Desert Rain (6 page)

No, he said softly. I want this one.

Lincs eyes held Hollys as he put the aspirin on his tongue. When the pill vanished behind
his lips, it was as though he had taken part of her into himself.

He leaned forward, nuzzling under her breast, his tongue licking up the last of the fine
powder that clung to her skin. Then his hand slid between her thighs, caressing upward
until he cupped around her intimately. His palm moved in slow circular motions, savoring
the special heat of her desire.

The wires of sensation that had been tightening in Holly exploded into a network of fire
that raced from the pit of her stomach throughout her body. Her fingers dug convulsively
into the hard muscles of Lincs arms as she moaned.

What are you doing? she asked.

Taking my medicine.

Gently Linc bit the taut flesh of Hollys stomach.

The horse neighed, a high, wild sound.

Linc

Yes, I hear him.

Lincs tongue moving across Hollys navel, lingering, probing. He lifted his head with a
groan as the horses cry ascended into a scream.

Why did I have to raise horses? he asked, his voice thick with passion and exasperation.
Why couldnt I have chosen something nice and quiet?

Holly laughed raggedly.

Like plants? she suggested.

Like rocks.

After a moment Lincs hand slowly slid from between Hollys legs. Even as he withdrew, he
caressed her. She tried to bite back a sound of hunger and desire, but couldnt.

Dont, Linc whispered hoarsely. When you make that sound I want to take off all your
clothes and taste every bit of you until you scream.

Suddenly he buried his face in the warmth that lay between Hollys thighs.

The heat of his breath and the wild intimacy of his caress shocked Holly. She stiffened.

Linc

When he saw her face, he swore silently at his own lack of control. Holly indeed must be
as innocent as she looked.

Youre right, Linc said, slowly releasing her. Sand Dancer sounds like hes in trouble or
planning to get that way real soon.

Numbly she nodded.

But despite Hollys shock, she was empty when Linc didnt touch her. She wanted nothing more
than to feel him pressed against her again, to hold him until the burning in her body
consumed them both.

Then Holly sensed Lincs eyes watching her and knew that her thoughts were as plain to him
as if she had spoken them aloud.

Very carefully she eased her hands out of his hair, feeling each crisp lock sliding
between her sensitive fingers. With hands that shook so much she was clumsy, she tucked in
her jacket once more.

Linc didnt offer to help her. Holly didnt ask. Both knew that if he touched her again, he
wouldnt let her go.

Moving quickly, Holly jammed her feet into her shoes and untied the tent flap. A bright
triangle of sunlight swept into the tent, nearly blinding her.

Blinking, she turned back to Linc to ask if he was sure he was all right. Her mouth
opened, but no words came out.

A single look at Linc and Holly forgot what she was going to ask.

He was reaching for his clothes. Sunlight poured over his skin, turning it into polished
bronze. The dark hairs on his body burned like molten amber, shimmering and shifting with
each move he made. Muscles coiled and shifted smoothly, powerfully, telling of a strength
he accepted as casually as he accepted the number of fingers on his hands.

Then Linc turned onto his side and the sleeping bag fell off his hips, leaving him
completely naked.

Distantly Holly thought that she should be embarrassed or appalled, but she was neither.

Lincs male beauty transcended narrow definitions of right and wrong, wise and foolish,
proper and improper.

When she finally looked up from his fully aroused body, she found herself caught and held
by his eyes. He had been watching her even as she watched him. Slowly Linc smiled.

Hollys heart turned over. Desire shivered visibly through her. She remembered how it had
felt to be nearly naked in his arms, his breath hot against her body, his mouth separated
from her softness by a single thickness of cloth.

Come here, Holly. Lincs voice was husky, as urgent as his aroused, vibrant flesh. The
Arabian neighed frantically, repeatedly. With a harsh, frustrated sound, Holly turned and
fled from the tent.

After the intimate twilight of the tent, the sun was almost overwhelming. Though the damp
ground sent tendrils of vapor into the air, there were only a few puddles left. Once
softened, the land drank water like

a tawny sponge.

Holly pushed her way through clumps of brush. Branches shaken by her passage drenched her
with water and the pungent smell of sage.

The Arabian stood with his head up, ears pricked forward until their tips almost touched.
The tarp Holly had tied onto him last night had slipped to one side. Her blouse was still
in place around the horses front legs, hobbling him.

The animal snorted as she approached. He watched her with dark, wary eyes.

Holly spoke in low, comforting tones. Her movements were the same, measured and reassuring.

Good morning, Sand Dancer, she said. You look like a mess, what with your grubby white
hobble and your pea-soup tarp. The twine doesnt do much for the ensemble, either, does it?

Sand Dancer snorted and stretched his nose toward the strange human.

Holly stood quietly while the horse whuffed over her, drinking her scent. After a minute
the animals velvet nose bumped her gently, accepting her as a friend.

