For the Love of Suzanne (25 page)

Her fingers splayed the expanse of his slim,
muscular waist as she entwined her tongue with his, suddenly aware
that she didn’t know what she was doing. “I don’t
know what to do,” she whispered to him fretfully.

He drew away and traced her bottom lip with his
thumb. “You do what you want to do. I’m not going to hurt
you,” he promised.

“I’m not good at this,” she
whispered anxiously.

He shook his head and gazed into her eyes. “You’re
going to do wonderfully,” he said with soft confidence and
kissed her deeply again. “Is it okay to do this with the baby?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

He eased her into the unmade bed, kissing her as
he did then raised himself enough to tug the top button of his pants
and the rest followed.

She watched him with curiosity and interest as he
shrugged his pants off then his underwear. She thought he was the
biggest man she’d ever seen, not that she’d seen a lot.
She touched her lips nervously, wondering if it was going to hurt
when he finally got inside her. But she was anxious. It had been so
long since a man had touched her like this.

He slid into bed next to her and could see the
trepidation in her face. “Are you changing your mind?” he
whispered to her as he pushed her hair away from her face.

She shook her head. “Are you?”

“And deny myself the pleasure of being with
the woman I love? Hell no,” he said with a smile.

She laughed lightly with him and pulled him back
down to kiss him again.

It wasn’t long before they were exchanging
heated kisses and touching each other where they’d never
touched before, gasping softly with the pleasure as each touch became
more intimate and each kiss became more demanding.

She caressed his back and ran her fingers through
his hair as he kissed, nipped and sucked on her neck, chest and
breasts while his long fingers touched her where only her husband had
touched her before. She could feel his hot, hard maleness pressing
against her leg and knew, even though he was bigger than Beau, he
wasn’t going to hurt her.

She longed to bring him pleasure, too, and reached
between them to boldly grasp him and move her fingers around his most
sensitive area.

He stifled a moan as he closed his eyes. No woman
had ever touched him there and it felt so good. She stroked,
caressed, fondled and did it with zeal, but was gentle at the same
time. “Oh, my God,” he whispered in ecstasy, but knew
there was something better than her hand and wanted that more.

He moved onto his back, pulling her with him,
kissing her hotly. “Ready?” he murmured against her lips.

It’s show time
, she thought with mild
apprehension. “Yes.”

He ran his hand over her breast and kissed her
softly. “I don’t want to hurt the baby.”

“You won’t,” she whispered.
“I’ll take the top.”

He wasn’t sure what that meant until she
straddled his hips and leaned over and kissed him as she slowly
lowered herself onto him, guiding their bodies together. He stifled
his moan of pleasure as she adjusted herself on him and he moved
under her to accommodate.

He watched her move on him slowly as she caressed
his ribs and chest and kissed him. He soon found himself sitting up,
burying his face between her ample breasts and kissing her lips and
neck as he took over, moving under her.

They were breathing hard as they clung to each
other, both of them desperately trying to stay quiet as the bed
rocked with their movements.

“Cody!” she gasped as she felt herself
building to a tremendous climax.

“I know,” he whispered to her
raggedly, feeling the same thing in himself and gathered her close
and drove into her fiercely, never before feeling this way. It was
the best thing he’d ever experienced.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried
her face in his shoulder as her body gave into his and she trembled
with the release.

He was right behind her and pulled her head off
his shoulder to bury his moan of rapture into her mouth, kissing her
hard and passionately as his release rocked them both. He’d
never climaxed so hard in his life and it was because of her. She’d
actually wanted to be with him and she’d touched him like he’d
never been touched before.

She had never felt like this, and knew it
was because she really did love him. This had been far more than just
a meeting of their bodies. It had been a melding of their hearts,
souls, and spirits.

They were one.

In a quieter moment, he laid her back onto the bed
and kissed her softly as he molded his body to hers. “I love
you, Suzanne.”

She hugged him tightly and kissed his shoulder. “I
love you, too, Cody.”

Suzanne woke up the next morning when she felt
Cody scramble out of bed. She sat up behind him, holding the blankets
over herself. “Where are you going?” she whispered
anxiously.

