Twelfth Moon (13 page)

As the day wore on, the sun passed overhead, dipping toward late afternoon. Jonah finally caught sight of them. He slowed enough to allow them to disappear on the horizon and kept pace with them. Soon, they’d be making camp for the night. He would have to proceed carefully, take his time to assess the situation before he made his move. He hoped Cade was all right.

One thing he knew for certain – if she’s been harmed in any way, Ned Furley was a dead man.

Cadence gritted her teeth against the pain in her thighs – and the uncomfortable fullness of her bladder. They’d ridden all day with only one stop, and Furley hadn’t let her out of his sight. Finally, when the sun began to set, Furley pulled up near a shallow outcropping of rocks.

“Shy about yer little parts, eh?” Furley said with a snicker. “Fine, go on then. Ain’t nowhere you can go on foot, anyhow.” He gave her a narrow-eyed stare. “But if yer not back lickety-split, I’ll come lookin’ fer ya.”

Biting back a groan as she stretched her cramped legs, Cadence stumbled off to do her business behind one of the scattered boulders. By the time she returned, Furley had removed the saddle bags and was busy setting up camp.

He looked up when she came into view. “Go fetch some wood fer a fire,” he ordered. “And mind ya, don’t wander off.”

Cadence stared at him for a moment. Nothing about him would inspire any sort of attraction – not his stringy blond hair…not his doughy face and almond-shaped eyes…nor was it the way his belly hung over his belt. And yet her body hummed with the beginnings of desire.

That she could be compelled to mate with a man like him was as loathsome as the idea of cuddling up with a pit full of crawling scorpions. Well, her mind might be rebelling at the notion, but unfortunately, her body had its own agenda.

She focused her thoughts on Jonah – on his broad shoulders, his muscled chest and abdomen, and his striking, silver eyes. She recalled the vision of him above her, poised to thrust into her, those eyes intense and heated.

“Go on, now!”

Furley’s irritated bark startled Cadence out of her thoughts. She turned in the direction of an old, sparse tree, concentrating on the task of gathering stray sticks and branches around the base. The distance between them gave her a temporary reprieve from her heightened state of awareness – a condition that would only continue to intensify as darkness approached and the full moon became visible.

She brought the wood over to where Furley was kneeling and dumped it on the ground next to him. After arranging it, coaxing it to flame, he glanced at her. Without warning, he reached out and grabbed her arm in a painful grip.

His eyes were mean as he looked at her. “You know where that treasure is, don’t ya?” He gave her a hard shake, shouting, “Don’t ya!”

Cadence tried to answer, but her breaths were coming quicker, her heartbeat picking up its pace. “I-I…”
Oh, God!
Furley’s touch had triggered a physical response. Her control was hanging by a thread. She’d rather throw herself onto a thousand knives than let this man put his…
thing
…inside her! She needed Jonah!

“I woulda shared, you know, ifin you hadn’t seen what I done. I woulda come to you with my plan.”

“I don’t know where any treasure is, Ned,” Cadence said. She was breathing heavily now, her body perspiring and shivering with her efforts to keep from throwing herself on him.

He stood, looming over her, his hand still gripping her arm. “You were staying at Reba’s place. She liked you. I know she told you where the treasure is.”

Cadence gasped, her control slipping even further. “She never told me,” she said hoarsely.

His pale eyebrows knit together. “What’s wrong with you, kid?” he asked with suspicion.

Every cell in her body was screaming for her to tear off her clothes, to remove the binding and show him she was female. And her mind screamed just as loudly with revulsion. Her lips tingled and as she panted, she slid her tongue out, wetting them. Her gaze was fixed on Furley’s face, her nostrils flaring, taking in his scent. The animal in her found it intoxicating, although at any other time it would probably have been extremely offensive.

She didn’t know what was worse, having a man like Robert Kincaid force himself on her, or to be at the mercy of her own body, to be compelled purely by instinct. How was it any different? Either way, it was against her free will. Cadence wanted to howl in rage at the unfairness of it.

