Chasing Rainbows (27 page)

A strange expression, something between laughter and pain, crossed Jake’s face. “Annie?”

“Yes?”

“Do you like the way I kiss you?”

She glanced away, feeling flustered and foolish. “Yes,” she managed.

“What if I kissed your whole body like that? Slowly, inch by inch. Do you think you would like that?”

The image of Jake doing exactly that filled her mind, leaving her unable to speak. Finally she gained her voice. “I like it when you touch me. Even when you pretend it’s accidental. Like when you pass me a cup of coffee and our fingers touch, or when you adjust Dulcie’s cinch and your shoulder brushes my leg. Or the way you hold my elbow while we’re crossing the street, then drop it real quick as soon as we get to the other side, as if it was nothing but a habit that you just couldn’t break.”

Jake grinned. “You noticed that, did you?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t mind? I didn’t scare you?”

“No.” She stopped and delicately cleared her throat. “No, I didn’t mind at all. And you didn’t scare me, neither. Fact is, it felt real nice.”

“Then, I think we’re gonna do just fine, darlin’.”Heat filled Jake’s eyes and a slow, seductive grin parted his lips. “I think we’re going to do just fine.”

It took him less than four long strides to reach her side. She expected him to immediately resume their kiss. Instead, Jake scooped her up and carried her effortlessly back to his bedroll, setting her down gently among his blankets. “Comfortable?” he murmured, spreading out his long body beside hers.

Annie stared into his eyes, feeling more vulnerable than she ever had in her life and yet strangely unafraid. “Will it hurt?” she asked.

A look of regret crossed Jake’s face. “Yes, for a moment,” he replied. “I’d take the pain away if I could, but I can’t.” He pressed a light kiss at the base of her throat as he gently stroked her arms.

She nodded, bracing herself for the pain. “All right.”

“Not now, darlin’.” he quickly reassured her. “I’ll warn you before it happens. Right now you can just lean back and let me kiss you the way I’ve been wanting to for days.”

The knowledge that Jake had been wanting her as badly as she had been wanting him filled Annie with a steady sense of reassurance and banished the last vestige of her fear. Nervous tension flooded through her, making her body tremble in anticipation of his touch. He wrapped his arm around her waist and gently pulled her to him, capturing her mouth with his. Her lips, cool at first, quickly warmed beneath the gentle contact of his kiss. She felt the slight pressure of his jaw against hers as he softly coaxed her into parting her lips. Once she did, he immediately deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth with his tongue.

Stormy desire shot through her as his kiss robbed her of all breath and thought. She felt Jake’s hands move over her body as though memorizing her every curve. Hot, quivering yearning spread through her limbs in response to his touch. Annie reacted purely on instinct, moving her body against his in a rhythm that mirrored the heat and passion of their kiss. Her own hands, which had been fumbling at his back in search of a home, locked around the base of his neck, clinging to him for support. She arched her hips and pressed herself tightly against him, aching for more.

Jake drew back, his eyes dark with passion. Annie reached for his shirt, working his buttons free while he performed the same task for her. He moved with an easy, unhurried expertise, quickly stripping her of the unwanted garment. Her gun belt, boots, and pants immediately followed, landing in a careless pile at their feet. Annie leaned back, clothed in nothing but Jake’s undershirt and long cotton drawers.

She stared up at him, feeling more exposed than she ever had in her life. But Jake quickly calmed her fears. He brushed his hands lovingly over her body, touching her through the light cotton fabric with an almost reverent urgency. Then, moving with infinite care, he eased the garment over her head and tossed it aside. As the chill of the night air touched her skin, Jake rained gentle kisses on her flesh, warming her arms, her shoulders, and her breasts with his mouth. He eased her drawers off next, warming her thighs, hips, and belly with the touch of his hands. Annie squirmed with pleasure beneath him and closed her eyes. A soft moan that was part laughter and part blissful sigh escaped from her lips.

She felt him go still above her, and opened her eyes to find him staring down at her, his beautiful, rugged face framed by moonlight and storm clouds. His gaze seemed to burn her skin as it traveled intently over her body, but his expression was unreadable. He reached for her wordlessly, lifting her golden hair and setting it cascading about her shoulders, carefully brushing the long, silken strands away from her face.

