He eased her head down. “Sleep. Feel better
after nap.”
Blue Thunder watched her slumber. Her dark
eyelashes fanned her blotchy cheeks. She had the cutest nose,
though he thought she raised it a little too high in the air all
the time, especially when she spoke to him. If she were a turkey,
she’d drown, he mused. Then he watched a small lizard scurry over a
rock. The male creature swelled it orange neck to attract a female.
Nature was an interesting thing and the mating of animals very
intriguing. He realized he had let
his mind wander on a subject that was not in
his best interest; his notions made his eyes study the shapely body
near his feet.
Even at the wagon train when she was dressed
in so much clothing, he saw her small waist and firm, small
breasts. He envisioned her in a buckskin dress, which only added to
his agony. He looked up at the sky and groaned; he needed sleep,
but he would have to be on guard. Night Rider would warn him of any
danger so he closed his eyes but he found even in his dreams, the
young beautiful woman’s ripe body tempted him.
Later, when Melissa opened her sticky eyes,
she did feel somewhat better. She hoped she was ugly enough that
he’d stay away. Maybe she’d die; it would serve him right if she
did. Then she remembered Daphne and she refused to give up. The
burning sensation was not as bad, but her skin did feel tight.
59
“Honey Eyes feel better, soon”
Not in a million
years
, she thought to herself. She wanted
to laugh; now he was concerned. If she were thinking straight she
would have realized he had spoken broken English. She touched her
face feeling a gooey substance. “What did you put on my face,
savage?” she inquired through parched lips that pained her.
Why the hell was she talking to him? He doesn't
under...? Wait a minute!
Before?
Darn!
After overcoming the shock, she
realized he had definitely spoken English.
Oh, how she’d love to give him what for!
Ohhh! She was steaming.
“My name is Blue Thunder, not savage!”
He helped her sit up but she slapped his
hand away. “You’re lower than a snake’s belly!” He folded his arms
across his massive chest, his dark eyes warning her that he had
enough of her sharp tongue. Melissa didn’t care and opened her
mouth but he put a long, tan finger against her lips.
“If you do not want to starve, I suggest
white woman use mouth for better things than insults.”
What the hell did he mean
by that?
She didn’t want to think
seriously about his threat. Besides, something smelled good; her
stomach gnawed making her curious so she looked around him and saw
the fire. Her pride be damned, she’d swallow it if he offered her
some food.
“All right,” she conceded, for now and sat
with a disgruntle huff on a rock. The brave handed her a piece of
roasted meat. It was delicious and she quickly gobbled up. He gave
her more, she devoured it all. “This is delicious meat,” she
mumbled. “What is it?”
“Rattlesnake!”
“Humm.” She licked the
juices from off her fingers.
Rattlesnake?!
Melissa put a hand
over her mouth; she couldn’t lose the only nourishment she had in
two days. She took deep breaths to control her queasy stomach. “Why
you snake in the grass!” Her unintentional pun made the Indian
laugh. It wasn’t a mean laugh, but it still grated on her nerves.
Melissa lay down and closed her eyes, too weary to argue. She
wouldn’t forget he made a fool of her once more. And let him try
and kiss her again. She fell asleep with a painful smile hoping he
would.
60
FIFTEEN
The next morning dawned bright and sunny. It
was a day that could make her spirit sing, but Melissa’s anxiety
wouldn’t allow it. Blue Thunder offered her dried buffalo meat and
she accepted it. If she could eat snake, she could eat anything.
What other treats did he carry in that bag?
“It is good you take meat and water, Honey
Eyes.”
“My name is Melissa St Andrew! And, I’m not
eating to please you,” she pouted, licking her lips and winced at
the slight sting. “I like my hide too much. Since you decided to
make my life miserable, I’m hanging around to do the same to
you.”
Blue Thunder shook his head at her and she
marched past him with her proud but blistered chin held high. The
Indian didn’t push his mount that morning and before leaving the
valley, he gathered more aloe. He claimed that they made it to the
foot of the mountains in twice the time it normally took him.
