Reckless Desire by Madeline Baker Read Free Book Online Page B

stallion to a tree a short distance away.
    “Yes,” he replied, smiling roguishly. “Do you mind the wait?”
    “No. I would wait for you forever.”
    “Would you?”
    “Longer than forever. You look very handsome today.”
    “Only today?” he teased, sitting down beside me.
    “Every day, you conceited oaf.” I smiled up at him. “You didn’t let Hawk win this time,” I remarked, recalling the day when Shadow had held Smoke back so Hawk could win the race.
    “I wanted Hawk to look good in his woman’s eyes that day,” Shadow said, his hand reaching out to stroke my cheek. “Today I wanted to look good in the eyes of my own woman.”
    “Oh, Shadow,” I sighed. “Sometimes you say the most wonderfully romantic things.”
    “And will you reward me for being wonderful?” he asked, laughing softly as he began to unfasten the bodice of my dress.
    “Only name your prize,” I murmured. “Prize!” I exclaimed, pulling away. “You forgot to pick up your trophy.”
    “Later,” Shadow said, slipping my dress over my shoulders and unlacing my chemise. “Much later.”
    And so we made love deep in the heart of the pine forest where we had first met. It was here that Shadow had first made love to me so many years ago. Our love was stronger now, deeper, richer, forged into an unbreakable bond by the happiness we had shared, the sorrows we had known.
    Shadow slipped my chemise down, his fingers trailing lightly over my skin. Bending, he kissed my eyes, my cheeks, my mouth, let his lips slide down to nibble my neck and shoulders. There was fire in his touch, and I reached out to stroke his arms, then tugged at his shirt until he yanked it over his head and removed his trousers, then pulled my dress down over my ankles and tossed it in a heap beside his own clothes. My fingers explored his hard-muscled body, loving his quick response to my touch, the way he whispered my name, his voice low and deep, husky with yearning.
    I knew every inch of Shadow’s flesh, as he knew mine, yet our love was ever new. His breath was hot upon my face, his hands impatient as they aroused me. Sometimes Shadow made love to me tenderly, prolonging each kiss and caress, taking me to the very brink of fulfillment again and again before he satisfied the longing he had created. At other times he was quick, impatient, possessive, satisfying his own needs before meeting mine.
    Today he was a warrior and I was his woman. We were wild and uncivilized as we made love deep in the heart of the sun-dappled forest, a man and a woman with no other thought but to quench the fiery passion that blazed between us as flesh met flesh. For this moment, there was no one else in the world, only the two of us, hearts and souls and flesh melded together as we soared to the skies.
     

Chapter Five
     
    Hawk smiled at Victoria as he helped her from the wagon. She looked enchanting in a blue print dress and perky straw bonnet.
    “I will not be long,” he promised. “I have to stop at the blacksmith to get some harness repaired, and then I am going to the feed store to pick up some grain. I will meet you back here in one hour. Will you be done by then?”
    “Yes.” Victoria smiled as Hawk bestowed a quick kiss upon her cheek before vaulting onto the wagon seat and turning the team toward the other end of town where the blacksmith shop was located.
    It was nice to look forward to a pleasant hour in town to shop and visit with friends, Vickie thought. Her mother was sitting with the twins at home, and there was nothing she enjoyed more. It had taken a little time, but Victoria had managed to bury all her old hurts in the past where they belonged, and if she did not feel as warm and loving toward her own mother as she did toward Hannah, at least she and Lydia were friends again.
    Her first stop was the mercantile store where she left her shopping list to be filled. Moving on down the street, she stopped in at Myers Millinery Shoppe to try on a hat she saw in the