Kiss Of The Night Wind

by Taylor, Janelle

  At last, the baking sun lowered itself toward the earth, and the heat lessened. Soon, the Chiricahuas rose like magic from the Sonoran Desert. The lowlands drifted upwards into a cool forest of spruce, fir, oak, juniper, pinyon, aspen, pine, and cypress. The heavily forested mountains offered shady glens which were breathtakingly sheltered by massive and unusual rock formations. She noticed a variety of shrubs, mosses, flowers, and ferns set amongst the trees and rocks. They journeyed through the foothills, beside creeks, and through canyons. T.J. guided her toward a camping area which he remembered. When they arrived, she beamed with pleasure and relief. It was cool and lovely, and plenty of water was nearby in a stream-fed pond.

  T.J. told her, “You rest while I scout the area. I want to make certain no one is around in any direction. We’ll eat when I get back.”

  She watched him vanish from sight. She unsaddled her pinto and led the mare to water. Carrie Sue encouraged the animal to step into a shallow area where she could splash water on her sweat-drenched hide. She rubbed the pinto and talked softly to her. When the animal was cooled and relaxed, the pinto began grazing peacefully near the water’s edge.

  The redhead discarded her hat and weapons. She knelt and washed the salty surface from her face. The water was wonderful, inviting. Unable to resist the impulse, she stripped and went swimming. When her fiery body was refreshed, she fetched her soap and blanket to bathe leisurely. Her arms and thighs were pinkened by the searing sun and she rubbed them gently. She could tell the same was true of her back. She loosened her braid and washed her hair, ducking over and over to rinse it. Finally she left the stream-fed pond, dried off, and put on her gown. Carrie Sue sat on a rock and brushed her wet hair.

  Dusk was nearly gone beneath the rising three-quarters moon when T.J. returned and wearily dismounted. He looked at the gown clad beauty on the rock who was nonchalantly brushing her fiery mane, and scowled. He gently caught a handful of drying hair and demanded, “What is this, woman?”

  She laughed and teased, “My clean head, Mr. Rogue.”

  He chided, “Don’t jest with me, woman. It looks more like a matador’s red cape and this area could be filled with raging bulls. You were supposed to stay on guard until I returned. Taking a bath was a damn stupid thing to do while I was gone! I told you that’s how I got snared by Quade’s men. When I’m not around, keep a gun in your hand.”

  “I was miserable, T.J.,” she explained. “I knew you’d—”

  He irritably cut her off, “Miserable is better than killed, raped, or captured! Do you even realize how tempting you are?”

  “I hope I am, but only to you,” she replied boldly.

  T.J. glared at the beauty. “Sometimes you’re too damn tempting and I can’t keep my head clear for wanting you!”

  She smiled. “Good, that makes two of us in that uncomfortable predicament. Besides, I like having you rescue me all the time.”

  He warned angrily, “One of these times, I might not get back in time to rescue you from one of these stupid stunts.”

  “But you always arrive in the nick of time, my handsome gunslinger. I’ve come to depend on you for everything. You’ve had very little sleep in the last few days; you’re just tired and edgy. Why don’t you get cooled off and relaxed while I prepare supper?” she suggested, calm as the wind in the secluded valley.

  “That sounds like a perfect idea,” he agreed. He unsaddled his horse and set aside their supplies. Nighthawk followed him to the water and was rubbed down before he joined the mare to graze. T.J. stripped and entered the soothing water.

  Carrie Sue noticed his absence of modesty and grinned. She liked him not feeling inhibited or embarrassed around her, and that mood spread to her. She walked to the bank, lifted his holster, and called out, “I guess this means it’s safe here?”

  He glanced at her and replied, “From everyone but me, woman. I still might punish you for being so reckless.”

  Carrie Sue laughed softly and teased, “Be careful of the Texas Flame, Mr. Rogue; she may singe your hands when you spank her. What would you like me to prepare for supper, partner?”

  “You,” he answered without jest.

