by Laura Wright
She tried to hold on, but it was no use. Electricity shuddered through her, pounded her senses. The feeling was relentless and she shattered completely. Breathing heavily and whimpering her last waves of pleasure, she sagged against him.
But only for a moment.
She didn't want to rest. She wanted her body wet and sensitized and tight when he eased himself over her, entered her with one single hard thrust.
"Jared," she uttered as she slid her hand down his groin and fisted the steely length of him.
"No." He backed away, dropping his hands from her, leaving her desperate.
Her breathing still slightly ragged, she stared at him, sweat dripping down her neck and into her cleavage. "Why are you stopping?"
His eyes were cold, passionless. "I gave you what you needed."
Her pulse stumbled. "What about what you need?"
He shook his head, then walked past her, lifted the tarp door and flipped it over the top of the lodge. "Not here. Not now."
She didn't understand what was happening, why he was suddenly acting cold as ice. "We can go back to the house—"
"No. I won't take pleasure from you."
"What?"
"I don't trust you, Ava." He didn't cover himself as he walked out the door, calling back, "And I'm not sure if I ever will."
Sweaty and drained of all rational thought and understanding, Ava stood at the entrance to the lodge and watched him walk away, into the night, beautiful, naked and cruel.
* * *
Eight
« ^ »
Jared found Muna in her workroom, dying the plant materials she'd gathered in the canyons and creek bottoms close to Redwolf Ranch. For a moment, he just watched her work the reeds into the deep, rich red pigment for she was truly a site to see. A timeless site. Long salt-and-pepper braids hung forward as she spoke lovingly to the plants, asking them to grant her the right to weave them into one of her plaited baskets.
No doubt sensing his presence, Muna stilled over her work, but didn't turn around. "Where are they?" she asked softly.
Accustomed to her extraordinary sensitivities, Jared didn't even cut a smile, but walked into the room and dropped down into a chair beside the dye bath. "They went to Ben's place for lunch. Something about Rita's wedding."
Muna nodded. "Ava took Little Star with her?"
"Yes."
"She is well enough?"
"Ava thought so."
Looking up, Muna studied her grandson. "You wish she had invited you?"
"What?" He fairly choked over the words. "No!"
"What is this anger I feel from your spirit?"
Jared scrubbed a hand over his face. His grandmother's sensitivities could be extremely helpful at times, but today her abilities filled him with nothing but frustration.
Ava had left an hour ago for her father's ranch and had taken Lily with her. After they'd driven off, Jared had instantly headed to his office, ready to tackle the pile of work that was stacked up on his desk. But trying to work in his state of mind had proven futile. And he'd escaped to the stables, then to Muna.
Jared wasn't ready to admit it, even to himself, but Muna was right on track. He was angry—angry that Ava hadn't asked him to go with them, angry that he missed not just his daughter, but Ava as well.
Ava.
Would she forever haunt him?
After last night, he should've expected his guts to be tied up in knots. Tossing and turning in his bed, his body tight with need, tangled in sheets he'd wished were her long, smooth legs.
"She is growing up."
Jared jerked back to reality, and acknowledged Muna's comment with a nod. "I know. I can't believe my daughter's—"
"No, not Lily," Muna corrected gently. "Ava."
"Ava?"
"She is coming into her own."
"What do you mean?"
Muna placed a willow strand in water, let it sit for a moment to soften. "She has chosen forgiveness over resentment, over anger." She gave him a telling stare. "I think to hold on to such destructive emotions is childlike."
Jared's lips thinned with irritation. "As I have done, you mean?"
"It is not my place to say, but—"
"But you will anyway. Yes, I know."
"Jared, you have done well for yourself. For both of us. Why tighten your hold on this bitterness for Ava and her father?"
Teeth clenched, Jared ground out, "Ben Thompson deserves all of my anger and more."
"But to what end? What is it you seek to gain?"
The room felt suddenly oppressive, its pale orange walls closing in around Jared. "I want the man who made us suffer to suffer himself."
