Tender savage

by Conn, Phoebe

  Erica peeked over her shoulder at her husband, both her manner and expression apologetic. "Well, actually, no. My mother taught me the various stitches for embroidery, but all our clothes were made by seamstresses."

  Viper nodded. "Of course. Rich women do not sew their own clothes. I should have known that without asking."

  Objecting to his condescending tone, Erica was quick to defend herself. "I do know how to thread a needle. Viper. I am certain sewing hides is nothing like sewing &bric anyway, so even if I were an accomplished seamstress there would be lots for me to leam. I am not stupid. You needn't worry your aunt will laugh at me."

  "That is the least of my worries," Viper confided sincerely. "Her name is Flowers of Spring, and since she is only eight years older than I, she has never tried to take my mother's place. She is a widow, and childless, so her life has not been a happy one."

  "Just how old are you. Viper?" Erica was shocked to realize she had never even asked that question.

  "I am twenty-seven," he responded with the teasing chuckle that often filled his deep voice. "How old are you?"

  "Seventeen." Erica laughed too, then, thinking it odd they had never before had any curiosity about their ages. "Your aunt is only thirty-five, then. She could marry again and have a family, c6uldn't she?"

  "Yes," Viper admitted rather reluctantly, "but it is unlikely."

  "My father is only thirty-nine. I wish that he would marry again. It broke my heart to see him so sad and lonely." The moment she mentioned the man who was so dear to her. Erica was overcome with p>ainful feelings of guilt, for she still had thought of no way to send him word that she was not only safe, but married.

  "Would he like an Indian woman? Flowers of Spring can sew and cook well, and she is so quiet he would not tire of her company," Vip>er boasted proudly.

  "Are you tired of mine?" Erica turned again to inquire. "Is that all Indian men want, a woman who can do chores well and keep quiet?"

  Knowing he was treading upon dangerous ground. Viper shook his head. "It is nice if a woman is also pretty, even better if she likes to make love. A slave can do chores. A wife's duties are different."

  "Do Indian women consider making love to their husbands only a duty?" While she knew there were white women who held such a pathetic view, she had always felt sorry for them. Since her parents had been so blissfully happy, it had been obvious her mother enjoyed making love as much as her father did.

  "I hope not," Viper replied with a teasing grin, thinking they had discussed the subject long enough. He looked up at the sky then, wishing ni^ht would fall swiftly so he could escort her into camp without attracting too much notice.

  Her hair was nearly dry now, and as Erica took the brush from Viper's hand she noticed he had scraped his knuckles. Alarmed, she knelt in front of him. "Were you fighting with someone? Is that how you hurt your hand?"

  Viper thought of the many secrets he would have to keep and decided to tell the truth, or at least part of it. "I often disagree with my friends. A brave said something I did not like, so I hit him. I won the fight, so he will keep his thoughts to himself around me."

  Erica pursed her lips thoughtfully, certain there had to be more to the story than that. "Just what did the man say?

  "I will not repeat his insults," Viper vowed stubbornly.

  "Well then, were they about me?"

  "Why would he insult you? He does not even know you," the wily bnrave replied, hoping to satisfy her curiosity with questions of his own.

  Erica was too bright to fall for his trick and continued to pester him to explain. "He doesn't have to meet me to tell you what he thinks of your marrying a white woman. Viper. Is that what he did?"

  "Where is my knife?" Viper asked, suddenly recalling he had wanted to plunge it into Hunted Stag's throat.

  Erica reached into the pocket of her blue dress to remove it and returned it to him. "Here. Now finish your story."

  "I already did," Viper insisted as he slipped his knife into the beaded sheath at his belt. After dropping the two cougar-claw necklaces over her head, he rose to his feet and drew Erica up beside him. "The war has given everyone a short temper. The fight is over and will soon be forgotten. Do not worry about it."

