Savage storm (13 page)

Jason had never faced a more difficult challenge, for he knew Gabrielle to possess the most volatile of temperaments. While he desperately wanted to arouse her passion, he did not want to provoke her anger. He dared not lift his lips from hers until he was certain she'd not object to his affection; then he trailed playful kisses down the slim line of her throat as he moved his hand to the buttons on the soft kid boots she wore for riding. He wanted to removeevery single article of clothing she wore, and with expertise he proceeded to do so, while to his amazement he found Gabrielle doing the very same thing to him. He could scarcely keep his mind on his task when her

hands moved over him with such deUcate precision, peehng away the layers of his deerskin clothing with a determination he found astonishing, and he thought of Beau. The boy would have been only nineteen when he'd died, but he'd obviously taught Gabrielle all there was to know of pleasing a man. When they at last lay nude in each other's arms, he was drunk with the delicious desire she had aroused so easily within him.

He longed now to lead her further still, to delay the moment when their bodies would join in a final burst of pleasure. He covered her face with light kisses, then caressed her throat lightly before his lips found the pale pink tip of her breast. Savoring the texture of her silken skin, his tongue moved down her ribs, then his lips teased the smooth flatness of her stomach with lingering kisses before he lowered his mouth to the waiting triangle of dark red curls. Her hands had moved lightly over the rippling muscles of his back as he'd stretched out beside her, but now she wound her fingers tightly in his curls to hold his mouth near. She made no move to resist the teasing probing of his tongue but relaxed in his embrace, allowing him the easy access to her innermost being which he craved so desperately. All reason fled his agile mind then, as he savored the honey sweet taste o( her passion with the abandon of a man drunk upon the most exotic of fine wines. He felt the rapture of his kiss shudder down her spine in mounting waves of ecstasy, and when he was satisfied he had tamed her elegant body as well as her proud spirit, he moved to end his own torment. His mouth again sought hers as with one forceful thrust he drove deep within the slender body it had been such a great joy to conquer. He felt her pain then although no cry escaped her throat. Stunned to find the vibrantly loving creature beneath him a virgin, he lay still within her, not knowing how to beg forgiveness for having made so grave an error about her past.

Gabrielle could scarcely breathe. She could only feel the desire which flooded her loins with a stream of fire, and

wrapping her arms around Jason's narrow waist, she drew him down into an embrace that stilled all his apologies before he could speak them.

"Do you demand I say it still? Gin you not feel how desperately I want you?" she whispered seductively in his ear.

As his mouth again covered hers with an urgency she readily understood, she moved beneath him with a slow, easy grace, accepting each of his rhythmic thrusts as if they were engaged in an ageless dance whose steps she knew by heart. In his arms she had found a rapture so splendid she wanted only to share it. She felt a delectable excitement flow between them until its power surpassed even the longing for life itself, fusing their proud spirits in the flames ot a burning ecstasy that left them both trembling with the greatest of love's many exquisite joys. Their need for each other at last satisfied, they lay contentedly enjoying an embrace neither could bear to end until the last raindrop had rolled down the side of the tent and they were bathed in the warm glow of the returning sun.

For the first time in his life Jason was simply speechless, for he'd found in Gabrielle's arms so loving a response to his dream of affection that he was unable to put into words the newfound devotion which filled his heart. He brought a strand of her silken hair to his lips and kissed it tenderly, not wanting the wonderful intimacy they had shared to end as he knew it must. Stopping to kiss her flavorful lips frequently, he pulled on his trousers and moccasins. Then he brought his canteen from where it had been suspended on Duke's saddle so he could bathe away all traces of their ardor from her slender body, but his hands shook so badly Gabrielle took the damp handkerchief from him.

"For so tender a lover, why are you so clumsy now, my darling?" she asked in a voice still husky with desire. She pulled on her clothing with practiced ease despite the close confines of their quarters; then she knelt before him as she brushed his lips with hers. She had learned not only to trust

her own emotions, but to trust him as well, and her smile could not have been more lovely. She did not regret a moment of the pleasure they had shared, but she saw by the confusion in his glance that something was amiss. "Jason, what is wrong? Tell me quickly for surely we must hurry or the wagon train will overtake us and we will look very foolish sitting here in this tiny tent when the sun is shining so brightly."

