Untamed Journey (20 page)

Ruth’s startled eyes lifted to his, wondering
if he meant the coffee or something more.

He seemed to read her traitorous thoughts.
“Some might consider it taking advantage if I were to seduce you
before coffee. Now that you’ve taken a sip–”

Before she could gather her scattered
thoughts, Jackson took her parted lips in his, enveloping her with
warmth against the bite of the morning air.

Ruth’s body swelled at his remembered touch,
as he stroked her sides in a languid caress. He ran his strong
hands over her hips, holding her still while his thumbs settled
gently below the curve of her waist.

“Let me touch you again, Ruth. I won’t take
you. Just give. There’s more pleasure for you - much more. Let me
show you.”

As if of their own will, her hands stroked
through Jackson’s thick hair to tug his mouth back down to hers,
silently demanding the pleasure he offered. Her hands burned to
feel his bare flesh, but he was still fully clothed. She reached
out to caress his lips, and felt liquid heat fill her undulating
hips as he tugged the tip of her index finger into his wet mouth.
He suckled the naked tip of her finger, over and over, until she
cried out his name, restless to be closer to him.

Jackson ignored Ruth’s cries and held himself
back from her full embrace, lightly taking her lower lip captive
with his teeth as he carefully watched for her reaction. When her
eyes slitted open to watch him, fully dilated, he skimmed the pad
of his still-gloved thumb lightly over Ruth, following the curve of
her legs to the juncture of her thighs. At her sudden intake of
breath, he repeated the caress, stroking downward and moving lower
each time, until her breathing was shallow and rapid.

“Undo your dress,” he demanded, as he
scattered light kisses down her arching throat.

When she didn’t respond, only ran her hands
down his muscled back, pulling him closer, Jackson took the first
button in his teeth. He let it go slowly, then undid the clasp with
his ever-patient fingers, kissing each inch of flesh exposed by the
parting buttons.

Ruth nearly screamed when she felt his warm
tongue stroke the bare flesh across the top of her breasts. She
ached for his hands and lips to cover her everywhere. Her hips grew
restless as his every touch and his every kiss remained light and
too gentle.

Jackson deliberately let the cool air wash
across Ruth’s nipples, taking pleasure in her quick intake of
breath at the contrast. Then he carefully enveloped first one and
then the other tightened nipple into the heat of his mouth. He only
allowed her a brief feel of his lips gently caressing each nipple,
as he slowly alternated from one breast to the other, never giving
her the prolonged touch she craved.

His fingertips caressed over Ruth’s swollen
flesh, exposed briefly by the parted cloth. She felt his
leather-encased fingers through the now soaked white cotton of her
pantalets, moving slowly back and forth across the juncture of her
parted thighs, touching her through the thin barrier of clothing on
one pass, then deliberately parting the slit and skimming her bare
flesh.

She felt Jackson’s strong arms part her legs
further and slide down her body into the open space she offered.
She felt him gently push on her legs, asking for more. “Open for
me. I want to look at you.”

Ruth groaned in raw pleasure as the heat of
his words flooded her aching body. She felt her thighs spread apart
as she offered no resistance to his persuasive hands. She nearly
cried out loud when she felt his gloved hands slide under her
backside and guide her parted thighs over his shoulders.

She waited in aching anticipation for his
next touch, but felt only the cold air against her steaming flesh
as Jackson patiently stroked his hands up and over her
still-clothed thighs, never quite touching her. Ruth writhed in
unmet need as she felt the heat of his breath against the tiny
strip of exposed flesh, but never the touch of leather.

Jackson felt himself break out in a cold
sweat as he denied himself the touch they both craved for a few
moments longer. He consoled himself with the feel of her weighted
breasts, as he slowly moved both hands up across her stomach to cup
them, gently at first, while he stroked back and forth across the
swollen tips. He satisfied his need for bare flesh by brushing the
backsides of his fingers over the top of her breasts, where a bit
of flushed skin was bare to his touch.

