Soul of the Wildcat (8 page)

Dakoda held on, determined to make the sensations last just a little bit longer. Jesse was riding her hard, as if the hounds of hell were snapping at his ass. Hips moving like a jackhammer, he stroked in and out of her creamy sex. Mercury rising into the red, the danger zone was fast approaching. Heat burrowed at the base of her spine.

Her orgasm came blasting in from nowhere, detonating through her veins with blazing delight. Dakoda screamed as the first explosion rocked her senses, speeding through her body like a rocket gone rogue. Sensation coalesced, an internal pressure cooker charged with erotic energy.

Dakoda felt pleasure roaring in, rising up from her core like a volcano barreling toward eruption. Her senses sprang open, welcoming the deluge of unrelenting bliss. Wave after savage wave of sensation pummeled her senses, lifting her up toward the heavens, then dashing her down again at top speed.

Jesse delivered one last punishing thrust. His body stiffened, and a growl broke from deep in his throat as he climaxed. A hot spurt of semen filled her depths. He collapsed on top of her, adding his sweat-soaked weight to hers. The picnic table beneath their bodies shifted, creaking with annoyance. Fortunately all four legs held firm.

A series of delicious aftershocks resonated through Dakoda, the sensations almost too much to bear. A brief wave of dizziness made her glad to be lying down. Heart beating a drumlike thud in her chest, her skin felt tight, as if too small to fully fit over her bones. Were she to try to stand, she'd collapse like a puppet without strings.

A
few minutes later, Jesse lifted himself off Dakoda. He panted lightly, body still trembling from the delicious climax they'd just shared. Beads of perspiration coated his skin, lending his flesh a gleaming shimmer in the lamplight. “Damn,” he breathed. “That was awesome.” His ravenous gaze skimmed her nude body with appreciation. Despite the intense climax they'd just experienced, he wanted more. Once clearly wasn't enough.

Shivering from the abrupt change from warm to cold, Dakoda folded her arms across her bare chest. It was hard to keep her eyes off him. Composed of hard ridges and harder muscle, his body was the epitome of male perfection. Even with the scars marring his bronzed skin, he was glorious to look at.

She nodded. “Very intense.” Heart beating in her chest, she kept her words light, easy. The one thing she'd never mastered after sex was the small talk. This was usually the part where she'd begin the motions to slip out the door and head home. Like her mother, she'd never formed permanent attachments to her lovers. It was always easier to get up and go, keep things light and easy on the emotions.

She already knew Jesse was going to be different. Since she'd laid eyes on him, she'd suspected he was something rare. Special. Finding a man she wanted to be with, to embrace on every level, was an entirely new experience. It was also a frightening experience.

If you don't hold on now
, she warned herself,
you might never get a chance like this again
.

There was one problem, though. Dakoda didn't know how to do the love thing. Lust, sure. That was simple. Uncomplicated. Easy to walk away from. Love was an entirely different concept. It implied myriad emotions. Emotions she'd purposely walled up and guarded like Fort Knox. Tearing down her inner wall wasn't going to be easy.

But she wanted to try.

Desperately.

Sitting up, Dakoda scooted to the edge of the table, letting her legs dangle over the edge. She felt a little awkward, far more exposed than ever before.

Sensing her unease, Jesse's hands settled on her knees. He gently spread her legs apart, then stepped into the space. Warm palms cupped her face, dipping her head back. Reflected in the lamp's dim illumination, his black eyes looked endlessly deep. The hateful collar still circled his neck, an ever-present reminder of their captivity. “Something's wrong,” he murmured. “I can see it on your face.”

Fingers circling his thick wrists, Dakoda slowly drew his hands down. “I was just thinking this can't be happening. It seems so surreal that I'm here, with you. We just had sex and…” Words trailing off into silence, she shook her head.

Jesse reached out, caressing her mouth with the tips of his fingers. “And it's too much, too fast.”

Dakoda hesitated a moment, then nodded. “I've never been good at hanging around long, if you know what I mean,” she confessed. “The only thing I've ever been good at is cutting and running off when things get too heavy.”

