Gunslinger (8 page)

“That’s it, honey, look at me. Touch and sight are a big part of the pleasure we’re going to share.”

Chloe sucked in a startled breath when his trousers dropped, revealing him in all his naked glory. He was huge! All solid muscle and bone and magnificent bronze flesh. She dragged her gaze upward along his body to his face. His skin was drawn taut over high, sharp cheekbones, his expression stark with hunger. His Indian heritage was apparent in every line and angle of his proud face. He was all savage need and hard, turgid flesh.

His teeth were bared in a feral smile as he lowered himself beside her on the blanket. “I’ve dreamt about this since the moment I saw you, honey. Soon I’m going to be inside you, just as full and hard and deep as I can.”

His erotic words were like an aphrodisiac. Chloe knew she should stop this before it was too late, but her aroused body refused to cooperate. She could do nothing but moan when his hands began a slow exploration of her body. Her breasts felt swollen and her nipples ached as he caressed and teased and rolled the pouting buds between his thumb and forefinger. The ability to form a coherent thought vanished when his mouth replaced his fingers and he began to suckle her.

Intense pleasure settled where his mouth worked so diligently, and lower, pooling between her legs. She tried to tighten her knees to stop the fire from spreading, but Desperado settled between her legs, spreading them even wider. She felt no shame. What she felt was a growing need to experience more of the pleasure Desperado was offering.

His mouth left her breasts and he grinned down at her. “You’re wet and ready for me,” he rasped. “I can smell your sweet arousal.”

Embarrassment flooded her and she tried to dislodge him from the cradle of her thighs, but he wouldn’t allow it.

She shivered as he regarded her through hooded eyes. Cool air touched her aroused nipples, and she desperately wanted his mouth to return to her breasts. Her fingers wound through his thick dark hair, dragging his head back to that aching place.

“Do you like my mouth and hands on you?” His voice was rough with wanting.

She nodded.

“I like to be touched, too. Touch me, honey. Put your arms around my neck, run your hands over my body. Do whatever you like.”

Her mouth went dry. She couldn’t count the times she’d wanted to touch the gunslinger and denied herself that pleasure. The thought of touching a man intimately had never occurred to her until Desperado came along with his sexy voice, handsome bronze face and dark, probing eyes that melted her bones. She knew that what she was dong was wrong, that the gunslinger would ride off into the sunset after he got what he wanted from her, but for the first time, and maybe the last time, she wanted to taste passion. And she wanted it from Desperado.

Tentatively she touched his chest. The soft mat of hair felt like silk beneath her fingertips. Emboldened, she explored further. His shoulders, his back…then she dared to touch the hard mounds of his buttocks. When she heard him moan, her hands fell away and she stared into the stark features of a man too far gone with passion to turn back.

“I can’t wait,” he gasped in a voice tense with pain. “Feel how much I want you.”

He dragged her hand between them, placing it on his rod. Velvet on steel, she thought dimly as she curled her hand around him and squeezed gently. He hissed out a breath. She squeezed again and he roared his approval.

Suddenly he flung her hand away. “No more! You’re killing me, woman.” His hand cupped her mound and he eased a finger inside her. “You’re ready for me and I’m sure as hell ready for you.”

He drew back a little and Chloe felt his erection prod against her opening. She stiffened, recalling what had happened the last time a man had torn into her unprepared body. She’d bled for a week and couldn’t sit a horse for longer than that. And the pain. She couldn’t go through that again.

“No!” The word was torn from her throat.

Desperado went still. “I won’t hurt you. I’m not a monster. Nor am I an inexperienced lover. I know what women like and I’ll make it good for you.”

She had heard those words before. “I…I can’t do this. I…ohhhh…”

He found her mouth and thrust deep with his tongue, just as his sex had found her center. He was inside her. Not all the way, but almost. Stretching her but not hurting her.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he rasped into her ear. “Can you take more of me?”

