Bound by Honor Bound by Love

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Chapter Fifteen

  “It’s true,” Citlali insisted after they ate their meal. “Once Chogan sets his mind to something, the only way to stop him is to sedate him. He’s more powerful than a mother buffalo protecting its young.”

  She laughed and tossed a stick into the fire in front of them. “But Chogan doesn’t have smoke coming out of his ears when he’s upset. You’re exaggerating.”

  “You don’t pay attention to him,” he replied with a grin, resisting the urge to laugh with her.

  She snuggled up to him and kissed his cheek, an action which secretly pleased him. “I know Julia, and never once did she mention his eyes glowing red and fire spewing out of his mouth when he’s angry.”

  “You can’t believe what Julia says. She’s blinded by love. She thinks he’s like an adorable puppy.”

  She giggled and nudged him in the side. “He is an adorable puppy. You haven’t seen the way he plays with his sons.”

  With a huff, he rolled his eyes. “We are not talking about the same Chogan.”

  Reaching up, she cupped the side of his face in her hand and turned his face so he was looking at her. “Why do you let Chogan bother you?”

  “I don’t let him bother me.”

  “Yes, you do. You of all people have no need to be intimidated by him. Not after the way you hit him one time and he fell unconscious at your feet.” She tickled him in the side until he gave into the urge to laugh. “You need to laugh more, Citlali. You’re much too serious all the time. It’s alright to enjoy life.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her onto her back so that she was comfortable on the blanket they’d been sitting on. Chuckling, he lowered his head and kissed her neck, finding the ticklish spot below her ear. She squirmed under him and giggled.

  “See? I’m enjoying it now.” He brought his mouth to hers and gave her a lingering kiss. “I especially enjoy being with you.”

  Before she could reply, he kissed her again. She let out a contented sigh and returned his kiss, her spark of passion fueling his own desire. He traced her bottom lip with his tongue and waited for her lips to part, a silent invitation for him to brush his tongue with hers. He wanted to enjoy her—all of her—without holding anything back. He didn’t want any more walls between them. The walls had been his doing. He realized that now, and it was time he did away with them.

  He deepened the kiss and ran his hand up her leg and under her dress. His fingers traced the curve of her behind before he brought them to the patch of curls between her legs. She moaned and parted her legs for him, giving him access to the silky folds of her flesh. His erection hardened in anticipation of being inside her. But he wanted her to receive her pleasure first, so with skilled fingers he teased her lips, running his fingers along them as he found her sensitive nub with his thumb.

  In response, she brought her hands up to his neck and wove her fingers in his hair, an action he wouldn’t ordinarily consider erotic but given the way she pulled him closer to her, it was one of the most wonderful things she could have done to express her desire for him. Encouraged, he dipped a finger into her and felt the wet heat deep inside her. He slipped another finger into her and stroked her.

  She shifted under him, pulling him in deeper, her leg settling nicely against his erection which throbbed in pleasure at the contact. She pressed her leg more firmly against him, and he ended the kiss so he could see if she was teasing him on purpose. When she grinned at him, he chuckled.

  “Do you like that?” she whispered and moved her leg deliciously against him.

  He moaned and searched for the soft cushiony patch that she seemed to enjoy whenever he stroked it. When he found it, he was rewarded with a gasp. “You like that?” he murmured before kissing her cheek.

  Her hands traveled down his shoulders and to his arms where she squeezed them to indicate that she did, indeed, like it. Pleased, he continued stroking the spot. He’d only found it once before, but he hadn’t lingered on it because it seemed far too intimate to be exploring her so intensely. Now, however, he pushed through the hesitation and paid attention to the way she rocked her hips and whispered his name.

  “Onawa, I love you,” he whispered in return and brushed the lower part of her ear with his tongue.

  She tightened her hold on his arms and murmured that she also loved him. He brought his mouth to hers and then to her neck and focused on the way her body responded to him. She hadn’t responded to him with such intensity for a long time, and he realized it’d been him forcing a distance between them during this act that also caused her to pull back as well. Now she was freely moaning her pleasure as her hips rocked faster. He rubbed her nub with more pressure, mindful to increase the pressure within her, too. Her body grew tense. Knowing she was near her peak, he increased his speed until she cried out as her flesh clenched around his fingers. She stilled, but he continued to stroke her, less insistent than before but aware that it prolonged her state of bliss. He loved this, loved knowing she could freely respond to him, knowing she did this with him out of love instead of obligation.

  He looked at her face and smiled. “You’re beautiful,” he told her, his voice tender despite his heightened state of arousal. There was nothing more erotic than knowing she received pleasure from him.

  When she opened her eyes and returned his smile, he got up on his knees and helped her to her knees. He removed her deerskin dress, careful not to rush through the process in case he ruined the intricate pattern of beads she’d sewn into it. He always thought her dresses were attractive because of the colors and patterns she’d chosen to decorate them with, but even more so was the way her figure filled the dress. And as the dress slipped off of her, he couldn’t deny the thrill that shot through him as he got a good view of her naked body in the firelight. This was much better than being limited in the small room of the lodge. Out here in the open, there was no one else around, giving him greater freedom to fully adore her. He quickly removed his breechcloth, glad to be freed from the confines of his clothing.

