New Frontier Page 5

  It was cold. She could feel a hint of winter in the wind that brushed against her face. It was sharp and cool and made her shiver. Despite the cool breeze, she was sweating from the walk; her face was red and flushed. In the silence, she could faintly hear her own heartbeat, and her breathing was slow and unhurried.

  She moved through the trees like a predator, low to the ground, careful not to make a sound. She was aware of every whisper of wind, every birdcall, the sound of hooves trampling the leaves as they hurried deeper into the forest, higher up the mountain. She froze suddenly as a different sound hit her ears, from just ahead. The trees were thinning and she knew there was a clearing ahead of her. For the first time, she also noticed the distant sound of a brook, winding slowly down the mountain, bouncing past the rocks.

  Ida stepped into the clearing and wasn’t surprised when she saw him. He was her prey. A different kind, but she was still looking for him. His blonde hair reflected the sun, his naked body ivory in the light. He rose to his feet slowly, standing proudly before her, daring her to come to him. His body was well-defined, sculpted in marble, his cock hard and his hands loose at his sides.

  When she was in the forest, she had been clad in leather, but as she stepped towards him, the clothes fell away. The sound of the water was louder there, and she could see the waves glittering and dancing. Small rainbows jumped up from the riverbed. She dropped the gun without a second thought before reaching up slowly to pull her hair free from the braid, letting it fall down her shoulders and brush against the curve of her back. A few silky waves fell forward, and over her breasts. Her nipples peeked through, pink against the gold.

  Ida was still the predator. He stood still, waiting patiently for her. Instead of walking directly to him, she circled him slowly. Her bare feet didn’t make a sound against the soft grass, and the long leaves tickled her ankles and stained the bottom of her feet green. She crushed small purple flowers under her toes, but they bounced back easily. He bent to pick one, and when she was close enough, he tucked it into her hair. She continued to circle him.

  She examined every inch of him, studying him closely, measuring him. In the bright light, she could see all of his flaws. Scars, a birthmark, a few freckles. From a distance, he looked perfect. Up close, he looked human. That didn’t bother her. She licked her lips, her pink tongue moistening the dry skin. She stopped directly behind him and tentatively reached out to touch the smooth curve of his back, traced down his spine to his ass. He jumped beneath her finger, surprised by the contact. His muscles tensed, but he didn’t step away.

  She pulled her hand away and slipped it between her thighs. Her finger slid between her wet lips and found the bundle of nerves, already hard and sensitive to the touch. She rubbed herself for only a few seconds. She was too sensitive. She walked around and faced him. His eyes were a flint blue, his jaw set in a hard line, his neck and shoulders tense. He watched her quietly, not moving, though now his hands were clenched into tight fists.

  Ida stepped forward and brushed her wet finger across his lips. His tongue shot out and caught it, sucking on it gently, sending heat down her arm to her groin. He still didn’t touch her, but his tongue was doing wicked things to her finger and it felt like he was melting her brain. Finally, she pulled her hand away. Before he could move, she attacked him, knocking him to the ground. The soft clover broke his fall, and she landed hard on top of him. Without missing a beat, she slammed onto his cock with a delighted and pleased sigh, his name escaping her throat in a groan that reached the heavens.

  “Kelly.”

  * * * *

  He woke up when he heard his name, straining in the darkness. Did she need something?

  “Kelly…”

  “Ida? Are you awake?”

  No answer.

  He wiggled across the floor, until he could reach the sheet hanging between them. He pushed it aside with one hand, and the moon caught her sleeping form, lighting her face clearly. He could see that she was still asleep, her body jerking under the covers, small moans escaping her lips.

  He groaned, and crawled back under his blankets. It was clear that he wasn’t going to get any sleep, so with a shrug, he gripped his cock firmly and began stroking himself quickly. If she kept moaning his name, it wouldn’t take long at all.

  And it didn’t.

  * * * *

  “How did you sleep?” Kelly asked casually, over biscuits and gravy.

  She blushed slightly. “It was nice to have my bed back.”

  “I bet it was.”

  Ida took a healthy bite of her biscuit and chased it with strong coffee. “I have to go into town today.”

  “Okay.”

  “If you want, I can help you out to the front porch.” Ida thought he would like to get a bit of sunshine and a break from the stuffy cabin.

  “It’ll be nice to get some air. I’m feeling a bit…restless.” Kelly looked up hopefully. “Can you get me some tobacco?”

  “No,” she answered without hesitation.

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t want you to smoke in my house. I don’t like it.”

  “I’ll smoke on the porch.”

  “No.”

  “Goddamn,” he swore petulantly.

  “It won’t kill you.”

  “Yes it will,” he muttered, but he let the matter drop.

  Ida cleaned off the table and helped him out to the porch without speaking. It took her less than ten minutes to saddle the horse, and she could tell that Kelly was amused but not surprised to see that she didn’t ride side-saddle. The horse, a bay with several gray patches, was at least 17 hands tall, bigger than he had expected.

