by Debra Holt
“Okay, hold on to the stick.” He instructed her. “Take a marshmallow and slide it on the tip. Then hold it in the flames.”
His hand on top of hers guided her as she followed his instructions. She was trying hard to concentrate but his touch was definitely a deterrent to sensible thought.
“When it’s done to your preference, pull it out of the fire and blow on it to put it out.”
Jace placed his stick with its marshmallow alongside hers in the flames. A couple of minutes later, she withdrew hers from the fire and blew out the last remaining flame from the marshmallow. With careful fingers, she eased the gooey material from the stick’s end. Angie popped it into her mouth.
“This is so good!” She laughed as she licked the sticky goo from her fingers one at a time.
Jace’s eyes watched her enjoyment as if mesmerized. The look in his eyes made Angie stop her laughter. Her pulses went haywire. The moment stilled.
“Are you going to eat that or start a bonfire?”
Jace’s eyes blinked at the strange words. It didn’t take long to catch the meaning when he saw his own marshmallow was blazing quite nicely at the end of his charred stick. He quickly drew it out of the fire and blew on it. It took quite a lot of breath to put it out. Angie just smiled and placed her second marshmallow into the fire.
Chapter Twelve
The hour was getting late when the last of the marshmallows had been placed back inside their container. Angie tried to stifle a yawn. She had certainly consumed more than her fair share of the dessert. It had been a long and surprising day… in more ways than one. She remembered the small tent and the sleeping bags waiting. Maybe she would just stay awake a bit longer.
Jace came back from the jeep and she was surprised to see a quilt on his arm and a flashlight in his hand.
“Now for the best part of the evening,” he said as he smiled down at her.
“I almost hate to ask what this surprise will be,” she responded. Her eyes tried to not stay on the quilt.
Jace reached his hand toward her. “Come on, we have to take a little walk for you to see this.”
Angie was intrigued. She placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her up next to him. Switching on the flashlight, Jace kept hold of her hand as he led them from the fire and toward the area where the edge of the cliff would be. Angie was a bit hesitant when she saw the direction they headed. She remembered just how high the cliff had been earlier in the daylight. She didn’t like the idea of heading toward the precipice in the dark… flashlight or no flashlight.
Jace sensed her trepidation. His steps slowed for her. “Don’t be afraid.” The tones were low and reassuring. “We aren’t going to be anywhere near the edge. We’re going to stop right here.” She held the flashlight while he spread the quilt upon the ground. Then he took it from her and held her hand while she seated herself. He settled himself on the blanket next to her.
She could feel the warmth of his body next to hers and it warmed her with a nice feeling of security. She had no fear when he was next to her. It seemed very natural for her to slide her hand around the crook of his arm. She was no longer sleepy. He switched off the flashlight and total darkness engulfed them. “Look up.”
Angie looked upward, her breath catching in her throat. The black sky was alive with thousands of stars. She never knew a sky could look like that. It was indeed like a bolt of the finest black velvet stretched across the heavens and brilliant diamonds had been tossed across it. She was mesmerized by the beauty above her.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. How incredible it all is. So, this is what I’ve been missing in the city.”
Jace smiled beside her. He had to admit she continued to surprise him each day they were together. When he hatched his idea to bring her out here to his special place, he wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do. He felt compelled to do it anyway. And she had taken to it all with spirit and a great attitude. The woman beside him was not one to back down from life’s challenges. She had a quiet strength about her that was just below the beautifully polished surface. Few people might know it was there, but he did. It only made him fall that much harder.
“Thank you for bringing me here, Jace. In case I didn’t tell you earlier, I want you to know that now. I’m humbled that you chose to bring me to this special place of yours.” Her eyes were still on the stars but her voice was warm with sincerity.
“The best is still to come.” Jace’s gaze did not stray from her face even though the darkness had to make it difficult to see. She could feel it but she dared not return it.
“There’s more than this? How can there be?”
“Just watch.”
Within minutes, the moon began to make its appearance. Slow yet steady, its ascent into the night sky was underway. Just as promised, it was a huge, bright silver orb against the black velvet. The stars twinkled brighter as they reflected its glow. A light breeze grew from the top of the cliff. The clearing was bathed in its own silvery light… the glow was its own soft daylight.
Angie would never see anything so magical again in her life. There was nothing in comparison. She looked at Jace. His eyes were intent on the sky above them, his face bathed in the moonlight. They could have been sitting here in centuries past. The time and place were frozen. Jason Blackhawke was part of it all. She experienced an incredible longing to be part of it with him. To belong to him and this land. There was no more denying it. She had fallen in love with her husband. Her eyes drew his. They moved over her like hot molten silver speaking of his desire for her. Angie did not turn away. She had no witty repartee to break the moment. No pretenses.
“I’m going to kiss you now.” His voice was low and it reached into her soul. “Then I want you to take the flashlight and leave this spot and go to the tent. I’m going to stay out here for a while. At least long enough to get control of myself again. Understand?”
