Dream Shadow (12 page)

Jacobs let a grin split his face.

“Guess that means I’d better keep it. There’re a lot of men here today.”

She fluttered her eyelashes before sweeping her skirts around him.

“Ever so kind of you.”

“No trouble.” And it wasn’t. She walked up the path with the bearing of an officer and was covered from head to toe in her historical dress. But there was something intensely feminine and definitely sexy about her as she stalked up the hill with her dress swishing over her hips.

“No trouble at all.”

Jacobs shouldered her load and followed her up the hill. Letting a woman lead the way had rather nice advantages. At least from his view it did. The smooth skin of her neck was the only bare flesh his eyes caught, but she was certainly one of the most sensuous sights he’d ever seen. She threaded her way through the cooking-fire pits and outdoor kitchens until she found one that was empty.

“Thank you.”

She dropped him a small curtsy before arranging her camp kitchen to her satisfaction. Her actions dismissed him and Jacobs found it amusing, so he stayed. The activity of producing a meal over the campfire took most of her attention, but she brought her blue eyes around to rest on him from time to time, and Jacobs grinned at her in response.

Duty finally ended his game and Jacobs reluctantly left the camp in order to check up on Grace. He reached into his jacket pocket for his portable tracking unit with mixed feelings. Under the current conditions, he wasn’t sure just what Grace would be doing.

Satellite links were amazing things. Pressing a line of numeric code into the palm-sized terminal, Jacobs waited for his link to pinpoint her location. He was itching to check up on her with his own eyes, but that would defeat the purpose of this weekend. Her pager informed him that she had retreated from the inhabited areas in favor of the forest. Applying an additional set of code into the keyboard, he waited again. Lieutenant Anson had better know exactly where Grace was. She was his primary assignment.

A few of his other Rangers were keeping the man company up in the hills.

With the frequency that his unit saw action, there was little room for inattention. Grace was a credit to every one of her years in the field, but his men outnumbered her twenty to one. They were too dependent on his diligence.

The entire function of this unit was to utilize Grace’s abilities. The job was simple—deploy, protect and retrieve their mission goal. Any man that couldn’t keep up with their operative was dead weight. It was his job to make the cut that would ensure the survival of his unit.

His men were in position, the location readings on his screen correct. He stood for a long moment, hesitating to let his men do their job.

It might grate against his pride but he needed to know if his junior officer could be relied upon. It was the perfect time to find out, but he’d have to step aside for Anson to prove his worth.

Of course that left him with plenty of time to watch Beth.

Things were looking up.

Frustration was becoming her closest companion.

Considering the re-enactors in front of her, Grace picked Jacobs out from among their midst. The day’s events were being crowned with a dance. Jacobs was currently turning a young woman about as he tried to mimic the steps of the nineteenth-century dance.

The smile sitting on his face deepened the frown sitting on hers. Maybe the man had a point. It was rather shortsighted of her to take off without backup. But setting his men to track her like a fox was rather extreme. Especially when she was stuck wearing a dress. Encumbered in the historical costume, there was no way she could elude Jacobs’s men.

Any refuge the forest normally held was effectively cut short tonight. But that didn’t mean she was going to trot into the middle of a dance. At least the event was blissfully free of man-made light sources. It made it possible for her to walk on the fringes without being illuminated.

The night breeze carried the chill that seemed to inhabit mountains the world over. Whatever the temperature during the daylight hours, after sunset the air always carried coolness induced by the water that supported the abundance of life. Dragging it into her lungs, she closed her eyes, letting the sounds of night touch her. The complete absence of man-made machinery was soothing to her soul.

There was no incoming aircraft announcing themselves with either jet or propeller to disturb her appreciation of the night. Tipping her head back, she searched out the constellations overhead. Without the blinding lights of a landing pad, they shone back at her with pure brilliance.

The soft nicker of the horses reached her, causing her to stare in their direction. Brice’s stallion fascinated her. The unexpected chance to be near him improved her mood greatly.

Cole shifted away from her presence, pawing at the ground in agitation. Settling herself atop the rail of the corral, Grace simply waited. The stallion would approach her or not, depending on its whim.

Waiting was an art that Grace had almost perfected. Holding herself completely still, she enjoyed the movements the animal made as it considered her. Curiosity won him over. Grace slowly reached up along the neck of the beast, soaking up the life that pulsed from its flesh.

“I’m jealous.”

She didn’t need to turn her head to know it was Brice. It was possible she’d been waiting for him. With nothing but moonlight, he stood more shadow than flesh. Striding forward, he settled himself just inches from her body as he greeted his mount. The affection was well received.

Watching him stroke his firm hand along the neck of the animal brought back the vivid feeling of him sliding it along her own body. Heat surfaced in response to the memory.

But her body wasn’t going to leave things to chance. Arousal surged through her with the speed of light. Her breasts tightened painfully under the stiff corset. Her skin demanded freedom from the layers of cloth. Her body wanted the release that Brice had proven he could give her.

Brice dropped his hand, causing the horse to toss its head back while stomping at the ground.

“What does he want?” she asked.

With a grin, Brice cleared the fence before landing on both feet inside the corral. He took a mere minute to secure a bridle on the horse before he swung his body onto the bare back of the animal.

Lit by nothing more than silver moon glint, man and horse resembled more legend than reality. They shifted together as the breeze carried their scents to her. Brice wrapped the reins tightly about one hand before extending the other to her.

“Come here, Grace.”

The horse seemed to be almost a part of him. Strength and vitality radiated from them. She felt another burst of emotion as she was attracted to that strength on a purely instinctual level.

