White Wolf (29 page)

“Oh, Ma,” she whispered, “how I wish you were here to guide me. It may be wrong for me to go with Wolf if he comes for me, but I love him.” Jessie closed her eyes, feeling so very alone. If Wolf came, she’d take whatever he offered and deal with the rest later.

A while later, a soft whisper broke the stillness of the night. “Jessie?”

She crawled out from beneath the wagon. Holding her breath, she peered into the darkness to see Wolf standing near the wagon tongue. In the dark he looked like a pagan god, with his hair flowing down to his shoulders. His vest was parted, baring his bronzed chest to her hungry gaze. She stepped close, stopping only a breath away. Her heart hammered with equal measures of fear, anticipation and excitement. Wolf reached out, his hands gentle as he cupped her chin.

“Are you sure?” His voice came low, a hum drifting on the breeze.

Jessie nodded and stared up into his shadowed face. His features were blocked but for the glint of his eyes.

“I can’t make you any promises, Jess.”

“I know,” she said softly as his lips lowered to hers.

His lips lingered for an all-too-brief moment, then he pulled her into the deep shadows. When they reached his horse, he mounted and pulled her up across his lap, cradling her against his bare chest. “Where are we going?” she whispered, snuggled against him. She nuzzled her cheek against his warm skin.

“You’ll see,” he replied, staring down at her.

His gaze held hers. “I want you, Jessica Jones.” He groaned, kissing her roughly. He deepened the kiss, his passion fierce. His hand roamed over the gentle swells of her breasts. Then he lifted his head, his breathing labored. She buried her head against his shoulder and gasped.

“Wolf, you make me feel so strange. I don’t know what’s happening, but you’re the one who makes me feel this way.” Tendrils of fear returned.

Wolf slid his lips along her neck, his breath hot and heavy. “Don’t worry, sweet Jess, I feel the same way. You make me feel things that none other has.”

His words reassured her. The two of them fell silent, passing several other sleeping camps. At the base of the eastern bluff, Wolf dismounted, helped her down and secured his horse to a tree. Then he took her by the hand. Together they climbed the steep hillside. Jessie glanced down. Darkness floated up to her. She couldn’t see, but she knew they were pretty high above the ground.

Wolf turned and grinned. “It’s a surprise. Come on, it’s not much farther.”

“What’s not much far—?” Her voice broke off when Wolf pulled her behind some thick bushes. When she saw the dark void before them, her eyes grew wide. “A cave,” she said, excitement ringing in her voice.

“Wait here,” he commanded. Leaving her at the entrance, he disappeared inside.

Within minutes, faint light dispelled most of the gloom. When Wolf called out to her, she stepped inside and gasped. Along one wall, several squat candles flickered, sending shadows dancing on the walls and ceiling. The faint light revealed a thick pile of blankets spread across the floor near the side of the cave. A tantalizing aroma wafted toward her, and she sniffed the air.

Stepping forward, she peered into the shadows. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at dozens of wild pink blooms scattered across the floor, ridding the air of all mustiness.

She stooped, picked up one of the wild roses and held it to her nose. Her gaze flitted around the cozy confines of the cave, then back to him. She was touched, incredibly overcome by his thoughtfulness. First sweet words, and now an action so romantic she had to sniff back the tears. Flickering candles sparkled in his eyes, revealing the love he felt but hadn’t put into words. She realized that behind the hard outer shell lay a deeply sensitive man. Somehow he’d known of the soft, romantic part of her heart that she’d never revealed to another soul.

“This is incredible. I don’t know what to say.”

Wolf stood in the middle of the bedding. Shadows danced across his features. “Don’t say anything.” He held out his hand.

Wolf waited. Love welled inside him as he watched the emotions play across her features. The last of her hesitation fled and she joined him in the middle of the bedding.

“It’s beautiful, Wolf, the candles, the roses. So romantic. I can’t believe you did this for me,” she whispered.

He saw the moisture in her eyes and lifted her hands to his lips. Taking the rose from her grasp, he caressed her cheek with it. “The candles are so I can see you when we make love and the roses remind me of your beauty.”

Jessie laughed nervously. “I’m more tumbleweed than rose.”