Chloe couldn’t think. She couldn’t relax. She wanted to move. She did. It was all the invitation he needed as he slid all the way in. She sighed and relaxed when she felt herself stretching to accommodate his heavy sex. There was no pain. He thrust in and out and she held her breath, waiting for something hurtful that never came.

Suddenly she needed more. She twisted, writhed. Trying to get away? No. Trying to get closer…to get more. A massive upsurge of pleasure blocked out her inhibitions, her fear, overwhelming her with the need to search for something…something that had no name. What Desperado was doing to her wasn’t hurtful, or despicable, or obscene. What she felt was pure, unbridled rapture.

She wasn’t a virgin but Desperado hadn’t expected her to be one. She had come to him hot, sweet and needy. Then all thought ceased when he felt her muscles tighten and her sheath pulsate around him, cradling him in wet, torrid heat. The bliss was so overwhelming he thought he’d died and gone to heaven.

Groaning out his pleasure, he began a rhythm of thrust and withdraw calculated to bring both of them the most pleasure. He heard her sobbing his name, felt her nails scoring his shoulders, and all his long-suppressed passion exploded in a wild frenzy of need as he thrust again and again, until he felt her sheath convulse in hard, rhythmic spasms. His own climax burst upon him suddenly. He bared his teeth, threw his head back and roared. Then he rode with the pleasure, letting it carry them to uncharted territory.

Blood pounded in his head in the aftermath of the most fulfilling sex he’d ever experienced. He heard Chloe murmur against his neck where her head rested, and he realized he was too heavy for her, but for some reason he wasn’t ready yet to leave her body. He levered himself onto his elbows and stared down at her.

“Are you all right?”

“I…you didn’t hurt me.” She sounded surprised.

He scowled. “Why would I hurt you? Is it because of my reputation? Making love to a woman has nothing to do with my profession. I think I just proved that.”

“We should return to the campsite,” Chloe said. “This was a mistake. I don’t know what got into me.”

He gave her a crooked grin. “I got into you.”

A trail of red crept up her neck. “This never should have happened and will never happen again.” She tried to shove him away. “There is no excuse for my wanton behavior.”

Heaving a reluctant sigh, Desperado pulled himself out of her tight passage and sat back on his heels. “No need to make excuses. We wanted one another. It’s as simple as that.” He searched her face, not liking what he saw. “Are you embarrassed?”

She nodded. “You’re a…”

Desperado’s face hardened. “A gunslinger? Half-breed? Which do you like least? No, let me guess. You hate the idea of being intimate with a half-breed. Am I the first Indian you’ve bedded? Did you learn something about savages just now? We’re not as repulsive as some people make us out to be. My Indian blood didn’t seem to matter when you took me into your body, or when you urged me on, or called my name at the peak of your pleasure. My back will bear the marks of your nails for a long time to come.”

“Stop!” Chloe cried, placing her hands over her ears to block out his taunting words. “You don’t know anything about me.”

His smile did not reach his eyes. “I know you weren’t a virgin. There were others before me. Perhaps Tate Talbot is more to your liking.”

“How dare you!” She scooted out from beneath him and began to jerk on her clothes. “You’re finished with this outfit, Mr. Jones. When we return to camp, collect your pay and get out.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Miss Sommers,” Desperado drawled. “You need me whether you know it or not. Go ahead and forget what just happened here if you think you can, but I will remember with pleasure the way you gave yourself to a half-breed gunslinger.”

“Get out of here! Just get the hell away from me! I don’t want to remember anything about you or what we just did. I found the act repulsive.”

“Repulsive?” he repeated. “I don’t think so, lady. You were hot and wet for me and I gave you what you asked for.” Suddenly he smiled at her, a genuine smile that revealed those intriguing dimples. “That was the best ride I’ve ever had, honey. I can’t recall when I’ve enjoyed anything more. There’s a heap of passion inside that curvy little body of yours. I know I wasn’t the first to have you, but was I the first to tap into that passion?”

Chloe buckled on her gunbelt and whirled to confront him. The fury blazing from the turbulent depths of her green eyes all but incinerated him. “Whatever you’re thinking about me is wrong. I know you’ve already reached your own conclusion, but for your information I am not a loose woman.”

