Untamed Journey (28 page)

“Well, he’s not my only choice,” Ruth
countered, refusing to give up their verbal battle.

“True enough. There’s also Thomas Minor. He’s
decent and steady – a one-hundred percent reliable fella. I have no
doubt he’d treat you with as much kindness and respect as he does
his other wives.”

Her mouth dropped open. “What? He’s
married?”

“Twice over, last I heard,” Jackson
confirmed.

“What happened to his first wife?” Ruth
asked, thinking that being widowed was common enough in the
West.

“Nothing happened to her. He’s no widower.
He’s a Mormon, tried and true. Never misses a Sunday prayer, never
had a mistress, but surely doesn’t want for female company. He’s
got two wives already. Since he’s come by the ranch three times
since you arrived, my guess is he’s itching for a third.”

Ruth had no idea men did such things, but
knew instinctively she would not take well to that lifestyle. Even
if she never came to care enough for him to feel jealousy, she
could not imagine sharing a home with not one, but two other
women.

“What if they both had personalities like
your Aunt Kate’s?” Jackson suggested. “That’d be a challenge unlike
anything I could imagine.”

Since Jackson was echoing her thoughts
exactly, Ruth had no retort, but whacked him hard with his own hat
for laughing at her.

He dried his tears of laughter and sat down
across from Ruth. “So where am I on this list of good husband
material that you and Sue have got going?”

“You’re not on it,” Ruth baldly lied.

“But why not?” Jackson asked.

“Your perverse sense of humor.”

“You like my sense of humor, Miss Ruth, just
so long as it’s not directed at you. Now tell me what I have to do
to get on this list? And I’m a man who likes being on top, so why
don’t you just lay it out for me.”

“For starters, you can stop making be blush
at every turn,” she began.

“Only you can do that, my love. I think if
you had a bit more experience under your belt, you’d not blush
quite so readily. I could help you that way, if you’d like.”

“I think I’d like to decide who does that
too, thank you very much,” she replied, unconsciously straightening
her skirts so they covered her exposed ankles. “And you’re not the
only man on that list either.”

As much as Jackson knew that statement was
pure bravado, he felt a surge of jealousy nonetheless. But he
tamped that down and kept his reply light. “But surely, I’m at the
top.” He pulled on Ruth’s arm just strongly enough to cause her to
lose her balance and fall into his embrace.

Jackson rolled on top of Ruth’s softness and
took her protesting lips under his. He stroked the undersides of
her arms, stretching them up over her head, until he could clasp
both easily in one hand. With his other hand free, he slid it down
her arm, until it rested alongside her quickly swelling breast. He
didn’t move his hand further, just held her gently as he kissed her
over and over, sliding his lips along her jaw, her cheek, back over
to her now silent mouth.

His large hand itched to move across Ruth’s
nipple, to feel the sensation of it tightening under his touch. But
he wouldn’t rush this for her. He wanted her to remember every
aching moment of this for the rest of her days. So he bent his head
slowly over her still-covered nipples, so close she could feel his
breath, but still not touching. And then he took her lips once
again into his, to satisfy the safer urge, but leave the other
wanting.

Ruth ached to touch Jackson’s bare skin,
running both hands over every unfamiliar inch of him. She wanted to
know if she could make him feel the way she did when he stroked
her, hot and wanting inside – restless to feel more and never
stop.

But Jackson ignored her gentle attempts to
free her hands, instead soothing her restless fingers with lips,
placing his warm mouth in the center of each palm. Soothing her
with gentle strokes of his lips across the surface of each hand,
back and forth repeatedly, until he felt her hands strain toward
his touch.

He watched Ruth’s face until her swollen lips
parted. Then he replaced his stroking lips with his tongue, tracing
the ridge of her delicate hands fully along the base of her thumb.
Jackson repeated the caress along both hands, brushing the pattern
on first one hand and then the other. When he returned his patient
tongue to her left hand, he grasped it from behind, folding his
calloused fingers through Ruth’s, squeezing and releasing.