“That, sweet Jess, is where you’re wrong.” He pulled a petal from the blooming bud. “The rose has layers of petals that bloom separately, yet make the rose the beauty it is. And despite the sharp thorns to protect it, it’s fragile.” To demonstrate, he crushed the petal between his thumb and forefinger.

He dropped the rose and cupped her face between his hands. “You’re my rose, Jess.” His smile turned wry. “Sometimes a thorn in my side, but always my beautiful, wild rose. So many layers, so fragile inside, that I fear I will hurt you.” He groaned. “You shouldn’t have come.” He closed his eyes as if in great pain.

Jessie slid her arms around his neck, afraid he’d change his mind. Pressing herself against him, she wove her fingers through his hair, sliding them through the long, silky golden locks. “Oh, Wolf. I had to come. Don’t you know that when you crush a rose petal, its scent fills the air with a sweetness all its own?”

Standing on tiptoe, she offered up her lips with a softly spoken plea. “Kiss me, Wolf. Teach me and love me. I want so much to please you.” Taking matters into her own hands, she pulled his head down and ran her tongue over his parted lips. “I want you. All of you.”

Wolf couldn’t refuse her. He claimed her mouth, plundering the lush fullness with demanding mastery. When her lips parted on a hungry sigh, he thrust his tongue inside, taking her with a savage intensity that only grew.

Her heavenly taste, the luring texture of her—he couldn’t get enough. The kiss went on, lasting for an eternity, yet it was not enough, never enough. His blood pumped, heated as though buffeted by the hot winds of the prairies. His lungs burned, and with a gasping need for air, he tore his mouth from hers.

Together they drew in ragged breaths. Her desire-glazed eyes pleaded, begged for more. She ran her tongue over her lips, luring him. His head dipped; his tongue flicked out to stroke her lower lip. But rather than deepening the kiss, he slowed the pace, wanting to take his time, needing to savor and cherish every moment of their loving. Jessie followed his lead. She caressed the back of his neck and sucked his lower lip. Taking turns, they teased, explored and learned the taste of each other.

Wolf loved the feel of her, the scent of her, her soft moans and gasps that filled his ears. But it wasn’t enough. Against her lips, he whispered, “I want to see you, sweet Jess, all of you.” He unbuttoned her shirt, the backs of his fingers skimming the soft flesh hidden from his eyes. Shards of pain stabbed his lower region.

Control became a battle: mind over body. Wolf ignored his urges to drive himself into her. With infinite slowness, he drew the moment out, touching her with teasing strokes until she moaned and lifted her hands to help him. He clutched the edges of her shirt in each hand and stopped her with a deep kiss. “Let me undress you, slowly, layer by layer, petal by petal, until the
very heart of you is exposed.” His lips sought the soft, silky skin beneath her jaw. Her head tipped to one side.

Jessie sighed, her eyes fluttering closed. He pressed his lips to each eyelid. “Open your eyes, Jess.” When she stared up at him, he slowly pushed her shirt off her shoulders, letting her see his hungry gaze slide down and feast on the gentle slope of her breasts. The cool night air brushed her pale skin, beading her dusky peaks. An answering pull echoed deep in his groin. His fingers feathered over her small globes of milk-white flesh. Soft as the night breeze, he caressed her, molded her small, pert breasts to fit into his palms.

She smoothed her hands up and down his chest, grazing his nipples with her fingertips. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.” She arched into him.

Her words deepened his desire, set his body on fire with need. His fingers wandered downward, teasing her flesh as he slid her pants down her hips.

Fingers dug into his shoulders as he knelt before her and removed her boots and pants, leaving her revealed to him. Her legs shook; his fingers quivered. With tantalizing slowness that threatened to shatter his control, he glided his palms back up the length of her silky thighs, roamed over her hips and circled around to cup one pale cheek in each hand. “Perfect,” he whispered, leaning forward to plant a searing kiss to the smooth alabaster skin of her abdomen.

Jessie whimpered when his tongue laved the inside of her navel. The sensations he aroused in her made her forget her embarrassment over her nakedness. His fingers smoothed back up her spine. She arched her back, her fingers clutching the sides of his head. Her knees buckled, refusing to support her. She slid down before him. With each loving stroke of his fingertips dancing over her fiery skin, her insides trembled and melted into pools of longing. She wanted him, wanted to see and touch him.

