“It was just a question, Holly, that’s all, just a question.”
Momentarily she closed her eyes. “I’m sorry, Zachariah, I’m just exhausted and it’s making me snappy.”
Zachariah patted his shoulder and smiled encouragingly. “This shoulder’s available, Holly, so lay your head here for a while and get some rest.”
Undecided, she stared at him for a moment. Then, with a sigh, she did as he suggested and rested her head against him knowing full well she was asking for trouble. How could she come to terms with her feelings for Zachariah and his seemingly lack of feelings for her when she kept cuddling up to the man. She loved him so very much and at times she thought he may feel the same about her, but, at other times it appeared to her lovelorn eyes that all he felt was friendship. The comforting warmth of his arm around her quickly lulled her into a restful slumber.
Chapter Fifteen
Holly stirred, and sat up gingerly. Her neck was aching from using Zachariah’s shoulder as a pillow. Silently groaning she pushed back her hair and, wiping the drool off her chin and sensing his gaze, looked up into his deep brown eyes. Eyes to drown in.
“Slept well?”
“Yes—sorry.” Holly surreptitiously wiped the drawl from her chin.
“No need to apologize.”
“Err, yes well, umm, have you, err, slept?”
“Some.” Removing his arm he eased her away from him. “How about something to eat before we get underway?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Please.” Holly sat where she was observing Zachariah as he began stoking the stove, his movements efficiently compact.
Realizing Holly was watching, Zachariah threw a questioning look her way, his grin boyishly engaging.
Giving a slight, negative shake of her head in response to his look, she rested her head back against the wall. God how she loved this man. He was so annoying but he made her heart skip and turned her insides to mush. She knew he was attracted to her and when they made love the atmosphere positively zinged. Well, it did for her. But what about him? She bit her lip, she was certain he was still in love with his wife, and being in competition with a dead woman wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted all of him, and all of it. The whole thing, love, marriage, a home, babies, the dogs by the fire and a cat sleeping on a cushion in the window. Her eyes filled with emotional tears and her heart melted. Oh, why can’t he love me in return? Why hasn’t he asked me to marry him? If he loved me he surely would have done. A man who takes a girl’s virginity would ask her to marry him if he loved her, wouldn’t he?
“Holly?” Zachariah, noticing her tears, sat beside her and drew her to him. “What’s wrong, love?”
Love! The tears which were just a trickle became a full-blown waterfall. Love, if only she were his love.
“Nothing,” she mumbled into his chest, “I’m just still tired I guess.” Well, she could hardly say “I’m crying because I love you but you don’t love me,” could she?
Zachariah lifted her chin and smiled gently down into her tear-washed eyes.
“You’ll feel a bit better with some more food inside you, Holly, so how about a…”
“A kiss?” Holly interrupted, as startled as him at the words that spilled involuntary from her lips. “Just a kiss, Zachariah, that’s all.”
“Holly, you don’t know what you’re asking, I…”
“Please, Zachariah, don’t talk, just kiss me—don’t make me beg.”
Hesitating for just a brief moment Zachariah cupped her cheek with a callused hand and, bending his head, captured her quivering lips with his mobile ones.
Holly felt her breath catch in her throat and she pressed closer, wanting more of him. His smell was in her nostrils, warm, musky, masculine, and her heart felt like it was going to explode. This is where she wanted to be, close to him and safe in his arms. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she deepened the kiss, groaning huskily in the back of her throat.
Zachariah pulled slightly away. “Holly, are you sure?”
Nodding Holly began pulling at his thick wool sweater. “C’mon, take it off.”
Looking at her for a few seconds more, Zachariah, smiling wryly, ignored the cold and began disrobing.
Catching her lip between perfect, even white teeth, Holly stared in fascinated absorption as his clothes fell to the ground, revealing a bronzed, muscular chest, the muscles rippling with every economical movement.
Shaking herself out of her inertia, she quickly divested herself of her clothes and, still wearing her long underwear, waited in excited anticipation. If she couldn’t have his love then she’d settle for the next best thing—his body.
Taking Holly into his arms, Zachariah could feel the slight trembling of her body, the short breaths that felt like gossamer on his cheek and the wild fluttering of her heart in her breast.