  He cupped her breasts in his hands and brushed her nipples, pleased as they hardened for him. A soft moan escaped her lips, and he glanced up at her, noting the slight smile on her lips and the way her head tilted to the side as she closed her eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her neck and continued to caress her breasts.

  She lowered her hands and wrapped them around his erection. She hadn’t done that before. Intrigued, he grew still and waited for what she’d do next. This time, she kissed his neck, and her hands explored the length of him from the tip to the base and then back up. Groaning, he covered her hands with his and guided her movement, encouraging her to tighten her hold on him. She followed his silent instruction and soon established a rhythm that nearly brought him to the peak. He stopped her before he reached that point and settled on his back.

  “I want to be inside you,” he murmured.

  She straddled him, gracing him with a wonderful view of her breasts but didn’t take him inside her right away. Instead, she ran her hands along his chest until she was, once again, exploring his arousal. He gritted his teeth in torment. She traced the tip of his shaft with her fingers and wrapped her hand around his base. In one delicious motion, she brought her hand up and over his tip and brought it back down. While he wanted nothing more than for her to keep touching him there, he didn’t have much more willpower to hold off on the inevitable.

  “Onawa,” he whispered, “I need to be inside you. Please…”

  “You mean you can’t control yourself?” she teased with a seductive smile that drove him crazy.

  “No.” He groaned and leapt at her.

  She shrieked but held onto him as he moved on top of her. Had it not been so long since they last made love, he might have been able to play around with her, but as it was, he was ready to climax and her naked body was too much to handle. Clasping her hands over her head, he made eye contact with her and thrust into her. She gasped in pleasure, lifting her hips to bring h
im deeper inside her, her body wet and clenching around him.

  He smiled, feeling strangely triumphant as he heard her murmur his name in a way that told him there wasn’t anyone else she wanted to be with. She wanted him and no one else. And he felt the same. He watched her as he moved his hips. His movements started out agonizingly slow in an effort to make the exquisite torment last for as long as possible. He’d have her again—and soon—but he was still in no hurry to end this round of lovemaking.

  They moved together, both slow and purposeful. He’d grow still and wait until the urge to climax subsided before he started moving again. He found this kind of control was intoxicating, and from the way she whimpered beneath him, he knew she liked this intentional delay as much as he did. She completed him. It would always be her and no one else. That’s all he could keep thinking as he gave into the urge to increase the momentum of his thrusting.

  Together, they moaned and, together, their bodies grew tense as they approached their orgasms. As soon as she cried out and clenched around him, he whispered her name and found his release, feeling complete as they reached heaven together. He remained deep in her even as they descended softly back to earth. And when he collapsed in her arms, she wrapped her legs around his waist and kept him there.

  “Onawa,” he whispered. When he caught his breath, he lifted his head and brought his mouth to hers for a soft, lingering kiss. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he confessed when their kiss ended.

  “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, too,” she replied.

  He stayed where he was, never wanting to the leave the warmth of her body. He couldn’t recall a time when he’d ever been happier. They remained entwined in each other’s arms for a while, each content to listen to the crickets chirp and the fire crackle nearby. It was a peaceful experience. It was a wonderful experience. It was something he wished would continue indefinitely. Just him and Onawa lying together in silence. But then, he felt the stirrings of his arousal and began kissing her. And soon after that, they were making love again.

  ***

  Penelope couldn’t sleep, and she couldn’t see her husband or children. Any attempt to go to the ceremonial lodge where the men were keeping Cole prisoner was met with resistance, and the men had also guarded the lodge where Etu and Yepa were staying. She couldn’t remember a time when she felt more alone. In her years in a small solitary cabin where she lived after her first husband died, she hadn’t experienced a greater loneliness than she was now.

  Julia seemed confident that once Chogan brought Citlali back to the tribe that Cole would be released and she and Cole could take Etu and Yepa home, but she wasn’t so sure. Never once did she and Cole think that bringing the children here would result in a struggle to keep them. And she sure didn’t think anyone would die. But now she was facing a situation that was worse than any of the nightmares she ever had.

  Deciding to leave her bed, she got dressed and went to the fire pit in the middle of Woape’s lodge. She stood before the fire and contemplated what to do. Dawn was still a long way off. Did she dare try to sneak out? And if she did, then what? Did she really have a chance against the strong men who were guarding the lodges where her husband and children were captive?

  She placed her face in her hands and took a deep breath, trying not to give into the urge to cry again but quickly losing the battle. She thought of praying again, but she was tired of praying. What good did it do? The situation only seemed to get worse and worse.

  A commotion outside the lodge distracted her. She lowered her hands, shocked when she realized Etu and Yepa were crying at the entrance. Her heart racing, she ran over to it, only to knock into the broad back of one of the guards who’d been at their lodge.