She rubbed the horses ears, admiring their expressive elegance. Sand Dancers nose bumped
Holly again, less gently. Friendly beast, arent you? she said, laughing. Like his owner,
Linc said.

Startled, Holly turned and looked over her shoulder.

Linc was standing just out of reach. He wore no shirt because it had been shredded in his
fall. His jeans were still wet.

They fitted his body the way Holly wanted to, an unbroken line of intimacy.

Sand Dancers all right, she said quickly. Are you?

Holly winced at the breathless, husky quality of her own voice. She might as well have
shouted Lincs effect on her.

His right eyebrow lifted in a wry arc.

Cold wet shower, cold wet jeans, he said. Either one gets the job done. For a time.

I meant Holly felt herself blushing and groaned. Good Lord, you have me acting like Im
nine again.

You must have been a very advanced nine, Linc teased. Her blush deepened.

He smiled and relented.

My head aches, he admitted. My shoulder is stiff. My knee is tender.

Oh, Holly said unhappily.

Dont look so stricken, honey. Ive been hurt worse tripping over my own big feet.

Somehow I cant see you as clumsy, she said, shaking her head. Ive been jealous of the way
you move since the first time I saw you.

Linc looked surprised, but before he could say anything, Holly was talking again.

And those eyelashes of yours, she added. My God. Do you have any idea just how devastating
your coordination and thick lashes were to this nine-year-old? And you never even noticed
me for seven years.

Dont bet on it. The thoughts that crossed my mind after you were fourteen would have
gotten me arrested.

At first Holly thought Link was joking.

The look in his eyes convinced her that he wasnt.

I wish youd told me, she whispered.

Great, he retorted. You could have visited me in jail on alternate Thursdays.

She laughed.

Dancer bumped her with his nose, demanding her attention.

Duty calls, Linc said.

Looks more like a horse to me.

Holly turned around and began to work on Sand Dancer.

Linc walked up behind her. He stood so close she could feel the heat of his body radiating
through the back of her jacket.

My hands are cold, Linc lied. Let me warm them on you.

He rubbed his palms over Hollys arms. Slowly he cupped her breasts. The nipples instantly
hardened between his fingers.

She made an odd sound, surprise and passion combined. With a soft curse he put his hands
behind his back.

Holly went to work on the wet, knotted twine that held the tarp on Sand Dancer. The job
was made worse because her fingers refused to stop trembling.

Im not to be trusted this morning, Linc muttered. Sorry. Put your hands in your pockets,
Holly suggested. My hands wont fit in my pockets, he admitted wryly. His hands eased into
the front pockets of her jeans.

Can I use yours? he asked.

Inside Hollys pockets, his hands moved in sensual rhythms.

Linc, she said raggedly, feeling herself melt with each touch. Linc . . .

He shuddered and pulled his hands out of her pockets.

The things you do to my self-control, Linc said ruefully. I thought I was long past the
age when I couldnt keep my hands to myself.

Holly turned toward him.

I wasnt complaining, she said.

I know. Well make a deal, though. I wont touch you until poor Sand Dancer is taken care of.

Holly thought of all the tight little knots and wondered if she could last that long.

Shake on it? Linc asked, holding out his hand.

At the same moment they both realized that he was waiting to feel the warmth of her hand
sliding across his palm.

Quickly Linc dropped his hand.

Ill take your word for it, he said. Safer that way. Not as much fun, but safer.

Holly didnt disagree.

Together they attacked the twine knots holding the tarp on the horse. After a night of
being soaked by rain and pulled tight by the horses restless movements, the knots were as
hard and stubborn as wood.

Are you getting anywhere? she asked after a few minutes.

Nope.

Automatically Holly reached into her pocket for the jackknife she always carried when she
was in the desert. Belatedly she remembered that her knife was in her wet jeans.

Then she thought of the saddlebags tied on behind Sand Dancers saddle.

Holly reached underneath the tarp, groped for a saddlebagand found Lincs hand. Startled,
she looked over the horses back.

Linc was watching her, smiling. His fingernails curled across her sensitive palm as his
hand withdrew from both saddlebag and tarp.

With a deft motion he opened the knife he had taken from the saddlebag. The long blade
glittered as he went to work on the stubborn twine.

Suddenly Linc stopped, frowning.

I dont remember fixing up this tarp for Sand Dancer, he said, puzzled.

You didnt.

Holly pulled twine out of the tarps metal-ringed eyelets and waited for Linc to get back
to cutting knots.

You tied the tarp on Sand Dancer? he asked.

She laughed.

Cant you tell? she asked. No matter how many times you scolded me, I still tie granny
knots in a pinch.

In a pinch, getting the job done is all that counts.

He cut away the last of the twine and peeled off the tarp. Sand Dancers bridle was neatly
tied to the saddle horn. The cinch had been loosened enough for the horses comfort but not
enough to let the saddle slide or turn.

