Stallions

by Jade Carr

Chapter 14

  Hah-Tee waited for Terena to respond. When she didn't, he said what he didn't want to. "There might only be today. Only need."

  He wadded her still partly buttoned blouse under her armpits and pushed her bra up over her breasts. Seeing the results of his rash act, he ordered himself to keep a firm grip on the animal just beneath the surface. Her breasts were lovely, the areolas dark against pale skin.

  Half drowning in a swirl of emotion, he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her onto a retaining wall. Leaning forward, he closed his teeth around a hard nipple and tongued what intruded into his mouth.

  "Oh, shit, shit!" She started to place her arms behind her for support, only to surge forward and lock her hands around his shoulders. She trembled, but her grip was strong.

  He couldn't bring anything into focus. His world became a swirl of quiet hues and a mind that refused to settle on anything. Fighting impatience, he reluctantly released her nub and then laid claim to the other one because touching her quieted the solitude he lived with. He tried to spread her legs. Silently cursing her jeans, he tried to convince himself to back off so he could get rid of the garment, but her taste had reached the back of his throat. Opening his mouth even more, he drew in her sweet, swollen flesh.

  Easy. She's a woman, not an animal. Neither are you. Today.

  "Shit, oh, shit."

  Her nails dug into muscle, pressed against bone. A burning sensation lanced the fog surrounding him.

  "I can't…think," she whispered.

  By putting his full effort into it, he managed to relax his hold. His lips now slack around her breast, he lightly bathed her nipple, chuckling when she twisted and turned. Mares in heat allowed stallions to mount them. Then they went back to eating. In exciting contrast, arousal transformed Terena. She needed not just a cock in her channel and seed reaching her womb but his body, him.

  Eager to give her what had brought them together, he licked her breast's underside, left and right, along the top, much as she'd done to his cock. Not long ago, she'd sat frozen, but now hunger had her in constant movement. The scent of sweat touched his nostrils. Whether it came from her or him, he couldn't say. He wanted her under him, naked and slick with her own sweat, her sex hot and wet.

  The woman who'd taken him for the first time had unsuccessfully tried to get him to slow down. Could he today?

  Unnerved, he lost his hold on Terena's breast.

  "What?" She arched toward him. "Don't stop."

  Fighting his inner storm, he lightly raked his teeth over the breast he'd been ignoring. She mewled. The grinding sensation in his belly spread down, taking his mind with it. No longer touching her breast, he claimed her shoulders and pushed while she let go of him and braced her arms behind her.

  He took hold of her jeans' waistband and dispensed with the fastening and zipper in a single desperate move. When she lifted her buttocks off the wall, he tugged the denim down over her hips. Inch by quick inch, he exposed her thighs and knees while her head thrashed.

  Leaving her jeans clinging to her calves like rope bindings and her panties between her and the wall, he placed his hands behind her and tried to draw her close.

  "Not like that. My shoes first."

  Hoping she wouldn't say anything about his ineptness, he did as she commanded. After taking off her jeans, he laid them out on the wall next to her. She scooted onto the garment and took off her panties. "That's better," she told him as her legs parted.

  It had been night when he'd had sex that first time. As a result, he hadn't seen much of the woman he'd spilled himself into. The sight of Terena's sweet, swollen flesh surrounded by fine hairs had him panting. He pressed his thumb against her crotch. Felt wet heat. Died a little.

  His vision blurred again. Running his thumb about, he stroked soft, hot, wet skin and briefly dipped into the magical place. Discovering a hardened nub, he pressed on it.

  She grasped his forearms. "Oh, my God!"

  "What?"

  "You don't know? Do it again!"

  He did as she'd commanded, chuckling when she shivered and her muscles knotted. Whether he went after the special place with determination or barely touched made little difference. One moment, it was there waiting for him. The next, it disappeared. Claiming it became a game without rules, an instinctive move. She gasped and jerked, tried to escape only to push herself against him.

