Western Trails (closed)

A soft whimper left Penny's throat as the kiss broke, leaving her staring into John's gaze for a long moment before his lips were there again, drowning her in a wave of emotion. She could get lost in that moment and happily never find her way home. His chest heated her own, making her want more and more of his attention. His hands traced over her skin and through her hair, another sweet sigh pulled from her chest.

She loved him. If she had never been in love with John before that moment, she most certainly was head over heels in love with him now. She would have gladly done anything that he asked of her and she would have died very happily.

The way she melted against him told him more than words could ever say, the soft sounds escaping from her lips exactly what he would want to hear, that soft acceptance of the situation and that it was more than welcome.

He pondered the thought if he truly loved her, that this was more than just their bodies talking and the answer was that he had known deep in his heart that he loved her, the very moment she took the time to talk to him, he was in love then and that feeling had grown steadily.

He moved his kisses from her warm, soft lips to her jaw, then her neck, teasing the skin with soft kisses and little nibbles. His hands actively alternating between stroking her hair and exploring her back.

"John." Penny murmured as he kissed and nibbled at her throat.

No one else in her life had taken the time to make her feel the way that John did. There was always hurried moment, passionless time together, and pain. All of that was behind her now that John was in her life. He took his time and made sure that she felt special. She would never get enough of moments like this.

He slowly kissed her throat, then his lips traveled downwards, his hands moving to cup her soft breasts as his lips found their way to her firm breasts. Now he took even more time, gently stroking and then kissing her soft skin, feeling the softness against his palms and under his exploring fingers. Running the tip of his tongue over her nipple, then enfolding his lips around the nub and using his tongue's tip to tease her before sucking gently.

He removed his lips and kissed his way to her other breast, the fingers of his hand finding the wet nub and played with it, rubbing and gently tugging at it as his hand slowly squeezed her breast.

Penny was absolutely beside herself with pleasure as she watched John slowly seduce her. His lips, tongues, and hands were all working together in perfect unison, giving her the pleasure that she wanted and desired. It was incredibly erotic and she whimpered and sighed for him as he played with her breasts.

"Oh, love. Please keep going." She whispered, never having used those words before with a lover. "Don't stop."

And what the lady asked for, the lady shall receive. John kept up his slow exploration of her breasts. He was thrilled to hear her utter those words, their timbre and the way she said it, made it mean so much to him.

He also did not stop at her breasts, there was more of Penny to explore and explore he did, slowly and thoroughly, making sure to not miss a single spot until he could remove the last vestiges of clothing from her. There was a moment's pause, which he used to gather her into his arms, kissing her soft lips as their naked skin melded together.

Only after the kiss did he continue his explorations, his kisses and hands starting at her legs, his hands slowly exploring her knees and thighs as he started to slowly kiss her inner knees and thighs, working slowly upwards.

Penny gasped sharply as John gathered her against his chest, their skin meeting and melting. A long whimper issued from her throat, the feel of his rough hands on her soft flesh making her quake. It was an amazing sensation, one that she would never get enough of. This man cared about her, wanted to care for her, and she cared about him greatly as well.

His hands came to rest on her hips, holding her close to him as their bodies moved together. A pleasant glow filling up his being, bringing more to him than just the passion of the moment and in the back of his mind, he realized that he loved Penny more than his own life and would do anything to keep her safe and happy. As usual the time became a factor as he could feel his orgasm slowly start to build up.

"Don't hurt me." Penny whispered softly, her voice punctuated with sharp gasps and whimpers as she felt her orgasm building to its peak. "Please don't ever hurt me."

She had been hurt too many times to speak of in the past. All of the fear and doubt that she had felt with her husband had dissolved when she met John. He was everything that her husband was not and the thought that he might hurt her made her quake. He never would. She had to trust that he would never raise his hand in anger or treat her with anything but kindness.

Her words were almost lost in the passion and heat of the moment. He heard her though, he heard her and the thought of ever hurting her, even if it was unintentional, left his mind cold. He never wanted nor could he ever hurt her, not Penny.

"I'll never hurt you. Never."

Penny let out a whimper as his words washed over her, promising that he would never hurt her. She needed that promise, to hear that promise from him. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pulling herself close as she kissed him with a gentle passion. When she came, it was a beautiful moment. Soft and full of passion, completely unlike anything that she had ever experience before. It brought tears to her eyes and she clung to John just a little bit tighter.

The moment of his own release was lost in the sensual moment of it all. He would not remember the exact moment, but it did not matter, what did matter was the moment and their mutual euphoria, a testament to their lives and yes, their love.

He was not sure how much time have passed, but when they finally stirred it had started raining quite hard outside. Due to the height and the entrance, they were save from the rain. But the horses were not. He gave her one final kiss and brushed her hair from her face. "Now wasn't that better than doing dishes?"

He grinned and got to his feet, slipping into his trousers and made his way outside. He brought the horses into the cave and tethered them close to the entrance. That ought to keep the dry and relatively warm. Even though the cave would start to smell of horses, but it was the relative humane thing to do.

Penny was limp on their bed roll when John stirred at the sounds of the rain. She lifted her head from the ground as he gave her one last kiss and brushed her hair back from her face. She gave him a smile and a soft chuckle as he teased her about the dishes as she placed her head back onto the soft pallet and let out a sigh. He exhausted her in a good way and she had a happy smile on her face as she closed her eyes to get some sleep as he tethered the horses inside the cave to keep them dry and warm.