Her hands searched for the fastening at his waist, but he stopped her. She moaned in frustration. “Please, Wolf.”

“Not yet, sweet Jess.” He groaned. “We have all night.” He swallowed her protests, his kiss mind-numbing and bone-melting. He rolled onto his back, drawing her on top of him. His hands skimmed up and down her back, then lower to knead her buttocks and pull her tightly against him. He rocked against her, the buckskin straining over his arousal—rough, yet soft.

She responded, circling her hips to meet his thrusts. Heat throbbed between her legs. Her cries turned to soft whimpers. Finally, on an anguished moan, he rolled over and stood, his heated gaze holding hers as he shoved his buckskin breeches down past his lean hips and stepped out of them. Rising to sit on her heels, Jessie held her breath. Starting at his ankles, she lifted her gaze, noting the strong muscles, the fine dusting of golden hair that gleamed in the soft light. She drew a deep, shaky breath as she gazed at him. His hands rested on narrow hips, and his spread feet left her with a wonderful view of his thick thighs.

When she dared, her gaze rose still further. She gasped, her eyes widening with undisguised delight mixed with little tremors of fear as she stared at his breechclout and his swelling desire, which pulsed against the leather flap. When his hand went to the leather thong at his waist, she shook her head, her voice low, hoarse with need. “Wait. Turn around.”

Wolf grinned but did as she bade—ever so slowly. Jessie thought she’d faint. Oh, God, he was sinful in that thing. The narrow strip of cloth didn’t quite cover his rock-hard buttocks. She licked her lips. Her fantasies were nothing compared to the real thing. On her knees, she leaned forward, her fingers reaching out to trail up his thigh and disappear beneath the hide. Her hands encountered firm, heated flesh.

He turned, growled and yanked off the hide breechclout, then fell to his knees and took her back into his arms to kiss and caress her. Where he touched her, she touched him. His tongue left her mouth; hers entered his. Flesh to man to woman, they twined together, rolled across the bedding, seeking satisfaction but finding only a greater craving.

Jessie’s cries mingled with his harsh moans. He eased her back onto the silky-soft fur beneath her and covered her with his rock-hard length. She clutched his shoulders, loving the feel of his hard, bulging muscles beneath her fingers.

“
Skuya.
Sweet.” His lips nipped and teeth scraped the tender skin of her neck. She shivered, craving the warmth of his mouth against her skin.

Without releasing her lips from his, he pressed himself to her, his chest hard against hers, crushing the swollen mounds of her breasts, abrading the sensitive tips with his silky curls. She shifted slightly, lifting to greet his pelvis as he settled into the cradle of her hips. He pulsed against her, turning her blood to liquid need.

Shadows danced along the cave walls, and the scent of melting wax mingled with rose-perfumed air and heavy desire. Wolf lifted himself up on one hand and used the other to cup one side of her face. “So beautiful,” he whispered, trailing his hand down her neck.

Jessie arched her back when he fondled one candlelight-bathed breast, running the pads of his fingers over her straining nipple. But when he lowered his head, his lips closing over the aroused flesh, she gasped and gave herself over to his loving. The blood pounded in her head as his tongue laved, flicked and suckled the hard bud. She moaned, waves of pleasure radiating outward and downward. Her hips moved restlessly beneath his. The feel of his engorged length pulsing against her throbbing flesh ignited a deep, piercing ache that spread upward, then settled deep in her belly. With each heartbeat, each pulse, the ache grew, tugged at her, sent her hips undulating frantically beneath his.

Wolf reared up, his features contorted in pain. “God, Jess. I want to take it slow, go easy.”

Jessie thrashed beneath him. “Wolf, please—I ache—I need…”

Wolf slid partly off her and skimmed his hand over her flat belly. “Easy, sweet Jess. Let me show you what you need.”

Jessie sucked in her breath when his fingers combed through her nether curls, finding and fondling her intimately. A wave of uncertainty came over her and she stiffened. Closing her eyes, she held her breath, unsure of the intrusion of his fingers as they slipped further between her damp folds to caress her aching womanhood.