Muna shook her head sadly. "I have never suffered at the hand of Ben Thompson."
"How can you say that?" Jared snorted with derision and kicked a reed of willow with his boot. "We lived in a two-room shack on that man's land before he kicked us out onto the street."
Chin lifted proudly, Muna said, "Again I say that I have never suffered."
"What would you call it then?"
"One ripple, one stone on a beautiful river."
"More like a jagged rock, ready to rip into the flesh if not careful."
"I did not raise you to see life's journey this way."
Jared jerked to his feet. "Perhaps it's my father's legacy to me, then."
Pity and sadness tattooed Muna's face. "I love you, Jared. Tread carefully over the ground you are sowing."
His chest tight with irritation, Jared stood there for a moment, watching as Muna returned to her work, her warning an end to their conversation.
His grandmother was wise, but too kind, too forgiving. Regardless of her unwelcome caveat, Ben Thompson would pay for what he'd done. To Muna and himself, certainly, but to Ava and Lily as well.
Storming out of the room, he went directly to his office. After falling into his chair, he grabbed the phone and punched in the number to his attorney. He was going to make sure when Thompson's ranch went on the market, he would be its first and highest bidder.
* * *
She hadn't been back in four years.
With a lump in her throat, Ava glanced around her old bedroom. Nothing had changed. The same butter-yellow paint coated the walls. Same four-poster maple bed sat invitingly in the center of the room, dressed up in that green, yellow and white comforter she'd had since she was twelve. Same lamps and writing desk. Same scent of dried flowers and pencil erasers from her many nights of journaling.
And the same bookcase with the pale green hearts she'd painted on it in tenth grade.
Ava smiled as she recalled what was written on the exposed wood backing of that bookcase.
Ava loves Jared.
And in caps—FOREVER.
Her smile faded a touch. After last night's humiliation, she should feel anything but sentimentality toward Jared Redwolf. At first he'd treated her with tenderness and mind-numbing heat, then cut her flat. He'd made it clear he had no interest in her anymore—that he felt only contempt wrapped in a bubble of lust.
Grief swam heavily in her blood and she felt tears prick her eyes. Once upon a time, he had loved her so…
"Nice posters of Van Halen, sis," Rita said, coming up beside her.
Rita. That's what she needed to concentrate on. Her sister and her upcoming marriage, and the wonder of such a beautiful person getting all she deserved.
"Seriously," Rita continued, elbowing Ava in the ribs. "I can't believe you kept those up until you were twenty."
"I can't believe Dad has kept them up since," Ava said on a laugh.
"Yeah, well, just goes to show how much he missed you."
"Right."
"It's true, big sister."
Ava switched gears and went to sit on the bed—the lumpy mattress dipping low as it always had. "Lily still on the tour of the ranch?"
Rita followed suit and sat next to her sister. "Yep. Hand in hand with her grandpa."
Hand in hand. Ava mentally shook her head.
Her father had never held her hand. Not once. Forcing down the twinge of envy she felt, she said, "I've never seen her so happy."
Rita grinned. "Getting a father and a grandfather all in one week could do that to a child."
"Especially a child like her."
"She's wanted them for a long time, huh? Or the promise of them?"
Ava sighed. "You have no idea."
"I'm glad Sakir and I decided to get married, then." Rita winked. "Got you and Lil out here."
"Well, the promise of seeing her auntie Rita was a major selling point, I have to say."
Huffing her hair in a show of flash, Rita said, "What a lucky kid."
Ava laughed. It was so great hanging out with her sister again. "By the way, where is this mysterious sheikh of yours?"
Rita's blue eyes clouded a touch. "He got called out of town. But he sends his regards."
"Regards, huh … pretty fancy."
"Yeah, he's something else all right."
"No groom at his own wedding lunch," Ava said, fingering the faded quilt her mother had made when she was five. "So, what? I'm not going to meet this guy until the day of your wedding?"
