by Bobbi Smith
A gasp of exhilaration escaped Rori at the sensations his surging hips created deep within her. She felt hot and restless and needed oh-so-desperately to move with him and against him. As she picked up his motion, fluidly moving her body in time with his, the tension between them grew almost unbearable.
Chance, knowing that she was driving him to the edge of oblivion, stopped all movement and just held her tightly to him. Rori's heart sank as he ceased his thrilling rhythm, and she tried to entice him to move again by rotating her hips against him. He groaned at her seductive ploy, but exerted his iron-willed self-control.
"No, sweet one, not yet . . . not yet . . . " he murmured hoarsely, shifting slightly away from her.
"Chance?" Rori suddenly feared that she'd done something wrong.
"Hush, love."
He silenced her with another kiss, a passionate, drugging kiss that wiped from her mind any thoughts that things were not right between them. When the kiss ended, he helped her shed her shirt, and she shivered to be so exposed to his gaze. Her protective instincts told her to cover herself, but her desire to prove her femininity to Chance encouraged her to be proud of her body.
Chance's dark eyes lingered on her bared breasts, tracing their loveliness, their golden, creamy fullness and their darker, duskier crests. She was so lovely . . . so beautiful. He kissed her once more fleetingly on the lips and then lowered his head to take one pert peak in his mouth. His hands rested possessively on her slender waist, holding her still before him.
Rori stared down at his dark head pressed against her bosom and knew a heart-swelling depth of emotion more vibrant, more shattering than anything she'd ever felt before. Of their own volition, her hands came up to cradle him to her. Encouraged by her move, Chance began suckling at the hardened nipple, and pleasure, so sweet, coursed through Rori, making her think that her knees were going to buckle beneath her.
Chance heard her sharp intake of breath and felt a surge of pride in knowing that he was pleasing her. Rori swayed against him as the ecstasy of his tender ministrations became too much to bear. He raised his head then claimed her lips for a blazing kiss.
Together, they sank to their knees and then lay upon the sandy earth. Chance pressed heated kisses to her throat and bosom and then moved lower to trail them across her stomach above the waist of her pants. Rori's fingers tangled in his hair as he tormented her so, and when he finally lifted her hips and slipped her buckskins from her she sighed. It felt so right and so good to be naked beneath him.
Chance moved to kiss her again, and she reached for him eagerly. Her hands worked feverishly at the buttons of his shirt as the kiss continued, and when at last he was naked to the waist, Rori could not stop touching him. She loved the feel of his hot, hair-roughened skin beneath her hands. She loved the feel of his firm, sculpted muscles. He was perfect in every way to her, and she loved him . . . she loved him . . .
Chance paused in their lovemaking only long enough to shed the rest of his own clothes and then went back into her arms. They came together in a fiery inferno of desire, each caress fueling another and another. Pleasure coursed through Rori's veins as he molded her to him, letting her feel the hard, ready length of his manhood.
Rori opened to him like a flower before the sun, parting her thighs in readiness for his possession. Chance fitted himself to her, his hands caressing her, preparing her for his entry into the dark heat of her body. He positioned himself and was surprised, and pleased, when Rori boldly reached down to guide him to her. Her hand was cool upon his hot, demanding flesh, and he reveled in her touch. She took him deep within the heart of her, tensing only momentarily as she accustomed herself to the still unfamiliar feeling of his body buried in hers.
Chance felt her body accept him and then close around him in a silken sheathing that wrapped him in molten rapture. He shuddered. His entire body was like a tightly coiled wire ready to snap, yet he exerted superhuman control over his raging desires and remained unmoving within her. Chance would not rush; he would not let this pass too quickly.
Rori held him close, cherishing his nearness, his very maleness. When he began to move, she met him thrust for driving thrust. When he began to touch her again, seeking out her most sensitive places, she returned the joy, caressing his back and hips. Daringly, Rori slipped a hand between their mating bodies to touch and explore their tender joining.
