Surrender to Love

by Julia Templeton

  "She was only protecting me, and for that we are to be given to another?" Kari asked, taking a step toward him. She touched his arm, then quickly dropped it back to her side.

  "I never said I'd get rid of both of you," Gray Hawk replied.

  Jordan gasped. "You would get rid of me and keep Kari?"

  He did nothing more than lift a brow, making her come to her own conclusion.

  She shook her head and bit into her bottom lip before blurting, "I hate you more than I've hated anyone. I never asked for this. You just took it upon yourself to snatch us up and take us away, stealing our dreams and aspirations...our freedom."

  He didn't want to hear this, for he'd been struggling with the knowledge he'd taken away their freedom. Clenching his jaw tight, he remained silent.

  "What do you expect of us? Do you think we should be thankful? Well, if you do, then think again. I live for the day I leave this horrible place and you along with it." When a single tear rolled down her cheek, he winced. All she'd ever shown was her strength, and now to see her vulnerable made him angry at himself.

  "We just want to go home. We've done nothing to you or your people."

  There was nothing he could say to make her feel better, so he said nothing, and instead motioned for them to head back to the village. "Go to the teepee and await my return."

  She looked ready to run. He knew she would try to escape, and in a way, he almost wished she would. Yet for some reason that he couldn't even explain to himself, he wanted her with him.

  With a final glare in his direction, she grabbed Kari's hand and they headed back toward the village. He turned to Running Deer who watched him intently.

  He knew what she was thinking. It was what everyone thought-- that he'd bought the women back for his pleasure. Yet he hadn't, at least that hadn't been his plan, even though at night he lay awake, finding it hard to find sleep with the red-haired hellion beside him, tossing and turning in her sleep, her hair fanned out over the furs, over her soft, white skin. How he yearned to take her beneath him and discover every inch of her body.

  "Why do you not come to me?" Running Deer asked when they were finally alone.

  "You are free to do as you please," he said in response, his gaze shifting to the running river behind her, not wanting her to read the truth in his eyes.

  "You want her. You want the white woman. Which one, Gray Hawk? Or are you becoming like Iron Bear and want both?"

  "Do not provoke them any more, Running Deer."

  "Is that a threat?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

  "No, it's a promise."

  Without another word, he walked away, ignoring her curses.

  SLOWLY, JORDAN opened her eyes to darkness. The only light came from the fire burning low in the pit, and as she sat up on her elbows, she saw that she was alone. She stretched, glad to have napped for a few hours. A little rest did a lot for her attitude, and she needed as much of an adjustment as she could get before facing Gray Hawk again.

  The sound of Kari's voice coming from outside the teepee brought her abruptly awake. Scrambling to her feet, Jordan threw back the flap to find her cousin sitting with the others in a circle around the fire. It struck Jordan how odd Kari looked sitting among all the dark-haired people, despite the fact that she laughed and talked with them as though she truly belonged.

  Instantly Jordan's gaze darted around the camp, looking for one man in particular. Not seeing Gray Hawk among the others, she sat beside Kari and forced herself to relax and listen to the conversations around her. She told herself if she tried to learn the language, she would be giving into her captivity by trying to adapt. Yet, unconsciously she found she listened more intently these last few days, knowing it would be much easier, and perhaps even help them escape if she knew what they were saying.

  A hush fell over the crowd as the flap to the chief's teepee opened, and the chief, Three Moons, stepped out, followed by his sons, Iron Bear and Gray Hawk.

  Holding her breath, Jordan watched as Gray Hawk's gaze scanned the circle and came to rest on her, as though he'd been searching for her alone. To her distress, she couldn't look away. A strange awareness raced through her as she stared. Soft leather breeches clung to his strong legs like a second skin. His narrow hips accented a flat stomach that was hard and muscled. She swallowed as her gaze moved up his body to the bear-claw necklace that rested against his smooth chest, then up further to his face. The war bonnet of white feathers contrasted with his dark beauty, and the painted green stripes running along the base of his high cheekbones made the gray of his eyes brighter and more intense. He was compelling, his magnetism so potent, that the hair on her arms stood on end.