Her gaze could not leave his. Angie nodded her head slowly. All she knew was that he wanted to kiss her again. And she wanted him to do so… with every particle of her being. She could possibly die if he didn’t.
She leaned into him as he lowered his head towards hers. It seemed the most natural response in the world. Her lips met his with eager welcome. This time, she was a full participant in the kiss. Jace’s hand came up to slide around the back of her neck and allow him to increase the pressure of his mouth upon hers. His tongue sought and was given entry to the warm recesses of her soft mouth. A low moan escaped her and it reverberated throughout his body. Angie moved closer against him wanting to close every bit of distance between them. Her arms found their way around his shoulders, fingertips resting against the heated skin of his neck.
Jace deepened the kiss. His arms closed around her body and she felt herself floating backwards… until the material of the quilt met her back. Jace’s body drew her in to his full length. His lips lightened on hers, only to slowly tantalize the skin along the side of her neck. Each place he touched set off a small fire that soon ignited into a full blown wildfire roaring through her senses by the time his mouth reached the pulse at the base of her throat.
Angie had no thought but the intense pleasure Jace was wreaking upon her body. He brought every nerve within her alive with his touch. His hand slid slowly across her stomach and then upward to allow long fingers to slowly flick open one button at a time. And he was in no hurry. There was exquisite torture as the cloth came free, his lips placing a hot kiss where the soft flesh became exposed. This was no simple kiss.
Angie’s breathing became more labored and her hands more intent on bringing him closer to her. Never had she experienced the need to be part of another’s flesh as in that moment. Her fingers became tangled in his hair; the leather strip freed easily. She marveled at the pleasurable way the strands felt against her bared skin as his head dipped lower. The last button of her shirt gave way. The cool evening breeze sent chill bumps across the skin of her stomach.
Jace raised his head to a
llow his lips to explore the soft flesh behind her ear, his teeth gently nipping at an ear lobe. A ripple of incredible pleasure coursed through Angie. She moved her body into his. The ripple became a tidal wave as his hand moved up to take possession of one black lace covered breast. His mouth claimed hers just as his thumb found the hardened nipple. With an incredible slowness, his thumb and forefinger drew lazy circles around the heated tip. Angie arched closer under his palm as the incredible sensations shot throughout her body. A soft moan welled inside her and escaped. There was no conscious thought… only the feelings his touches invoked as he brought her alive.
Angie had no control over any of her senses… or her actions. It was Jace who still managed to cling to part of his brain. It was he who broke the kiss, his hand stilled on her breast. She opened her eyes, but his face was lost in darkness with the bright moon behind him. All she knew was that he had taken away the warmth and the feeling of security she had felt in his arms.
“It’s time for you to take that walk to the tent.” It was small consolation to hear the raw emotion in his voice as he tried to control his labored breathing.
Angie remembered his previous words. She had agreed then but her body did not want to respond now. She hesitated.
Jace rolled away from her side and sat up. His hands moved to smooth his hair back from his face. He did not look at her.
Angie followed more slowly, trying to gather her wits. Without the warmth of his body, the chilly night air served to bring her back from the edge. She drew her blouse together, and managed to slide a couple of buttons back into place with shaky fingers. Whatever had just happened shook her to the core. She stood on feet that were far steadier than she felt. Without a word or backward glance, she left him sitting there, the flashlight leading her away.
Angie didn’t know how long she lay awake once inside the tent. She had drawn the sleeping bag up under her chin and turned on her side. She was not facing the spot where Jace would sleep. Her mind was such a jumble of thoughts. It was not lost on her that if it had not been for Jace’s strength over his emotions; had he not pulled back, she would have given in to the desires of her body and her heart.
One part of her registered the fact that perhaps she should be glad Jace had managed to put a stop to their lovemaking when he did. But another part of her brain had to admit she was disappointed at the same time. Lovemaking with Jace would be a heaven and a hell at the same time. It would just make it so much harder when she had to leave him and his world. Angie doubted sleep would ever come.
The quiet and the sound of the wind through the pine trees outside did eventually lull her into a dreamless sleep faster than she thought it would happen. When next she woke, she was aware of the steady breathing of the other occupant of the tent. She had no idea how late or early it was, but it was still dark outside. Angie lay there for a few minutes but sleep would not come back. Then a thought struck her and she knew what she must do, crazy as it might seem. She moved slowly, taking the quilt with her, trying to make little noise as she exited the tent. The air was chilly, but the moon was even brighter in the sky high above them.
Her eyes adjusted to the soft light. She found her way to the spot where they had first shared the evening. She sat on the log, drawing the quilt more snugly around her shoulders. Angie remembered the words Jace had spoken earlier… about lovers who made wishes upon the Apache moon. They would come true. Did she dare to wish? Was she being silly? Her wishes never worked out too well in the past. In fact, she had given up making wishes before the end of her childhood. She often looked at those who tossed pennies in fountains and searched for the first evening star to plant a wish upon as lacking in common sense.