Coming to her feet, Rita walked over to the window and stared out. "That could very well happen."
"You love him, don't you Rita?"
"Of course."
The disquiet in Rita's tone worried Ava. She didn't like that she hadn't met the man her sister was about to marry. She felt it was her job as older sister, not to mention maid of honor, to grill the man, make sure he was worthy of her sister.
"We'd better go downstairs," Rita said, turning around, tugging Ava from her thoughts and giving her a bright smile. "We could offer Maria a hand while we ply her with questions about her romance with Dad."
"I still don't get that."
"What? How dad was a huge bigot and is now dating a stunning Mexican woman?"
"Yeah, that."
Laughing, Rita walked over to Ava and held out her hand. "Ever heard of the saying, 'people can change'?"
Ava placed her hand in Rita's and let her sister pull her up. "Once or twice, but I never would've imagined it applied to him."
"Me, neither, but he has, and you need to forgive him. Give him a chance to explain and apologize."
Ava followed her sister out the door and down the hall, tension building inside her at her sister's comments. If the man really had changed, why couldn't he have done it earlier? When Jared was a part of her life and he loved her and could've been a father to Lily—maybe even a husband to her?
Husband…
The word stuck in her mind and pecked at her heart. She'd forgotten about what Jared had said last night—what she'd said to him about having no husband. Why, she wondered now, hadn't he seemed surprised when she'd blurted out the truth?
As she walked down the stairs she made a silent vow to ask him about his lack of reaction when she and Lily returned to the ranch tonight.
"Just like old times, girls."
At the bottom of the steps stood her father, dressed casually in jeans and a clean work shirt. He was smiling, his wrinkled, tanned hand outstretched in welcome. Ava stiffened. She couldn't help it.
Rita grabbed her hand and squeezed.
"Hi, Dad," Ava said tentatively. "Thanks for having us over for lunch."
The man's eyes were gentle as his smile broadened. "Thank you for coming, Ava. And for bringing my granddaughter."
* * *
"We saw Auntie Rita and grandpa and the ranch and all the animals," Lily said, then dropped back against the bed pillows and yawned.
Jared covered his daughter up to her chin with the pale gray comforter, then tucked the sides up under her good and tight like she liked it. He was getting too used to this wonderful routine. Reading to her, tucking her in, their hushed conversations as she slowly drifted off sleep.
"Did you see the big tree right outside the kitchen door?" he asked her, not adding that it was the place where he and Ava had shared their first kiss.
"Yeah. I bet it'll grow up to heaven, don't you think?"
"Easily."
Lily smiled broadly. "And guess what?"
"What?"
"I saw Maria, too."
"Maria? Who's Maria, Little Star?"
"Grandpa's girlfriend."
Jared hesitated, not sure if he'd heard her correctly. "Your grandpa has a girlfriend?"
Lily nodded slowly. "She's from Mexico, and she's pretty and cooks yummy stuff with corn and cheese."
Baffled and sort of unnerved, Jared sat back in his chair. Ben was dating a Mexican woman? One of the foremost bigots in Paradise? Impossible. Lily had to be wrong.
"Time for your reading, Little Star."
It was Muna, coming to sit with Lily as she'd promised, and Jared could only rise from his seat and bite his tongue on the questions he had for his daughter.
Taking Jared's chair, Muna smiled at Lily. "My Little Star will have her future read tonight before her dreams come. You do not mind, do you, Jared?"
"No. 'Course not." He bent and kissed his daughter on the forehead. "Good night, sweetheart."
She grinned at him. "'Night, Jared."
As he walked down the hall toward the stairs, Jared could still hear Muna's rich voice. "Tell me again of the month you were born, Little Star, and we will talk of your future…"
Jared decided against going downstairs for a bite to eat and instead headed to his room. Once there, he made his way to the balcony. He wanted air—which always made him feel better, stronger, as though he could see and hear and think with better clarity under the open sky.
