Prarie Fire Part 3

"You're very welcome. Although with Maria and Angelia working in the kitchen at the new place, I think you'll get a reprieve. They told me in no uncertain terms that the woman who owns the ranch doesn't belong in the kitchen." Sarah laughed.

"It's true, you'll have more to fill up your days than cooking and cleaning. You have wealth and power now, sachu-kash. That means that you can run your ranch the way you see fit, without any interference from the a.s.sociation. You don't have to be afraid of what anyone will think if you want to ride the range. Just so you don't get so good that you put me out of a job." Devlin winked.

"I don't think I'll ever get that good."

"I don't know about you, but what do you say to me heating up some water for a bath? I know I sure could use one."

"I'll second that. I mean about both of us needing a bath, not just you." Sarah laughed.

"Oh, sure, I heard what you said the first time." Devlin rose from the table and leaned down to kiss Sarah's cheek.

Devlin left to start a fire outside where the large boiling pot hung. Sarah's stomach tightened as an attack of nerves struck her. This is it. It's exactly what I wanted, right? Just me and Dev, all alone. So why is it that I'm suddenly scared to death? Sarah thought as she walked into the back bedroom.

"What is it, Sarah?" Devlin asked once she poured the last bucket of steaming water into the bathtub.

Devlin watched Sarah out of the corner of her eye as she went about the task of filling up the buckets of water from the pot outside on the fire. She could see that Sarah watched Devlin as if she had never seen her before.

"Sarah?" Devlin came to her and gently touched her face.

Devlin pulled Sarah into her arms and felt her body tense. Sarah lowered her gaze and a full blush settled across her face. Devlin wasn't sure what to make of this reaction. Sarah wasn't a woman to play at being coy. Devlin tried to fathom the workings of Sarah's mind. After all, this was the first time they would share this kind of intimacy. It was their first night together without family on the other side of the wall, a sleeping daughter lying between them, or at least one of them being fully clothed. Devlin worried that perhaps she was pus.h.i.+ng Sarah. That it was too soon.

"Do you want me to leave the room?" Devlin asked, curious to see if modesty was the problem.

"No!" Sarah looked up and both women smiled at the voracity of the reply. "I mean, no, I want you to stay." Sarah looked up into the eyes that held love and concern. "It's just that, well, G.o.d knows I'm no virgin, but I-I've never...I don't think I know what to do to please you, Dev." Sarah finished the sentence in one breath, lowering her head in embarra.s.sment.

Devlin couldn't stop the smile that pulled at her lips. She placed two slender fingers under Sarah's chin to lift her face. The green eyes that looked up at her held nothing but love and anxiety. Devlin's heart tightened within her chest.

"Sarah, if it's too soon for you, love, we don't have to do anything at all."

"But that's not what I want," Sarah blurted out.

"Oh?" Devlin drawled her response. She looked down with a hint of amus.e.m.e.nt at the treasure in her arms.

"I mean...well, Peter was the only...I think I was his first, too, and...it just was never very-"

Devlin placed a finger over Sarah's lips, effectively silencing her. Devlin pulled out of the embrace and led Sarah to the bed. Devlin sat and drew Sarah down into her lap.

"Sarah, relax, it's just me. I'm not only your lover, but I'm a woman, too. You can talk to me. You can tell me anything you need to and I'll understand. Is it because I'm a woman?" Devlin asked, unsure if she wanted to hear Sarah's answer.

Sarah took a deep breath. She wasn't used to being in such an awkward position. She didn't usually have this much trouble explaining her feelings, but the import of what they were about to do fell on her like a load of stone. She was desperately afraid that Devlin wouldn't want someone in her bed who didn't know what she was doing. Sarah wanted to please the woman who had captured her heart.

"Yes and no. Peter was a gentle lover, but I never felt any of the sensations that I've read about. I'm afraid that lying with me...well, I'm afraid it won't be enjoyable for you." Sarah looked up at Devlin tearfully.

Devlin's eyes turned deep blue as she brushed an errant tear from Sarah's face. Devlin's features displayed a mixture of emotions.

"Are you trying to tell me that you've never received any enjoyment from s.e.x?"

"I'm sorry, Dev. I was always taught that a woman had s.e.x to have children, to please her husband. It was never about my pleasure."

"Oh, sachu-kash." Devlin pulled Sarah into her embrace. "It is now," she whispered.

Devlin stood and settled Sarah on her feet. Devlin began to unb.u.t.ton her s.h.i.+rt and Sarah could only stare.