But then, this was a special place and there was a magic to be found here in this land. What did she have to lose? Could Father Sky hear what was in her heart? Did he know the deep secret she guarded the past few weeks? That not only had she fallen in love with the strange land and its people, but also with the man whose silver eyes claimed her soul? If so, would Father Sky consider her worthy enough to grant her wish? Her upturned face was bathed in moonlight. Her eyes implored the silent heavens with the deepest wishes in her heart.
A movement… something… caught her attention. Angie sat still and looked around her. Some night creature in the woods? There wasn’t anything she could see. Perhaps her emotions were getting the best of her. She now felt silly as she sat making a wish to something that she had never heard of until she came to this land. What difference where she made a wish, it would not come true any more here than if it was made in Central Park. She had no right to ask for such things. She had been drawn into the strange feelings tonight by circumstances, by the vision of possibilities she saw in a pair of silver eyes that made her long for things she shouldn’t. His world was far from hers. And never the two shall meet.
Jace was as susceptible as she had been to the time and place. But in the light of day, nothing would have changed. She was still the outsider from the east. A person with no family… no roots. That would not change if she sat here and wished on each and every star in the sky above. Jace had been right to pull away from her. He would turn away fast enough if he knew about her past. His family would certainly find her lacking. A tear escaped from the corner of her eye. A second followed. She stood up and wiped them away with the back of her hand. Enough of foolish wishes.
Angie crept back into the tent and into her makeshift bed as quietly as she could. She noted that Jace had not moved from where he slept… his back to her, his breathing even. In the morning, she would think of some excuse to cut this trip short. There was no use in staying out here in an impossible situation. The moon had begun its slow descent from the heavens about the time that sleep finally overcame her.
*
The smell of coffee filtered into her senses and woke her. Angie lay still for a couple of moments, her eyes focused on the ceiling of the tent. She knew, even without looking, that Jace was no longer beside her in the tent. He had risen to greet the sun as usual. Angie felt rumpled and out of sorts as she crawled from the bag and slipped on her shoes. Her hair must look a fright. She drew a band from her pocket and tried to control it by securing it at the nape of her neck. When she could put it off no longer, she exited the tent.
The sun was already making its presence felt. Angie glanced at her watch and saw that it was almost nine. She had certainly slept in. There was a fire and a pot of fresh coffee warming to the side. Her eyes were so intent on coffee she did not notice Jace until he spoke.
“Good morning. Or should I say good afternoon?” His attempt at humor was not humorous at all.
Her bones were sore from the lack of a soft mattress, she needed a hot shower and her toothbrush, and the sight of him in his tight jeans and plaid shirt this morning was just too much for her at the moment. The look she gave him as he approached the fire ring should have been enough of a warning to tread lightly… to most people it would have been.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be joining me for breakfast or lunch. I did put some coffee on for you though. I know how you can be if you don’t have that first cup.”
She looked up at him as he handed her the cup of coffee. If she expected to see any change in his manner towards her after last night, she was in for a surprise. He acted like nothing had transpired between them. Why that made her even angrier she did not stop to contemplate.
“How soon can we leave?”
Jace looked at her in surprise. That got his attention quick enough.
“Leave? Aren’t you enjoying this? What could we have at home that we don’t have here?”
Was he serious?
“How about a comfortable mattress? Or a hot shower and a blow dryer? I don’t know. Maybe my expectations are a tad bit high, but indoor plumbing would be high on my list also.”
“Someone got up on the wrong side of the sleeping bag today.” He observed as he took a sip of his own coffee.
Angie’s fingers itched to toss
the contents of her cup at his head. She was not in any mood for his witticisms.
“I can see that you need another surprise.”
“Oh no,” Angie spoke quickly. “Thanks, but no thanks. I think my quota of surprises has been exceeded on this trip.”
Jace stood up and dumped the last of his drink into the fire. The sizzle of liquid on hot coals sent a small plume of smoke up in the air. His eyes held a gentle smile when they settled on her.
“Come on. I promise you will not want to miss this one. This is the last surprise.”
Angie looked at his extended hand for a long moment or two. With a sigh of surrender, she sat her cup down and placed her hand inside his. The electric jolt woke her up far better than any cup of coffee could. She went to pull her hand away but he was ahead of her. His grasp would not let her go. His other hand grabbed the quilt and a towel he had laid on the log earlier. She fell into step beside him in silence.
He led her across the clearing and into the stand of pines. The ground was a little steeper here and she was glad of his helping hand. When she was just about to tell him to stop, she wanted to go back, they came to a halt. In front of her, was a lovely blue pool of crystal clear water. The best part was the waterfall that tumbled off a rock overhang and fell into the middle of the pool. It had to be as tall as a three or four story building.
“Well, you wanted a shower. This water comes from a thermal spring. It’s better than any spa. The pool is waist to chin deep and the bottom is limestone. I took the liberty of bringing your bag and a towel for you earlier.” He moved to spread the quilt next to her bag.
Angie noticed her things, as they sat on a rock not far from the edge of the pool. Once again, he had managed to surprise her in a most pleasant and very thoughtful way. She felt like a shrew after the way she acted at the camp.