Jason's gray eyes grew dark as he attempted to explain what was bothering him. "I did not even imagine—well, what I mean is it did not occur to me that I would be the first man to—

Gabrielle sat back, fear spreading up her spine like a cold chill. "What you mean is you thought I'd done this before and therefore would not mind doing it again with you, is that it?" she asked, her eyes rapidly filling with unshed tears.

"No!" Jason replied crossly. "But all you told me of Beau led me to believe that you and he had been lovers."

"I see," Gabrielle replied calmly, certain she had accurately guessed the cause of his remorse. He'd thought she'd been Beau's woman so she would be his without objection. It was as simple as that. She pushed by him and went to Sunny, brushing the last of the raindrops from his saddle before she leaped upon his back. When Jason rushed to her side to grab her stallion's reins, she turned upon him with a furious gaze. "Beau and I were lovers in the truest sense, for each of us was devoted to the other. You are not even fit to speak his name, and I swear I'll kill you if you ever dare touch me again!"

Stunned by that hate-filled threat, Jason could only leap aside as he watched her magnificent mount streak away. He screamed in frustration, devastated to think she had again misunderstood him so greatly but knowing the fault had been his. He should never have mentioned his mistaken belief about her relationship with Beau. The man's memory was sacred to her. Without realizing it, Jason had violated the trust she'd had in him only moments before. He loosed the lines which held

the tent and, rolling it up tightly, tied it behind his saddle. Then instead of returning to the wagon train he rode on to scout the river, for he did not trust himself to face anyone while fury filled his heart. He had won and lost Gabrielle's love in the space of a few brief hours, and the depth of his own folly was not something he would ever forgive.

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While the memories of the night she'd joined Jason by the campfire had filled Gabrielle with a heavy burden of guilt, she had no trace of remorse over the romantic interlude they'd shared during the rainstorm. She felt not the least bit guilty for having made love to this man whose charm had previously caused her so much mental anguish. She had simply ceased to struggle against the attraction which had existed between them from the moment they'd met. When Beau had died she'd been so numbed by the pain of his death she'd thought that would be the way she'd always feel and she had closed her heart to desire, making it a shrine to his memory. Perhaps it was simply her youth, her inexperience with life itself, that had made her lose all hope for the future, but Jason had restored her faith in herself as well as in the richness of love's beauty. She still considered Jason Royal a scoundrel, a devil in the beguiling disguise of a handsome young man who knew how to manipulate a woman's emotions with remarkable ease. However, she had learned a valuable lesson in his arms and it was one she meant to remember. She again had the faith to trust in her own emotions, indeed, to allow herself to feel the very emotions she'd thought her heart no longer capable of holding. If Jason Royal had proved to be unworthy of her love, that did not diminish her joy in the-giving of it. Where as

before she had been blessed with a haunting loveliness, she now displayed a sparkHng beauty, but she gave her new friends no clue as to what had made such a difference in her life. When Jason stopped by their wagon as he frequently did, she left promptly on whatever errand needed her attention, knowing Iris would keep him so entranced with her flattery that he'd not miss her presence. She offered him not the slightest bit of encouragement, and should he be so foolish as to greet her personally she pretended not to hear. While she did not admit her growing interest, when they again viewed their future husbands' portraits she found several increasingly appealing. Their easy grins were a promise of the love she now knew she could again feel. She continued to include Joshua Taylor in her prayers as he was special to her and she hoped he would prove to be tall, fair, and the possessor of a ready wit since that was the kind of man she hoped to marry.