A rolling boom of thunder sounded in the distance, and a crack of lightning split the sky. Weed and Dulcie skittered nervously. But Annie was too focused on Jake to pay the weather any mind, even as the wind tossed her hair and light drops of rain began to sprinkle her skin.

A sense of modesty she had never known she possessed rose suddenly within her. Did Jake enjoy the way she looked, or was he disappointed? She regarded him anxiously, filled with an unreasonable desire to please him.

“Jake?” she said, uncertain how to interpret his expression.

“You’re so beautiful, Annie. Just look how beautiful you are.” His voice was low and husky, filled with desire.

Her anxiety quickly evaporated. Emboldened by the compliment, she reached for him, running her hands over his chest. Jake eagerly assisted her, tearing off his shirt, boots, gun belt, and pants. He knelt above her in naked, masculine splendor, giving her a full and complete view of what she had only seen glimpses of before. He showed no embarrassment about his state of undress, nor did he need to. Every inch of Jake’s body was corded in sinewy muscle, without a spare ounce of flesh anywhere.

He reached for her, his muscles rippling beneath his satiny skin as he moved. Their bodies locked in an embrace, all wet and slick from the steadily falling rain. Jake’s hands moved over her body with wild abandon. He traced the rounded curve of her buttocks, the silky smoothness of her thighs, the gentle curve of her hips, and the tiny span of her waist. He cupped her breasts, brushing his palms over her nipples with a light, teasing touch until they grew hard and firm beneath his hand.

Then he shifted his position and leaned forward, bringing a firm, rosy peak into his mouth. Shock and delight screamed through her. She gasped with pleasure, her body twisting against his. Then, when the pleasure became so great that Annie thought she couldn’t stand it anymore, he moved lower, tracing hot, lavish kisses over her ribs, across her stomach and the tops of her thighs.

He covered her body with his mouth, claiming her with a savage hunger that found every sensitive inch of her. As she glanced down at him, a wave of black, silky hair fell across his forehead. Annie tentatively reached out her hand and brushed it back, combing it with her fingers. “I’ve always wanted to do that,” she admitted softly.

Jake pressed a soft kiss against her shoulder. “Touch me anytime you want, Annie, darlin’. Anywhere you want.”

“Can I?” Thrilled with this new power, she placed her hands on his shoulders and felt his muscles contract beneath her palms in response. His reaction not only amazed her but gave her a quiet sense of power. She moved slowly, taking her time exploring his ruggedly beautiful body. She traced the broad expanse of his chest, the power of his strong shoulders and arms, then let her palms drifted downward, over the flat, rippled muscles that lined his stomach.

Her gaze traveled next to the most intimate part of him, rife with curiosity. Moving with a brazen confidence that was entirely new to her, she reached down and lightly grasped his erection, holding him gently in her hand. The skin there was silkier than any other place on his body but every bit as firm and rigid, and throbbing with life. Remembering the way he had caressed her breasts, she lightly teased the tip of his penis with her fingers as he had teased her nipples with his tongue.

Jake gave a low growl of pleasure and caught her hand.

She drew back, puzzled. “Don’t you like that?”

He gave a hoarse, muffled laugh. “Too much, darlin’, that’s the problem.”

Annie didn’t have time to ponder the meaning of that remark. He pulled her back into his embrace, once again lavishing her body with his kisses as he licked the rain from her skin. Annie echoed his movements, wantonly indulging her every whim and urge. She kissed his shoulder, his chest, his neck, matching his passion with her own. As a second bolt of lightning lit up the sky, she locked her arms around his neck and slanted her mouth over his, unleashing all the fervent, wanton longing that was pent up inside her.

Jake’s hand drifted to her thighs. His hand rested there for a moment, then he pushed his fingers through the silky hair at the apex of her legs, cupping her with his palm. She stiffened at his intimate touch and instinctively clamped her legs together.

“Shh, darlin’, don’t be afraid,” he murmured into her hair. Once she had relaxed, he traced the curve of her most private place, enticing another shocked gasp of pleasure from her. Then he gently slipped one finger inside of her, sliding it back and forth against her warmth and wetness.

