Despite the aching of her arms after hours of scrubbing, Jessica found that she enjoyed washing the thick, black pelt of Wolfe’s hair. Working her hands through it caressed the sensitive inner surfaces of her fingers. The heat and softness of the lather sliding over her hands was another lure. When she went from his scalp to the taut skin of his neck, she found herself wanting to stroke him, testing his strength and resilience.
The golden butterfly in Jessica’s stomach spread its wings again, sending heat streaking through her, making her catch her breath in pleasure.
No, not abutterfly, shetold herselfharshly.It’sa moth. A stupid little thing flying around a greathotflame, never knowing that the next second could be the last!
Fear and passion warred within Jessica, making her tremble. Despite that, she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to spiral closer and closer to the flame, letting fire consume her to her very core.
Wolfe shifted abruptly, sending dark waves lapping at the sides of the tub. The slow rubbing of Jessica’s fingers over his scalp was causing a heat greater than that of the bath water to gather between his legs.
«Am I doing it correctly?» Jessica asked.
The sound of her own voice alarmed her. It was much too husky, reflecting the tug-of-war between ingrained fear and blossoming desire. She enjoyed touching Wolfe far too much. Yet she was willing to risk it. Being close to him was an incredible lure.
«Yes,» Wolfe answered. «You’re doing very well.»
His voice was deep, dark, warm. It made Jessica feel as though she had been caressed. Gentle fingertips traced the line of Wolfe’s neck and shoulders. Muscles bunched and slid beneath skin that was the color of gold brushed with copper. The power in him fascinated Jessica, for he took it as much for granted as he did the air he breathed. She couldn’t take him for granted in that way. Not any longer. The realization made her tremble.
«W-what did you do before I came here?» Jessica asked hurriedly.
Wolfe closed his eyes and fought the primal stirring of his body at the husky music of Jessica’s voice and the magic of her fingers transforming him. Then he shrugged and let it happen, knowing there was nothing he could do to prevent it.
«I hunted, bought, sold, bred, and trained horses,» he said.
Jessica’s hands paused. «But there are no horses here, save for the one you purchased with the wagon in Denver.»
«I sold all but my best horses when I decided to go to England for your engagement ball.»
«Where are the rest of your horses?»
«At Caleb’s. I spent most of the year there, helping him build his house. In return, he and Willow are taking care of the mares for me. They’ll be bred by her Arabian stallion.»
«Are they all mustangs?»
«Yes. One of them is an extraordinary animal, elegant and strong, fierce and intelligent. She’s the color ofsteeldust. She’ll be the foundation of my future herd.»
«When will you bring your horses back here?»
«I don’t think I will. This side of the Rockies is getting too settled. It’s time for me to pull up stakes and move on.»
«Too settled? You’re joking.»
«No. For the most part I get along all right with ranchers and soldiers, but townspeople take a narrow view ofhalfbreeds. If anything goes wrong, they come looking for the nearest Indian to blame.»
Jessica’s hands paused. «That’s terrible.»
Wolfe shrugged again. «It’s simply human. If I lived here long enough, I’d get around most of the townspeople. The rest I’d fight until they changed their minds, shut their mouths, or left for more healthy climates.»
«If you can make the townspeople accept you, why don’t you stay?»
«My Cheyenne name is Tree That Stands Alone. It suits me.»
«But you built such a cozy home here.»
«I’ll build another one somewhere else. Maybe up over the Great Divide, where Caleb and Willow have their ranch. Sure to God it would be easier than riding back and forth as often as I have to see them.»
Jessica’s hands tightened in Wolfe’shair.Willowagain. Blast that paragon. What chance do I have to persuade Wolfe of my worth as a wife when he is forever yearning after her?
«Take a breath,» Jessica muttered.
As she spoke, she pushed Wolfe’s head quite forcefully under the water. He emerged instantly and shook his head like a hound, spraying water all over her.
«Again,» she said sweetly.
Jessica pushed. Hard.
Smiling to himself, Wolfe slid under the water once more. This time he stayed under long enough to worry her.
«Wolfe?»
She tugged at his shoulders. He didn’t budge.
«Wolfe, that’s enough. Wolfe? Are you —»
Water erupted as Wolfe rose halfway out of the tub, grabbed Jessica, and held her poised over the dark water.
«Put me down!» she demanded breathlessly.
«With pleasure.»
«On the floor, you devil! On the floor!»
But Jessica was laughing too hard to stand, so Wolfe had to hold her. He leaned his elbows against the tub, supporting her, smiling, calling himself every kind of idiot. He should be withdrawing from her, not teasing smiles and laughter from her beautiful mouth, and feeling as proud as a hen with a new chick because there was color in her cheeks once more.
He would never win the war if the kept siding with the enemy. Very carefully, he released her.
«I think you’re well-rinsed now,» Jessica said, turning to leave. «By the time the rest of the water is heated, you should be finished with your bath.»
Again, her voice was alarmingly husky. At the sound of it, Wolfe narrowed his eyes. Little nun or not, she had liked washing his hair. He wondered how she would like washing the rest of him.
Abruptly he knew he was going to find out. His arm snaked out, grabbing Jessica around her hips before she could leave.
«You’ve forgotten something,» Wolfe said.
«What?»
«The rest of me. It needs washing, too.»
6
«You're joking,» Jessica said.
Wolfe felt the warmth and tension of her body and smiled. «No, I’m not. Pick up the sponge.»
She bent over a bit awkwardly, for Wolfe’s arm was still around her hips. Just when her bend was at its deepest, she felt Wolfe’s hand caressing and squeezing her hip as though testing its shape and the resilience of her flesh. She straightened so quickly that she almost fell over.
«Wolfe!»
He made a deep sound that could have been stifled laughter or a muffled question.
«Your hand — that is,» she stammered. «You —»
He smiled a lazy, dangerous kind of smile. «I?» he invited.
Jessica blinked. She had never seen quite that expression on Wolfe’s face. He was remarkably handsome, and looked every bit the devil she had accused him of being a few minutes ago. If the flame looked half so beautiful to the moth, it was no wonder the poor thing ended up getting too close.
«I, er, nothing,» Jessica muttered.
Hurriedly, she started rubbing up a thick lather on the sponge. Wolfe measured her high color and the pulse beating rapidly in her throat. The looks she gave him as she washed his face and shoulders told him she was both nervous and intrigued by his nakedness.
Lady Victoria, my hat is off to you — along with everythingelse, Wolfethought withamusement.You’reevery bit as wickedly clever about human nature as I remembered. Jessica is no more a nun than I am.
Working in a rush, Jessica rinsed Wolfe, trying not to see beneath the darkly reflective surface of the bath. It was impossible. She closed her eyes, thinking to make the bath less intimate that way.
It was a mistake. With her eyes closed, her hands seemed doubly sensitive. The sleek, hot power of his body beneath her hands made her tremble. The different textures of Wolfe was a new, pleasurable shock each time her hands moved across his chest. Heat burned softly through the pit of her stomach, making her shiver. She moved her hands across Wolfe’s chest once more, telling herself that she was rinsing him and knowing that she was lying to herself. She wanted to knead his flesh like a cat, and, like a cat, she knew she would purr all the while.