Before the Dawn

by Beverly Jenkins

  He asked, “What are you thinking?”

  “Just how nice you are to be around sometimes.”

  “Operative word being ‘sometimes’?”

  “Yes.”

  Their eyes were saying all their words couldn’t, and Leah could feel herself being drawn to him in spite of her decision to keep him at arm’s length. The memories of the last time they’d been together rose unbidden, her body remembering the vivid touch of his hands and the passion of his kisses. She settled her attention back on her plate.

  Ryder was proud of himself. So far, he hadn’t carried her off or pulled her behind a tree. However, the lure in her was slowly breaking down his hold on his will. If he didn’t find someplace for them to sneak off to soon, he was going to wind up kissing her right there, the gossips be damned.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked quietly.

  “About where we can go so I can kiss you without everyone being in our business.”

  Leah took in a deep trembling breath. It was certainly not the answer she’d been expecting. She felt singed. “You are probably the boldest man I’ve met.”

  “Good,” he replied, not bothering to hide his amusement. “A man likes to be memorable.”

  He took her by the hand “Come on. Bring your cake.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Just come on.”

  “Ryder—”

  In front of God and everybody, he led her over to where Eloise stood talking to Mable. Still holding on to Leah’s hand, Ryder leaned down and whispered something into Eloise’s ear. When he was done, Eloise looked at him, then over at Leah. A smile crossed Eloise’s face. Then she nodded and said, “Okay.”

  A confused Leah had no time to ask questions because Ryder was once again leading her away. She sensed the watching eyes of everyone in attendance. If he considered this bold exit to be the way to keep the gossips at bay, she couldn’t imagine what he’d do if he’d wanted their leaving to be noticed.

  They wound up out in front of the house amongst the carriages and wagons owned by the guests.

  Leah asked, “So, what is it?”

  “It’s time for truth…”

  Leah stilled.

  “I want to make love to you again…”

  Leah told herself she wasn’t affected, but every fiber of her being was shaking, trembling, remembering how it felt to be his. “We agreed not—”

  “You agreed. I took a different position, if I recall.”

  She was so mesmerized by his burning eyes she had to turn her back. Desiring him makes no sense, an inner voice railed, but his kisses…whispered another.

  He slowly came up behind her and gently placed his hands on her arms. “Let me love you the way I should have done that first night…Let me give you all the passion you deserve.”

  The voice was tempting, seductive. His body heat warmed her through the fabric of her fancy green gown. When his hands toured slowly up her arms, she trembled. He bent and brushed his lips softly against the side of her neck and her defenses began crumbling.

  He husked out against her ear, “Say, yes, Morenita…say you want to be loved as much as I want to love you.”

  Leah couldn’t explain why she was so susceptible to this one man, but she was and so she turned to face him.

  The heat in his eyes was as strong as her heartbeat. He reached out and stroked the softness of her cheek. Her eyes slid closed in response. He drew a slow passionate line across her mouth.

  “Say, yes,” he whispered. “Come with me and let’s finish what we started…” He placed a series of short fiery kisses on the edges of her throat, and her head slid back uselessly. His strong hand supported her arching back as he brushed his lips over the swells of her breasts. “Say yes…”

  Leah’s defenses were vanishing as fast as her logic. She had no way to counter his overwhelming effect and admittedly didn’t want to. Why deny herself? Why continue to hold out against something she craved as much as he? So she gave him the reply that sealed their fate. “Yes,” she whispered. His hungry lips met hers, and she whispered urgently, “Yes.”

  Pulling her flush against him, he kissed her so long and passionately, the cake plate in her hand slid to the paving stones and broke.

  Pleased, Ryder pulled away, concentrating now on the scents behind her ear and on her throat. He whispered, “You’re going to be in big trouble with Sam. That’s one of his best plates.”

  Leah rose up on her toes so she could taste his mouth. “I’ll just tell him it was your fault.”

