Diamond in the Rough (The Red Petticoat Saloon)

by Abbie Adams

  "I'm sorry!" She pulled back, worried she'd hurt him.

  "No, don't fret." He sat up again as he'd slid lower into the tub while she was rubbing him down. "You, did nothing wrong, ladybug. It's just that you are not ready for how much I want you right now. How about you turn around and I'll wash your hair?" He didn't wait for her, but reached for her arm and helped her to turn.

  "No, you really don't have to. I can—"

  "I want to. I want it out of this little coil and I want to see it down." He began feeling around the knot until he found a pin, then pulled it out. She reached up and helped, removing the pins and letting them drop to the floor. His fingers felt amazing against her scalp. He went on to gently pour water over her hair from buckets he'd placed near the tub before they got in. Then when he lathered it with the sweet smelling soap she almost purred. She felt an intense euphoria—so much so that when her hair was rinsed, she'd relaxed so entirely she just melted into him when he pulled her back to lay against him. His body cradled her like they were meant to fit together just like that. He wrapped his arms over her chest and just held her close. This was the last thing she'd expected from the smirking lawman, the tenderness, the sensual nature of the man melted her reserves.

  When his fingers trailed up her arm, tingles shot up her spine. When he ran them over her collar bone to the swell of her breast, the tingles shot straight to her core. Delaney struggled to regulate her breathing when he touched her pebbled nipples. He rolled them gently between his fingers which sent torrents of aching need through her. She arched her back against him, unable to sit still. She wanted to touch herself, to cup her heavy breasts in her hands, to cover his hand and move it lower.

  "You are so beautiful, Diamond. So passionate." He seemed to have read her mind as his hand traveled lower until it dipped under the water. Even though she knew where he was going and that he was going to touch her there, she gasped when his fingers slid right down her slit and right to that little button that gave her so much pleasure. "So responsive. I want to hear your gasps, your moans."

  "Ahhh…" Her voice was broken, her concentration shot. She'd bitten her lip trying so hard to remain stoic but she couldn't help but moan and wiggle against him. One hand still cupped her breast, the other toyed with her womanhood and the very essence of her being. "Mmm…"

  "Do you like this, ladybug? Tell me do you like it when I touch your little pussy?" He was merciless in his ministrations, rubbing her sensitive pleasure button until she was about to come undone. "Talk to me. If you don't like climbing the mountain towards the peak… your peak, then, I can stop." He was taunting her.

  "Please…" She wanted to say more, to talk as he asked, but words wouldn't form. She was trembling with need, squirming against his hand. Her face was so hot, her muscles so tight, her breaths coming in short little pants. She hadn't even realized he'd brought his other hand down there, but as he continued to stroke her with the first hand, he slipped a finger of the other into her. "Oh… yes."

  "You are so tight and so ready, aren't you, ladybug?" He slid a second finger in with the first, slowly at first until it was all the way, then pulled back and thrust more forcefully. "You like this don't you? You're clenching down on me. Come for me, ladybug. Fall into the abyss. I'll catch you. Just let it go."

  "Ahhh, mmm, ohhh." Delaney couldn't think about what he was saying. She could hear him, and his voice stroked her just as his fingers did. She was riding his hand and wanting more. She needed more. Everything was so tight, her legs, her tummy… She started to shake, shuddering as an explosion happened within her body, waves of glorious pleasure pulsating through her, resonating from her pussy and his hands doing their magic. She clasped his strong arms, hanging onto his as if she might just slide away.

  Murmurs and whimpers were all that she could manage. She just clung to him as the waves of passion coursed through her.

  "Such a good girl. I love all the little sounds you make when you come for me. You needed this didn't you?" He continued stroking and thrusting, wringing every last ounce of delicious release he could from her. When the waves of pleasure had finally subsided, he held her close, petted her hair and continued to tell her how beautiful she was and how much she'd pleased him.