Annie tensed, then hot sparks of desire pulsed through her veins. Heat coiled tightly within her belly and spread. Hunger rose within her, laced with stunning urgency and sweet, possessive fire. Her nails racked against the bunched muscles of his back, and her body molded itself to his, as if begging for more.

Jake drew back and raised himself on his forearms above her, the tip of his erection poised at her entrance. His eyes locked on hers as he slowly inched his way inside her. Annie’s eyes grew wide with wonder as she felt her body stretch to accommodate him. She was awed by their union, amazed at the feel of him inside her. So this was what lovemaking was all about. This glorious, intimate union between two people. But just as she adjusted to the feel of Jake inside her, he slowly withdrew. Annie stared at him in confusion, feeling a stab of dismay and abandonment as he lifted himself off her.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Annie, but there’s no other way,” he said hoarsely, his breath fanning her neck.

“It’s all right,” she said, pulling him back down to her. She had no idea what she was agreeing to. She only knew that she wasn’t prepared to stop. Any pain, no matter how great, would be better than stopping now, while desire still raged through her veins and Jake’s eyes burned with passion.

Jake withdrew almost all the way and covered her lips with his own. His face harsh with regret, he drove swiftly into her. A sharp, biting sensation tore through her. Annie froze, shocked by the intrusion of pain. Then she let out a sigh of relief as the sting slowly faded away. She glanced up at Jake and found him poised above her, holding himself immobile, as though afraid the slightest movement would hurt her again.

Tenderness poured through her. As the pain ebbed, she reached up and ran her hands over his shoulders, smiling brightly. “I thought you said that was going to hurt,” she teased, unwilling to burden him with her pain, however slight.

Jake stared into her eyes, then let out a low, shuddering groan. “Annie,” he murmured, capturing her mouth with his own. He rewarded her with a kiss of such heat and passion that Annie felt she could glimpse into his very soul.

Then he began to move. Slowly at first, almost teasingly. Wonder and desire exploded within her as she arched her hips to meet his. With each slow, gentle thrust, her nails bit deeper into the bunched muscles of his shoulders. Her body strained against his, aching for release. Each firm, loving stroke carried her a step closer to what she needed. Jake began to move faster, driving himself more deeply within her. She felt as though she were climbing, stretching, striving to reach a plateau she couldn’t define.

Annie caught her breath as ecstasy exploded within her. Sweet, shuddering spasms wracked her body, making her gasp with shock. Every nerve in her body seemed to take flight, her very limbs seemed to melt with pleasure.

Just as she found her release, Jake tightened his arms around her, then drove deeply inside her, a shudder running through his frame as he poured himself into her. Abruptly he collapsed on top of her, emitting a low, satisfied growl as he rolled over, taking her with him.

Annie slowly surfaced from the hot, sweet oblivion. Rain pelted them both as she lay splayed across his chest, breathing slowly and deeply. Jake’s heart was pounding beneath her ear, his breath coming in short, shallow gasps. Even now she could still feel the warmth of his intimate caresses on her skin and taste his kisses. In some distant corner of her mind she was aware that the rain was coming down harder, the booms of thunder moving ever closer.

Finally Jake’s hands came up, gently caressing her back. “Looks like you were right about the storm,” he said. “We better find some shelter.”

Annie sighed, reluctant to move and disturb their embrace. “I reckon so, mister.”

He gave her a tight squeeze, then pressed a light kiss against her shoulder. “Annie, darlin’?”

“What?”

“I think it’s about time you started calling me Jake.”

Annie counted five days since they had left Two River Flats and turned south, following the twisting, rocky route of the Animas River through the San Juan mountains. Five days of riding all day and making love all night. She should have been exhausted from all the travel and the lack of sleep. Instead, she had never felt happier or more alive.

Never would she have believed that she had so much to learn about her own body, nor could she have wished for a better teacher. Jake was a wonderful lover, by turns patient and giving, then wild and unpredictable. Their nights passed in a blur of passion and laughter, full of erotic surprises and deep contentment. And when she did finally drift off to sleep, invariably she was curled up in Jake’s arms, feeling blissfully secure and totally protected.