Anasazi Fire Read online

  The scream strangled in her throat and she choked, waking to find herself sprawled across two seats, bouncing around as the bus hit a pocket of turbulently bad road surface.

  Her weighty backpack had fallen into her lap and her water bottle was abrading her crotch in the most delightfully stimulating of ways. She would have simply let nature take its course but for one rather annoying detail.

  Web Jones was leaning over the seat in front of her and staring down into her eyes with what could only be describe as a helping measure of curiosity. “You called?”

  Oh fuck.

  Chapter Two

  Dr. Web Jones was enjoying himself enormously.

  He was out of the occasionally stifling academic environment and on his way to breath some real outdoor air into lungs that felt starved now and again. His novel was coming together really well, needing only the touch of reality his visit to this particular area would bring.

  He’d felt “called” by this tale as soon as he’d stumbled on the legend of the Anasazi, much as he imagined Marjorie Hayworth had been “called”. She certainly seemed to be enthusiastic on the subject, to judge by the lectures he’d dropped in to hear.

  Sneaking quietly into the back of the room, he’d watched her mobile expressions, observed her passion for the past and become entranced by the flashes of sensual beauty that shone from her face as she’d let herself go, falling into the pleasure of sharing her interests with her recitation section.

  He saw beneath the staid and proper façade of the Assistant Professor. He saw past the trappings of denim and khaki and sensible shoes. He saw the curves, he saw the heat and he saw the woman.

  He just hadn’t had the chance to do much about it until this trip popped up on his radar and he jumped at the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Sort of. Or at least to kill one bird and get a shot at making out with the other one.

  The one who was, at this particular moment, glaring at him from her tangle of limbs, clothing and luggage. Since her face was flushed and her thighs were wrapped around her backpack, it didn’t require the analytical mind of an Einstein to figure out what she’d been dreaming about.

  Web grinned. “Anything I can do?”

  She frowned. “No. Go away.”

  “Can’t. It goes against my upbringing to ignore a lady in distress. And you did call my name…”

  Marjorie slithered around and straightened her clothing, sweat beading her forehead and damp spots darkening the shirt around her armpits. “I did not.”

  “Did too. I heard you.” He took pity on her and offered a fresh bottle of cold water he’d grabbed from the cooler they’d stashed on the bus. “Here. You look thirsty.”

  “Observant of you.” Wryly, she curled her lip but accepted the bottle all the same, swigging down a healthy swallow and then touching the cool surface to her cheeks. “God, it’s hot.”

  “That’s what happens when you fall asleep in the sunshine of the desert southwest.”

  “Thank you, Mr. I-live-to-state-the-obvious.”

  “Oooh. Somebody woke up in a bad mood. Must have been a pretty awful dream, huh?” Web snickered at Marjorie.

  She impaled him with a look of absolute disgust. “Thank you for the water. Will there be anything else?”

  “Dunno.” He slipped from the seat in front of her to the seat beside her, pushing stuff onto the floor without a second thought.

  “Hey.” Outraged, Marjorie dived for her laptop. “Watch it. That’s precious cargo.”

  “Sorry.” Web knew he didn’t sound sorry. He wasn’t sorry anyway. He didn’t give a hoot about her laptop. He was where he wanted to be and the scent of this hot woman was making him a little lightheaded.

  It was a nice lightheaded—the sort of lightheaded one got just before stripping and fucking—for hours on end…

  The sharp jab of a metallic computer corner in his ribs jerked Web from his idyllic visions. “Ouch.”

  “Sorry.” This time it was her turn to snicker and look unrepentant.

  He rubbed his side. “So you’re really going to go and grub among the ruins?”

  She fidgeted and fussed some more, finally getting her belongings where she wanted them. “I wouldn’t describe scientific investigation as grubbing, but yes, I plan on doing a little digging while we’re at Tolikani Canyon.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t worry. I won’t be asking you to do any. This is a job for those who know what they’re doing.”

  “Ouch again.”