Furley was studying her face, watching her tongue as it darted out, his expression perplexed. Then his eyes widened as though he’d just figured out a complex puzzle. “Hey, yer kinda purty fer a boy,” he said slowly. “I always thought there was somethin’ different about you. I noticed things, ya know. Like how you walked. It weren’t like no boy.”

All she could do was stare at him, her chest rising and falling.

Furley kept his grip on her arm. With his other hand, he ripped the edges of her shirt apart, popping buttons, exposing the binding. “Well, lookie-here! Yer a girl, ain’t ya?” He wedged his pudgy fingers over the top of the binding and yanked it down.

Cadence cried out, thrusting her freed breasts at him, silently offering them to him, all the while drowning in humiliation.

Furley licked his thick lips. “Yer hot fer me, ain’t ya? I kin give ya a taste of Ned’s big cock, if that’s what yer after,” he said with a leering grin. His own breathing increased as he reached out and grabbed her breasts, giving them a cruel squeeze.

It hurt, but she couldn’t help the moan of pleasure that worked its way out of her mouth.

He pushed her to the ground and fumbled with the buttons on his trousers.

Cadence was frantic, tears falling in tracks down her temples. She couldn’t let this happen! With a desperation that seemed to be torn from deep in her core, she screamed, “
Jonah!
”

Just then, an arm snaked around Furley’s throat from behind. As he was dragged backward, the link was broken. Cadence lay there, breathing hard, listening to the sounds of a struggle.

Jonah growled like a rabid wolf as he ripped the sonofabitch away from Cade. He cursed out loud, furious that Ned Furley had put his worthless hands on her. He was also angry at himself for taking too long to reach them.

He threw Furley to the ground and stood over him. Legs bent, feet planted wide apart, Jonah pounded his fist into the weasel’s face – once, twice, and again, until blood spurted, giving him a deep sense of satisfaction. Furley had brought his arms up in a feeble attempt to block the assault, whimpering like a beaten mutt.

Jonah easily slipped through Furley’s weak defense, delivering a blow that finally rendered him unconscious. Jonah paused for a moment, resting his hands on his knees. He was breathing hard, his heart pumping furiously with the exhilaration of victory. He felt a deeply primal,
male
pride in conquering a rival foe – a challenger to what belonged to him. It sent a rush of desire…of lust, to his groin and he grew hard with the anticipation of claiming his prize.

Hell.
What was he thinking? He wasn’t some marauding barbarian, for Christ sake! Memories of the war flashed in his mind – of soldiers on both sides who’d plundered the once grand houses made vacant by battles that had literally taken place in their back yards. He’d witnessed first hand how the ones without conscience or scruples committed despicable acts against the women left behind.

Their behavior had sickened him and on occasion he’d been able to put a stop to it. His own lustful thoughts made him not much better than those men.

His gaze jerked to where Cade lay on her back, shirt open, her pale breasts exposed to the night air. Her chest rose and fell with her shallow panting. Jonah shook his head to clear it. Straightening, he went to her, kneeling at her side.

“Are you all right?” he asked low, pulling the edges of her shirt together. He gently smoothed her hair back and caressed her cheek, wiping away her tears with his thumb. Her eyes were bright, almost feverish, and he valiantly resisted the urge to kiss her.

She reached for him, her fingers clutching his shirt front. “Jonah,” she whispered raggedly. “I-I tried to fight.”

“Did he hurt you? If he has,
I’ll kill him
.” The oath emerged as a feral snarl, exploding up from deep in his chest.

“He didn’t hurt me.” Her voice was low and throaty, sending a jolt of awareness through him. She was still panting, her eyes wide and luminous in the bright moonlight. “I th-thought of y-you, instead.”

It suddenly hit him – what she’d meant by trying to fight. He’d assumed she’d meant her struggle with Furley. But seeing her now, her distress was obvious – she was fighting for control of her own body. He looked into her eyes, at her tempting mouth. It drew him further in, drowning him with lust. He was hard as a blacksmith’s hammer and there was nothing he wanted more than to sink into her hot, wet sheath. “I should kill him just for touching you.”

