Tender savage

by Conn, Phoebe

  When the headstrong blonde did not gallop away, Viper cursed loudly, but he did not take his eyes off the heavy-set brave who stood opp)osite him with knife in hand. He did not mind fighting a larger man. In fact, he considered his leaner buila an advantage, for his sleek body provided a smaller target than Claw of the Badger's did. "It is plain from your build that you have been eating at the white man's table. When will you cut your hair?" he called out.

  Incensed by that taunt, Badger lunged for Viper, but the agile brave ducked the blow easily and continued to hurl insults, each one stinging Badger as badly as a jab from the point of his knife would have. Vif)er called him clumsy and stupid, delighting in the man's temperamental response, and he soon had the thick-waisted brave sweating profusely. He then started in on the man's lack of success with women, his jibes both cunning and obscene. Badger had the brute strength of a bull, but his wildly swinging lunges never came close to inflicting any harm upon Vip)er, who was carving him up each time he drew within range.

  Erica watched in fascinated horror as the two men circled and lunged, blood and sweat dripping off them like spring rain. It had been clear to her from the beginning that Viper had both the skill and endurance to beat the larger man, and when it became obvious to his friends, she saw them confer briefly and knew they meant to join in the fight.

  Viper had kept his eye on the four bystanders, not trusting them to let Badger and him settle the dispute between themselves. He saw one man draw his knife and then another, and he darted inside Badger's reach to stab the man brutally in the right shoulder, forcing him down

  in the dirt where he lay howling in pain. Viper then went after the closest man with a fierce swipe, catching the brave off guard and leaving a deep slash running across his chest.

  With that bloodshed Erica had seen enough, and gouging her heels into the black stallion's flanks, she forced the powerful animal into the midst of the fray. Badger was still down, screaming for help as he tried to stem the flow of blood gushing from his shoulder, and his four friends scattered to avoid the horse's flying hooves.

  "ViperI" Erica called in a frantic command, and when she brought the horse to his side he leaped up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and with a loudly shrieked war whoop urged the beast to a gallop and sent them on their way. The wind whipped her hair against her cheeks, but Erica had no time to brush it out other eyes. She did not know who held the reins, but as they reached ^he Cottonwood River the stallion veered to the right to follow its path. They raced on and on as they had the day Viper had first taken her from New Ulm, but this time her mood was one of elation rather than paralyzing fear. He had given her the chance to leave him, and she had not even been tempted to go when that selfishness could so easily have cost him his life. She placed her hand over his, knowing that fate was making all the choices for her, and that she would cease to struggle against the powerful force she could not see but could feel to the depth of her soul. Viper had claimed her as his wife, and she knew in her own heart that she was ready to be his.

  It was not until after they had ridden past the last of the farmhouses nestled along the Cottonwood River that Viper pulled the stallion to a halL Without inviting Erica to join him, he slid off the horse's rump, quickly removed his quiver and bow from his back, ana tossed them to the ground. On his way to the river he shed his buckskins and moccasins, then, with a careless tug, pulled the feathers from his hair. When he reached the water he dove in with a reckless splash, then swam out of sight, leaving Erica staring after him with her mouth agaf^e. Then she began to laugh.

  Her first impulse was to hide his clothes, but she doubted that inconvenience would faze him. She felt as hot and dirty as he must have and looked forward to also enjoying a refreshing swim. She still had a healthy respect for the horse's size, however, and dismounted with far more care. She tethered him where the grass was plentiful and left Viper's rifle lying nearby. She then removed her clothes with nearly the same haste Viper had shown. Unlike the Indian, she left her garments in a neat pile before wading out into the water. It was cool, but so soothing after a day spent on horseback that she didn't feel chilled.

  She swam out a way from shore, but kept her eyes on the horse and their clothes while she scrubbed herself clean and washed her hair. She was sorry now that she had not asked Viper questions all day, since there was so much she

  wanted to know about him. She felt gloriously free, completely happy for the first time in months, and since her lighthearted mood was entirely because of him, she hoped he would hurry back so she could tell him about it.