"What are you doing?" Sarah asked, although the answer seemed apparent.

"I'm undressing. We're going to take that bath...together." Devlin moved closer to Sarah and her voice lowered into a husky alto, commanding but without any harshness. "Then I'm going to do what I've wanted to do since the first moment I fell in love with you, Sarah Tolliver." Devlin wrapped her arms around her slim waist. She bent and placed a tender kiss on the side of Sarah's neck.

"I'm going to take you to bed and simply enjoy lying next to you, and if you want me to touch you, I will. If you want me to make love to you, I will. And if you want me to show you what pleasure is all about, I'll do that, too. However, if you don't want any of those things, we'll take pleasure in sleeping close together until you're ready. Will that be all right?"

Sarah felt a s.h.i.+ver run up her spine and her pulse quickened as she listened to the seductive, yet soothing tone of Devlin's words. She watched as Devlin's eyes turned smoky with desire. All she could do was nod in response.

Lying together in the cooling water of the large tub, Sarah was amazed at how quickly she became accustomed to Devlin's body, perhaps because it was another woman. Many of Sarah's first jitters were thrown by the wayside once Devlin stood naked before her and helped Sarah out of her garments. Now she leaned against the back of the tub with the length of Devlin's body stretched out in front of her. Devlin's head was tucked underneath Sarah's chin, cradled between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

They lay that way for some time. Devlin eased Sarah's nerves with stories of when Devlin grew up in the Thunderbird clan of the Choctaw. All the while, Devlin absently caressed Sarah's exposed skin. Sarah could hardly take her eyes off Devlin's body, and she wondered if Devlin had situated herself like this so she could look without embarra.s.sment. Devlin's darker skin bore the scars of her hard life, but Sarah seemed more captivated by the sleek muscled abdomen and the way the woman's b.r.e.a.s.t.s floated out of the water slightly, the darkened nipples tightening into stiff peaks when the cool air hit them.

"How did you get this, Dev?" Sarah asked of the small tattoo above Devlin's right shoulder blade.

"From Mantema. You met her in the clan village. She was the old woman, very short, but very large around the middle."

"The one who laughed so much and danced with the children?"

"Yep, that's the one. Her name means To Deliver Something Sacred. She's responsible for tattooing a person's animal totem on their body when they come back from their first quest. Tattoos are a part of the Chahta culture once a clan member comes of age."

"Did it hurt?"

"I didn't feel a thing. Honest," Devlin added when Sarah made a sound of disbelief. "She does it immediately after someone comes back from their initial quest. I think I was so, I don't know how to explain it, but I think I still had one foot in the spirit world. I wasn't myself yet, so I didn't really feel it. Want to know the strange part?" Devlin tilted her head to see Sarah's nod. "She doesn't have to ask you which animal came to you, she just knows."

Sarah traced the pattern of a hawk's tail feathers spread out into a fan shape. "Keeho said he saw me as a sakli, the salmon. If that's my name within the clan, won't it be my animal guide, too?"

"The fact that the red-tailed hawk is my chief power animal and happens to be my name is considered a special gift," Devlin said. "It would be kind of interesting if that happened to you, too. As a Chahta of the Thunderbird clan, I received nine animal totems. These animals offer me their guidance, protection, and instruction. Keeho and six other clan elders helped me to discover my first seven in a sacred ceremony. The last two were for me to determine alone. The red-tailed hawk spoke to me in a way none of the others had, with power. Through visions, I found that he carried special medicine for me. When I was younger, he taught me that if I called on him, he would honor me with special talents."

When Devlin bent her knee, Sarah lost track of her thoughts and had to bite her lip not to let her fingers reach out and touch the dark patch of curls that came into view. She had no idea what she would do, but she knew she wanted to touch Devlin. Sarah knew what it felt like on the few occasions she touched herself, and she imagined Devlin touching her in that way. Suddenly, a s.h.i.+ver ran the length of her body.

"You're getting cold." Devlin jumped to her feet and moved from the tub. She held open a towel and after helping Sarah from the tub, wrapped the cloth around Sarah's body.

"Getting warmer?" Devlin asked.

"Much." Sarah nodded. Do I tell her exactly how warm I am right now?

After Devlin placed two more logs in the fireplace, they settled onto the bed. Devlin couldn't believe how wonderful Sarah's body felt. She closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing. Her skin felt like the glowing embers of a campfire wherever Sarah pressed her body against hers.

