It wasn’t until he was a half-dozen steps away, following the line of the stream that she realized he really did intend to leave her and set up his camp somewhere else. “William!”
He paused, head canted to the left so he could see her over his shoulder. “Evelyn?” So formal, and polite.
“You don’t have to go downstream.”
“But you’re trying to evade pursuit. If I stay, you’re caught.” A hint of a smile touched the corner of his mouth. “You went to so much trouble to run the risk of breaking your neck on a midnight flight down a mountain and through unfamiliar territory—I would hate to ruin all your hard work and planning.”
His words lashed at her pride, not for their content, but for the perfectly pleasant way he delivered them. Tears filled her eyes and, to her horror, she sniffled. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have laced the stew.”
Spinning on his heel, he strode toward her, then she was in his arms. His mouth crashed down against hers in a hard, brutal kiss that punished every bit as much as it gave pleasure. She clung to him, leaning into the contact. When he broke the kiss a moment later, the heat in his gaze scorched her and steadied her erratic pulse. “You scared the hell out of me. You do that again and I’ll spank your backside until you’ll wish it was numb.”
“I’m sorry, but those men. They saw me.”
“I know.” He gave her a squeeze.
“Then you know why I have to go after them.”
“Yes.” He brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek. “But you didn’t have to go alone.” His implacable tone demanded she pay attention.
“I wanted to keep you out of it.”
“Why?” He raised his brows.
“You shouldn’t have to suffer for me and these men killed my father, William. They shot him without an iota of remorse. They know what I can do. They saw me kill their friend. You feel everyone around you. What would it do to you to kill them?” She couldn’t bear the idea of hurting him. He felt so damn much.
“If the choice is you or them, I have no problem killing them.” His voice took on a soft, dangerous edge. “You cannot take away my choice to protect you. Don’t you understand what it would do to me to lose you?”
“I’m stronger than I look.” The tears splashing down her cheeks seemed to be making a liar out of her.
“Evelyn, darling, it’s not your strength I doubt, or your intelligence. You are fierce and brave. You are strong as all…you’re strong.” He cupped her face. “But you’re not alone. Not anymore. You have me and with me, you get my family and my friends. You have Quanto, Wyatt, and the Morning Stars. None of us are alone.”
Blinking back her tears, she swallowed the hard lump in her throat. “I didn’t want to go. I just thought…”
“Everyone runs,” he whispered. In his soft words she heard forgiveness, affection and humor. “You get this once. No more, all right?”
“Or you’ll spank me?” She tried for a watery tease.
“I might still.” He kissed her forehead. “Now, sit down before you fall down and eat.”
“But Samson—”
“I’ll take care of him.” With a firm nudge he directed her toward her gear, then he went back to his horse. Exhausted, she dug out the sandwiches she’d packed. They weren’t in the best of shape, but even hot and smashed she ate them. William moved with such smooth efficiency, it was almost a joy to watch. He stripped the gear off his horse, and hung the bridles before rubbing both animals down.
When he finished, he returned and laid out her bedroll. She yawned and he grinned. “Go on, get some sleep. I’ll keep watch and I might even catch a rabbit for your dinner.”
“I can help.” Another yawn cracked her jaw. The moment she’d stopped moving, she found it harder and harder to keep her eyes open. He coaxed her over to the bedroll and smoothed the hair off her face.
“Shh, sleep.” The kiss he laid against her cheek was so sweet.
“You’re being nice to me.” She caught his hand and held onto it. “I don’t deserve it.”
His soft chuckle caressed her senses. “No, but I like taking care of you. Maybe I’ll put something in your food next time and you can wonder what it will do.”
Squinting up at him, she frowned. “You wouldn’t.”
His teasing grin buoyed her spirits. “We’ll see. Now sleep. We can argue later.”
“Promise?” Oh, that made sense. He was taking care of her, not fighting with her while she was so tired.
“Yes, ma’am.” Satisfied because William had given his word, she held tight to his hand and went to sleep.
Kid, By the Stream
He’d built a fire as the sun began to set, but Evelyn barely stirred. Deep smudges of exhaustion filled the half circles beneath her eyes. Her horse hadn’t been in much better shape. Cleaning the gelding up, he’d used some liniment to rub down his sore muscles and set the pair off to graze. Game turned out to be scarce, but the stream had fish and it didn’t take him long to wrap a pair in leaves and set them into the side of the fire to cook beneath some rocks.
Settling in for the night, he’d enjoyed the sunset—dividing his attention between the landscape and the woman sleeping curled up on her side. The deepness of her sleep, a vulnerable position, struck a chord deep within him. His anger with her went back and forth several times. Fury over the needlessly foolish risk she took with her life warring with the respect for her tenacity and stubbornness—nothing about a long-term relationship with her would be simple.
She didn’t get that she wasn’t alone, yet she understood it enough to want to protect him. Him. You shouldn’t have to suffer for me. You feel everyone around you. What would it do to you to kill them? Kid couldn’t get past that last piece and every time it occurred to him, his anger evaporated.
