This is a bit longer than usual, but I don’t expect you’ll mind too much.  As always, please excuse the typos and errors. And I’m including a pic of what Sand looks like that morning.  I can see why Amanda would notice him and want to play with his hair! Wouldn’t you?

Sand woke with the warmth of his mate’s back pressed against his front. His nose was buried in the wealth of her hair, and the scent of it was a comfort, a joy, and a call to arousal all at the same time. Waking with her like this for the rest of their lives was the most wonderful future he could imagine. His hand rested on her soft belly, just below the temptation of her breasts and it was all he could do to not caress her. His imagination supplied a vision of him cupping her soft breast in his hand while she woke and turned on her back with an inviting smile. He would push her tauntingly thin nightdress up past her waist and slide inside her. He always wanted her, but right now, his desire was like fire in dry grass.

The pinch of his jeans over hardening flesh reminded him that last night she’d required him to wear something to bed. She wouldn’t welcome his advances this morning. He shifted to ease the pressure of his jeans and relaxed against her. At least he had this. If the investigation didn’t go well, at least he’d have the sweet memory of lying beside his mate, her body lax and trusting in sleep against his.

The next ten minutes passed with him savoring the scent of her hair and the warmth of her body against his. She woke as he’d imagined, with a sleepy smile as she rolled onto her back beside him. He had to clench a fist and press it into the mattress to keep from caressing her.

“I’ve never done this before,” she murmured in a voice husky with sleep. The edge of her teeth showed in a small smile as she reached he palm to cup his cheek.

“Done what?”

“Wake up with a man.”

That startled him almost enough to not notice the way she smoothed her hand over his cheek. “Never?”

“No, never.”

Pride swelled his chest, mixed with awe. She had been with many men before, but he was the only one she’d slept beside. “Do you like it?”

Her smile was small and tender. “Yeah, I like it.”  Her eyes looked closely at his face, obviously thinking of something else now. “You don’t need to shave, do you?”

It wasn’t really a question. “No. I pluck a few hairs sometimes, but I don’t use a razor.”

He hated to let her go, but when she squirmed to get out of bed he made himself lean back out of her way. In the thin cotton nightdress that hid nothing of her beautiful body, she scrambled past him out of bed and went to the door.

“I’m going to brush my teeth and wash my face. I’ll be back in a minute.”

After she left, he lay for another minute on the bed that smelled of her. Last night when she explained that she had more than one mattress he had been surprised and confused, but also vastly relieved and pleased that no man had ever been on this mattress before. Depending on what happened today at the mayor’s office, this might be the only time he lay in this bed.

Amanda was preparing herself for the day; he should do the same. He jumped out of bed and hurried down the stairs and outside to the bunkhouse where he stored his few toiletries. He used the facilities, washed his hands and face, and brushed his teeth, but didn’t waste time doing anything with his hair. It was still in the same braid he had put it in yesterday, rumpled and frayed from sleep. Leaving it a mess, hurried back to Amanda’s room. He tapped lightly, but she didn’t answer so he slipped back inside. The room was empty. She must still be freshening herself. How long did it take her to get ready? The women at the den didn’t take very long.

He was straightening the sheet and blanket on the bed when he heard her walking down the hall to her room. She came in, her hair damp, dressed already in a floaty skirt like the one he had first seen her in and a pale green blouse with puffy sleeves. Her nightdress was over one shoulder, and she carried a suit on a hanger in her hand.

“Look. Here’s the suit Sky sent for you to wear this morning. I think this dark charcoal gray will look good on you.” She lifted a couple of ties. “I think the red will look best for you, but do you like the blue one better?”

A tie too? Sand swallowed his inner growl. “Red is fine. If you like that one best, I’ll wear that one.”

She flipped a smile over her shoulder when she turned to hang the suit up on a hook over her door. “And now I finally get to play with your hair! Sit down.”

The chair she indicted was the frilly fragile-looking one at her vanity. He hesitated, then settled himself on the little seat. “No one has combed my hair for me before, not since I was a baby.”

Her hands were fumbling at the end of his braid, unfastening the twist of rawhide he used to tie it off. “So, this morning we both get to enjoy something new. Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle.”