  When Viper returned to find Erica also bathing in the river he expected her to again be wearing her chemise. He swam by oehind her and wrapped his arms around her waist before realizing she was as naked as he. While startled, he did not release her. He pulled her back against his chest as he planted wet kisses along her shoulder. She shivered slightly as his lips caressed her skin, but she did not try to escape him, which amazed him all the more.

  Erica made no effort to elude Viper's embrace, because she had no wish to. She leaned against the handsome brave with a lazy insouciance, welcoming the affection she had always found so enjoyable but had also been reluctant to accept. "Aren't Indian maidens far too modest to swim with braves?" she asked, smiling.

  Viper had no idea what had come over the lively blonde to make her mood so playful. He had expected her to slip from his grasp like a terrified fish. That she preferred to stay with him instead was a delightful surprise. "Yes, but you need not worry about what they would do. You need be only yourself."

  Since that piece of advice suited her needs perfectly, Erica turned slowly to face him and raised her arms to encircle his neck. The water lapped against the fullness of her breasts, only partially veiling her graceful body from his view, but she seemed not to notice. "That is precisely what I intend to be from now on, only myself. I have been very foolish worrying about what will become of me, or what F>eople will say. It is ptoindess to fret over what will happen tomorrow, when we may never live to see the dawn."

  "It would be a great pity for a woman so pretty as you to die a virgin," Viper responded with a mocking grin. He still did not understand her mood, but her pose was too enticing to ignore. He slid his hands down her sides to caress the smooth line of her hips and found her body as perfectly formed as he had always known it would be.

  Erica shook her head regretfully, certain from his teasing tone that he did not understand what she wanted

  so desperately to say. "That would be a small tragedy," she finally replied flippantly. Now that she was looking into his cool silver gaze the words she needed to express the depth of her feelings refused to form upon her lips. How cx>uld she speak of love when he never had? "You've told me you want me to be your wife," she began hesitantly. "But you've never sp)oken of love. Don't Indian braves love their wives?"

  Astonished, Viper res[X)nded with a question of his own. "Are you the same woman who triecl to kill me this morning when I stopped you from running away?" j

  Erica nodded, ashamed to state out loud that she was. " Her behavior had been as erratic as a madwoman's and she wouldn't deny it. That she had fallen asleep in his arms | and then tried to leave him the minute she had awakened ' was evidence enough of lunacy, there was no other way to describe it. "I have no manners at all," was all that she was willing to admit, however. "It is no wonder that you do not love me." How could he? she thought. He had just jumped into the river without a backward glance. Obviously he hadn't cared if she had been there when he came back or not.

  Viper did not know whether to laugh or cry, he considered her comment so ridiculous. She suddenly looked so utterly dejected that he feared she might burst into tears unless he provided the reassurance she seemed to need. He raised his hands to her temples to tilt her face up to his and kissed her, thinking that gesture a far more appropriate response than mere words. How could she fail to know how deeply he loved her? How could she possibly not know? he wonder
ed as his tongue curled seductively over hers.

  This time Erica did not resist the heady effect of Viper's affection. She let the blissful longing to know even more of him swell within her heart without restraint. She slid her fingers through his long black hair, loving the feel of the silky strands that fell in damp profusion over his broad shoulders. As always, his bronze skin held an enchanting warmth, and she leaned against him to press their bodies closer still. The river swirled around them, rippling with bubbles as light as laughter. It seemed to enjoy their passion for each other as greatly as they did. Since he had

  been in the water when she had first seen him, the lovestruck blonde did not think their surroundings in the least bit odd or strange. They were merely coming home where they belonged.