  Giving up trying to capture the knot, he turned his attention to the rest of her sex. After coating his forefinger in her cream, he parted her and slid a finger into her cave. Imagined his cock there. Her breath snagged, then exploded.

  "You know me so well," she muttered.

  He'd have to tell her how wrong she was, but not now. Biting down on a moan, he dove deeper. Her sex juices drenched his finger as her inner muscles closed around him.

  "Hah-Tee! You're killing me."

  "You don't want—"

  "I want, I want!"

  Using one hand, he hauled his jeans down over his buttocks. As she inched closer, frustration slammed into him. How he needed to hear her scream.

  Fighting the beast inside him, he reached for her blouse. "No," she said. "Not this time."

  This time. "Why not?"

  "We might have an audience."

  Instead of letting her know he didn't care, he forced himself to nod.

  "This is crazy." She seemed to be talking to herself. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

  Determined to distract her, he arched forward and sent his cock in search of her opening. She started to lean back even more then gripped the back of his neck.

  "Sorry, I nearly lost my balance."

  Her movement had trapped his cock against her belly, and after a moment, she eased away, holding on to his shoulder as she did. He tried to guide his cock into her, but the wall was too low. He started to crouch.

  "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I don't think—we could go to my car."

  Having seen her vehicle, he knew he'd barely fit in it, let alone have room for sex. Her closeness was like standing in sunlight with the soft breeze all around them. Memories of thrusting into a receptive mare grabbed hold of him, but he didn't want today to mirror those quick, unemotional moments. She'd pushed her own desires aside while taking him into her mouth. He hoped he could do the same to her, prayed for the necessary self-control.

  Lowering his gaze so hopefully she couldn't see his battle, he put his hand in his mouth to dampen it, followed by depositing the liquid on her sex.

  "Oh, God." Her words were little more than a whimper.

  The earthy scent of an aroused woman penetrated him as he lowered himself to his knees. His half-dressed state barely mattered.

  "What are you doing?" She sounded scared and eager.

  "Don't ask. Just feel." He placed his head between her legs. Whining, she splayed her legs outward.

  Tongue wet and extended, he touched. Flesh like satin, like silk, like magic, gave way. He pushed her sex lips one way and then the other, sometimes separating them so he could bathe her entrance, sometimes licking long and smooth. There was nothing human about what escaped her throat, and her cream was endless, challenging him to drink himself into a stupor. He pushed his tongue in. She jerked and might have wrenched free if he hadn't increased his hold on her hips. Then he went after her again.

  Curling his tongue, he ran its tip over the top of her pussy. She tried to scoot closer, and her entire body shook. Wanting to please her as much as possible while keeping her off balance, he started to withdraw then extended his tongue to its full length.

  "Oh, oh, oh!"

  She had a beautiful voice, strong and rough at the same time. Maybe there wasn't any sound she could keep locked inside her. Propelled by the thought, he swiped here and there until his jaws ached. He felt as if he was swimming inside her, taking her to the edge while risking the same himself. Thin, hot rivers of need carved their way through him to burn his muscles, but even then, he forced himself to focus on her.

  He coul
d do this. Show her his human side.

  His jaw burned, forcing him to shut his eyes and concentrate with his tongue settled along her sex. Shivers flickered through her, but he didn't think she was climaxing. She needed and deserved to let go, to believe she was dying and not care, to rip free of anything that might constitute civilized behavior. That way she'd be more like him.

  Eyes open again but not seeing, he pulled out, drinking of her gifts as he did. She tugged on his hair. "Not—not…"

  He again licked her from rear to front while she struggled to remain upright. Then he turned his head to the side and sucked what he could of her into his mouth.

  Gasping, she tried to break free. The effort caused her to lose her balance.; He grabbed her around the waist and then went back to suckling. Whining, she started to spasm. He rode with her through her moaning, crying, screaming climax. Her body moved in relentless waves.

  She was his.

  He'd claimed her.

  Hadn't he?