  To give her credit, she looked abashed. “Yeah, that was a pretty horrid comment. I’m sorry, Dr. Jones. I guess that nap really didn’t help much. I seem to be in a rather unpleasant mood. Perhaps you should go…”

  “Call me Web.”

  “Huh?”

  “Web. It’s a damn sight better than Webster. I can’t abide the Dr. Jones thing. Too…”

  “Lost Ark?”

  He sighed. “And then some.”

  “Web it is.” She held out her hand. “And I’m Midge.”

  He took it, noting the delicately long fingers, a surprise when contrasted to the sturdy image she presented at first glance. “Midge? Like the gnat?”

  She sighed in her turn. “Look. Here’s the deal. I won’t do any Dr. Jones jokes if you don’t do any insect jokes. Okay?”

  He chuckled and squeezed her hand, surprising himself and her by bringing it to his lips and dropping a courtly kiss on the knuckles. “It’s a deal, Midge.”

  He was pleased to note how she responded—a moment’s shocked stillness followed by a blush and a definite increase in her scent.

  Why he could smell her so clearly, he had no idea. She wasn’t in need of a shower, nor was she drenched with perfume or lotions. The fragrance was all her—woman, heat, the desert sun and a soft sweetness that bloomed from her body in a mix of musk and flowers that had no name. It found a home in his nostrils, curled its way into his memories and from there proceeded to trot down his spinal column into his groin where it tapped his cock politely on the shoulder and woke it from a sound sleep.

  He shifted position a little, easing the growing tension in his jeans. “You know, we should probably have Indian names for this trip.”

  She pulled her hand free and cleared her throat. “You mean like kindergarten? Walks-with-two-dogs? Things like that?”

  “Mine was Runs-with-scissors.”

  Her laugh was a delight, ringing out heartily and making the driver’s head lift to check his mirror. Shawna was sleeping in the front two seats, legs splayed wide in the heat of the midday sun. The driver spent about a microsecond looking at Web and Midge. The bus swerved then pulled back onto a straight course as he got a clear pussy shot up Shawna’s skirt.

  Web shook his head. “I sure hope that guy can get us to Tolikani in one piece.”

  Midge had obviously noted the same things Web had. “If he can keep his eyes on the road and off Shawna’s crotch, we stand a good chance of arriving safely.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Not that any man could be expected to exert that much control…” Midge was trying hard not to stare at Shawna. “She’s just a walking distraction, isn’t she?”

  “For some men, I suppose.”

  “Yes. The ones with a pulse.”

  “Don’t be too hard on us. We’re simple creatures at heart.” Web managed a wounded look.

  “Indeed. Like amoebas with a single goal.”

  “To bring our mates pleasure.” He lifted a hand and brushed an errant lock of hair back behind her ear.

  She blinked, dipped her head and shot him a self-conscious glance from beneath her eyelashes. It was a simple thing, but one that shot straight to his crotch. She had no idea whatsoever how sexy it was.

  “Ah, my Ma’ay.”

  “What?”

  Web straightened, surprised at himself. “Uh…it means fox in Navajo. You just…the way you looked at me…” He swallowed. “Look, I do apologize. I’m not getting fresh here…” The hell I’m not. />
  “You speak Navajo?” She hadn’t squirmed into the far corner of the seat, which was a good thing Web supposed.

  “No, God no. Far too complex a language for a mere mortal to speak.” He smiled at her, doing his best to radiate charm and non-threatening friendship. “But I have a relative who does. He speaks quite a few languages, does Uncle Eddie.”

  “Really? Is he an archaeologist?”

  “Nope. Works for the government. He’s the one who told me about the Anasazi a long time ago and probably got this novel of mine started somewhere in my cerebral cortex. He’s not really my uncle by blood, just a family friend.”

  “How neat. To know somebody who actually speaks Navajo, like the Code Talkers.”