Stirred by her tantalizing caress, Chance's passion was driven to a fever pitch. He groaned and crushed her to his chest as he surged against her. They melded together, one body, each aware only of the other, each seeking only to please the other. The flashpoint came for them both, exploding in frenzied, overwhelming ecstasy. They spiraled upward, each rhythmic thrust taking them higher and higher until the their glory burst upon them in a rush of breathless excitement.
Rori clung to Chance, sobbing as the feverish madness ebbed slowly from her. She felt him shudder as she held him and knew a new sense of womanly power. It was deep and abiding and left her feeling heady with the discovery that she could please him just as much as he could please her. She wanted to stay in Chance's arms forever. She didn't care about anything but being with him and pleasing him. She loved him. He meant the world to her.
Chance cradled Rori's slender body to his as the splendor of their enchanted joining quieted. He mused dazedly on how right it felt to hold her, their bodies still locked in love's embrace. He felt sated, yet still hungry for her. He wanted to keep her with him and . . .
As Chance's thoughts were drifting in aimless pursuit of the elusive dream that was teasing the edges of his consciousness, a desert breeze caressed him, cooling the heat from both his sweat-damp body and his passion-seared mind. He was startled to recognize the direction of his thoughts, and he berated himself for his idiocy. What could he be thinking of?
A relationship with Rori was impossible, no matter how right it felt. He admitted reluctantly to himself, now that he was logical, that he did care for her, but he knew it would be cruel to use her. He was going back to Boston just as quickly as he could manage it. If he continued to seduce her this way, making love to her at every opportunity, he would destroy her when he finally left. For all that she responded to him as a woman, he knew emotionally she was still a child. He couldn't risk hurting her that badly. He couldn't do that to her. He would have to fight what his senses told him was right and deny the elemental bond of attraction that existed between them.
Chance knew it wouldn't be easy. He would be lying if he said he didn't want her. He did want her. In fact, it was all he could do to keep from taking her again, right now, as they lay so intimately entwined on the hard ground. He silently cursed himself for behaving like an animal with Rori, taking her there in the wilderness with no thought to her comfort. Yet, he knew he'd been obsessed with having her and that nothing would have stopped him from taking her in that moment. Troubled, he levered himself up on his elbows to ease most of his weight from her, and looked down at her.
In the way of young girls and their first loves, Rori was in heaven. Her heart's desire had come true. Chance did want her. There was no doubt in her mind that Chance loved her. When he shifted his body slightly away from her, but did not leave her, it was another sign to Rori that he never wanted to be apart from her again. She was certain that everything was going to be wonderful between them from now on. Rori gave a deep, excited sigh as she gazed up at him, the adoration she was feeling for him shining in her eyes.
"Oh, Chance, I just knew you were pretending when you were ignoring me," Rori said in breathless, youthful excitement. She thought all of her dreams were coming true. "You really did want me." She sighed again ecstatically.
Oh, my God, Chance thought in desperation as he saw the tender emotion that was mirrored in her innocent eyes. How could it have come to this? He had known it was going to be difficult when he left her, but now he knew it would be far worse than anything he'd ever considered.
"Everything is just perfect between us," Rori whi
spered with heartfelt devotion. "I love being with you . . . you make me feel so special. I know things have been awkward between us for the last few days, but it was only because we were trying to deny the truth of what we were really feeling. Now, everything's changed. Now, we can spend more time together and . . ." As she was speaking, she lifted one hand to touch his cheek.
Chance physically flinched as she touched his cheek, as much from the physical contact as from her words. Dear Lord, she expected this to go on and on and . . . Chance moved completely away from her then, sitting up.
"Wait a minute, Rori," he said as sternly as he could,
"What is it?" Rori asked in all innocence. She had not yet picked up on the nuance of his move and expected only avowals of devotion from him.
"We have to talk."
"I know. Isn't it wonderful?" The newborn woman in her was regarding him with a lovestruck expression.
