“No! What would I say if others viewed this shameful act?” he demanded, not meaning his words the way they sounded to his wife. “Another moon you placed your greedy hands upon me and tempted me to evil weakness. I desire only Shalee. Be gone from my sight, white whore,” he snarled, failing to deter her resolve.
“Does Shalee ease his pains? No! He is filled with seed. I will please him as she never has. She rejects you, but I don’t. I want you and need you. Even if you don’t desire me, see how he loves my touch. She tempts you, then cruelly rejects you. She wants me to become your slave and serve this need. She can’t stand for you to touch her.” Her hand circled the flaming shaft, provocatively teasing its full length.
She wantonly caressed his firm buttocks and eased her playful hands up his strong back to roam over his brawny chest.
Gray Eagle tried to control his response. He closed his eyes and swallowed, then said, “No, Leah; this is wrong and wicked. I want only Shalee. My seeds belong in her body, not in the body of a white slave who tempts me when I am weak in mind and body. Go!” Yet, his instinctive longings reacted to those wild and wonderful sensations which his wife was denying him.
“I can’t. She doesn’t want your seeds; I do! I don’t torment your manhood; I can bring sweet pleasures and relief to him. Can you deny this feels wonderful? Can you honestly say you want me to stop? Who will ease your needs then? Shalee? She hates you; she’ll never let him enter her white body! You can have anything you need or want from me. I must have him if only once! Please, make love to me. If you must punish me for this, do it after I have pleased you.” She leaned forward to place kisses upon his bronze chest.
“You are evil, Leah. Shalee is my wife. She will learn to love me and trust me again. Go, before I punish you greatly,” he warned, wondering how to do so without giving some incriminating explanation.
All the while he talked, Leah continued her heady assault upon his senses. “I don’t care if you punish me. But first let me end this torment which eats at me every day. You are irresistible, Wanmdi Hota. There is no other man like you. I would do anything to lay beneath you upon your mat. I won’t tell anyone about us. Until Shalee comes to you, you need a woman to sate your fiery passions. Why should he ache this cruel way? Why should your own wife refuse him and you? She is selfish and foolish, Wanmdi Hota. I can love him as she never has,” she smugly vowed. “She is repulsed by him, but I crave him.”
Gray Eagle pushed her away. “No, Leah!”
“Yes, Wanmdi Hota,” she seductively murmured, grasping his shaft and moving her hand as if it were mating with him. “If you wish, pretend I am Shalee. Pretend I am your Shalee and it is her willing body you are driving into. She said I could have you.”
Gray Eagle stared at her, then at the sensual sight of his manhood slipping in and out of her hand. Could he possibly allow her to ease his pains? Could he pretend she was Shalee? Why did her wickedness feel so good? Why did his traitorous manhood plead to empty its fullness, even into this repulsive slave? Had Shalee sent Leah after him? Had his body grown so weak he could not master it?
He slapped her away and spat, “You prey upon me as a cunning fox upon a weak and helpless rabbit. You freely offer what you know my body burns to enjoy. Yes, Leah, my manhood enjoys such wild pleasure. But I cannot allow you to take what is Shalee’s alone. I love and desire to mate only with her. Go!” he sternly commanded.
Leah finally realized he was serious! “You can refuse the pleasures I generously offer you? What if Shalee never lets you touch her? She said it was all right for us to mate!”
“I will earn her love and desire again. She is injured and afraid. Soon, she will not feel this way. She spoke in anger, but she does not hand me over to you.”
“What if she suspects we are lovers?” she hinted.
“We are not lovers! We will never be lovers! Not once have I sought your touch! Not once have I gazed upon you with desire! You are no rival to her! No female is! Return to camp and never come to me again!”
“You’re a proud and stubborn man, Wanmdi Hota! I’ll be patient. The day will come when your body will force your mind to agree to my offer! How long can he suffer like this?” she challenged, reaching up and brushing her hand against the tip of his member, instantly renewing its instinctive interest and size.