  The stern set of his jaw convinced Erica it would be pointless to try and get more information out of him. She still had the little cougar Gunter had carved for her. She left it in the pocket of her blue dress along with the hairbrush, and after folding it up with her slips, she squared her shoulders proudly and announced she was ready to go. "Just as I promised, I will do my best not to disgrace you or your family. Viper, but if people choose to hate me just because I am white, there is little I can do about it."

  That was something the brave already knew, and he drew his pretty bride into his arms and kissed her so passionately she would have followed him anywhere, even through the gates of hell.

  In spite of the fact that she was expecting a white woman. Flowers of Spring was still shocked to find Erica so astonishingly fair. Recognizing that she possessed that rare beauty all braves would long to have for their own, she warned Viper in their own language. "This woman is too pretty to be anything but trouble. What can I teach her that

  she would want to leam?"

  Viper smiled widely, pretending for his bride's sake that his aunt's comments had been compliments as he replied in the language Erica could not understand. "She is a smart girl and not lazy. Do not insult her when you do not even know her."

  While she was positive she did not want to know her, Flowers of Spring said no more. She pointed to the covered iron kettle sitting upon the stone hearth at the center of the tepee. "There is venison stew for you to eat. I will make my home elsewhere while you are here." She left then, without giving Erica so much as a p)olite nod of farewell.

  While the tepee was much larger than she had anticipated. Erica was not so fascinated by the dwelling constructed of buffalo hides that she had failed to notice his aunt hadn't seemed pleased to meet her. She tried to smile as she reassured her husband that things were bound to improve. "I know it will take time for everyone to accept me. I will just have to be patient. After all, if I took you home to Wilmington, you would receive some peculiar looks too."

  Erica continually amazed him, and he was greatly relieved that she had not been insulted by the chill of his aunt's attitude. "Tomorrow I want to ride with the others. Sj>end as much time as you can bear with my aunt, then come back here and rest. I am certain the other women will be curious about you, but most are shy, and they will not be rude."

  "I won't be rude, either," Erica promised sincerely. "I'll do my share of the work, and if I have any complaints to make, you are the only one who will hear them."

  "Let's hope they are very few. Are you hungry? My aunt's stew is usually good."

  "Even if it isn't, I am too hungry to care," Erica responded with a sparkling laugh. She was no less apprehensive, but as always. Viper's good-natured humor was infectious.

  Using wooden bowls and spoons made of buffalo horn, they quickly finished one serving of stew and began another. Seeing his bride's interest in the tepee. Viper began to tell her about the portable dwelling. "The tepee is more than a home to us. The floor reminds us of the

  earth; the sides, which reach toward the heavens, are the sky. It is round like the sacred life circle, with no beginning and no end." He paused for a moment, hoping he did not sound daft, but Erica's expression was one of polite interest, not disdain. "Tepees can be taken down quickly and moved easily. It is the perfect home for p>eople who move often to follow game, but when we were forbidden to move, the sight of them always made me sad."

  "I understand," Erica responded sympathetically. "To live in a hunter's home and not be allowed to hunt would sadden anyone."

  They finished eating in companionable silence, then Viper reached for Erica's hand. "Come outside with me. There is something I want you to see."

  She had attracted so many curious stares when they had r
idden into camp that Erica would have preferred to remain hidden, but knowing she would have to make the effort to venture out the following morning, she rose to her feet. Viper did no more than lead her a few steps outside before he moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Night had fallen, and all around them the tepees shone with a soft red glow from the fires within them. Like mystical lanterns of some ancient gods, they provided an enchanting sight, one the pretty blonde was glad she hadn't missed.

  "How peaceful everything looks," she whispered softly.

  "We once had the {perfect life," Viper replied. "There was a harmony among all living things. We did not clear the land of trees. We did not wantonly slaughter animals. Then the white man came, and he did not respect any of our beliefs. He wanted the land for his farms, the trees cut into logs to build his houses. He shot animals for sp>ort, or took their hides and left their carcasses to rot while we went hungry. Every year the damage the white man does spreads, while the ways of the Sioux are forgotten. Now all that is left of the beauty we once knew is the red glow of a tepee at night."

