Silken Savage

by Catherine Hart

  As she heard Tanya’s heartfelt responses and Adam’s corresponding words of love and praise, she at last realized that where the heart was involved, the act of love brought no shame. Where tenderness existed, no pain could intrude. Without love, the act of mating was just animalistic rutting, with no regard for human emotion; but with love, it was the ultimate expression of the heart and soul.

  Tears streamed unheeded down Melissa’s cheeks. She’d never understood what Tanya had tried to tell her before, because she had not known Justin or come to love him. Now, for the first time, she saw clearly that the love she and Justin felt for one another would not be sullied by the union of their bodies. Justin was kind and gentle, and the love they shared would reflect that.

  Quietly Melissa shut the door and tiptoed back to bed. An immense sigh shuddered through her body, bringing with it a blessed release of all the emotional upheaval she’d been coping with lately. She drifted into a peaceful sleep, knowing she should be ashamed of listening to Tanya and Adam’s lovemaking, but grateful that her curiosity had led her to the resolution of her problem. At last she was free to love Justin as he deserved.

  “I love it when you touch my breasts,” Tanya whispered as Adam’s mouth claimed a nipple. His teeth grazed the sensitive tip, and his tongue laved it. “It sends sparks clear through me, and every nerve in my body comes alive. A lake of lava forms in the center of my being and spreads its heat outward, and I feel a tightening and an ache between my thighs.”

  Her shy words of explanation sent a surge of love and pride through him, and he doubled his ministrations, determined to give her all the pleasure he could.

  Wanting to return the favors he was bestowing, her eager hands traversed his body. Her fingers traced each bone and sinew within her reach, each muscle of his chest and back and arms. Her palms caressed; her fingers kneaded. Her lips and tongue sought out the sensual arena of his ear, her teeth nipping at the lobe and eliciting a shiver of passion from him.

  Long fingernails skimmed along his ribcage and tantalized each ridge of his spine, extracting a groan of arousal. Her hands drew languid designs on his naked flesh as she reveled in the feel of his skin beneath her touch. The salty taste of him was on her tongue as she rained tiny bites across his shoulder, then soothed them with kisses.

  “You are destroying my self-control with that magic mouth of yours, my darling,” he warned her. His method of retaliation took her breath away. As his mouth reclaimed hers, one of his hands resumed its teasing on her breast. The other ventured on, charting a lazy course along the plane of her stomach, stopping to delve into her navel, journeying along the curve of her hip. As his fingers traced tiny circles up the inside of her thigh, she tensed in expectation, her body arching up to seek his touch.

  A muffled exclamation of sheer bliss escaped her lips as his fingers at last sought and probed her most secret, sensual valley of desire. All coherent thought fled as his fingers worked their sweet torture.

  His mouth retreated from hers to take the route of his fingers. Every bone in her body was melting. “You’re a devil, Adam Savage,” she moaned shakily. “A sweet, sweet devil!”

  He swirled his tongue along her inner thigh and grinned. “You are no angel yourself, my pet. Your body is heavenly enough, but your responses are as hot as hell itself.”

  His tongue took up the torment of his fingers. Ripples of rapture swamped her senses as she quivered to his touch. “Adam, Adam,” she breathed. “Please, Adam!”

  “Not quite yet, my greedy Wildcat,” he growled as he nipped and nibbled his way back up her feverish body.

  Her hand slid down his back to clutch at his buttocks, urging him wordlessly to quench her need for him. When he ignored her request and continued to feast upon her flesh, licking and biting, her fingers slipped about to enclose his pulsing shaft. With silken strokes she teased and tantalized him in turn, knowing she was pushing him to the limits of his endurance.

  “You’re a wanton witch! An enchantress!” he groaned in agonized desire.

  “Satisfy me,” she whispered. “I’m on fire for you!”

  Looping her legs over his arms, his hands cupping her buttocks, he brought her up to meet his thrust. Her body, moist and ready, welcomed him eagerly. A sigh quivered through her at his deep penetration.