“We stop here to bathe,” ordered Blue
Thunder. “Since yesterday, your odor offends me. Night is falling,
and desert can get very cold when the sun goes down.”
Melissa opened her mouth to say a few choice
things, but then snapped it shut. She’d gotten away earlier without
punishment; she didn’t want to push her luck. It you wanted to
call
his sweet lips
punishment.
Dammit to hell and back! Stop
thinking like that!
she scolded
herself.
What an insufferable man!
And why did he have to be so good looking?
And wear so little clothes.
She argued back.
As sore as her eyes were, she didn’t miss
the way his tight buckskins clung to his narrow hips. She nearly
groaned out loud when at the sight of his rounded backside. It did
something to her world; it went off kilter. She seethed inwardly at
her disturbing thoughts and how something stirred in the pit of her
stomach when he helped her off the horse. No mater how angry she
was she simply could not ignore his strong hands banding her waist
or the fact that the heat remained
61
long after he removed them. Her emotions in
turmoil, she gave him her back as he tended to Night Rider.
Stink! Bah!
What did he expect traveling in the desert for
such a long time?
She kept that thought to
herself, again, and continued to fume, then realized that he sweat
very little and had no offensive odor. He didn’t smell like a white
man who perspired. “Humph!” She kicked at a pebble.
That didn’t matter,
she
told herself.
No man should tell a lady
she stinks. It would serve him right if she refused to bathe. Let
him smell her all the way to his destination.
Slowly, she let a smile creep over her face.
“No! I’ll not bathe in that, that watering
hole.” The water was surrounded by sparse grass and one lonely,
pathetic looking tree. “You may be used to bathing in the middle of
nowhere, but not me.”
“The cool water will soothe blisters, heal
them fast. You bath or I strip you naked.”
Blue Thunder did not miss the anger that
skated through her doe eyes. She was something, that white woman.
He feared she could definitely give him grief with that flapping
tongue. But it was a sweet tongue, nevertheless, and he’d train her
in time. She stood firm, her arms folded under her breasts. Wheat
colored threadlike locks fell over her stubborn face, but Blue
Thunder thought her beautiful, blisters and all. He loved the
little brown specks across the bridge of her thin nose. Her pink
mouth, although cracked and slightly swollen, was appealing; like a
desert berry clinging to a bush.
His loins tightened, remembering her silky
hair against his chest when she had leaned against him. He had
spent days trying to control his lust, wondering how much more he
could take before losing it. Right now, he was losing his temper.
He knew he could toss her in clothes and all but he’d reason with
her first.
Her eyes grew as big as an owl by his threat
to strip her and he knew he was in for it again but surprised when
her rebuttal never came. Instead she shook her head adamantly, and
inhaled deeply causing her chest to raise and fall dramatically
which didn’t go unnoticed. But he was tired of her stubbornness and
before she knew it, his arms sprang out, tearing her dress
completely down the middle. He saw terror in
her eyes as she shrieked, trying to hold it together.
62
Her outraged cry didn’t faze him and he spun
the incensed captive around, pulling the rest of her dress off her
back.
“Now, if you not want to have undergarments
ripped too, leaving you naked to travel rest of the way, you will
obey! You are not stupid!” It wasn’t a question.
“Stupid? Stupid? I’ll show you who’s stupid,
you …you overgrown ape!”
She was stubborn as flies on a carcass and
as proud as a tall mountain peeking through
clouds. He had to admit he liked that. This
headstrong female stirred his blood with her challenging
disposition; life with her would be anything but boring.
Nevertheless, as a son of a leader, he had to wed an Indian maiden
befitting his rank. His father had pressured him to marry so many
times fearing he would die before seeing his grandchildren.
Although, his father was right, there was no hurry. He would be
happy to have this honey-eyed slave.
Blue Thunder removed his clothes and joined
his captive. His breath became ragged when he touched her beautiful
body. Her waist was so small he could span it with his two hands.
