Mountain Moonlight (22 page)

"I'm really tired," she told Bram. "A good night's sleep on a real innerspring mattress sounds like heaven right now so I think I'll turn in early."

"And lay there wondering if I'm going to creep into your room once you're asleep and carry you off to my lair?" The amusement in his voice riled her, since something of the sort had crossed her mind.

"Or maybe hoping?" he added.

That, too, damn the man.

"Neither," she lied. "You won't and we both know it." 

"Don't be too sure. You were wrong about me years ago, don't forget."

"That was in another time and in other circumstances. And I didn't really know what you were like then."

True. But if it hadn't been for that damn Ice Maiden bet she'd overheard, she certainly would have let him kiss her. At the very least.

"And you think you know me now?" he persisted.

Vala nodded.

Bram responded by yanking her to him and fitting his mouth over hers in a kiss that she felt in the very marrow of her bones.

Chapter 14

Vala's attempt to escape from him without so much as a good night kiss had driven Bram to remind her just how potent a combination they were together. He hadn't meant to take it any further, but the feel of Vala in his arms and the taste of her in his mouth drove him past the point he'd meant to make. Now he wanted, needed more.

Her heated response told him she felt the same way and he was close to losing control, despite the fact he could hear Star Trek sound effects filtering into the living room from the den, reminding him of Davis's presence. Just a little longer, he told himself, just a little more.

"Bram, please, we can't." Vala's whispered plea against his lips brought him to his senses and, very much against his will, he released her.

As he did, he realized the faint drone of sound from the den had diminished. Rising from the couch, he went to investigate. On the TV screen the credits were rolling, the movie was over. Davis lay sprawled on the floor, sound asleep.

Bram switched off the TV and set the VCR to rewind before crouching to lift Davis into his arms. He carried him into the guest bedroom, found Vala had folded back the covers earlier, and eased the boy onto the bed. He tucked him in, then brushed a stray strand of fair hair from the kid's forehead. Strange to have gotten so attached in such a short time to a child who wasn't his.

When he straightened, he saw Vala standing in the doorway watching him. The look in her eyes settled into his heart.

He wanted to hold her, to protect her, to keep her and her son from all possible harm. Which clearly meant letting her sleep alone tonight. Davis was in a strange bed, in a strange house--sound sleeper or not, there was no guarantee he wouldn't rouse and get up to make sure where his mother was.

Hell of a note when a man had the woman he wanted to make love to right here in his own house, but wasn't going to carry her off to his bed. Where had he acquired all these damn scruples anyway?

"You mentioned something about an early night," he said to her as she approached him. "Good idea." Not trusting himself to so much as touch her, he strode from the guest bedroom, tossing a "see you in the morning" over his shoulder.

Bram realized when he crawled into his bed that he was more tired than he'd thought. Good. Maybe he wouldn't lie awake imagining Vala sharing the bed with him, with the accompanying frustration because she wasn't.

Luck was with him, he fell into the deep pit of sleep almost immediately....

Bram found himself standing on a high plateau with a blanket wrapped around him. His long hair, hanging in braids down his back, was bound by a beaded band. He was himself and, at the same time, another.

"So we meet," a hissing voice said. He who spoke was not visible. "You, who are of the blood, take heed."

Words came to Bram, "Grandfather," he said, using the proper term for an honored elder. "Grandfather, I listen."

"Why do you not help us, you who are wise in the ways of the white man's law?"

Bram had no answer.

"Be warned," the voice continued. "It is not enough to say you are one of us. Look at me!"

Though the rock in front of him had been empty a moment ago, now a giant rattler lay coiled atop it. Mokesh, the Guardian. Aghast, Bram stared into its yellow eyes.

"Become a warrior!" The words reverberated in Bram's head.

A whirlwind swept across the rocky plateau, lifting him up and away, stripping off the blanket and the braids, leaving him naked....

And naked he awoke, in his own bed, befogged by the remnants of the dream.

A vision, he seemed to hear his father say. Vision or dream, he remained shaken.

It wasn't so easy to fall asleep the second time.

Though Vala had been truly tired when she climbed into her bed, sleep remained elusive, playing hide and seek with her. The root of the problem was that she wanted to be elsewhere--in bed with Bram, to be specific. She yearned to be in his arms, nestled against his warm body.

Since that was not to be, she tossed and turned, hanging position again and again, not finding the comfort she craved. When she finally looked at the lighted red numerals on the bedside clock, it was well after midnight. The next she knew, someone was speaking her name.

Davis? Her eyes popped open--to daylight and Bram standing over her, wearing khaki shorts and no shirt.

She sat up, looking around.

"Sleepy-head," Bram said, easing down onto the bed. "It's near eleven. Davis has already left for the rodeo with Rick. How about brunch in the Jacuzzi?"

He reached to slide the strap of her new nightgown back up onto her shoulder, his fingers warm against her skin. "Better agree in a hurry or you'll never get out of this bed."

"Um, what's for brunch?" she asked.

"A surprise," he promised. "So don't bother to get dressed."

"How about my swimsuit?"

"Woman, don't try my patience. This is a naked brunch." As he spoke, he rose and stripped off his shorts. "See?"

What she saw cleared her head of any sleep remnants. "Meet you there." He exited, twirling the shorts on his forefinger.

Vala, shy about parading through the house with nothing on, decided not to discard her nightgown. Never mind that it didn't conceal much, she felt better wearing something.