  “Yeah.” Web nodded, knowing she was referring to the World War II units manned by Navajos who had developed their own unbreakable code. “Pretty impressive. But then, so were the Anasazi from what I’ve read and learned.” He leaned back and lifted one foot to rest the heel on the seat in front.

  He couldn’t miss her quick glance at his lap or the way her throat moved when she swallowed. There was something innately fascinating about this woman, besides her scent and Web was determined to figure out what it was. She was sexy, earthy, sensual in an appealingly innocent way and pretty much totally unaware of any of the above.

  Perhaps therein lay her charm.

  “The Anasazi…oh yes. They were impressive.” She stared out of the window and Web was struck with the fanciful notion that she was looking into the past rather than at the passing scenery. “A well-developed society, skilled crafters and builders, a solid religious component—and then they were just gone. Disappeared in what was practically the blink of an archeological eye.”

  “And you want to know why.” It was a statement not a question.

  “Of course. But I’d like to know how they lived more than why they died. I’d like to know what they thought, how they loved, who they worshipped—all that sort of stuff.”

  Absently, Midge tugged her shirt collar apart and brushed away a couple of droplets of sweat. More rolled down into the abundant cleavage she’d unthinkingly revealed.

  Web gulped and forced himself to concentrate on her words not her breasts. “They were people, Midge. Just like us but without the cell phones.”

  She looked back at him, all mussed hair and blue-purple eyes. Why hadn’t he noticed her eyes before now? They were the color of some flower or other. Not quite violet, but not a pure blue either. The bus around him disappeared for an instant as he fell into the depths of those eyes.

  Then she spoke and he surfaced, shaken to his core.

  “You really think they were just like us?”

  It took a second for the words to become intelligible to Web, since his head was still whirling from his brief trip into some sensual fantasy. “Yes. I think they were just like us.”

  I know they were like us. I’ve seen them in my dreams.

  And I’ve seen you in my dreams too.

  Naked.

  Midge worked on her laptop, seemingly ignoring him, letting his words drift off in the dust left behind by the bus. Whether she was actually unaware of him or not, didn’t really matter.

  Web just relaxed and indulged himself, remembering his most recent dream.

  It was dark, the total darkness of a wild and uncivilized place, soft air around them and soft grass beneath them.

  He’d chased her across what seemed like miles of emptiness, her laughter a temptation that lured him on. She was quick, quicker than the creatures he hunted—or at least he felt she was.

  Their feet made little sound and he could hear her quick breaths along with the rise and fall of her hair as it tumbled around her.

  She would let him catch her. He always caught her. This time it would be atop the world instead of next to a river or beneath massive rock outcroppings that had stood since time began. It didn’t matter if she was tall or short, dark or fair—she was his.

  The band of beads around his biceps throbbed as his blood thundered through his veins, the thought of taking her, claiming her, driving his heart to beat like the drums that sounded at dawn before a hunt began.

  Finally, she slowed her pace, stopping—as he had anticipated—on the very top of the rise. She turned, her teeth a flash of white in the darkness.

  “You are slow tonight, Ashiike.” She taunted him, laughter in her voice.

  “I must conserve some strength, Ma’ay. I shall need it to make you scream out my name to the skies.” He came up beside her and stood there, letting her scent fill him and arouse him to near-painful hardness.

  She hunched a shoulder and turned away. “What makes you think I shall permit you to take me?”

  He slid his hands around her, finding her nipples beaded beneath the necklaces she wore. “These.” He pinched them.

  “Ow.” She let out a little yip but did not pull away.

  He kept one hand toying with a breast while the other slipped beneath her loincloth. “And this…” His fingers sought and found the heat of her desire, wet and slippery folds of flesh hiding the taut bud he knew so well.

  “Ahhh…” She sighed as he slid a finger into her. “Yes, my Ashiike. I think I will let you take me.”

  “As you shall take me. All of me.” He let his hand fall away from her breast and found the ties to her garment. It dropped to the grass, followed quickly by his own.