Leah laughed seductively. “See, Wanmdi Hota. You lo not want me, but he does,” she boasted.
“Halt, Leah, or I will beat you this moment,” he harshly commanded, wondering how to explain such a harsh punishment.
As she stubbornly caressed it, she cunningly challenged, “Do you really want me to stop this?”
Agilely and swiftly placing his foot to her abdomen, he shoved with all his might and sent her tumbling backwards. “Wasichu witkowin! Hiya!”
Upon calling her a white whore, he seized his garments and yanked them on, tying his breechcloth hurriedly. He glared at her and sneered, “You will never take her place! I will not be tempted to betray her!”
“What if she learns of our contact?”
“If you speak one lie to her, I will slay you,” he growled.
“Lie? What about the other times when she was gone?”
“Silence your tongue before you lose it!” He whirled and left.
The moment he was out of sight, Leah sat up and stared straight ahead. “You will pay for this, you savage! It will be only a matter of time before you’re begging me to sate your needs. I’ll fill Shalee’s ears with so many lies she’ll never let you touch her! I’ll have you yet!” Eerie laughter left the curled lips of Leah. “Shalee is a fool. She really thinks we were friends. I wonder how you’d feel, my envious princess, if you knew the truth about me and that virile animal. Too bad you can’t recall our last argument. If you thought for one minute your warning to forget Gray Eagle bothered me in the least, you’re wrong. Like I told you that day before your accident, I will worm my way into his tepee, then into his life! Too bad those soldiers didn’t get rid of you for me. No matter what, I will replace you, somehow and some way. If I’m patient, you’ll hand me my victory with your coldness and rejections. How long do you think a man can ignore such fires when I’m dangling before him like a fat worm before a starving bird?”
Laughing happily and feeling not the least defeated, Leah hummed in confidence as she returned to camp. Shalee was distraught. What should she do? She couldn’t tell Gray Eagle Leah was hotly pursuing him; he was well aware of that fact! Leah couldn’t be dissuaded from her goal easily. What would happen if she carelessly pushed him into the arms of that scheming, immoral woman?
Suddenly another fact came to light: Leah was surely spying on them! She had deviously driven a wedge between them. What a fool she had been! She was gradually shoving the man she loved and desired into that predaceous spider’s web! Her hot and cold behavior was confusing him, preventing his understanding, filling him with frustration and insecurity! She had offered her bronze treasure to Leah on a silver platter! She was allowing her fears of the unknown to defeat her. After all, she wasn’t a virgin; she was his wife!
As Shalee returned to camp in a dejected and apprehensive daze, she met Shining Light. She forced a warm smile to her quivering lips. The perceptive Indian woman sensed how distressed the princess was. Surely such a tragedy was frightening and confusing. She knew how she would feel under such trying circumstances. She smiled and asked, “Yuzaza?”
Shalee glanced at the objects in the young woman’s grasp and nodded in delight. Perhaps a cool and refreshing bath was exactly what she needed. “Sha. Pidamaye,” she thanked her new, and yet old, friend. She promptly went to her tepee and gathered the necessary clothing and a blanket to dry herself. She returned to Shining Light’s side and they headed to the stream.
As they leisurely strolled along, Shining Light pointed out objects and said their names to Shalee, who readily accepted this assistance and jovial encouragement. The tricky words inspired shared laughter. When they halted, Shalee looked around an
d decided the selected area for bathing presented enough privacy.
They splashed and enjoyed the invigorating exercise and relaxation. When Shining Light reluctantly signed it was time to return to camp, she left the water first. A vivacious female, she was fully dressed in moments. She sat down to lace her moccasins while she waited patiently for Shalee to follow her lead. She wondered what was plaguing her friend and making her so unhappy and tense.
A mellow voice teased, “You are far from camp, Shining Light.”
She glanced up and replied, “Yes, Wanmdi Hota. Your wife is shy and desired a private place to bathe.”