Sand’s eyes closed in bliss while his mate carefully unraveled his plait. He had a few mats from sleeping on it, but Amanda was true to her word, and her hands were gentle when she untangled the clumps with her fingers before gliding her comb through the length
of his hair. With him sitting in this low chair, she had to kneel to comb the ends. She fastened it with one of her hair ornaments at the nape of his neck. Then, apparently deciding she preferred it loose, she unfastened it and pulled it over his shoulders.

“I love your hair,” she murmured, smoothing her hand over it in the wake of the comb. “It’s so smooth and shiny.”

He met her gaze in the mirror and a contented smile curved his lips. “Did you know that in the old days, Lakota wives took pride in their husband’s hair? It was their privilege to take care of it.”

“Oh, I see.” There was an oddly blank note in her voice. He wasn’t sure what it meant. “It’s 7:40. You better get dressed so you have time for breakfast before you have to leave. Here/ put on the undershirt.”

He did, then reluctantly accepted the pressed trousers she handed him. She turned her back so he could
slip his jeans off and pull Sky’s borrowed pants on. They were the right length, he supposed, but maybe a little loose in the waist.

“Turn around,” Amanda commanded, and he obediently turned. “Damn,” she sighed. “There is nothing like a male ass in a pair of well tailored trousers.”

Blushing, he rushed to put the coat on. His mate licked her lips when she looked at him. “Mr. Wolfe, you are yummy! But you need to put the shirt and tie on before the jacket.”

He blushed harder and took the coat off. Amanda touched his hand. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.”

He wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment. He felt ridiculous in the scoop necked undershirt that barely covered his nipples, and her blatant admiration of his butt had caused heat to rise in his cheeks. But it raised another kind of heat inside him. The trousers didn’t hide his erection.

“Oh, dear,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t sound sorry.”

“Ouch!” She pretended to shake sting from her fingers, as if to imply his words had hurt her. “I am sorry, to have to send you off like that, without giving you relief. If we had more time…”

He groan a short phrase in Lakota.

Amanda seemed to have decided that going on to the next thing was best. “Here’s the shirt. Shall I help you with the tie?”

Her fingers looping the narrow silk around his throat did nothing to cool his blood. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed to stand still while her breasts brushed over his chest while she tortured the tie into a fancy knot at his throat. She held the coat for him and then stood back to look at him.

“You really are very handsome,” she told him, smoothing a bit of lint from his sleeve.

He scented Sky outside the door even before the knock came. “Thank you,” he told Amanda quietly, before he opened the door.

“Ready to go?” Sky asked.

“He hasn’t eaten yet,” Amanda said quickly.

“I’ll be fine,” Sand shrugged. “Wolves are used to going hungry.”

“You’ll need to be sharp at the mayor’s office,” she argued.

“I’ll be fine,” he said again, but the knowledge that she cared made him smile.

One of her hands squeezed the other hard enough for the knuckles to go white. “You don’t know that. This could be the last time I see you. I mean…”

He brushed a quick kiss over her cheek. “It will be okay, Amanda,” he whispered. “I’ll be back soon.”

He saw the uncertain glance she gave Sky, and the grave smile Sky gave her.

His cousin nodded. “Tom won’t want to disrupt the flow of our taxes,” he said, his tone encouraging.  “Kiss your mate good bye, Sand. We can’t be late.”

Her kiss tasted of suppressed tears. “It will be fine, Amanda.”

She nodded briskly. “Of course it will. I’ll see to that myself, if I have to.”

His gaze lingered on her as he went out. Already he was anxious to get back to her. She cared for him. He was certain of it. All he needed to know was how much did she care?

This is almost –but not quite!– late. Thanks for being patient. It’s been a pretty crazy week. I wrote this quickly, so there are probably a ton of errors in it. Please be gracious and overlook my typos.  Enjoy!

Amanda put another spoonful of ice cream and strawberries into her mouth, gaze lingering on Sky’s face for a moment before going back to Sand’s. Both of them had been silent during supper, almost grim. She directed her eyes at Sky again. “Is something wrong?”

“No.”

She didn’t believe it. “Sand?”

The man beside her opened his mouth, but Sky sent him a commanding stare and answered. “No, Mandy.”

Sand frowned at Sky. “Amanda,” he said, in a pointed tone.

Sky frowned back at him.

“Her name is Amanda. Ah-Man-Dah. Don’t call her Mandy anymore, okay?”

With a blink, Sky nodded. “Okay.”

