by Carol Finch
“All the same, Webster is dangerous, especially when threatened. If you get in his way, or if he figures out that you have been investigating him, he won’t go easy on you just because you’re female. I’ve known dozens of men like him, princess.”
She shook her finger at him. “Call me princess one more time and I’ll shoot both your kneecaps,” she threatened. “I don’t know why you resent my money so much. I don’t resent you because you’re being a complete ass.”
“How forgiving of you.” Coop barked a laugh. “I respect your desire to become more than a man’s trophy wife and a politician’s hostess. But I don’t intend to put your safety at risk. You’ve taken enough chances already. You hired me to investigate Webster. Let me do my job.”
“I want to help. I can still go places you can’t,” she argued. “I can enter Webster’s house without being watched closely. If I can gain access to his ledgers or eavesdrop on conversations between him and Denton—”
“No. Absolutely not.” His voice resounded like a judge’s pounding gavel.
“Then you’re still fired,” she insisted.
Alexa bounded to her feet and stalked toward her horse. She could feel Coop breathing down her neck. She tried to ignore the warm tingles his closeness incited and focus on her irritation with him. It worked—marginally.
“Damn it, hellion, will you listen to reason just once?”
“At least hellion is better than princess,” she said as she clamped her hand on the pommel of the saddle, prepared to hoist herself up.
Coop spun her around and grabbed her by the shoulders, giving her a quick shake. “Don’t you get it? I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“I don’t want to see you hurt, either.”
“Finally something we both agree on…other than this…”
Chapter Nine
Coop couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t touch Alexa without wanting her obsessively. If he didn’t kiss the maddening female this very moment, he swore he’d starve to death without the addictive taste of her. Obviously his emotions were in a hopeless tangle after discovering that Mr. Chester and the mysterious man in black were Alexa’s alternate personalities. Plus, she kept testing his temper until it frayed—and it had.
It was official now. She’d driven him so crazy that basic instincts prevailed over common sense.
The instant Coop crushed her petal-soft lips beneath his and pulled her familiarly against him the frustrating tension coiled into a knot of flaming desire. And sure, he could list a dozen reasons to back away from Alexa but only one reason to ignore sensible logic.
He craved her. He didn’t want to admit it, but he couldn’t deny the truth.
It didn’t help that she wrapped her arms around his neck and arched sensuously against him when she should have shoved him away. Her ardent response fueled the wildfire of desire that burned through every sensitized inch of his body.
“Why does this keep happening?” he asked no one in particular. “We need to stop, for both our sakes, Alexa. Tell me to stop.”
She peered up at him with those captivating blue eyes that mystified him. Her lips were swollen from his demanding kisses. Her breath came out in ragged spurts as she traced her forefinger over his mouth.
“We’ll stop…after tonight,” she murmured. “But first I need to touch you in all the intimate ways you touched me. I want to know every inch of you, too, Coop. I want you to feel all the amazing sensations I discovered with you.”
That wasn’t what a man standing on the crumbling edge of self-restraint needed to hear. The sultry image she painted with words made his knees wobble. He watched her unbutton his shirt and felt her moist lips skimming over his laboring chest. The darkness, sprinkled with twinkling stars, spun like a kaleidoscope around him. He felt light-headed as her hands and lips drifted languidly from his belly to the band of his breeches.
Coop groaned in helpless defeat when she tossed aside his pistols then relieved him of his holsters, boots and breeches. There had been a time not so long ago that he’d prided himself on his willpower and his ability to take control of certain situations. He could face down gunmen and outlaws fearlessly.
But he was afraid of what this alluring siren did to him. She made him feel too deeply. She made him want too fiercely. He hadn’t allowed anyone this close to him in two decades but Alexa had broken through the defensive barriers and intrigued him.
He was still reeling with the undeniable fact that she held an unstoppable mystical power over him when she urged him down to the pallet of his discarded clothes. Then she tortured him with such delicious pleasure that his body quivered and his mind melted into mush.
Her lips feathered over his belly and he moaned aloud in erotic anticipation. Her hand enfolded his throbbing length and his heart hammered furiously against his ribs. She stroked him provocatively and white-hot sensations bombarded him. Each one was like a bullet striking hard and deep and leaving him to burn alive.
Then she took him into her mouth and suckled him. Coop all but lost consciousness when infinitesimal pleasure converged on him from every direction at once. She flicked at him with her tongue, nipped him playfully with her teeth and he groaned in unholy torment. When he gasped for breath there was none forthcoming…until her lips slanted over his, sharing the taste of his own desire for her.
“Enough,” he rasped when she cupped him in her hand.
“Not yet,” she whispered as her lips skimmed over his chin, his chest, his abdomen. “I’m not finished getting to know what pleasures you most.”
“You do,” he heard himself say before he could bite back the incriminating words.
She lifted her head, her tangled blond hair coiling around her bewitching face in frothy curls. When she smiled at him, it was like having refreshing new life breathed into his battered heart. Allowing a woman like Alexa to know he was powerless against her was dangerous business. If he wasn’t careful she would run roughshod over him—and he’d let her get away with it.