"Rori." His tone was even more stern and a bit exasperated. "We have to talk about this . . . This has got to stop."
She frowned, puzzled. "Stop? What do you mean?"
"I mean this is wrong, all wrong."
"Wrong? How could our making love be wrong?" Rori was starting to grow tense as she sensed she was not understanding him completely.
The way she said "making love" struck Chance almost painfully. He cared for her, and when she looked at him that way, there was no way he could deny himself, not when he knew how loving and passionate and giving she was. But he also knew that he had to discourage her once and for all, and he had to do it right now. He couldn't let this go on. He had to put an end to it. It would be far worse for her if he didn't.
"Rori, you're such an innocent that you don't understand." He deliberately made himself sound callous. "What happened between us here was not love. It was lust, pure and simple." Chance said the last as he got to his feet and began to dress.
"But you wanted me . . ." she insisted, remembering their explosive passion, still not comprehending what he was saying.
"I won't deny it. I do want you, but it's purely a physical thing between us. There's more to love than just this attraction we have for each other." Chance told her. He was filled with anguish as he saw the reality dawning in her eyes.
Rori recoiled visibly at his words, and she stared at him in disbelief as what he was saying to her took root in her consciousness. The pain was so great, she felt as if he'd slapped her, and in that instant, Rori came fully into her womanhood. She stared at the man before her as if seeing him for the first time. Her expression hardened, growing aloof and cold. Bitterness welled up inside her, and she realized what a fool she'd been. He had used her, and she had let him. The first time she could have forgiven herself for, it had been more accidental than anything, but tonight . . . Tonight she'd given herself to him fully, and he'd taken all that she could give.
"Do you understand what I'm saying, Rori? This shouldn't have happened, and we're both going to have to make sure it doesn't happen again. But I guess since we're so close to Doug's, we really don't have to worry about it. After tomorrow, you'll be on your way back home."
Chance sounded like he was dismissing her, as if she really wasn't important in any part of his life at all. It was that truth that destroyed the childish hopes and dreams that had been nurtured within her. With the grace and control of a sleek animal of the wild, Rori came to her feet. She stood proudly before him as she reached for her clothing, and she dressed quickly with an economy of motion.
Chance waited, wondering what she was going to say, wondering if she was going to cuss him out like she usually did and tell him he was a damned liar or if she was just going to pull her knife and try to kill him. He waited, knowing he'd hurt her, yet knowing it was something that he'd had to do.
"You're right," Rori finally spoke up, but she said it quietly with none of her usual feistiness. "This was very wrong. I shouldn't have let it happen."
Her expression had gone from such open delight to such shuttered blankness that Chance knew he'd succeeded in what he'd planned. But even as he congratulated himself on having put a stop to the irresistible madness between them, he felt oddly, terribly empty inside. He watched Rori walk away from him into the night, her back straight, her head held high, and he knew he would remember this moment for the rest of his life.
Chapter Fourteen
Nilakla's heart was heavy as she focused through the field glasses on the group of three riders making their way over the rugged, mountainous terrain. They were still too far away for her to be completely sure that it was Burr and Rori bringing Douglas's brother, but she had a feeling that it was for she could make out the coloring on one of the horses and it was a pinto just like Rori's.
As she lowered the binoculars, Nilakla found herself wishing that it wasn't them. She knew this was foolhardy, dangerous, and selfish on her part, because if it wasn't Chance and his guides who were coming, then it was trouble, but at this point she didn't care. She didn't want her time with her love to come to an end, and that was what his brother's arrival would mean.
Nilakla sighed, resting a hand slightly below her heart over her unborn baby. In just a few more months she would give birth to their child, yet Douglas would not be there. She knew Douglas had never intended to stay in Arizona with her. She knew he had never made any promises to her of lifelong devotion. Yet, from the moment they'd met and she'd fallen in love with him, all she'd longed for was to spend the rest of her life with him.