Ruth’s flaming body arched into his caress,
silently begging for more. More contact, more places. She twisted
her body into Jackson, trying to fit more closely into his velvet
touch. She felt her hands slide through his thick hair and pull him
closer, wanting more than the feel of his breath across her sex.
She cried out, half in pleasure and half in frustration, when he
enveloped her breasts fully in his large hands, covering her
distended nipples and deliberately rubbing across the aching tips
with the palm of his hand. Ruth’s body swelled in response when she
felt the cool leather of his gloved hands tug the cloth of her
blouse down over her breasts to expose the aching flesh more fully
to his touch.

Jackson resisted her now insistent tugs to
pull him closer to her. He intended for her to wait and wait some
more, to fully ensure her pleasure. He wanted this first time to be
a memory to wipe away all thoughts of her far away sailor. He
methodically played with her naked breasts, carefully taking her
puckered nipples between his thumb and forefinger, to stroke and
squeeze tightly in painful anticipation of that moment of breaking
pleasure. He knew Ruth was close to coming apart in his arms, as
she moaned and writhed beneath him, unconsciously pulling him
closer.

But he gathered all his strength and forced
himself once more to make her wait. He slowly counted to ten before
allowing Ruth’s tugs to bring him into contact with the aching
flesh between her legs. He slowly allowed her the barest of touches
of his lips across that flesh – a light kiss suitable only for a
virgin stealing her first moment alone with a man.

She nearly screamed in frustration, wanting
what Jackson subtly offered but still withheld. Not knowing how to
ask him for something she could only partly imagine, but which her
body instinctively craved, she lifted her hips off the ground. She
was impervious to the chill of the mountain air whispering through
her thin cotton chemise as her straining hips followed Jackson’s
retreating mouth. She undulated repeatedly, wanting more than one
brief taste of his lips against her flesh.

Ruth sucked in her breath as she felt his
gentle hands give one last parting stroke of her naked breasts
before sliding them down her sides. His hands settled over the
curves of her thrashing hips to hold her firmly in place as he
slowly parted the cloth of her pantalets with his tongue, brushing
briefly against her bare skin each time he sought entrance. She
ached to move closer, but Jackson had her hips firmly encased in
his hands. As she felt him slowly place his hot tongue where her
flesh parted, lightly stoking the full length of her up across her
most sensitive center, Ruth flushed with liquid warmth. She writhed
in unmet need as he repeated the caress, again and again, until she
thrashed against the confining hold on her hips. She thrust her
hands into his thick hair, wanting him closer, knowing
instinctively that he knew the secret to her release.

When Jackson felt Ruth’s nails sink into his
hair, he smiled against her naked flesh. He let go of her hips and
ran his leather gloves up across her inner thighs, until they found
the secret slit that his kiss had grazed just moments ago. He slid
both thumbs across either side of her to gently part her flesh. He
held her apart and open to his heated gaze until he heard her cry
out his name in want. He took her clit in his mouth, tugging
lightly with his lips, until he tasted her on his tongue. As he
felt waves of moisture flood his mouth with the taste he craved, he
gently fit the tip of his forefinger into her clenching body, until
he felt her release and heard her cry of satisfaction fill the
air.

Ruth’s body filled with pleasure, as wave
after wave stroked through her core, radiating out from Jackson’s
lips pressed against her wet and swollen center. She arched against
his touch as he stroked his tongue across her lips, first across
each side and then even more slowly down the center part. She
settled slowly into her own pleasure as her body calmed itself,
fully satiated by his knowing touch.

When Jackson’s deep voice called her name,
she languidly opened her eyes to watch him remove his shirt. He
then slowly and deliberately peeled one and then the other glove
from his large hands. She sucked in her breath in shock when she
felt her body respond instantly to the naked touch of his thumb
stroking across her sensitized skin, along the same pleasurable
path his lips had found. She closed her eyes again, arching into
the renewed pulses overtaking her body as her orgasm continued.