  Now that Viper again had the delectable woman of his dreams in his arms, he planned to lead her with loving stealth to the realm of sensual pleasure and then to the glorious heights of passion that lay beyond. He wanted to create within her the same fiery sense of urgency that was fast heating his blood to molten flame. The coolness of the river provided his only link to reality, for he was so lost in desire that he was aware only of the fluid motion of the water and the beautiful woman in his 2irms. They were together, and again of one mind and heart, and he relished that remarkable fact to the fullest.

  Viper did far more than merely kiss Erica. He wrapped her in affection warmer than his blanket while his hands covered her slender body with caresses as light as the day's last rays of sunshine. He molded her body to his own, drinking in the beauty of her creamy flesh through every pore. Her figure was as pjerfect as any woman's ever bom, but it was the harmony of her spirit that fascinated him more. Her heart was a great prize, and he knew now that it was his for the asking. What he had done to change her indifferent defiance to love he did not know, nor care. His only concern was in pleasing her so deeply that she would never regret her splendid gift of love.

  Without ending the stream of lavish kisses that had left her clinging to him. Viper lifted Erica into his arms. He carried her no farther than the thick grass at the river's edge before placing her upon that soft living cushion and stretching out beside her. He deepened his kiss then as he leaned across her. He wound the fingers of his right hand in her wet curls, meaning to have a ready hold upon her should her fears return. He would not allow her to escape him now, nor to fall asleep in his arms. By the time the sun set, he meant for her to be completely his. His for all time.

  While his mouth never left hers, his left hand wandered over the soft swells of her breasts. His fingertips teased one pale pink nipple to a flushed bud and then the other. His hand then brushed over her ribs, moved across the flat planes of her stomach, and paused to trace smooth circles

  as he wondered how long it would take to make his boast that she carried his child come true. Still pondering that intriguing question, he parted the patch of blond curls below her navel, then slipped his fingers between her thighs. Her fair skin had been cool, but now that his touch had grown more intimate, he felt the pulsating warmth that radiated from deep within her lovely body and longed to lose himself in that enticing heat. His caress was still light, playful, yet knowing, as he satisfied his curiosity about her virginity and found his suspicions were true. He would be her first lover, and he also intended to be her last.

  The overwhelming joy of Viper's loving touch made coherent thought impossible, and a multitude of images splashed through Erica's mind like a kaleidoscope of vivid areams. She had not the slightest qualms about giving herself to him. At the same time her conscience reminded her that no proper young lady from Wilmington, Delaware, or anywhere else, for that matter, would behave so wantonly with an Indian brave. That Viper was an Indian was the least of her concerns, however. He was love itself in her mind: bright, handsome, strong, and so very brave. She was certain no woman had ever had a finer husband than he would be to her.

  When his mouth left hers to bestow tender nibbles upon the swollen tips of her breasts. Erica's smile grew v^ide. She had already surrendered herself completely into his keeping, and as he drew her toward a perfect union, she was too breathless to do more than sigh contentedly as she longed for still more of his uniquely beautiful affection. Again her hands went to his flowing ebony hair holding his face close to her heart as his luscious kisses and knowing touch made her whole body tremble with desire. She moved her hips against his hand in a silent plea: more, she begged, give me still more.

  Viper had never slept with a virgin, but he meant to show Erica the depth of love's beauty before he caused her the unavoidable pain their joining would bring. He wanted her drowning in pleasure so rich that she would not even flinch when he sought his own. With that goal shining through the clouds of desire that swirled within his mind, his lips followed the path of his hands. He released his hold upon her golden curls to encircle her tiny

  waist so she could not bolt when his tongue found her body's most exquisitely sensitive spot. Her taste was amazingly sweet, and the tremors of ecstasy his exotic kisses brought shuddered through her and then echoed through him, until he knew she could hear no more. He moved over her then, his lips again covering hers so she could not cry out, but he prayed she would not wish to.