Gray Eagle glanced around. The spot had been chosen wisely, for large bushes sheltered the river from sight on this side and tall rushes blocked the view from the other. A narrow path left just enough of an opening to find the deep stream. He smiled. “Yes, Shalee is timid like the deer. If you must return to camp, I will wait for her,” he politely offered, knowing the hour was growing late and Shining Light had family responsibilities. Besides, his temper had cooled and he needed to apologize for his previous harshness. Shalee was only afraid of the feelings that he stirred within her, feelings new to her clouded mind.
The romantic Shining Light assumed he wished her to leave them alone for other reasons. She grinned and remarked, “Things will soon be good again, Wanmdi Hota. She is trying to conquer this terrible injury. She is much like our old Shalee. We practiced many words today and she smiled with her eyes this time. Yet, she is sad and doubtful. It must be frightening to remember nothing, to find herself among strangers, to learn she has a child and a husband. No doubt I would cry every hour in fear and panic.”
“Would you fear this man who claimed to be a husband you did not remember?” he abruptly asked.
“Yes,” she vowed incredulously. “It would take many moons to trust him. But it is not so with Shalee. When she speaks your name, her eyes glow and her face reflects the fire. Her eyes linger upon you when you do not see her. I see such tenderness and longing upon her face. This new Shalee also loves the son of our chief. But she is troubled and afraid.”
“You think she loves me?” he asked in amazement.
She looked at him in vivid surprise. “Does she also hide such feelings from you as she does from herself? I am a woman; I see and know the feelings beneath such looks. But you are a powerful man, known to her people as enemy. It is only natural for her to walk slowly and cautiously toward a man she does not know. You are eager to possess her again; she fears such eagerness she does not understand. Her mind has returned to the days before she knew the love and touch of a man, of you. It is not easy to yield yourself to a man the first time; for her, this will be a first time to experience love and passion. But love and desire burn within her and she will soon surrender to them.”
“You are kind, Shining Light. Shalee is blessed to have your understanding and friendship. You have helped me understand many things. I feared she would not come to love me again,” he confessed ruefully.
“Do not fear such things, Wanmdi Hota. Her heart belongs to you even now. For a woman, sex is like walking into a dark cave; not so for a man. Show her patience and love,” she advised.
“I will do as you say,” he happily vowed, her news stirring his heart.
The woman left him to wait for Shalee alone. He was about to sit down when Shalee came through the bushes, clad only in a blanket. Damp curls clung to her forehead and wet locks to her back and neck. She looked at him, then glanced around for her friend. She appeared dismayed to find him there in her state of undress.
She stammered, “I… my clothes… are there. Where… is Shining Light?”
“Wi nears his time to sleep. I told Shining Light I would wait for you and protect you. Your dress.” He leaned over and picked it up, holding it out to her. “Do you wish me to leave?” he asked.
His ebony eyes had darted to her half-exposed chest before he could fuse his gaze with hers. His respiration had quickened and his body had stiffened as he sought to control her unsettling effect upon him. His words to Leah about desiring her from only seeing her flickered through her mind. He loved her and wanted her. He absently lifted a dripping curl and placed it behind her creamy shoulder, his warm fingers trailing across the cool flesh.
He shuddered and inhaled. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly, but even the light touch of his lips impassioned her. “I’ll wait… there,” he stated huskily, pointing to a large tree not far away.
“Don’t leave me,” she urged without thinking twice, knowing now of his innocence of betrayal and of the danger Leah’s temptation presented, knowing it was time to challenge her fears and desires.
“I’ll be near, Shalee. No harm will come to you. I cannot remain so close and not touch you,” he claimed unsteadily.
“Then kiss me again,” she entreated, her own respiration erratic.
“It is not safe to kiss you. I must leave before I forget myself and frighten you again. Passion cannot always be controlled.”
“But I’m not afraid of you,” she informed him.
“But you fear the things I make you feel,” he reasoned hoarsely.
“I do, but you can show me why. Teach me to understand such feelings, not fear or reject them,” she unexpectedly enticed him.
“Do you hear your own words, Shalee?” he inquired, his passion rising to a perilous level.