  The haunting melody of a wooden flute floated on the breeze. The group around her clicked their tongues, and a few shrill cries rang out as the men of the tribe came together in the middle of the circle. As Jordan looked around the camp, she saw all the men were wearing masks or wore paint all over their bodies, which meant she was about to witness a ceremony of some type.

  Her stomach clenched in a tight knot. Merciful heaven, was this it? Jordan wondered. Were she and Kari to be offered as a sacrifice? Had she been so difficult that Gray Hawk had decided to rid himself of them altogether? She jumped as warriors threw handfuls of powder into the fire, making it flare brightly into the night sky.

  Jordan's heart matched the beat of the drums as she watched dark male bodies sway to the music. The men moved as one, so sensual, so exotic, so unlike anything she'd ever witnessed before.

  Oddly enough, an emotion other than fear began to race through Jordan as she watched Gray Hawk. The way he danced was almost hypnotic, and at that moment, she felt as though she were under his spell. Her blood pumped wildly at the sight, filling her with a strange inner excitement as she sat riveted to the spot.

  But as the dance continued and her excitement mounted, Jordan was ready to run from her thoughts and the man they were centered around. When the music stopped abruptly, the dancers went down on one knee, except for Gray Hawk who stood tall in the middle of the circle. A cry tore from his throat that was neither human nor primal. He raised his hands to the stars and silence fell over the group.

  Jordan's pulse skittered, waiting for something, what exactly, she wasn't sure. Then the music started again, slower this time, each note romantic and stirring. Her heart beat faster as the momentum of the music gained speed and Gray Hawk's body moved to the pounding rhythm. With each motion his muscles flexed beneath his dark skin. "Oh my," she said under her breath at the sight he provoked, and the strange, disquieting thoughts that raced through her mind.

  Kari leaned forward, not taking her eyes off the warriors. "What?"

  Jordan's throat was so tight she couldn't reply. The dance continued, and with every second that passed, her skin grew warm, almost hot, as she watched the man she so hated. She ran a trembling hand down her face.

  If she hated him, why then was she so aware of him?

  He looked her way and her breath caught. His silver gaze burned into hers for an endless moment. Her skin tingled with an awareness so intense her body pulsed with it. The side of his mouth lifted the slightest bit in a smile she felt all the way to her toes. The simple gesture transformed him completely, from a man she feared, to one she desired with all her soul.

  But too soon the magic was broken as Running Deer stepped into Jordan's line of vision to dance with Gray Hawk.

  Raw jealousy ripped at Jordan's insides as she watched him move with the other woman in a dance, that from the looks of it, they'd known all their lives.

  Perhaps it was for the best. She'd been letting her thoughts wander to places it had no business going.

  "I'm going back to the teepee," Jordan said, coming to her feet when Iron Bear, Gray Hawk's half-brother approached her. His hand was outstretched, beckoning her to join him in the dance.

  She glanced at Kari, who merely smiled and shrugged. At her side, Tawanka nodded encouragingly. Iron Bear was menacing with scars ru
nning down one side of his face. The claw marks were said to be from a grizzly, who in the end, Iron Bear had killed. He was also a man whose libido was proven by his twelve children and three pregnant wives. Although he was the last person she wanted to dance with, from the expectant looks of the crowd it appeared she had no choice.

  What would it hurt? Maybe she would even gain a few friends tonight if she tried. After all, fighting with them was getting her nowhere. Perhaps if she gained their trust, it would be easier to escape them.

  Surrounded by others, Jordan at first felt awkward, trying to mirror Iron Bear's movements, but soon she found the rhythm and began to relax and actually enjoy herself for the first time since being captured. Glancing up at Iron Bear, she returned his smile of approval, hoping he wouldn't misinterpret the look.

  Feeling uneasy under his lustful stare, she quickly turned and looked toward Gray Hawk to find he was no longer dancing, but standing with the others watching her. His eyes shone like silver in the light of the fire. He was so tall, dark and handsome, his skin so smooth, that she wondered what it would feel like under her fingers. Her pulse beat madly in her throat as she continued to stare.

