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"Fellow I met while I was studying some sites. Said
he was an anthropologist, but I suspect he was in
some sort of government work. Nice guy, but a funny
name Surprise. Kyle Surprise. He hung around with
me for a few weeks, then moved on.
"I heard later that he'd gotten into some trouble.
One of the nationalist patrons didn't like Kyle's brand
of anthropology, I think. Had him locked up on a
banana plantation." Nathan shrugged. "I just organ-
ized a few of the rebel troops and got him out."
Pride swept over Kat, making her bend forward
quickly and kiss him. "You're a wonder."
"Wonder all right. Wonder what you're gonna do to
me next."
She sat back, stroked the hard plane of his belly,
and said in a husky tone, "I'm gonna turn you over
and see that tattoo. I want to know all about it."
"Got it on the Amazon."
"That's not where I saw it."
Chuckling, he rolled onto his stomach without the
least hint of shyness and propped his chin on crossed
arms.
Kat smiled in delight. "It looks like a clown face!"
Nathan huffed loudly. "That's Numanchuko, the
god of earth. The natives said Numanchuko must
like me if he let me know his secrets."
"Secrets?"
"Gold."
"Oh." Kat molded her hands.to Nathan's back and
drew them down to his thighs, watching the mus-
cles flex in response. "Numanchuko's lively," she
noted.
"I think he expects an earthquake."
"I expect he's right. I'm gonna get real friendly
with him."
Wanting to be close to Nathan in ways she'd never
wanted with any other man, she draped herself on
top of him like a blanket, smiling a little at the
thought of the colorful tattoo face flattened under
her stomach.
"Ol' Numanchuko's never had it so good," Nathan
said with a soft groan.
Kat nibbled the back of his neck, stroked a small
patch of hair between his shoulder blades, then slowly
slid her hands down his sides.
"Nathan? I want another pony ride."
He slipped a hand into her hair and guided her
upward so that her head was next to his. Kat curled
over him, giggling when their mouths met awkwardly,
losing the breath to giggle when he rebuked her
with a deliciously rough tongue. She moved and lay
in his arms, pulled chest to chest with him, her
thighs hugging the leg he angled between them.
He drew her lower lip between his teeth, nibbled
it, then let go slowly and licked the swollen skin like
a wild animal tasting his mate. Kat shut her eyes
and still saw him, imagined the primal glitter in his
eyes, the ruffled hair of his desperado mustache a
little damp from the wet kiss they'd just shared.
"Kat, does the pony need a saddle?"
Tenderness sleeted through her when she under-
stood his hint. Kat laughed helplessly."Nope."
He held her closer and nuzzled his crooked nose to
her slightly dished one. "Just want to protect you. I
wish I could say I thought about it before, but I was
only thinking that I'd die If I didn't get inside you.
That's not like me to be so desperate that I forget. I
swear."
She crooned a reassuring sound. "I like the com-
pliment." Kat hesitated a moment, then told him, "I
got an IUD not too long before . . . before that guy
left."
"That guy?"
"I don't want to call him 'my husband.' " She
watched her forefinger swirl ringlets into Nathan's
damp chest hair. "I don't want to do him the honor
anymore."
Abruptly Nathan's hand was behind her head,
bringing her to his mouth, holding her while he
kissed her for a long, infinitely sweet time. "You got
the right idea," he whispered eventually. "Forget you
ever knew him. Forget anybody ever touched you
but me."
She heard her own shallow breath and absorbed
the giving, mobile pressure of his hand as he slid it
between her thighs. "Nobody ever has," Kat promised.
As he rose over her she locked her gaze on his
face, trying to see inside him, hoping she could pour
all of her love into him until he had no choice but to
love her back.
He cared for the earth, wore its offering on his
body, took from it as her great-great-grandfather
had done, but Nathan had honesty and honor; he
gave respect in return. On her land, her ancestors'
land, she and Nathan had formed a very special
bond that went beyond explanation.
And she believed that the land would keep them
together.
Late the next morning it was closer to afternoon
when they left Nathan's room they went downstairs
to the inn's office.
While Nathan called Tri-State on a phone at the
manager's desk, Kat used one in the main hall. Er-
ica had no phone at Dove Gallatin's house in North
Carolina, so she'd given Kat the number at the Tall
Wolf home.
"Osryo," a hearty male voice answered.
Kat searched the mental catalogue of Cherokee
terms Nathan had taught her. It was a small cata-
logue at this point. Ah. Hello. "Osryo. Is this Grandpa
Sam?"
"Yeah! Who's this?"
"Kat Gallatin, Erica's cousin."
"The wah lay lee. Sure!"
"Erica told me your family would take messages
for her."
"Sure! Shoot!"
"Tell her she can get in touch with me by calling
Drake Lancaster at the Kirkland Inn." Kat relayed
the inn's phone number while Grandpa Sam took it
down slowly. 'Tell her Drake will be here next week. He
works for the mining company. He's a . . . " She
paused, thinking. For the sake of brevity she wouldn't
explain who Nathan was and that Drake Lancaster
was a friend and fellow employee for Tri-State.
"Drake's a good friend of mine," Kat finished.
"Got it, wah lay lee."
Kat wished she could talk directly with Erica. She
needed to share the disturbing information about
Justis Gallatin's white wife and hear Erica's opin-
ion. But for now she could only struggle to remem-
ber the word for "thank you" in Cherokee. Ah.
"Wado, Grandpa Sam."
He hooted with pleasure. "Somebody's teachin' you
to be an Indian!"
Kat smiled broadly as she hung up the phone.
Somebody was teaching her how to feel fantastic.
Suddenly two strong hands circled her waist from
behind. Kat looked down at their tanned contrast
against her white dress, the lean, callused fingers
digging into the material with delicious possession.
A mustache brushed her right ear.
"Ma'am, I'm a stranger to these parts "
"Not those parts "
"And I been staring at you from the manager's
desk," Nathan whispered in a throaty, seductive voice.
"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen,
and I'd be tickled silly if you'd have a late breakfast
with me."
Trembling as if it had been years instead of a few
minutes since she'd lain in his arms, Kat glanced
around to make sure no one was watching or listen-
ing, then turned her face toward that voice, that
thick mustache, and the provocative masculine scent
that was still on her and inside her. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]