  Tears spilling over her lashes. Erica turned in Vif>er's embrace. She threw her arms around his neck and sobbed as though her heart were broken, for she feared he had lost more than her love could ever give him.

  Viper had not meant to overwhelm his bride with his own

  desp>erate longing for bygone days. She was a woman of the present and the future, not the past, and he knew that. He drew her back into the secluded warmth of their tepee and pulled her down upon the thick buffalo-skin beddmg he had already unrolled to serve as their bed. He kissed away her tears, then stilled her trembling lips with the pressure of his own.

  "You should never have married me, Viper. How can I raise your children when I have none of your beautiful memories of your tribe?"

  "Our children will be fortunate to have your memories, too. They will have twice as many reasons to be proud, not half. You were never meant to be Indian, only to be my wife."

  As she looked up at her husband. Erica thought him the dearest man alive. She had never imagined a man regarded as a savage by so many could have such a tender and loving heart. "I do think I was meant to be your wife. It is just that I am afraid I will make you a very poor one."

  "No, you are {perfect." Viper raised his hand to the laces at her throat and slowly began to untie them. "You will never guess how much time I spent dreaming about making love to you here."

  A slight frown crossed Erica's brow, for indeed she had given no thought to making love to him while they were apart. Deciding she need not admit that, she began to smile. "Well, now that I am here, I will do my best to make all your dreams come true."

  "You already have," Viper whispered as his lips brushed her ear softly. He did not speak again as he removed her moccasins, then, with a touch lighter than a whisper, he peeled away the buckskin dress and her soft silk undergarments. In the dim light cast by the dying embers of the fire her fair skin took on a rich, golden glow, gently reflecting the warmth of his adoring gaze. She had assumed a graceful pose, and her supple figure beckoned seductively, her body calling to his with an ageless feminine allure he would never wish to ignore. Quickly casting off his own clothing, he stretched out beside her. He pulled her close, so there was not an inch of his deeply bronzed flesh that did not touch her creamy, smooth skin, but that was only the beginning, not the end of his need to

  be close to her.

  Perhaps it was the beauty of the night, or the sorrow of his memories that had aroused her passions, but Erica also wanted a new type of closeness. Rising up on her right elbow, she ran the fingers of her left hand down the length of his right arm. "You have the most beautiful body a man could possibly have." She leaned forward then and brushed his shoulder with her lips. "You are so very handsome. You know it, too, don't you?" she asked with a throaty giggle.

  "I am not blind," was all Viper would admit. He knew his looks would appeal to a white woman. Since his grandfather's time, the males in his family had inherited the finely chiseled features of the French aristocrat, rather than the distinctively Indian facial characteristics of the Sioux.

  "I like the color of your eyes, too. Sometimes when we're swimming they seem to reflect the color of the water and they apf>ear almost blue. At night, they are a warm, smoky gray, though, like the sky just before dawn."

  Viper sighed contentedly, very glad he had taken the time to master English, since he enjoyed hearing her compliments so greatly. He slipped his fingers through her curls to pull her mouth to his and thanked her for her praise with one of the long slow kisses he gave so often. As always, the delectable sweetness of her kiss made him want still more, and a long while passed before he released her. "I love everything about you," he revealed as he dropped his hand to her breast where his thumb began slowly to circle the tip until it became a firm, flushed bud that begged for his kiss. "The pale yellow of your hair, the deep blue of your eyes, the beauty of your smile just before you laugh, I love every bit of you," the Indian vowed in a voice slurred by desire.

  They had made love on riverbanks, in frontof a fire, in a feather bed, and under the stars, but the close confines of the tepee created a new type of intimacy that was not only altogether different but quite wondrous in itself. Since her mood was so open and loving. Viper knew she would not object to any request he made. "There are many ways we can give each other pleasure. I have taught you only a few."

  That remark made Erica curious, but not as Viper had hoped. "Just how do you know so much? Who taught you?" she asked as she laced her fingers in his so he could no longer fondle her teeasts as he replied. She wanted nothing to distract her from hearing his answer.

