pines. Why couldn’t white women be as obedient as the Shoshone women? At
least they listened when a man warned them of impending danger. But like his
mother, Kate was head-strong, and that thought stirred memories of the deaths
that still haunted his dreams, stirred his hatred for the white man, and
stirred his growing feelings for the white woman he pursued. Try as he may, he
knew she was becoming a part of him.

This aggravating white woman had no idea how cold the
nights got out here in the wilderness, nor how many dangerous animals preyed
after dark. The cats especially enjoyed hunting then, sometimes dropping from
the trees onto their unsuspecting prey. Taima knew he had to find her before
they did.

The wind whispered a warning as Taima entered the
pines, annoyed that he’d had to leave the warmth of his fire to find the
strong-willed white woman. Ahanu could have prevented this when he watched Kate
leave. He would pay dearly for making Taima leave his son to chase after some
wild woman.

She
would
pay for making him relive his past. As if he didn’t do that enough on his own.
He did not want to replace thoughts of his wife with another woman and destroy
her memory.

Taima clenched his jaw, thinking of his revenge, of
her bound secure enough not to escape.
Women!
He should have tied her
hands and feet in the first place. Then he would be able to relax and not worry
about her getting into trouble. He’d threatened her with rape earlier only in
hopes she would be frightened enough not to try escaping. She had no idea of
the dangers in these mountains.

No, he should have left her with the Blackfoot at the
raid. Obviously, the woman thought she had the tenacity to survive alone. So
why did he think it necessary to pursue her? He prayed to the Great Spirit for
patience in dealing with the woman once he found her.

Entering the trees, a movement to Taima’s right caught
his attention. Like a cougar in the night, he moved fast and quiet to wrap his
arms around Kate and drag her from atop the horse. Quickly, he drew her back
against his chest, her slender body squirming for freedom.

“Your struggle will only bring you closer to me...but
then, perhaps that’s your intention, White Woman. I’m not accustomed to
fighting females, but with you, I might make an exception.”

Kate thrashed her head back and forth. Her hands
escaped his to claw at his arms as he struggled to confine her. She screamed,
but he finally secured her wrists within his grasp.

Taima pulled her wrists and twisted her around to face
him, bringing her against his chest, their noses mere inches apart as he looked
down at her. Her eyes glistened with rage even in the dark. Her breasts rose
against the back of his hand as she still tried to pull away.

He tugged her against his chest again. “I
will
tame you, White Woman.”

Kate’s lips parted slightly as he held her tight.
Such
tender looking lips
. Quick, warm breaths caressed his cheek; inter-twining
with his own ragged breathing. She would be easy to love had she not felt such
a hatred toward the Indian, but he knew those thoughts were as dangerous as her
escape.

She continued to pull against his hold. “I will never
surrender to your savage touch!”

“You will have little choice in the end.”

“I will
always
have a choice.”

“Not with me!” Taima kept his tone slow and precise,
the warm glow of her skin reminding him of another woman. He pressed his
fingers into her soft upper arms, still holding her against him. “Not another
word. Since you detest my touch, consider
that
your punishment should
you decide to disobey me again…I
will
touch you whenever I please. And
should you attempt another escape, you
will
regret it when I bare your
white flesh for my pleasure, having only yourself to blame.”

Her eyes rounded, her lips parted, but she said
nothing.

“I’m beginning to think you enjoy being humiliated.
Next, I’ll gag you, should you continue to anger me.” He scrutinized the
defiance in her delicate features. “I should strip you naked and march you
before my people to show them I have truly mastered you.” Taima knew he could
never do such a thing to her, but she need never know that.

Kate only glared at him.

“You may be learning after all.” Taima couldn’t keep
the smile from forming on his lips, or resist the temptation to taunt her. She
was beautiful when she was angry. “Perhaps I’ll begin taming you tonight, right
here.” He weighed the opportunity. “There is no one around to hear your
objections.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

He tightened his grasp on her wrists again. “I thrive
on dares, so don’t tempt me. We will sleep in my lean-to tonight.”

“We?”

Her cold stare covered him like an icy breeze.

Taima slowly exhaled in a sarcastic chuckle. “Do you
think after this little escapade of yours that I would allow you to sleep apart
from me? Perhaps this high altitude is affecting your mind...or are you always
so naive?”

Though darkness shrouded them, he allowed his gaze to
travel the length of her doe-skin-covered body. Her nearness heated his blood.
He knew this wasn’t a good idea, but proceeded anyway. “Though it would be
easier to kill you, I will receive more pleasure by keeping you alive, knowing
you will hate every day of your life from this point on whenever I decide to
touch you.”

* * * * *

Kate stared up at him. He’d made her blood boil she
was so angry. Yet, those anxious feelings from her dream came back to haunt her
whenever she was this close to him. Her heart raced and every fiber in her body
tensed. There had to be a reason he affected her so, but damned if she knew.

Standing in the dark, she could only see the outline
of his body. She stepped back and looked around though he held her wrists. Dare
she pull away from him and attempt to slip into the surrounding blackness?

“Don’t. I’d be on you like a cougar after its prey.
And I don’t think you’re too anxious to find yourself beneath me.”

He’d done it again. Anger sparked every nerve in her
body like an electrical charge. “What do you want from me?”

He stared at her a moment. “For now...silence would be
a pleasant change.”

“Don’t get your hopes up.”

Taima stared at her, but said nothing, and she stared
back. She couldn’t figure out why he had bothered to come after her like some
prize when he continually told her how much trouble she was to have around.