While Gabrielle had dealt fully with their brief romance and then had dismissed it from her mind, Jason could not. The incident had meant far too much to him. He could not forget it as easily as the fickle redhead seemed to have done. Taking care not to change his routine, he continued to invite the brides to go riding, but he could no longer concentrate on their conversation closely enough to make appropriate replies. He wanted desperately to relive the few hours he'd spent with Gabrielle. They were his most precious memory, and her brutal rejection caused him a pain only the sweetness of her embrace could ease. Whereas she seemed to bloom with the glow of health, he grew morose and thin, the strain of trying to maintain the optimistic disposition for which he was known was too much for him. Clayton grew so worried about the sudden change in his friend's appearance and behavior he finally felt compelled to risk Jason's anger by mentioning it.

They had just finished their supper, a meal Clayton had enjoyed greatly but which Jason had merely tasted. "I had hoped to lose a few pounds on this trek, but I have ample girth and you were lean to begin with, Jason. If you don't regain

your appetite soon, I fear you'll grow too weak to sit your horse and I could no more lead this wagon train to Oregon than I could fly there."

"What?" Jason looked up, only dimly aware that Clayton had spoken.

Losing his patience entirely then, Clayton responded crossly, "Damn it, man, wake up! You've lost weight and can't follow a conversation of more than two words! What the hell is bothering you so badly?"

Jason tossed the contents of his coffee cup upon the ground and stood up to stretch. "There's not a damn thing bothering me. Just leave me be. " He walked off then, his stride far more confident than he felt. He had a mirror. He knew how ghastly he looked and the trip was nowhere near over. They still must count the journey in months, not weeks or days yet, but each step of the way was agony for it took him no closer to Gabrielle and she alone made the trip worthwhile.

As Jason strolled around the perimeter of the camp, Gabrielle sat with the girls from both of the other wagons. The twenty-one young women had had ample opportunity to become well acquainted, and while each was closest to the friends with whom she shared a wagon, they often formed other groups after supper to enjoy a greater variety of conversation. Since she loved to sing, Gabrielle had been delighted to find several others who shared her interest. Fortunately, a young woman named Rebecca had brought along a zither, and this evening they were attempting to learn the words of a song, which they sang in unison, while she played the accompaniment on the stringed instrument. While their voices were appealing, they could not seem to harmonize and remember the words at the same time. As a result they were convulsed by giggles when their fun was interrupted by an ear-piercing shriek. While her companions sat, paralyzed with fright, Gabrielle was on her feet in an instant. She ran down the line of wagons toward the screams which were rapidly growing to a blood-chilling intensity. Men were

running from all directions, rifles in their hands, as they came toward what they were certain must be no less than an attempted murder if not a massacre of terrifying proportions.

When they arrived to find no more than one man furiously slugging his wife, they turned away, unwilling to intrude upon someone else's domestic squabble. They seemed to think if a man chose to beat his wife that was his own business, but Gabrielle held an entirely different view. When she realized none of the men were going to come to the hapless woman's aid, she rushed into the midst of the fray. She recognized the couple, but didn't know them by name. The man had caught a fistful of his wife's hair in his left hand to hold her fast while he slapped her with the back of his right. Their three little children, terrified by their father's vicious fit of temper, had scrambled under the wagon to hide, but their high-pitched cries for help had drawn the crowd.

Since no one else was going to help the woman escape a brutal beating, Gabrielle grabbed the man's right arm. Distracted by the fiery redhead's grasp, the man released his wife in order to fling Gabrielle away, but she held on and screamed at the woman to run. Outraged by this interference, he turned the full fury of his anger upon Gabrielle, intending to knock her senseless and teach her to stay out of his affairs.

Jason broke through the circle of onlookers, and although he did not believe the sight which greeted him, he did not hesitate to grab the angry man's shoulder and spin him around. His fist connected smartly with the bully's chin. As the man went limp he released Gabrielle, so suddenly she sprawled in the dirt too and lay there, dazed, as Jason plucked the man from the ground by the scruff of the neck and planted another solid blow on his chin. This time Jason left him where he'd fallen. He then pulled a length of rope from his hip pocket, and as quickly as he would have hogtied a steer, he bound the man's hands firmly behind his back. Rolling him over to his wagon, he lashed the end of the rope to the nearest wheel.