He stoked the fire and heated up the coffee, using the blanket to cover Penny up since it would turn chilly once the fire died out. He sat staring at the fire as the waited for the coffee, when it was done, he poured himself a cup. Found that Penny looked rather much asleep and then watched as the fire burned away leaving orange coals as he sipped his coffee.

When the coffee was done, he joined Penny under the blanket and lay for a long time in the dark, listening to the far away rumble of thunder and the falling rain. Wondering if he could really escape his past.

Penny slumbered on beside the fire, exhausted from their trip through the prairie and their romp just hours earlier. She didn't even stir as John joined her beneath the blankets yet again.

She dreamed of a storm. A horrible storm on the prairie. She was lost, her horse wandering aimlessly as the water rushed down over them. Nothing around her looked familiar at all. She had no idea where John had gone and her heart was hammering in her chest at the idea that she might have lost him for good.

"John!" She called out into the darkness, lightning crackling all around her. "John, please answer me!"

He woke up, almost believing he heard Penny call him. He frowned at the empty spot next to him. When did she get up? Again he heard her voice. Sudden stood looking to the cave entrance. He saw that both horses were there. But no Penny anywhere. As thunder rumbled through the soft pouring of rain, he heard his name again. Fainter this time.

He got up, grabbing his oiled coat, he slipped it over his head as he exited the cave. He paused in the darkness and waited for a lightning flash. As the light flickered, he made out Penny's clothing in the harsh flickers.

"Penny!"

He knew the rumbling drowned out his voice. He made his way onto the flat and called for her when the thunder permitted. Luckily she didn't wander further away, only moved in an erratic circle. Calling his name, but not registering his calls. Finally he caught up to her. She was drenched and shivering, her eyes open, but she looked around like she couldn't see where she were,

He spoke calmly with her as he slipped an arm around her to cover her with the coat as well. "I'm here Penny. Don't worry, I am right here. Let's get to safety. Come along."

He was certain that she had heard him, she did cling to him, but he couldn't make out what she said though. He just kept his voice calm and soothing, like when you want to calm a horse. It took some time to find the cave in the dark, the lightning helping to get his bearings.

Once inside, he shed the coat and turned to Penny, she seemed asleep as she stood there. Her lips moving as her closed eyes fluttered. He gently undressed her and used one of his shirts so dry her as best he could. Making her sit down, he moved their bedding closer to the fire and stoked a small flame into life. Then he slipped another shirt over her and led her to bed where he tucked them both in. His body slightly recoiling from the cold skin pressing against him.

"Geez, you are almost freezing."

"John, where are you?!" Penny cried out into the darkness, her heart racing in fear as she simply couldn't find him. "Please answer me."

She was freezing as the rain continued to beat down, soaking her to the bone. She was shivering violently when she finally heard John's voice, his arm wrapping around her and drawing her into his warmth. She clung to him tightly as he spoke calmly, telling her that he was there and he was alright.

"I thought I lost you." Penny murmured, following as he pulled her along. "Why did you leave?"

She was so incredibly cold. All she wanted to do was get warm. It seemed impossible and she was drifting through time until she felt him tucking her into their bed. She was tired, struggling to snuggle up against him to get warm.

They finally managed to find a comfortable position, her cold body pressed against him, he could hear her mumble, but could not make out the words. He held her tight as she snuggled into the warmth, wondering if this have ever happened before.

He woke with a start.

The fire had gone out, but the bedding were quite warm and Penny didn't feel like a piece of ice anymore. John shifted slightly to get comfortable and listened to the rain falling outside, it was much gentler now and the lightning and thunder had moved off to the East. He knew that the rain might delay their traveling time, but they had enough provisions to last for a few weeks.

He listened to her steady breathing and fell asleep next to her once more.

Penny woke to the sounds of the horses shifting restlessly. She felt like she had been hit by a run away carriage and as she rubbed at her eyes with her fist, she wondered what had happened. She had a vague memory of John struggling to get her warm, but beyond that, there was nothing.

John woke when Penny moved next to him, he opened his eyes and looked at her, this time she seemed awake though and thanks to the bedding and that they were snuggled together, she clearly had regained her body heat.

"Good morning."

"I don't feel well." She answered as John wished her good morning. "What happened?"

Her throat was aching slightly, her entire body weary from an evening in the pounding rain. "Did I get sick?"

"I think you will have a bit of a chill, but we will cure that in a day or two, I have seen the proper herbs for that growing around."

He brushed over her hair, "You took a walk in the rain last night. I found you wandering in a circle calling my name. You did not respond to me until I reached you and brought you back."

"I couldn't find you." She said with a confused look on her face. "I kept calling your name and never heard you answering. That's all that I can remember."

"The only problem is that you were fast asleep. How you can remember looking for me is just strange."

He slipped out of the bedding and tested their clothing, which still held a slight damp to them. He then added more wood and placed the pot and kettle close to the fire.

"You stay right there in that bedding. I have to go out for a bit."

He slipped into his clothing and placed his hat on his head.

"I should be back before the water boils."

He made his way to the mouth of the cave and led the horses outside as he went.

It was the stress of the entire string of events. She knew that she had been under an extraordinary amount of stress and that likely had caused the nightmare. With a sigh, she pulled the blankets up to her chin and tried to get comfortable. Her aches and pains were relatively minor, especially considering how much danger she had been in the night before.