His lips tickled her ear, nipping at the lobe. “Relax, Jessica. Relax and let your body feel.” Quickly Wolf’s fingers worked their magic. Her fear and uncertainty fled, replaced by a new tension. “Oh, Wolf,” she cried, reaching out to hold on to him, feeling all control slipping away. Her hips jerked frantically under the firm pressure of his fingers as he continued to rotate them in ever-quickening circles.

“That’s it, sweetheart. Just let yourself go. Let me bring you to fulfillment.” Wolf slanted his lips over hers, swallowing her soft cries.

Jessie gasped and moaned against his mouth, unsure what he meant, but it didn’t seem to matter. Her body knew. A tremor started deep within her and rushed to the surface with the force of a summer storm. Onward and upward she spiraled. Suddenly she stiffened and shuddered. Her cry of wonder filled the small cave, and she gave herself up to an indescribable joy as she soared toward the heavens in a brilliant explosion of light.

Wolf’s murmured reassurances brought her back slowly.

Moments later she lay there, savoring the feeling of incredible satisfaction he’d left her with. “Oh, Wolf, I’ve never… I didn’t know… It was wonderful,” she said softly, finally finding the courage to look at him.

Wolf shook his head slowly from side to side and smiled tenderly even as his body urged him to find his release. He fought the urge. Tonight was for Jessie. He wanted to go slowly, to make it last. “The best is yet to come, my beautiful rose.”

He kissed her deeply, his fingers gentle on her overly sensitive flesh as he brought her back to the brink of release.

When he sensed she was close, he moved over her and nudged her legs apart. Her knees fluttered open, inviting him to sample her pleasure. He poised himself at her entrance, his face a mixture of pain and pleasure.

“I can’t wait any longer, Jess. I need you, but I don’t want to hurt you.” He moaned.

Jessie cried out, her hips seeking him. She reached up and pulled his mouth to hers. Her legs wrapped around his hips, drawing him to her. “I’m already hurting, Wolf.” She whimpered, lifting herself until her damp heat touched the tip of him.

Wolf groaned, and with one powerful thrust, he breached the thin barrier of her maidenhead and buried himself in her moist sheath. Jessie’s fingers dug into his back, and his lips moved over hers to swallow her cry of pain. He wanted to stop, to hold back the forces that drew them to this point. He wanted to wait until she adjusted to him, to his size, but he couldn’t. He’d waited too long and could no longer control his frantic thrusts. “Jessica,” he cried out. But he needn’t have worried. Jessie met him thrust for thrust until together, as one, they gave themselves over to the wondrous turbulence of ecstasy.

Tossing and turning in the rose-scented cave, Wolf dreamed of his grandmother, becoming once again that frightened, ten-year-old boy summoned to the deathbed of a loved one. Immersed in his dream, he felt the pain, the fear. His grandmother hadn’t been just a loved one. She’d been special. She’d known things, seen things, and when she’d spoken of them, they came true. It was a gift that both fascinated and scared him. Already his twin sister, Star Dreamer, was having visions.

So he stood outside his grandmother’s tipi, listening to her harsh breathing and racking coughs, afraid, yet torn by his need to see her.

“Come here, grandson,” she whispered.

Wolf slipped into the tipi she’d shared with Hawk Eyes, his grandfather, who’d died two winters before. “You wanted to see me,
Uncheedah,
” he’d asked, trying hard to keep the wobble from his voice. He took her hand, trying so hard to be brave, but when he felt the coldness of her grip, heard the rattle in her chest with each breath, he wept. She couldn’t die. He needed her. His grandmother understood him. She knew he was different from his siblings and the other braves.

“No tears, child. My time is near. You must listen now.”

He bit his lip to still the trembling. “No, Grandmother. You must get well. I’ll get the
Wicasa.
I’ll fetch Father.” He tried to pull away, but her fingers tightened on his wrist with unexpected strength.

“No! Golden Eagle has done all he can. I’ve spoken to your parents and to Star. Now I must speak with you before I leave this world.” Seeing Eyes went into a coughing fit that shook her thin frame.

Fearing her time had come, Wolf glanced over his shoulder and saw his mother standing in the doorway. Her nearly white hair hung loose around a face wet with tears. Only later would
he wonder if her tears had been for her mother-in-law or the news of his grandmother’s last vision, which would change his life forever.