  He drew her closer. The kiss deepened. Neither cared who might see or what might be said. For weeks they’d been trying to deny their feelings, but now, under the night sky, there was no need.

  “How about a midnight ride?” he asked huskily.

  “On a wagon or a Cheyenne brave…”

  The saucy retort burned his manhood, and he hardened instantaneously. To reward her for that, he brushed his lips against hers, seeking out each tender corner with the tip of his tongue. “I was talking about a wagon ride. Never expected you to say something like that…”

  “That’s your fault, too.”

  He ran his hands possessively over her breasts, molding them, rubbing his thumbs over the tight peaks until her head slipped back again and she moaned.

  Wanting to play with her in earnest, Ryder slid the snug-fitting silk away from one breast and pleasured it boldly. “Do you want the wagon…” he queried hotly before he suckled in the turgid tip. “Or do you want the brave…”

  Leah knew her body would explode into flame. There in the silence, he dallied with her exposed flesh, flicking, teasing, making her slide her hand over his thick unbound hair as if imploring him to do more. His hand roamed hotly over her hips and down her thighs.

  He had her answer.

  Picking her up, he carried her into the house. The musicians hired for the evening were entertaining the guests out back. As Ryder bore her through the shadow-filled darkness of Sunrise’s interior and up the stairs to his room, Leah could hear the sweet sensual strains of a seductive guitar.

  He laid her down gently on his big bed, then left her for a moment to close the windows and pull the black-velvet drapes. He didn’t want anyone to hear their passion. Once Sam and Mable married and Sam moved into his own place, Ryder planned to make her scream his name in every room in the house.

  After lighting one lamp and turning the wick down to just a flicker, he sat on the bed beside her and slid a slow knuckle over the breast he’d freed outside. He watched her shadow-shrouded body softly purr in response. The sensuous sight made him bend and suckle one dark tip until it was damp and jewel-hard again. “I’d have taken more care last time had I known…this time, we’ll do it right…”

  As he boldly freed the other breast and used his fingers to prepare it for feasting, she arched in vibrant response. His play left the nipple as rigid with wanting as its twin. Only then did he lower his lips to her. She groaned in response to the dazzling lights that flared across her senses. His mouth was hot, knowing, experienced; she was yearning, sighing, and filled with a humid fever. He slid his hands up and down her legs, making the billowing silk of her gown rise and fall.

  “Had I known,” Ryder told her quietly. “I’d have spent more time…here.”

  He slid a hand beneath her dress and boldly explored her through her thin drawers. “I’d have touched you more…”

  Leah’s hip rose in silent invitation.

  “Made sure you were ready…”

  Sliding her dress higher, he undid the tapes of her drawers and eased them away. As he ran a lazy finger over her hair she didn’t know if she should tighten her thighs to keep in the throbbing heat or spread them shamelessly so he could mine more.

  He solved her dilemma by whispering softly, “Open your legs, Morenita…”

  Her breath ragged, Leah complied. The touches he gave her then were more than she could bear. A blazing, few moments later, orgasm claimed her; rushing
over her like a buffeting wave, and she twisted and groaned under his watching, glowing eyes.

  When she quieted, he bent down and gave her a soft kiss, her reward for being so beautiful and passionate.

  Leah had no idea a woman’s body could react so powerfully to just a few well-placed touches. He hadn’t stroked her very long at all, yet—

  She looked up and met his eyes. Rising slowly to a sitting position, she ran a finger over his lips. He covered her hand with his own and kissed the tips. He turned the palm and placed a soft kiss in the center. “Let’s start again…”

  Leah’s senses leapt. She ran a caressing hand down his strong jaw, then leaned in so she could kiss him as deeply as he’d kissed her. Without breaking contact with her lips, he dragged her onto his lap. His hands roamed possessively over territory just recently explored, but for both him and Leah, each touch felt thrillingly new.