“Sha, Wanmdi Hota,” she calmly replied, strangely relieved that the time had arrived to settle this stirring matter.
“There is only one way to understand them,” he hinted.
“I know,” she agreed. “Do you love me and want me?” she asked.
“More than my own life, more than the breath of Wakantanka that fills my body, more than the food that gives it life,” he vowed earnestly.
“Then show me what it is to share love,” she bravely entreated.
“You speak the truth?” he queried, hoping she wasn’t innocently or cruelly tempting him.
“Do you want me as your wife again?” she answered his question with another one.
“Yes, Shalee,” he confessed, his gaze seeking the meaning of hers.
“Then make me your wife in more than words….”
“What if you become afraid and pull away when my passion flames brightly?” he worriedly asked, wondering how he could retreat at such a point.
Her eyes scanned his handsome face and upper torso. She eased up to kiss him. “It is too late to hear the callings of fear.”
He smiled as he lifted her shapely body and headed into the cover of the trees. He laid her down upon the grass and gazed longingly at her. “Shouldn’t we go to our tepee?” she asked modestly.
“It is too late to hear the callings of shyness,” he teased in return.
His spirits soared when she smiled and relaxed. He lay down half across her and covered her lips with his. After several intoxicating kisses, he leaned back and pressed, “Do I dare make you my wife?”
Her arms encircled his neck and pulled his face back to hers. She provocatively asked, “Do you dare not to claim what is yours?”
“Are you mine, Grass Eyes?” he asked gravely.
“I will be soon, if you halt these twenty questions and make love to me,” she laughingly replied, kissing him soundly.
New life and hope surged through him. His mouth tenderly ravished hers. He kissed her eyes, her nose, her chin, and her mouth. As mirthful laughter filled her ears, so did his warm breath as he nibbled at her lobe. A finger wandered over her collarbone and down her chest, hesitating momentarily at the blanket. His hungry lips claimed hers once more as he loosened the last barrier between them.
His lips trailed down her throat and brushed across her breasts. She inhaled as his tongue teased at each one in turn. Her body tingled and glowed with wondrous feelings. He returned to kiss her deeply and pervasively as his hand slipped lower and lower, stroking the silky flesh along its enticing journey. He stirred her to life and fierce yearning. His contr
ol was strained, but he determined to arouse her to mindless bliss before entering her. This first union must be unique.
She moaned as her body called out to his; her head rolled from side to side as he masterfully explored regions he had missed. At last, he mounted her and rode his powerful stallion into the moist canyon that was no longer guarded against his loving invasion. He gently charged down the dark passage in search of brazen and blissful ecstasy. His stallion reared and prodded, prancing happily along its path.
Back and forth he rode the distance of her womanhood, encouraging her to follow his guide. He reclaimed the territory that was once the Eagle’s domain, that was eagerly yielding to his control again. His stallion would bravely charge forward, to reluctantly retreat for another successful charge. When their passions reached the point of no retreat or compromise, he galloped to possess his love. The summit of rapture came in sight. With confidence and daring, he raced happily toward it. He set his pace to allow her to arrive at their mutual destination first.
A muffled cry of victory left her throat as she topped the blissful peak, hesitating there before racing down the other side into the peaceful valley that compelled her forward. Her quivering body was a signal for his hasty pursuit. He smiled as his mouth took hers and followed her direction. His body shuddered with his triumph, then eased into the tranquil valley to rest with her snuggled into his arms.
Never had she known, that she could recall, such stimulating and intoxicating sensations. How could such feelings be so torturously sweet? Aglow with love and serenity, she looked over at him and smiled. “I am your wife now, truly your wife.”
“Do you now understand the fires that burned for this union?” he asked tenderly, smiling into her softened eyes.
“Yes, my love. If I had known it would be like this, I would have offered myself to you that first night,” she confessed, for once not blushing.
“It was always this way between us, Shalee. Do you understand now how hard it was to recall such feelings and to halt them?”
Brazen Ecstasy Page 22