Desperado’s dark brows drew together. “I never said you were. I reckon you’re picky when it comes to men. That’s why you’re so riled about letting a half-breed make love to you.”

She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. She looked so adorable Desperado had a hard time remembering what they were arguing about.

“If you weren’t so hardheaded you’d know your Indian blood has nothing to do with my anger. Once a man ra—” She turned away, unable to continue. “Never mind, you wouldn’t be interested. Just get on your horse and ride. You’re no longer working for me.”

“Like hell!” Desperado hissed. “You hired me to do a job and I’m going to do it whether you like it or not. I think I can control myself around you from now on. Just don’t ever look at me again like you did back there at camp. I’m a man, Chloe. I know when a woman wants me, and you, boss lady, were damn hot for me.”

Hearing the truth sent color rushing to Chloe’s cheeks. She
had
wanted him. She’d never wanted anything more in her life. But he was…a gunslinger. The half-breed part didn’t bother her as much as the knowledge that she’d let herself be seduced by a man with a violent past and no future. She’d promised herself after Tate’s brutal attack that she’d never be taken advantage of again.

Yet she knew in her heart that Desperado hadn’t taken advantage of her. It made her angry to think she could desire the gunslinger sexually. She’d thought Tate’s brutal attack had killed desire in her forever. She was not the helpless female she’d been then. Hadn’t been since she’d learned to ride and shoot. But her guns were useless against a man like Desperado Jones, who used seduction instead of force to get what he wanted.

“What we just did is best forgotten, Mr. Jones,” Chloe said crisply. “I’m going back to camp now. Pick up your pay before you leave.”

“I told you, I’m not going anywhere,” Desperado rasped in a voice that brooked no argument. “Go on back. I’ll follow in a few minutes.”

“I’m not paying you beyond today,” Chloe declared as she turned on her heel and strode away.

Desperado hissed out an angry breath. Never would he understand women. He knew when a woman wanted him, and Chloe Sommers had damn sure wanted him. She was hot and willing in his arms, and had enjoyed him as much as he had enjoyed her. Chloe Sommers was a liar. Had she been a virgin, he could understand her anger, but he’d found no obstruction impeding his entrance. She’d been tight, damn tight, but others had been there before him.

Suddenly the thought of other men possessing Chloe’s sweet body made him see red. Then he remembered that Chloe had seemed frightened moments before he’d entered her, and dimly he wondered if one or all of her lovers had been rough or forced her. Or…God, he’d drive himself mad with that kind of conjecture.

One glaring truth remained after considering everything that had led him to this moment. He would never allow the Talbots to hurt Chloe.

Chapter Seven

The drovers had started to drift back to camp by the time Chloe returned. Randy had a fire started and was slicing bacon for the men’s breakfast. He looked up when Chloe stopped by the chuck wagon to pour herself a cup of strong black coffee.

Randy gave her a searching look. “Are you all right, Miss Chloe? That stampede was pretty darn scary. Do you know who started it?”

“I think we can blame the stampede on the Talbots.”

“That was a brave thing Desperado did. We all thought you were a goner for sure.”

Chloe didn’t want to hear about Desperado’s bravery. She didn’t want to think about him at all. She was so angry at herself for letting passion carry her away, and at Desperado for taking advantage of her lapse, that she wanted to climb into her bedroll, pull the blanket over her head and forget every blissful moment she’d spent in the arms of the smooth-talking gunslinger.

A few more men staggered back to camp, tired, hungry and grumpy at being roused out of bed. Rowdy ambled over to join her, helping himself to a cup of coffee.

“There’s something mighty strange going on around here,” Rowdy observed. “Desperado always rides ahead to scout. How did he happen to miss that ravine when it lay less than a mile from our campsite?”

Chloe recalled thinking the same thing, but Desperado’s lovemaking had completely blanked the thought from her mind. “I don’t know but I certainly intend to find out.”