  It took her a while to be able to think but she finally did come back from the heavenly place she'd drifted away to. And when she did, she was quite embarrassed by her behavior. She had played with herself and had enjoyed it. But, she'd never come undone the way she had then. Never felt wave after wave of such incredible, all consuming bliss.

  "I'm sorry…" What does one say when they—

  "Don't you dare apologize for being so beautiful, young lady." He scooted back and leaned her away so he could look at her face. She wanted to hide, but he held her hair snuggly. "I loved every minute of that. Now, I can't wait to go upstairs so I can feel you do that again but all over my cock next time." He pulled her close again and kissed her neck, nibbling a little at her ear.

  His words both embarrassed and excited her. "Are you ready to get out?" she asked timidly.

  "Anxious are you?" he teased and she could feel her face heat.

  "No… I just meant the water is getting cold," she said, knowing he could see right through the lie.

  "Yes, do lead the way." He held her hand as she stood in front of him. Once they were both out of the tub he helped wrap her in a towel and patted her dry.

  "I can do it." She turned away from him, still very self-conscious of her nudity and her embarrassing behavior.

  He spun he right back toward him. "Enough of that. No need to get all embarrassed. Especially when that was mild compared to what's going to happen between us upstairs." He winked at her, standing there nude and dripping wet, his cocky smirk firmly back in place. If it was possible her face heated even more.

  "I'll get a robe from behind the screen." Her voice was mostly a whisper as she slipped away from him.

  ***

  "I can walk. Please let me walk, Marshal."

  He didn't so much as acknowledge that he'd heard her. He continued down the hall and then up the stairs with her in his arms. Now in addition to her feeling so embarrassed to be wearing nothing but a robe, she also had to be seen by Opal and a regular who were coming down the back staircase while the marshal carried her up them in his arms like a child.

  When she was standing on her own again, she almost wished he had picked her back up. Then she wouldn't have to think about what she should be doing. She looked around the new room, taking in the cheerful peach color of the wall, and the beautiful quilt—or more importantly, the bed. Then as if seeing herself sprawled naked across its surface, she looked away quickly in embarrassment. He would probably think her so forward. She peered back at the marshal from underneath her damp locks. He was divesting himself of the robe which he'd first refused to wear, saying he'd rather walk through the saloon naked than to wear the silly robe. Her heart had stopped until she realized he was teasing as he walked to the other set of stairs. He dropped the robe onto the pile of their clothing he'd also carried back. When he turned back to her, he was again naked. She was sure her face glowed brighter than the lantern he turned to the bureau and lit. The room wasn't completely dark but mostly shadowed as the curtains were closed and it was dusk outside anyway. The lamp might as well have been the mid-day sun. She felt like she was in the spotlight singing with Silver downstairs.

  "Take off your robe, ladybug. It's just us." He quickly closed the distance between them and helped her to slip the robe off. They both stood there naked in the lamplight, facing each other. She struggled to breathe and not to run from him, squaring her shoulders. She would not cower before him.

  With one step, he eliminated the last few inches left between them. Delaney looked up as his lips came down on hers, softly at first then more demanding as he brought his hands up to cup the back of her head. Her hips moved of their own accord, pressing closer to him, seeking completion.

  She stepped backwards with him
as he backed her up to the edge of the bed, and then pressed her down with his large body over top of hers. Her legs separated as his legs naturally rested between hers. She could feel his hard cock pressed against her thigh. Any concern she might have voiced was covered by his mouth as he staked his claim to her. She writhed below him, a sensual dance as their bodies melded together. She needed to be filled so desperately.

  "Oh, sweet girl, I want you so much. Your body is so delicious." He trailed kisses up her jaw and then nibbled her ear, sending ribbons of pleasure through her limbs. "I want to be in you so much." He scooted down her body until he was on his knees between her thighs. She thought he was moving forward to claim her moist passage, but he continued to slide down, trailing kisses down her tummy toward her—

  "Oh, please, you can't," she cried out when his torturous lips continued to her center.

