by Aliyah Burke
Relax? Is he serious? I can hardly concentrate on breathing. Jasira did as he said and his chest cradled her back, helping her to find the easy motion Snips had.
“Loosen up on the reins,” he said softly, his other hand brushed the back of her thigh and she shivered. “Good,” he purred. “Ask for a trot.” She did and with Stone behind her, she fell quickly into the movement. “See, it’s not hard, you just need to relax and move with the animal. Feel his movements as an extension of yours.”
Jasira’s eyes fluttered. The urge to close them and give herself over to the seductive magic of his timbre was powerful.
“Close your eyes, waštelakapi,” Stone commanded on a silken thread. “Learn the motion.”
She did, one hand under Stone’s on her thigh and the other on the reins. The wind blew by, and she didn’t feel cold thanks to the man behind her. Jasira had no fear, she trusted the man holding her to keep her safe.
“Open your eyes, Jasira,” he whispered in her ear. “This is how you gallop.”
Gallop? Her eyes drifted open and she saw he was right. They moved along at an easy gallop. In her peripheral vision, Jasira saw Tate keeping up. Stone removed his hand from her thigh and placed it, along with the other one, on her waist.
“I think you’ve got it.”
He pressed a quick kiss on her cheek. Then the heat was gone. Jasira missed it. Before she could dwell on that, he appeared at her side, mounted once again on his stallion.
How’d he do that? “How did you do that?”
“Trade secret.” Stone winked and tugged the brim of his hat lower and nudged his horse even faster. Jasira smiled and followed.
Stone stopped them by a stream. Jasira rubbed her legs down, trying to work out the stiffness. Gracious I hurt. I’m going to be so sore tomorrow. Moving toward a rock, she sat down and watched Stone as he walked the horses to cool them down and give them a drink.
Tall, dark, and handsome finally had a face for her. And a name. Stone Black Hawk.
Jasira licked her lips when he removed his hat, setting it over the horn of Tate’s saddle. She stared without qualm as he moved the horses to a patch of grass and dropped the reins to the ground. Reaching into a saddlebag he pulled out a small clear bag before striding toward her.
Coming or going, I could watch him walk all day long. All day! Coiled promise, strength, and more rolled off him. Walking ad for sex. Stopping before her, he reached out with one hand and smoothed it down her face. Jasira shuddered with want.
“How are you feeling?”
Horny. “A bit sore. But it’s all worth it. Thank you so much for inviting me.”
“The pleasure is all mine.” Stone sank to the rock beside her and handed her an apple from the bag in his hand. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
Sitting side by side, they ate their apples in silence and once finished gave the cores to the horses. Stone stared down at her as he replaced his hat on his head.
“Ready to go back?” he asked.
No. “I think so.” As she said that, Jasira looked up at Snips and groaned. He seems even taller.
“Need some help up?” Stone’s question vibrated with sexual tones.
Lord help me, I want to say yes just to feel his arms around me one more time. Swallowing, Jasira shook her head. “No. I’m just wondering how he managed to grow since I got down.”
Stone’s laughter was husky and made her smile. He appeared at her side. “You know, there is a cure for this problem.”
Jasira glanced up at him and grinned. “Waiting here for you to bring a vehicle?”
His hands slipped around her waist and tugged her against his torso. She could feel his hardness pressing against her and knew it wasn’t a one-sided attraction. Not that the kiss hadn’t already alerted me to that fact.
“No. A massage.” Before she could blink, he’d lifted her up into the saddle. “Or, could be you need to ride more.”
Forming words were impossible as the mental image of Stone giving her a full body massage danced through her mind. When she got control of herself, Jasira saw him lounging on his horse, watching her.
“Come ride with me.”
Her name sounded like a sexual act rolling off his tongue, and she barely stopped a whimper. Behind that innocent statement loomed a thread of promise. For a lifetime.
“Lead on.”
The ride back was mostly silent, but she didn’t mind. She rode lost in her thoughts, most of which lingered on the explosive kiss they’d shared. Sorrow filled her as his ranch came into sight. This day has been amazing. I don’t want it to end. They rode toward the barn at a slow trot.
