Speak to the Wind (14 page)

"We're in Mexico, land of
sun and sand." She felt breath
less and wondered how the simple act of removing shoes could send her into such a spin. "The brochure said
‘leave your inhibitions at home’
."

"
Great.
" He laughed.
"You did read the brochure, af
ter all. Now if I could just get you to discard these high-heeled civilized trappings altogether, we'd be all set."

"I
do
n't
want to
be too casual with a client. I
’ll ruin my profes
sional image."

He took her hands and pulled her to her feet. His lips were alarmingly close to hers as he whispered, "You know what I say to that? To hell with image."

She smiled. "Why, Mr. Quintero, is that any way for a candidate to talk?"

"I wasn't talking. I was whispering something privately to a lady. Now would you like to walk, or go inside and talk further about private matters?"

They looked into each other's eyes, and the air seemed charged with electricity. Joe wanted to take her in his arms. But the expression in her eyes—was it apprehension or fear?—held him back.

"I
think we'd better walk." She moved him toward the beach.

Discarding their shoes seemed to be a symbolic act, and they both began to shed any earlier reserve. Joe held her hand solidly, warm palm to warm palm, as they walked barefoot in the sand, letting the grains slide between their toes and push against their arches.

Their pace was leisurely, allowing Maria to search for shells in the moon's pale glow. Occasionally she stopped to pick one up but always sailed it into the water when she discovered a flaw.

"Still searching for perfect whelk
shell
?"

She tossed her hair in the gentle night breeze. "Always."

"What if it doesn't exist?"

"I'll just keep searching."

"I can't imagine searching for something that might not be found."

"But I never lose hope."

"No matter how long it takes?"

"I know it's there, out there somewhere, for me."

He halted and she altered her step beside him. They were still holding hands, standing close. He looked into her brown eyes, so like his yet so different. "Maria, what are you really looking for?"

"I told you. The perfect..."

He turned his body toward her, and his hands eased up her bare arms. She shivered beneath his feathe
ry touch. "Is any
thing perfect? Maybe this..." Two fingers lightly touched one
breast, stroking its rising slope all the way to the tightening tip.

Maria held her breath and tried to keep from responding to his magic. She hoped he couldn't feel her nipple's sharp contraction inside her thin, lacy bra. Suddenly, wildly, she wanted to fling the constric
ting garment aside and open her
self to Joe. But she couldn't. Not yet. She shuddered. "No..."

"Maria, you are a perfectly beautiful woman. Perfect in so many ways."

"You don't know me very well if you think that."

"I want to know you...
all of you." He took a step for
ward, allowing the entire length of his body to mold to hers. He lowered his head, letting their lips merge into a very gentle kiss. His hands came up to rest high on her rib cage while both thumbs massag
ed tiny circles around her tautl
y crested breasts.

She couldn't hold her breath forever, and as she released pent-up air, her breasts expa
nded against his chest. The tur
moil within her body grew as desire swirled stronger and faster. She knew she had to stop
or go all the way with him right here, right now. She
pushed on his chest. "Joe,
you’re tempting. . .
" she murmured and stumbled away from his clutch.

He steadied her immediately with an arm around her shoulders. They walked in silence as Joe wondered why she continued to hold back when he knew how she'd responded to him. And he'd made sure she knew of his bold response. The tension was interrupted when he stumbled on a knobby shell and began hopping
around, emitting several exple
tives. "Nails! Or glass! This place is dangerous in the dark!"

Laughing at his antics, Maria felt relief as she picked up the offending obstacle
and tossed it into the water. “
It's only an oyster shell crusted with barnacles."

"Vicious little critters, aren't they? Now I know why I've never been much of a shell collector. They attack!"

"You run by them so fast that you don't have time to search for and find the pretty ones. That's another advantage of walking. It's slow. You have time to look around."

"And time to think," Joe added.

"Yes, sometimes too much." Maria knew that was why she stayed so busy most of the time. It didn't leave her any time or energy for thinking.

"And what do you think about when you're alone, Maria? If I weren't here this minute, what would you be thinking about
?
"

She kicked a spray of s
and in front of them. "Oh, prob
ably some aspect of my business or my family. Sometimes I ponder about life in general. Where I fit in the scheme of things."

"And where's that?"

"I used to think I was stranded, all alone on an island.
That was right after Wayne died.
" Her voice grew pensive. "But I've discovered that my feet are on pretty solid ground."

"I suppose we all feel str
anded at times," he said, inter
preting her solemn mood.

"Do you, Joe?"

"Yes, especially now. I'm out on that island alone. Not stranded so much as standing alone. What I've undertaken is a tremendous responsibilit
y. But it's my decision, my per
sonal challenge."

"You aren't completely alone, Joe. I'm in it with you. My goals are yours. I told you I won't be content until you're elected chairman of the Apache Nation. And I'll always be available for any future help."

"As my own private consultant? Thanks. Y'know, it's funny." His voice was low and thoughtful. "Here you are a non-Indian and my main ally."

"I can't believe that. I fou
nd my friends and family invalu
able when I needed them."

"Most of my friends are Anglos in California, and they don't really understand. That's why you're so unusual. And my family is supportive, but from a distance."

