The Lady and the Lawman (33 page)

Slowly,
oh so slowly, the buttons were undone.

When
he reached her waist, it started the climb back up, making small
circles, swirls of a sorcerer’s wand across her flat stomach. He
moved his hand higher, b
rushing
over the bottoms of her breasts, lightning shot from his fingers and
set her on fire.

His
lips sadly left hers. Bereft, she cried out her disappointment. Mere
seconds later, she cried out once again, this time with the sheer
thrill of his tongue teasing her nipples. They hardened on contact
and her cry turned into a scream.

“
Yes!”

She
bit her lower lip, trying to control the sensations he was arousing.

“
I
want to hear you,” he breathed against her heated skin.

His
amazing tongue continued its ministrations as he dropped to his knees
in front of her. Reaching up, he grabbed the fabric of her shirt at
the shoulders and pulled down, bunching the material at her waist,
all but pinning her arms to her sides. She couldn’t reach out and
touch him, only feel his touch rake over her.

Desperate
as she was, the thought of him leading her, taking her where he
wanted to go, was highly arousing. Her head fell back against the
door as he slid his
tongue
over her, taunting her, teasing her painfully hard pink tip. Closer,
ever closer he moved, but never close enough. Her mind was focused
solely on her neglected nipple, begging him to close his hot, wet
mouth over the distended peak.

“
Not
yet,” he told her, his voice muffled as he kissed a path across her
belly. Had she begged, demanded he suck on her nipple out loud?
Reflexively, she arched her back in hopes of bringing his mouth home.

It
worked. He worked her nipple with his tongue, his lips a soft kiss
plying her sensitive area like he had her mouth. She cried out once
again. It was impossible not to.

“
Is
this what you were talking about?” he asked, still at her breast.

“
What?”
Her mind was too foggy to think.

“
At
the Mercantile. You said you wanted me to kiss you again. Is this
what you were talking about?”

Sweat
slicked her brow, heat radiated through her entire body, a rush of
sensation shot to her middle...and lower still.

“
Yes!”

He
moved to the other nipple, switc
hing
back and forth until Margaret was frantic, her legs ready to collapse
beneath her.

There
was nothing she could do but let him have his way. She wanted to run
her fingers through his hair, to pull his head into her more, but she
couldn’t. Instead, they bunched in her shirt and pressed into the
wood door as his teeth tugged even harder.

“
I
want to touch you,” she said when she was able to catch her breath.

One
minute the hard door was against her back, the next she was flat on
the soft mattress. Somewhere between the two rooms, her shirt had
been removed, and she was naked, Grant’s weight atop her, his mouth
once again fusing with hers.
She
roamed her hands everywhere. Pulling at the b
ottom
of his shirt, the tails came free of his pants and she was able to
run her hands underneath and up his back. Tight muscles danced
underneath her fingers, skin slick with anticipation.

***

It
wasn’t enough. Grant wanted more. More of her touch, more of her
body in direct contact with his. Struggling with the buttons running
up his shirtfront, Maggie let out a frustrated groan. Breaking free,
he stood, eyes raking over her face, then lower to take in her body.

“
You
are so beautiful.” His eyes roamed, taking in her firm, high
breasts with their perfect pink centers. It had only been minutes
since he’d touched them, licked them, but he wanted more. He wanted
to taste all of her. Now.

The
last button came free. He pulled the shirt off his shoulders and down
his arms. He looked his fill of her white belly, flat and smooth, hot
under his fingers and smooth under his tongue. Undoing his pants, he
pushed them down his legs as his eyes roved even lower.

He
was away from her too long. Damn the clothes!

Finally,
he too was naked, and from the look on her face, more than ready to
make her his...forever. Not wasting another moment, he returned to
her, kissing a hot trail down her body.
He moved his hands to follow, e
choing
the sensations his mouth brought. His fingers clenched her hips as
his tongue circled her navel before dipping lower. She tasted so
sweet, so Maggie, he wanted more. He wanted all of her.

He
smoothed a hand up her calf, over a knee and grazed across her inner
thigh,
creamy white and buttery soft. She arched her back. Her hands moved
to his shoulders.

“
Oh!”

That
was all he needed to hear. His fingers found her hot, hotter than he
ever imagined. Soft wetness clenched him as they slid gently up
inside. Her back arched like a bow, his fingers the arrow, adding
more and more tension. She was ready for her release, but he wasn’t
done. He gripped her hip, holding her still as she bucked and
screamed as his mouth covered hers.

She
was wild. Thrashing, her eyes closed and her hands were now in his
hair, all but holding his face in place. All of her prim self-control
was gone. In its place was an abandon he had only dreamed about. He'd
expected some reaction from her, but hell, she was a screamer.