He was absolutely male, and that appealed to her greatly at the moment. Placing her hand into his, she smiled at the jolt of sensation. Grace stood from her seat on the corral fence and swung her leg over the back of the horse. Her skirt and petticoats hampered her, but she worked them out of her way.

“Hold on to me.”

She wasn’t exactly sure how to go about what he asked. Placing her hands on his belt, she held there.

“We’re going to have to get closer.”

He closed his warm hands over hers, gently pulling them around his body. He pulled until she was completely pressed to his back from neck to thigh.

Her body had adjusted to the decrease in temperature that the night held. Her chilled skin rapidly soaked up the heat that his body radiated. She settled her cheek against his shoulder, and her head was filled with the sounds of his heart as it drove life along the body she was pressed against.

Gathering up the reins, he sent Cole running off into the darkness. After a few awkward seconds, she melted into him, moving her hips in unison with his.

Grace was lost in emotion. The animal under her surged forward, carrying them along in the night. The man she held in her arms was a living force. Her body matched his tempo and responded with an almost brutal burst of emotion. There was no one to see her, no one to criticize her responses. She felt them. Really felt them, allowing conscious thought to evaporate.

Heat surged along her veins as her center began to throb with hunger again. The motion of the horse between her legs intensified that sensation.

Brice drew the horse to a stop and slid from the back of the animal, taking her with him. In one fluid movement, he wrapped their bodies into a single unit. His eyes glittered in the dark and her emotions boiled dangerously higher.

“This isn’t wise.”

Smoothing his hand gently along the curve of her face, he smiled as she turned into the touch.

“I understand you now, Grace,” he muttered softly against her ear. “Most women have trouble separating emotion from their actions but you’re a master of detachment. You’ve been kissed before but you’ve never kissed a man back just because you wanted to.”

“I kissed you. But I shouldn’t have. Getting to know you is pointless. I’ll be gone soon.”

“No one has a guarantee that tomorrow they will wake up alive. It’s a façade most folks use to make their lives more comfortable. If you live perched on the edge, then that’s where I will stand in order to share the moment with you.”

Brice slowly bent his head down. Had he moved a fraction faster, she would have bolted, but Grace stood her ground as his lips settled lightly on top of hers. The gentle contact shocked her. His mouth slowly moved over hers, gently seeking companionship in intimacy. Hesitant as to how to respond, she slowly moved her lips against his. Control vanished as sensation rose, causing her to simply want.

She didn’t want to think about anything. If the attraction was based on the fact that he was what she couldn’t have, so be it. She wanted him.

His mouth firmly took control of hers, parting her lips while boldly tasting her. He pressed her firmly to his body as passion grew between them. His lips firmly moved on hers, tasting and sliding along the sensitive surface.

Each touch she bestowed upon him fed his desire. He moved against her in growing fervor as he gained the response he demanded from her. He used a firm hand to press her hips into his frame and the ache inside her became inflamed. It was a frightening flare of emotion that beckoned her closer with its dangerous appeal.

Once again, her body tightened, her skin aware of each and every inch of contact. She rubbed her breasts against his chest and listened to him groan in pleasure. Her head fell back as he traveled his mouth down the column of her throat.

It was mindless and she welcomed it.

Nothing mattered except finding the end of this feeling. He pressed her to his body with his arms and it shocked her to discover how much she liked the feeling of his hard muscles. His arms had ceased to function as restraints. Instead, he used them to mold her closer. He gripped her bottom, holding her steady as he slowly rubbed against her. She exploded in passion as well as uncertainty. Opening her eyes, she stared at the hunger that was reflected back at her.

She suddenly felt bold. Her blood was rushing at near light speed through her veins, bringing her body to life as she’d never felt before. The sensations were intoxicating. Freedom seemed at hand, the freedom to simply be herself.

Lifting her hands, she reached for the buttons of her blouse. His eyes followed her movement with arrogant satisfaction. Her corset pushed her breasts up in a display that Brice’s eyes fastened onto. He dipped his fingers under the garment to lift her nipples free. He teased one nipple with his lips before trailing little nips down the side of her breast until he reached the swell of its twin. He licked a path to the top of that mound until he closed his mouth over its peak.

She raised her hand to roam over his body until she found the bulge of his sex. She curled her fingers around him, fighting against the wool of his pants. A low growl came from his chest as she pulled the button fly open. His swollen staff eagerly thrust forward. Grace grasped its length as her own sex grew wet with longing.

“Let’s go back to my tent,” Brice whispered. “I don’t want our first time to be rushed like this. I’ve fantasized about you in my bed, and that’s where I want you.”

“They’ll be waiting to watch me there.” Grace stroked the length of him. She didn’t want to think about the unit or the men waiting to resume their duty to guard her.

He lifted her chin with a hand. “It’ll be a rough ride out here.”

“I don’t break easily.”

He groaned with satisfaction. He dipped his head to a nipple and stuck out his tongue to lick it. Sucking it into his mouth, Brice sent her body spiraling back into the vortex of sensation. He pulled her skirt up, letting the night air brush her legs. One of his hands found the moist folds of her body. He used one firm finger to stroke and part her center.

She cried out as he found the tiny nub hidden in her sex. The folds were drenched as she pressed her hips up to his hand. The polite rules of society didn’t have anything to do with them. The attraction was as primal as nature at its most dramatic, stronger than all the times before.

“Look at me.”

Grace raised her eyelids. Every last hint of civilization had left his face. He gripped her bottom as he lifted her and firmly placed her back against a huge tree.