Sore yet exhilarated, Jasira followed his actions and removed the tack from Snips, rubbed him down, and gave him a scoop of grain before releasing him out in a paddock.
“Come inside,” Stone said.
“Sure.” Together, each holding a rifle, they entered his house.
* * * *
Stone stood in the kitchen and watched Jasira as she walked around his living room. He’d convinced her to stay for dinner, so it cooked and she explored while he stared. He could see her try to hide the stiffness riding had given her. Never once had she complained.
His thoughts returned to the cave she’d led him to. I still don’t know how I’ve not seen that there before. From her expression when they left he could plainly see she wanted to talk more about it and he appreciated the fact she didn’t push, just let it go. He needed answers. He wanted her to meet Red Eagle.
That ain’t all I want with her.
For a moment, Stone recalled the fear which filled his body when Jasira had lain unresponsive in his arms. Then another type of shiver overtook him when the memory of her passionate response to his kiss took its place. With a deep breath, he yanked his gaze from the enticing roundness of her butt in the jeans she wore.
“Stone?”
“Yes?” he asked, stirring the sauce in a slow boil on the stovetop.
“What’s this?”
“One second.” He put the spoon down, wiped his hands off on the towel draped over his shoulder, and strode toward her. Stopping behind her, he queried, “What’s what?”
“This.” Jasira lifted her finger and pointed.
Fighting the urge to draw her into his arms, Stone swallowed hard. “That’s a Medicine Wheel.” He watched her stare at it. There was recognition in her expression as well as confusion.
“Okay,” she mumbled. Then her entire expression changed and her large eyes met his. “Put me to work. What can I do?”
A million answers ran though his mind, and he kept his mouth clamped shut until he was confident with the one slipping out. “Can you handle making salad?”
Jasira nodded. “Lead the way.”
Soon they worked together in the open kitchen. Stone found himself even more enchanted by the woman in his home. Swiping a pepper chunk from where she stood chopping them, he popped it in his mouth and ducked away when she brandished the knife at him.
“Hey now,” she growled playfully. “I’ll never finish if you keep stealing.”
“Sorry,” he said, not really caring at all. “Now, keep talking. I believe you were telling me how many languages you speak.” Stone checked the spaghetti noodles then put his gaze back on Jasira.
“I speak four. One being English, then I am also fluent in Farsi, Mandarin, and Arabic. I know some phrases in others, but don’t think that counts.”
Stone was impressed. “Wow. You are full of surprises, Jasira. Were those the languages that intrigued you immediately?”
She laughed, an act that lit up her entire face. “No.” Jasira added the pepper to the salad and reached for the tomatoes. “I wanted to study romance languages. But in Boot, I discovered these weren’t as common. Farsi and Arabic are more so now, but there still seemed to me as if there was more of a call…need…for them. I’m working on picking up Korean.” She chuckled again. “Man, I love the Rosetta Stone.”
Stone rested his hip against the countertop. Rosetta Stone? Full of surprises, Jasira, you’re full of surprises. He turned off the heat under the sauce. “And your brother also serves?”
“He’s a lieutenant in the Coast Guard.”
“This is Justice?” Stone wanted to know everything about the woman in his house with him.
“Justice, yes. My only brother.” A wistful smile crossed her face. “I miss him.”
“Sounds like you have a close family.”
“Yes. I feel bad I haven’t gone home to see Mom or Grandpa since the first year I was here.”
He caught his frown before it filled his face. “Are your parents divorced?”
She lifted her gaze to his. “No. Daddy was KIA during Vietnam.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.” She dumped the tomatoes in and wiped off the board before picking up the cucumbers.
“So, why did you join the Navy?” Stone poured them both some wine.
“Oh, no wine for me. I’m sorry I should have said something sooner. I don’t drink when I have to drive.”
Stay the night. Stay forever. “Don’t apologize for being responsible. Let me see; I have water, tea, milk, or Dr. Pepper.”