Jackson held Ruth tucked against his warm
chest, gently caressing her from the crown of her hair down her
soft back. He stroked her carefully, placing gentle kisses on her
lips, allowing her a few minutes to bask in the glow. When he
couldn’t depend on self-control any longer, he pulled himself out
of her warm embrace. “We’d better find something to cool me down
now, or I’ll be trudging through the first winter snow looking for
a much-needed preacher.” He forced himself to climb out of Ruth’s
bedroll or risk scaring her off too soon.

The shock of the cold morning air against his
bare chest was nearly sufficient to keep Jackson’s mind on the task
of re-building their fire - nearly. He quickly pulled his flannel
shirt back on, along with his overcoat and gloves. As he pulled the
cold leather up over his large hands, he caught Ruth’s gaze staring
at his hands.

Jackson quietly swore under his breath and
forced his thoughts back to the fire. He added more wood until
there was enough heat that Ruth considered getting dressed.

As soon as she sat up, she fumbled with her
half-undone clothing, doing her best to secure everything without
losing the protection of her bedroll. Ruth wasn’t sure if she
needed the cover as protection from the cold or from Jackson’s
straying gaze. But she held on tight, not ready to put too much
thought to their actions in that same bedroll.

Jackson quickly prepared coffee and biscuits
for them both, handing Ruth her share without comment. He wasn’t
quite ready to break the spell his seduction had cast over them
both. He wanted her focused on him and the pleasure he could offer
her before they arrived at his ranch, which had its share of
unattached men who would kill for the chance at a woman like
Ruth.

She savored the smell of Jackson’s strong,
hot coffee, an old pleasure she’d done without for many years
during the War. The scent reminded her of home, and her thoughts
couldn’t help but wander to a future with him. If she weren’t
careful, she thought, she’d find herself half in love with this
virile man–but married to another. That was the future she should
be thinking about the next time he bent to kiss her traitorous
lips. Ruth forced herself to think practically, and promised to
keep her distance from the temptation Jackson offered.

She quickly downed the rest of her coffee,
nearly scalding her tongue but grateful for the shock of the burn.
It shook her slightly from the sensual daze she’d been in for the
past two days. Ruth pulled her new boots on and turned to saddle
the horses, carefully placing the animals between her and Jackson.
She mounted Caboose within minutes and spoke to Jackson without
quite meeting his gaze. “How long will it be until we reach your
ranch?”

He tied the last of their supplies to the
pack horses before replying. “It depends. Are you interested in the
quickest route, or would you like to view a bit more of what the
land has to offer?”

She didn’t miss his insinuation, but for
sanity’s sake, chose to ignore it. “The quickest route seems wise,”
Ruth answered carefully.

Jackson mounted his own gelding and walked
him alongside Caboose, until Ruth couldn’t help but look straight
into his dark eyes. “Is that the choice of the same woman who less
than a week ago set off alone into the wilderness after some long
lost love?” He challenged.

“It’s the safer choice, which you yourself
advised me to take less than a week ago,” she countered.

“I’m still leading you on the safer path,
Ruth. I’m the here and now. I’m settled with land and the means to
keep you and our children. Not some fleet-footed sailor who might
not come back one day.” Jackson reached over to seal his argument
with a quick kiss, followed by a not so quick kiss when Ruth
instinctively leaned into him after the first one.

He reluctantly pulled away and set their
mounts on a course for home - the long way home.

R
uth and Jackson rode
onto the edge of his ranch the next afternoon. They were barely
five miles in before they were approached by armed riders.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Those are my
men. I deliberately took a course that would make us visible early
out so no one would be nervous.”

Jackson waved his hat at the approaching men
in a series of movements that appeared rather deliberate, even to
Ruth’s untrained eye.

“Are you signaling them?” she asked.

“Yes. Everyone who works for me knows these
signals, as well as any nearby neighbors. We got together a few
years back when things got dicey right after the War. We suddenly
saw a lot of drifters, including many ex-Confederate soldiers. Most
were broken down and hungry. And some were so damaged by their
experience they were a danger to everyone around them. After we
lost a distant neighbor to strangers wandering in off the trail, we
decided to keep a closer eye on anyone passing through. We all got
together and came up with this system, based mostly on what my
father learned from different Indian tribes.”