  “You are like warm honey; as sleek as satin,” he murmured, as he savored the feel of her about him. His sure strokes soon changed that first feeling of gratification to one of building need. With each thrust the yearning grew, intensifying into a raging inferno that engulfed them both in a savage ecstasy.

  Tanya writhed beneath him, straining with the effort to blend their bodies and souls. Their union was wild and wonderful; their bodies hot and slick, laboring in perfect unison, seeking that sweet pure moment of total rapture. Then they were slipping into a swirling abyss of bright lights and brilliant colors; clinging, twirling round and round, weightless and free in awesome exultation.

  It was a long time before Tanya recovered enough to speak. In a voice quavering with emotion, she whispered, “You make me faint with the wonders of your love, my darling. Do you know how much I love you?”

  Adam kissed the tears from the corners of her luminous golden eyes. “Enough to steal the heart from my body and give it back again, stronger and more powerful than ever. You make me invincible with the force of your love.”

  Two days later, Tanya found herself back in Pueblo, up to her armpits in wedding arrangements. It took some tall talking, but she finally convinced her mother that it was ridiculous to try to plan an engagement party and a wedding so close together.

  “I fail to see what all the rush is, anyway,” Sarah complained. “You only get married once, and it should be as near to perfect as possible. That means weeks of planning and management to make it the most memorable day in your life.”

  “July first, Mother,” Tanya reiterated. She left the room thinking to herself, “Only married once? Not in this case! I wonder which wedding anniversary Adam and I are going to observe?”

  To reconcile the differences between her Protestant background and Adam’s Catholic ties on his mother’s side, they decided to have Judge Kerr marry them. Melissa was to be the maid of honor, and Julie the only other bridesmaid. Justin, as Adam’s best friend, was to be best man, with Roberto also in attendance. Judge Kerr had offered his home for the ceremony and Emily had agreed to play the organ. With these details quickly arranged, Tanya could not believe the state of turmoil that still reigned in the Martin household.

  “I wish I’d never agreed to all this,” she lamented to Adam. “That shotgun wedding you described is looking better and better all the time. Mother is in a constant dither. She is arranging to have a photographer come from Denver, and she’s changed the menu for the reception four times in the last three days! If she’s not fussing over fittings, she’s worrying that we’ll have a dry spell and all the flowers will die before the wedding!”

  She eyed Adam balefully, noting that he was struggling to keep from laughing. “Go ahead! Laugh, you big lout! Wait until she gets hold of you!We three girls feel like pincushions! We’re black and blue from being poked and prodded and measured from our teeth to our toes! Worst of all, Mother insists on an adequate trousseau, which you and I know I won’t be here to wear, and there is no way I can tell her that all her efforts are a waste.”

  Their engagement became official in Sarah’s estimation when Adam presented Tanya with a stunning marquis diamond engagement ring. The stone had been his grandmother’s, and he’d had a local goldsmith reset it. This same artisan was now busily fashioning a unique wedding band for Tanya, at Adam’s request. It was to be a surprise, and Adam was very secretive about it.

  As if Tanya did not have enough to cope with now, there was Jeffrey Young to deal with once more.

  Luckily, it was a few days before he was aware that she had returned. But inevitably, the day came when Jeffrey heard of Tanya’s engagement to Adam, and there was no putting off
the ensuing confrontation. He came rushing over to the house one afternoon a week after her return. Forcing his way past Sarah and Melissa, he stormed into the dining room where Tanya was setting the table. He strode up to her, grabbing her roughly by the arms.

  “Is it true?” he shouted.

  Tanya eyed him levelly. “Is what true, Lieutenant Young?” she asked in a cool tone.

  His grip on her arms tightened as his wild blue eyes glared down at her. “The whole town is buzzing with't he news that you are engaged to Adam Savage. Is it true?”

  “Quite true.” She held his gaze steadily.

  His face became contorted with rage and pain, and he let out a roar as he shook her. “No! I won’t let you!”

  Even knowing how cruel and self-centered he was, Tanya felt a momentary twinge of pity for him. Regardless of how beastly and aggravating Jeffrey had been, he was now in genuine agony, and Tanya had inflicted the wound.