Bram, waiting for her in the Jacuzzi, whistled when he saw her. "That gown beats those gray sweats
all hollow
," he said. "I almost hate to see you take it off. But, as I told you, this is a naked brunch. People with clothes on don't get to eat."

Eyeing the food spread along the edge of the sunken tub, Vala reached for the bottom of the nightgown and slowly drew it over her head. When it was off, she glanced at Bram and a thrill shot through her at the hungry look in his eyes. She eased into the warm, frothing water next to the food, excited by being naked. She'd never before done anything even remotely like this.

"I'm starved," she said, reaching for a half of grapefruit already prepared.

"So am I."

"Would you like me to pass you something?"

He shook his head, "Just eat fast."

"Mmm," she said, "this grapefruit's delicious. What did you put on it?"

"Warm honey. Can't wait to taste it--second-hand."

She shot him a mock frown and he grinned.

Though she was hungry, her need for food was rapidly falling behind her need for Bram. As she finished the grapefruit and reached for a wedge of buttered toast set on a warmer, she tried to pace herself but instead found she was eating as fast as she could.

Bram edged closer.

She poured herself a cup of coffee from the carafe to wash down the toast. After she'd taken a couple of swallows, Bram eased the cup from her hand, set it down and pulled her into her arms.

"The food can wait. I can't," he murmured against her lips before kissing her.

His taste on her lips, his scent in her nostrils, she gave herself up to pure enjoyment. She meant to savor every second of their love-making so she'd have something to remember during the bleak days ahead.

Quickly pushing the thought of leaving from her mind, she wound her arms around his neck, holding him to her, his body, as slick with water as hers was, hard and infinitely arousing against hers.

She'd never made love in a Jacuzzi before and she found the water frothing around her erotic, increasing her desire as it caressed her almost as intimately as Bram was doing. Why couldn't these moments last forever?

By the time he urged her legs up until they were wrapped around his hips so they could join together, she was beyond thought, could only feel. There was nothing like this, had never been anything like this, she could die of pleasure....

Afterwards, out of the Jacuzzi, wrapped in a towel, she reached for her nightgown only to have Bram pluck it from her and toss it away.

"But--" she protested.

"Brunch isn't over," he told her. "We've barely tasted the first course. Anyone would think you'd never explored the fascination of nakedness."

She hadn't. But she was willing to give it a spin.

He poured her another cup of coffee and took one himself. "Toast?" he asked. "It's still warm. And there's peach jam."

Naked, they sat side by side on towels, eating. Though she was hardly aware of how the food tasted, she'd never enjoyed a brunch more.

He was so good to look at--broad-shouldered and muscular without the muscles bunching up excessively. He had very little hair on his chest, perhaps due to his heritage? She viewed it as an asset. Hairy men had never appealed to her. When he said with considerable amusement, "Find anything you like?" she realized she'd been staring and flushed.

At the same time, she saw he was becoming aroused again and shivers of anticipation coursed through her.

"Cold?" he asked, setting down his coffee cup.

Before she could deny it, he rose to his feet, grasped her hand and pulled her up. "I know the best place to warm up," he told her. "Been trying to get you in my bed every since you set foot in the house."

His room was sparsely furnished with eclectic pieces, which, except for the bed, didn't look new but comfortably used. All in all it looked surprisingly homey. Peeling the covers back, he pulled her with him into the king-sized bed and wrapped his arms around her.

"Getting warm?" he murmured.

"You'll have to do better than that," she teased, feeling incredibly young and light-hearted.

"Think I can't?"

"I'll have to wait and see."

He proceeded to take her down paths she hadn't traveled before as he caressed every part of her body, making her mindless with need, then fulfilling that need.

She clung to him afterward, not wanting to let him go. Ever. As he held her next to him, everything seemed bathed in a golden light. She was drifting into a doze when suddenly she felt something cold probe her ear, then Sheba's distinctive voice demanded to know what they were doing.

"I thought I closed the door," Bram muttered as the cat climbed onto him and stared into his face. "I swear she must have opened it. There's such a thing as being too smart, cat."

Sheba, once she was convinced everything was all right, decided to curl up on Bram's pillow. Her purring acted as a lullaby, easing them both into a nap.

When Bram woke, Sheba was gone. Vala, though, still lay next to him. She looked so young asleep, he almost felt he had teenaged Vala back. But he greatly preferred the woman she'd become.

He hadn't yet told her that, when he'd called the airline before he woke her, they'd given him a tentative departure time of noon tomorrow. If they had to part, he was determined to do his damnedest to make this last day memorable for both of them.

Davis wouldn't be back until evening since Rick had offered to feed him supper as well. They might not be able to spend the last night together but they had a lot of daylight hours still at their disposal.

She was a beautiful woman, still with that appealing look of fragility she'd had as a teen. She wasn't fragile--far from it. Hadn't she held her own on the trip into the Superstitions? He shook his head, remembering how she'd suffered after her lie to him about being a rider. Yet she'd gone on. One tough lady.

Her eyelids fluttered and opened. He gazed into her clear blue eyes and found words he didn't mean to say trembling on his lips. With some effort, he held them back and looked away, afraid he might blurt out something he wasn't sure he meant.

"Where's Sheba?" she asked.

"Apparently she decided we weren't doing anything she disapproved of, so she left."

Rising onto an elbow, he brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. "Anyone ever tell you what a sexy woman you are?" he asked.

"What makes you think so?" she asked with a wicked little smile.

"It could have something to do with the fact you're sliding your foot up my leg toward a very sensitive spot. Then again, maybe it's because just looking at you sends me up."