  Again enfolded in Viper's wondrous embrace, Erica's senses were still reeling, for she had not even known it was p>ossible for a man to create the rapture he just had with his shockingly intimate kiss. She had known only the tender beginnings of lovemaking, while clearly he was a master in the full range of the art. With his gentle guidance she was as lost as he in the joy of their loving, until his first deep thrust tore through her loins with a searing pain. Like a sudden shower of ice cold rain, the agony that pierced her body rudely shattered the spell of rapture Vipjer had taken such care to weave. Tears of angry disappointment flooded her pretty blue eyes, for she had not wanted anything to s{X)il the beauty of their first time together the way the fiery burst of pain just had.

  Viper stopjDed moving instantly, as disappointed as she that his effort to spare her that anguish had failed. "I am so sorry I hurt you," he whispered hoarsely, "but there is no other way."

  Erica did not reply with words. Instead, she reached up to wind her fingers in his flowing hair and pulled his mouth back to hers. She then kissed him with a sad, sweet hunger that swept away the last of his restraint. He withdrew slightly, then began with a gentle rhythm to recapture the paradise he longed for them to share. He wanted her not only to be his wife, but to glory in the fact that they were now truly one.

  A numbing warmth began to spread through her body and tingle through her limbs, but Erica held back, unwilling to again naively lose herself to Viper's magical affection when she was now afraid there might be still more unexpectedly painful surprises. Rather than her own feelings, she concentrated solely upon his. She felt a tidal wave of emotion surge through the Indian, then crest with a shuddering climax, but when he buried his face in her curls and lay relaxed in her arms she felt curiously

  alone, just at the time she had wanted them most to be close.

  Until that very minute Viper had never considered a woman's pleasure more important than his own, but he did not want to be selfish with Erica when she was so dear to him. Rolling over on his side, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "It will be better for you the next time, and better still the time after that," he promised.

  While she appreciated his thoughtfulness. Erica sincerely hoped his prediction would prove true, for she refused to believe nature could be so cruel as to allow women to fall in love with men only to receive pain. She was angry not with Viper but with the basic unfairness of life itself. Love should bring only happiness, in her view, never sorrow and pain, but as she had done with so many of her thoughts since coming to Minnesota, she kept that opinion to herself as she cuddled closer to Viper.

  It felt rather strange to lie nude in his arms, not at all unpleasant, but it was a strange sensation all the same. His sleek body was so warm she did
n't feel chilled, even though the sun had dipped below the trees and it would soon be dark. When her stomach began to rumble noisily, she was embarrassed until she realized they had not eaten all day. "Aren't you hungry?" she asked shyly.

  Viper laughed as he tousled her damp curls. "I am hungry only for you," he replied as he rose up on his left elbow, his ready grin reflecting the love that overflowed his heart. "Now do you understand how much I love you?"

  When he began to trace lazy patterns on her bare stomach she laced her fingers in his to make him stop. "If you say that you love me, then I will believe you."

  "You did not believe it before now?" Viper inquired incredulously.

  "Most men like pretty wmen. Viper. I did not think you would be any different," Erica replied with a melancholy shrug.

  Something was wrong, Viper was certain of it, but rather than curse the fact that she was such a wretchedly contrary female, he leaned down to kiss her lips sweetly. "Is it still impossible for you to admit that you love me?"

  Rather than answer his question. Erica suddenly asked

  one of her own. "You never intended to leave me in New Ulm this afternoon, did you?"

  All trace of humor left Viper's expression as he told her the truth. "No, but I knew unless you saw the town with your own eyes, you would not believe me when I said you could not go back. You are my wife now. Erica. Your life will never be the same."

  "I know that," the blonde replied wistfully. "My only hope is that it will be better."

  Since she still had not spoken the words he longed to hear, Viper prompted her anxiously. "Erica, do you love me or not?"

  Sensing she at last had something he valued with which to bargain. Erica began to smile. "First you must tell me who you are, and then I will decide," she insisted with an impish giggle.