“A DP would be great, please.”
“Coming right up.” He removed the glasses and filled two more glasses with ice and her drink of choice. Then he placed one before her. “Your drink, my dear.”
“Thank you.”
Stone watched her drink and became envious of the glass which could feel her lips upon it. He grew hard when her tongue snuck out and swiped up the lone remaining drop from her plump enticing lower lip. After clearing his throat, he took a drink himself.
“You joined why?” he questioned, setting his glass down.
“I love the ocean and I grew up hearing my grandfather tell about serving in the Navy during WWII. My family has always served their country.”
He knew there was more story then and he wanted to know. “Tell me.”
“My great-great grandfather, Sergeant Isaiah Graham, was a Buffalo Soldier who married Gentle Wind, a Comanche woman. His son, the one who survived, served at Pea Island LSS. Great grandpa Calvin got married and had Grandpa Jamal. Grandpa Jamal served in World War Two in the Navy. He married Grandma Martha Rose. She actually served during WWII also. She was a WAC and part of the only battalion who saw overseas duty before VE-day. Martha Rose was stationed over in Europe.”
“What’s Pea Island LSS?”
“Oh, sorry, it is, or rather was, the Pea Island Life-saving Station. The only fully-black manned life-saving station crew during that time.”
Stone remained intent upon her face. There was such pride and honor in her tone and expression. Her family had remarkable people in it.
“Amazing. Keep going.”
“They had Daddy and Grandma died delivering a second child; a little girl. She died too. Daddy married Momma and was in the Army. Like I said before, he never came home from Vietnam. Mom and Grandpa live in Quiet Harbor, North Carolina. So does Justice. He’s home ported there.”
“And you’re out here away from both family and your beloved ocean.”
Jasira smiled. “It’s not so bad.” She added the cucumbers and looked at him. “There are some things South Dakota has which North Carolina doesn’t.”
He moved to stand before her. Brushing some hair behind her ear, Stone cupped her jaw with his other hand. His thumb swiped over her full lips. Her eyes burned with desire as she looked at him.
“I was just thinking something similar to that,” he murmured.
Licking his lips, Stone stepped even closer and moved his hand around to the back of her head. Their eyes locked and held as he brought their mouths together. A low groan rose up within him at the feel of her soft lips once again beneath his. Using his tongue, he swiped along the seam and slipped in when she opened for him. Jasira tasted of Dr. Pepper and passion. She whimpered as he explored her mouth, slowly, leisurely, as if he weren’t being chased by a demon demanding he ravish her. His other hand slid to settle upon the flare of her hip.
Jasira rested her hands on his chest and leaned into him, stroking along his tongue with her own. His pants felt two sizes to small the way his hard shaft pressed against them. He repositioned his hand so his fingers grazed the globe of her ass. She shifted slightly and released the most delicate and arousing purr he’d ever heard in his entire life.
Stone reluctantly ended the kiss and held her heavy-lidded gaze. “We need to eat dinner,” he murmured without moving.
Her hands stroked idly on his chest and she sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”
He grinned and winked. “Well, we don’t have to eat.”
“Oh no, I want to experience your cooking…for starters.”
His erection hardened even more. “Let’s get that out of the way then,” he said with a low rasp.
“Yes, let’s.” Jasira smoothed her hands down his torso one more time and said, “Besides, I think it’s time you tell me more about you.”
Unable to resist, Stone kissed her once more, quickly, before going back to the stove. “What do you want to know about me?”
“Everything.” He looked over his shoulder at her, and she grinned. “Fine, how about anything you’d like to tell me.”
He chuckled. “Okay, ask your questions.”
Chapter Four
Jasira tore off a piece of her garlic bread and swiped up the last bit of the sauce on her plate. She was having a wonderful time. He was amazing to be around. He’d talked about his parents, his two siblings—a brother and a sister—and now was talking about the tribe.
She swallowed her bite and said, “So it’s more than just Lakota, Dakota, and Teton Sioux?”
