by Aliyah Burke
Over the next week, she didn’t see Stone, but she spoke to him numerous times. What little free time she had, Jasira researched Wounded Knee and called home to talk to her grandfather to see what he remembered his grandfather saying about it. That Sunday all the information she’d acquired ran through her head when she drove to the airport.
* * * *
Stone missed her. Talking on the phone was nice, but he longed to see her. Hold her. Allow the scent of fresh raindrops and crisp wind across the plains to flow around him and make him feel like everything is right in the world. Pushing to his feet he grabbed his hat and jacket.
“Rayne, I’m leaving for the rest of the day. Call Jack if you need anything.”
“Where you going?” she asked.
“Rapid City.”
Her head peeked around the corner and there was a huge grin on her round face. “Off to join the Navy?”
He arched a brow at her despite knowing everyone had been apprised of his interaction with Jasira at the gas station. “That young lady is none of your business.”
She laughed. “I’m old enough to be your mother. Hang on.” Her head disappeared for a second before she reappeared and threw something at him.
Stone caught it and smiled. It was a T-shirt. Glancing back at Rayne he smiled her thanks.
“Don’t need to be visiting her looking like a cop.”
He dropped his coat on a chair and snorted. “Nothing wrong with looking like a cop so long as I am one.” Stone quickly removed his button-down law enforcement shirt then pulled on the gray one she’d tossed him. “Bye, Rayne.”
“First child is to be named after me!” she hollered.
He laughed and headed to his Jeep. Kids. Kids with Jasira. That didn’t seem so bad to him. Even marriage didn’t when it was tied to her. As he drove to Rapid City, he made another mental note to talk to Red Eagle about what she’d experienced. As well as Wounded Knee. He didn’t recall them saying anything about black men there on that horrific day. Then again, there was that one…
When he pulled into the lot of the strip mall where the recruitment building sat, he smiled at the thought of seeing Jasira again. The grin firmly in place, he stepped from his vehicle and strode across the parking lot. The smile didn’t last long. It fell away when he watched her walk out of the front door with another man, obviously not there to recruit.
A rumble of jealousy filled him, near to overflowing especially when she flashed the guy a huge smile before they began laughing. Back the hell off, man, Jasira is mine. Reining his emotions back under control, Stone took a deep breath and headed towards them. He watched Jasira point down the strip and the guy nodded before walking away, then she went back inside.
Stone continued straight on to the door and walked in. He waited for her to come out from the back. He groaned and stared at her. It should be outlawed for her to look like that. Her uniform showed off her Coke-bottle figure to perfection.
Her eyes softened from the professional look they had. “Stone, what a surprise. What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”
He walked toward her loving how her nose flared and heat flamed in her gaze. “I came to see if you wanted to grab dinner.” The door opened, and he glanced behind himself briefly to see the guy from before entering. A snarl threatened to escape. The man was handsome and had a bag of what Stone presumed to be food in his hand. “But it looks like you’re busy.”
Jasira’s brow furrowed briefly before she shook her head. She stepped closer and laid her hand on his arm. “You have no reason to be jealous. Although I think it’s sweet.”
“Here we go, Jasira,” the man said.
When he reached them, Jasira dropped her hand from his arm, an act Stone wasn’t too crazy about. The man handed the food to her and inserted himself in between them. Stone was taller, but he couldn’t miss the protective gleam in the dark eyes. The man looked familiar to him.
“Who are you?” The question was delivered with a cold bite.
“Oh for Pete’s sake,” Jasira said. “Don’t even think about starting anything here. Stone, meet Justice Graham, my brother. Justice, Stone Black Hawk.”
He relaxed immediately and noticed Justice didn’t.
“Bit old for a recruit,” Justice said, crossing his arms.
“I’m not a recruit. I’m here for your sister.”
“I gathered that.”
The door opened again and Jasira gave them both a look promising retribution if they were unprofessional. Together he and Justice headed outside. Silence stretched for a moment.
“You n’ my sister, huh?”
“Yep.” A fact which almost made him smile. Stone looked at Justice again and saw the resemblance. With a sigh he held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Justice stared for a moment before he took his hand with a grin. “Nice to meet you as well. How’d you meet my sister?”
“She came out to the reservation to speak to a young man about joining.”
With a nod, Justice looked inside. “She’s always given everything her all. Even though she didn’t want to come here.”
“She misses her family,” Stone said.
“And we miss her, but it’s more than that. The sea flows in her veins.”
Stone wasn’t sure what to make of that statement. He didn’t want to think of her leaving even though he knew it was nearing time for her to do so. So he decided to ignore it “She said you were a lieutenant in the Coast Guard.”
Justice shoved his hands in his pants pockets. “I am. Guess she’s not the only one who has the ocean in their heart.”
They chatted until the other two men left, then walked back in. Jasira glanced between the two of them and smiled.
“Glad there’s no bloodshed.” She looked at him. “Wanna join us for dinner, Stone?”
“I’d love to,” he said immediately.
“Wonderful.” She moved to her desk and wrote something down. Handing it to him, she smiled. “Seven o’clock.”