Her cute, rounded backside had made his manhood swell to a painful
size and he wondered if he could scrub the rest of her without
erupting like an inexperienced youth. But she needed to be cleaned
and he and his people pride themselves on cleanliness.
She was blushing, her eyes remained closed
to him and she kept her arms crossed over her breasts. He wondered
why she hid her sweet peaks yet not her womanhood. He experienced
such tantalizing agony when he scrubbed her legs and stomach
wanting to kiss where his hands had been. Without any resistance,
he unfolded her arms to wash her small but firm breasts. Color
deepened and crept down her pretty neck, once again her blush
didn’t go unnoticed to his scrutinizing eyes. He sensed her
embarrassment, but soon she’d lose all modesty before him. He would
show her bodies were beautiful and without shame.
Blue Thunder knew he’d make love to her and
just what he would do. The first time would be special for his
prize. His hands trembled as he thought about placing feather
kisses on her fluttering eyelids. His wet lips would slide across
her spotted nose, tender pink lips, and defiant chin. His eager
mouth would travel like a snail to her white breasts and he would
take
each nipple between his teeth, circling them
with his hot tongue until they grew hard with desire. Then he would
slowly explore her flat belly and pale soft, golden mound that
would hold so
63
much pleasure for them. His kisses wouldn’t
stop there; he’d brand her creamy inner thighs and she’d experience
a pleasure she had never experienced before. They would soar
together on a path known only to lovers.
Melissa had been beyond enraged; she was
murderous from his terrible treatment before. He could be so kind
and caring one minute, and then change like a chameleon the next.
Seeing the fire in his dark eyes, she did not fight him. One thing
in her favor, dusk was settling and the bright sun began slipping
behind the mountain. Stripping quickly, Melissa had run into the
water and sat with her back to him. The water made her shiver,
making her teeth rattle but it wasn’t the temperature but her ire.
Her backside bruised when she sat on some pointed rocks but she’d
sit there forever before admitting to her pain, not to mention her
embarrassment.
Then to her horror, she saw the red man shed
his buckskin and moccasins. Her body shivered, but not from the
cold but fear. She turned away, feeling her face heat knowing he
was joining her naked as a jay bird. He touched her shoulder and
asked, “What is ape?”
“Y-you,” she seethed through clenched teeth
and wondered how she managed to sound coherent through her tight
jaw.
He had yanked her up, grabbed some sand from
the bottom and started to scrub her back, buttocks and legs where
her skin wasn’t red. She made a loud gasp from her tight throat
when his hands touched places no man ever touched before. She tried
swatting at him but he grabbed her
wrists in his one hand and held her still.
Her breathing strained as she continued to struggle. This only made
his arms rub against her breasts, causing a tingling sensation
between her legs. Hearing him chuckle, she knew he was enjoying her
predicament. She stiffened. Would he scrub her front? She believed
he would and squeezed her eyes tight, feeling humiliation mixed
with anticipation.
He released her wrists and
turned her around. Her nipples shriveled up from the cool breeze
or, Oh, God help her if it was from his touch? He bent and kissed
them. Melissa felt the blush creep down to her toes and she made a
quick intake of breath but didn’t resist as she stood with her arms
stiff by her side.
How much sweet torture
could she take?
Did she just think, sweet?
Definitely her brained had been fried.
64
Melissa’s icy body began to feel as it was
on fire. She wondered how she could feel chills from the falling
temperature and hot flashes at the same time. His hand lingered too
long on her chest but she didn’t open her eyes to argue the point.
She couldn’t win and after a while she didn’t think she wanted to.
Without warning, she was swept up into his strong arms and carried
to the small path of grass. He placed her on her feet and held her
shaking body that had long ago lost the fight.
“I will warm you.”
And he did. Melissa found being wrapped
securely in his warmth was exciting but nerve wracking. His male
organ pressed into her tenderly and she didn’t know what to do. She
couldn’t believe how warm his body was; the cool water and breeze
hadn’t affected him at all. He doesn't