  "I told you my grandfather was French. He took great pride in his skill as a lover. He told me many things none of the other boys ever heard. If you think I have put his lessons to good use, he would be very pleased."

  Erica licked her lips thoughtfully as she nodded. "I understand. You wish to keep your memories private."

  "No, you do not understand. I want my memories to be only of you." Keeping their hands together, he rubbed her fingertips lightly over his chest, then down the flat planes of his stomach. "I enjoy the feel of your touch and kiss just as much as you enjoy mine." He moved her hand lower then, and while he provided the motions, it was the light pressure of her fingertips he felt.

  Erica was not in the least bit shy with her husband. She adored him and knew whatever brought him pleasure would please her as well. Her fingertips caressed the velvet-smooth tip of his manhood before encircling the hardened shaft. Her eyes never left his as the exotic magic she worked with his unspoken instruction made his breath quicken to deep gasps. Her intuition told her he would not have spoken of kisses unless he had wanted them also. Since she had promised to fulfill his erotic dreams, she slid down beside him. She then spread feather-light kisses over his stomach before using her tongue and lips to ignite flames from the splendid heat she had created so easily with the loving motions of her hand.

  Viper wove his fingers in Erica's flowing curls, spilling the silken mass over the quivering flesh of his stomach. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed to contain the rapture that now swelled within him and threatened to swiftly overflow. The ecstasy continued to build, cresting in shuddering waves that fought for release, until he knew he had to give in to it or lose any hopje of remaining sane. He reached for Erica then, pulling her astride him so the exquisite sensation she had drawn forth could be shared. With his hands gripping her waist tightly, he showed her how to move until he was no longer capable of conscious

  thought, and with a low moan of surrender, he finally allowed his powerful body's will to become his own.

  Her own senses reeling, Erica stretched out upon Viper's chest, her cheek cradled upon his right shoulder as the joy she had given him spread through her lithe body like liquid fire. It was not simply warmth, but a comp>elling heat that fused not only their bodies but their spirits, as well, int
o one blissfully content being. It was a long while before she became aware of Viper's hands moving slowly over her back in a soothing massage. "That feels wonderful," she purred sweedy. "Are the French good at giving massages as well as making love?"

  "The word massage is French, so what do you think?"

  "I think with you as my teacher, I am going to learn many truly remarkable things." She raised her hand to cover a wide yawn, then closed her eyes, thinking his well-muscled body made the nicest bed she had ever found. The steady beat of his heart provided so soothing a lullaby that she was soon fast asleep.

  Erica's weight was so slight it was like a living blanket rather than a discomfort for the Indian brave. He was on the verge of falling asleep, too, but he could not stop smiling and congratulating himself for having the wisdom to marry so fascinating a young woman. How could she even imagine he would remember other women, when the pleasure they shared was so complete? "I love you," he whispered softly, and with a contented sigh he joined her in the land of dreams where the beauty of love never ends and the hours are always happy.

  When she awakened the next morning and found Viper gone, Erica's fears of visiting his village not only returned but increased tenfold, twisting her stomach into painfully anxious knots. The tepee, whose warmth had been so comforting at dusk, was now only a strange, cold, and totally foreign dwelling. Viper had thoughtfully covered her with a warm buffalo robe, but that consideration did not lessen the icy tentacles of fear that pipped her heart.

  How would she ever pass the day without him? They had been together not quite three weeks, but she could not imagine how she would fill the long hours that lay ahead without his charming company. He had said she should spend her time with his aunt. Would the woman come to

  her, or should she go and look for her? Glancing about the tidy interior of the tepee, her eyes fell upon the dress and slips she had brought with her. Washing them would give her an excuse to walk down to the river, and if she saw no sign of Flowers of Spring, then she would just stay by the water all day. Anything would be better than being cooped up inside the tepee when she could readily imagine diat everyone walking by was pointing and whispering about the woman Viper had brought into camp.