Stone read the paper and nodded. It’s her home address. “I’ll be there. See you then, waštelakapi. Justice, it was nice to meet you.”
Raking his gaze over her one more time, Stone winked and smirked at the flush her cheeks took on. Then he left. He had a few hours before dinner.
* * * *
Jasira’s breath caught when she opened the door to her apartment and found herself staring at Stone’s incredible physique. He wore the same thing—the body-hugging gray tee and thigh-molding jeans. His hat was in his hand and the black leather jacket hid his powerful arms from view.
“Evening,” he whispered, staring at her. “You look beautiful.”
She glanced down at her clothing. Pale peach warm-up pants and a white T-shirt. Her face heated.
“Thank you. Come on in.”
He did and handed her a bouquet of flowers. She inhaled sharply and took the offered floral arrangement.
“These are beautiful. Thank you, Stone. I’m going to put these in some water.” She smelled them as she walked to the kitchen. White calla lilies and dark purple roses. Laying them on the counter she opened a cupboard and bit back a whimper when Stone’s hard body pressed against her back.
“Let me get that,” he murmured in her ear.
Jasira bit her lip and strove to control her emotions as the scent she identified as belonging to Stone surrounded and tantalized her. “Thank you,” she whispered, taking the vase from him and putting it in the sink.
“Where’s Justice?”
“He’s in the shower. He’ll be out soon.”
Stone turned her so they faced one another. His dark brown eyes smoldered, and he lowered his mouth. “In that case,” he uttered and covered her lips with his.
Jasira sighed at the kiss. Resting her hands against his rigid abs, she purred and welcomed his seeking tongue. Electrical pulses shot through her and she groaned in disappointment when he ended the kiss. He stroked her bottom lip with his thumb.
“Tha
nks for inviting me to dinner,” he said softly before stepping back and putting some space between them.
With a big gulp, Jasira turned back to the vase which now had begun to overflow. Crap. She shut off the water and dumped some out. “You’re welcome.”
Her brother joined them while she was just finishing with the flowers. Jasira stayed in the kitchen while Stone and her brother talked in the living room. This is nice. I like having Stone here. He sat in a chair where he could see her and every now and again his gaze would move to her. An act which made her feel warm and tingly all over.
“Come on, y’all,” she said carrying the crescent rolls to the table.
Stone was there to hold her chair and he whispered, “Looks wonderful.” Then he sat beside her.
Dinner conversation was mostly talk between Justice and Stone. She didn’t mind. Justice took his role as protector very seriously. So she listened to them talk. Stone would look at her and wink or smile so she never felt left out.
After dinner and dessert, Jasira stood by the door with Stone. Justice had said goodbye and made himself scarce. She and Stone leaned against the door facing one another. He trailed his knuckles along her cheekbone.
“Goodnight, Jasira,” he murmured. “Thank you for a lovely evening.”
She could hardly think straight with him standing so close. “You’re welcome. Good night. Drive carefully.”
Her eyes drifted closed as he cupped her cheeks with his hands. The feel of his touch on her face made her body crave so much more. His kiss was gentle. Powerful, claiming, but gentle. When it ended she opened her eyes and found him staring down at her. His dark brown gaze swirled with barely restrained passion.
“I’ll be seeing you soon.” Another light kiss and he slipped out the door.
Her pulse remained thready long after the door had closed on his departure. Resting her head on the wood, she took deep, shuddering breaths.
“So it’s like that?” Justice’s voice snagged her attention.
Jasira turned to face her brother and slid down the door to sit on the floor. “What’d you think of him?”
He walked toward her and joined her, draping one arm around her shoulders. “I like him, runt. I really do.”
She used his shoulder as a support for her head and sighed. “Me too.”
* * * *
Two days later on Friday her phone rang as she headed back to her apartment after dropping her brother off at the airport. Touching her Bluetooth, she turned down her music while she said, “Petty Officer Graham.”
“Good afternoon, waštelakapi.” Stone’s deep voice stroked her through the phone.
“Stone,” she said with a smile. “How are you?”
“Good. Although I could be better.”
“Really? And what can I do to help you feel better?”
“Spend the day with me.”
She downshifted as she entered her apartment complex. “Day’s almost over.”
“I meant tomorrow. But, if you want to spend the night with me, waštelakapi, I’ve got no objections.”
An insistent throb set up between her legs at the very vivid mental image his statement created. Sweaty, naked bodies intertwined. His callused hands stroking along her skin. Jasira whimpered and shifted against the seat. Once parked she climbed out and realized even the crisp fall air couldn’t quell the flames Stone evoked within her.
“Jasira?”
“Sorry,” she babbled. “I was…um…”
He chuckled. A rich, darkly sensual sound that only inflamed her craving for this man. “Yeah, the idea made me speechless too. Can you come tomorrow?”
You have no idea. She unlocked and entered her apartment. “I don’t think I have any plans which would prevent it. What did you have in mind?”
“I have a lot of things in mind when it comes to you. But I wanted to take you to meet Red Eagle.”
“And who’s he? I’m assuming he’s a he.”
“Definitely a he. He’s one of our elders. A keeper of knowledge.”
