River Song (36 page)

Impatient, he dragged her into his arms and returned the impish grin she'd been giving him during his preoccupation with her charms. "What's so funny, sunshine?"

"Your face."
Sunny laughed against his chest, suddenly happier, she knew, than she'd ever be again. "I have seen that look somewhere before, but I cannot remember which of the desert animals wore that same expression."

"Animal?" he said under his breath as he lifted her in his arms. "I'll show you what kind of animal you've got, little flower."

Keeping her firmly in his arms, Cole launched himself into the center of his bed and waited for the mattress spring's rebellion to subside before he went on. "I'm every animal you've ever seen gathered around the last water hole of summer. And you, my lovely maiden, are the last drop of life-giving moisture." He kissed the tip of one breast, swirling his tongue slowly until the nipple was hard and erect, then went on. "I intend to drink my fill of you." He spread wet kisses between her breasts on a journey to the other nipple where he lingered before adding, "And when I think I can't take any more, I'll return and indulge myself until I'm so bloated with your love, I can't move." Cole looked up from her rib cage and grinned, his green eyes sparkling with pleasure.

Her throat tight, aching with her love for him, Sunny could only manage a low, guttural, "Yes, that is the animal I saw in your eyes."

She wanted to say more, tell him how she really felt, but the moment she tried to speak
again,
Cole's mouth resumed its journey. This time, his moist lips and fiery tongue spiraled down on a path to her navel and below. Her breath whooshed out as a sudden rush of intense pleasure assaulted her, and she gripped the bed sheets, both terrified and fascinated by what was happening.

Sunny writhed beneath him, and her long swimmer's legs tensed and locked around his back as he probed at her center. The taste of her passion filled him, swelled him with a love and desire he'd never before known. He was drowning in her, closer to her than he could have imagined possible, and when she shuddered against him, calling out his name in a strangled cry, he thought he'd go mad from the need to be inside her.

Sliding her fingers into Cole's damp curls, she urged him to her breasts, then to her mouth. Out of breath, unable to speak, she communicated with her body, spreading her legs and guiding him into her, to fulfillment. There would never be another moment like this, another love to compare. She would make this a night to remember for them both, for all time.

When their passion finally ebbed, when they lay entwined, their bodies sleek with perspiration, their breathing ragged and slowing, Sunny was overwhelmed with the sudden urge to laugh and cry all at the same time. She tried to speak, to make light of the insane sensations, but a sob tore from her throat instead.

"Sunny?" Cole murmured softly. "Are you crying?"

Still unable to speak, she shook her head and sobbed.

Cole's fingertip found the proof of her lie pooled in the corner of her eye. "Why are you crying, sunshine? Did I hurt you in some way?"

"No," she said, struggling for an explanation. But still, the words would not come.

"Then what, sweetheart?" Cole lifted his head and stared down at her features. Instead of the expected look of rapture, he saw pain and torment. "What is it, Sunny? You've got to tell me what's bothering you."

Unable to stop them, tears splashed down her cheeks and onto the sheets. When the onslaught finally spent itself, she answered him in the only way she could. "It is nothing," she said through her sobs, "it is just that I am so happy. That I love you so very much."

"Oh, Sunny," he said with a soft groan, "and I—"

"No, please, don't talk. Don't say anything." To make sure he didn't utter the words she couldn't bear to hear, Sunny pressed her lips to his,
then
drove her tongue into his mouth with a renewed burst of passion. If he were to remember this night forever, she would have to make sure it was unlike any other. She would stay a little longer and use some more of her precious time. Sunny pulled back from him and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Roll over, my handsome man. I wish to touch you." At his look of surprise, she sat back on her heels. "I have a curiosity about the way our bodies fit, something I would like to try."

Cole laughed and
raised
up on one elbow. "Just what do you have in mind?"

Her fingers playful, gentle, Sunny reached forward and pushed him down on his back. "I learned to ride a pony in the Quechan way, without bridles or reins, using only my knees and thighs as guides. I have wondered these past days if this talent might be of benefit to you."

Now it was Cole who had difficulty speaking. With a hoarse laugh and a low groan, he said, "I wouldn't dream of standing between you and your curiosity. Help yourself, you little heathen."

Sunny threw her head back, risking discovery, and cut loose with a lusty chuckle before she set about her task. Showing no signs of inhibition or coyness, she caressed every inch of his body, kissed each damp inch of his skin with near reverence. And when he was ready again, when she knew he ached as much as she did, she finally straddled his fevered body and brought his agony to an end. This time as fulfillment rocked them, it was Cole who cried out, Cole who proclaimed his undying love for her.

Later, when he dropped into a deep sleep as they rested in each other's arms, Sunny quietly slipped from his bed. She dressed,
then
stood next to the bed, taking a moment for one last look at the only man she would ever love. She could deal with his words of love as long as she thought of them as careless, unimportant mutterings tossed about in the heat of passion. That was the only way she could deal with them.

Unable to resist the urge to touch him, Sunny brushed an errant wave of
cornsilk
-colored hair off his brow. His handsome face reflected happiness and satisfaction, leaving her with a mental picture she would always cherish. Sunny mouthed a silent, "I love you." Then she closed her eyes—and heart—and stole from his room.