Obviously Ava had the same idea, he mused, stepping out onto the smooth tiled balcony. She was leaning against the waist-high wall, staring out into the starless, earth-scented night. Wearing a white silk tank and matching pajama bottoms, her long blond hair falling loose about her shoulders, she looked like something out of this world. She looked beautiful and he fought the urge to jump the short barrier between them and take her in his arms.
"Can't sleep?"
She stole in a breath, whirled to face him, her hand to her chest. "You startled me."
"I'm sorry."
With a little laugh, she said, "It's time. Is Lily all right? Did she fuss about going to sleep?"
He shook his head. "Muna's with her. Seems they have a future to discuss before Lily's allowed to sleep."
Leaning back against the balcony, she smiled. "I forgot about that."
"But I'm thinking she'll be asleep within minutes. She looked pretty tired."
"She had a big day."
"So I heard."
The summer night played cool, sending breaths of air back and forth over the plains, back and forth over her skin.
"Listen, Ava I appreciate you letting her stay here even though we both know her flu is long gone."
She shrugged. "You deserve the time with her."
"You mean before you return to New York?" he asked tightly.
"Yes."
"I think leaving Paradise a bad idea."
Her gaze faltered. "My work is there or else I just might consider—"
"Might consider what? Moving back here with your father?"
"Maybe."
"And me?"
Warmth flooded her gaze. "Yes."
Jared didn't know what hit him, but he knew he couldn't be stopped. He leapt easily from his balcony to hers, walked straight for her and took her in his arms possessively. "What else is there to keep you in New York? You have no man. And I know you've never had a husband."
"I… How did you find out—"
"It wasn't hard, Ava."
"But why would you—"
"I wanted to know who might have claims on my daughter."
Her gaze slipped. "Of course."
"My only question is why lie about it?"
She shook her head, turned away.
As the wind picked up around them, Jared slipped a finger under her chin and turned her to face him. "You did
n't want me coming after you, did you? You knew if I thought you were with another man, I'd never come after you, isn't that right?"
Tears pricked her eyes. "Yes."
"Damn you, Ava."
Jared bent and took her mouth with fierce determination. He was already hard as hell and ready to make love to her right there against the wall, under the black sky.
"Why did you have to come back here?" he uttered against her mouth.
Swiping his lower lip with her tongue, Ava whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
He couldn't hear her anymore. No words, only the sounds of pleasure were welcome now. Backing away, he cupped her waist and lifted the white tank over her head. She wore no bra, and he stared at her breasts, her nipples dark and swollen.
His body tightened to the point of pain.
Slow and steady lovemaking had no place here, he realized, shedding his own shirt. Not after what they'd experienced in the sweat lodge. Not after the night of sublime frustration he'd barely lived through.
He needed her, needed to consume her and he didn't care what would happen afterward, tomorrow, next week. As he looked into her eyes, he reached for her, filled his hands with her breasts, savoring the weight of them. He knew she'd always loved when he'd touched her there, and she proved it by pressing herself deeper into his palms.
Jared moved to her nipples, and using his thumbs he played them, flicking the very tips until he heard her moan. A deep, cavernous sound that made his chest ache with desire.
No matter how much he wanted to slow his progress, he couldn't wait much longer.
Kneeling down, he eased off her silk pajama bottoms, kissing her exposed skin as he went, the sound of the night animals fueling his quest.
Her belly tasted warm and sweet and he deepened his kiss, lapping at her navel, urging her hips to swing, to dance toward him.
All the while, the scent of her intoxicated him.
No, he could wait no more.
He stood up and Ava reached for him, grabbed his hips, pressed him against her, pressed his jutting arousal against the jointure of her thighs. "No more of this. I want you inside me."
Jared groaned, reached into his back pocket for his wallet and the condom he knew waited there. He fumbled, but didn't give a damn as she was kissing him, making love to his mouth, telling him what she wanted him to do next with the thrust of her tongue.
