Ride The Wild Wind (Time Travel Historical Romance) (20 page)

And he had the
look
.  That
look.

She squealed and
splashed away but he grasped her by the ankle and reeled her back against him.
One muscular arm imprisoned her midsection. His erection pressed against the
small of her spine. Halle sucked in a breath at the erotic feel of his aroused,
wet body pressed to hers.  

He brushed the wet
hair away from her nape with one hand and kissed the back of her neck softly.
She shivered at his touch as her desire for him intensified. If he kept this up
much longer, she knew exactly what was going to happen.

“You are the most
beautiful woman I have ever known,” he whispered, his breath warm against her
cool, wet skin. “I wanted you last night, Halle. More than you can ever know.”

Halle closed her
eyes, melted against his moist body, feeling her weakness for him rise again.
She couldn’t remember a time when anyone wanted her, let alone said she was
beautiful. But Antonio
had
. She wished he’d say it again.

His lips brushed
her cheek, then he turned her to face him. His palms caressed her shoulders.
Hands so strong, yet so warm and gentle.

“Why do you
tremble in my arms?” He lowered his mouth within inches of hers. “Surely by now
you know I would never harm you.”

She pressed her
palms to his chest to keep him at bay, but her hands decided they loved the
feel of his skin and began their own gentle exploration. His tight, beaded
nipples were her first stop. Her eyes lifted to his as she swirled a fingertip
around one, Tentatively, she teased the next, drawing her hand away at his
audible intake of breath.

“It is all right. Continue.” His eyes twinkled devilishly. “Having a
beautiful woman’s attention is quite enjoyable.” He drew her hands into his,
then placed her palms against his chest again. “Do as you wish.”

Halle’s throat constricted, unsure of what she should do first. What did
he
want? She licked her lips, trying to discern his thoughts but to no
avail. Finally, her eyes zeroed in on one delicious looking chocolate colored
nipple.

“Anything?” she asked.

“Whatever you desire.”

It was now or never. She ducked her head and latched on. He jerked and
she pulled away, thinking she might have hurt him. “I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s all right. I gave you permission to do as you wish.”

Halle bent forward again and snaked out her tongue, tentatively flicking
it across the tiny bead. “Do you like this Antonio?”

 He moaned his approval deep in his throat.

“And how about this.” She targeted his other nipple, grazing it with her
teeth.

“Ouch!

“Oops. Sorry about that. I got carried away.”

“You’re feeling playful today.”

Well, he
had
said she could do anything she wanted.

He reached up and gently caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “For an
innocent you’re  adventurous. Much like the other night.”

      
Slightly embarrassed by the memory of her bold behavior, she bit down on her
lip and looked away. He must have sensed her discomfort, for he quickly hooked
a finger beneath her chin and turned her face back. “Do not be ashamed of
anything that has transpired between us,” he whispered. “The intimate moments
we’ve shared have been beautiful.”

     
His smoldering gaze locked with hers and she drew in a deep, dizzying breath as
a wave of desire threatened to consume her.  Oh, God. What was it about
this man that turned her into a woman she didn’t recognize? His devastating
good looks? His deep, sensual voice? Or her pathetic need for affection? “I
guess it’s pretty obvious from my behavior last night that I’m easy.”

He reached up and brushed a strand of wet hair from her face. “I don’t
think you are easy at all.” His gray eyes twinkled merrily. “You, in fact, are
probably the most difficult female I have ever encountered.”

She smoothed her hands down his torso and under the water, resting them
on his lean hips. “I’ve never wanted to make love with anyone except you.”

His brow lifted. “Never?”

She shook her head no.

His palms softly skimmed up and down her damp arms, sending shivers of
desire coursing throughout her body. “Do you recall how I touched you last
night, how you cried out, the relief you felt afterward? Do you remember how I
felt in your hand when I took my own release?”

Oh yeah, she remembered…all too vividly, his hands and mouth upon her
body, and hers upon his. She wished they weren’t in the water for she might
like a repeat performance. Her nipples tightened in response to the memory and
she glanced down at her breasts, shocked to see her blatant reaction.