Bending his head, he masterfully took her lips in a kiss designed to devastate, and in doing so became aware of the soft silkiness of her skin, and the smell of her hair, the smell of rain-washed violets. She was so small, so feminine, her bones fragile and her clinging hands strong, capable, yet womanly. He drew her closer to his chest, her underwear-covered breasts pushed up against his flesh and he could feel the hard nipples peaking in responsive desire. He loved this woman, wanted to have her, possess her, sink himself into her warm, welcoming body and surrender his tightly held control to her voluptuousness.
Holly could barely breathe. Being in Zachariah’s arms again was everything she hoped it would be. She felt, safe, secure, confident in her femininity yet confusingly, she felt fragile, as if she would break if he held her too firmly. It was a perplexing feeling but she liked it.
Slowly Zachariah lowered her to the floor. He had spread his coat on the ground and she felt its padded warmth protecting her from the cold. With his lips still playing havoc with her responsive ones she arched up toward him as his fingers began to leisurely, one by one, open the buttons down the front of her underwear. Spreading the thick fabric, his knuckles grazed her highly sensitized flesh and she gasped in a pleasure that was almost a pain.
“Oh please, Zachariah, please.” Pleas for satisfaction spilt involuntarily from her lips as his mouth moved along her throat to the delicate bones below her décolletage. Moving lower, his lips burnt a fiery trail across the blushed crescents of her breasts, the delicate skin that covered her ribs and lower still. Then, before she was aware it was happening he had divested her of all her clothing and she was naked. Thrusting a knee between her thighs he opened her legs and, sitting back on his heels, he pulled her toward him.
His lips and hands became magical instruments of torture and pleasure. His actions incited an exquisite anguish as every caress, every stroke, every touch became electrifying. Tingling her nerves, tormenting her senses and quivering her limbs.
Arching like a contented cat, Holly’s breath came thick and fast as Zachariah’s touch got bolder. His hands soothed whilst his openmouthed kisses across her stomach disturbed. Holding her hips between his strong hands Zachariah’s acrobatic tongue found her soft-shaven mound then with one flick of his tongue he located her clitoris. Her hands clenched in his hair. God this was like nothing she’d ever experienced before it was, it was, it was…
She groaned, the sound achingly primal in the cold wilderness shack.
Her thighs quivered and, now completely enervated, flopped wide open, allowing Zachariah easier access to her swollen, dew-filled pussy.
Zachariah lapped with enjoyment at Holly’s honey-like essence, it was as sweet as she was. Her clitoris pulsated in his mouth and he sucked on it as a child would suck on a lollipop. Holly’s hips moved, thrusting up toward him in an imitation of the act of love. She needed him inside her, he realized this as surely as he realized that he needed to be inside her, drawing from her gasps of pleasure, fucking her until she was satiated.
Still sucking at her clitoris, Zachariah inserted three fingers into Holly’s open pussy and began thrusting and twisting, the movement was
controlled, designed to excite and delight. Holly screamed, grasping at Zachariah’s forearms as an orgasm began to rise. The ache began deep in her pelvis, then turned into a tingle and finally became a swirling, eddying vortex of sensation that pulsated achingly throughout her entire being. Her limbs shook, her mouth dried and her heartbeat raced, and she exploded on a climax such as she’d never had before.
Slowly, wondrously, she came back to earth, sights and sounds that had become muted by passion suddenly seemed loud and discordant. Feeling strangely disoriented, like she’d been spinning on a merry-go-round, Holly, in order to regain her equilibrium, took a few deep rather tremulous breaths.
Zachariah threw himself down beside Holly and holding her hand he waited for her to descend from the ecstatic heights of the climax. He smiled, a disparaging smile, she was certainly an excellent student in the art of sex. She responded to his slightest touch and that made him—yes—humble. Passion spent and body temperatures falling, the cold began to set in, raising goose bumps on their skin and shaking their limbs. Reaching up to the bench he pulled Holly’s coat to the ground and covered up their naked shivering limbs.