  Rocking forward, she wrapped her arms around his head. By the sounds she was making, he wondered if she was crying.

  "I didn't expect, I didn't know—you caught me off guard."

  "Being caught off guard is a good thing?"

  "This time, it was. Hah-Tee, stand up."

  Feeling shaky, he started to do as she'd asked. She cupped a hand around his cock and guided it toward her opening. Stopping with his knees bent and muscles straining, he waited while she slid onto him. He ran his hands under her buttocks and lifted her off the wall. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, completing the union.

  Power surged through him, but before he could decide what to do with it, she thrust at him. Her legs tightened. He pulled her hard against him. In his mind's eye, his cock drove through her.

  "Yes! Fast!" she hissed.

  Fast he could do. Fast propelled him into a place that caused sweat to run down his back and chest. Her blouse stuck to his skin, and her breasts kissed him. Light as she was, he nevertheless knew he couldn't hold her for long, but it didn't matter.

  They found a rhythm, lost it, came at each other in the same moment. Then one or the other pulled back, and the balance was lost. His jeans roped his calves, preventing him from widening his stance. His cock was trapped deep inside the hot, sweating woman who'd turned her body over to him.

  She trusted him. For now. Offered him what he needed. For these moments.

  There was a storm inside him, something fierce that needed out. Her weight pressed against his thighs, and she threw her head back while gripping his neck. His arms trembled from the effort of keeping them together. Panting, he stopped thrusting so he could fill his burning lungs.

  "Shit, oh, shit."

  Her voice caught him off guard. She clamped her inner muscles around his cock and pushed herself at him. Weakness rolled over him, then strength swept the weakness aside. He repeatedly pummeled her.

  He started to break apart, struggled to hold his release at bay, then dove into the delicious sensation.

  He'd waited so long, but it was worth it. Mind shattering.

  Some ten minutes later, Terena managed to refasten her blouse despite her less than steady hands. Hah-Tee had retrieved the shirt she'd pulled off him but hadn't put it back on. His unselfconscious stance helped her achieve the same state of mind. They'd had sex, and nothing she said or told herself would change that simple fact.

  "I'm not going to talk about what happened," she said.

  "Maybe it's better that way." He indicated the ancient houses above them. "I've wanted to come here."

  "Why haven't you?"

  He sighed. "There's only so much I can accomplish in the time I have as a man, so much I want to learn."

  "As a child, I took Oraibi and the other villages for granted." She debated saying more. "Then I went away to college and discovered the world beyond the res. I insisted I wasn't going to get trapped here."

  "But you returned."

  "Some things piled up on me. I needed a break, so I could reassess what I want out of life."

  He stepped close and ran his big, strong hand through her tangled hair. "Instead, you found us."

  "Yes." Her body still sang from the aftereffects of two climaxes. "And now I'm trying to figure you out. My issues are no longer the only things on my mind."

  Hah-Tee ran his hand over his chest. He seemed to stand a little taller than he had a moment ago and was no longer looking at her.

  "What is it?" she asked. "Is someone here?"

  "No."

  "You're going to change, aren't you?"

  "Yes."

  "Do you want to?"

  He looked down at the ground, then back up at her. "I'm not sure."

  "What do you mean?"

  He closed his eyes. "I didn't know things would become so complicated."

  "Neither did I."

  Opening his eyes, he stared at her. Was that expression one of vulnerability?

  "I needed what we did," she admitted.

  His gaze relaxed a little. "I did too. More than you can understand." He turned as if to leave.

  "Wait. I need to know something. Does it bother you that I had sex with Nokoni before you and I did?"

  He stared at the ground where ants crawled in and out of a hole. "I don't know. A stallion has no emotions where a mare is concerned, but this is different." He pressed his temple. "I'm different."

  He was still determining his place in the human world, just as she was trying to decide what she wanted out of life. Thinking to tell Hah-Tee that, she extended her hand toward him. His outline was becoming less distinct.

