“I…”
“I can do things to you that you’ve never even imagined…” He moved his tongue across her collarbone.
“I have a good imagination,” she said weakly, thrilled that she was able to speak at all.
“Not as good as mine,” he promised.
He still hadn’t touched her where she wanted him to—where he wanted to. Her nipples were hard and sensitive and outlined sharply against her shirt. He pushed her back slightly, arching her over his arm and took one of her nipples in his mouth. She could feel the heat of his lips through the material and it finally hit her, what they were doing, what she wanted him to do, what they could do.
“Kelly…”
He cut off her words by biting her gently. She didn’t feel any pain, just the sudden pressure from his teeth, but it made her gasp, made her words catch in her throat. She’d tell him to stop…in a second…just wanted to let him…for a few more minutes…
Kelly slowly began unbuttoning her shirt again. One button at a time. A long pause between each one, as though he was trying to catch her by surprise. She could feel the soft breeze drift in through the window and caress her skin with its fingertips. Now only two buttons kept her shirt closed, protected her modesty, and the cloth was rubbing against her nipples in the most maddening way.
He popped the last button out of place, and then spread the material open, exposing her completely beneath his heavy gaze.
“You’re beautiful,” he breathed, his eyes alive with lust.
She blushed, and the pretty pink tinged her chest. He ran his finger over the colored skin softly. “Are you shy?”
Her throat was closed—fear and lust and need and confusion and desire made it impossible for her to speak. She could only nod her head.
“Don’t be shy…” He licked the curve of her breast. “No need to be shy.”
She tilted her head back, and thrust her chest forward, unable to stop herself. She wanted him to lick her, and kiss her, needed to feel his hot mouth on her sensitive flesh. He swirled his tongue around each nipple, alternately sucking and biting them in turn. She clutched the back of his head, holding him against her breast, silently telling him how much she wanted him to continue.
Her blood rushed from her head and she felt lightheaded. She was sensitive to every bit of contact, every single touch. Even her hair falling down her neck was enough to drive her crazy. His hard cock was pushing against her, and she rubbed against his crotch, making them both moan. I can’t…am I going to do this? I can’t do this…can’t…can’t…but if he keeps kissing me…need to stop him. Need to tell him to stop. Just one more minute…
She didn’t know how far she’d let him go, how far he could push her. She struggled to keep a hold of herself because what she really wanted him to do was throw her on the floor and thrust into her as hard and as fast as he could and fuck her until she couldn’t even scream anymore. Her blood roared in her head, and his cock was rock hard beneath her, and she was sensitive to each movement he made.
She inhaled deeply to clear her head, but instead of getting the sweetly tainted smell of his desire and musk, she got a lungful of something very foul. Ida choked and gagged, pulled away from him sharply.
“Do you smell that?”
He looked at her, his eyes clearing slowly as the fog of lust lifted from his brain. “Huh?” He sniffed the air and grimaced. “Oh my God, what is it that?”
Ida jumped off his lap. She pulled her shirt tightly closed with one hand and held her nose with the other. “I think it might be Ranger.”
Kelly stood up, and they were both painfully aware of his full erection in his tight jeans. He bent and looked beneath the table and immediately spotted the culprit.
“It’s definitely Ranger…and he’s greener than before.”
Ida quickly buttoned her shirt and then called the dog out. He scampered over to her, his tail wagging happily. She shooed him out of the house, holding her breath until he was gone. She turned to face Kelly…the mood was broken, her sanity had returned.
“I have to feed the horses…and start dinner…”
“Right.”
“Yeah.”
They stared at each other for several long seconds, and Ida resisted the strong impulse to launch herself into his arms. The cool, rational, thinking part of her was in charge now, and she knew better. Even if her knees were still shaking and her hand was trembling slightly and she was uncomfortably wet.
“I’ll be back soon…” She fled the house and decided that before she fed Flash, she’d take him for a long, hard ride. It would give her space and time to think, time to clear the fog from her head. She needed to get away from him now or she’d never be able to resist him again.
“I’ll be here.”
A promise and a threat, she was sure.
Ida decided to go riding bareback. She grasped Flash’s mane tightly and used the pressure from her knees to guide him. Her gold hair spread out behind her, caught by the wind, brushed out of her face. She raced Flash down the road and through the fields until the ache was gone and her head was clear. It had been a moment of temporary insanity. No human contact in months would naturally make a person hungry for it, and Kelly was so willing to give her what her body instinctually craved.
That didn’t mean she had to give in to those instincts, and it didn’t mean she had to take advantage of what Kelly offered.
She came back just before dark, and she didn’t explain where she had gone or why she had been gone for so long. Kelly didn’t ask. She made sure to act calm, not uncomfortable or embarrassed at all. Kelly seemed to understand—they weren’t going to talk about what happened and as far as Ida was concerned, it was a one-time mistake.
She started dinner and he offered to help, but she assured him that it wasn’t necessary. Despite her effort to make things as normal as possible, there was still a simmering tension in the air and neither one of them spoke while she fried the potatoes and onions. Kelly sat at the table and shifted uncomfortably. He never took his eyes from her.