Keeping the rifle in reach and his gun handy, he added another log to the fire and scanned the area, visually and with his gift. The only emotional presence he could feel was Evelyn. No one else was in range and since he’d picked up his first sense of her long before he’d found her physical trail, he trusted the quiet. The horses were half-asleep nearby and they’d hear trouble before he would. He settled back, body angled to be between Evelyn and any threat from behind and dozed.
Between one blink and the next, a translucent Buck sat next to the fire and Kid felt his mouth curve. “I should have been expecting you.”
“I’ve been watching for you to sleep for a while.” The dreamwalker looked as he always did, dark hair hanging loose and past his shoulders, a darker colored button down shirt, vest and denim. The only thing missing was his hat, but since he was asleep, Kid figured he didn’t need it.
Glancing down, Kid checked on Evelyn, but she didn’t stir. “Quanto pointed you to her, didn’t he?”
Buck nodded, amusement in his expression. “He told me you followed her down and I wanted to keep an eye on her dreams in case there was trouble. The minute I found her tonight, you were all through her dreams, so I stepped back.”
He was all through her dreams. Kid grinned and leaned over to extend his hand. “It’s good to see you.”
They clasped arms and Buck’s smile widened. “You look better.”
“I feel better. How is the ranch?” Evelyn was safe and he was hungry for news of home.
“We’ve had our moments, but that is a story for another night. Are you taking her back to the mountain?” Suspicion tickled the back of Kid’s mind at the artful dodge of the question, but Kid let it go.
“No. Did he tell you about what happened to her father?” Shifting, he stretched his legs.
“Yes. He also mentioned they’d seen her, which is dangerous.” Buck didn’t need anyone to tell him the necessity of keeping their abilities quiet and the pool of who knew about them limited. He and his siblings had grown up in that shroud of secrecy.
“She’s going after them.”
“And you’re going with her.” No judgment, no question.
Kid nodded once. “The thin
g is, if they’re looking for her, we may have to follow her back trail.”
“And if they’re not?” It was an outcome Kid had considered.
“Then we go to where they were.”
“Kid, you’re talking Kansas or Tennessee. Neither are easy journeys and could take months.” Another facet of their task he’d already identified. It had been months since her father’s death. If they searched for her, they’d done a poor enough job and her trail had gone cold. The frustration of those men wasn’t his problem. Deciding what to do about it was.
“I know, but we can’t leave them out there. It’s a stick of dynamite waiting to explode. One moment looking in the wrong direction and it could rain hell down on all of us.” The word choice had been deliberate and Buck’s smile deepened.
“I’m looking forward to meeting her, this woman who tricked Wyatt and managed to capture you.” Kid would accept the good-natured teasing, especially from a man who’d been literally entranced by his bride, but sobriety chased away his humor. “Where do you want us to meet you? Cody and Jimmy can head out immediately, they’ll likely bring Mariska with them. Micah wants to join, but we’ll be better off if we limit how many defenders we are down.”
“You have met her,” Kid grinned at the other man’s surprised blink. “Micah gave her a horse in San Antonio.”
“That was her?” Buck swung his gaze back to Evelyn. “I’ll be damned. She looks a lot healthier than that woman. It was everything Cody and I could do to keep Micah from bringing her back to the ranch.”
Kid laughed and it felt good. “We Kanes like our strays.”
“Yes, you do.” The retort held fond amusement in it. “I’ll let him know she’s all right. I know he worried. She understood the principles of the horse, but she wasn’t the best rider.”
“No, but she has enough determination and the grit to make anything possible.” Pride for her burned bright in him. “Instead of riding out to meet us, could a couple of you head into San Antonio, perhaps see if anyone has been looking for her?”
“Not a bad plan.” The dreamwalker’s gaze turned distant. “I’ll go or send Cody with Micah. He dealt with the stable master there, he can find out if anyone asked around. The inn wouldn’t have any real information on her. She stayed under the Kane name.”
An unexpected gift. “Unless they described her. She’s pretty memorable.” To him, unforgettable. “But if they pointed them toward home…”
Buck shook his head. “We’d know if someone were hunting close by. Jason’s not letting any stranger even pass through Dorado without getting a good look.” He tapped the side of his head. “And the doppelganger is still out there.”
Damn. Kid had hoped that situation would have been resolved by now. “What about the Fort?”
“All quiet. They’re sending out regular patrols, but ranging away from Flying K land after your father had word with the Colonel.” It wasn’t much, but they’d take what they could get.
“We’re less than a day’s hard ride from the mountain, so a good two weeks from Dorado. We can probably make San Antonio in ten days if we push hard, but I want that time to help her with her gift.”
Buck’s gaze sharpened, but Kid shook his head. They could discuss any problem with it later. Evelyn seemed to think she’d have no trouble with it, but in his gut—he knew she wasn’t a killer. If she faced down those men alone as she’d planned, her intellect and rational thinking would get in the way. Likely she’d be the one to die. And I will not let that happen…
“We’ll take care of San Antonio and let you know. I’ll keep an eye on your dreams.” Buck hesitated.
“What?”
“Jason might be able to reach you, even over the vast distance. You’re brothers, but you have to be willing to hear him. That’s what he told me.” Buck seemed to be choosing the words very carefully, his tone even more neutral and his eyes guarded.