  Chapter 5

  GRAY HAWK watched Iron Bear's gaze move slowly over Jordan's body. It was obvious by the fire in his eyes that his brother wanted her. Though the knowledge angered him, he knew he couldn't blame his brother for desiring Jordan--especially when Gray Hawk wanted her himself.

  Which was ridiculous, especially since she was becoming more difficult with every day that passed. He had little control over the woman who would just as soon plunge a knife in his back as look at him. But there was something about Jordan that also intrigued him. She was strong and independent...so much like Samantha.

  Samantha--he would never forget her betrayal. It was like a wound that never healed, despite the fact that he had only been sixteen at the time.

  He had traveled to Missouri, to a school that taught Indians English and the white ways. Having already learned the language from his mother, he'd been the prime candidate to go. Intent on his purpose, he left his people in order to serve them better. At first he took on his studies with vigor. But then he met Samantha Reeves, a young wife of a missionary who worked at the school, and his life changed overnight.

  Samantha, a petite brunette with dark brown eyes had been kind to him from the start, and he had always liked her. For the first year he'd enjoyed flirting with her, but he never took her seriously, knowing she was married to a missionary, an older gentleman with a kind smile, but a firm hand when things didn't go his way.

  One day while her husband was working out in the fields, Samantha asked Gray Hawk to help her move a dresser in her room. He agreed to help, not thinking anything of it. Knocking on the door, he waited. A few minutes passed without an answer. He almost left, but decided to try the door first. He found it unlocked, so he pushed it open. "Mrs. Stone?" he called, shutting the door behind him.

  "In here, Gray."

  He walked to her bedroom to find her lying on her bed, wearing nothing but a smile. Without thoughts of the implications, he took what she so graciously offered, and soon became oblivious to everything but her.

  Samantha loved the power she had over him, and they took chances every day, meeting, making love in places where they could easily be caught. It was a dangerous game they played, but as a young man newly introduced to love, he would take any risk. His body craved the woman who constantly told him how much she loved him, and he in turn would tell her the same, sure it was love he was feeling. She always asked about his village and talked about the day they would leave together, saying she could hardly wait to become his true husband.

  But that day never came. Instead, five months after their affair began, Samantha's husband discovered his wife's infidelity and told Gray Hawk to leave the school for good, or he would put a bullet between his eyes.

  Gray Hawk packed, his mind racing, knowing there was no way he could leave Samantha behind. Believing she was also packing, he went to get her and found her crying. Her face was red and puffy from not only tears, but her husband's rage. Gray Hawk wanted more than anything to end the man's life right then and there when Samantha stopped him with words he would never forget. Her face was filled with self-loathing and disgust as she told him how much she hated him. The final insult came when she told him she couldn't believe she had allowed "a stinking savage" to touch her body.

  Jordan's laughter brought his attention back to the present. His captive was a lot like Samantha in that both were strong-willed and usually said what was on their minds. But that's where their similarity ended. Jordan's auburn hair framed her perfect features. How different she looked now from the hostile captive he was used to seeing. Her rose-colored lips parted in a smile exposing small white teeth. Long lashes cast shadows against her tanned cheeks, making the green of her eyes that much more striking. Her slender neck led down to high, full breasts that molded against the soft doeskin of her dress. A man could span her tiny waist with his hands, and her long legs were meant to wrap around a lover's waist.

  His body tightened. What was it with the woman? From the first time he saw her, he'd found her intriguing, and he had to wonder why, especially since she'd fought him at every turn. But despite the fact she was difficult, he still desired her, his body's reaction was evidence to that.

  Her gyrating hips moved in perfect time with the music, making him wonder what kind of lover she would be. She was so beautiful it made his body turn hard with desire as her luscious bottom moved in a sensual motion. An unwanted wave of jealousy washed over him as Iron Bear's hand reached out to brush a wayward curl from her face. The fury he felt threatened to choke him.

  As though sensing his perusal, Jordan abruptly met his stare. Her own smile vanished, but she didn't look away. Instead her gaze moved down to his lips, settling there for a heart-stopping moment before turning away.

