Authors: Maddy Barone
Shadow held the flap of a teepee open for her. “Raven will bring food.”
“Great, I"m starved.” Glory ducked to go inside the teepee. “Nice place you have here,”
she fibbed, looking around at the fire pit in the center of the grassy floor and the neat pile of blankets and furs on one side of the pit. The walls were made of heavy off-white canvas instead of leather. The canvas let in some light, more than leather would have. She was glad to see Shadow wasn"t completely sucked into let"s-imitate-the-past. At least he didn"t live under the skins of murdered animals.
She felt his large gentle hands turn her around and stroke up and down her back before clamping on her derriere to pull her against his big, almost naked body. “Glory,” he whispered. “I want to kiss you.”
Glory decided that playing hard to get would be stupid. She wanted to kiss him just as much. She stood on her tiptoes to press her lips against his. Cool. She"d never had to stand on tiptoes to kiss a guy before. Wow, he sure knew how to use his mouth. He used exactly the right amount of pressure to make her open her mouth for him, and his tongue glided along hers with a lazy surety that made her want to purr. But the feel of his hand pushing up the silk T-shirt woke her out of her passion. She tried to pull away, and for a second his iron-hard arm around her waist didn"t let her. But he finally lifted his mouth away with a small moan.
“Glory, you"re so soft.”
She couldn"t resist arching and rubbing against him. “And you"re so hard. But we better slow down.”
“But why?” His hand was dark against the white skin of her upper breast when he
brushed the jacket aside to push the neck of her top down. “You are so beautiful.”
She slapped at his hand. “Because it"s broad daylight! Geez.” She managed to choke back that she didn"t want him to see her naked body in daylight. He was a big man, but he didn"t have an ounce of fat on him. She was a big woman, and she was nothing but fat.
“Besides, I"m starving. And I could use a shower and a nap.”
“Then, tonight?” he whispered. “When it"s dark, may I love you?”
Feeling deliciously wicked, she gave him a brazen smile. “Oh, yeah. I"m looking forward to that.”
He looked like he"d just won the lottery. After one last kiss he stepped back. Good thing, too, because the kid was back, all big curious eyes and long black braids. Shadow took the bowl of stew and shooed the kid off. He settled her on the furs with the stew and sat down in front of her. They hadn"t talked much on the ride; he had spent most of it looking at her as they rode. She had told him a little of her job and her hopes for the interview. He had had a slight frown between his brows when he listened to that, and told her a little more of his childhood and his Clan. This Clan seemed weird. Kind of similar to a historical reenactment group like the Civil War reenactment people who re-fought Gettysburg with blanks. Only it wasn"t just a few weeks in the summer; it was all year long. He had spoken about it, but she hadn"t really understood until she got here. As she spooned warm stew into her mouth she looked around his tent. Spartan didn"t begin to describe it. Glory hated camping even more than she hated clothes shopping. Good thing she wouldn"t be here long.
Wolf"s Shadow took her left hand as she was eating. “You have beautiful hands,” he murmured, bringing it to his lips to kiss each fingertip. “Strong, but gentle.”
“Callused and dry,” she said ruefully. “I need to put some lotion on.”
He turned her hand over to run his fingertips over her palm. “You"ve worked hard.”
“Carrying buckets and cleaning aquariums,” she breathed. His touch was driving tiny shivers through her blood. Heat settled thick in her belly, speeding her breathing. It was worth a night in a tent, she decided. If he could do this to her when he was only holding her hand, imagine the fun they would have tonight. What aftershave was he wearing? Or, she looked closely at his smooth chin and jaw, maybe it wasn"t aftershave. It looked like he didn"t need to shave.
“I love your cologne,” she told him, inhaling. “What is it?”
“My what?” he said blankly.
“Your scent. It"s yummy.”
His gorgeous white smile flashed. “It"s the mating scent. Just for you.”
The Mating Scent? She"d never heard of that one. Or was it called Just For You?
Whatever. It was delicious. She set the bowl aside and yawned.
He kissed the back of her hand. “You need to rest. Lie down.” His grin peeped out again, with a wicked slant to it. “Sleep now, because I"m going to keep you awake all night long.”
A thrill swept through her. “Promise?”
He licked her palm. “Promise.”
