Stephanie was filled with a strange, wild desire, her urgent hands discovering the contours of hi
s back, moving down to feel the hardness of his buttocks.
It was then that her breath was stolen away, for it was at this instant that he thrust himself into her, breaking the barrier that had been untouched since birth.
Stephanie’s eyes flew open wide and she jerked her lips from him. Tears streaming from her eyes, she gazed up at him.
Knowing what she must be thinking, the fear in her eyes revealing all, Runner did not venture to thrust deeply inside her. He placed his hands gently on her cheeks.
“The pain you felt was natural.” He gave her a soft, reassuring smile. “Do not fear it. It will go away. Relax. Allow your body to become acquainted with pleasure.”
Stephanie wiped tears from her eyes and nodded eagerly. “I’m not afraid,” she whispered. “Please go on. Just being with you is wonderful.”
“But that is not the pleasure I am talking about.” His hips began to move slowly, moving farther into her, a fraction of an inch at a time. “Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Kiss me. And allow yourself to feel the wonders of our bodies locked together.”
Stephanie nodded and closed her eyes. She sucked in a wild breath when she felt his lips and tongue on her breasts. She could feel herself relaxing as she felt him filling her, deeper and deeper. She lifted her hips to him and opened herself to him, now feeling the rapture spreading.
Runner pressed his cheek against one of her breasts and closed his eyes. He reached his hands around her and splayed his fingers across the soft, round mounds of her buttocks and lifted her higher against him as he pressed endlessly deeper into her. His heart was pounding. His loins were on fire. He could feel white lightning spread through his veins.
Once again he kissed her. Their moans mingled. Their hands clasped and unclasped. Their bodies lurched, rose, and fell.
And then came their climax. It was shattering, violent.
As though practiced, Stephanie arched upward to him, sucking him deeply inside her as she felt spasms rocking her.
They shuddered and cried out against one another’s lips, then lay still, their wet bodies clinging together.
Runner pressed his lips against Stephanie’s throat and kissed her, then rolled away from her and lay on his back and stared at the star-speckled heavens.
Stephanie moved close to him, her skin tingling at the touch of his hand on her thigh. “I never knew it could be this wonderful,” she said, marveling over him. “I love you, Runner. I adore you.”
Runner turned to her. His fingers reached up to entwine in Stephanie’s hair. He drew her lips to his. “Believe me when I tell you that there has never been anyone that has touched my heart as deeply as you,” he said huskily against her lips. “I could never feel this way again about anyone.”
He paused, then leaned up on an elbow. “And what are we to do about Adam?” he blurted out. “I dislike everything that Adam stands for. So does my father. And as far as my father is concerned, his dislike might include you, because you are Adam’s sister.”
“In so many ways, yes, I am his sister, yet not in the ways that are important,” Stephanie said, smoothing Runner’s dark hair back from his face. “Darling, let’s not allow Adam or your father to interfere in how we feel for one another. Let us live in our own little private world. Can we? Is that possible? We can place ourselves above everything and everyone. We can pretend that we are the only two people in the world. Anyhow, at this moment, that is how I feel.”
A chill wind blew suddenly across them, causing Stephanie to shiver.
Runner noticed her discomfort. He rose to his feet and gathered her clothes into his hands. “Get dressed,” he said thickly. “I would not want to be the cause of you taking pneumonia.”
Stephanie rose to her feet and began dressing. “My love, were I to take a chill, I would be as much to blame as anyone,” she said, giggling. “Runner, I can’t believe this has happened. I have waited for so many years to find the right man. It seems that is you, my darling. I hope you truly don’t object.”
While talking and dressing, she had looked away from Runner, paying no heed to what he was doing. She had thought that it would take him as long to get into his clothes as herself.
But when she lifted her eyes, she discovered that she was wrong. He was fully clothed and was at the pack mule, opening one of the saddlebags.
Stephanie grew cold inside and gasped behind one of her hands as Runner took out the camera.
As he studied the camera for a moment beneath the spill of the moonlight, she began moving stealthily toward him. Just as she reached him, she felt faint when he turned and gave her a sour look and lifted the camera, his full intent to throw it to the ground to destroy it.
“This, alone, is a betrayal of what we just shared!” Runner snarled out.
“No!” Stephanie screamed, raising a hand to stop him.
Chapter 11
Love found you still a child,