  Compassion colored her voice as she tried to reason with him. “Jeffrey, I’ve told you for months now that it was over between us. You should have listened to me. Now I am going to marry Adam, and it is time you accept this.”

  The look on his face was frightening in its ferocity. “Never!” he shouted. “You’re mine! You’ll never belong to anyone else!”

  Realizing she wasn’t getting through to him in his demented state, Tanya switched tactics. Leaning against him and relaxing her body, she waited until she felt his grip on her arms loosen. Then she jerked free. Stepping back, she retrieved her knife from the sheath at her belt and screamed for Kit.

  Julie and Sarah stood petrified in the doorway. Melissa watched silently, chewing her lip in agitation as she waited for Tanya’s next move.

  Holding Jeffrey at bay with her weapon, she glared at him. “Get out!” she growled. “Get out before I slit you from gullet to gizzard and feed you to Kit!”

  As if on cue, the huge cat glided into the room and sidled up to her mistress, teeth bared in a snarl at Jeffrey.

  Some semblance of sanity returned to him, and Jeffrey blinked and backed off, his arms outstretched to Tanya in supplication. “Tanya, honey, I’m sorry if I was rough with you, but you’ve got to listen to me. I can’t let you throw yourself away on that man. Think of all we mean to one another; all we’ve gone through to be together!”

  At this point, Julie, who’d been under a strain of her own lately, ran to Jeffrey. Tugging at his arm, she cried, “Stop it, Jeffrey! Can’t you see she doesn’t want you? Why do you degrade yourself like this? Can’t you see what it is doing to you?”

  Incensed, Jeffrey flung her away from him, his hand slamming into her cheekbone in the process. “Get away from me, you bitch!” he raged.

  With a shriek, Julie landed in a heap at her mother’s feet, hurt and frightened.

  Kit gave a snarl of warning, but Jeffrey took no notice as he sneered down at Julie. “You don’t look quite so proud now, do you? But then, you never had much pride to begin with. Do you think I didn’t notice how you’ve chased after me all this time?” He shook his head, his eyes gleaming oddly. “I’d have had to be blind not to see how you’ve thrown yourself at me!” His face twisted cruelly. “I could have had you anytime!” he announced brutally, “but how could I want you when it was Tanya I was after? Even used, she’s the better prize.”

  “Jeffrey, that’s enough!” Tanya cut in sharply. “I’ll not have you abusing my sister, either physically or with cutting words!”

  “But she’s been asking for it for months,” he said pointedly. “She pictures herself as my wife when she has none of the qualities necessary to be the wife of a cavalry officer. She’s spoiled and pampered and used to getting everything she wants. She hasn’t the stamina to withstand the rigors of life in the military — but you do.” His eyes blazed at Tanya. “You have the strength, and you don’t whine or faint or give up when the going gets rough. With you by my side, I could become a general!”

  Tanya laughed cynically. “You’re perfect too, Jeffrey! Perfectly insane!” At his enraged look, she flashed her knife at him. “Now get out of here before my blade finds its way between your ribs into your rotten heart, if you have one!” Kit snarled again, adding emphasis to her words.

  With one last, hate-filled glare, Jeffrey turned on his heel. “You’ll regret this, Tanya,” he warned. “All you high-and-mighty Martins are going to regret this! One day you’ll come crawling to me!”

  Almost as an afterthought, he directed one last cutting remark to the weeping girl on the floor. “Cheer up, Julie. All may not be lost. If your sister actually does throw caution to the winds and marry this fool rancher, I may take you as my paramour. Lord knows, you’ve offered yourself to me often enough! You’d be an impossible wife, but perhaps you’d make a decent mistress.”

  Elizabeth was appalled when she arrived home from shopping to see Julie’s cheek all red and swollen. Her reaction was mild compared to that of the men, for there was no way to hide the injury, “He should be hanged!” Edward ranted. “First he tries to rape Tanya, and now he hits Julie. The man is mad!”

  “Hanging is too good for him,” George insisted.

  “I wanted to kill him so badly,” Tanya avowed softly, her eyes seeking Adam’s. “You’ll never know how close I came to planting my knife in his black heart!”