It
was driving him crazy, her uninhibited arousal. She was more than
ready for him, her release almost upon her. He had to stop so she
could find that pinnacle once she was his and not before.

He
kissed his way back up to her mouth as he spread her legs wide with
his knee. He positioned himself and slowly entered her. Any
objections she had, he swallowed with his kisses. In and out, he
slowly moved, deeper with each stroke.

Beads
of sweat burst on his brow and coated his back. He move
d
his hand came between them, touching her i
n
the exact spot that made her scream once again as he lunged forward
in one stroke, driving himself home.

She
gasped when he stilled, their bodies fused together as one.

Through
his lust-filled brain, he realized, in that instant, she really
wasn't a virgin.

Up
on his elbow, he looked down at her, stunning with her cheeks
flushed, dewy with desire. Her lashes lay softly against her cheeks.

“
Maggie,
look at me.”

“
Who?”
he asked.

Her
eyes gained focus. “William. Once. He took it from me.”

He
held still within her. They were merged as one, but he processed her
words. Realized Hunt had raped her. Taken something precious from
her. From them. But all her actions since he'd met her, indicated
that was all he took. Her passion had been held in c
heck,
packed away like a special gift, waiting for him to open and explore.
That was just for him. Only him.

A
tear ran down her temple.

“
Hunt
took your virginity. But that's all. He didn't, he can't take
anything else.” He kissed the tear away. “You’re mine now. Mine
forever.”

He
started to move, to prove to her she belonged to him, to prove he was
the only one who could bring her fulfillment.

“
Say
it.” He needed her reassurance as much as he needed to move.

A
small cry of pleasure came from her lips and her eyes fluttered
closed.

“
Say
it!”

Surprise
made her eyes fly open. He mo
ved
his hand, still between them, in small, perfect circles to bring her
closer to what she wanted, even as he continued to move, stroke for
stroke.

“
Yours.
I’m yours.”

With
that, he moved even faster, bringing them both to the brink of
pleasure, then hurtling them over.

He
felt her release as he watched her arch toward him. He drove deeper
and harder into her to stoke his own fire and when he sought, then
found his release, he called out her name. He lowered his body over
hers and rested his weight on one elbow. He'd never felt such raw
desire turn into such pure pleasure before. He was sated and utterly
lost in his new wife.

He
was probably smothering her, so he rolled onto his back and pulled
her into his side. She looked up into his face after some time and
smiled.

“
What's
that smile for?” he asked, moving a curl out of her face.

“
I...I
liked that.”

He
laughed at her admission and kissed her forehead.

“
Good.
I liked it too,” he said softly, lulled by sleep from having his
long-anticipated pleasure sated. “Very much.”

He
pulled her closer so her head rested in the crook of his arm. She
turned over as he loosened his grip and settled in with her back to
his chest, her body matching his shape, conforming to his. Pleased
that she would shift to find a way for them to be closer, he
tightened his hold, one hand naturally cupped to her breast.

He
heard her even breathing, and realized she had fallen asleep. He
laughed to himself. Maggie, his wife, naked and sated, slept in his
arms. His last thought before sleep took him too was he liked
matrimony very much.

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

“
I’m
going with you,” Margaret told Grant as he pinned the shiny star to
his chest.

“
No,
you’re not. You’re staying here.”

“
Why
can’t I go to Croft’s with you?”

He
lifted a brow as he looked at her. “Because every woman in the
place will look like you right about now, and the man she’s with
isn’t her husband.”

She
was lying across the bed, the white sheet pulled up over her
haphazardly, enticing areas of creamy skin exposed.

She
wave
d
her hand at him absently. “I’m well aware of their profession and
the men they take to their beds. I’m surprised it slipped your
mind.”

“
Touché.”
He walked out of the bedroom, leaving her to stare after him. Jumping
up, she grabbed the sheet and wrapped it around her and chased after
him. “Wait!

He
spun on his heels and faced her. “Sweetheart, no. These men are
dangerous. I can’t protect you if something goes wrong.”

He
leaned and grabbed her, his thumbs making small circles on her
shoulders. The fight left her. The look he gave her was possessive.
He was trying to protect her.

“
I
understand.”

He
nodded. “Good. I’ll be back as soon as I can. In the meantime,
don’t let anyone in but me...or Tom.” Picking up his hat, he
added, “It’s early yet and you should be tired from last night,
so get some rest.”

She
blushed, but smiled too. Last night had been...unbelievable. Who
would have thought? All the stories she’d heard from her society
friends in Philadelphia had been wrong. She knew it wouldn't always
be like the fumbling, painful experience she'd had with William, but
she hadn't expected the pleasure from Grant, either.