Night Walker's Woman Ch. 15

He knew exactly what to wish for. The same thing he had had been hoping for months. Years, perhaps his whole life? How could finding one good woman be so damned hard?

His cousin had managed the gargantuan task. Of course, Rex was lucky; he had a secret weapon - his skinwalker senses drew him to the one woman meant just for him. His true mate.

Jack was not destined to be so blessed. He had to do it the old-fashioned way - dating. And that had not been working out for him in a long time. He could not remember the last time he had gone out with a woman that he would consider more than a one-night stand. Had he ever?

At least not since that cheerleader in high school, but he had never thought seriously about marrying her either. What was her name? Oh, and his 'babysitter.' But Laura Reynolds had quit, throwing his grandfather's money back at the old man. And all because he copped a feel of her sweet tits. What was a horny thirteen-year-old kid to do in small-town Texas, anyway?

He chuckled, and the sound tinkled across the crisp Hill Country night. Somewhere out there, his cousin was enjoying the pleasures of his new wife's 'good lovin.' Jack was happy for Rex. And pea-green with envy.

He had been looking for a woman like Jaycee for at least the past couple of years. But he had gotten serious about it with his grandfather's passing. Leave it to Injun Joe to stipulate in his will that his only grandson and heir had to marry within a year of his death or loss his inheritance.

It did not help that he had wasted almost a month of that time finishing out his last enlistment in the Army. He had not even known the old man was dead until he got back from his final mission with the Green Berets. Being informed by a chaplain that the man who had raised him from the time he was eight was dead and buried for weeks had not set well.

He was still trying to make peace with the decade long estrangement with the man he had idolized. Unfortunately, there were no do-overs in life. He had learned that on his first mission as a Green Beret when he was one of only a handful who made it back.

Jack ran his hands through his hair. It was longer than it had been a couple of months ago, but nowhere near as long as it had been before he joined the Army straight out of high school. At this length, it even had a bit of curl. Something it had not, when it was regulation short or when it had hung halfway down his back as his Native American forefathers once wore theirs. He still had not decided if he would grow it back that long.

There were so many things he had not decided. And how long to grow his hair with the least of them. He was so angry with his grandfather that he continued to toy with the idea of turning the casino over to the Nation and the employees. Not that he might have much choice. If he did not find a woman to marry in the next nine and a half months, that was what would happen anyway.

Of course, if all he wanted were to fulfill the conditions of his grandfather's will, that would be easy enough. Between his good looks and inheritance, he'd have them lining up for the privilege. But Jack was old-fashioned. In loads of ways. The least of which being that he damned well intended only do this marriage thing once.

He sighed and shook his head as he searched the horizon. If only things were as simple for him as it had been for his cousin.

The deep laughter that rumbled from behind him made Jack turn. In the dim light cast from a single lamp in the living room, his great-uncle reminded him so much of his grandfather that Jack's vision blurred with tears he had sworn never to shed. "What's so funny, old man?"

"Ryan felt the same way."

Jack's shoulders slumped at the mention of the other man. It had been years since he had seen Rex's other cousin. The three young men had spent summers here with Grandfather. Though Raymond Greywolf was his own grandfather's only brother, the term was honorary. Hell, much of the Nation called the old coot 'Grandfather.'

"How is he, anyway?" Jack knew that the man had been part of the investigation into the suicide of Jaycee's ex-husband. Hell, if Ryan was not off on some top-secret undercover thing, he had no doubt that it would have been him to whom Rex turned for the role of 'best man.'

"As restless and unsettled as you, my son."

Jack shook his head and chuckled. "As cryptic as ever."

"Like medicine, some times, the truth needs a bit of sweetening."

"Truth? Is there even such a thing?" Jack had once been idealistic enough to believe there was. If the man who had raised him had not managed to live up to the ideals that he had preached, well, that did not mean there weren't any.

But Jack had spent over a decade traveling the world, he had quickly learned that it was not 'freedom' he was defending, but some rich bastards' greed to take from others. He probably should have left the Army after his first enlistment. Then he would have been there for his grandfather at the end.