  "Shhh… Just lie back. I told you I was going to lick you… taste all of your sweetness." He teased her, kissing each of her thighs at length while grazing her wet slit gently as he went back and forth. Despite knowing she should feel shame, she was ready to beg for more before he'd ever touched her there. And then when his tongue finally laid claim, cool against her hot flesh, she nearly bucked him off the bed.

  "Marshal, no! Oh, I mean, please…" She didn't know what she wanted, but it wasn't for him to stop. She squirmed and moaned as he gently flicked that little nub that sent ripples of pleasure through her.

  "Mmm, you taste like heaven. And I'm not going to stop until you cum like a good girl." He teased her mercilessly, flicking and licking, circling and even nipping.

  "I can't do that again!" She was so embarrassed by her wanton behavior but there was nothing she could do to stop it and at this point, she wasn't sure she even wanted to. "Ohhhh…"

  She thrust her hips in the air as if to dislodge him, but he cupped her buttocks and held her pussy to his mouth. She couldn't get away if she wanted to. He upped the ante and pressed first one finger and then two into her tight opening. She wanted more, needed more.

  "You like that don't you, ladybug. Your pussy is so hot and so sweet." Pressing deeper his fingers suddenly stilled, his eyes dropping to her core and then finding hers. "You're a virgin?"

  "Ye… yes," she whispered, her cheeks again flooding with color. She wanted to cry out in protest when he seemed to have abandoned his post, but his absence was momentary as he lifted himself over her and the round tip of his cock brushed the opening of her pussy. She struggled to hold back—her body at war with itself. Half of her wanted to wrap her legs around him and pull him deeply into her. The other half wanted to scoot backwards in the bed, afraid of the sheer size of him… surely this wasn't going to work. She whimpered against the stretching as he pressed himself slowly into her, opening her legs wider, trying to adapt.

  "Open your eyes, ladybug. Look at me." He was braced on his elbows above her, kissing her all over her face. "This is going to hurt but only for a moment. Just relax and let me love you." He waited until she managed a small nod and then he began pressing in slowly, sliding deeper and deeper, only stopping when his cock pressed against the membrane of her maidenhead.

  "Tell me you want this," he said, his voice shaky but his body still.

  "I… I do," she confessed. He nodded, bent to kiss her one last time and before she could react, then he thrust hard and took her virginity.

  "Owww! No, oh, it's too much…" she cried out as he thrust hard again, finally sinking fully into her with a sharp tearing feeling. She wiggled around him trying to ease the pain. "Ohhh…"

  "Oh, baby, please… just hold still a minute. It will feel better in a minute." His body was rigid and tense as if he was afraid to move but she had to…

  "Owww, please…" She clawed his back, trying to draw him in closer.

  "Hold on, baby." He slid back out of her and then thrust in again, and then again. And soon she was meeting his thrusts with as much energy as he was giving them to her. The ache, that was first pain, was now an overpowering need. They clung together, each riding the other's wave until it and they both finally crashed, landing them spent in each other's arms, gasping for breath.

  "I didn't… I never knew," she whispered against his chest, his arm holding her close even as she lifted her cheek from where she could hear his pounding heart. "Can we… um… do it again?"

  He chuckled and smiled, bending forward to kiss her. "We've only just begun, ladybug… I have so much more to teach you." With that, he rolled her to her back and she discovered that he was an excellent, attentive teacher.

  Chapter Six

  "And then you fled out of there, looking all suspicious and they probably followed you right back here." Slick slammed the whiskey jug on the table in front of him. "You don't have a lick of sense do you, Eddie? The whole point of you going to Culpepper Cove was to get information. But you ain't done anything but show them where we're hiding out."

  "He learnt they knew the woman was with us, boss." Little Joe, Eddie's brother far as Damaris could tell, spoke up when it didn't look like anyone else would. He made the mistake of doing it within the boss's reach. The man cuffed him upside the head hard and Damaris winced. She knew what that felt like. She brought her hand to her lips and ran a fingertip over the sore crack left from when the man had hit her last.

