A Promise of Thunder

hair, holding her head in place as he continued to ravage her mouth in sweet, wild torment.
    “Kiss me back, damn you!”
    She opened her mouth, knowing instinctively it was what he wanted. She felt him searching, searching, until he drew her tongue into his mouth and she had no choice but to kiss him in return. With a passion she didn’t know existed, she gave herself freely to the fire of his kiss. Then, without warning, his mouth left hers to nibble a scorching path down her neck while his hands dropped to press her hips against the hardness of his loins. When he finally released her, her eyes were glazed and her face wore a look of stunned disbelief.
    What was happening to her?
    Thick, hot blood surged through Grady’s veins, and he knew without a doubt that he wanted this woman. Wanted her more than he’d ever wanted another woman. And that included Summer Sky. Making love to Summer Sky had been sweetly rewarding and gentle, as natural as breathing and sleeping. But instinctively he knew that when he and Storm came together there would be nothing sweet or gentle about their mating. It would be an earth-shaking experience as wild and tumultuous as their names implied, and would change their lives forever.
    Was he ready for that kind of upheaval?
    Abruptly he looked away, his expression drained of all emotion. His harsh whispercame from the very depths of his soul. “What have you done to me?” His words sent a thrill of apprehension racing down Storm’s spine.
    “I—I’ve done nothing. I can’t help it if you keep pawing and kissing me.”
    He eyed her narrowly. “Something about you makes me forget that I am a Lakota warrior. Lakota warriors are taught to restrain their lust and keep emotions under tight rein. Yet I can’t seem to keep away from you. I want to touch your flesh without the barrier of your clothing.” He reached out to stroke her breasts. Her nipples hardened into tight little buds against his palms and she gasped in horror. “I want to kiss you until your lips are swollen from my kisses and your knees grow weak.” Adroitly she stepped out of his reach, fearing his next words.
    “I want to make love to you, Storm Kennedy.”
    Storm’s mouth gaped open, unable to give voice to all the despicable names she wanted to call him. Swallowing convulsively, she managed to say, “Get—get out of here! How dare you say such terrible things to me.”
    “Among the Lakota it isn’t terrible to want a woman; it is natural and right. You are a widow, not unaccustomed to a man’s desires. And you want me, I can tell.”
    “You can tell no such thing! That’s evil.”
    He laughed as if sincerely amused. “We’ll see, Storm Kennedy, we’ll see. Meanwhile, if there is nothing you need from town, I’ll rid you of my obnoxious company. Just remember, lady,one day Thunder and Storm will come together in a brilliant display of passion. Grandfather has spoken; Thunder can only exist in the bosom of Storm. The confrontation should prove a spectacular one.”
    Turning abruptly, he leaped astride Lightning and thundered off in a flurry of dust.
    Thunder and Storm? Grandfather? What in the world was Grady talking about? Storm wondered curiously. He spoke in riddles, making no sense at all. Yet she knew instinctively that Grady Stryker presented a danger to her very existence. The sheer magnitude of his desire frightened her.
    Grady smiled all the way to town. It had been years since anything had pleased him as much as Storm Kennedy. And whether she liked it or not, she
would
yield to him.
    Grady entered the busy town and went directly to the hardware store to purchase his nails. From there he visited the mercantile. He was in desperate need of warm clothes and boots. The dependable buckskins and moccasins had served him well, but if he wanted to conform to white dictates he must dress the part. He left the store a scant half hour later clad in twill pants and flannel shirt and wearing a pair of brown leather boots that reminded him of those he owned when he helped his father on the ranch. In a bundle beneath his arm he carried a heavy sheepskin jacket and the buckskins he had just discarded.
    After stuffing his parcels into his saddlebags, he headed to the bank. He still carried money on him that should be deposited in an account in his name. Thunder had no use for banks, but for Grady Stryker the bank was a practical way of preserving his remaining assets. The one thing Grady didn’t get was a