  "She is beautiful."

  Gray Hawk nodded to his friend, Young Wolf, who was standing at his side watching the dancing. "Yes, she is," he agreed, noticing the younger man's smile of appreciation as he watched Jordan. Though Young Wolf took his responsibility to guard the women seriously, Gray Hawk wondered if it may have been unwise to entrust a lustful boy on the brink of manhood as guard for two equally young, desirable women.

  "Do you want her?" Gray Hawk asked before he could stop himself.

  Young Wolf's brows lifted in surprise. "They are both beautiful women."

  "And?"

  He shrugged. "I've no wish to anger you."

  His question had been answered. Of course others would desire the white women--they were men after all. Now he wished he wouldn't have asked. He had known others would find the women attractive, but he hadn't planned on fighting his own emotions, never dreaming that he would become attracted to either one of the captives.

  JORDAN TOSSED and turned on the fur blankets. Her body was on fire. Her breasts tingled against the smooth skin of her dress. Filled with a strange inner excitement she couldn't deny, she let out a heavy sigh and turned onto her side.

  The more she tried to ignore the truth, the more obvious it became--she was completely infatuated with Gray Hawk, who was at that very moment making love to Running Deer. A picture of the two came unbidden to her thoughts and along with it came a rush of jealousy.

  What was wrong with her? Gray Hawk was a half-breed for god's sake! An Indian...just like the ones who had killed her parents. It was wrong, she told herself over and over, but still the attraction was there, and she couldn't deny it.

  Slamming her fist into the furs, she rolled to her back again, staring up at the starlit sky through the opening above her. She was completely demented, that's what she was. What kind of a civilized woman was attracted to a savage? To a man that ran around half-naked and who spent his days hunting, while his woman slaved for him.

  Kari leaned up on her elbow, startling Jordan, who thought she'd been asleep.

  "You know,
I never would have admitted it before, but they are very interesting people, aren't they?"

  "Yeah," Jordan replied, hoping her attraction to Gray Hawk hadn't been obvious to her cousin or anyone else.

  Kari sighed. "Gray Hawk and Running Deer make a beautiful couple, but for some reason, I don't think he likes her as much as she likes him."

  "What do you mean?" Jordan asked, ignoring the fist that crushed her insides at the thought of Gray Hawk and Running Deer together.

  "I don't know, it's just the way he acts when he's around her. She's always touching him, and watching his every move. He just doesn't seem interested."

  Gray Hawk and Running Deer made a striking couple. They were perfectly suited--two people from the same village, and the same way of life. Then why did the thought of them together make Jordan feel so empty inside? What was wrong with her anyway? Her jealousy was completely unfounded. Unexpectedly, an image came to mind, of little dark-haired children, and among them a lighter-skinned, lighter-haired child...a child that belonged to her and Gray Hawk.

  "The dance was almost erotic in a way, wasn't it?" Kari asked. "And the music was haunting."

  Jordan's eyes went wide, not only at her thoughts, but Kari's words. Maybe that was it! Maybe it was just the dance that had excited her. After all, it was by far the most sensual thing she'd ever seen. And it wasn't every day one saw half-naked men dancing to exotic music.

  Before she could voice her thoughts out loud, Gray Hawk walked in, stopping further conversation. Jordan went completely still at his presence. Her pulse skittered realizing as he stretched out on his furs that he wasn't going to spend the night with Running Deer after all.

  She smiled into the darkness.

  Overly sensitized to his presence, Jordan's body tingled as she watched him from under lowered lids. As he stretched and closed his eyes, she took the opportunity to let her gaze wander down his long, lean frame, over his broad shoulders and well-defined chest. She glanced up quickly just to make sure he wasn't aware she was watching him. Seeing that his eyes were closed, her gaze wandered down where it shouldn't be--to his flat, muscled stomach, before shifting lower still to where his breeches cradled his manhood. What would it be like to make love to him? she wondered. No doubt he would be a wonderful lover, full of vitality and stamina. Similar to the virile men in the books Patricia hid under her mattress, completely unaware her step-daughter and niece were reading every passionate word.