“You do, too, Coop,” she replied as her free hand brushed over the muscled contours of his hips and thighs. “I think you’re my greatest weakness. Good thing this is our last night together.”
“Damn good thing,” he agreed hoarsely. “I—”
What he was about to say—and suddenly he couldn’t remember what the hell it was—fizzled out beneath his muffled moan. Her soft lips found his most sensitive flesh again. She flicked at him, teased him with evocative pleasure and stole the air right out of his lungs.
“Come here,” he demanded with what little breath he had left after she’d all but devastated him.
She rose above him, holding his gaze as she removed her black shirt and breeches. Coop had never seen anything as beguiling as Alexa’s lush body set against the backdrop of river rapids glistening in the moonlight. The water sparkled and rippled, sending droplets spraying through the air like diamonds dancing in the darkness. When she straddled him, Coop clamped his hands around her waist and settled her exactly upon him. She was hot and tight and the sheer intimacy of their union struck like a blow to the very depths of his soul.
This woman completes you, came a whispering voice from somewhere deep inside him.
That was not what Coop wanted to hear. He wanted a purely physical attraction. In fact, he silently chanted those very words while tumultuous sensations crashed over him. He arched into her, watching her expression change as passion overtook her, as completely as it overtook him.
“Coop…ah…” Her breath broke and she threw back her head, sending her blond hair cascading over her shoulders.
He felt her body quiver, felt her nails curl into his chest, as if to anchor herself against the phenomenal pleasure riveting her. She made him lose control in that wild instant when she convulsed around him again and again. He went over the edge with her into blinding ecstasy and he clung to her as shudder after helpless shudder pulsated through him.
When she sighed contentedly then cuddled up on his c
hest, Coop all but melted into the makeshift pallet. Every ounce of energy drained from him. He wasn’t sure he could have mustered the strength to move, even if someone held a gun to his head.
Sweet mercy, he hadn’t known passion could be so wildly devastating. Whatever he’d been doing, when he ended up in a woman’s bed to appease his needs the past decade, was nothing remotely close to this!
And that worried him to no end, too. Everything about Alexa Quinn was beginning to scare the hell out of him.
Her dewy lips brushed over his mouth and her fingers speared into his mussed hair. “Now we’re even,” she whispered.
Then she laid her cheek against his chest and breathed his name with a contented sigh.
That was the last thing Coop remembered before he fell asleep with Alexa encircled in his arms.
Alexa eased away when she heard Coop’s deep, methodic breathing and felt his arms go slack. Smiling in sated pleasure, she lightly touched her index finger to his sensuous lips then to the muscled flesh above his heart. She knew these reckless trysts couldn’t continue, for fear she’d become too attached to a man who wouldn’t be a part of her future. But she doubted she would ever forget the incredible way Coop made her feel. For these timeless moments of rapture, she was free to follow her most secret desires.
Rising quietly to her feet, she gathered her breeches and shirt then walked to the river to bathe and dress. Such a perfect spot for such a perfect night of passion beneath a dome of glittering stars, she mused as her gaze drifted back to where Coop slept. She studied his magnificent body while she fastened herself into her clothes. She knew him completely now and that brought an amazing sense of satisfaction.
Alexa grabbed the reins to her steed then weaved through the trees to reach the trodden path leading to the main road. When she spotted a rider cantering toward her, she ducked into the underbrush. Recognizing Miguel, she rode into view to flag him down.
Miguel drew his laboring steed to a halt then motioned for her to join him. “¡Caramba! I am glad to see you.”
Alexa trotted her horse toward him. His tone of voice sent jolts of apprehension spurting through her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing if you like high drama on the town square,” he said sarcastically. “After Webster paid his mistress a visit at the pleasure resort, he went to fetch the marshal.”
“And?” Alexa waited anxiously for her friend to continue.
“And he claims Percy Hampton rustled his cattle and he wants a posse to search the ranch.” Miguel burst out bitterly. “Kate’s father might not approve of me, but I refuse to believe he is involved in illegal activity.”
“According to Coop he saw Webster’s men place the Hampton brand over the original brand.”
Miguel’s dark brows shot up to his hairline. “He is framing the Hamptons? Does he expect Cooper to corroborate the story? Will he do it?”
“Of course not,” she said, and tried to reassure herself that Coop wouldn’t betray her cause. “I just don’t want to put him to the test and make him one of Webster’s enemies right now.”
“Then how are we going to divert trouble?” Miguel questioned.
Alexa frowned thoughtfully. “I suspect that Webster is going to force me to choose sides. He’ll demand an answer about the betrothal immediately and expect me to accept. If I turn my back on the Hamptons it will imply that I think Percy is guilty of rustling.”
“He won’t be happy if you turn him down, querida,” Miguel warned. “Especially if you do it tonight when he is the center of attention.”
Alexa nodded in agreement. She knew this courtship was all about expecting a contract renewal and favoritism. But if she embarrassed him in front of his hometown community, his resentment and wrath would double.
Her thoughts tailed off when she saw torches blazing along the path to town. “Damn,” she muttered. “He’s gathered a posse.”
