Bushedwhacked Bride (18 page)
Jessica moaned, reeling at the sheer power of Cole in
side her. She was bursting with pleasure, filled to unbear
able aching with his solid heat. He eased back and
plunged, his strokes consuming and ravenous, rocking
her deeper, sweeping her away on waves of riveting plea
sure. Jessica cried out, her fingernails digging into his
back as he staggered her with one shattering thrust after
another. Then his mouth was melting into hers, and hers
into his, as his last masterful strokes brought them both to
a climax of blinding fervor.
Chapter Sixteen
As unexpectedly as it had come, the storm of passion sub
sided. Jessica couldn’t believe she had succumbed to
Cole.
The confrontation between them had started out angry
and intense and ended up hot and very passionate. Her
fatal mistake had been pointing the gun at him; she’d been
overwhelmed to realize she’d actually endangered his life
when he’d only been trying to help her. When he had ten
derly pressed his mouth to the welt on her thigh, when
he’d stroked her bottom, she’d lost control, her defenses
decimated.
And she realized the day’s activities had also contributed
to her descent into sin. Guilty pleasures, she thought. First,
the guilty pleasure of joining the Reklaw Gang in the rob
bery. Then the guiltier pleasure of succumbing to Cole. The
fact that he was the sexiest man alive had only hastened her
downfall. Their lovemaking had been raw, intense, mind-
blowing.
And a huge mistake.
It didn’t help at all that he was now sitting on the tree stump, watching her as she dressed. His gaze smoldered as he observed her donning her drawers, overalls, and
boots.
And repairing herself wasn’t exactly an easy task. In
his haste to get the ants off her, Cole had ripped a button off her overalls, and she was forced to tie the straps together as best she could. Luckily she did have a comb in one of the large pockets, so she could rake some order
through her mussed hair. Yet her fingers trembled as she
pulled at snarls. Why wouldn’t he take his eyes off her?
Cole was indeed savoring Jessica’s every movement. Their lovemaking had thrilled him deeply, even though
she hadn’t been a virgin, just as he’d suspected. Still,
she’d been so tight, so hot and passionate, her surrender
so sweet. Already he wanted more. He wanted his Jessie all the time, not sneaking around as they were now. He
wanted to make love to her in a soft bed, with neither of them having a stitch on. He wanted to part her smooth
thighs, to throw those shapely legs over his shoulders,
and taste her thoroughly with his mouth. He wanted to
make her crazy with desire. And just when she couldn’t
bear any more, just when she begged him for mercy, he
wanted to thrust into her hot depths again—slowly this time, making sure she reached every peak of delicious pleasure his body could deliver.
Most of all, he didn’t want to share her. Ever again. Es
pecially not with his brothers. If this were indeed a con
test, then Cole was ready to be declared the winner. He wanted Jessie to be his alone.
Of course, he clearly had a long way to go in convinc
ing the lady. But he was ready to do some passionate per
suading. Jessie looked so uncertain, so vulnerable, and so appealing standing across from him. He hungered to pull
her into his arms and reassure her that everything would
be all right, that he was in charge.
Of course, that was the problem. The lady still wanted to wear the pants. She was a feisty, strong-willed female
who wouldn’t trust him with her future without a fight.
But it would be a good fight, even sweet. He’d see to it.
At last, done with her primping, she flashed him a
tremulous smile. “Remind me never to point a gun at you
again.”
Although she’d obviously meant to lighten the mood
with a touch of humor, Cole didn’t smile back. “I didn’t
force you, honey.’”
Now she appeared intensely frustrated, even torn. “I
know that!” she whispered miserably. “Why do you think
I’m so angry at myself?”
Cole quickly crossed the distance between them and
pulled Jessica close, feeling her soft body trembling
against him. He buried his lips in her hair. “Shhhhhh,” he soothed. “Don’t be mad at yourself, sugar. You know you
wanted me as much as I wanted you. Tell you what—why
don’t we get married?”
Wild-eyed, she sprang apart from him. “What?”
Cole grinned. “You heard me, you little siren. I want to
marry you. Even though you weren’t a virgin and I don’t
have to.”
Cole was unprepared for Jessica’s reaction. With a cry
of outrage, she attacked him with her fists. “You big
jerk!”
Laughing, Cole caught her wrists. “Why so feisty,
Jessie? I might just have to cool you down again.”
She flung off his hands and her eyes snapped fire at
him. “What does my virginity, or the lack thereof, have to
do with this?”
“Just what I was saying,” he stated calmly. “I want to
marry you anyway.”
She made a strangled sound. “You are nuts.”
“Why?”
“You’re an outlaw. You don’t intend to change. I.. . “
She gestured helplessly. “I have problems of my own.”
He eyed her tenderly. “We’re good together, Jessie.”
Her chin came up in defiance. “You mean in bed.”
“Oh, honey, we haven’t been in bed yet,” he replied huskily. “But we will be.”
He knew he was getting to her, from the way she trembled, the way color stained her cheeks. “You know damn
well what I mean,” she said.
“Yeah, I know.” He stepped closer, planting his hands
on her shoulders. “Come on, darlin’, don’t be so stub
born. You’ve already given yourself to me, so it’s a bit
late to be coy. Why not get hitched?”
She was shaking her head in disbelief. “Do you propose to every woman you go to bed with?”
“No. You’re the first. And that oughta tell you some
thing,” he added meaningfully.
“It tells me you’re not thinking with your
brain,”
she
retorted. “You’re probably only proposing because you
want to win the contest with your brothers.”