“Where is the gunslinger?” Rowdy asked. “I thought he’d be here basking in the limelight. Most of the boys think he’s a hero. I think he’s a traitor.”

“Desperado’s mustang is in the remuda with the others,” Randy said. “He’s bound to be around here somewhere.”

Chloe didn’t want to face Desperado so soon after making a fool of herself in his arms. Guilt and shame rode her mercilessly. “I’m going to scout ahead,” she said. “You’re right, Rowdy, we can no longer trust Mr. Jones. From now on I’ll do the scouting.” She finished her coffee and handed the empty cup to Randy.

“Don’t you want some breakfast, Miss Chloe?” Randy asked. “The bacon and biscuits are ready.”

Chloe snatched a biscuit from the tray Randy held, split it in half, forked bacon onto one of the halves and slapped it together. “This will do. Get the herd moving as soon as everyone has eaten, Rowdy. I’ll join you later, after I’ve made sure there are no more surprises along the route. We crossed the Oklahoma border some miles back and will be in Kansas before long. I can’t depend on Mr. Jones, so I’m counting on you and the rest of the drovers to get the herd to Dodge for me.”

Rowdy’s chest puffed up. “You can depend on me, Miss Chloe. I told you, you don’t need no gunslinger.”

Chloe started toward the remuda. Cory jumped to his feet. “I’ll saddle a horse for you, Miss Chloe. Your gelding needs a rest after his ordeal. How about that mare with a star on her forehead?”

“She’ll do just fine.”

Moments later Chloe rode out to the herd and saw that they were peacefully chomping grass after their exhausting stampede. She spotted Sonny and rode up to him. Lucky and Pete came up to join them. “I want the herd moving within the hour,” Chloe said. “I’m riding ahead to scout.”

“Alone?” Sonny asked. “What about Desperado?”

“He’s on his own from now on,” Chloe said tersely.

“But…”

Chloe didn’t wait around to find out what Lucky was about to say as she spurred her mount north toward the Kansas border. She rode a good ten miles before deciding that no more surprises lay in store for them. Their next obstacle would be the Cimarron River just over the Kansas border.

Chloe stopped to rest and water her mare in a shallow creek before starting back. She sat down on a flat rock beside the creek, and before she knew it her eyelids began to droop. She couldn’t resist the urge to lie down and take a catnap before starting back. She’d gotten no sleep the night before and within a few minutes she was sound asleep. A short time later she must have sensed danger for she awoke abruptly. A shadow blocked out the sun and she stared up into Tate Talbot’s grinning face.

“I saw you leave camp,” Tate said. “Where is your watchdog?”

Still groggy, Chloe sat up and looked around to get her bearings. Suddenly she remembered where she was, and that once again she had placed herself in a potentially dangerous situation. Instinct made her reach for her gun. It wasn’t in her gunbelt. She glanced at Tate and saw it dangling from his fingertips.

“I took the liberty of removing it from your gunbelt while you slept. You’re too damn trigger happy for your own good.”

“What do you want?”

“I want to know why we can’t take up where we left off two years ago. I know I can work a deal with Pa to let you and me live at the ranch. He don’t want the house anyway; it’s the land he wants.”

“Why?” Chloe asked curiously. “Why is your father so interested in my land?”

Tate shrugged. “I don’t question Pa. He knows what he’s doing.”

“No deal, Tate,” Chloe retorted. “You showed your true colors two years ago. I want nothing more to do with you.”

“You’re giving it to that half-breed, ain’t you?” Tate charged. “You little slut! I was the one who broke you in. You owe me.”

Chloe couldn’t believe her ears. “I owe you?” she all but shouted. “You conceited jackass! Don’t you know I hated what you did to me? And I hated you for doing it. Why don’t you leave me alone? I know you started the stampede. You knew about the ravine. You knew I’d lose half my herd if they stampeded and couldn’t be stopped before reaching the ravine. It didn’t work, Tate Talbot. My crew may be young but they pulled together and stopped the herd before any damage was done.”