  Carrie Sue stared at him in astonishment, then her face softened into a radiant smile. “Consider your supper ready and waiting, partner.” She replaced his weapons, returned to their gear and laid out one bedroll.

  In seconds, T.J.’s wet hands gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him. His smokey gray gaze locked with hers as he asked, “Did I hear right?”

  In answer, Carrie Sue eased her arms around his neck and pulled his head downward to kiss her. Her breath was taken away as he possessively yanked her against his nude body, its moisture dampening her nightgown. There was a desperation in his kisses to which she readily responded. He was no longer elusive; at this feverish moment, he seemed so vulnerable, so susceptible to her allure. It had been a week since they had made love and she craved him wildly.

  Overcome with a passion which had been restrained since last Thursday night, his fingers roamed into her wet hair and pulled her head more snugly against his mouth. He shifted them to capture her jawline so he could spread kisses over her face. He hugged her tightly, resting her head against his drumming heart with a quivering hand. “Lordy, you make me go crazy when I’m near you.”

  “But you’re with me all the time,” she whispered in a voice hoarsened by powerful emotions.

  “I know,” he murmured with his lips pressed to her head. “What am I going to do about you, woman?” he unintentionally asked aloud.

  Carrie Sue mistook his meaning, but it thrilled her to learn what an overwhelming affect she had on him. Evidently, she concluded, he was panicked over his urgent feelings for her, especially in light of her situation. To relax him, she murmured, “You’ll have plenty of time to decide, T.J.; there’s no rush. We’ll take it slow and easy until we figure out this crazy predicament. For now, just love me.”

  T.J. leaned back his head and looked into her arresting eyes. Nothing could be easier than to love her, emotionally and physically; and nothing could be more demanding. He was relieved by her lack of pressure and was enflamed by her unleashed desire for him. “You’re the only woman who’s wanted to understand me and accept me as I am. I don’t have any experience in matters like this, so be patient.”

  She nestled against him and heard what she wanted to hear in his words. “I know what you mean, T.J.; it’s scary as hell, isn’t it?”

  “Worse,” he admitted. “I want you so badly I feel like an overfilled feed sack about to burst and scatter my existence in all directions. Lordy, these feelings make me nervous. I’ve never let anybody get this close to me and, when I do, it’s…”

  Carrie Sue trailed her fingertips over his parted lips when he halted. “It’s an outlaw,” she calmly finished for him. “Can’t we forget about that problem tonight and just be together? Talking about it isn’t going to change anything, only make us feel worse. While we’re together, can’t we just enjoy each other until we have to separate?”

  He stared into her glowing gaze and asked seriously, “Can you accept that, Carrie Sue? It isn’t much to offer.”

  She entwined her fingers in his hair and smiled encouragingly. “You’re wrong, T.J.; it’s the most I’ve ever gotten from anyone.”

  Guilt charged through him like a cattle stampede. Yet, he wasn’t being totally dishonest with her. He wasn’t lying about his feelings and desires for her, and he wasn’t leading her to believe there was a future for them. “But we only have until—”

  She silenced his weak protest with, “That’s better than no time at all,” and a passionate kiss. When her lips left his, her fingers replaced them as she coaxed, “Don’t say anything else. I accept things the way they are between us, they way they have to be. For tonight and for as long as we have together, just need me and love me.”

  T.J.’s mouth slanted across hers in a tender kiss which answered her urging truthfully. As one kiss dissolved i
nto another, the pressure of his lips varied from firm and demanding to tender and soft. His capable hands wandered up and down her back as if they were explorers trying to map every inch. His mouth journeyed down her neck and over her ears, driving her mad with uncontrollable cravings.

  Carrie Sue wondered if her kindled body would burst into a roaring blaze and consume her if the rising heat within her was not doused soon. She yearned to feel her bare flesh against his. She wiggled her hands between their close bodies and unbuttoned her cotton nightgown to the waist. She pushed it over her shoulders and let it slide down her lowered arms and off her fingertips. She knew that T.J.’s eager hands had helped peel it over her shoulders and send it along its snaking way to curl around her feet. She pressed her naked frame against his, and both moaned at the tantalizing contact.