"I've never seen you without this." Sarah's fingers traced a thin piece of rawhide around Devlin's neck. The strip of leather held a small bag made by tightly tying the ends of a soft piece of deerskin. "I remember when you were shot and I tried to take it off, you held to it even in your sleep."

"It's my ikhish bahta," Devlin said. "My medicine bag."

"What does it do?"

"It protects me."

"It hasn't been doing its job." Sarah smiled as she leaned up on one elbow and touched first one scar, then another on Devlin's body.

"It never fails to tell me when to move out of harm's way." Devlin chuckled. "But I don't always listen."

Sarah laughed, and Devlin felt glad that she could ease some of the awkwardness Sarah had been feeling.

"What's in it, Dev?"

"You would not be any wiser if I told you."

"I don't understand. What kind of an answer is that?"

"The same one any Chahta would give you if you asked the same question." Devlin smiled. "It's a private thing. Some of the items wouldn't make any sense to you. They're things that have meaning only to me. Things that I alone feel will ward off evil spirits or bring me good fortune. I have a piece of a red-tailed hawk's eggsh.e.l.l, a bit of red earth from the Chahta village-"

Sarah pressed two fingers against Devlin's lips. "You don't have to tell me."

"I have nothing to hide from you, sachu-kash, I want you to know that. I would willingly tell you all my secrets."

Sarah stared down into a pair of sky blue eyes and once again wondered if she was dreaming. She bent her head and placed a slow, lingering kiss upon Devlin's lips.

"Dev?" Sarah whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Will you?"

"Will I what, sachu-kash?" Devlin opened her eyes and looked up at the woman in her arms.

"Will you show me what pleasure is all about?" Sarah asked tentatively, brus.h.i.+ng back a damp lock of ebony hair from Devlin's face.

Devlin gently rolled the two of them over until she leaned over Sarah. Devlin didn't say a word; she bent her head closer until her lips pressed lightly against Sarah's. They did nothing but kiss for what seemed like forever, but neither woman was aware of time. They let their mouths and tongues tenderly explore and excite.

As their desire burned hotter, Devlin wanted so much to take the woman in her arms with all of the unbridled pa.s.sion she felt. She had an uncanny notion that Sarah would equal her fervor. For this woman, however, who had never experienced pleasure by a lover's hand, Devlin would force herself to go slow. She would make it last, until Sarah knew that every single time they came together, there would be nothing but rapture waiting.

Devlin kissed down Sarah's neck and the tip of her tongue played with the pulse that beat fitfully through Sarah's skin. Her fingertips ran down the length of Sarah's neck, in the s.p.a.ce between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and onto her belly, which quivered under Devlin's light touch. Devlin stopped when she felt the downy hairs that covered Sarah's lower abdomen.

"Sarah, may I touch you?" The request was probably unnecessary, but Devlin felt like she should ask.

Sarah felt as if her insides were ablaze. She pushed away the blanket that covered them and revealed her naked figure to Devlin's intense gaze. "Yes, please touch me, Dev," she said breathlessly.

Devlin's fingers played in the curls that were the same light color as the honeyed tresses that fell across Sarah's shoulders. The curls grew damp as Devlin brought her tender explorations even lower, and she moaned at the feel of Sarah's arousal. Devlin placed the palm of her hand on the inside of Sarah's thigh and with gentle pressure parted her legs wider.

Devlin could hardly contain her own need as the heady scent of Sarah's excitement a.s.sailed her nostrils. She brought her mouth to Sarah's neck and kissed her, sucking lightly at the skin to mark her. She moved her lips across the flushed skin of Sarah's shoulders, then down along her collarbone. Devlin ran her tongue through the hollow between Sarah's b.r.e.a.s.t.s. All the while, Devlin's fingers caressed the skin of her lover's inner thighs and her index finger moved in feather-light touches along her soft folds.

Sarah was unsure where she should be focusing her attention. Devlin's hand caressed her in a way she'd never thought to touch herself, and Devlin's mouth was making a feast of her upper body. A languid moan slipped from Sarah's throat when Devlin's warm lips wrapped around a hardened nipple and pulled in a soft sucking motion.

"Oh, Dev," Sarah exclaimed. Her hands involuntarily grasped at the long raven locks that spread across her body.

"Mmm," Devlin murmured against the heated skin. "Do you like that?"

"Oh, yes." My G.o.d, has there been a woman that you've done this to that hasn't?