Jesse brushed his fingers over the curve of her lower lip, then her chin. “It's okay to get scared when you're in situations that make you uncomfortable. If it helps, I'm not exactly feeling at home here myself.”

Dakoda shook hear head. “This place is bad enough,” she allowed. “But what I'm talking now is you, Jesse. When it comes to getting involved with a guy, well…I haven't got a very good track record of making relationships last.”

His gaze probed hers, darkening subtly. “Are you trying to tell me I'm someone you're—” His throat tightened, briefly cutting off his words. “Someone you're not interested in?” He stepped back, abandoning the intimacy he'd been attempting to nurture between them.

Unable to look him in the eyes, Dakoda dropped her gaze. Looking anywhere but at him was much easier.

I'm an idiot
, she thought. Without intending to, she'd already begun to push him away when, in reality, she was trying to let him in.

A lump formed in Dakoda's throat. She forced herself to swallow. “I—I'm not saying the right things,” she stammered.

Folding his arms across his chest, Jesse gave her a skeptical look. “They must be right or you wouldn't be saying them,” he countered.

Head lifting, Dakoda frowned. “You have to understand how sudden this is for me.” Her hand settled on her chest. She felt the dull thud of her heart beneath her rib cage. “When my day began, I had no idea someone like you would come tearing into my life. My God, Jesse. You just rolled over me like a bulldozer, telling me so many wild and wonderful things.”

Jesse arched a single thick brow. “And that's so terrible how?” Sarcasm iced his question. There was something else, though, something going deeper than scorn. Dismay also tinged his words, laced with the subtle hint of pain.

Dakoda grimaced, cut by the tone of his voice. A bitter sense of desolation washed through her. “I didn't say it was terrible.” The rise of hot tears blurred her vision. She blinked them back, refusing to let a single one fall. “It's just that people under duress tend to form deep, emotional bonds very quickly. How can we be sure what we're feeling is real and not just something we conjured up because we're so desperate to make a connection before we die?”

Jesse clenched his fists. “What we just did felt pretty real to me,” he said hotly. The abrupt ferocity in his voice stung painfully. “But I get the idea you're not on the same page.”

Dakoda's guts knotted, tight and painful. “What we had was sex,” she said bleakly. “This is…different.”
Way different
.

Frustration boiling to a dangerous level, he stared back at her. “How so?” he demanded.

Talk about putting her foot straight into her mouth. The taste of shoe leather was awful. Instead of making things better, she was steadily making them worse. She needed to slow down. Think.

Dakoda struggled to find the right words, say the right things. “It's just that falling in love is something I've never done before.” She raised her gaze, looking him straight in the eyes. “I want to be sure it's right, damn it. I want to be sure it's real.” The last few words sped out of her mouth, forced out by desperation.

Jesse Clawfoot looked thunderstruck. “You said you love me?” he repeated dumbly.

A small smile crept across Dakoda's lips. His words held the eagerness of a puppy locked in a pound cage, waiting and hoping the door would open.

Something clenched under her rib cage, a throbbing, forlorn ache. “I didn't quite say I loved you, Jesse.” Sweat beaded her bare skin. Now she was shaking. “What I am saying is the potential is there, and it's scaring the living shit out of me.”

A brilliant grin split his lips. “Potential is good,” he agreed, nodding his head. “I can go with potential.” He swiped his hands across his face, brushing back long strands of hair.

Dakoda closed her eyes a moment. Her own hands rose, fingers pressing to her temples. The postsex climax was threatening to turn into a pre-regrets headache.

All through her life, relationships were something she'd deliberately tiptoed around, flirting with, but never committing to. Commitment meant staying in one place, building a life around one person. In her world, that was an alien concept, almost as unnatural as pigs growing wings.

However, running off when things got serious was tiring. So was always holding people at arm's length, never letting any man get close enough to find out more than her name and address. Sleeping over? She'd never done it. Shacking up? Pffttt! She needed her space, the freedom to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. With no consequences.

Just like her mother.

Except her mother's actions had consequences. Terrible ones, etched deeply into Dakoda's psyche.