She felt his hold through her core, when he
caressed the insides of her fingers with his tongue. She ached for
his touch on both hands, and whimpered in protest when he pulled
away to focus his attention on the other. The feel of Jackson’s
teeth gently biting down on the sensitive flesh at the base of her
thumb made Ruth arch her back in need. Her body wanted more, but
she could not name the touch she wanted next.

Jackson took the decision from Ruth as he
settled both her wrists firmly into the grip of his left hand, and
extended her arms once again above her head, laying them firmly
against the cool grass.

When she felt his fingertips start to undo
the buttons of her dress, she opened her eyes in a token protest,
knowing she should stop, but having little will to insist.

Jackson felt the change in Ruth and quickly
soothed her mind and body with sweet words and gentle stroking
along her fully-clothed breasts.

“Let me look at you, Ruth - just a bit. I
need to watch your eyes when I touch your bare skin - just one
touch. I promise to leave you fully dressed; fully untouched; fully
a virgin still.”

Ruth’s aching heart heard the soothing words
and her body took what it wanted, allowing her eyes to drift closed
once again and succumb to her desire.

Jackson moved on to the next button, shifting
his weight closer to Ruth, lying alongside her so she could feel
his taut muscles from fingertip to thigh. He carefully undid the
buttons on her wool dress, just enough to slide his large hand
along the underside of her left breast. He left it partially
covered, as he stroked his hand back and forth, learning her body,
letting her learn his touch. He was careful to only touch the edge
of her breast, letting the coarse wool of her outer garment press
against her puckered nipple.

She felt the contrast of her coarse dress on
her left breast and the smooth silk of her still-intact
undergarment against her right. She strained against Jackson’s
hold, but he only chuckled, knowing she had no real desire to be
let go.

He used his hold to thrust her swollen
breasts upward, toward his waiting mouth. “Open your eyes, Ruth. I
need you to watch me.”

Her green eyes opened in blatant curiosity.
She sucked in her breath when she saw Jackson’s mouth so close to
her nearly naked breast. She held her breath, anticipating the
touch of his warm mouth on her distended nipple.

He smiled slowly and fully at Ruth’s waiting
gaze. He watched for her pleasure as he carefully took the edge of
her dress into his teeth and pulled the cloth slowly away from her
breast, until the bare flesh was exposed to the cool breeze. He let
go of the dress and pulled back an inch, to watch her reaction to
the air rushing across her heated flesh.

Ruth’s body tightened in pleasure at the feel
of the wind and the wanton picture she knew she made in his gaze.
She closed her eyes, waiting for Jackson to undress her
further.

But he had other ideas. He blew carefully
across her naked breast, contrasting the cold wind with his warm
breath, but did not touch her or suckle her. Instead he turned his
attention to her other breast, still covered by her chemise.
Jackson took that nipple fully into his mouth, where he suckled
first gently, and then with more force, until the wet of his mouth
soaked through the silk.

She thrashed on the soft grass, pushing her
aching breast against Jackson’s teasing lips. She unconsciously
twisted her burning body to the side, wanting to thrust her naked
breast into his mouth.

But Jackson ignored her cries of need,
leaving his attention focused on her covered breast. He suckled
again on her right breast, leaving its naked pair wanting. He
carefully let her nipple free and turned his attention to the top
of the same breast, kissing her repeatedly, careful not to touch
any bare flesh.

Ruth’s body burned uncontrollably, and she
had no clear thought beyond gaining the sweet release that Jackson
had so recently taught her. She moaned incoherently, wanting relief
and pleasure and uncaring of the state of her clothing.

Jackson’s entire being tightened at her sweet
sounds. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed to move
away from her exposed flesh. He closed his eyes and consoled
himself with the feel of her lips again.

He let go of her hands to pull Ruth fully
into his arms, taking her waiting lips into his. Jackson thrust his
tongue into her wet mouth, imitating his desire to join their
bodies fully. He thrust in and out, then retreated to slow the pace
of his penetration. He pulled her along into his burning desire,
until they moved perfectly in unison; bodies fully pressed against
each other, but their mouths the only bare flesh against bare
flesh.