“Somebody is up and I need to get out of
here before I get caught and Boris shoots me,” he whispered
back as he quickly got dressed in silence. “I’ll be back
as soon as I get Titan saddled then we can leave. Are you sure you’re
up to the trip?”

She nodded. “Don’t leave me here.
Okay?”

He sat down on the bed next to her and pulled his
boots on. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he told her and
leaned back and kissed her briefly. “I shouldn’t be long.
Just act surprised when you see me.”

“I will.”

He stood up and pulled on his heavy coat and
picked up his hat. “Go back to sleep. We have a long, hard trip
ahead of us.”

“I don’t want to keep you waiting.”

“Get up at your normal time, honey. Don’t
let them know that I’ve been here before I actually get here.”

She laughed softly at the way his sentence
sounded.

He gave her a crooked grin. “Silly girl,”
he murmured with affection and kissed her on the top of her head and
went out the window.

She quickly closed it after him then snuggled back
under the blankets to warm up again. She didn’t sleep, but
thought about her night with Cody. He’d been so kind. He’d
been caring, attentive and so in tune with her; it didn’t even
seem possible that it had happened at all.

When she smelled food cooking, she got up, bathed
as much as she could and went to help Marda with breakfast.

~~~

“How long has he been around?” Marda
asked Suzanne casually as they cooked some ham and as Boris was
outside gathering wood.

“Who?” she asked innocuously.

“Cody,” she said with no sort of
inflection in her voice. “I know he’s been around here
and I know you’re feeding him,” she said and laid a
comforting hand on her forearm. “It’s okay. I’m not
going to tell Boris. I was just wondering what took him so long to
get back.”

“Um, he went to some town to find out if we
are being trailed. I don’t know if we are or not, but we’re
leaving today. He should be here soon with Titan,” she said
honestly.

Marda nodded. “We’ll get you both fed
and stocked up with some supplies.”

“Thank you. That’s very kind of you,”
she said meekly. “I hate to ask, but do you suppose you could
keep Boris occupied so there isn’t any trouble? I don’t
want Cody to get hurt.”

“I’m sure I can dream up something.”

“Thank you. Thank you for everything, Marda.
You’ve done more for me than anyone ever has and I’m
grateful. I was really sick when I came here and you nursed me back
to health. My arm is okay now and the baby seems to be okay, too.
He’s been moving.”

She smiled. “That is good news. I was glad
to help you out, Suzanne. I figure that’s why God put so many
people on the earth. If one person gets into trouble, another one
comes to help them out.”

“You are very kind,” she said
sincerely. “I’ve never really had a friend before, but I
think you’re one.”

She hugged her. “Oh, Suzy, my dear, you are
so special and I am honored to be your friend. You’re mine,
too. After you’re gone, I hope we see each other again.”

She knew that wasn’t possible, but hugged
her in return. “Maybe someday. I’ll never forget you,
Marda.”

“I’ll never forget you either,
sweetheart. You’re the daughter I never had and I do wish both
you and Cody only the best.”

She drew away with a smile as tears welled into
her eyes. “I wish that for you and Boris, too, even though he
really didn’t like me and couldn’t stand the sight of
Cody.”

She smiled in return. “Do you want to know
why he doesn’t like Cody?” she asked slyly.

“Why?”

“Because Cody is young, handsome, and virile
and reminds him of how he used to be. That’s why. Boris was a
fine looking man in his day.”

She nodded. “He’s not bad now for
being an older man.”

“Yeah, but Cody has him beat,” Marda
said with a short laugh of irony. “Just between you and me,
I’ve always sort of had a liking for the Indian men. Not all of
them are nearly as handsome as Cody--few of them are--but they have
so much pride and spirit,” she said thoughtfully with a little
shrug. “They’re more than just a body, if you know what I
mean.”

She nodded. “I understand the mystique of
them, but I saw the wicked side of them and don’t share your
point of view. Cody is the exception rather than the rule,” she
said apologetically.

“I know they can be mean, but I think
everyone can.”

She nodded her acceptance of her friend’s
statement, not wanting to start a conversation about the men in
Cody’s village going beyond the realms of meanness. They had
treated the white women worse than animals.

“Oh, my goodness, here he comes now,”
she said with a smile when she saw Cody coming into the yard on the
big, black stallion.

Suzanne watched him, thinking he was very special.
She was so in love with him that the slightest thought of being
separated from him made her heart ache. But she knew it couldn’t
last. She had to go back to her world and, unless a miracle happened,
he wasn’t going with her.

“Oh my God, there’s Boris,” she
said gravely and ran for the door.

Suzanne followed her, swallowing her panic.

Boris was holding a gun on Cody again.