"I thought you said your brother was going to help with the campaign."

"Yes, Josh will be a part of this endeavor and head up my campaign. I'm not sure that even he understands, though."

"And your other family?"

"They're divided into two camps. My adoptive parents are Anglo and live in Phoenix.
They're proud of me, but my fa
ther has been in poor health, so
his participation is quite lim
ited. My Indian relatives are cousins, uncles and aunts. They're enthusiastic about my return to the reservation but are a little distant because they don't really know me well."

"Your work is extremely important, Joe. Sometimes work takes the place of people."

"That's a strange thing to say. Is that what you've done, Maria? Put your work in place of people?"

"I desperately needed the work, the preoccupation."

"So you became a workaholic."

"I accomplished my goals. My business is successful and growing. And my sanit
y is—" she laughed "—still some
what intact."

"What about your family? What do they say about your obsession with work?"

She laughed. "I come by
it naturally. They're workahol
ics, too, especially my mom.
She doesn't even take time any
more to go up to the cabin."

"I'm glad you do. I would never have met you otherwise."

"I can't stay away. Something keeps drawing me back. The mountains give me a kind of strength. Sounds mystical, doesn't it?"

"My U
ncle Will would probably agree with you. Does your family live in Phoenix, too?"

"Yes, although we're scattered in different areas. I live in Scottsdale. My mother is in Carefree. She has a new career in real estate and a new gentle
man in her life. We're still ad
justing to that, although he's very nice, and she seems happy with him. My brother, Rob, is married and lives in Tempe. He and Phyllis are expecting their first child in the spring. We get together occasionally, but they have their own lives and... I have mine."

"
Which is...?
"

"Mostly work. But," she added quickly, "it takes that kind of dedication to make a new business successful. You know that, Joe."

"And there's no one else in your life?" He couldn't help wondering if she had another lover and that's why she seemed so intent on resisting him. "No love interest?"

In the uneasy quiet that f
ollowed they could hear the gentl
e lap of the waves caressing the shore.

"No. I haven't wanted—"

He slowed his step. "Until now?"

She slowed with him and waited before answering. "Until now."

He stopped completely and turned her to face him. "Maria, look at me. I haven't been involved with a woman in a long, long time. But when I first saw you in the mountains, I knew. Since then I've been able to think of no one else. Of nothing
else but having you!
" His hands rested lightly on her
shoulders. "For a while I tried to stay away. This is really bad
timing for me to get involved with a woman. But I can't help it. Do you understand? Do you believe me
?
"

"Yes, I... I've thought of you, too, Joe. It's the first time since..." Her voice quavered, and as he drew her closer, she placed her palms on his chest. Somehow the pounding of his heart reassured her, for she knew it was pounding for her. He wrapped both arms around her and held her in his embrace for a long time. He was strong and secure, and she knew she needed a man like him.

When they started walking again, they were headed back toward the casitas. His arm rested across her shoulders, and her arm circled his waist in the back. It was comfortable, an easy way to stroll, arms hooking their bodies together, hips rubbing, side by side.

"What does your brother think about your returning to the reservation, Joe?"

"Josh thinks I'm nuts." Joe chuckled. "But he's taking a year off his job to manage my campaign. Actually, he's taking a year out of his life since he's in the midst of a nasty divorce that involves child custody
for his son, Mick. You'll prob
ably meet him next week when he comes down for a strategy session. We
’
ll be coordinating schedules and discussing plans. He wants to issue some press releases. Maybe you could help with that since it has to do with communicating and the media."

"Be glad to." She was quiet for a moment, then decided she had to know. "I can't believe there's no woman in your life, Joe."

"I'm divorced. It happened a long time ago. No kids. It just ended and we parted." He paused, then decided to add, "I'll admit I've spent the weekend with a few women since. But none I cared about. I, too, have been building a business."

They walked the rest of the way to the casitas in silence, arm in arm. When they reached Maria's little porch, they stood in the sand, bare toe to bare toe, fingers laced, clinging to the moment.

"Thanks for dinner, Joe. It was wonderful. And the walk in the moonlight was... marvelous." She couldn't begin to tell him what his kisses ha
d done to her. "Actually wonder
ful is an inadequate word. And marvelous is overused. I can't think of the right—"

"How about extraordinary?" He leaned forward and kissed her. "Magnificent." Another kiss. "Remarkable."

"Yes, all that," she murmured between kisses.

"And more. Excellent, jim-dandy, super-duper—"

She laughed aloud and he kissed her again, molding his lips to hers, barely dipping his tongue inside, then pulling it back. Once they touched and were caught in each other's embrace, there was no parting, and they drew closer, completely wrapped together, lost to everything save the sounds of each other's heartbeats and the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore.

The night breeze picked up and sent her shivering against him. She put her cheek to his and whispered, "Don't leave me yet, Joe."

"Wouldn't think of it."

"Let's go in. I have that bottle of wine you sent last night.
Only one glass is gone.
"

"Wine..." He caressed the silkiness of her cheek with his fingertips as if trying to absorb her softness. "Couldn't be as intoxicating as you." Turning her face up to his, he kissed her again, this time with great tenderness.