“Uh-oh.”

“You are ashamed that you desire me?” 

She avoided his eyes. “I’m not ashamed.” And she wasn’t, but merely felt
inept. Halle knew what she wanted
,
but didn’t know how to go about
asking for it. Although he claimed she’d pleasured him well last night, she
wasn’t certain. Maybe he didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

Hooking a finger beneath her chin, he tilted her face up to his again.
“You are not a shy woman. Speak your mind.”

“I’ve never even considered having sex with anyone until I met you. I
can just think about touching you or kissing you and I’m all hot and worked up.
How do you do that to me?”

“Even for a virgin, desiring a man is normal. Don’t be ashamed of your
new feelings. Your woman’s body aches for mine.”

  Hallie swallowed hard, a bit embarrassed by what she was about to
ask of him. “Um, Antonio…”

“Yes?”

“I really liked the way you touched me last night.”

A smile lit his eyes, though it never reached his lips. “Did you, now.”

“Um…yeah. But I was wondering if…you know…you could um…do that again
sometime. Maybe soon. Like…now would be a really good time.”

His hand sought her out and she sucked in her breath and clung to his
upper arms as he stroked her intimately. She wished she possessed a stronger
reserve, that she could shove him away and not want to make love to him. It
would only make her leaving hurt even more.

“Look into my eyes,” he whispered, and she did. “I want to watch your
desire for me when you come.”

A wave began to swell within her and she shifted her legs apart to accommodate
two thick, seeking fingers. He stretched her uncomfortably at first, but soon
the stinging became sweet and pleasurable, the rhythm of his hands natural and
inviting until the ache buried deep within became unbearable, building until
she thought she might burst.

“Yes, that’s it,” he whispered, as she began to move her hips in rhythm
to his thrusts. She slipped her arms around his neck and clung to him, her hips
undulating against his pleasuring hand. 

She rocked softly, half of her shocked they were doing this out in the
open and the other part of her not really caring. At least all the excitement
was happening under the cover of water. She cried out as the first wave of
passion broke, a sort of sputtered, gasp that startled her.

“Shhh,” he said. “It’s all right. Take pleasure for as long as you
need.”

And she did. Hallie closed her eyes and rode the wave again and again.
His hand stilled eventually and he pulled her against him, held her tightly a
moment. She listened to her own deep breathing, his heartbeat thumping in his
chest. Or was that hers?

“How many nights must we lie side by side, never fully making love?” he
whispered against her forehead. “How long before Sonny’s men realize we are not
truly lovers?”

She pulled back to look at him. “If we’re not lovers, then what were we
just doing?”

“Despite what you know of my reputation from Elena, I am an honorable
man. I cannot have you completely
unless you agree to be my wife. To do
otherwise would dishonor you.”

Her heart leapt in her chest, but only for a moment until the reality of
what he’d said sunk in. He wanted her body, and obviously pretty bad to offer
marriage. But he hadn’t said he loved her, only that he couldn’t make love to
her unless they were married. “Okay. Let me get this straight. You want me to
get married so we can have sex?”

He sighed. “That is not the only reason. I am a man with many needs.
Such is obvious. You know I have a son who needs a mother. And you need a man
to protect you in this harsh land. A woman cannot survive alone out here,
Halle. Besides, Sonny
feels you and I are a good match.”

“Excuse me, but you’ve been consulting with Sonny about this?”

Anger rolled through her like a fireball. What other intimate details
had he divulged? She eased from his embrace. “You and your cousin have my
future all figured out, don’t you? Except for one thing Antonio. I didn’t ask
to be kidnapped from Elena’s. I also didn’t ask to be dragged into the middle
of this insane situation between the Indians and the U.S. government. And I
certainly didn’t ask to fall in lo—” Her breath caught in her throat, the pain
in her heart so great at the reality of what she’d almost revealed—not only to
him, but to herself.

Thankfully, he didn’t appear to notice.