How many hours until dark? She watched him leave and shimmied with anticipation.
Damn, he was hot. She"d slept with a few men, but none like him. His appeal went beyond physical good looks; it was that, plus raw animal sex appeal. None of her previous lovers had licked her palm and made her so wet so easily. A few hours with him would rock her world and make her forget the stress of the last two days.
It was only after she"d lain down on the blankets that she realized she still hadn"t been able to notify the study center that she would need to reschedule her interview.
Night had fallen when she woke up feeling like she hadn"t brushed her teeth or peed in a week. She really needed to find the bathroom. She sat up, groping in the dark for her purse to paw blindly through it for her travel toothbrush. Thank goodness she had brought a toothbrush and toothpaste along so she could freshen up before her interview. And speaking of that, as soon as she"d used the bathroom, she should find a phone and call. Or, no, maybe she should wait for morning. The office would be closed now.
Glory wrestled her way out of the teepee. It was too dark to see the door flap or how it fastened, so she ended up tripping and almost doing a belly flop into the grass. She had just managed to get clear of the darn thing and get her balance back when a man spoke right behind her.
“Hello. You are my son"s mate?”
Glory squeaked, slapping a hand over her chest and peering through the gloom to try to make out the man. “You scared me!” Boy, now she
really
needed to find the bathroom!
“What? Yeah. Hi. Glory Peterson. You"re Wolf"s Shadow"s dad?”
“Yes. My name is Arthur Muddy Wolf. I want you to know that you are safe here. No one will force you to do anything. You can stay with the Grandmother if you need more time to make a decision about my son. Are you married?”
“What? No! If I were married I wouldn"t be—” Glory cleared her throat, not wanting to admit her eagerness to sleep with Shadow in front of his dad. “Look, do you mind if we finish this later? I really need to use the little girls" room. Could you point me in the right direction?”
The man"s shadow didn"t move. “Little girls" room? We have no girls here.”
Good grief! She resisted the urge to roll her yes. If he was trying to be funny it wasn"t working. “The bathroom. You know, nature"s calling?” She wiggled urgently to give him a hint.
“The latrine. Yes, it"s—”
A familiar scent came to Glory, and Shadow stepped close to put his arm around her.
The night air was cold, and Glory leaned discreetly into his warmth. “I will take care of Glory, Father.”
“It is her decision, son. Just one more question, Glory. Is my son hurrying you? Would you like some time to get acquainted with him before you share his bed?”
Ack! Not too embarrassing! “It"s fine, really. I like Wolf"s Shadow. Oh, God. I am going to die of embarrassment before I can get to the bathroom.” Her eyes widened. “Did I just say that out loud?”
Wolf"s Shadow"s arm gave her a quick cuddle. A cloud shifted just enough to let the moonlight illuminate them. She could see Shadow"s smile and an identical smile on his dad"s face. Although Wolf"s Shadow was taller and broader than his dad, they looked a lot alike.
Arthur Muddy Wolf nodded at Glory.
“My son is a lucky man. But if you have second thoughts you can always stay with the Grandmother.”
Shadow began towing her away, so she tossed her thanks over her shoulder before
poking him. “Honestly, that was so embarrassing I could have died on the spot.”
“My father only wanted to be sure I wasn"t forcing you to be with me tonight. I am not, am I?”
“No.” Just let her use a toilet and brush her teeth and she would race him back to the blankets.
When Shadow led her to a canvas shelter and opened one end of it for her, Glory"s mouth fell open. There wasn"t a toilet, just the shelter made of canvas around a hole in the ground, and an ancient phone book with half of its pages torn out lying on the grass. The only reason she could see that was because there was no ceiling, just the starry night sky above.
She whipped her head around to stare at Shadow.
“Are you kidding me?” she squealed. “Haven"t you heard of Porta Potties?”
“No.” He sounded honestly puzzled. “I"ll wait for you over there.” He indicated a tree about twenty feet away, and left her.
Glory braced herself and entered the shelter. Ugh. Is this how the Indians did it in the old days? Gross. But with her bladder insisting, she did her business as quickly as possible. She gingerly tore out a page of the phone book to wipe herself with. Thank God for the liquid soap outside. She didn"t even want to imagine how gross her hands were after using the phone book page. She wiped her wet hands on her grimy jacket to dry them. And thank God for the toothpaste, because just brushing her teeth with water alone would not have made her mouth feel minty fresh. Feeling more refreshed, she turned to look for Wolf"s Shadow. He came out of the shadows to steer her back to his teepee.