She put the plate in front of him and sat down across from him.
“I’m going to go hunting tomorrow,” Ida announced.
“Okay.”
“Will you be able to help dress it?”
“Yeah, I can help with that.”
“How are your ribs?”
“I’m fine.”
Ida swallowed a bite of food. “Look, Kelly, about what happened…”
“You don’t need to say anything.”
“What?”
“You’re just going to tell me it was a mistake and you didn’t mean it and you’re married anyway so it’ll never happen again, right?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Several long, quiet minutes stretched between them. Both of them struggled with the silence, both of them distinctly uncomfortable.
“So…” he started.
“What?”
“How long have you had Ranger?”
“I found him a few days after…shortly after I got here. It was raining and he was caught in the barn, whining and howling like something was trying to kill him. It was one of the most pathetic things I have ever seen.”
“You take in strays often then?”
Ida shrugged. “I couldn’t leave him out there. I expect anybody would have done the same.”
He shook his head. “You’d be surprised by how selfish people can be.”
“Who would leave a starving dog out in the rain to die?” She asked, appalled.
“Who put him out there in the first place?” Kelly countered.
“Maybe he just ran away.”
“Maybe.”
“What about you?” Ida asked.
“What about me?”
“Did somebody put you out or did you run away?”
“A bit of both. It was best for me to leave, but they certainly didn’t want me around.”
“I see.” She paused and waited for him to say someth
ing else, but he didn’t speak. “Well?” She finally prompted.
“I don’t want to talk about it, Ida.”
She shrugged. “Okay.”
“I’m sorry it’s just…it wasn’t a good experience.”
“When is getting shot ever a good experience?”
“Well,” he smiled at her, “it’s turned into one, at least.” Noting her discomfort, he changed the subject. “What do you usually do for entertainment?”
“Usually I go to sleep right after dinner.”
“Is that why you have a stack of unanswered letters?”
She stiffened. “Have you been going through my things?”
“No, no. I just noticed them, is all.”
“I haven’t had time to answer them.”
“And the stack of books?”
“I haven’t had time to read them either.”
Kelly nodded, then took her by surprise by asking, “If you hadn’t come out west, what would you have done with your life?”
“What kind of question is that?”
Kelly shrugged. “I’m curious. About who you are.”
“I planned on being a school teacher, until I met Liam. And then my long-term plans included having a few kids, taking care of my mother, and being a dignified lady.”
“That would have bored you.”
“No,” she answered, “that would have made me happy.”
“I don’t think so,” he said.
“Oh right, how stupid of me,” she snapped, “Of course breaking my back to put food on the table is much more fun and exciting. Why didn’t I see that before?”
“That’s not what I said,” he said, unfazed by her outburst. “I don’t think either one is the life for you.”
“And how do you know so much about me all of a sudden?”
Kelly raised an eyebrow. “Why are you so defensive?”
“I’m not defensive.”
“You sure sound defensive to me.”
“Maybe I don’t like near strangers assuming they know everything about my life.”
“Or maybe you don’t like being so transparent that a near stranger can figure your life out.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know you like it when I lick your neck.”
Ida stood up quickly and grabbed her plate. “I thought we established that we’re not going to talk about that.”
“No, I said I didn’t want to hear your lecture.”
“Well, maybe you should hear it.”
Kelly stood up, too. “I don’t need to.”
“Kelly…” She sighed. “I have a husband…”
“So you’re saying that if you didn’t have a husband, things would be different?”
“No. But why can’t you just respect the fact that I don’t want to…do anything with you?”
“Because I know you want to.”
“I don’t. So just drop it.”
Kelly held up his hands in surrender and sunk back into his seat. He finished his dinner quietly as she washed the dishes with more force than necessary. When she was finished cleaning up after dinner, she settled into the chair by the fireplace and picked up a basket of sewing that she had been putting off. He stayed at the table and watched her work. Her hands worked furiously, and her shoulders were tense again.
She heard Kelly stand up, but she didn’t look at him. He walked over to her, and she felt his warm presence at her back.
“What are you doing?” She asked, without lifting her head.
He put a hand on each shoulder, and began to slowly rub the muscles.
“Stop…that…” Even as she spoke, she put her head forward, dropped her chin to her chest, and gave him access to her neck. He leaned over and kissed the nape of her neck, a small, quick brush of his lips that made her tremble.
Ida expected him to tell her that he wasn’t going to stop. But instead he said, “I’m going for a walk.”
“What?” She asked, bewildered.
“If I’m not back before you go to bed…good night. Pleasant dreams.”
He stepped back, and her shoulders felt cold where his hands used to be. Without another word, he opened the door and stepped into the night. Ida couldn’t quell the rising tide of disappointment, and she set her sewing aside in frustration. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep until he came back, if at all.