Nilakla still remembered that fateful encounter at Burr's cabin. She had gone to visit Rori, and Douglas had been there. She had loved him from the first moment she'd seen him, and that love had only grown stronger during their time together. Douglas was her reason for living. He was the reason she'd given up her family and left her village. The love and passion she felt for him were consuming, making up for the fact that he had never told her he loved her. Nilakla had always hoped and prayed that her love would be strong enough to change him, but she realized miserably now that she'd been wrong. She wondered how she would ever live without him.
She moved slowly on her way back down to the mine. She was dreading telling Douglas of the riders, but knowing there was no way to avoid it.
"Douglas . . ." she called out as she entered the diggings and made her way down the tunnel through the dank, lantern-lit gloom.
"What?" Doug responded from some distance away.
"There are riders . . ."
Doug had been working since dawn at his backbreaking labors, and the going had been particularly frustrating that day. The news that someone was coming filled him with exhilaration. Chance! It had to be Chance! He'd arrived at last! Doug dropped what he was doing and rushed to Nilakla.
"How far?"
"They're still quiet a distance away."
"Is it Burr?" he asked, taking the field glasses from her as he eagerly hurried outside.
"I'm not sure." Nilakla had seen the excitement in his face, and her spirits sank even lower.
As they exited the mine, Doug automatically reached for the protection of his rifle where it lay near the entrance. He'd become a cautious man since coming to live in these mountains. He wouldn't set the weapon aside until he was certain of exactly who it was approaching.
"Get extra ammunition," he instructed.
Nilakla hurried to comply. As she went to get the ammunition for him, though, she remembered how green he had been in the beginning and how he had come to learn the wise caution he now used.
Though it was sinking low in the western sky, the sun was still harshly bright. Having come out of the semi-darkness, it took Doug a minute before his vision adjusted. When it did, he climbed the narrow path to the highest observation point to look for the riders. Doug spotted them quickly and watched suspiciously as they approached.
Doug knew he couldn't afford to let any strangers get too close. Burr and Rori were the only ones who knew the exact location of the lode besides himself, Nilakla, and his family, now that he had sent them the ma
p. He hoped this wasn't someone just accidentally stumbling upon them. He'd gotten a lot like the other prospectors in the mountains. He didn't take too kindly to trespassers. His grip tightened on his rifle as he continued to follow their progress.
After observing them for nearly a half an hour and noting that they seemed to know exactly what direction to take, the group finally close enough for Doug to recognize them, and he felt like shouting for joy. It was Chance! He'd made it! Now his own difficulties would be over! With Chance here to help, they were unbeatable. They'd be able to get the gold out and be on their way back to Boston in no time. Thrilled, Doug raced down from his lookout to tell Nilakla the news.
"It's them! I knew Chance would come! I knew it!"
"I am glad for you, Douglas. I know how much your brother's help means to you." Nilakla tried to sound happy, but, in reality, her heart was breaking. She wanted to cry out to him that this was not a joyous occasion, that something beautiful was going be lost when they came. But she knew it was useless, Douglas couldn't see it. He didn't understand.
"Everything's going to work out just like I planned," Doug was saying as he started down the trail to greet them. "Everything's going to be fine now."
Nilakla struggled to control her own misery as she watched him move off excitedly. It wouldn't do for him to know that she was upset. She wouldn't reveal these thoughts to him. Douglas knew that she loved him with all her heart. There was no more she could do or say to bind him to her. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Nilakla prepared herself to face the others.
"Doug's seen us," Rori shouted back over her shoulder from where she rode ahead of them. She was delighted at the thought of seeing him and Nilakla again. She needed their warmth and friendship right now, probably more than she ever had before.
"We're that close? Where is he?" Chance was surprised.
"You know, you wouldn't last a minute out here on your own, white man," she said coldly, giving him a derisive look as she pointed toward a dangerous-looking precipice some distance ahead. "He was watching us for almost half an hour, and you didn't even know it. He's heading down here now. He'll be here soon."