  Her nipples hardened all over again; her lips parted passionately. When he laid her back on the bed and lazily pushed her voluminous skirts to the tops of her thighs, she began to shudder. His magic touches circled the damp swollen part of herself, filling her with such carnal bliss her dark legs slid wider. He smiled, then bent to place a soft kiss on the inside of each wantonly spread thigh. When he straightened, his fingers renewed their sweet dawdling, and Leah groaned low in her throat.

  Looking down at her, he whispered thickly, “Had I known, I’d have prepared you…this way…”

  He bent again, and this time, his kisses brushed against her hair. Leah stiffened and drew back. “What are you doing?” she asked uncertainly.

  The sight of her wide eyes made him smile. “What I should’ve done the first time we were together.”

  He straightened and slid a finger over her mouth. “I thought you wanted to learn to ride a Cheyenne brave…?”

  His voice was hot.

  She was hotter.

  “Then lie back and let me give you your lessons…” Ryder told her. He leaned in and kissed her mouth until her mind turned to pudding.

  “Lie back, Morenita…”

  So she did; she had no will to do anything else. His thickly spoken promise to give her “lessons,” echoed through her erotically.

  Ryder slid the emerald silk aside to expose a darker, more arousing silk. He first circled her with a flame-filled finger, then flicked his tongue against the citadel of her pleasure. She groaned, her hips arching and rising. He dallied brazenly, teasing, conquering, paying her the ultimate tribute while she gasped, cried out, and crooned. Her release didn’t take long; it was swift, powerful, and searing.

  When she came back to earth, he was beaming down like a brave very much pleased with himself. She passed a caressing hand over his cheek. “Did I pass my examination?”

  He nodded. “You did an excellent job, but the second part may be harder…” Taking her hand he brought it against his swollen need. “See…?” he whispered.

  Leah had never touched a man in her life, but found the feel fascinating, stimulating. Uninhibited because of what they’d just shared, she ran her hand over him slowly, all the while wondering if her lessons would include how to give him as much pleasure as he’d been giving her. “Will you teach me how to please you?” she asked without shame. She was finding with him she hadn’t any.

  Ryder could feel his desire stacking up like heat lightning. Her hot little hand was well on its way to learning without his help. As she continued to explore the shape and length of him, he asked himself: who knew she’d take to passion like a fish to a stream? “You’re doing fine….”

  But he had to pull away after another few moments. In the shadowy silence he removed his trousers. There was just enough light for Leah to see. Nude, he was magnificently made—powerful shoulders, arm, thighs. Her eyes lingered over the proof of his desire. “This night has been quite educational.”

  In response to his quiet chuckle she reached out and closed her hand around his bare length. She watched his eyes close and his head drop back. Pleased with herself she continued to offer him her novice caresses, and wondered how something so hard could also feel so soft and alive. It was like holding iron encased in velvet.

  Ryder could feel the tremors in his legs and the straining of his manhood. In a few more moments he’d have nothing to continue her lessons with, so vowing to teach her all she needed to know about this particular portion of the examination at a later date, he backed away, pulsing and breathing harshly.

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, carinita…not at all. You’re just a bit more experienced at this than you know.”

  Leah dropped her head to hide her pleased eyes.

  He joined her on the bed and to her surprise pulled her atop him. Still in her rucked-down dress, she held his eyes in the half dark. He slid his hands beneath the silk and slowly roamed them over her bare hips. “Seda…” he whispered softly.

  She leaned up to kiss him, asking, “And that means?”

  “Silk,” he husked back against her lips. “You have skin like dark silk.”

  His passion-thickened voice, and bold, seeking hands set her aflame once again. “This dress is ruined, Ryder.”

  He kissed her deeply. “I’ll buy you another.”

  “I should take it off…”

  “After we’re done. Right now, you’ve lessons to take, and I want them to be in this fancy gown.”

  His words made her smolder. Was this the way of lovers? All her thoughts dissolved as her final tutoring began.

  He took her back to the heights of passion, slowly, majestically. Each pass of his hand, each kiss from his lips sent her soaring. He taught her things she would never forget, magical things, vibrant things, soul-shaking things, and when he felt her ready to receive all he had to give he brought her down onto him slowly, guiding her hips with his big hands.

