Chapter Eighteen
The day turned to night, bringing a bitter chill and another storm along with it. The roaring fire Gray started helped, but it struggled to keep the cold at bay. The heat was leaving the shack faster than it could warm Jessie, but she was determined not to complain. She looked forward to getting out of this rundown cabin and back on the road. Or even better, getting into town and sleeping in a real bed that someone hadn’t abandoned years earlier.
“We should probably go to bed if we want to be able to catch up to Casey tomorrow. You need as much rest as you can get,” Gray said.
The wind howled outside, and Jessie huddled closer to the fire to gather some of its warmth. How could she fall asleep with the icy chill in the air? There was no snow yet, but there would be in a few weeks. On nights like tonight, she could feel the cold in her bones, and it was impossible to completely get rid of it.
“I’ll be better tomorrow,” she said with confidence. “I can already walk and move around without as much trouble as I had earlier. I’ll be good to go in the morning.”
She believed it. Her headache had gone away, and she would probably be good to leave now, if it wasn’t night and too dangerous. And with a storm outside, it wouldn’t be a good idea to leave in the middle of the night. But her health was almost back to normal, and she was grateful that it had been a fast recovery. It had only put them a day behind.
Gray lowered himself to the ground beside her bed, using his saddlebag as a pillow and his long jacket as a blanket. She released a sigh of relief that he wasn’t going to try to sleep in the bed with her, like he had done before. She didn’t have the energy to tell him no to sharing a bed, but she would’ve tried. He must have known that and decided it wasn’t worth the struggle.
She glared down at him, frustrated that he seemed to be perfectly warm on this cold night, with nothing other than his jacket to keep him warm. At least she had a real blanket, but even that and the fire wouldn’t keep her from being miserable through the night.
The rain began coming down roughly, and the sound of it hitting the roof made it difficult for her to fall asleep. Soon, the thunder started, and Jessie gritted her teeth in frustration.
Gray’s chest was rising and falling in a smooth motion, fast asleep. How could he fall asleep so fast in the cold and on the floor? He could sleep anywhere and under any conditions.
He didn’t appear to be bothered by the cold at all. He wasn’t shivering, wasn’t curled up to try to keep in the warmth. She remembered falling asleep next to him at the inn and blushed from the memory.
Groaning, she tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. When she finally did, the cold seeped under the thin blanket, and she scrunched into a tight ball to capture the heat. Before long, she was shivering uncontrollably and almost let out another groan. Tomorrow was going to be hell.
“If you keep shivering like that, I won’t be able to sleep.”
She stiffened at the sound of his voice and grimaced. He must have been watching her to know that she was shivering.
“Sorry,” she apologized.
She tried her best not to shiver, shoving her hands under her armpits and rubbing her feet together under the blanket. After a few minutes, she heard a sigh. Gray stood up and he looked down on her, his gaze contemplating.
Gray lifted the covers and got into bed beside her.
“What are you doing?” she protested, unable to keep the horror out of her voice. She reached out to yank the cover back over her, but he was already under the blanket before she could do anything.
Who did he think he was, getting into bed with her without permission? She thought they’d been over this, in the inn. “Get out!” she snapped. “I’m not going to run away. I couldn’t run away if I tried.” She might feel completely better, but he didn’t have to know that until tomorrow. She could run away if she really wanted to, but she’d had plenty of opportunities before this to run and hadn’t taken them.
His arms closed around her waist and pulled her back to his front. He was solid around her body, and his warmth enveloped her.
“If I want to get any sleep, you need to quit shivering.”
She wasn’t sure what to say. Her heartbeat throbbed in her ears at how close they were. Being his captive had been different than this. Then, she was able to put a barrier between them, but right now there was nothing separating them other than her chemise and his shirt. That thought thrilled her.
His body felt nice beside her though, and her defenses slowly crumbled. What could it hurt to sleep next to him for a night? It was for survival.
He tucked her body into his, and she relaxed into him. She could at least accept the warmth so she didn’t freeze to death in the middle of the night.