The problem was Jack had no idea what he wanted to be when he grew up. At thirty-three, he still didn't know what he wanted to be or where his home was. Jack was a drifter. Maybe that was why the Green Berets had worked so well for him. No mission was more than a few months and most decidedly less. In and out.

Maybe those first few years of his life had left more lasting scars than he realized? Or perhaps he was as much a drifter and rebel as the woman who had given birth to him? Or maybe growing up Native American and the abandoned bastard grandson of an activist who preached one thing and lived another had done a head number on him? But truth? Jack doubted that he would ever know such a thing, even if it did exist.

"Some times, truth is hidden."

So were lies. Jack had seen enough of what living a life of hidden lies did to a soul.

The hand that gripped his shoulder was surprisingly strong, given its gnarled, arthritic fingers. "I know that Joe deeply regretted the estrangement with you."

"Did you know?"

"Know what, son?"

Even Jack was not sure the answer to that question. Did Grandfather know how perilously close to death his brother was? Yes, the coroner listed his grandfather's cause of death as a heart attack. That part had been sudden and unexpected. But the man had been in decline for months.

Two months to be exact. Two months - since that woman had died of breast cancer. That was the other unspoken question. Did Raymond Greywolf know the lies and double life that his brother had been living for almost four decades?

"Yes, I knew."

Jack shook his head, his throat too tight to form words. Though they were not always necessary with this man. And as before, Grandfather was just as ambiguous with his answer.

They stood wrapped in companionable silence for moments that seemed like hours, an eternity that flashed in the blink of an eye. A lifetime of memories, dreams, and regrets passed through Jack's mind until those unshed tears threatened to choke him. Maybe coming here was a mistake. This place, these people held so many recollections.

But he could not let Rex down. And truth, if there was such a thing, was that he had needed to face this man. The only other living person that his grandfather called family. "Why?"

Why had his grandfather not reached out to him? Not tried to scale the wall that he had built after that day? The moment he had first seen his hero for the flawed the man he was.

Raymond Greywolf sighed as those fingers dug deeper into his shoulders. "Because, like most of us, my brother thought he had more time."

The old man gently tugged Jack so that they stood face-to-face, "Oh, Joe knew that the circle was closing. He felt that."

A sad smile creased his great-uncle's weathered face, "He called me that night."

Jack's muscles tightened, his hands clenched at this side. Anger and jealousy burst in his heart. That his grandfather would reach out to this man, his brother, but not to him. Even if he had been on a mission, his grandfather could have left a message. It would have been something, at least.

"You weighed on his mind that night. All Joe could see was the mistakes he had made. Especially with you, son."

Jack fought hard to keep those tears from falling. It was not some macho ego that held them back. But what right did he have to cry? He had been as much to blame for all the lost time as his grandfather. Maybe more.

"Like I said, some times, the truth is hidden. And some times, the truth is right in front of us. We are just too blind to see it."

Jack shook his head. Now he would never know the truth. Whatever that was. Even if there was such a thing.

"Don't be like your grandfather, my son. Don't think that you have time to find what you are seeking. When it finds you, grab hold and never let go. That was Joe's biggest regret. That he had not done that. He did not want that for you, Jack."

Without another word, the old man turned and walked back into the house, leaving Jack alone with a million unanswered questions and thoughts that were scattered to the four corners of the Earth as he had been for over a decade.

"The truth? The truth is that it is too late. I'll never know or understand any of it."

And if he could not make sense of love that brought the greatest man he had ever known to his knees, made him betray principles that he held dear, and even weakened his stout heart to the point that it broke, then how could Jack ever find something he both craved with all his being and feared as his greatest enemy?

***

Rex triple-checked the guide wires on the tent, cursing himself for a fool once more. He should have booked them into one of those fancy spa things that had sprung up in the area over the past decade. It was their honeymoon. A woman like Jaycee deserved so much more than musty old sleeping bags and too thin air mattresses.

"You forget, cowboy, this was my choice." The warmth of her arms embraced his waist. Her body heat radiated deep into his parched soul. His wife leaned her head against his back as she squeezed tightly, humming sweetly off-key.

