by Deanna Jewel
Withdrawing from the kiss, Taima cradled her head in the palms of his hands to bury his face in her silky, sage-scented hair. Excitement shot through his body like a wavering arrow, begging for a release that had been too long restrained. He wanted to wait for the right moment, but her quivering inner muscles tightened around him as she kept pace with his every move.
The heat of her body made it impossible for him to hold back any longer. He thrust deep and she accepted him. Together, they found the tempo that bound their bodies as one. Then his world exploded like the rush of white-water over rocky rapids. Torrential waves of ecstasy pulsed through him until he lay spent, reveling in the aftermath of what he hadn’t felt in years for any woman. Drawing in a slow, even breathe, he waited for his racing heart to slow.
Slight tremors shivered through Kate as he held her tightly. He felt as though he never wanted to be separated from the warmth of her body. Crushing her to him, he pressed his mouth to hers. She responded passionately, nearly making his heart burst.
Taima brushed her hair away from her face, and rose onto his elbows. He had finally made love without thoughts of Witashnah, nor feelings of guilt. Though he may have fulfilled a physical need for Kate, he had allowed her to tear apart his soul, to make him aware of feelings for her he hadn’t wanted to admit yet.
Kate rose up to touch her lips to his. A soft, tender caress. “I’ll not have you accuse me of anything now that we’re finished,” she teased.
“You don’t regret what we’ve just done?”
“How could I regret something so beautiful?”
Taima drew in a ragged breath, worried about her reaction to what he was about to say. “Because...now, you are my true wife.”
A moment of silence passed between them.
“I don’t understand.”
He continued to hold her tight as he lay atop her, lest she decide to squirm from his grasp. “Since the first night you spent in my lean-to with me, you have been considered my wife by our people. It is our custom.”
“You mean all two people have to do is sleep together in one lean-to and they are considered married?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t believe you kept that fact from me, allowing me to think otherwise.”
Kate pounded upon his shoulders and Taima quickly grasped her fists, drawing them above her head. She squirmed beneath him, but he refused to let go. “What difference would it have made?”
“None. And it won’t now. You’ve already said you can’t love me.”
“Kate . . .”
“Don’t! Nothing will change. I’ll not ask a thing from you.” She struggled to release her wrists from his hold, but he didn’t budge, nor did he withdraw from her silken sheath.
Taima closed his eyes in frustration. How could he make her understand the way he felt about Witashnah? His feelings for her were different.
“Kate, perhaps in time . . .”
“Stop it! I don’t want anything from you. You’re an animal, a savage!”
Her squirming stirred his desires. He wanted to continue what they had only just begun. Her anger re-ignited his passion and he gently thrust forward with his hips.
“Don’t . . .”
Taima covered her mouth with his, silencing her objection. His kiss was more brutal than he’d planned; his tongue explored the recesses of her mouth, crushing her to him as he moved within her. She responded in kind, battling with her tongue, and before Taima realized, he was again erect within her silken sheath. Currents of desire swept through him and Kate’s eager movements matched his.
She moved with him in rhythmic motions. Still holding her hands, Taima stretched his arms out to the sides. He kissed her jaw, the throbbing pulse at the hollow of her throat, her shoulder, until his mouth covered the hardened tip of her breast. He longed for a small amount of light to see the ecstasy in her face.
A tormented moan escaped Kate’s lips. Taima rose slightly above her as they continued their rhythm. “Tell me you don’t want this as much as I, woman.”
“I don’t,” she whispered, but desire lingered in her voice, betraying her lies.
Taima stopped moving. He could hold out longer than she. He was trained at self-discipline. He was a warrior.
Taima waited.
Kate pulled on her wrists, to no avail.
Her quivering muscles inside tightened around him, and she moved her hips, but he resisted. Pulling her hands overhead into one of his, he took the weight of a full breast in the palm of his other hand and suckled the tip. Her uneven breathing came warm against his cheek.
“Why are you doing this?” she whimpered, her trembling voice filled with aching need.
“We desire each other. Why do you fight it?”
She raised her knees and her feet caressed the back of his legs. Unable to continue his restraint, Taima moved his hips in time with Kate’s. Their tempo increased to the beat of the distant, thundering drums of the celebration until her body shook with slight tremors of satisfied pleasure.
Taima captured her mouth with his, their tongues moving with the same pace as he released his life-giving seed within her again. Kate’s wild abandonment spoke words Taima knew she would never speak on her own. Though she fought him at every turn, it only heightened their passion.
Tonight was no different.
Perspiration clung to his face and chest...between their naked bodies. He released her hands to rub his face, then rolled onto his side. Before Kate could turn away, he embraced her, drawing her close as he pulled a fur over their bodies. She hid her face in his shoulder and hot tears slipped onto his chest.
With a finger beneath her chin, Taima lifted her teary gaze. “Little one, why do you cry?”
Rather than answer, she only shook her head.
“Open your eyes and look at me. Though it’s dark in here, I know you try to shut me out.”
“We both want different things. How can we ever be happy?”
“Because we are. Does there have to be more? Perhaps in time, I will find it easier to love another. You have come to mean very much to me in the short time you have been here.”