  “You’d have been jailed for murder if you had,” Adam pointed out.

  Tanya nodded. “I know. That’s the only thing that stopped me!”

  Elizabeth let out a snort of disgust. “This is a fine kettle of fish! The Almighty Lieutenant Young can march in here and manhandle us all he wants, and we can’t do a thing about it because he has an army behind him!”

  “Can’t Sheriff Middleton arrest him?” Sarah suggested.

  Adam frowned and shook his head. “Not over this,” he said. “Young would just claim it was an accident that Julie was hurt.”

  “I should have shot him when we caught him trying to force himself on Tanya,” Edward fumed.

  “And gotten ourselves killed for it,” George added. “His men wouldn’t have waited for explanations.”

  “What are we to do?” Melissa asked. “Julie is scared to death to leave the house, and who’s to say when Jeffrey will take a notion to come around again for one of his delightful ‘social chats’!”

  Julie had been hysterical nearly all afternoon. Now she sat quietly next to her mother, saying little. A tremor shook her every so often, but the weariness that often follows shock had set in.

  Adam gave her a sympathetic look. “I have a suggestion, if Julie agrees.”

  Julie looked up questioningly.

  “My mother is coming into town this weekend. Julie can go back to the ranch with her. She will look after you, Julie,” he promised, “and Roberto will be there to protect you. Would that suit you?”

  Julie nodded solemnly. “Yes,” she croaked, “but what about Tanya?”

  “I’ll look after Tanya. We’ll be busy preparing for our wedding, and I’ll practically be camped on the doorstep, I imagine. When she’s not with me, she’ll be with your father or uncle, and when they are at work, Justin or I will be here.”

  When Tanya and Adam had a moment alone together, Tanya confessed, “You can’t imagine the tortures I’ve fantasized about putting Jeffrey through since this afternoon.”

  Adam’s black eyes burned into hers. “Yes, I can. I have been having the same thoughts,” he admitted gravely, “but you are forgetting one of the most important lessons you learned as a Cheyenne — patience. When the apple is ripe, it falls from the tree. When the time is right, we will deal with the young lieutenant. The circumstances must be in our favor. We do not want the law breathing down our necks. We will wait, and the time will come.”

  * * *

  Julie left as planned with Rachel after the weekend. If nothing else, it would let her have more time with Roberto, and for this Tanya was grateful. Now that Julie saw Jeffrey in the proper perspective, perhaps she’d see what a
truly magnificent man Roberto was.

  The rest of the family went on with plans for Tanya’s wedding. The guest list was decided upon, and the invitations written and sent out. Rachel had undertaken the task of seeing that Julie’s dress was finished in time, while Elizabeth and Sarah worked on their own and Melissa’s.

  Tanya’s wedding gown as well as the goodly number of additional dresses that made up her trousseau was being sewn by a local seamstress. There were numerous trips for fittings, in addition to visits to the milliner and cobbler for matching hats, accessories, and shoes. Swatches of material were constantly being exchanged, discussed, and mislaid until Tanya thought she would lose her mind.

  “It will soon be over,” Adam soothed.

  “Thank goodness!” Tanya retorted, rubbing her throbbing temples. “If Mother changes her mind over one more color or fabric, I swear I’ll get married in a gunny sack out of spite!”

  In the midst of all this, Melissa came up with a few surprises of her own. One evening shortly after Julie’s departure, she and Justin found themselves alone on the porch.

  “There is more to this wedding business than I’d thought,” Justin commented conversationally.

  Melissa nodded. “I don’t think if I got married I’d want all this fuss and planning. I’m a very private person.” She watched Justin’s reaction as he digested this. His face became very thoughtful.

  Finally he ventured, “How would you have it, Missy?”

  Melissa hid a smile. Justin was being so cautious, avoiding pressing her about their own relationship these days. “After all I’ve been through, I’d want a quiet ceremony with just family and a few close friends, I think; something a lot less formal. Does that appeal to you?”

  Justin eyed her carefully, his face hopeful, yet cautious. “Are you talking about us, Missy? You and I?”

  She looked up at him demurely from beneath lowered lashes, but her answer was far from shy.