He swore himself to patience, promising
himself to hold back and see only to Ruth’s pleasure, as he steeled
his resolve and pulled away from her compliant lips.

Before she could even form a protest at his
withdrawal, she felt his hands carefully raise her skirt off her
legs. He lifted only the outer wool dress, which he carefully
folded and laid across her restless hips.

Ruth thrust up uncontrollably when she felt
his hands stroke her slowly and deliberately along the full length
of her hips, touching her swollen sex with only a thin layer of
silk between them. He repeated the caress over and over, until he
felt her response soak fully the silk lying against her sensitive
flesh.

Jackson’s view of Ruth was barely inhibited,
as the delicate silk was nearly see-through when wet. He stroked
his forefinger gently across her, again and again, until her soft
hips thrust up to meet his every touch. With each stroke, he felt
her body release more liquid heat.

Ruth nearly screamed in pleasure, when she
felt her silk garments peeling away from her damp and humid skin.
She burned for Jackson’s touch and the release she knew waited for
her in his hands. But as soon as she thought to feel his bare
finger where the silk had once been, he had replaced her delicate
garment, smoothing it down once again against her damp flesh.

“Touch me there, Jackson,” she demanded. “I
want to feel your hands on me.”

“No,” he denied her in a strained voice. “I
promised you fully-clothed. And I always keep my word.”

She tamped down her disappointment that her
near lover was about to pull away from her, when she felt him
surprise her once again and slip both hands under her hips,
thrusting her knees up and settling his large frame in between her
legs. He spread her knees apart, but regretfully covered her
waiting flesh with her silk garments.

He took his time settling her chemise across
her sex, making sure she was fully covered. He leaned into Ruth’s
pliant body for a kiss, thrusting his tongue into her surprised
mouth, seducing her again with the rhythm of their joined
bodies.

Jackson pulled back and carefully placed two
fingers on her red and swollen lips. He didn’t move, waiting for
Ruth to satisfy her curiosity and open her eyes. When her emerald
green eyes slitted open to watch him, he started his descent and
stroked his two fingers slowly down the length of her body. When he
felt the full wetness of her response against his stroking fingers,
he reversed direction and stroked back up. He repeated the caress,
back and forth, until her hips lifted off the soft grass to meet
him.

When Ruth felt Jackson’s strong hands spread
her knees even further apart, she unconsciously stilled her hips
and held her breath. When she felt his hands gently separate the
lips of her sex through the damp silk of her chemise, she cried out
in pleasure, wanting more of his touch. When his fingertips thrust
inside her, barely an inch, pushing the smooth silk into her wet
body, Ruth came apart in his arms. Her body thrust up to meet his
touch, begging for further penetration.

But Jackson held her hips in place, allowing
her frantic thrusts to take him inside no more than an inch at a
time, until she came in abject pleasure, losing all control and
raining over his knowing caress.

He stroked his hands along Ruth’s undulating
hips as her body calmed itself and a sweet languidness consumed her
entire being. He gently smoothed the silk of her chemise down her
body until she was once again completely covered. Jackson slid his
warm hands along the silk, up and over her hips, her stomach and
along the soft undersides of her arms, until he clutched her soft
hands once again within his rough ones. He took her swollen mouth
into his for a slow kiss, as he stretched the length of his still
taut body along hers, rubbing every inch of his strength against
her.

When she reluctantly felt Jackson break their
kiss and move away, Ruth sighed in pure content and stretched
fully, smiling to herself as he began to praise her beauty.

“You’re beautiful lying there, Ruth, with my
scent still on you. And the pleasure you felt clear on your face.
Let me show you more.”

Jackson’s words didn’t truly penetrate her
fog of pleasure until she heard the first piece of his clothing hit
the ground.

She opened her heavy eyes to watch her new
lover slowly undress before her. It was full daylight. The thought
that she was the only one turning red seemed entirely unfair to
her, as she opened her mouth to voice a token protest.