Night Thunder's Bride: Blackfoot Warriors, Book 3 (21 page)

But oh, what had she done?

With a hiccup, Blue Raven Woman tossed onto her stomach and cried to herself, until at last the forgetful calm of sleep claimed her.

“I have nothing to dry myself with,” Rebecca complained. “No, do not turn around, only, please tell me what should I use to—Night Thunder!”

He had revolved around, despite her protest, and had begun to pace toward her. Startled, she threw her arms up in front of herself in an attempt to hide the fullness of her bosom. The attempt proved useless, however. She could tell by the catfish smirk on his face.

She said, “You promised that you would give me privacy this morning if I were to bathe.”

“I said that I would
try
to give you privacy…there is a difference between
trying
to do something and a full vow.”

“Is there? I am not so certain. Besides, I don’t see that you have put a great deal of effort into it,” she complained. She glanced up at the handsome warrior who stood at some distance from her, his countenance bearing the most innocuous grin.

She had so looked forward to this bath, their long journey almost at an end. This morning Night Thunder had announced that they were only a half day’s ride from his village. Their entire party had stopped here, close to this stream: the warriors to employ themselves in preparing to enter the village, she and Night Thunder to plan what they would do upon their arrival.

Night Thunder had offered to stand guard over her while she bathed, and she, unable to deny herself, had taken him up on the proposal.

His voice interrupted her thoughts as he said, “I try hard to give you this privacy you seem to desire. Very hard, I try.” He grinned at her.

She made a face at him, all the while attempting to scoot down further into the water. “Night Thunder!”

He had already compromised the distance between them, was even now standing at the bank of the stream. That the water only allowed her to immerse herself thigh deep didn’t help her cause. Even squatting down, she remained exposed from the belly up, arms over her bosom as a last defense.

“You promised,” she attempted again.

“
Aa,
I did, and I tried to keep from looking at you. I fought a great battle within myself to maintain this vow, too.” He smiled at her again and shrugged. “I lost.”

Despite knowing that she should admonish him, despite her own futile venture at modesty, she felt herself begin to smile, and she brought her hand up to cover her mouth that he might not know it.

“Come out now. I have a robe to wrap around you that you might not feel the chill of the early morning.”

“All right,” she said, “turn around and I will.”

He grinned at her and stayed exactly where he was. He said, “I have the robe.”

“Aye,” she said, “I can see that. Now, please turn around so that you are not
facing
me, and back up a distance.”

He did exactly as she had asked and rotated around, his back now to her. But instead of treading farther away from her, he came closer to the water and to her, the robe held in front of him and…unavailable to her.

She heaved a deep breath. “No, no,” she said, “spin around and—”

“I have spun around, as you asked,” he peered at her from over his shoulder.

“Aye,” she said, “I can see that.” She tried her best not to grin, but she couldn’t help herself, and humor tinged her voice. “Turn your face around, too.”

“
Aa,
you wish me to turn my head around, too?”

“Aye.”

“You must tell me all of these things that you wish, that I may do as you ask. Did I not say I would help you?” He turned his face back around, so that he could no longer see her.

“All right,” she said, satisfied, “now, drop the robe so that I can pick it up.”

He did so, but dropped the thing in front of him, his body effectively providing her with a barrier to it. He stood with his hands on his hips, though now and again he peered at her from over his shoulder.

She groaned and said, “Now step over it.”

“
Aa
,”
he said, “you want me to step over it. Of course.”

He obliged her at once and the robe became momentarily accessible to her. But when she might have made a gallant effort to grab the thing from him, he sat down upon it.

“No, no,” she admonished, “you’re not doing it right.”

Again he glanced at her from over his shoulder. “Am I not?” he asked innocently. “Come here and show me how to do it.”

“No, Night Thunder, you’re not getting the point.”

“Am I not?”

“No.”

“And what is this point?”

“You
are supposed to be letting me bathe without watching me.”

“
Aa,
I am glad you have seen to enlighten me about my duty. But am I not doing all that you ask me to do?”

She moaned. “Are you being deliberately obtuse?”

“Know I not what this means, ‘obtuse.’”

“Stubborn, mulish, obstinate, willful, inflexible, childish…” She took a deep breath.

“What am I doing? Is the robe not here as you had asked? Have I not put it within your reach? Why do you not come out here and take it from me?”

“You know why.”

He chuckled.

“Now,” she said, “stand up and
walk away from
the water.”

“
Aa,
yes,
away
from the water. You want me to go farther away, not closer. I think I have it now. You had only to say so and I would do it.” He stood up and, true to his word, he paced farther away from her—taking the robe with him.

“Night Thunder,” she stood up in the water, hands on her hips, “leave the robe.”

“
Aa,
you want the robe, too,” he dropped the robe, but turned completely around at the same time, a smug grin on his face. He gazed at her hungrily. “The robe is here,” he pointed out unnecessarily.

“Aye,” she dropped back into the water in an instant, hands over her bosom, although the attempt was too late. He had seen the whole of her nude body—which of course had been his purpose all along. Still, she couldn’t help giggling at him.

She asked, “Are you going to cooperate with me or not?”

Eyebrows shooting up, he gazed at her, so innocently. “I am cooperating. Are you unhappy with what I am doing?”

“Aye, that I am.”

“And yet I am trying to be helpful.”

“Aye,” she said, “you are trying.”

