Free Dorothy Garlock - [Annie Lash 01] by Wild Sweet Wilderness Page B

his throat when he lifted his head.
    Hoarse, ragged breathing accompanied the thunderous beat of his heart as he realized he had lifted her off the ground and that her arms were locked about his neck. He lowered her to her feet and looked down into eyes smiling into his.
    “I liked it! It was much nicer than I imagined it would be.” Her fingers stroked his lips. “I never thought a man’s lips would be so gentle, or his mouth taste . . . sweet.” She laughed softly, happily. “I feel strange, light and giddy. Is it always like this?”
    “God Almighty!”
    “Does that mean you didn’t like it?”
    He watched her face. There was no coyness or pretense about her. Her thoughts and feelings were uttered honestly as they came to her. He wanted more than anything in the world to grab her up in his arms and carry her into the woods to a soft ferny place and make love to her. Only her trusting acceptance of him prevented it. “I liked it,” he whispered in her ear. “I liked it . . . too much!”
    Her arms slid down from around his neck and she stepped back against the wagon. “I always thought I’d hate a man a-pawin’ me.” She shook her head in disbelief. “It wasn’t like I thought it’d be at all. I thought it’d be hurtful and shameful. Rachel cried for days after . . .” She broke off and looked away from the piercing eyes that studied her face. “She said that she remembered a man and a woman who loved each other. They touched and they laughed a lot. They even ran and played together!” She looked up at him with wide, clear eyes. “I’m goin’ to wait till I find a man like that, one who’ll laugh ’n’ play ’n’ want to be with me more than anything.”
    Simon was silent for the duration of a few heartbeats. He didn’t know what to say. He pushed a dark curl back from her forehead. “You’ll find him,” he promised. They stood quietly, listening to the night sounds. A squirrel chattered in the branches above their heads and an owl sent his lonely cry to the wide sky.
    Berry shivered and reached into the wagon for her shawl. When she looked back at Simon he had put on his hat. Somehow with the hat on his head he seemed to be a different person. She walked away from him toward the fire. Her eyes searched for Rachel, and she felt a little tug of unease when she didn’t see her.
    When Simon joined her he held out his hand. Two small wrapped packages lay in his palm. Her eyes questioned his. “Take it. It’s for you and Miss Rachel.” She reached for the gift, shyly. “It’s a sweet from New Orleans. I got a fondness for ’em.” He smiled.
    In the light from the campfire she could see the smile lines around his eyes and the creases on both sides of his month. She’d never be able to look at him again without thinking about his mouth pressing against hers. She put one of the packages in her pocket and carefully unwrapped the other. The sweet was round, softly brittle, and dark brown. She bit off a small piece and held it in her mouth. As it began to dissolve she raised laughing eyes to Simon’s.
    “It’s what I tasted when we . . . kissed!”
    His smile broadened. The dark eyes that roamed her face were full of amusement. “I ate one on my way over here,” he confessed. “They’re made out of sugar and rum.”
    “It’s good. I’ve not had anything like it before.” She took another small bite, then rewrapped the confection and slipped it into her pocket. She swiveled her head to look in the direction Rachel and Fain had taken when they walked away from the camp.
    “Don’t worry about her,” Simon said. “Fain’d die before he’d let any harm come to her.”
    “It’s just that we’ve always stayed together,” she said haltingly.
    “They’ll be back soon. She needs the walkin’.” He wanted to say something to take the worried look from her face. “Sit down and tell me about her . . . and you, and the place you come from.”
    He was easy to talk to. Soon Berry