Feeling emotionally hollow, Dakoda rubbed her temples harder.
Keep running and one of these days I'll be old and alone
, she reminded herself.

Jesse's big hands suddenly covered hers. Guiding her hands down in her lap, he pressed his fingers to the pressure points she'd massaged. Soft, slow circles ensued. “Potential is supposed to be a good thing,” he murmured. “Not give you headaches.” His touch was familiar, soothing. At least he recognized her need for comfort.

Dakoda's stomach knotted. The feel of his fingers pressed against her temples was comforting. A fleeting, half-conscious image of him picking her up and laying her on the table flashed across her mind's screen.

She released a pent-up breath. “It is good, because I want this to happen.”

“At least I've got a chance,” he said. “For a minute I thought you were going to tell me the sex sucked.”

Feeling suddenly exposed, Dakoda crossed her hands over her breasts. A little shudder of delight passed through her as an image popped into her head. “Sucked isn't the word I'd use to describe it.”

Jesse's fingers curled into her hair, tilting back her head. “So what word might be more appropriate?” Strong gentle hands stroked down her neck, over her shoulders, and down her back.

Dakoda's clenched muscles trembled, unexpectedly eager for release all over again.

She dipped her head back. Her lips hovered just inches from his. “Um, one time isn't really enough to base a sound judgment on. In my opinion, it takes a lot more than one orgasm to decide on what the right word would be. I could guess, but why do that when I could find out for sure?”

Jesse grinned. “Sounds like it's back to the old drawing board.” Bridging the tiny space between them, he took her mouth with his. She felt his tongue probe the seam of her lips, seeking entry. She opened a little, granting access. His tongue swept in, heating up things deep inside her groin all over again.

Dakoda's senses spun, dizzied by the pull of his sheer maleness. It drew her like a physical force, a shield surrounding her on all sides with reassurance and comfort. It seemed to say as long as she was with him, she'd be safe. Cherished.

Sweet tension began to push away her fear and fatigue, morphing into something far more delicious—and demanding. There was no telling how much more time they had together. Each minute ticking away never to be recovered, more precious and rare than any jewel. Whatever time they had together—even if only an hour more—she wanted it.

Slipping her arms around Jesse, Dakoda explored the hard ridges of his back. She deliberately slid her hands lower, enjoying the feel of her palms over the round curves of his perfectly shaped ass. Rock hard and beautifully sculpted, it was a pleasure to look at and explore.

Jesse's hands settled at her hips, dragging her closer. She felt the subtle motion of his whole being with each movement of his body. He repositioned his hips between her spread thighs. His cock pulsed, eager and ready.

Dakoda felt heat coiling through her core, rising at the thought of his deep, penetrating thrusts into her hungry sex. Liquid warmth spread through her veins.

Without a word, Jesse scooped her off the table. Dakoda wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the narrow bunk. He laid her down on the flannel blankets spread across its narrow surface, then stretched out beside her.

Easing himself up on one elbow, he stroked her hair away from her face. “Not over there,” he murmured. “That was just sex. This time I want to make love.” He hesitated, throat tightening. “I want to show you I've got more than potential,” he finished in a rough voice.

Slipping one hand under his body, Dakoda shifted onto her side. His straining erection pressed against her stomach like a branding iron. Shadows caressed his features, softening the deep black shade of his eyes.

She pressed a single finger across his lips. “Don't make any promises, please. There's no telling what's going to happen to us once the sun comes up. Let's just enjoy the time we've got, whether it's a few hours or a few days.”

For now they had the night to themselves. But it wasn't always going to be that way. When the dawn finally arrived, they'd both be plunged back into the horror of captivity. It was possible one or both of them would be taken away. Or worse, killed.

Jesse nodded, brushing his fingertips along the edge of her jaw. His lips gently brushed hers. “Even if it's only one night,” he murmured against her mouth. “It's going to be one you'll remember for the rest of your life.”

Dakoda's hand found the ridge between the back of Jesse's neck and his shoulders. She traced it with her nails, then skimmed her fingers down the line of his spine. “Oh, trust me. It's already a day I'll never forget.”