“You got yourself in a tight spot, didn’t you, Chloe? That ought to teach you not to mess with the Talbots. If that gunslinger hadn’t snatched you away in time, you would have plunged into the ravine.” He touched her cheek. “That’s not what I intended, little honey. I don’t want you hurt. I want you for myself.”

She slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me!”

Tate’s face hardened. “I’ll bet you let that half-breed do more than touch you.”

Chloe’s expression must have betrayed her for Tate reached for her, a nasty snarl curling his lips. “If you’re going to give it to a savage, you damn well can give it to me.”

“Step away from her, Talbot.”

Tate spun around, paling when he found himself looking down the barrel of Desperado’s gun. “What are you, some kind of magician?” Tate gasped. “Do you make a habit of turning up when you’re least wanted? Get lost. Me and Chloe have unfinished business.”

“Is that true, Chloe?” His question was directed at Chloe but he never took his eyes off of Tate.

“No! I want nothing to do with Tate Talbot.”

“Return Chloe’s weapon,” Desperado ordered.

Tate’s eyes promised revenge as he tossed the gun at Chloe. She caught it handily and tucked it into her gunbelt.

“You won’t be so cocky when my boys arrive. They probably saw you riding up and have their sights on you.”

Desperado gave him a contemptuous grin. “You’ll find your friends tied up down the trail a ways.”

“Have you forgotten whose side you’re on, Jones?” Tate taunted.

Chloe gave Desperado a sharp look. “What does he mean, Mr. Jones? Have you gained a new employer since I fired you this morning?”

Talbot gave a roar of laughter. “That’s rich. You can’t fire Jones, he’s working for my father, always has been.”

Chloe darted a shocked glance at Desperado, saw his fingers flex at his sides, and felt a suffocating weight settle over her. It couldn’t be true! Yet in her heart she knew it was. She’d allowed a traitorous viper to seduce her. How the gunslinger must be laughing at her.

“Shut up, Talbot,” Desperado rasped.

“Hell no, I won’t shut up,” Talbot roared, ignoring the dangerous glint in Desperado’s eyes. “It’s time Chloe learned exactly where you stand.”

The pain of his betrayal was like a kick in the gut, squeezing out her breath. “Is that true, Mr. Jones?”

The look Desperado sent Tate should have scared the hell out of him, but if it did, Tate showed no sign of it. Apparently he felt confident that his father’s money paid for his safety.

“Of course it’s true. Why in the hell do you suppose Jones didn’t tell you about the ravine? Who do you think caused all those minor ‘accidents’ back at the ranch? They were delaying tactics meant to frighten you into selling your cows in Texas instead of taking them to Dodge.”

Flayed by Chloe’s contemptuous gaze, Desperado experienced emotions that were new to him. Shame. Guilt. And others equally foreign he couldn’t identify.

“Did you fire the barn?” Chloe asked point blank.

“No.”

“Liar! Did you set fire to my house?”

“No.”

“Liar. Did you scatter the herd before the drive began?”

“Yes. But no harm was done.”

“What about the branding irons? Their loss set us back two weeks.”

“I…yes, I took them.”

“How much did Calvin Talbot pay you?” Chloe demanded.

Desperado said nothing, feeling lower than a skunk.

“I can tell you that,” Tate said, barging into the void. “Pa paid him seven hundred and fifty dollars to make sure your herd never reaches Dodge. He’s already collected the first half of the money. He’ll collect the rest when the job is done.” He sent Desperado an accusatory glance. “To my knowledge, the gunslinger hasn’t earned a plug nickel. I’ve done most of the work myself.”

“You’ve said enough, Talbot,” Desperado warned. “I’ve got a message for you to take back to your father.” Pinning Tate with his hard gaze, he dug into his vest pocket, removed a wad of bills and tossed them at Tate’s feet. “Tell your father the deal’s off. The money is all there,” he said as Tate scrambled to gather up the bills. “I’m cutting all ties with the Talbots. From now on I’m working for Chloe.”