“Do you believe you would have been better off in Elena’s brothel? She
was preparing to auction your virginity to the highest bidders, then toss your
abused body at Frank Cole’s feet when she finished. I had no other choice but
to take you with me.” He gave her a gentle, but sobering shake. “You know what
I say is true. You read Elena’s letter from Cole. ”

Halle
had
read the letter, probably ten times, and still
disbelieved Elena would betray her. It was difficult to accept even now. “Even
so, I’m not some helpless waif who needs rescuing” She turned away but he
grasped her arm and reeled her back to him.

“Don’t pull away. Not now. We are being watched.”

She slunk into the water to her chin to conceal her nudity. “By who?”
She scanned the horizon. “Sonny?”

“No. Quick. Put your arms around my neck again and pretend to hug me.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Very well. We do this my way.” He lifted her and carried her from the
water, depositing her on her back on the warm, hard ground.

“Oh, my God! What are you doing? Stop right now! They’ll see us.”

“Be quiet,” he growled, then shoved her legs apart. “That is exactly
what I want. Then, they will believe you are truly mine.”

“Antonio! No!” She could not believe he was so bold. “You’re a perve! We
can’t do this out in the open in front of people!”

He moved between her thighs and she gasped softly as he thrust his
erection against her. One hand slid beneath her buttocks. “Cry out as if you
are enjoying yourself.” He gave her butt cheek a sharp pinch and she yelped.
Max raced over to check out the situation.

“What the hell was that for?”

“Cry out in passion.”

“I’m going to kill you for pinching my ass, Antonio!”

“Fine. Kill me later, but for now do as I ask.”

She released a wail that sounded more like a lamb being slaughtered than
a cry of a woman in the throes of passion.

Antonio stilled and frowned at her. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Crying out like you told me to.”

“Make it sound genuine
.”

She let loose another wail, more impressive than the first. So she
thought. Max also let out a high pitched whine, too.

Antonio brushed the dog aside. “Go chase a rattlesnake,” he muttered
under his breath.

Halle finally belted out a yodel to rival Tarzan’s.

“Be silent, woman,” Antonio whispered through gritted teeth as he rocked
himself against her. “You are supposed to sound as if you are enjoying my
attention.”

She blew out an exasperated breath. “Well what do you expect? I’m
not
enjoying myself, and if I actually were experiencing pleasure I might have
something to scream and carry on about.”

Before she could protest, he eased down her body and ducked his head.

Halle bucked at the first touch of his tongue, utterly shocked. She
tried to pull herself into a sitting position but he could not be deterred.
Ohhh!
Myyyy. Gawwwwd. She lay back on the ground again, panting. Clawing fists full
of dry dirt. Her hips arched involuntarily. Her eyes rolled back in her head.
 What the fffff….what was he doing?  Through slitted eyes she glanced
down at the dark head nestled between her thighs. Oh, yeah.
That
. A sigh
of pure pleasure escaped her lips, followed by a low moan.  Hers? His? She
wasn’t certain.

Acquiescing, she closed her eyes against the intense glare of sun,
scarcely able to breathe or think as rippled waves of pleasure pulsed and
spiraled with each deft stroke of his tongue. She’d read about oral sex in
women’s magazines, and had listened to the ladies at Elena’s discuss it,
although she had no actual experience. But this was definitely something she
wouldn’t mind exploring further. And often.

Somewhere in the distance she heard Max’s yaps, but he sounded as if he
were miles away. Her fingernails clawed into the dry, red earth beside her as a
wave of pleasure swelled inside. She had to stop him now or she’d probably
explode. Her fingers threaded into his damp hair.

“Antonio.”

He ignored her.  She counted, only making it to four before the sky
above her burst, raining down a white hot fire that consumed her. She shuddered
involuntarily, then reached up to wipe away a lone tear that slipped from the
corner of her eye.  
What the hell was that?

He moved up her body, sleek as a cat and held himself over her on balled
fists. “Was that adequate? Did you find pleasure?” His tongue slipped out to
taste his lips, and she shuddered at the eroticism of the gesture, then nodded.
Reaching up, she pushed a lock of wet hair from his beautiful, tanned face to
better gaze into his eyes. “Oh, yeah. I’m good. Real, real, real, real
 good. Why’d you do that?”