  This was how they were meant to be. Naked, touching, rubbing against each other, two tinders striking sparks from the world around them and within them. Ashiike let his hand drift from her pussy to the cleft of her buttocks, dragging moist fingertips across her ass, pressing against the little ring that puckered between the firm globes of flesh.

  She shuddered—his Ma’ay, his fox. Her body moved like a snake about to shed its skin, ripples of arousal just below the surface finding an echo in his own desires. He let the head of his cock replace his fingers, resting it in her shadows, pressing a little, keeping the fire simmering under her passion but containing it, controlling it until he was ready to let it explode and engulf them both.

  “My love, my Ashiike…” Her whisper vanished on the breeze as she pushed back against him, her hungry quivers letting him know how she relished his touch.

  “You are mine. You will always be mine.” Ashiike growled the words, swept by a need for her he could not understand or even name. His fox—his prey—his mate.

  “Yes…” She fell limply to her knees, bowing her head to the rising moon.

  He stared at her, back firm and gleaming softly as her hair fell to either side of her neck. She was a wonder of nature, every bit as magnificent as the orb now peering at them from beyond the horizon. Could any goddess be more beautiful than his Ma’ay?

  “I want you, Ashiike.”

  Ma’ay turned a little, glancing over her shoulder. “Take me any way you wish. Whatever your desires—they are my desires too. Just take me. Fill me. Fuck me…”

  Her words only fueled the fire in his cock and the rising swell of passion in his heart. She was truly a fitting mate for a warrior. There would be no question of what she wanted—or why she wanted it. Her ass waggled invitingly as she leaned forward on all fours.

  “What are you waiting for?” The challenge was flung at him from ripe lips that curved into a half-smile. “It is there for the taking, my brave Ashiike.”

  Ashiike narrowed his eyes. “You dare tell me my job, woman?” He dropped to his knees, forcing her thighs apart to make room for him. “Perhaps you need to learn who is master here…”

  He lifted his hand and smacked one cheek of her ass, a ringing blow that brought the imprint of his palm to the skin, a brand that marked her as his and took the breath from his lungs for a second or two.

  “Oh, oh…you devil…” She tossed her hair to one side, licking those lips, panting and waggling some more. “I find I like being bad…” Ma’ay’s quick glance at him from under her eyelashes was both heated and coy, a mixture he f
ound incredibly stimulating.

  “And you like the punishment, I think…” Once more he smacked her, a little harder this time, making her rock slightly in her prone position.

  “Yes, oh yesss…” Her thighs were wet, shining now in the moonlight. Her scent filled the air, sage and sex and spice and all Ma’ay.

  He reached for her pussy, thrusting two fingers through the slick honey and slapping her once more as he did so.

  “Aaiyeeee…” She howled, a sound of pleasure and pain and hunger. “I need…I want…”

  “What?” He lifted his palm and again brought the blood to her ass cheeks with swift stinging blows.

  “I need…”

  He moved his fingers inside her, stimulating her, grinning as her thighs spread wider in encouragement.

  “Make me come, by the Gods. Make me come… fuck me, you bastard…” Her head dipped low as she reached for her breasts and Ashiike knew she would be kneading them now, pinching and pulling on the nipples in that particular way that suited her in these moments.

  He pushed at her, parting her thighs as wide as he could, making room for himself as he poised the head of his cock between her buttocks. It was awkward for a moment or two, keeping one hand in her slick heat and getting himself where he needed to be. But he did it.

  Then he pushed inward.

  She cried out as he penetrated past the tight muscles into her secret places, but relaxed as he entered slowly, his way greased by his own liquids as they mingled with her juices.

  She was tight, very tight, the grasp of her ass around his cock an embrace he would never forget.

  It was time. Time to move his hand—just like that…

  She shattered on a scream that filled his world, erupting around him, on him, driving him deep with her spasms and squeezing his cock so tight he thought he might be bound to her like this for eternity.

  His balls clenched taut as he thrust, fighting to control the onrush of his own climax.

  “Ma’ay…”

  He roared her name…

  And woke up.