“Just to keep warm,” she said sternly to him.
“Of course, Red. Just to keep warm.” She couldn’t see him, but she heard the amusement in his voice.
She blushed again at the nickname, wondering when he would stop calling her that. If she pretended like it didn’t annoy her, maybe he’d stop. Except it didn’t annoy her anymore. She’d come to like the name Red.
His arm squeezed tight, drawing her closer.
She was warm now, and all thoughts of the cold were completely gone, but she was not able to sleep. The scent of smoky wood drifted off him, and it made her want to turn around to be closer to it.
What was he thinking about right now? Hopefully she didn’t smell bad after being on the trail for so long and then getting hurt. She hadn’t been able to take a full bath in a while now.
She felt the barest of touches across the nape of her neck, and her heart jolted. He had moved her hair so it wasn’t in his face. His touch was light and tender, causing her arms to gooseflesh.
“Stop.” His voice was soft, and she felt his breath on her neck.
She stiffened again, not realizing that she had shivered, and that he could feel it.
She cleared her throat and squirmed under his arm.
“I’ll try,” she said, slamming her eyes shut and willing herself to think of something—anything—else. The wind howled through the cracks in the wall, and she scooted closer to him.
Gray growled low in his throat. “If you keep doing that, I can’t be held responsible for what I’ll do.”
It was nonthreatening, but she knew what he was talking about. Even though she’d never been with a man, she wasn’t naive. Men had spoken freely in front of her when she was Kid Aaron.
“What will you do?”
His hand slipped from around her waist and moved up her stomach, his fingers spreading wide and covering her belly. She sucked in her breath with a gasp but didn’t say anything. Her heart began beating wildly at the intimacy of his touch, and she couldn’t tell the difference between the beating of her heart and the thunder outside. But she didn’t resist like she knew she should. She liked it, and she ached for his touch.
He growled low in response as she accepted his exploration, and his lips softly touched her ear in a kiss so soft she almost didn’t feel it. She looked over her shoulder at him, and she turned over to face him. Her lips fell open to ask a question she didn’t even know.
Before she could say anything, his lips came down on hers. This kiss was different than the last one, soft this time, unlike the rough kiss he had given her. This kiss was slow and exploratory. He pulled her in for more and she let him.
She pressed her body up against his as she cupped his face in her hands. The stubble of his unshaved beard tickled her hand and her lips as he planted soft kisses on her. The feeling of her body against his while she wore nothing but a chemise felt wicked, and she liked it.
His hand cradled the back of her neck, pulling her against him as his lips began to move against hers with more hunger. She met his passion with equal fever, wanting to feel what it was like to be with him, if only for a night.
She knew she should stop him before things went too far, but she didn’t want to. Never in her life had she expected to be in this position with a man, and she didn’t believe she’d ever be again. She wanted to experience everything while she could. She couldn’t get enough of him, and she wanted more. But more of what, she didn’t know.
Gray broke her out of her thoughts as he moved to be on top of her, spreading her legs wide and taking his place in between them. She felt the hardness of his manhood against her, and she was so wet, wanting more of him. He rubbed against her through the chemise, and it felt exquisite as jolts of pleasure coursed through her body. Now she could see what all the fuss was about, if this was how it felt to be with a man.
He backed away to remove his shirt, meeting her eyes as he took it off. She stared in awe at all the muscles that lay hidden under his shirt. She had seen him naked in the river before, but she’d looked away before she’d gotten a good look at him.
He ran his hands up her thighs and kept moving up to her hips, her stomach, her chest, lighting a fire along her skin as he went. He reached under her chemise and his warm hands found her breasts. He took her nipples between his fingers and pinched softly, causing them to harden into small nubs. She gasped at the sensations he expertly evoked in her and arched her back to be closer to him.
“Please, Gray!” she begged, but she didn’t know what she was begging for.
He grinned mischievously at her, taking pleasure in this victory. His hair covered his face before he moved it away.
He removed her chemise so she was completely naked. He looked down at her body with passion in his eyes that made her even wetter with desire.