  “What’s going on?” she demanded, pushing past him and the other guard so she could get to her children.

  “Mama!” Yepa cried as soon as she saw her.

  Penelope opened her arms and embraced her daughter before bringing Etu close to her side. Both children clung to her, and though they still sobbed, they quieted down.

  Etu and Yepa’s three aunts breathed a sigh of relief. “They wouldn’t stop screaming and crying for you and Cole,” one of them told Penelope. “We can’t take it anymore.” Looking at the guards, she added, “You have to let the children be with their mother. They aren’t happy here, and nothing the chief says will make any difference. It’s not fair to make them and us so miserable.”

  “The chief won’t allow it,” one of the guards replied.

  “Then you can take the children to the chief,” another aunt snapped. “If he wants to make the rules, he can deal with the consequences of them.”

  The guards protested, but the women scurried away from them. While the guards weren’t happy by the sudden development, Penelope was. Her children were in her arms where they belonged. She kissed them and brought them into the lodge. After she retrieved a blanket, she sat with them by the fire pit. She sat between them and wrapped the blanket so they were warm. Etu and Yepa sniffed back their remaining tears.

  She kissed them on the tops of their heads. “I missed you two so much,” she whispered, squeezing their shoulders.

  “I’m sorry, Mama,” Etu quietly said. “I shouldn’t have had those nightmares.”

  “Etu, you couldn’t help having them. Your father and I hoped that bringing you here would help them go away. We had no idea it’d be like this.”

  “They won’t kill Papa, will they?” Etu asked.

  Tears filled Penelope’s eyes and she shook her head. “I don’t know, honey. Someone’s going to bring back the second chief. They think he might help your father.”

  “Will he?” Yepa asked, looking up at her.

  She brushed back the girl’s hair from her forehead and sighed. “I hope so.” She rubbed their backs and kissed them again. “I hope so.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Citlali and Onawa finished their morning meal at the campfire when he made a reluctant decision. As much as he wanted to stay with Onawa in the nice world where they were isolated from everyone else, he knew he couldn’t delay talking to the chief. And now that he knew Onawa loved him and would stay with him no matter what happened, he didn’t have to worry that the chief would remove him from his position.

  He looked over at her, noting the way her two braids fell softly over her shoulders. His gaze went to the pattern she’d woven with the beads on her dress. It was a green turtle surrounded by red, black, and yellow circles. “I like the designs you choose on your dresses,” he said and ate the rest of the corn in his bowl.

  She glanced at him and offered a shy smile. “Do you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I like to put a symbol for you with every design I do.”

  “Do you?” he asked, surprised.

  “The turtle is you because your clan owns the sacred turtles.”

  “And the circles around it?” he asked.

  She shrugged and poured a pitcher of water over her bowl to clean it. “You’re the center of all I think about. The red circle is for your love, the yellow is for the light you bring into my life, and the white is for your strength as leader.”

  Pleased, he grinned. “I like that.”

  Though she rolled her eyes, she laughed. “I’m not surprised.”

  “Are there any other patterns you created that I’m in?”

  She sighed. “I don’t know if I should tell you or not, but you’re in all the patterns I do.”

  His eyebrows rose. “I am?”

  “Don’t look so smug.”

  “I’m not looking smug.” Even as he said the words, his grin widened.

  She shot him a pointed look but didn’t respond. Instead she took his bowl and washed it. She turned her attention to something coming from the east, so he followed her gaze and inwardly groaned. He recognized Chogan, even at a far distance. No one rode a horse with determination like Chogan did. He rose to his feet.

  “Who
is it?” she asked.

  “Chogan.”

  “Chogan? How can you tell?”

  “By the way he rides the horse.” He turned his attention to the teepee and their belongings. At least having Chogan coming out meant Chogan could help them take some of their things back. “I was thinking of returning to the tribe today anyway.”

  “You were?” She placed the clean bowls in the sun to dry.

  “Yes. I made a decision. I have to tell the chief that I don’t agree with him about removing the white people from our tribe.”

  She gasped and stood up. “You are?”

  “You have your family, others have their families, Cole and Penelope should return home with Etu and Yepa, and Gary is the greatest asset we have when dealing with the white man. You and Chogan are right. If the white people and their families left the tribe, we’d be weakened.”

  She went over to him and hugged him. “Thank you, Citlali.”

  He embraced her and buried his face in the nape of her neck. “That doesn’t mean the chief will agree or that he won’t replace me. It might not do any good.”

  “But you’re going to do it.”

  “I am.”

  She kissed his cheek and pulled away from him. “Thank you.”

  In silence, they extinguished the fire, gathered their things and took down the teepee.

  “Maybe sometime we can come out here again and spend more time alone together?” he asked before Chogan got close enough where he could hear them.

  “I’d like that,” she shyly whispered.

  He glanced at Chogan who called out to them. “When we decide to do this again, we’ll have to go to a different location so he can’t bother us,” he quietly told her.