  She smiled at him and waved before she galloped down the road. She wasn’t wearing a hat, and her hair was free to fly behind her, whipping around her head as bright as the sun. The wind cooled her face and stole the breath from her body. She felt fantastic—she felt free. She briefly considered not even going to town. She could just keep going until Flash didn’t have any run left in him. She could go for miles and miles and miles, into the mountains or into the desert or into the green clover of the foothills.

  Instead, she stayed on the road, and slowed the horse to a sedate walk as she neared the town. He strained at the bit, and she could tell that he would be thrilled to be given his head and sent into the wilderness. She patted his neck affectionately and idly played with his long, black mane.

  He paused to eat a few mouthfuls of grass on the side of the road, and she didn’t pull him away. The day was deceptively bright, the sun high in the sky, but it was chilly. The wind came in off the lake on one side and rushed down from the icy peaks of the mountain from the other side. Her toes curled in anticipation. By this time next week they could be up to their necks in snow. She didn’t miss the ominous gray clouds forming over the mountains to the north.

  As they loped into town, she couldn’t help but think of Kelly. There was an odd feeling of déjà vu covering her mind with a mist, coloring her thoughts of him. A feeling like he had touched her, had known her somehow. A bird called out from behind her, and that made her pause. There was something dancing on the periphery of her mind, something she couldn’t quite place.

  She didn’t know what to think of him. It had frightened her and embarrassed her and confused her and made her squirm when she had awakened in his arms, but the past two nights it had been hard to fall asleep by herself. Ida could feel herself being drawn to him, somehow, on some level. She wanted to talk to him. He seemed like somebody she could talk to, but she didn’t know how. She had brushed against his hand the night before as she was helping him into bed, and it made her catch her breath. It had been innocent and casual and an accident and she couldn’t even meet his eyes.

  As she entered town, she focused on her errands and pushed Kelly aside. Her first stop was the dry goods store. The owners of the store were a sweet couple from back east, Tom and Kate. They were always polite to her, eager to help. The store had a homey feel t
o it, and despite how much Kate scrubbed and mopped, it always had a thin layer of dust. It smelt like leather and corn and cloth and penny candy. A few kids were always under foot, counting their pennies and pooling them for pieces of hard candy and small toys.

  In front of the store were two old men, holding newspapers and gossiping. Ida paused occasionally to catch the latest news, but she didn’t have the time or the interest today. She wanted to keep her time in town as short as possible.

  She placed her order of flour and sugar, coffee and a few other staples with Kate.

  “Are you getting ready for winter?” Kate asked politely.

  “I am,” Ida confirmed.

  “I can have Tom run this out for you.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to be any trouble.”

  “No, it’s good to make customers happy,” Kate explained.

  “Oh, well, when can he bring it out?”

  “Can you wait until the day after tomorrow?”

  Ida nodded. “That’ll be fine.”

  “Great! Can I help you with anything else today?”

  “No, no, I’m good.”

  “Thank you for shopping with us, have a nice day.”

  “You too, Kate.”

  Her next stop was the post office. She caught the postmaster just outside, standing by the bulletin board. He greeted her politely and told her that he didn’t have any mail for her. She thanked him, not even trying to hide her disappointment. She wasn’t surprised that her mother or sister hadn’t sent her anything, but she couldn’t help but hope that Liam would send her word.

  Ida turned her back and didn’t bother to look at the new WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE posters. There were six in all, and each one featured one face prominently. One face she would have recognized immediately.

  The people were accustomed to the odd girl who came riding into town once or twice a month on a horse too large for her, wearing pants and riding like a man. Everybody was too polite to say anything to her or about her while she was walking the streets and going to the store—they all waited until she was on the road, her back to the city, safely on her way back to her small, isolated cabin.

  Though they never said anything, she could read their thoughts easily in their clear eyes. They couldn’t stop staring at her, regardless of how often they saw her. They couldn’t keep the blatant curiosity at bay, and they acted like children. Ida ignored them and went about her business.

  She thought about calling on her friend, Lisa, but decided against it. She didn’t like to drop in on Lisa unannounced because the girl was always so busy. Lisa was expecting her in two days any way; Ida could easily catch up on all the latest gossip then. Not that she particularly cared about the town gossip, since she didn’t particularly care about anybody in town. But she liked to have the excuse to stop and have a real conversation with somebody after living so long by herself.

  But you aren’t by yourself anymore. This was true, but Kelly would hardly count as a girlfriend…or any kind of friend at all really. He could be a friend. No, he couldn’t. He was rude and uncouth and she should have kicked him out after the whole groping her in her sleep incident. But you liked it.

  “I most certainly did not,” she protested hotly, and then turned red as she realized she had said the words aloud. A few people turned and looked at her, but mostly they ignored her. Keeping her eyes cast to the ground, avoiding making contact with anybody, she hurried to her horse. “I most certainly did not,” she repeated, this time a mere whisper.

  She grasped the horn of the saddle tightly with both hands and used her upper-body strength to pull herself into the saddle. She was still mumbling and muttering about how much she did not like it when Kelly held her, and how much she did not like Kelly in general, and how she most definitely did not like his body when the memories of the dream hit her.