Hearing the small promise in Taima’s voice, Kate silently rejoiced. She would take what he offered, though she didn’t want him to know it. Love would eventually grow between them; she’d see to it. She had won Kelee’s love; she would win Taima’s.
As she lay within the circle of Taima’s arms, the warmth of his body sent away the slight chill that had crept into the lean-to. Kate tugged on the fur covering and snuggled closer to Taima, placing her arm on his waist. His chin rested atop her head, and security surrounded her. She pressed a kiss to his chest, tasting the saltiness of his skin, then allowed sleep to overtake her.
* * * * *
Warmth surrounded Kate. She stretched the muscles of her neck and shoulders then opened her eyes. Light filtered in through the small opening around the dark hide entrance.
Vivid memories of last night’s ecstasy formed in her mind. Taima’s scorching touch had branded every inch of her body. She exhaled a cleansing breath, smiling to herself. The more he desired her, the more he would want her. Soon, his love would follow.
“I hope your smile is because of last night.”
She glanced at Taima. His deep, velvety voice stoked the smoldering embers that still remained from last night’s passion. The warmth of his hand cupped her breast, hardening the tip as he caressed it with his thumb.
“Would that please you?”
“To know I could please you would make me happy.”
She stroked the area beneath his chin with her finger. “Is that so important to you?”
“If you are to be my wife, yes. I would like to think my caresses no longer repulse you.”
“Look at me. Do I look like I hate what happened?”
“Then you accept being my wife?”
“If we can start fresh. I won’t be a replacement, as Aiyana once stated I would be.” Kate rolled onto her side, closer
to him, as his hand moved lower to cover her hip. “Whether you want to admit it or not, one day you will love me.”
Taima touched his lips to hers. “Kelee is probably waiting for us. Shall we go find him?”
Kate searched the heated sensuality of his blue eyes; eyes that melted the wall surrounding her heart with his seductive glances. Although he avoided discussing what he might one day feel for her, she was determined to exorcise Witashnah from his mind forever.
“Yes, let’s spend the day with Kelee. Is there somewhere special we could go?”
He thought for a moment. “A lake north of here, surrounded by rocks as tall as the mountains. He loves to fish there.”
“Then we should go.”
“Before we do . . .” Taima threw back the fur covering their bodies. “. . . I want to see you in the light, so I can envision you whenever I’m away.”
A husky groan sounded deep in his throat. His gaze seared her flesh as it moved lower from her breasts to her toes, touching her more thoroughly than his hands had. Before she realized it, Taima had pressed her onto her back and rolled on top of her, his hands scooping beneath her shoulders to cradle her head.
She thought to object, but one look into those eyes melted her resolve. His sensual gaze needed no interpretation. Taima had maneuvered himself between her thighs, his arousal hard against her woman’s center, igniting the embers that lay smoldering while she’d slept.
“Last night did not quench my desire for you,” Taima said, then his mouth claimed hers in an urgent kiss. His tongue slipped past her lips. With a gentle thrust of his hips, he entered her. “I’ve held back since the day I took you from the Blackfoot. You will remain mine from now on.”
She kissed him with all her heart, meeting his thrusts with equal fervor. His tongue moved against hers and their hips melded. His statement only reinforced what Kate had told herself. In time, he would also be hers.
For the next hour, she experienced the joys of lovemaking, never realizing his mouth could make her world explode into pure pleasure.
* * * * *
Kate helped Aiyana serve breakfast, meat and broth over what they considered bread, to Taima, Ahanu, and the children. Kate thought of the breakfasts she’d had in the future, a place, which now seemed so far away. French toast made of thick, homemade bread, lathered with butter and syrup would taste so good right now. Her mouth watered. She wondered if she would ever be able to eat like that again.
When Kate handed Taima his plate, his fingers touched her hand, sending a tingling shiver up her arm. She met his gaze and her cheeks heated. All she could think of was his lean, naked body upon the furs. Her gaze moved to his mouth, and her knees nearly buckled as she remembered their early morning together.
She turned to get her own breakfast, only to glance at Ahanu, which was a mistake. From the humor she saw in his querying eyes, she knew he likely suspected what had taken place between her and Taima last night. The warm flush from her cheeks seeped down to cover her neck.
Taking up her plate, Kate sat next to Taima. She avoided looking at Aiyana, who busied herself with the clean-up, staring at the food on her stone plate instead. The bread soaked up the broth. If it were only French toast soaking up syrup. She tasted the bland food, wishing for a salt shaker.
Looking at Kelee, she asked, “I understand you have a favorite place to fish, Kelee?”
Kelee scooped up another bite of meat and bread with his fingers.
“I can’t wait for you to see it. Do you want to go?” Kelee asked, his face beaming.
After their meal, Kate rode her horse alongside Kelee as he held tight to his father’s waist atop their horse. The smile Kelee gave her expressed his happiness that she’d been returned to his family. She couldn’t put into words how glad she was to be back among Taima’s people...and to be his wife. Being a mother to Kelee would be a challenge, since she had no experience. She only wished she could be as good as Witashnah had been for him.