  "We already knew that the marshal was looking for her, smart ass. It's why we sent Eddie into town instead of her this time." Slick's evil icy gray eyes fell on her then. "Quit standing around, slut, and get our dinner on the table before I take a strap to you again."

  "Why don't we forget the stage and just head for Mexico now, Slick? They're a little too close for my comfort. You saw the hanging in Carson City. I ain't gonna hang…"

  "We're not just waiting on the stage, Frog. We gotta get fresh horses. The ones we have won't make it far at all. Eddie was supposed to stay in town and see what they had for horses there. Now who are we gonna send? They have signs for you and me, and we know they've seen the woman. Of course, Rufus is wanted on his own."

  Frog seemed the most sensible of the gang. She didn't trust any of them, but if anyone could talk Slick out of a rage, it was Frog. She'd seen him talk Slick out of killing a child back in San Francisco. Damaris pulled the biscuits from the side of the fire, wincing when she burned her hand through the scrap of a towel she used as a hot pad, then brought them to the table, before heading back for the big pot of beans and ham.

  "Tell us again, Eddie. Start at the beginning. Maybe there is something we can use," Frog said, as he leaned to the side when she came back with the big cast iron pan.

  She came back once more with the stack of tin plates and started to scoop up the beans for the men. Her thoughts had strayed to the fire. She'd been trying to think of a way to get free of the gang for days. She'd been thinking of starting a fire when they were all asleep. For as alert as the lot of them were to being caught, they all slept like the dead, especially when they drank—all except Eddie that was. That was why she'd thought to do it while he was gone—but he'd come back too soon.

  Her attention was drawn back to the gang when Eddie said her name, "That's what I told ya. The woman looked just like Damaris, maybe younger, and she coulda stared a hole through the man when he mentioned a lady riding with us."

  "Yah, says the kid who thought that sorrel was a paint! Wouldn't know a steer from a heifer, that one!" Rufus snorted, slapping the table. Damaris glanced at Slick and thanked God he'd laughed at his friend's ridiculous mocking. If he stayed all bent out of shape with Eddie, he'd most-likely take it out on her. She hurried to refill his plate before he could holler at her to do it.

  Once he was eating again, she let her thoughts wander. It was curious that a woman who looked just like her was playing cards. Their daddy had definitely passed his love of cards down to Delaney—unlike Damaris who could play but didn't enjoy the game—but she'd left Daddy and Delaney both back in St. Louis. There was no way her sister could be in a mining town in California now. />
  She sighed. She'd never planned to take this long to set herself up and send for her sister before their father could ruin the younger sister's life as well. And at this rate, it would never happen. She felt sick at the idea of her younger, innocent sister being bartered in a poker game the way her father had done Damaris. She'd give anything to make sure that didn't happen. But what could she do? She had to get away from these murdering scoundrels first.

  Another hearty round of laughter rattled the ramshackle cabin. Damaris noted the large chug of whiskey Hank knocked back before passing the jug to Slick. It was early in the day for him to be drinking so heavily. Slick was the most evil man she'd ever met and the more he drank the more likely he was to make viscous demands on her body. She got up so that the men wouldn't see the vile disgust shudder through her. It was better to slip away and stay out of their sight as much as was possible.

  ***

  "You can't tell me what I can or can't do. I love you guys too, but you forget, I'm an adult and a free woman." Delaney's speech was choked full of false bravado. At the end of this, she wanted their permission, needed their blessing. "And I want to do this. I have to find Damaris."

  Gabe pushed his seat back roughly and stood, towering over her and Jewel seated at the dining room table. "No hay manera en el infierno!" he growled, his voice thick with his native accent indicating just how upset he was. Switching back to English, he said, "In case you didn't quite get that, I said, No way in hell! I'll blister your ass and lock you in your room before I let you head out chasing the Shotgun Slick Gang in search of your sister. You can be as upset as you want to be about it, chiquita. I'll just be thankful that you are here and safe, but again, no—you are not leaving this place until they have been brought in. Absolutamente no!"