That remark stung. “That’s not true, Jessie, and you know it. But you’re right that I’m declaring the contest
closed. And, by the way, you invited
me
here today.”
“So I did, but I sure didn’t invite
this.”
She drew a con
vulsive breath. “Cole, this just happened too soon. You
caught me in a weak moment. I wasn’t ready, and I sus
pect you weren’t either.”
“Speak for yourself.”
“My point is, we’re not in love, and you don’t really
trust me. Our getting together was a mistake.”
Cole was stunned by how much her words hurt. He
reached for her. “Jessie—”
She backed off, vehemently shaking her head. “Cole,
please, don’t. I can’t take any more of this right now.”
Cole wanted to reassure her, but stopped cold when he
spotted tears of pain and confusion in her eyes. Clearly, she
wasn‘t
ready for this discussion. “I don’t know what to say, Jessie. Tell me how I can help.”
She wiped away a tear. “I’m going back to the house
now.”
Wordlessly, Cole followed her.
***
When Jessica stepped in the kitchen door with Cole close
on her heels, she grimaced at the sight of Ma and the
boys, who were already seated and in the middle of din
ner. The scents of fried beefsteak and greens cooked in
bacon fat wafted over her.
“Where you two been and what you been up to?” Ma
demanded grumpily. “I hollered for you till I was hoarse;
then we all went ahead with supper.”
Jessica felt color shooting up her face; she heard Cole reply, “Jessie and me were having a talk.”
“What were you
talking
about?” Gabe asked sugges
tively.
“Yeah, and what happened to Jessie’s buttons?” inquired Billy with a perplexed frown.
“That’s none of your damned business,” Cole shot
back.
At the venom in Cole’s tone, the boys fell silent and
Ma gasped.
As Jessica proceeded tentatively into the room, Billy
and Gabe shot up from their bench. “Here, ma’am, have
a seat between Gabe and me,” Billy offered.
But even as Jessica moved forward to comply, Cole
grabbed a chair from the corner and shoved it toward the
table. “No, Jessie, sit here by me. I’m tired of watching
the boys trying to squeeze you into a hoecake.”
Gabe and Billy exchanged a mystified look. Jessica glanced sharply at Cole and started to protest, but his
brooding expression convinced her she would only cause
a scene if she refused. She sat down in the chair he had in
dicated. After pushing her in, Cole took his place and un
folded his napkin.
For a moment tense silence gripped the table; then
Wesley asked, “Hey, big brother, why are you so ornery?”
Before Cole could respond, Luke suggested, “Bet he asked Jessie for a kiss and she refused.”
Amid the boys’ laughter, Gabe asked, “That true, Cole?”
Using his fork, Cole speared a beefsteak on the platter Luke had passed him. “Enough of this joshing. There are
going to be some changes around here.”
Blank looks greeted this pronouncement.
“Such as?” pressed Luke.
Cole glanced at Jessica, his gaze softening. “Such as, we’re all going to church on Sunday.”
Stunned, Jessica could only stare back at him.
Billy clapped his hands. “We are? Sure ‘nuff church?”
“Son, are you sure you want to do this?” Ma asked
skeptically.
Cole nodded firmly, still staring at Jessica. “I think
Jessie is right. We can’t all marry her, and if we’re all
going to have wives and children someday, we need to begin churchgoing.”
“Well, hot damn,” Billy said to Jessica, passing her the
biscuits. “What do you think of that, sugar?”
“Sounds great to me,” she replied with a forced smile.
She took a biscuit and busied herself buttering it. By now,
Cole was staring at her so intently, she was grateful for
the distraction.
***
“What changed your mind about church, Cole?”
After dinner, Cole was standing on the front porch in
the darkness when he heard the front door creak open,
followed by Jessica’s voice. He turned to see her beautiful face outlined in moonlight.
“Jessie,” he whispered, starting toward her.
But she held up a hand. “Cole, please. Come any closer
and I’m going in.”
At the fear in her eyes, disappointment seared him.
“Afraid of me now, Jessie? I thought you weren’t afraid of anything.”
“I’m not afraid, but confused.” After a moment, she
quietly admitted, “Well, I guess I am afraid of what I’m
feeling.”
Touched by her honesty, he whispered, “Then you
need to give in to those feelings, honey.”
“I already did. That’s why I’m confused.”
He sighed. “You know I’m not going to force you,
Jessie. I didn’t today, you know.”
“Yes, I know.” Her voice trembled, rife with emotion.
“But I can’t have you touching me again right now. I just
can’t.”
Anguish and longing assailed Cole, but he tightly
replied, “All right, honey.”
“So tell me—what changed your mind about church?”
Almost bitterly, she added, “Is it my reward for letting
you have your way?”
Wounded, he asked, “Jessie, how can you ask that?”
Her voice trembled. “I know you, Cole. Are you actu
ally going to pretend to be noble now?”
“I offered to marry you, Jessie. Wasn’t that noble?”
She laughed bitterly. “You weren’t really thinking
things through. You want me in your bed. You’ve made
that clear from the beginning. With marriage, you can possess me and also win against your brothers.”
Again her words stabbed him. He slowly shook his head.
“If your opinion of me is so low, why should I argue?”
She lifted her chin, revealing eyes bright with unshed tears. ‘Tell me the truth about church, Cole. You owe me
that much.”
He sighed. “I want us to go ‘cause of what you said—
the boys might meet some decent women there.”