"I wanna sleep on the hard ground in the comfort of your arms on a pillow of bluebonnets in a blanket made of stars."

He chuckled as he drew her about, wrapping her tightly in his arms as he pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head. "Okay, I give up. You win, counselor."

Jaycee beamed up at him, "I think we both win."

Her fingers threaded through his hair and drew his head down until their lips touched. The Texas sky erupted into a kaleidoscope of hyperspace accelerating towards the center of the universe. The heat they generated hotter than Rigel, the blue giant that twinkled in Orion, the hunter.

And this hunter was home at last. Home in this woman's loving arms. Dwelling in the place that had always been his comfort and refuge. Home with the man who had always been there for him. The whole fucking universe was perfect as far as he was concerned.

He felt her stiffen in his arms, "I'm sorry. That was thoughtless of me."

"No, Rex. You're right. For you, the universe is perfect. Angel, too, I think." She leaned her head against his chest. He could not see her face, but he felt her tears to the depths of his being. "I'll get there, too."

They held one another as the music of nature sang its melody. The wild horses were neighing and galloping across the hills beneath them. A coyote called to its mate or perhaps the moon. A distant owl screeching the eternal quest, "Who...who?"

He understood all too well how his mate felt. He had spent most of his life uncertain. Uncertain of what to believe. Uncertain even what or who he was. And the biggest uncertainty of all - what his future held.

Until the day that this woman had walked into a Houston courtroom, and turned his world upside down then righted it again. She gave him purpose. She made him whole. But he understood for his very human mate - things did not work that simply.

"So, where do we begin?"

She shook her head and sighed heavily, "I have already filed the paperwork with the Department of Family and Protective Services requesting my file be unsealed."

"How long will that take?" He knew how important this was to his mate. How much Jaycee needed answers to her past before they could begin to build their future.

She shook her head, "No. There you are wrong, cowboy."

Her fingers tenderly caressed his cheek, and his blood simmered like a fresh stew on the back burner. Done, cooked, but the flavor enhancing with each bubble that popped, each moment on the slow heat.

"I may want or even need answers to my past, but that won't change the facts of my future."

He chuckled as her fingers boldly traced a line down the front of his shirt until her hand came to rest over the taut zipper of his jeans. "And this future? What does it hold, Mrs. Ranger?"

"Love. Laughter. A few tears. And most definitely more than a few thrills."

Her fingers became bolder as they worked to loosen first his belt buckle then the button. Neither of them had the patience to wait, so Rex dispensed with the zipper himself as he maneuvered them towards the open tent flap.

But his new wife had other ideas as she drew back from his embrace, "I forgot something. You go on inside and finish getting undressed. I won't be but a moment."

Rex was not going to argue, even if his patience was fast approaching its limits. He nodded as he kicked off his boots, his jeans tangled with them. He stripped his shirt over his head and pushed his shorts down to join the growing pile.

"Socks, too. I am not making love with a man who wears his socks to bed," her voice tinkled along his spine as he lifted first one foot and then the other to dispose of those too.

Jaycee turned back to stare at his now fully naked body as if inspecting it. The nod and smile that she gave indicted that perhaps she was. "Now, wait for me inside. I won't be long."

Rex nodded his head, "Yes, Ma'am."

***

Jaycee watched her husband's naked backside disappear inside the tent. And oh, what a lovely bum it was. So much had changed in little more than two months. She had gone from a lifetime of being alone, except for Angel, of course, to being a part of an extended family. And this place, it felt like home. For the first time in her life, she felt like she belonged somewhere, to someone. And that did not even come close to the miraculous changes in her daughter.

So, why are you trying to destroy it all? Are you in some kinky self-destruct mode? It was the question that she had been wrestling with for weeks. Was she testing the lengths of Rex's love for her?

She sighed as she slapped the coil of rope in the palm of her hand. She did not think so. But all those hours of reliving her times in the clubs with Sean had awakened some beast inside of her. Even she was not sure what it was or its depths.