“
Aa
,”
he rejoined, “did I not tell you that I would be ‘trying’?”

She laughed. “I suppose you did,” she admitted. “I reckon I did not understand exactly what you meant by ‘trying.’”

He smiled at her. “Come out now before your skin turns as wrinkled as that of an old woman.”

“I’m not going to manage to get you to look away when I get out of the water, am I?”

“Look away?” He shook his head. “
Saa
, no, why would I want to look elsewhere when something more beautiful than even the sky at sunset, is before me?”

“Flatterer.”

“
Saa
, no. I speak only the truth.”

She shook her head. “All right, then, if you’re going to watch me, come closer.”

He stepped right up to the bank of the stream, smiling at her and holding the robe out for her.

She said, “Now give me your hand that you might help me from here.”

He grinned, but extended his hand toward her nonetheless.

With all her might, she exerted one gigantic pull, and with an enormous splash, into the water came the big, tough Indian warrior, robe and all. She giggled as she watched him surface after a few moments, surprise etched on his face.

But his amazement didn’t last long. Throwing the robe to the shore, he cupped his hands and splashed her.

She retaliated.

He made a grab for her.

She shimmied away.

He fumbled with something beneath the water and threw an article of clothing ashore. His breechcloth?

Oh, my.

He sent her another splash.

She leapt under the water and lunged toward his legs, pulling on them and dumping him back into the water.

He grabbed at her, and hauling her close to him, emerged, situating her body until she was pressed up close to his.

Immediately she became aware of the differences in their bodies, male and female.

Where hers was soft and rounded, his was contoured and solid. Where hers was delicate and dainty, his was all angles and hard.

She suddenly became aware of something quite rigid and substantial pressing against her belly. Heaven spare her, what was this happening to him, to her? A craving, suddenly urgent and consuming, burst through her body, hurling down her nerve channels, centering itself in that delicate spot between her legs. Her pulse leapt, her heart pounded, her breasts strained against him.

It would have been useless to deny that she wanted this man, wanted him to make love to her. The knowledge made her knees weak, and it took all her effort to stand. But she wouldn’t give in to that weakness. She mustn’t.

“Rebecca,” he whispered to her, his hands cupping her buttocks, his voice suddenly urgent. “I want you.”

She swallowed. Why did he have to be so direct? And why did his statement send a rush of eagerness through her?

He didn’t stop at that single statement though, and he continued, “Let me love you as I should have done the first time.”

“No,” she answered at once, “you know that we mustn’t…we can’t…”

“
Aa,
yes, we can. Let me show you—”

“No, please, I…” She was fast losing her reserve. She had to do something, anything, to remember that this man was
not
her husband. Because like it or not, this man was fast becoming exactly that.

No, she could not allow that.

Perhaps it was pure lust that made her ask, perhaps. But she didn’t think so, as she smiled up at him, and requested, a mocking note in her voice, “I would like to see you naked.”

It seemed only fair.
He
had been pestering her all morning. It was her turn to get him back, after all. Although, if she were truthful, she might admit that she had been curious about it, about how he would look naked, ever since that one night when they had been caught together in a hollowed-out tree trunk…How did a man look when under the influence of…love?

Luckily, she wasn’t quite so truthful, and so she stared at him as though she had every right to be asking him what she had, noting that he hadn’t flinched, as she had thought he might. Nor had he laughed, as she had reckoned he would. Instead, he’d merely tsk-tsked and said, “
Aa,
such a bold creature is my wife,” taunting her. He added, “I am naked now.”

“I am not your wife, and…” Her teasing him did not seem to be having quite the effect she had intended. He seemed relaxed, while she…

Well, she would show him. Raising her chin, she asked, “Would you please step out of the water?”

“
Aa,
yes,” he agreed, one of his hands reaching down to the small of her back, pulling her even closer to him. He continued, “Did I not tell you that I would do all that you ask of me if you let me attend to you this morning while you bathed?”

“As I remember correctly, you did,” she returned.

“Then come, we will step out of the water and we can both have a look at one another.”

“No, that is not what I asked. I would like
you
to parade before
me
…”

He shrugged his shoulders, as though such a thing were asked of him every day. “Have you never seen a man naked when he is aroused?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Then I will do this for you, but you must promise me that if I do this, you will also agree to one thing that I might ask of you.”

“I… I don’t know that I—”

“It is not to entice you to make love to me.”

“Oh?” Why was she disappointed? “Ah, and what is that?”

He peered down deeply into her eyes, his gaze as warm as a soft summer breeze, and said, “You will let me kiss you.”

“Kiss me? That is all?”

He nodded.

“It is a deal, then.”

He looked momentarily puzzled. “What is this deal?”

“It means that we have a bargain. We have a good…trade.”

“
Aa,
yes,” he said, “a good trade.” Whereupon he proceeded to step out of the water.

She drew in her breath as he arose. First one thigh out of the water, then the other; one leg up on the shore, then the other, her gaze hungrily noting each shift of every muscle. Rivulets of water ran down his broad back, his narrow hips and buttocks, his muscular legs. She almost choked in reaction to the sight.

She blinked, once, twice. It had been a foolish entreaty, she could see that now. Instead of this display poking fun at him, as she had meant it to, seeing him this way only stimulated her, and she wondered if he could feel the heat of her scrutiny upon him.