Feeling the coat on her naked body, Holly opened her eyes and turned her head toward Zachariah. Meeting his eyes she felt a sudden rush of shyness. Here I am in the middle of Alaska in a ramshackle old hut, where we could be disturbed at any minute, and she was in no hurry to leave the comforting warmth of Zachariah’s naked body and get dressed. What did that make her? Some kind of slut? She stifled a giggle.
“You okay, Holly?”
“Mmm.” She turned onto her stomach and, resting her chin on her hands, gazed into Zachariah’s eyes. “Yes, I’m lovely, wonderful in fact.”
Zachariah smiled and she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.
“Well, what I mean is that, I, err.” She stumbled to a halt. “I mean,” she tried again, “well, what about you? Don’t you want, err, satisfaction?” She really did feel a rush of heat in her cheeks then. God she sounded like such a prig.
“Well, sure, that’s if you’re willing?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Willing?” she repeated, puzzled. ”What—oh!” She gulped. “Well, yes, that’s fine, I mean, of course.”
“Have you ever done it before, Holly?”
“Well, of course I have,” she lied convincingly. “I am twenty-four, you know, and a woman of the world.” She surreptitiously crossed her fingers.
“Okay then.” He nodded at his already erect cock. “Go for it.”
Chapter Sixteen
Away from the warm security of his arms Holly felt the cold, like icy fingers were trailing over her skin. Shucking on her coat she left it unbuttoned, so framing her voluptuous, bouncing breasts. Kneeling beside him she gently reached out and took his cock in her hand. It felt soft yet strong, and it was thick. Blue veins marred its surface and its head looked like a helmet and there was dew seeping from its eye. Her hand tightened around its glorious, long length and it jerked in response to her touch. Zachariah groaned, a soft rumble deep in his chest.
Excited by his reaction to her touch, Holly got more daring and leaning forward let her tongue touch the cum at the tip of his dick. Mmm, it tasted—odd. Opening her mouth, she took his cock in deeper and tried sucking.
Zachariah’s hand caressed the back of her head. “Easy, Holly.”
Pulling back, Holly moved her hand up and down its veiny length. Zachariah clenched his teeth. She tried nibbling it, Zachariah groaned. Buoyed up by his responses, Holly opened her mouth and took his cock in right up to the hilt. Gagging slightly she went to pull back, but as she felt Zachariah begin to shake she closed her eyes and began moving her head up and down in an imitation of the mating dance. Drooling at the effort to keep his cock deep in her throat, she pulled out, and indicated he should stand.
Kneeling between his open legs, she firmly grasped his dick and twirled her tongue acrobatically around its length. Zachariah gently held her head in place and rocking on the balls of his feet thrust his cock deep into her mouth. Holding onto his hair-roughened thighs Holly tilted her head allowing him easier access to her throat. Suddenly Zachariah stopped thrusting, and, tangling his fingers in the silken stands of her hair, he groaned, the sound savage and uniquely primitive as his hot seed ejaculated into her mouth and down her throat.
* * * *
Holly’s mind wasn’t on the route. It was, in fact, back in Don’s cabin, reliving those bittersweet moments in Zachariah’s arms. The lovemaking had been good and satisfying. However, once dressed, Zachariah had become all brisk and efficient, kissing her quickly and then chivvying her to get a move on when what she had really wanted was to be taken into his arms and kissed into delicious submission. Maybe she was asking too much, after all they were in the middle of nowhere and in a competition, so she really shouldn’t complain she supposed, although surely she deserved something more than a kiss on the cheek and a metaphorical slap on the derriere?
Coming back to the present, she forced herself to concentrate on the trail. Now around six miles from Don’s cabin and racing through a small wood with the sun just beginning to rise and the light as it filtered through the trees appearing eerily supernatural, she felt slightly disorientated. A few minutes on and they started the drop down to Windy Creek which was bordered by heavy trees which made the journey that bit more difficult. Windy Creek was, as far as she was aware, a good camping spot, however, Zachariah raced through it with barely a glance. Holly sighed. She would have liked to have had a break. Even though she’d had more sleep than the average musher, Holly still felt exhausted, hence the disorientation, and now she just wanted it all to be over. She realized sadly that if her father had been alive he wouldn’t have let her quit. He would have demanded she finish what she had started and would quite probably be disappointed that she wasn’t the hardy musher he had trained her to be. Finally recognizing her weaknesses, and now comprehending just what Zachariah had always known brought tears of defeat to her eyes.