~~~

“I told you to get the hell outta here!”
Boris yelled at Cody as he waved the rifle at him.

“I just came for Suzanne and we’ll
leave in peace, Boris,” Cody said calmly. “There’s
no need to get your feathers all ruffled.”

“You ain’t fit for no white woman,”
he barked, cocking the gun threateningly. “All you wanna do is
drink and bed the girls without a proper weddin’.”

“I don’t do those things,” he
said, trying not to get defensive on him. “I really wish you
would put the gun down so I can get Suzanne and we can leave.”

“You leave without her,” he spat.

He shook his head and looked at the two women who
were standing on the porch. “I can’t do that.”

He fired a shot and Cody hit the ground before it
hit him and tightened his hold on the reins as Titan whinnied and
danced in fear.

Suzanne ran into the snow with her moccasins on
and no coat, thinking Cody had been hit, but he was on his knees
before she even got to him. He held his hand out to stop her. “I’m
okay, honey. Just get your stuff together and we’ll go,”
he said evenly as he watched Boris.

“Boris!” Marda boomed at her husband
and marched into the snow and snatched the gun out of his hand. “Give
me that damn thing.”

He took it back. “No. I don’t want
that damn Injun lurkin’ ‘round here,” he said
hotly.

She set her hands on her hips defiantly. “He
came for Suzanne and she wants to go with him. Once they leave,
you’ll never see either of them again. Now put the gun down so
he can help her. After all, she is with child,” she reminded
him.

“Yeah, and the child ain’t his,”
he fumed and fired the gun again.

Cody hit the snow for the second time. The shot
was way off into the trees and nothing was harmed. “Damn fool,”
he muttered under his breath as he regained his feet. “I’m
going to go saddle up a horse for Suzanne and then we’ll
leave,” he told Boris irritably. “Now, don’t shoot
me.”

“Take all them goddamn Injun ponies,”
he bellowed and was about to fire another shot when Marda knocked the
barrel of the gun toward the ground.

“Be reasonable, for heaven’s sake,”
she pleaded. “Let them go in peace.”

“Peace, hell,” he scoffed. “They
ain’t been nothin’ but trouble from the very beginnin’.”

“That is not true,” she retorted.
“They’re both fine folks and I’m going to feed them
breakfast before they go. And if you can’t behave, you can eat
feed with the horses,” she said angrily and stomped back into
the house. “ Damn fool. Can’t make up his mind. First, he wants her gone and now he won’t let her go. Lord have mercy.”

Suzanne stood in the snow with her hand over her
mouth, eyes glued on Cody.

He met her gaze, seeing her fear and gave her a
slight smile. “It’s okay, honey. Go on and get ready now.
I’m okay,” he said patiently.

She wanted to go to him and hug and kiss him, but
reluctantly went back into the warm cabin where Marda was packing
food into a burlap bag.

“You’re only a few days’ ride
from warmer climate, sweetheart,” she told Suzanne. “But
I’m packing enough food for a week in case you get laid up or
something.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, as she
choked back tears. She was glad Cody had come back and was glad to be
going home, but she was going to miss Marda. She never would have
made it without her and she was also sure that Cody would have been
shot by now, if not for Marda’s intervention with Boris.

She looked at her with tears in her eyes. “Sure
you can’t stay?”

Both women gave a short laugh, knowing it was
impossible then hugged each other fiercely.

“Thank you for everything, Marda,”
Suzanne wept into her friend’s shoulder. “You’ve
been so kind. I wish there was some way I could repay you.”