  Leah knew she’d die from the pleasure. In this position she could take in as much as she wanted as often as she wanted. He could tease her nipples or slide the silk of her dress lazily over her sensitive hips. It was one of their most thrilling encounters yet.

  Beneath her, Ryder let her set the pace. Even though her virginal tightness threatened to send him plunging over the edge, he kept himself reined in until she felt comfortable. She was still new at this, and he wanted her to enjoy their lovemaking to the fullest.

  But soon, he lost the reins. The sights and feel of her riding him so sweetly, made him grip her hips tightly and increase the pace. He rocked her, raised her, and brought her down again. Moments later she stiffened with the rictus of release. Ryder knew he should withdraw from her, but he wanted just a bit more, and by then, it was too late. His orgasm shot through him, increasing his thrusts and ripping a growl from his throat.

  In the silence that followed, Leah could hear his heartbeat pounding beneath her ear. Their bodies were dewed with the moisture of their activity, and she was so sated she couldn’t move.

  Ryder held her atop him with an arm across her back. Having her so near felt right, natural. He couldn’t move either.

  “So,” he asked softly, tracing a finger over the damp skin of her neck, “think you’ve learned enough for one night?”

  Leah lifted her head so she could see into his dark eyes. She smiled. “I don’t know, professor, is there homework?”

  He reached down and lovingly squeezed a soft hip. “You are something.”

  She placed her head back on his chest, content. “As I said before, it’s all your fault.”

  Her dress, now twisted and crushed, clung damply to her hips and limbs. “We should get you out of this dress,” he offered quietly.

  “Good idea.”

  She eased her body from his and rose on her knees so she could reach the hooks at the back. In a moment it slid from her, showing him her dark nudity. After all they’d shared, Leah knew it was too late to be modest now, but being naked with a man was not something she did every day.

  “Surely you’re not shy?” he questioned as he t
oyed with a taut nipple.

  Leah lowered her eyes. “A bit.”

  “You have no reason to be. Your body’s as beautiful as are you.”

  He leaned up and kissed her. “How about we get cleaned up?”

  She kissed him in return. “I’d like that.”

  He took her by the hand, and they padded over to a door that connected his room to the bathing room. He lit a few lamps to banish the shadows while Leah couldn’t help but marvel over the ingenuity he’d employed in building such a novel space.

  “I’ve seen a few places back East that had indoor plumbing, but none was as extensive as this.”

  “Well, soon, every home in the nation will be equipped this way.”

  He turned on the spigot for the shower. The sound of hot water pouring into the wood-and-glass stall filled the air. “Shall we?” he asked gesturing.

  Leah’s eyes widened around her smile. “Together?”

  “Sure. Consider it another one of your lessons.”

  Not certain how she was supposed to handle such a man, Leah shook her head and walked over.

  “Go on in,” he told her. “I want to get us a couple of towels and some soap.”

  Inside, the water was hot and steamy. Leah basked in the feel, wondering playfully how she could slip all the pipes and spigots into a carpetbag and take them home. She’d never imagined such luxury.

  When he stepped into the steamy space, she moved aside so he could enjoy the full force of the water for a moment. Leah watched the shower turn him into a sleek, gleaming god. The sight of the muscles rippling in his arms and powerful legs were enough to make arousal lick at her thighs. When he’d rinsed himself off sufficiently, he beckoned and she came willingly. Using a clean cloth he soaped her from neck to hips, then up and down and in between. The feel of his slick hands and the hot water contributed to her already burgeoning arousal, and she knew it wouldn’t be much longer before she was once again in full bloom.

  Ryder took a moment to wash himself, all the while watching the passion lighting her eyes. The realization that she appeared ripe for another lesson made his manhood harden. He had the strong urge to take her right there, but feeling the water begin to cool, he hurriedly finished his task. They had the rest of the night to enjoy themselves.