She had no interest in pain. She was neither a sadist nor a masochist. And humiliation was a definite hard limit. She had lived a lifetime under the strain of that not so suitable weapon. But one thing, one image, keep coming back to haunt her dreams, even the waking ones. Rope. The beauty of it, yes. But just the idea of physically binding Rex to her as they were emotionally and spiritually.

But given all that had happened, was she opening a Pandora's box that was better left firmly shut? Did she even have a choice?

"This is torture, woman," his deep voice touched her mind as much as the fresh night air caressed her body.

And there was that, too. The need to dominate. To control, tease, and command her husband. Not because she was physically stronger, or more intelligent, or powerful, but because he surrendered some part of himself willing to her.

She knew it was selfish. Foolish perhaps. With happiness within her grasp for the first time in her life, why was she playing these silly games? Why was she risking everything?

Because she feared it was who she was. As much a part of her as Rex's other skin was of him. But could he understand that? Would he be willing to play these games? She sighed; the problem was she was not satisfied that games would be enough for her.

She heard the baneful moan from the tent. It fed something inside of her — that darkness that needed control.

She had to find out.

The rope firmly clasped in her hands, she slipped inside the flaps. "You need to learn patience."

Rex, in all his naked glory, sat up and reached for her. "Not so quick, cowboy." She slipped the rope around one wrist.

Rex's eyes widened as he looked up at her. He held her gaze for a long moment. The silence stretched into forever. With an almost imperceptible nod, the tension in his broad shoulders eased, "So, what do you have in mind, sweetheart?"

She sighed and smiled as she felt the stress relax a bit in her own body, "Nothing too dangerous. No whips or chains, or anything really kinky." She blushed as she forced the words from her mouth, "But tonight, I want...no, I need...to be the one in control."

She pushed him back among the sleeping bags. She moved within the confines of the tent until she sat astride his hips. She was still fully clothed, and she knew that the rough material of her jeans abraided his most sensitive areas. She circled her hips and drew another pitiful moan from his lips.

Rex threw back his head and closed his eyes. His whimpers were those of a wounded animal as he lifted his hips and sought that which she denied him. She smiled down at him, "Open your eyes, Rex. Look at me."

His almost instant obedience fed her monster. She felt power course through her as she never had. Not even her most significant win in court came close to the satisfaction she felt in that moment.

Her hands captured his wrists and drew them above his head. She held him in place. Though she knew that his superior strength could overcome her at any moment, that was the point. For Rex to willfully surrender that control to her. Just for a bit. If even this once. It was something that Jaycee feared she needed as much as water, food, oxygen, or this man.

Her lips captured his. Her tongue invaded his mouth, conquering, subduing. Overpowering, and mastering her powerful mate, this man whose beast always resided just beneath the surface, waiting to come out.

The kiss stretched out for long minutes. Sometimes demanding, sometimes teasing, sometimes so powerful that it stole her breath. But still, she stretched the kiss out. Only her lips and hips made contact with his body.

The powerful body that writhed beneath hers, seeking relief that she controlled, that she denied him. Denied them both. But not just yet.

Jaycee broke the kiss but used her lips and tongue instead to torture her husband more as she trailed kisses, nips, and licks down his strong jaw. She drew his earlobe between her teeth, bit it, and tugged forcefully on it until Rex was moaning. Then she simply blew softly as she whispered, "We're just getting started."

His voice was almost not recognizable as human when he growled, "That's what worries me, darlin'."

But still, Rex made no move to break the bonds that held his wrists, though she was confident he could. Jaycee continued her game as her mouth and lips returned to blazing a trail down the side of his neck.

His pulse that pounded like his ancestor's war drums called to her. She licked it, sucked it until she was sure there would be a hickey. She could not even resist biting into his flesh, though she did not break the skin. She even wondered what his blood would taste like. Perhaps she had read one too many vampire novels?

"I've another bodily fluid you can taste instead, sweetheart," he chuckled.

She had been so caught up in her games that she had forgotten to erect mental walls between them. It had just become so natural, shockingly so, to have him running around in her mind. Or to run in his.