Chase was watching her watch him. It excited him until he was so hard inside his pants that it was painful, and he quickly removed them.
Jessie reached out and touched the thick, hard shaft that stood so proud. He groaned, and she wrapped her arms around his hips, pressing her cheek against his hard belly. He jerked her upward, fastening his mouth on hers again savagely. She dug her fingers into his hair, and he undid her buttons, quickly removing her shirt. There was no bashfulness as she shed the rest of her clothes. There was only the heat of his eyes, and then his hot hands as he touched each place she bared.
When she was as naked as he was, she leaned back, ready to receive him. He knelt between her legs, but he didn’t give her what she craved, not yet. He leaned forward, running his hands down her sides, over her hips. When he laid his cheek against her belly, snuggling there, hugging her to him, she knew what he had felt when she’d done the same thing. It was unbearable.
“You’re so beautiful, Jessie.”
She believed him. She felt worshiped. She felt completely woman.
Chase kissed the inside of her thigh. Her legs were exquisite, not at all as he’d expected. The muscles were there, but her legs were soft and supple when she relaxed.
He slid his hands up to her breasts. They were so soft, so full, the nipples hard and pointed. He tasted them, licking her until she cried, “No more!”
Her fingers dug into his hair, and she pulled him up. Her mouth fastened to his with such urgency that he was lost in her. She arched to meet him, molding her skin to his wherever she could and he entered her.
She wrapped her legs around him, and he sank deeply into her. “Oh, yes! Jessie... Jessie.”
She exploded in a burst of ecstatic throbbing.
He had not moved once after entering her, and did not need to. Her fulfillment coming so quickly was enough to drive him over the brink, and he spilled his seed into her, his throbbing making her own pleasure go on and on.
Jessie floated off to sleep. Chase got up to fetch a blanket to cover them, then snuggled down next to her and slept a deep sated sleep.
Chapter 21
JESSIE woke first. She understood what had happened, got up quickly, and silently gathered her things.
She pushed Blackstar to his limit, riding not to the ranch but to the range, wanting to throw herself into hard work so she wouldn’t have to think. How had it happened? She could have stopped it. It wasn’t as if he’d forced her. She had wanted him. But why? Damn!
It was quite late when Chase woke, and it didn’t take long for him to see that there was no trace of Jessie in the cabin. Damn all independent women, he swore, feeling as though he’d been taken advantage of.
His irritation increased as he rode back to the ranch, thankful that he knew the way, at least. He was fed up with having this one particular woman turn him inside out. He didn’t act the same when he was with her, couldn’t even think straight when she was near him. He would tell Rachel what she needed to be aware of, give Jessie her father’s promissory note, and light out.
When Chase entered the house, Rachel was in the parlor. She was sitting in a rocker, crocheting, looking fetching and demure in a gown of moss green with black lace. He remembered the Ewing household, how soothing it had been to sit and watch her crocheting or knitting, or arranging flowers. Gazing on Rachel’s beauty eased his troubles, always had. Without Jessie on his mind, it might still have worked.
“Is she here?” he asked.
“No. A young man, Blue, rode in for supplies about noon,” she explained. “He told Jeb she was out on the range working.”
Chase sat down heavily and sighed. “I might have known she’d get right back in the thick of things. Are they still rounding up the herd?”
“Yes. Jeb says it’ll only be a few more days before they’re through. He’s going to town tomorrow in fact to get the supplies they’ll need for the drive.” She looked back to her lap as if she weren’t going to say any more, but she added softly, “Chase? She wasn’t really with Indians, was she?”
He wondered how she knew he’d found Jessie, then decided to skip it.
“Actually, Rachel, she’s been visiting these Indians for about eight years.”
“Then it’s true!”
“You haven’t heard the worst. I found her with the Cheyenne. They’re friendly with her, but other whites are not welcome in their territory. I nearly got killed, in fact. My horse was stolen, and I had to fight to get him back. I was kept tied up for half a day, and if Jessie hadn’t told them she knew me, I’d have been tortured, maybe killed. That’s the kind of company she keeps. Nice, isn’t it?”
Rachel stared at him, knowing he had more to say.
“The closest friend your daughter has is a half-breed Cheyenne called White Thunder. They’re so close she bathes naked in a creek with him standing a few yards away.”
“I don’t believe it.” Rachel was shaking her head.
“I saw them. And I still haven’t gotten to the worst. She has a suitor, a Sioux warrior. He wants to marry her, and the only reason she refused him is that he has a wife. She said as much! She claims the only place she’s found happiness is with the Indians. Who knows? The next warrior who asks for her might not already have a wife. You just might find yourself with an Indian for a son-in-law, Rachel.”
She was so stunned she couldn’t speak. Finally she said, “What am I going to do?”
“You’re her mother,” Chase replied angrily, “not to mention her father’s choice of guardian. You’ve got the power to control her. Do it. Stop letting her do as she pleases.”
“But how?” Rachel implored.
“How the hell should I know?” he snapped, then relented. “Oh, Rachel, stop it, please. You’ll think of something. But you’ve got to stop putting me in the middle of it. I’ve done what you asked, and I’m lighting out of here in the morning.”
“But, Chase—”
“You’re not talking me into staying here any longer. I checked on Bowdre, and he’s just what you thought he was. But he no longer has any right to bother Jessie,” he said proudly.
“Why not?” she cried.
“I played cards with him.” He paused. “I won the note.”
She gasped. “You won the note? What did Jessie say?”
“She doesn’t know yet, but I’ll give her the note before I leave. If there’s any more trouble with Bowdre, it will be trouble for the sheriff to handle. I won the note fairly. Bowdre’s got no further claim. And I’m through here.”
“Of course. It is selfish of me to try to keep you if you want to go. Chase,” she said softly, “thank you.”
Chase grinned despite himself. “Now don’t try your tactics on me, lady. They won’t work.”
“I’m sorry,” Rachel said sincerely. “It’s just that I feel so helpless when it comes to my own daughter. You don’t know how much she hates me, Chase. If I told her to stay away from fire, she would walk into one just to defy me.”