His mouth found her nipple. He sucked and she gasped again at the raw pleasure of the moment. His other hand started to go lower, past her stomach, to there.
His fingers found her sensitive bud, and he rubbed it in a circular motion. Waves of pleasure shot through her body, and she grabbed a hold of his shoulders, grasping on to him for dear life.
“Do you like that?” he asked as he moved from her nipple to her neck, kissing a trail of fire up to her ear where he bit down on her earlobe. It hadn’t sounded like a real question, but more of a victorious statement of fact.
“Yes.” Her answer came out as a breathy whisper, and she turned her head to meet his lips again.
As they kissed, his finger slipped inside her. She moaned in bliss against his mouth as he began to move it inside her in the most wicked way. There would be no turning back if she let this go on.
“You’re so wet,” he growled as he moved his finger in and out of her with ease.
“Is that good?” she asked.
He chucked, amusement and primal hunger flashing in his eyes. “Oh yes.” He slipped another finger inside her, and her moans intensified. He gently moved them in and out of her. It was the best feeling she’d ever experienced, and she was powerless to stop it.
His thumb began to move against her sensitive bud again as his fingers moved in and out of her. She threw her head back, letting the pleasure go through her body.
He pulled his fingers out, leaving her empty, and she started to protest. He stood up and unbuttoned his pants, meeting her eyes unflinchingly as she stared back. He removed his pants and stood in front of her completely naked, allowing her the opportunity to look at him. His manhood seemed impossibly large. Her mouth opened in amazement, she said, “I don’t think you’ll fit.”
Two of his fingers had almost been too much for her. She didn’t know how he was going to fit all of that.
He grinned and took his place between her thighs again, watching her with a mischievous look in his eyes.
“Trust me,” he said.
She felt his manhood rub against her opening, teasing her with its size. Her heart was beating fast, but she did trust him.
He pressed the tip inside her, and then moved it out.
“Do you want me?” he asked as he pressed inside her again, a little farther this time before he withdrew again. The movement was torturous and left her wanting more, wanting him fully inside her so she could feel him everywhere. She moaned in frustration.
“Yes!” she whispered.
He entered her completely, filling her with all of him. She felt a brief moment of pain and whimpered in surprise, but it was quickly gone as he began moving in and out of her with slow thrusts. She’d never felt so full. His manhood was hard and thick, filling her in places she didn’t know she could be full before.
Reclaiming her lips, his kiss was slow, thoughtful. Then he began to move. Slowly at first, and then more confidently. He took his time with his own pleasure and being gentle with her until she was ready to have him.
She matched his urgency with her own. His movements became harder and faster until her body was climbing toward something just outside of her grasp.
He reached up to squeeze her breast, taking her nipple back into his mouth. His tongue caressed her sensitive bud, and the sensation sent her over the edge into pure bliss. She cried out, her body reaching the peak of pleasure.
He gave one final thrust all the way to the hilt and spilled his seed inside her while letting out his own moan of pleasure. She felt his warmth fill her as his manhood pulsed.
After he came, he lowered himself onto her, breathing hard, but was careful not to crush her. He slid in and out of her a few more times, very slowly, pressing himself inside her up to the hilt again.
She moaned and raked her nails across his back with need. She’d always heard that when a man orgasmed he was done, but it seemed like Gray was ready for more.
As she met his thrusts, he began to move faster and faster. His hand reached down between the two of them and rubbed her nub again, bringing her body back up toward the peak she’d been at a bit ago. She didn’t think it would be possible to experience that pleasure twice, but she went over the edge again moments later. She cried out, and he buried himself deeply into her again one final time before he stopped.
She gasped rapidly to try to catch her breath. He looked down at her, and gently moved a strand of her hair out of her face again. The look in his eye was caring as he stared at her.
He kissed her softly and rolled off her, pulling her up against him, her chest to his chest. She felt the pull of sleep trying to claim her. She knew she should say something, but the desire to sleep was too strong and she gave in. For the first time in a long while, she felt happy as she closed her eyes and drifted off.