Glory leaned on him because she didn"t want to trip in the dark. Totally the only reason.
Yeah. “Why are you living out here like this? I mean, teepees? No running water? Why not live in a town? Your cousin lives in a town, right?”
Shadow"s voice was a bass rumble in her ear as he held her tight to his side. She loved the way his voice did that rumble, and she especially enjoyed the sexual shiver it gave her.
“The Clan tries to live like our ancestors did. We don"t have some of the conveniences in our camp that a town has. But we don"t waste and pollute like the townspeople do. The things the earth gives us are precious and should be used wisely.”
Okay, cool. She was all for recycling and being green. But camping? Not her thing. A hotel room was more her style. With room service, please, and a view of the city skyline. And a wet bar and a private Jacuzzi. But for one night with Wolf„s Shadow the Stud Muffin, she could put up with a tent.
Shadow"s hand smoothed over her shoulder in a gentle caress, and thoughts of hotel rooms and camping were lost in the scent of all that bare warm skin. Just For You was now her very favorite cologne. She let her hand rub up and down his taut back, reveling in the ridges of muscle.
“Damn, you"re in great shape,” she told him as he held the tent flap open for her. She stepped in with Shadow following close behind her, and the flap fell closed. Darkness hid the inside of his tent. It was good for hiding her nerves, bad for being able to find the bed.
“Hey?” she said, reaching for him blindly.
His hands found her shoulders, and his mouth devoured hers with such fierce hunger that she felt deliciously overwhelmed. And with the first brush of his fingers over her nipple a pulse flared to life between her thighs. Her toothbrush and toothpaste dropped from her hand, lost somewhere in the trampled grass of the floor. She stroked her hands over his chest, exploring that incredibly buff body, feeling the swell of his pecs and the ridges in his abdomen, but stopping short of going below his waist. She curled her fingers into claws that she scraped down his pectorals. She liked the small breath he released in a gasp when she went over one of his nipples. She loved his groan when she crushed herself against his hardness.
“Glory,” he groaned.
Her lips curved in a naughty smile against his shoulder, but she kept her voice demure.
“Yes, Shadow?”
“Glory.”
It seemed the only thing he was able to say with his voice, but his lips and tongue continued to speak sweet nothings against her throat in a wordless song. She hoped she didn"t smell too bad. Shadow"s cologne was driving her crazy. Who knew Indians living in tents used cologne? She tilted her head back to give him better access to that spot below her earlobe.
“Glory,” he said again in a muttered groan. “I need to touch you.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?”
As if it had only been waiting for an invitation, Shadow"s big warm hand dove inside her shirt. He was gentle enough when he cupped her breast, but his palm was rough with calluses.
She wiggled her shoulders, trying to shrug her jacket off. Wolf"s Shadow realized her intent and practically tore the jacket off her and began tugging on the shirt.
“Hey, take it easy, big guy,” she giggled. “Don"t tear it. This is all I have to wear.”
His frantic hands slowed, petting her over her shirt as if he were memorizing her shape.
“I"d like that. My mate in my lodge, with nothing to wear but my blankets.”
“Ha-ha.” She reached up and kissed his chin and then his lips. “This is 2014, not the stone age, Mr. Tarzan.” Just for fun she moved lower, looking for his nipple with her lips. He stiffened and shuddered. “Ah-hah! You like that, huh?”
“Oh, yes. But Glory, this isn"t twen—Ah!”
She smiled, smugly proud of herself for being able to get such a reaction out of him. In the safety of the darkness she felt bold and beautiful. “Help me take off my shirt.” He did, and the cool night air pimpled her skin except where Shadow touched her. She loved the feel of his hands on her.
“You smell fantastic,” she told him, playing with his nipple.
“You smell fantastic to me,” he growled, easing the shoulder straps of her bra down to free her breasts.
“Really?” She shivered with excitement when he found her nipple with his mouth. “I haven"t had a shower in almost two days, and I"ve been sweating like a pig. You"d think I"d reek.”