  Her body reacted instantly, and she almost fell off the horse. She could feel the moisture between her legs, and her stomach turned. Her muscles were weak. She leaned forward against Flash’s neck and kicked him into a run. Her body rubbed against the saddle rhythmically and her body vibrated as Flash ran faster and faster. She closed her eyes, trusting the horse to find his own way home, and tried to picture Liam. But all she could see was Kelly’s body. She allowed her imagination to take over and thought about straddling Kelly, leaning over his body, riding him as hard as she could. In the wind and the wild and the sunshine it was fine to let her mind drift, it was fine to let the heat rise above her body, it was fine to feel her thighs clench around the horse, it was fine to let the orgasm rip through her leaving her weak and hungry for more.

  She opened her eyes as Flash slowed to a walk. She could see the cabin now, and her body was awake and hungry for more.

  “No, no, no, no no,” she moaned miserably. It’s okay. He’ll be gone by next week. Just have to ignore…everything…until next week. He’s not that great anyway. Liam is much better…stronger, bigger, more attractive and he’ll be back soon. So don’t worry about it, you don’t want Kelly anyway. You just want attention. No need to even give Kelly a second thought.

  “No,” she muttered as she got closer to the house and saw that he was still on the front porch, though now he was shirtless. Her body tingled and vibrated in all the wrong places, and it felt so deliciously awful, so horribly right. “No need at all.”

  He looked up and smiled as she approached and Ida cursed the fates and every deity she could think of.

  Chapter Six

  Kelly smiled at her apologetically, holding a soiled shirt gingerly between two fingers. “The dog attacked me, so I had to take my shirt off.”

  “What?”

  He pointed at Ranger, who was sitting on the ground and wagging his tail enthusiastically. He looked quite pleased with himself. His fur was covered in a mixture of black mud and green shit. “He went rolling, apparently,” Kelly explained.

  “And it got all over your shirt?”

  Kelly handed it to her and turned his head. “It reeks.”

  She tossed it aside with a grimace of disgust. “I’ll wash it. In the meantime, I should have a few shirts…”

  “They yours?”

  “What?”

  “Are they yours or your husband’s?”

  She tensed. “Why do you care?”

  Kelly shrugged. “I don’t. Whatever you’ve got is fine…”

  Ida pushed the door open and gently kicked Ranger back so he wouldn’t track the dirt and smell through the cabin. With her luck, he’d make a bee-line for her bed. “Come inside and I’ll…”

  “No, let’s go for a walk.”

  “A walk?”

  “Yeah, a walk.” He casually grabbed her hand. “You ever just walk for fun?”

  She pulled her hand away and took another step into the cabin. “I don’t have time for fun.”

  “Sure you do. Everybody else can take a day off. Why can’t you?”

  “Because then I’ll…”

  “Starve. Yeah, I heard ya before. You’ve got everything in and preserved,” he pointed out.

  “Except the meat.”

  “You can go hunting tomorrow. Let’s just go for a stroll…” He smiled at her imploringly. He looked boyish and charming and dangerously sweet.

  “You’re still hurt,” Ida said desperately. Nothing good could come from going out with him. She knew it in her gut.

  “It’ll be a short walk then,” he promised smoothly. “Besides, the exercise will do me some good.”

  Ida sighed and disappeared into the cabin to get his shirt. It was difficult to talk to him and concentrate at the same time because her eyes betrayed her. Every time she tried to look him in the eyes, or over his shoulder, or at the ground, or in the sky, she would inevitably drift back to his bare chest. She was painfully aware of the fact, and knew that he must be, too. She couldn’t help the faint blush that drifted up her neck to her cheeks.

  Ida took longer than necessary looking for a shirt. She stayed in the cabin long
enough for her color and heart beat to return to normal. She forced the memory of her dream away, forced herself to ignore her throbbing thighs and her hungry flesh. When she finally emerged, he was standing up, with one arm leaning heavily against the post, his back to her. The time and effort she spent in the cabin had been wasted. She was instantly reminded of her dream, and it took more will power than she thought she had to restrain herself from running her hand across his shoulders and down his spine. She could already feel his muscles jump to life beneath her fingers.

  “Here,” she said with a dry tongue.

  He turned around and took the shirt, nodding his thanks. “So? Going to walk with me?”

  “Are you going to go off on your own if I don’t?”

  “Yes.”

  She sighed. “Then I guess I don’t have a choice.”

  “You don’t need to sound so excited about it.”

  If only he knew, she was too excited by the prospect. She jumped off the porch and hurried away from him. Confused, he shouted after her, but she didn’t turn around. Before he could work up any real anger at being abandoned, she returned with a good sized stick.

  “I thought you might need this. It’ll help you walk,” she explained with a hesitant smile.

  “Oh…thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He leaned against the stick and took a moment to examine his surroundings. Ida waited by his side silently, studying the environment as well. The breeze was still steady and cool, but the sky had cleared. There were no birds, and other than Ranger’s occasional bark, it was silent. The grass was soft and the dirt was slightly damp.

  “Did it rain last night?” Ida asked conversationally.

  “A little bit.”

  The tracks from the wild animals that had lurked a little too close to the cabin were still clear in the mud, and Ida was pleased to see that there was a line of deer tracks from the trees to the remnants of the garden.