Once back in the bedroom Nellie had provided for her, Sunny moved quickly and silently. She stripped off the bedclothes she wore, and dressed in Mike's trousers and shirt, which she'd hastily repaired only a few hours ago. Dropping to her hands and knees, Sunny reached under the bed and retrieved Mike's hat, boots, and the knapsack filled with leftover party fare for her trip home. Satisfied she hadn't forgotten
anything,
she crept from her room and tiptoed down the hallway to Nathan's study. The door was ajar, but no light shone through the crack.

What if he were still in the room asleep in his chair, or worse yet, awake and staring into the darkness? A tremor ran down her spine. Was Grandfather's war club worth the risk? Without it, the only protection she would have was her father's hunting knife, assuming it was still in her saddlebag in the barn. She really had no other choice but to go inside.

Listening at the door until she thought her eardrum would burst from the strain, Sunny satisfied herself that the room was empty and she pushed the door open. Moonlight bathed the study, showing her instantly that it was unoccupied. Letting her breath out in a long sigh, Sunny quickly discovered the club on a shelf behind Nathan's desk. She grabbed it just as a sudden feeling of panic washed over her.

Desperate to get out of the study and the house, Sunny stuck the
kelyaxwai
in the waistband of her trousers, deciding to wrap it in cloth after she was safely in the barn. Cautious and silent, she made her way through the house and out the front door. Concerned about the wooden porch announcing her departure, she took extra measures crossing it, but once down the steps she silently sprinted across the distance between the house and barn. In her haste, she never noticed a pair of yellowish-brown eyes in the corner of the porch, or that they followed her progress.

Sunny stood for a full minute near the first stall after entering the barn, listening for any kind of sound that might signal another occupant. She heard only silence and the occasional snort of a resting horse. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the semi-darkness as moonlight filtered in through open windows and ventilation slits. Her tension easing, she crossed the center aisle and headed toward the tack room and her saddle.

When Sunny reached the doorway, the rich scent of a room filled with leather goods caught her attention. At almost the same moment, she heard the creak of the big double doors. Had she left them ajar?

Whirling around, she spotted a wide beam of moonlight where there should have been a sliver. The breeze was gentle, feeble. Was it capable of pushing the door open? She stood silent and observant for a few minutes.

When all seemed normal, she shrugged, muttering to herself, and turned back towards the tack room. "You are letting your nerves rule your actions. If you do not get hold of yourself and use your head, you will never make a safe journey home." With a sudden grin, she imitated her father's voice and added,
" 'Tis
a fool's errand
ye'll
run if ye don't, lassie."

Buoyed by her own words of encouragement, Sunny took a step into the tack room. The double doors groaned again.

Spinning around, she noticed there was now no stream of moonlight at all. Sunny dropped into a crouch. The breeze may have nudged the doors open, but it couldn't have closed them as well. She was no longer alone.

Who had followed her? Cole?

"Is someone there?" she called out in a feeble voice.

The reply was the shuffle of heavy footsteps against the dirt floor. They were coming in her direction.

"Please, is someone there? Who are you?"

Still no answer.
The footsteps grew louder, closer.

"Cole," she warned as she inched to her full height, "if that is you, please say so. I do not think this is funny. Cole?"

Silence.

Then, suddenly, a shadowy figure stepped from the shadows.

Sunny's breath exploded in her throat. She clapped her hand against her mouth to keep from crying out. Then, her voice wobbly, she made a final plea. "Who
are
you?"

The form began a slow staggering shuffle up the center of the barn to where Sunny stood. There was still no response.

The man's shadow loomed above her, reaching almost to the high ceiling of the barn. Sunny shuddered. This wasn't Cole. The physique was too thick, too bulky. This was a very big man. And from what she could tell, a very drunk man, at that.

Finally, the silent figure stumbled into a patch of moonlight. The shroud of darkness fell, revealing his identity.

"Bucky?" she said, incredulous. "Is that you?"

Buck snorted a short laugh. "That's a question I
oughta
be
askin
' you." He took a long swallow from the whiskey bottle he cradled,
then
advanced a couple of steps.

"Strangest thing just happened," he mumbled. "I'm just a
sittin
' on the porch swing,
mindin
' my own business, when this boy sneaks
outta
the house."

Sunny had no idea how long she'd been holding her breath. She emptied her lungs in a long sigh of relief.
"Oh, Bucky.
You frightened me half out of my wits. Why didn't you answer me when I called out?"

"Don't be
interruptin
' me."

The eyes she'd first thought of as muddy brown sprinkled with golden highlights, turned almost yellow as he scowled drunkenly. Sensing she was not entirely out of danger, Sunny took a backward step. Buck moved up beside her and leaned against the tack room wall.

"As I was saying," he slurred, "I thinks to myself:
whar
do you suppose that
boy
come from?" He laughed out loud, a deep and bawdy roar from his gut,
then
went on. "That's about the time I notice the fine
li'l
ass on that boy, them big juicy tits poking through his shirt."