  Her senses were alive and responsive to any and all stimulation. When Carrie Sue leaned her head backwards as T.J.’s lips roved down her silky throat, her long hair tickled the tops of her buttocks and caused her to arch toward her lover. As she moved her head back and forth, and she pressed her hips against his, he shuddered and returned his lips to hers to ravish her mouth with undeniable urgency.

  T.J’s body itched and tingled all over, and it begged for appeasement. His tension was mounting fast as he tried to move slowly and skillfully with her and he wondered if he could explode just from touching and being touched by her. Lordy, no woman had ever aroused him to such heights of hunger and to such a perilous strain on his control!

  T.J. shifted his hands to her breasts and kneaded them with a gentle strength, feeling the buds grow hard beneath his fingers. His knees were weak and shaky, so he guided them to the bedroll. His mouth left hers to trail down her neck to the valley between her breasts before allowing his hot tongue to circle each peak and pleasure both. His left hand was sent down her ribcage, moving over each bone slowly and sensuously as if his fingers were counting them. His palm flattened against her stomach and shifted back and forth between the ridges of her hips, each passing taking him lower and lower.

  Carrie Sue quivered in anticipation. When his fingers deftly caressed her, she squirmed in delight. She trailed her right hand over his shoulder and stroked his extended arm. She wanted him to continue this thrilling play of hands and lips, but her body yearned to have him within her. “Please, T.J., I can’t take any more teasing. Love me now before I go mad. It’s been so long.”

  T.J.’s mouth went to her lips and he moved his body over hers. He entered her slowly, delighting in her welcoming warmth. As passion threatened to overwhelm him, he moved with powerful thrusts, then paused a moment and lifted his head to take in several deep and steadying breaths. When she moaned in protest and her hands and hips urged his firm buttocks to continue their tantalizing movement, he revealed huskily, “Go easy, woman; I’m on the edge. Hellfire, I’ve been on the edge since I touched you. My control is about gone. Lordy, I want you so bad.”

  Carrie Sue pulled his mouth back to hers after telling him, “There’s no need to control yourself, my love.” She was already experiencing tiny waves of ecstasy. She wrapped her legs over his and arched toward him as he rocked his body against hers, causing those waves to build in force until they crashed over her and swept her away in their wild current. He stiffened and paused briefly, then pushed himself deep within her womanhood. She felt him throbbing within her and knew he was obtaining the same potent victory which she was enjoying.

  He buried his face in her flowing hair and drove into her over and over until every drop of love’s liquid had been drained from him. He held her tightly as he caught his breath and rolled to his back, carrying her along with him.

  They lay there in each other’s arms, sharing and savoring their closeness. A little less than a full moon glowed down on them and bathed their moist bodies in her romantic light. A mild breeze waved over their naked flesh and dried it. She sighed peacefully and snuggled closer as the fingers of his right hand drifted up and down her arm. His left arm rounded her back with a loving embrace and held her close to his side.

  Dreamily her fingertips grazed through the field of black hair on his chest. They roamed a supple terrain of lean and hard flesh. They wandered over boney ridges and firm valleys. One took a mischievous dip in his navel pool of moisture. Suddenly her left arm banded his firm waist and she hugged him tightly. As she relaxed again, her fingers went back to their appreciative play.

  A joyful smile slipped over T.J.’s face, for he grasped her serene mood and knew he’d given her great pleasure. At this time, not an ounce of tension troubled him. The most ravishing and unique woman in the entire world was lying in his arms and belonged to him. Whatever problems existed beyond this tranquil haven could be handled and considered later. He didn’t want any troubling thought or mood to spoil this wonderful moment. He closed his eyes.

  Twenty minutes passed and Carrie Sue believed her lover had fallen asleep from exhaustion. She was tired and sore and sensuously sated, but she was too hungry to drop off to sleep. She eased from his arms and bedroll to see what she could find to eat in his supply pouch. She moved quietly and carefully so as not to awaken him.