Chapter Eight
Kelly wandered around in the night without any real direction or destination. He kept the cabin in sight and waited for her to blow out the lamp. If he went back before she went to sleep, he’d only be tempted to touch her again. He couldn’t keep his hands or his eyes to himself, and just looking at her was more than enough to make him hard. He wanted her more and more every time he saw her.
Sore and tired, he was finally forced to stretch out on the ground, cushioned by the high grass. He traced the stars with his eyes, running over the familiar shapes of the constellations. There were millions of stars lighting the sky from deep black to a dark blue. The moon was only half-full, but it was still bright enough that Kelly could easily see the ground and trees surrounding him.
Kelly shivered, but still didn’t get up to go inside. He couldn’t avoid her, couldn’t stop himself from touching her. If he went back inside, and she was still awake, it would just lead to another fight, another battle. He had never met another woman like her, another woman he couldn’t resist at all, on any level.
His eyes lazily traversed the sky and it wasn’t long before he saw it. It made his breath catch in his throat. There was a large, white ring around the moon, easily seen against the dark blue sky. Anybody who spent any time in the mountains didn’t have to be told what that ring meant. Snow. Almost as soon as he noticed, a stiff wind swept down from the mountain, and goose bumps erupted on his arms. Still, he didn’t stand up. He could see the yellow light still spilling from her window.
Kelly dozed, but it was impossible for him to measure how long he was out. It seemed like he was awake, still looking at the stars, still contemplating the moon, but he blinked and her lights went out and his muscles were stiff and sore. Like he had been lying on the cold ground for hours. The moon was in a different place, the constellations had shifted.
He stood up and stretched, and heard the bones in his back pop loudly in the quiet air. There weren’t even any animals making noise in the trees. No coyotes yelping, nothing. He made his way back to the cabin on shaking legs—they were asleep and numb down to his toes. It was so quiet that he could hear her before he reached the cabin and opened the door. The same sounds she had made before, low and anguished and disturbed. More bad dreams, more demons and monsters that she couldn’t fight off. Kelly quickened his step.
The cabin was dark and cool. The fire had burned down to small, glowing embers, and she was curled on the bed, above her blankets. “Ida…”
She whimpered, but didn’t move. She wore a nightgown, but it was hiked up high on her thighs, exposing her creamy legs in the moonlight. He crossed the room to her bed, and his fingertips moved lightly from her ankle to her calf, pausing at her knee, resting his hand there softly.
She began tossing restlessly, flipping her body against the bed and moaning. Kelly leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “I’m here, pet.”
Ida quieted, and he moved his hand higher up her leg to the middle of her thigh. The sensitive skin fluttered under his fingertips, and she twitched and moaned again. He put his mouth against her ear, but before he could whisper more assurances, she cried out in pain and sat straight up, gasping for breath as new tears began to fall down her cheeks.
Kelly pulled his hand back as though he was burnt and prepared for her to kick him out for good. Instead, she caught him by surprise by throwing her arms around him and burying her face in his neck. She wasn’t sobbing, but the tears were still rolling down her face, her body shaking.
He didn’t know what to do at first, but his hands figured it out. He stroked her hair with one hand and
rubbed her back with the other, slow, soothingly. He remained silent while she cried, unable to find the words to offer her comfort. He didn’t know what was wrong, didn’t know what she needed to hear, didn’t know if she needed to hear anything at all. So, he rocked her softly until her face began to dry against his neck.
She pulled away from him and wiped her nose self-consciously. “I’m…I’m sorry…”
“No, don’t apologize.”
“I don’t know why I did that…”
“Did you have a bad dream?”
“I…don’t remember.”
She tried to pull out of his arms, but he wouldn’t let her. Instead, he ducked his head and caught a stray tear with his lips as he kissed her cheek softly. She didn’t protest or try to pull away from him, so he kissed her again and again, gathering her tears from her face. She was languid against him, still sleepy and slightly dazed. But she still trembled.
“Are you cold?” He murmured.
“No…”
“I can build up the fire…”
She clutched his arms, “No.”
“Why are you shaking?” Kelly asked gently.
“I just…I can’t…”
“You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to. It’s okay.”
“It happens every night now. It won’t stop.” She sounded so quiet, so lost, that he almost didn’t believe it was the same woman who had rescued him.
“What happens?”
“I won’t be able to sleep…I need to sleep…”
“Ida…” He gently laid her back against the bed, resting her head on the pillow. “I can help you sleep,” he offered.
He kissed her mouth, soft and tasting of sleep. She tensed, but relaxed almost immediately. His hand stroked her body, rubbed her from her neck to her hips, skimmed over her breasts and stomach, repeatedly. Each time he made a pass over her body, he pulled her nightgown up slightly, revealing her skin inch by inch.
“They keep dying,” she whispered against his mouth. “I can’t save them and they keep dying…”
“You don’t have to save anybody, Ida.”
She struggled against him. “No, you don’t understand. You don’t understand, they had families and lives and they died.”
Kelly frowned. “It wasn’t your fault…”
New Frontier Page 7