Which meant he wouldn’t unless Kid gave consent because of what happened that last day on the ranch. Rubbing his jaw, Kid nodded once. “Understood. Tell him I’m willing.” They could hardly settle their differences at this distance, but he wouldn’t turn his brother away.
Not again.
The tension in Buck’s shoulders eased a fraction. “He’ll be happy to hear it.”
“I never pictured you two as friends.” It was his turn to tease. Buck had wanted to do Jason serious physical damage once upon a time.
“I could say the same about you and Wyatt, but according to my father that happened.”
“Miracles.” Kid glanced at Evelyn. “They happen every day. Give my regards to everyone.”
“I will. Stay safe.”
“Good hunting.”
Kid blinked awake. The night air had cooled from the heavy heat of the day. The horses continued to graze and Evelyn still slept. His brothers would check on San Antonio and he could concentrate on her.
It was a good night.
Chapter 23
Evelyn, Passion
She woke to a hard, hot hand cupping her breast. Insistent pleasure brushed aside the curtain of sleep. With wakefulness came the awareness of three facts. Firstly, she was nearly naked as William based on the bold way his body curved against her back and his thigh thrust between her legs. Tilting her head back, the sweet feel of his lips nibbling kisses along her throat sent tingles dancing through her body.
“William,” she sighed. Second, he really was there. It hadn’t been some dream or product of her very active imagination. Third, the thick length of his desire pressed up against her buttocks and he massaged her breast with a type of lazy thoroughness.
“Morning,” he murmured before drawing her earlobe against his teeth. His pleasurable assault stroked heat through her until she thought she might scream.
Light, teasing tugs against her nipple, the barest brushes that had her straining forward and when she tried to roll over, the arm around her midsection tightened. “Uh-uh.”
“Why not?” She wanted to touch him, too, but his fingers spread and dipped below her navel. Reaching over her shoulder she ran her fingers through his hair.
“I like you like this—all warm, and pliant, and mine…” As if to punctuate the claim, he slid one finger against her sex and her whole body trembled in anticipation. Instead of stroking her, he circled her clitoris, never quite touching until she thrust her hips up in demand. His low throaty chuckle sent another shiver through her, then he gave her what she wanted, the teasing turning firm.
Clamping her thighs against his, she writhed under his hand and the world burst as liquid ballooned inside of her and she shattered in every direction. Still floating on the ecstasy, she sensed more than felt him nudge her thighs apart before he slid inside of her. The angle made it a tight—almost too tight—fit and a gasp escaped her.
“Shh, easy.” He petted her sides and down her leg, nudging her thigh higher and then he sank into her, all the way to the hilt and she was full and stretched and it felt so damn good.
“This is very different,” she tried to catch her breath and flexed her fingers against his hair. She had nowhere to touch and his hands seemed to be everywhere, constantly stroking her, teasing her nipples, cupping her breasts. His hips began to move as he slid out and back inside. The world revolved around every caress, every touch. “I want to feel you.” She complained, then a rush of new sensations washed over her when he moved inside of her this time—him. Dear God. He shared with her what he was feeling.
Liquid heat vised around her and turned her muscles molten. Wholly erotic friction stroked her senses, bathed in slick heat and want—so much wanton need to feel and to give and to touch and to taste. She squeezed, tightening around him as he thrust into her again. Control slipped away—his or hers—or perhaps both. His body thrummed against her. She rode the waves, the tempest overwhelming. When he nudged her over onto her belly, she willingly raised her hips as though she knew exactly what he wanted before he asked. Actual understanding struck just ahead of
the carnal storm and her thoughts scattered away.
After several long minutes, she roused to feel his weight draped across her back, his breathing as ragged as her own. “I felt you.” He grunted in response to her wondrous declaration and she laughed. The zing of delight arcing up her spine made her gasp and he tightened his hand on her hip.
“I can still…feel you.” It took her a moment to make the connections, but when she tested the theory by rubbing her hips back against him, the overload left her trembling.
“Sorry,” he mumbled and bit-by-bit, he withdrew—not physically, but her raw awareness of him left like a million butterflies taking flight. He slid away to lie on his back, his hand rubbing her bottom.
Pushing up onto her elbows, she looked at him. Sweat dampened his hair and glistened on his face. The morning sun was high enough to give them light, but hadn’t quite climbed enough to heat the day. “Are you all right?”
The lazy look he gave her had her toes curling. “Much better now. You?”
Oh, she ached—but in every beautiful, sweet way possible. “What was that?”
“You said you couldn’t feel me…” Chagrin softened his expression. “I think I went a little too far.”
It had been him. She’d felt every glorious part of their lovemaking—both the sensations he wrenched out of her and the ones he experienced. “No. I—I don’t think I have words to describe it.”
“I know I don’t.” He rolled onto his side and propped his head up on a fist. “I missed you.”
Suddenly shy under his too-knowing regard, warmth flushed her cheeks. “I said I was sorry, but it was only a day.”
“No,” he shook his head. “That’s not what I mean. I missed you. After what happened, when I…”
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