Chapter 19

Ty lay for quite some time, just staring at Brianna’s face so relaxed in sleep, a bemused grin lightening her own dark features. Placing a gentle kiss on slightly bruised lips, she arose and went to the washbasin to clean up a little. The cool water she dunked her head into did little to cool her off and the grin on her face never faltered.

She’d done it. She’d actually made love to her wife…and Brianna had enjoyed it. Ty caught her reflection in the mirror and her smile widened impossibly further as her eyes twinkled back at her. The bounty hunter couldn’t help sticking her chest out a little in pride. "Stamina? Guess I showed her," she muttered smugly.

"My, aren’t we the cocky one," came a laughing voice from behind her.

Ty slowly turned around and watched her young bride sprawl across the covers. The slow, seductive smile she received was enough to make the breath catch in her throat. "How’re you feeling?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and using a wet cloth to pat down Brianna’s face.

Brianna had rolled onto her back when Ty came next to her and now she lay quietly as Ty carefully cleaned her skin. "I feel wonderful, happy, tired, excited…" she gazed at her husband with absolute devotion, "…and well loved."

"And a little chilled," Ty added, hoping her blush wasn’t too apparent. Tossing the cloth aside, she lay next to her wife and traced small patterns on her delicate skin with the tip of her finger. "We should get under the covers, you know," she murmured.

The blonde head shook negatively then tilted back as Brianna flashed another small smile. "I was quite warm a few minutes ago," she offered, punctuating her statement with a kiss. "Maybe we should try that method again."

Ty chuckled quietly. "You passed out the last time. Are you sure you can handle a second try so soon?"

"I did not pass out! I was simply gathering my energies," Brianna told her indignantly.

"For an hour?" The bounty hunter rolled onto her back and laughed, which was the wrong thing to do as she quickly found out. Small hands found every single ticklish spot on her body, and the two women fought for dominance across the bed.

Ty had never been so glad to lose a fight in her life.

Playful touches changed to inquisitive caresses as Brianna slowly discovered her husband’s body, delivering healing kisses to each wound and scar she found. She marveled at the transition from hard muscles to soft flesh, before she came to the juncture between Ty’s hip and thigh and found herself at a loss.

Brianna’s fingers tingled with need, yet there was something else she wanted to do—that the musky-sweet scent so close to her was calling for her to do—and she didn’t know if it was allowed. Misty green eyes caught blue flame as she stared up the long length of Ty’s body, fascinated by the tremors she saw going through her.

"What is it, Brianna?" Ty rasped quietly, seeing the questioning look. Every stroke of Brianna’s hands was sending tendrils of desire spinning through her veins and it felt as though her skin would melt from the heat of it. The bounty hunter was trying desperately to control her breathing and not scare her wife as she had been earlier.

Brianna swallowed hard and laid her hand over the dark hairs hiding the treasure she sought. " I want to–to…." Her voice trailed off, an anguished gaze catching her husband’s again. She just couldn’t say it.

With a swift movement, Ty gathered Brianna up and held her tightly, her touch soothing and light upon her back, while she murmured gentle endearments in her ear. "Oh, sweetheart, you can do anything you like. Didn’t you know that?" They rocked slowly back and forth. "Anything you want to do, I promise."

"What…what if you don’t like it?" Brianna asked shakily.

A small chuckle escaped Ty’s lips. "Then we’ll stop and try something else, that’s all. I won’t be mad or anything," she promised. "Did I do anything you didn’t like?" she questioned.

"No. You were wonderful. I loved it…and I love you," the young blonde answered emphatically.

Ty tapped the tip of her finger on Brianna’s nose. "I’m all yours, darlin’. Do what you will."

They exchanged lingering kisses as the banked embers of their passion flared into life once more. Brianna eased her way to the cradle of Ty’s thighs and let trembling fingers slowly uncover her husband’s womanhood. Risking another glance upward, she was surprised to see Ty’s head tilted back so all she could see was the long line of her throat and the faint scar there.

A deep breath, and the essence of Ty filled her lungs and her heart. Quickly, before she could lose her nerve or Ty could stop her, she lowered her head and tasted the sweet nectar awaiting her.

And she was lost. The pounding of her heart drowned out the strangled groan from above, and Brianna concentrated only on the soft petals of flesh beneath her lips and the moisture filling her mouth. A tentative tongue reached out, causing Ty’s hips to nearly buck her off, so Brianna wrapped an arm around a muscled thigh and held on tighter. After several moments of exploration, she pulled back to take a deeper breath, but found a strong hand on the back of her head keeping her in place.

She allowed herself a small smile as she heard the muttered words tumbling from Ty’s lips. "Don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop…" She had no intentions of stopping. Not until she’d wrung every last bit of strength from her husband’s body.

A slight shift and she brought her fingers up to join the exploration. While her lips and tongue delighted in a small nubbin of flesh she found, she carefully eased a finger into the entrance to Ty’s maidenhead. Brianna wasn’t exactly sure when the right time would be to do it, but then the bounty hunter took the decision way from her by thrusting forward with a desperate lunge.

Long legs wrapped around her torso kept her firmly in place as the two woman settled into a steady rhythm, and sweat from their exertions poured out of their bodies. Brianna thought for sure she was going to have to admit defeat until, finally, Ty’s body tightened around her own and she heard her voice hit an octave she hadn’t thought the bounty hunter capable of anymore.

The tremors weren’t as obvious as Brianna’s had been, but they left the bounty hunter just as weak. Ty struggled to catch her breath and tried without much success to bring her wife back up to the shelter of her arms. She frowned slightly as she realized Brianna was leaving the bed, but before she could protest, she was back with a glass of water.

"I thought your throat might be bothering you," Brianna related with a blush.

Ty thirstily downed the glass, then tossed Brianna a rakish grin. "We’d better keep water handy. I have a feeling we’re going to need plenty of it in the next few weeks."

"Just the next few weeks?" The girl’s cheeks went from pink to crimson as she realized what she said, and Ty laughed.

"C’mere you," she chuckled, throwing back the covers and motioning Brianna to climb in. The bounty hunter pursed her lips, surveying the bed thoughtfully. "You know, I’m pretty sure we were supposed to be under the covers for all that."

Brianna started to speak again, then hid her head under a pillow. Ty looked at the lump quizzically. "Hey!" She peeked underneath and found Brianna with her eyes tightly shut. "What’s the matter?"

"I’m going to sleep now," Brianna muttered.

"Not until you tell me what you were going to say," Ty told her. "We’re married now, you know…no secrets."

Brianna grumbled a bit, but finally came out of her hiding place to find her husband staring at her expectantly. She drew the covers up to her chin and kept her gaze leveled at Ty’s chin when she answered. "I’d have suffocated."

"What?" Ty choked out, desperately trying not to laugh.

Brianna sank further into the bed. "If we’d been under the covers, I’d have suffocated," she stated precisely. Then turned her back on her husband as Ty tilted her head back and laughed herself silly.

Ty spent the rest of the night trying to make up to her wife. And after the fourth or fifth try, she was pretty certain she’d gotten the hang of it.