  "You're leaving."

  His fingers clenched. "I have no choice."

  Don't go. "Will you see Nokoni?"

  His nostrils flared. "Yes."

  "Tell him—tell him—never mind."

  Chapter 15

  When they were growing up, Yamka Kalemsa and Ahote had been best friends. They'd gone to Hopi High School together followed by a year at Northland Pioneer College, where they'd excelled in wrestling but not academics. Now Yamka was involved in the reservation's commercial beef cattle operation. He lived not far from Terena's aunt and uncle but spent much of his time looking after the far-flung livestock.

  In the aftermath of what had happened last night, Terena had reached Yamka via cell phone, saying she needed to talk to him. He'd told her to come over as soon as she was ready the next morning.

  When she pulled up in front of Yamka's stick-built house, she spotted his youngest child playing with plastic trucks in the dirt. The preschooler responded to her wave but obviously building roads was more interesting than a visitor. The little boy knelt a few feet away from a battered pickup with a two-horse trailer hooked to it. Yamka, dressed in jeans, T-shirt and boots, opened the door before she could knock. They embraced.

  "I heard you driving up," he said when they separated. "Look, I'd like to take you somewhere this morning. Show you something I think you need to see." He jerked his head at the horse trailer. "I've already loaded a horse for you. You haven't forgotten to ride, have you?"

  "I hope not. What's this about?"

  He studied her for a moment. "You'll see. You haven't been out on the res since you got back, have you?"

  "What's this? You've been talking to my aunt and uncle?"

  "In part." He started toward the truck. "We can talk while we're getting out there."

  "Getting where?"

  "Are you coming?"

  As a boy, Yamka had been so laid-back she'd wondered if he'd ever do anything with his life. He was short and stocky with close-cropped hair and wore a shirt bearing the logo of a professional basketball team. Despite his nondescript appearance, he now struck her as a man who knew what he wanted from life. "I didn't bring any water with me," she said as she caught up with him.

  He looked back at her and winked. "I did. It's already in the cab."

  The wilderness stretched out in all directions, calling to her. "You've planned this, ha
ven't you?"

  "I hope so." His smile grew. "It's good to see you."

  Blinking back tears, she punched her old friend's shoulder. "It's good to see you too."

  Still grinning, he pressed a hand to his belly. "More of me than there used to be. You don't have much meat on you."

  "Yeah, well." She didn't feel like explaining that. Even though she made her living with words and photographs, her physical appearance counted.

  "I'm impressed," she admitted after she'd climbed into the cab of a four-wheel drive that had been blue before the nearly constant wind had thrown dirt and rocks at it.

  "Because I've accomplished something with my life?"

  "I didn't mean—"

  "It's all right." He shrugged. "My folks felt the same way about whether I'd ever get my act together. I'm not sure what happened. It was a gradual thing, the realization that I only had one life to live and had better do something about it."

  "And now you have a wife and family. How many children?"

  "Three and out." Eyes glittering with love, he pointed at the preschooler. "That's the last of the clan. You didn't get married, did you? Given your skill with the written word, I'd hoped you'd do something with your life before you let yourself get tied down. I'm glad you are."

  "Is that how you see marriage, being tied down?" she asked as they rolled forward with the trailer bucking behind them.

  "Sometimes. But we all work with the hand we're dealt or deal ourselves. Besides, I absolutely love being a father. So, what did you need to see me about?"

  Obviously, Yamka wasn't ready to reveal why they were taking this trip. "My cousin, not that that should surprise you."

  "It doesn't. What has that fool been up to?"

  Debating whether she should say anything after all, she studied the truck's dirty interior, but after what had happened last night, she didn't believe she had a choice. She started by explaining how she'd run into Ahote followed by an explanation of the hostile exchange between Ahote and the two men who'd taken Red. Same as she'd done with her aunt and uncle, she didn't mention Nokoni or Hah-Tee.

  "Red was fast, huh?" Yamka said.