Sarah thought that perhaps she should be encouraging Devlin, responding in a more fervent manner, but for the life of her, she couldn't put a coherent sentence together. All her focus was on her own body and the sensations that Devlin created with every touch. She'd felt something akin to this feeling at her breast when she'd nursed her children, but it was nothing compared to the streaks of fire that ran from her nipple to the area that Devlin caressed between her legs.

Devlin felt a warm rush of liquid against her fingertips and sucked harder. She released the nipple, pressing into the hard flesh tenderly with her teeth as she did. Sarah groaned and thrust her hips against Devlin's hand as Devlin turned her attention to the other breast. Finally, Devlin brought her wet fingertips up to her lips and sucked her lover's essence from them. When the taste of Sarah filled her mouth, Devlin released a growl from deep within her chest. She moved her body down the length of Sarah's and used her tongue to brand a trail of burning fire along her skin.

Sarah felt Devlin move down, and she opened her eyes and watched as Devlin encouraged her to open her legs wider. Devlin kissed and nipped the tender skin inside Sarah's thigh, running a finger along the line of her body where leg met hip. Devlin continued the a.s.sault by placing gentle kisses on the damp curls between Sarah's legs, moving the kisses lower and lower until Sarah's hips bucked at the feel of Devlin's lips on the velvety skin there.

"Dev?" Sarah called out, and Devlin froze, thinking she'd gone too far in her haste to have the woman.

"Do you want me to stop?" Devlin asked hoa.r.s.ely.

"G.o.d, no, not if you know what's good for you," Sarah panted.

Devlin chuckled against the woman's skin. This was her Sarah, the woman who had been suspiciously absent during their lovemaking thus far.

"Are you enjoying my touch, sachu-kash?" Devlin kissed the inside of Sarah's thigh.

"Oh, Dev, yes...It's just..."

Devlin raised herself up on one elbow to see into Sarah's eyes, which were glazed over with desire. Sarah's chest rose and fell rapidly.

"Should it always feel this good, Dev?" Sarah asked with uncertainty.

"Yes, love. Every time."

Devlin began her tender kisses once again. She watched as Sarah leaned back onto the bed, a smile on her parted lips. Sarah appeared to finally give in to the gratifying sensations of their lovemaking. Devlin felt the trickle of her own arousal run down the inside of her thigh and she ground her hips into the mattress to satisfy the burning that developed there. When Devlin's tongue ran along a silky fold, both women groaned. The taste of her lover caused an explosion of need in Devlin's body, while Sarah thrust her hips shamelessly at the source of her immense pleasure. Sarah had never felt a touch so intimate in her life.

Devlin's tender exploration of Sarah's s.e.x fell by the wayside when Sarah rocked her hips frantically against Devlin's tongue. Sarah tried to satisfy a need that she didn't know how to express.

"Dev?" Sarah pleaded. She had no idea what more to ask for, but this time, Devlin knew what Sarah desired.

Devlin wrapped her lips over the hood of flesh and flicked her tongue against it in a quick, steady rhythm. Never stopping, she slipped one slender finger inside Sarah.

"Oh, yes!" Sarah cried out.

Devlin slid the lone finger out and replaced it with two fingers. She continued the motion of slowly sliding out, then pressing in while she continued to suck at the pulsating bundle of nerves.

"Oh, yes!" Sarah groaned louder as the sensation of Devlin's fingers filling her competed with the feeling of a firm tongue lapping insistently at her center.

Devlin felt Sarah's muscles tighten, then they quivered uncontrollably. Sarah arched her back and the sound that tore from her throat was like music to Devlin's ears. Devlin stilled her tongue but continued the motion of her hand, eventually feeling Sarah's inner muscles pulsate against the fingers buried deep inside. Sarah's body convulsed one more time as another o.r.g.a.s.m tore through her.

Devlin moved to hold Sarah in her arms. "I love you, Sarah," she whispered, feeling her body tremble.

"Oh, Dev, how I love you." Sarah wrapped her arms around Devlin's neck and squeezed. Pulling back slightly, she caressed a high cheekbone. "How I do love you."

A short time later, Devlin settled onto her back, Sarah nestled against her side. Sarah draped a leg across Devlin's thighs, a small hand resting on Devlin's stomach. Devlin smiled to herself, realizing she had everything in life that she could possibly want. Of course, the ache between her legs was bothersome, but this was Sarah's night. There would be plenty of time for Sarah to become familiar with Devlin's body.

Just as Devlin voiced those thoughts in her head, Sarah's hand innocently caressed Devlin's skin.