Her heart still raced like a rushing river...and what
had he meant by stating he would tame her?

Damn him, anyway!

Kate pounded her fist onto Taima’s chest. “What do you
want with me?”

His fingers released her wrists only to hoist her over
his shoulder. Blood rushed to her head and she beat her fists against his bare
back. How dare he treat her this way!

“Damn you, put me down.”

“Not until you learn obedience, woman, along with a
few other manners. Do all the women of your race act like you?” Taima asked as
he walked into the copse of pine, headed toward his lean-to.

“No. You just got lucky!”

“Like I said earlier, I
will
tame you, wild
one. You
will
learn.”

“You think too highly of yourself, Taima. I
won’t
learn from your savage ways,” she spat, and pummeled his back.

Suddenly, Kate landed on her feet, but Taima’s fingers
wrapped around her upper arms, pulling her face close to his.

She froze as his firm mouth took hers. Shock tangled
with a torment of confusing emotions that emanated from the pit of her stomach,
twisting their way upward as she willed herself to move.

Too quickly his tongue pushed past her lips and
swirled against the sensitive skin inside her mouth, brushing her tongue in the
process, pulling it against his own. A shiver ran down her spine, and her knees
weakened. His tongue swirled through her mouth a second time.

Just as quickly, he pulled away, leaving her stunned.

Shocked.

Her lips remained parted. She stared up at his dark
face wondering how he could hate her so yet do what he just did.

“Don’t provoke my anger again tonight...or you may get
more than you bargained for.”

“Why, you arrogant--”

Taima’s hand grasped her hand before it reached his
cheek while his fingers painfully grasped her chin. “You don’t learn fast, do
you? Or did you enjoy that savage kiss?”

His warm breath spanned her cheeks. She refused to
answer, yet wanted to scratch out those blue eyes that drew her into his web of
intrigue. His brutal kiss had more than aroused her, yet she would rather die
than let him know that. She stood in silence within his grasp.

“I thought not. The feelings are mutual, White Woman.”

He took a better hold on her wrist and gave it a yank
as he moved forward, nearly pulling it from the joint.

Kate had no choice but to follow or risk having her
hand separated from her body. Provoking him to further action certainly wasn’t
her goal.

She touched her tingling lips; they felt tender and
swollen from his roughness. He’d shocked her, but it wouldn’t happen again, for
she would be on her guard from now on. If he hated her so much, than so be it.
She’d mind her tongue, or she could get herself into worse trouble. At least,
that much she had learned.

Resigned to her dilemma, she walked with him to the
fire at Ahanu’s lean-to, her wrist still firm in his grasp. “Nechan, you may
come with us, or stay with Ahanu tonight.”

The boy timidly looked at Kate. “I will stay with
Ahanu.”

Kate had so hoped the boy would come with them. At
least then she would be safe from his savage touch. She glanced at Ahanu and
his wife, hoping for their intervention, but they each looked back at the fire.
This battle against Taima would be one she’d have to fight on her own.

“Then I will see you in the morning, my son.”

After entering Taima’s lean-to through the buffalo hide,
which covered the entrance, he pressed her down to sit among soft furs on the
floor. She complied, quickly glancing at his belongings around them...his bow
and arrows, his warrior’s shield, his scent that filled the area.

He sat beside her and the warmth of his body touched
hers. Kate stiffened, hoping he wouldn’t think to prove another point. Memories
of the raids against her own kind festered in her mind like an old wound, but
just as disturbing was how she’d reacted to his kiss. How could she have allowed
herself to be affected by such a brutal man? Worse, how could her body so
boldly betray her?

Taima’s hand took her by the shoulder and pulled her
down next to him, and Kate gasped.

“I’m not going to rape you; I told you before I don’t
force myself on a woman, but neither am I allowing you to escape from me
tonight.”

His arm coiled around her waist like a snake and
pulled her back against his chest; his body heat seared her flesh even through
her doeskin. He draped a blanket over them. “Now lay still and get some sleep.”

Kate thought for a moment. “You speak more like a
white man than an Indian. Why is that?”

His body stiffened against hers. “You’ve caused enough
trouble without asking questions that are none of your business.”

She’d obviously hit a nerve, but decided not to pursue
the answer tonight. Giving Taima her back, she gripped her edge of the blanket
and held tight, ignoring him. Breathing slower to calm her loathing, Kate
fought the urge to scoot away from his side--and his touch. But an action like
that would likely send him atop her to hold her in place.

Suddenly, Taima’s fingers splayed over her ribs.

Kate ceased breathing.

Her heartbeat sounded like drums pounding in her ears.
Would he savagely take her as they lay together? She dared not move.

“You can breathe. My thoughts are only on getting
sleep this night. I’m sure I’ll need my energy to stay one foot ahead of your
games tomorrow.”

Relieved, Kate slowly exhaled.

His fingers spread out further, skimming the bottom of
her breast as he pulled her tightly against him and the simple caress caused
her to gasp. The taut muscles of his chest and stomach pressed firmly to her
back. Taima’s breath fanned her neck.

Immediately, she tugged the blanket to her chin.

The low chuckle in his chest vibrated against her
spine. His fingers gently squeezed her ribs, then relaxed. His touch quickened
her pulse and she hoped he thought it was her fear. How could she even think to
go to sleep while he continued his torment?

Though tired from the long day and the fact she hadn’t
gotten much sleep last night, she was sure the blessed blackness would never
come. She prayed for un-tormented sleep, with no visions of the warrior from
her dream as he sat atop his horse.