“Actually it’d be Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota.” Stone leaned forward, his plate pushed to the side and he stared at her. “There are branches and divisions throughout the Sioux nation. Gives us different customs and all of that.”
She chewed her lower lip for a moment. “Okay. So then although you’re Lakota, you’re also…”
“I’m a Miniconjou Lakota Sioux.”
The word rolled off his tongue like Min-nee-con-z-hoo. Jasira said it in her head a few times.
“Does it mean something special?”
He smiled, showing her the dimple in his right cheek. She shifted on the seat as heat pooled in her belly. He is almost too good looking for his own good. Or mine.
“Yes. Miniconjou means ‘Plants by the water’.” Stone got to his feet and began to clear the table.
Helping him, Jasira said, “That’s beautiful.”
“I don’t usually meet a lot of people interested in this. Why are you?”
She didn’t take offense by his question for she didn’t sense anything but honest curiosity. “I guess I’m just naturally inquisitive. And combined with my experience on the road and on the ride…I don’t know.”
“Do you know much about your Comanche great-great grandmother?”
Jasira shut the dishwasher and returned to the table, taking her seat opposite him again. “Unfortunately, no. Not anything other than they met after he lost his arm at Wounded Knee and retired from the Army.”
An indescribable emotion crossed his face before he managed to get it under control. She waited for him to say something, but he didn’t. Stone got to his feet and went to the kitchen. He returned with coffee and a lemon pudding cake. Jasira watched him, unsure if she’d done something to offend him. He smiled at her as he poured her a cup of java and cut her a slice of cake.
“Oh my, that looks all too good and fattening.”
“Eat,” he ordered, taking his seat.
Picking up her fork, Jasira indulged in a bite. She moaned in pleasure as the cake flooded her taste buds with rich flavor. “Ohhh, this…this is good.”
His eyes heated and burned her. “You have no idea,” he said in a graveled tone. Stone took a drink of his coffee, then cut a piece off his own slice
and ate it. “Have you gone to the Wounded Knee grave?”
She shook her head, embarrassed. “No.”
“Would you like to go with me?”
Jasira lifted her head and met his gaze. “Yes. I’d like that a lot.”
He winked and her mind drifted down a totally different road. I wonder if this cake tastes better off his lips. I bet it would. But then, I bet anything and everything does. She shifted again and tried to control her thoughts.
The rest of dessert was relaxed and lighthearted. They cleaned up the remainder of the meal together, and Jasira walked to the door while Stone started the dishwasher. Then he was at her side escorting her through the dark to her vehicle. The cold night made her shiver. He took her keys from her and started her Pathfinder. She sighed when he draped her hooded jacket around her shoulders. Instead of releasing her, Stone drew her in close to his chest. Jasira allowed her body to sink into his strong, warm, hard physique. His arms wrapped around her and he lowered his head near hers.
“You going to be okay driving back?”
“I’ll be fine,” she responded softly, in absolutely no rush to leave his embrace.
“Thank you for spending the day with me.”
“I had a wonderful time, Stone.”
“We’ll do it again soon. And we’ll figure out when to go out to Wounded Knee.”
“I can’t wait,” she murmured.
He kissed her, and his tongue swept through like a fire, branding her. Her toes curled in her shoes and her fingers dug into the material of his shirt along his lean waist.
“Go now, Jasira,” he rasped, dragging his mouth off hers. “Before I forget how to be a gentleman.”
Don’t be one. Oh please, don’t be one! Take me to your bed and… Jasira slammed the door on those thoughts. Licking her lips, she fought down the moan as the lingering taste of him seeped into her again
“Goodnight, Stone. Thanks for everything.”
He released her and held the door for her. Once she was buckled in, Stone kissed her lightly one more time, leaving her wanting so much more.
“Night, Jasira. Drive safely.” He shut the door.
With a wave, she hit the lights and backed up before driving away. Stone was on her mind the complete trek back to her apartment. Her body—hypersensitive and aroused—never totally relaxed until after she had a hot shower and slid into bed. Stone’s eyes were with her as she traversed the skies on her way to the land of dreams.