He remembered, Amanda thought, feeling warmth slide around her heart in a tender hold. Sand was so sweet. She took another spoonful of ice cream. “What’s got you so down, Sky?”

The smile he gave her was almost fake, close to the kind he gave visitors. “Nothing. It’s been a long day. Beautiful weather today. I suppose we should enjoy it while we can. Winter is only a few months away.”

He was lying. She knew it. Sand looked down into his bowl without speaking. She couldn’t say she knew him as well as she knew Sky, but except for the light that lifted his face at the sight of dessert, his face had been grave since he came to the table. She liked the expression of delight at the sight of the ice cream. Her suitor must have a sweet tooth. A wicked smile curved her lips. He liked ice cream. Maybe he would like to lick it off her breasts. Desire, so easily aroused when she thought of Sand, flooded her as she imaged cold ice cream and his hot tongue against her breasts…

His hand seized her wrist. She looked up into dark eyes staring at her with the same hungry delight he’d shown the ice cream. His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. He opened his mouth for the spoon she lifted to his lips.

“Oh, for pity’s sake,” Sky groaned. “Not at the table!”

Amanda glanced around at the others eating supper. Some studiously ignored Amanda and Sand, others watched frankly. Paint had an expression of stark longing on his face, but it vanished as soon as he saw her watching him.

Sand leaned close. “Are you done eating?”

She nodded, and followed him out of the dining room to her room upstairs. He slammed the door shut behind them and dragged her against his chest. He had showered before supper. She could smell the shampoo on his still damp braid and the scent of soap tickled her nose where she pressed it against his throat.

“What are you thinking of?” he growled.

“You,” she murmured, dropping her head back to look up at him under her lashes. “Licking ice cream off my breasts.” She felt his cock stir against her belly. “You like ice cream, don’t you, Sand?”

His voice was slightly hoarse. “Yeah.”

“Kiss me.”

His lips were soft, gentle against hers. Chaste. That wasn’t the kind of kiss she wanted from him. She wanted him hot and demanding, and she got that for several long minutes before he pulled away and held her at arm’s length. His unsteady pants put a smug smile on her face.

“You can’t be done kissing me,” she pouted teasingly. “Don’t you want to kiss me again?”

“Only—” His voice broke and he had to clear his throat. “Only as much as I want to breathe. But we need to stop before I forget myself. Unless … Have you decided to be my mate?”

The hope on his face brought shame to hers. “No.” She made her tone gentle. “I haven’t decided yet.” To keep herself from pouring out excuses, she turned the subject. “What has you and Sky looking so glum? He wouldn’t tell me. Will you?”

He dropped his hands from her shoulders and looked her right in the eye. “Maybe Sky wants to protect you from worry.”

“But you don’t want to protect me?”

“From anyone who would hurt you, yeah. But you’re grown up. Keeping secrets from you seems wrong. Do you want to know, even if it’s something you can’t do anything about?”

He really seemed to want to know her feelings. “Yes.”

He nodded. “Peter Vann was here today. He says me and Sky have to go to an investigation of a complaint that Askup made about me.”

Hot rage welled and was chased off by cold fear. “Terry went to the Mayor to complain? That asshole.”

“Yeah. So tomorrow morning me and Sky go to the Mayor’s house for an investigation.”

“Oh, my God.” She couldn’t help but grip his arm. “Sand.”

“I have to wear one of Sky’s suits.” He sounded disgusted.

“You’ll look wonderful,” she assured him. She shoved alarm away with a forced smile. “You’re handsome in jeans, but in a suit you’ll be devastating. I’ll help you get ready. At last, I’ll get to play with your hair!”

Sand gave her one quick kiss. “You can play with my anytime you want.”

They shared her bed that night. He tried to sleep on the floor again, but she had a strangely fierce desire to hold him. Surely, the mayor would be kind. The tax Sky and his house provided the city was sizable, and the mayor liked Sky. He wouldn’t offend Sky, even to keep his friend Terry Askup happy. And, if worse came to worst, she had the promise the mayor had made her on her eighteenth birthday. He’d exercised his right to be her first lover, and afterward, when she’d cried, he had patted her head and told her she could ask him for a favor anytime and he would grant it. She had never used it.

But for Sky —and especially for Sand— she would claim his promise. How had he become so important to her so quickly? She burrowed her nose into the nape of Sand’s neck and breathed his warmth in.