After traveling north for about an hour, she followed Taima along another path leading east. With her mouth agape, Kate stared at the sight before her, and wondered if she were dreaming.
The morning mist still curled atop the trees, shrouding her view of the mountains. Though they might be a mile or so away, the thick forest at their base provided protection around the lake nestled there. Lush green grass rose to meet the line of trees at the entrance to the woods.
Kate splayed her fingers over her chest; her breath caught in her throat as her recurring dream immediately formed before her. Vivid memories of a man sitting atop a horse, within the slow, swirling mist, invaded her mind. It couldn’t possibly be, she thought.
Eagerly, Kate slid from her horse, the reins trailing in her hand. “Kelee, it’s beautiful here.”
He ran past her, through the sagebrush, to the water’s edge. “Come watch the fish, Kate,” he called over his shoulder.
Breathless, she turned to Taima, still atop his horse.
His eyebrows drew together. “What is it? I can tell something is wrong.”
She looked back toward the pines and the mountains, then again at Taima. Her heart raced with excitement. “Nothing is wrong. It’s just that this is the place I’ve been searching for. It’s all so clear now.”
He slid from the horse. “Did you have another vision?”
More memories came back to Kate as to how she’d arrived in the Rockies. She pressed her fingers to her temples and closed her eyes, searching her thoughts.
Taima’s hands tenderly grasped her shoulders. “Kate...what is it?”
She looked at his handsome face, his dark complexion enhancing his eyes. The shine of his hair reminded her of its silkiness when it brushed against her bare skin. “My dream. This lake. The mountains.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I don’t understand either. Look.” Kate turned, pointing to the area of lake and mountains direct from her dream. She covered her mouth. “I just don’t believe it. For years, I’ve had a dream of a man sitting on a horse with mist and mountains behind him. I came out west to find this exact setting and...here it is.”
“You have dreamed of this area without ever seeing it?”
“Yes.” She looked around her at the lake, the sage, the mountains, traces of snow still clinging to the sides. “But why me? How did I know it existed? And you?” she said, as though she had just seen him for the first time.
Like a hot poker, pain shot through her temples. She quickly covered the soft area near her eyes. Kate wavered on her feet, but Taima steadied her.
“Kate, are you seeing something else? Sakima doesn’t get like this when he has a vision. What is wrong?”
Kate swayed as Taima seemed to move around her. The dizziness was worse this time. She closed her eyes again. Then Taima cradled her in his arms. He strode toward the water and sat her atop a huge log.
He knelt in front of her, their eyes now level. She blinked away the wave of dizziness. “Taima, it was you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I know now. It was you all the time, in my dream. Sakima’s visions weren’t so far off.”
“You’ve had the same dream since you were little?”
“Yes. Obviously, somehow I’ve traveled back in time. But I don’t understand what you have to do with my dream. Or why you have haunted me for so long. And what is the significance of this area that I should return here?”
He looked at her wide-eyed. “Am I to have your answers?”
Chapter Seventeen
Kate stared at Taima in disbelief. Her chest ached while her heart seemed to be playing a tug-of-war with itself. Her dream was becoming reality, yet she knew not why, nor what part this beautiful man before her played in it.
She cupped Taima’s face, his hair falling across the backs of her hands, feeling like satin. “Yes, somehow, you have the answers as to why I am here. We don’t know what they are yet, but in time, perhaps we will discover them together.”
His
warm hands covered hers. The sudden sadness in his eyes tore at her heart.
“And when you receive the answers you seek, you will be gone as quickly as you arrived.” Taima placed her hand on his beaded, leather shirt, over his heart. “I feel it here. In time, you will be gone.”
“We will make the most of the time we have. Neither of us knows how long it will take to obtain my answers.”
Taima embraced her, as though holding her tightly would secure her to him forever. Kate sank into the security his arms offered.
He smoothed down the back of her hair with the palm of his hand. “I will be with you always, whether it is in this life or in your future. Our souls will always find each other. Never doubt that.”
Kate hugged him, her fingers threading through his long hair. She knew he felt more for her than he spoke. For now, just knowing he cared made being in this far away place easier for her to accept.
“Kate! Kate, come fish with me,” Kelee called.
She turned to see him running toward them, excitement lighting his small warrior’s face, happiness dancing in the depth of his blue eyes. His hair trailed in the wind as he ran, carrying a long stick, half of it wet where he’d poked it into the water.
Taima rose, allowing her to do the same. Kelee reached them, grasped her hand and pulled her toward the lake.
“Have you been trying to spear a fish again, Nechan?” Taima asked, walking beside her and Kelee.
“I need to wade further into the water, then I can. We’ll have many fish for the evening meal,” Kelee quipped as he sat down. After tugging off his moccasins, he stood and removed his leggings and shirt, leaving only his breechcloth.
Kate smiled at his excitement. If only Witashnah could see her son now. Kelee picked up his stick and quickly strode into the water until it reached his thighs. Searching for fish, he began stabbing the depths of the lake around him.
“He will be a great warrior one day,” Kate stated, then added, “and grow to be as handsome as his father. Those blue eyes of his will likely entice several beautiful young maidens to his side.”