She gave a weak laugh. “Are you jealous?”

“Yes,” he growled deeply.

A sound behind him caught Jonah’s attention. He turned, shielding Cade from possible danger. Furley was riding off on his horse, the sound of galloping hoof beats quickly fading into the distance. Jonah had been so concerned for Cade, so completely captivated by her that he hadn’t even heard the cur until it was too late.

“Is he gone?” she asked.

Jonah turned his attention back to her. “He’s gone. Better that than dead, I reckon. Let’s hope he keeps going.” He smiled. “I don’t want to have to rescue you every time my back is turned.”

She huffed in response.

Picking her up, cradling her in his arms, he brought her to the bedroll Furley had already placed by the fire. He lowered her onto the blanket, her grip still on the front of his shirt. With surprising strength, she pulled him toward her. He faltered, the upper half of his body leaning over her as he caught himself with a hand at her side.

“I need you,” she rasped. “Now.”

He looked down. Her shirt had fallen open, exposing her breasts, which she thrust upward. The glow of the fire cast flickering, golden shadows across her flawless skin. Saliva gathered in his mouth at the luscious feast she so eagerly offered him. He swallowed hard, barely avoiding making a fool out of himself by slobbering all over her. “Are you sure this is what you want?” His voice sounded rusty even to his own ears.

“It’s what I must do. Please, Jonah.” She tugged at his shirt, her fingers moving to the buttons.

Jonah stilled her hands, anger tinting his next words. “Am I just a convenient male, caught in your web?” It was strange how he’d begun to believe her story, and even stranger that he no longer seemed to care about what she’d done to his brother.

“No!”

Did it matter to her who she slaked her lust on? “Would Ned Furley have done just as well?” It was a cruel thing to say, especially after she’d fought the bastard off.

“No!” she cried, and then stammered, “I-I don’t know. I didn’t want him.”

He softened his voice. “Are we – are all men interchangeable to you?”

“I’ve never been tested before,” she answered, her voice hoarse. “I told you I always isolated myself during this time. But I do know I don’t want anyone else, especially not Ned Furley. I want only you!”

“Only me. What makes you so sure?”

Cadence pounded her fist into her chest, where her heart thundered. “I feel it.” She did feel it – deep in her soul. She could no longer deny what Jaelene had already seen in her vision. And Cadence was now ready to accept what was meant to be. But Jonah’s hesitation gave her doubts. Maybe he didn’t want her. Maybe she – the murderer of his brother – disgusted him. “You can walk away.”

His brows knit together in a frown. “What are you saying?”

“If…if you don’t want me, if the thought of it is too disgusting, you can walk away. Leave me here. I will ease with time.”

Jonah stared at her for so long she began to wonder if he understood. Then his gaze flicked to her breasts, lingering there for a moment before moving up again to her mouth. He expelled a ragged sigh, the sound more like something an animal would make. When his eyes returned to hers, they were dark and smoky and dangerous, making her breath catch in her throat.

“Oh, I want you,” he said huskily. “And I’m definitely not disgusted by you. Quite the contrary. I’d have to be some kind of fool to turn away from you now.”

His head dipped and he ran the entire flat of his tongue over her nipple, swirling the tip of it slowly around the rigid peak. She inhaled sharply, closing her eyes, and cried out in pleasure, thrusting herself against his mouth until he opened and suckled.

Briefly, she opened her eyes and gazed at the night sky – at the enormous full moon.

Then her lashes dropped as he moved to her other breast, licking and sucking with noisy enthusiasm. Her breathing grew harsh and labored, while her heart thudded like a bird’s. Liquid fire shot through her veins, coalescing in her core, becoming a tight ball of sizzling heat that flowed to her loins. She could feel herself – that place between her legs – grow damp in readiness of their joining.

And then he returned to her breasts, suckling them until she was writhing and crying out
his
name. The world seemed to spin away, the sounds of night creatures fading into the distance until it felt as though she and Jonah were the only ones who existed.