Linc glanced around. With approving eyes he measured the shelter provided by the tall
boulders and chaparral.

Then the muddy hobble caught Lincs eye. He knelt and fingered the cloth. Like the cinch,
the hobble was neither too tight nor too loose.

Sand Dancer is all right, isnt he? Holly asked anxiously. Sand Dancer is better than he
deserves after his performance last night. She let out a sigh of relief. He was calling so
frantically that I was afraid he was hurt somehow, she admitted. Hes spoiled. He was just
yelling because he was alone. Linc stood up with casual grace. He looked at Holly
intently. What happened last night? he asked. I dont remember much after Sand Dancer went
down.

I saw you up on the ridge. Your horse was crazy with fear.

Linc smiled wryly. I remember that much.

You should have jumped, Holly said tightly. I screamed and screamed for you to jump, but
you didnt hearme.Thenitbegantopour....

Her voice frayed into silence as she remembered her terrible fear for Linc.

Sand Dancer went down, she said finally. You threw yourself clear. You rolled twice and
then the boulder . . . oh, Linc, I was so afraid!

Gently Hollys fingers touched Lincs mouth as though to feel his breath and reassure
herself that he was alive.

He kissed her fingertips and whispered her name.

When I finally got to you, Holly said raggedly, your face was turned up to that awful rain
and you werent moving. I thought you were dead.

She tried to smile.

Lincs expression told her that it wasnt a success.

I was glad to hear you groan, she admitted. After a while we got you on your feet and
staggered to the tent.

This time her smile succeeded.

I wish I had a movie of that, Holly said, thunder and lightning and rain like the end of
the world, and the two of us slip-sliding down the ridge. I felt like a tugboat with a
runaway ocean liner.

Linc didnt smile in return. He was remembering the shattering violence of the lightning
that had sent Sand Dancer into a frenzy.

Were lucky we didnt get cooked by lightning, he said.

Amen, Holly said. After we got to the tent, I took off your wet clothes and stuffed you
into the sleeping bag.

Linc smiled crookedly. Made you blush, Ill bet.

I was too busy, she retorted. Suddenly you decided that you had to go and take care of
Sand Dancer.

Glad to hear I hadnt lost my senses entirely. You werent in any shape for it, so . . . So?

Holly shrugged and waved her hand at the scraps of twine scattered around their feet.

So I made a lot of granny knots in the rain, she said.

You should have waited until the storm let up.

Youre a lot stronger than I am, even when youre half dead from cold and getting rapped on
the skull by a boulder. You didnt want to wait.

You mean I sent you back out into that storm to take care of Sand Dancer? Linc asked
tightly.

It was you or me, and I was in better shape at the time.

My God, Holly. He pulled her roughly against him. You should have let me go. You could
have been hurt.

You already were hurt, she pointed out.

Still

Linc, Holly interrupted, exasperated. What kind of person do you think I am? You were hurt!

And you were alone in a wild storm with a stallion that went crazy every time the sky lit
up.

I blindfolded him, she said simply.

Lincs hands framed her face as he studied her deceptively fragile face. His thumbs stroked
her cheekbones.

Youre incredible, he whispered. Clever and long legged and wild, with eyes like gold coins
. . .

Suddenly Holly was acutely conscious of the sunlight glinting in Lincs hair and mustache
and eyes, of the tempting line of his lips, of his tongue so quick and moist.

A muscle moved and tightened along his jaw. He struggled to control the impulse to kiss
Holly until they were both breathless. Very carefully he let go of her and turned his
attention to Sand Dancers hobble.

Where did you get this? Linc asked as he worked over the knot. I dont remember having a
spare shirt in the saddlebag.

Its my blouse. Thats why I wasnt wearing anything under my jacket when you

Abruptly, Holly stopped talking. The thought of the moment Linc had unzipped her jacket
and looked at her naked breasts made heat tremble deep inside her body.

Linc saw her betraying shiver.

Holly, he said wonderingly, its a miracle I can keep my hands off you from one minute to
the next. But Im trying. God knows Im trying.

Linc removed the hobble and untwisted the fabric of Hollys blouse. The material was
stained. Fine sorrel hairs stuck to it in random patches.

He held up the blouse and shook his head.

Id stick with the jacket if I were you, he said.

Ive got another blouse.

Too bad. I like the way the jacket fastens.

It doesnt. The zipper is jammed.

Like I said.

Lincs eyes lit with silent laughter as he untied the bridle and slipped it over Sand
Dancers head.

Come on, boy, Linc said. Lets see how thirsty you are.

He tugged on the rains. Obediently Sand Dancer stepped forward.

Holly and Linc both watched the horse move until they were sure that the animal suffered
from nothing more serious than a few stiff muscles.

Linc nodded, smiled approvingly at Holly and took her hand.

Seems like old times, he said. Hidden Springs, the smell of sage, a horse andhe gave Holly
a teasing sideways looka rumpled munchkin watching me with gold eyes.