  Just as she reached for the pouch, T.J. asked in an odd tone, “What are you doing?” He bounded forward and halted her action.

  She looked up, his face shadowed by its lowered position and that of the moon’s behind him, and replied, “I’m starved. I was looking for something to eat. I thought you were asleep. Did I disturb you?”

  “I was just resting and giving you time to rest. I’m too hungry to sleep, too. I’ll find us something quick and easy. Why don’t you wash off and put on your gown?” he suggested, tugging playfully at her hair.

  Carrie Sue did as he asked to prevent him from witnessing her reaction to his curious behavior. It was almost as if he was hiding something in that pouch. Of course, some people just didn’t like others going through their belongings. Yet, he always was the one to unload and load the supplies, and usually the one to prepare them. Was there something concealed in his possessions that he didn’t want her to see?

  She stepped into the water and rinsed swiftly because its temperature and the air’s had dropped since sundown. She dried off, donned her nightgown, and loosely braided her hair to prevent its tangling. She sat on the bedroll and waited for him to join her.

  T.J. didn’t build a fire. When he sat down beside her, he teased, “You almost spoiled my surprise. I’ve been saving these treats until we got here to enjoy them.” He handed her a metal plate with several items on it. “Naiche gave these to me. This is saguaro fruit. It’s sweet and delicious. The Apaches gather it in early summer. You can eat the fruits raw, or make thick cakes with them and store them for a long time. They also make a tasty juice.”

  “Saguaro? Isn’t saguaro that huge cactus that only grows in certain parts of Arizona and New Mexico?” she inquired, eyeing one.

  “Yep, try it,” he coaxed.

  She did, and smiled, “It’s good. I wouldn’t have thought about eating part of a cactus. I guess that’s why the Apaches can survive in this desert; they know what to eat and how to get water.”

  “Try this,” he urged, pointing to another item on her plate.

  Carrie Sue lifted the vegetable which resembled an artichoke heart. It was warm from being in his pouch beneath the sun. She tasted it, and was reminded of a sweet potato. “I like it. What is it?”

  “Parry Agave. You remember, those tall tree-looking plants with clusters of yellow flowers.”

  “The ones tequila is made from?” she asked and grinned. “Is this going to get me drunk?”

  “Nope. The Apaches used to spend four months a year gathering, roasting, and drying agave. Once its prepared, it lasts up to a year.”

  “How do they prepare it?” she asked, then continued eating.

  “They gather the shoots and roast them over hot coals. Then, you peel ‘em and eat ‘em until your belly wants to burst. Tequila is made from the stalks, not these r
oots,” he stated merrily and licked his lips. “Naiche’s people dig up the roots, bake them for two nights and one day in stone-lined pits with the agave covered by hot rocks.”

  He chuckled and leaned closer to whisper in a roguish tone, “But he did give me a skin of tequila if you want some tonight.”

  “After the last time, I think I’ll stick to whiskey when I have need of a sip of lively spirits.” They both laughed in recall of that night in the Mexican cafe and in Naiche’s camp, and her sufferings afterwards.

  T.J. ate and drank from his plate and cup because Carrie Sue had her own now. He was impressed by the preparations she had made in case a swift flight from Tucson was needed, and it had been. He offered her jerky and almost stale Jonnycakes.

  She rejected the dried beef strips, but ate two cakes. When he asked if she wanted him to warm some beans, she shook her head. “This is plenty for tonight, thanks. You’re a good cook even when you don’t cook, partner. I can learn a lot from you.”

  “How about starting your lessons another time? I’m ready to fall out on my feet.” Carrie Sue handed him her empty plate and cup, and he put everything away. He spread her sleeping roll beside his.

  They took their places, both choosing their backs. Just as she closed her eyes, his hand found hers and squeezed it. She returned his gesture, and they drifted off with fingers entwined.

  Breakfast—fried salt pork, flour gravy, Jonnycakes, and black coffee—had been cooked and eaten. The dishes were washed and stored. Both were dressed, and the horses were tending themselves.