She didn’t fully understand but she said, “Okay.”
“Like a historian of our tribe.”
“Ahhh, I understand.” She pulled off her boots. “So where do you want me and at what time?” Jasira smacked herself in the forehead the second she finished the question, realizing what she said.
“Are you trying to kill me?” he asked in a graveled tone. “’Cause if you’re serious, my house and as soon as you can.”
She bit her lower lip. “Tempting, but not what I meant.”
“How tempting is tempting?”
Jasira could hear the need in his voice. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
A low growl crossed the line. “I’ll hold you to that, waštelakapi.”
It took a lot to keep her whimper contained. Padding to the kitchen, Jasira opened the fridge and grabbed a Cobb salad. “What time did you want to go see Red Eagle?”
“Well, if you get here early, I’ll make you breakfast.”
“Are you bribing me?” she asked, reaching for a fork.
“You have to say yes first. Right now I’m merely offering you a bribe.”
Leaning against her counter, Jasira laughed. “And what’s the penalty for bribery?”
“Whatever you want,” he said immediately in a raspy voice.
“See now, that sounds like another bribe.”
“Did it work?”
“Yes,” she said. “It sure did. Seven too early?”
“Baby, you can never be too early. Eat some dinner, sleep well, and dream of me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Night, Stone.”
“Night, waštelakapi.”
She ended the call and removed her Bluetooth, then jumped around and squealed. It took her a bit to calm down enough to sit and eat her salad. Stone was on her mind when she went to bed and there still when she woke early and hopped in the shower.
Jasira had her coffee and a smile on her face as she got on the road to Stone’s house. Passing the place where she’d first met him, she slowed and turned off her music. With a heavy sigh, Jasira pulled over and stared out across the land. Clouds, gray and heavy with what she would bet to be snow, filled the sky and the winds rocked her Pathfinder.
Turning on her hazards, Jasira got out and immediately shivered from the bite in the air. She shut the door behind her and lifted her chin, facing the wind head on. Like a low bass she could feel the beating of drums pulsing through her, the vibrations powerful as if the sound seeped into her pores. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. It was continuous, systematic, and unending. Almost hypnotic.
Jasira blinked a few times and returned to the warm interior. Her heart pounded hard and after she buckled herself in she ran a shaking hand over her face. With a slight whimper she turned on her music and got back on the road.
I was really hoping that nothing would happen this time when I stopped.
By the time she pulled up and parked beside Stone’s vehicles, her heart was thundering all over again. This time for an entirely different reason. She put on her coat and grabbed her purse then got out and headed for the large wraparound porch he had. His front door opened, and he walked out towards her.
Oh my. Oh my. Oh my! Stone wore slightly loose jeans and a sheepskin coat. The inherent swagger he had made her mouth dry out and that only amplified the nearer he came as it allowed her to be privy to the intense heat in his dark gaze. She burned for him. For more than just spine tingling, toe curling kisses. He stopped in front of her and settled his hands along her hips.
“Good morning.” His mouth lowered to hers.
“Morning,” she muttered when the brief kiss ended.
He stared at her and a slight furrow appeared between his eyes. “Everything okay?”
Jeez, he’s observant. “I’m good.” Jasira smiled at him.
“Breakfast is ready.”
“Good, ‘cause I’m hungry.”
Stone kept one arm around her while they
walked inside, then helped her out of her coat. A low whistle left him. Jasira turned towards him and quivered at the hunger in his eyes.
“Wow,” he said. “You look great.”
“Thank you.”
Jasira ran her hands down her black slacks. She’d not wanted to look like a slob when meeting Red Eagle, but she had jeans and a sweatshirt with her just in case Stone would take her horseback riding.
Breakfast filled her up and Jasira was quite content as she helped him put things away. Wiping down the table, she looked at the man who had come to mean so much to her, even though they hadn’t known each other long. But it just felt right, even from that first meeting, despite the circumstances going on.
Stone lifted his head and winked at her before opening the fridge. “Something on your mind, waštelakapi?”
At the sink she rinsed the dishrag and hung it over the divider. “Nope. Well, not unless you want to tell me what that means.”
His large, hard body pressed into hers and she could feel the length of his erection against her.
“Hmm, not yet. Come on, we should get going.”
She turned and stared at the handsome man all up in her personal space. A fact she didn’t mind at all. No, sir, I do most definitely do not mind. Hooking her arms around his waist she said, “Have I thanked you for the breakfast bribe?”
“If I say no, will you thank me again?”
Jasira laughed. “Perhaps.”
“You are one hell of a temptation.” He nuzzled the side of her neck. “Come on, Red Eagle awaits.”
Kissing him quickly, Jasira slipped by and headed for the door. Stone was there to help her into her coat. Outside she glanced toward the barn and stared at the horses out in the cold morning air. They were such beautiful creatures. With a sigh, she walked to his truck and slid inside.
She could feel his gaze upon her while he drove, but she kept her eyes fixed on the passing landscape. Feeling a bit self-conscious, she brushed her loose hair back behind one ear. Maybe I should have worn it up. Then she set into wringing her hands the more nervous she became.