“Si,” Miguel said. “He wants Hampton’s herd inspected immediately to locate his missing steers.”
Alexa wasted no time wheeling her steed around and racing toward Hampton Ranch. She didn’t want to be caught wearing masculine garb and have to explain herself. If she and Miguel cut cross-country and rode hell-for-leather they could stable their horses and dash into the house to change clothes before the torch-carrying brigade arrived via the road.
If she wasn’t on hand to intervene between Percy and Elliot, tempers might explode and gunfire could break out. Come to think of it, Elliot would probably delight in provoking a shooting contest between Percy and Oscar Denton because he knew who would win. The grim thought provoked Alexa to quicken her pace. She needed to take a position between the two men to discourage a showdown.
Coop moaned groggily and opened his eyes to find himself spread eagle atop his discarded clothing. Alexa, alias Mr. Chester and the caped crusader, was nowhere in sight. He scrubbed his hands over his face then propped himself up on an elbow. The woman had damn near killed him with passion.
But what a way to go.
Coop smiled rakishly as he came to his feet. The first time and the last time with Alexa had been incredible. The last time…The thought squeezed at his heart so he walked into the cold water to distract himself.
Moments later Coop was dressed and straddling Bandit. He trotted through the trees then noticed the lighted procession of riders headed for Hampton Ranch.
“That son of a bitch,” he muttered when he recognized Webster, spotlighted by a torch, riding abreast with Gil and Oscar Denton.
He knew Webster would try to set up Hampton, but he hadn’t expected the shyster to strike this quickly. Coop took off cross-country at a gallop. He didn’t know where Alexa was but he hoped she had tucked herself out of sight—and stayed there.
With no time to spare Alexa dashed into her room, tossed her nightgown over her head and grabbed her robe. The procession of riders approached. From her vantage point at the second-story window, she could see they were led by Elliot—who was bookended by Oscar Denton and Gil Henson. She darted down the hall to rouse Percy and Meg Hampton.
Percy answered her insistent knock and blinked like an awakened owl. “Something wrong, child?”
“Get dressed quickly. The marshal and a posse are outside with Webster.”
Percy’s gray brows swooped down into a flat line over his eyes. “What does that scoundrel want?”
“According to Miguel, who was in town earlier this evening, he has come to accuse you of stealing his cattle.”
“Why, that is preposterous!” Percy howled before shutting the door in her face to dress quickly.
Kate poked her head around the edge of her bedroom door. “What’s going on?”
Alexa explained hurriedly.
Kate muttered a few unflattering remarks about Webster then said, “It is beyond me how you can continue to keep company with that devious weasel.”
“It isn’t easy,” she confided as her friend wrapped a modest robe around her nightgown.
Kate jerked up her head and stared intently at Alexa. “Then why have you been doing it?”
“Long story.”
“I have all night now that I’m awake,” Kate insisted. “What the blazes are you up to?”
Alexa dodged the probing question by hurrying downstairs. Kate and her parents were a few moments behind her. She stepped onto the covered porch before Gil could dismount and knock on the door.
“Rather late for a social call,” she said. “At least in Questa Springs. Of course, in Santa Fe the soirees—”
“Alexa my dear, this is a serious matter,” Elliot broke in impatiently. “You have aligned yourself with a criminal.”
“That is absurd.” Alexa flicked her wrist dismissively. “I’ve known the Hamptons for years. They have all the proper social credentials and connections.”
“Marshal, do your duty,” Elliot demanded the instant Percy Hampton stepped into view.
“Elliot, really,” Alexa inserted as she strategically planted herself in
front of Percy. “I haven’t heard you use that tone before. It is not becoming.”
“Neither is rustling cattle,” Elliot snapped.
She tried to look flabbergasted by the harsh accusation. “You must be mistaken. Why, Percy wouldn’t do such a thing.”
“Move aside and stay out of this, Alexa.” Elliot fixed his narrowed gaze on Percy’s tall, lean figure. “This isn’t women’s business.”
Percy, who was in his mid-fifties, thrust back his shoulders and stuck out his chest, as if he were a pugilist preparing to go several rounds with his opponent. “I wouldn’t want your cattle, Webster. Their quality doesn’t compare to mine. Your livestock is no match for years of dedicated breeding. Same goes for my stock of race horses.”
“We can clear up this matter within a few minutes,” Gil declared before reining his horse around. “We’ll start by checking the livestock penned in your corrals, and then we’ll look at the cattle in your pastures.”
“You are wasting your time and we’re missing needed sleep,” Percy called out to Gil.
Alexa wanted to tell him that he had been set up, but that would invite too many questions that she didn’t want to answer. She had no idea how to settle this matter without Percy suffering the humiliation of being locked in jail.
Damn that Elliot Webster! He was going to pay—somehow—for using the Hamptons to further his own cause.
She wished Coop would magically appear, but involving him would cause him to lose his edge with Webster. If he did in fact have an edge, she mused warily. And he better not have lied to her or she was going to rake him over live coals to vent her fury.
Alexa watched the posse reverse direction to check the corrals. She wanted to call them back but she couldn’t dream up an excuse to keep them at the house without arousing suspicion.