Arriving at the Dishna River, Zachariah slowed down. Mimicking his actions Holly reined in her dogs and leant heavily on the brake. The Dishna was covered in ice but there was overflow where the ice was so thick the water below spilt up and over making the surface treacherous. Running alongside the river Holly kept tight control of her team as caution prevailed. The spill of water was light but she couldn’t afford any accidents or any damage to her already repaired sled. The trail began to escalate and she swung her dogs hard about, ready to start the climb, following as close as she dared to Zachariah. Weaving in and out of heavy timber, the trees so huge their circumference was as big as a small roundabout, she grew even more cautious. And in order to stay in complete control, Holly had to more than once pedal, taking one foot off the sled’s runner and placing it on the ground as if riding a scooter.
Six miles on and they reached the foot of Hill 1925, and began the one-mile drop to the First Chance Creek and there Holly hoped Zachariah would agree to a break. The descent was quite hairy and Holly felt frayed nerves unravel even more. Fatigued, scared, cold and hungry, she willed Zachariah to stop and promised all manner of things if only her prayers could be heard. Winding along the creek the cold windy biting into the tender skin of her face, Holly’s raggedy emotions swayed between despair, worry, and finally downright anger. Why isn’t Zachariah stopping? She was painfully aware they had time to make up, and she knew it was all down to her that they were running behind time. But for crying out loud. She was exhausted and needed to rest, so surely Zachariah must be feeling the same way, either that or he was some kind of superhero. Zachariah the magnificent!
Finally leaving the valley of First Chance Creek, they moved swiftly across swamps, small lakes and along the east side of the Iditarod River, and it was here Zachariah finally called a break.
“About time, too,” Holly muttered beneath her breath as she watched Zachariah alight from his sled and make his way toward her. “Much longer and I’d have taken a brea
k with, or without him.”
“Holly, did you say something?”
“No, no nothing at all,” she declared mutinously, her tired face set in angry lines.
“Good.” He smiled wryly and she knew he had heard. “We’ll stop here for about an hour I think.” He looked up at the heavy clouds. “I don’t like the look of this sky, it could be we’re in for some more bad weather, so…”
He glanced at her still-mutinous expression.
“Got something to say?”
“No,” she declared innocently. “What on earth would make you think that?”
About to turn away Zachariah was halted in his tracks as she continued.
“After all, I have no say in anything that happens along this trail, well, not now it seems, you my lord and master get to make all the decisions. It’s not like I could be tired or hungry or need the loo, oh no, of course not.”
“You’re angry.”
“Talking about stating the bloody obvious! Of course I’m angry, I wanted to stop way back, but oh no, you have to take charge and make the decisions. Well, I’m fed up with it, I’m fed up with this bloody, god-awful race, and most of all I’m fed up of you!”
“I get it, you’re cross. Okay…” He held up his hands, grinning widely. “We’ll have forty-five minutes, that suit you?”
“W–what?” Holly spluttered. “You cannot be serious.”
“Absolutely. Now get a wriggle on.”
“Arrogant, domineering, controlling…” Holly muttered beneath her breath as she bent to her task of feeding the dogs.
“You say something, hun?”
Hun? “No nothing just, umm, humming, that’s all,” she replied, her voice saccharine sweet.
* * * *
Forty-five minutes later, Zachariah had kept his word and had chivvied Holly back on her sleigh. The weather had set in again and Holly felt her eyes burn as she stared intensely ahead, attempting to keep Zachariah in view. A few miles on and they reached Moose Creek, and she breathed a small sigh of relief, it was just about fifteen miles now to Iditarod and hopefully a rest. Groaning silently to herself, her thoughts were focused, obsessed even, obsessed with getting from one rest point to another, once again revealing that this race really wasn’t for her. Coming back to the present her hands tightened on the handlebar as her sled skimmed as if it had wings across the ice-packed earth. From there followed a journey across low hills, lakes and swamps before they reached Caribou Creek, which was about three miles from Iditarod.
Sleigh Ride to Love Page 9