“Like hell!” Chloe shouted. “I’ll take my chances without you. I don’t hire men I can’t trust.”

Desperado smarted beneath Chloe’s well-deserved censure. If he was wise he’d get on his horse and ride hell for leather away from anything and everything connected with his past. No one knew he was Logan Ralston, and he meant to keep it that way. Unfortunately, his newly discovered conscience wouldn’t let him abandon a woman who desperately needed him, whether or not she chose to acknowledge that need.

“You heard the little lady, Jones,” Tate taunted. “We don’t need you. Me and Chloe are about to strike a deal on our own. Pa gets the land and Chloe and me are gonna get hitched and live at the ranch.”

Chloe sent him a quelling look. “You’re no better than Desperado, Tate Talbot! I’m going to take my herd to Dodge, sell to the highest bidder and pay my taxes with the proceeds from the sale. I don’t need Desperado Jones, and I sure as hell don’t need you.”

“You do need me, Chloe,” Tate boasted. “Have you told Jones about you and me? Does he know I was your first lover? No matter how many lovers you’ve taken after me, you’ll always remember that first time. I’m told women remember things like that.”

Chloe blanched. “That’s something I’ve tried hard to forget. Both of you get out of my sight. I’m the head of this outfit and I have every confidence that my drovers will get my herd to Dodge safely.”

“Your cows will never reach Dodge,” Tate said with complete confidence.

“Would you like to place a bet on that?” Desperado rasped. “You have me to contend with now, Talbot.”

For the first time, Tate looked uncertain. “You thinking about double-crossing Pa?” he asked with obvious surprise.

“Damn right. From now on Chloe is my responsibility. You and your father can go to hell. No one is going to take Chloe’s land from her.”

Tate gave him a twisted grin. “So that’s the way the wind blows. You’re poking her, just like I suspected. Was she as hot for you as she was for me?”

Desperado’s eyes went murky and his lips flattened. Tate must have seen his hand inching toward his gun for he retreated a step. “You wouldn’t shoot a man who can’t defend himself, would you?” He held out his right hand. “It still ain’t healed. I’ve been practicing with my left hand, but I’m no match for a crack shot like you.”

“You’re not worth shooting, Talbot. But I intend to leave you with a reminder of what I’m capable of.”

The only indication of what he intended was the muscle that jumped along his rigid jawline. Clenching his right hand into a fist, he let fly with a hook that caught Tate on the chin. Tate staggered backward but couldn’t escape Desperado’s left jab. That blow felled him. He lay on the ground, stunned and unable to rise as Desperado placed a booted foot atop his chest.

“Now that we understand one another,” Desperado drawled, “you can go. Don’t forget to rescue your friends.”

“You ain’t heard the last from me, Jones,” Tate gasped beneath the weight of Desperado’s foot. “Mark my words, those cows will never reach Dodge.” Desperado lifted his foot. Tate’s heated gaze lingered a moment on Chloe before he lifted himself off the ground and slunk off.

“Let’s get the hell back to camp,” Desperado said gruffly.

“How did you find me?”

“Same way Talbot did. I tracked you. When I returned to camp and learned you were scouting ahead, I decided to follow.”

“I meant what I said,” Chloe asserted. “You’re no longer working for me.”

He grasped her waist and tossed her into the saddle. “I don’t give a hoot in hell what you want, Chloe. I’m not going to stand by and let the Talbots steal Ralston land out from under you. I don’t care what you and Tate once were to one another.”
Liar
. “You can even forget what happened between us today if it will ease your conscience.”

“I don’t understand. Why should you care about me or my land?” Chloe challenged. “You’re a gunslinger. You go where fate takes you and use your gun to flout the law.”

“I’m not an outlaw,” he retorted. “There is one thing I do well, and people pay for my services.”

“Have you no conscience? What you intended to do to me has ‘illegal’ written all over it.”

Desperado had the grace to look away. “I had my reasons. Reasons you don’t know about.”

“You seduced me,” Chloe charged.