Wanted!

by Aurora Rose Lynn

  "I can handle myself.” She turned her head to search for her horse and that was her mistake. He'd seized both sides of her face in two bear-like hands and crushed his lips to hers. To her embarrassment, she leaned into him, savouring the heat of his hard body, his strength wrapped around her like the sweet fragrance of smoking apple wood, a totally new and unnerving experience.

  Maddy half-heartedly raised her fists to fight him off, but the heels of her palms ended up with a will of their own, pressed flat against each of his shoulders, luxuriating in the sensation of soft leather and hard muscle and the scent of sunshine and green grass. Her thoughts whirled together, frightening, exhilarating, impossible. She didn't need any man caring for her. She'd done that for so long that she no longer bothered to think about a man warming her bed at night, of the distant possibility of bearing children and creating a home to be proud of.

  She pushed at him hard, willing him to leave her be. The mind-numbing kiss ended in a flurry of confusion. Her lips swelled, and she couldn't meet his eyes. What in the heck had just happened?

  "I'll consider that a thank you for saving your hide,” Jeb growled.

  Maddy expected him to step back, to jump on his horse and leave without another word. But she was wrong.

  He seized her upper arms in a tight grip and melded his lips to hers again. She couldn't breathe, and despite her reluctance, her hips leaned into his. His cock was rigid against her stomach. He took as if it was his right and she gave with a fierce intensity she'd never known. The pressure edging down into the pit of her stomach, then down into her questing pussy, left her pulse beating erratically. For the first time she could remember, she felt oddly safe with no need to look over her shoulder with every step she took.

  His mouth mere inches from hers, he gazed into her eyes. “I want to get to know you, lady sheriff, in ways that'll make your knees weak."

  All she could think to say was, “Is that a come on?"

  "Yup. Guess it is. I got a blanket on my horse. I'll spread it out here and we can get to know each other."

  Getting to know each other had a different implication for Maddy than it did for Jeb. When anyone made the attempt, she backed away hastily, crawled into the space where no one but she knew her secrets. She liked it that way. Then no one could hurt her, and she'd be left to pick the pieces up if things didn't work out.

  "No."

  "I could take you back to town and take you to the hotel.” A wicked gleam took the place of his former devil-may-care attitude.

  "Conquests are your business, aren't they?"

  He nodded, giving her the impression there was more to him than the carelessly spoken words. “I always win. Every time."

  "So do I.” She grimaced at the bravado behind the manly words.

  "There's nothing to say we both can't win at a little gentle lovin'.” He appeared amused.

  "I have other things to do.” Than let a man I've just met muddle my thoughts. Back in Plains Junction, one of the townspeople could be wreaking havoc and her presence was needed.

  "Let the deputy take care of the criminals tonight.” Jeb nuzzled his shadow of a beard against her ear. His warm breath fanned across her ear and her burning cheeks. Oh but she wanted him.

  "I don't know anything about you,” she protested.

  "Not much to know. Jeb McIntyre. Horse trader."

  "I—” She'd meant to tell him this wasn't right but the words stayed in her throat.

  "Maddy Haynes. Sheriff of Plains Junction. Pretty when she blushes and when she's deciding whether she wants a roll in the hay."

  So he knew who she was. “Is that why you came to my rescue?” It galled her that he'd been around when those two stupid men had decided they want to hang her.

  "Because you're pretty?” His finger trailed down her cheek, down her throat, to her shirt collar.

  She sighed. “This has nothing to do with pretty—"

  But he cut her off. “Oh, it didn't have anything to do with when those brutes were about to hang you,” he assured her, the amusement flickering in his eyes. “Only with you being in trouble. And being a lady and all."

  Now his finger rested on the swell of her left breast. Her nipples turned into a painful erect peak but he couldn't see that under her leather vest. For which she was grateful. No man she knew had ever been interested in her as a female.

  As he touched her, something indefinable spiralled around and around in her, and the world of grey clouds, chirping birds and tall grasses whispering in the breeze, swirled off into oblivion. Refusal and objections, large and small, fell away. Dimly, she realised she hadn't been offended by his use of the word ‘lady’ and or his mentioning he'd rushed to her rescue.

  He drew back. “You're not going to run away as I get the blanket, are you?” But he must have seen something in her expression that said she might consider doing so. “Heck.” Jeb encircled her wrist and dragged her behind him to his horse.

  Her commonsense returned. What did she think she was doing? Making out with a man she didn't know? She began to throw her hand up to hit him in the back to incapacitate him as long as she could get on her horse and run from this all mess.

  He seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He sidestepped her, the blanket roll under his arm, turned and asked, “Maddy? What was that for?"

  Maddy was left in the position of explaining an action she didn't have the answer for. At a loss for words, she lifted her shoulders in a half shrug. Then she launched her knee at his groin.

  Jeb easily blocked that too. He heaved a sigh. “What was that for? Maddy, you're not thinking of arresting me, are you?” His eyes twinkled.

  "The thought hadn't occurred to me, but I might."

  "If I what?” he asked supposed earnestly out loud. “Sweep you off your feet and make love to you?"

  Annoyance with herself played with curiosity and need. What would it be like for Jeb to make love to her? It wasn't as if he meant anything to her and she was certain to leave it that way. She would never allow anyone to steal away the life she'd worked so hard to build for herself or to steal her heart.

  "I want to,” she whispered, “but I can't."

  "You're married?” Mock horror strayed into his eyes.

  She shook her head, feeling as if she were being wooed.

  "You're engaged?"

  "No,” barely above a whisper.

  "Then what?"

  She blew up then. “How can you expect me to go to bed with you when I just met you? Are you an arrogant fool or what?"

  He blinked several times. Good. It was time he got put in his place. Although too bad that it had to be her.

  "I've got to go.” She pulled free of his hold and turned her back.

  "Go where?"

  She paused. Why did he sound so miserably lost? She started to put one foot in front of the other, wondering if she was making a mistake she might regret for the rest of her life.

  "Maddy?"

  She couldn't help but glance over her shoulder to take a quick look at his face. What she saw froze her in mid-step. Simmering regret.

  "Maddy,” he breathed. “I've never wanted a woman like I do you. I've only just met you."

  She knew he meant it.

  A hard swallow. “I can't just let you go."

  "Maybe you don't have an option?"

  He walked around her and cut off her way to her horse. “You have an option. Look at what you've done to me."

  She hadn't wanted to look, but she did. And blushed at the sight of his big cock prodding at his pants. “I didn't know—"

  "Men come quite so large?” He chuckled. “Sweet Maddy. You're so innocent."

  How had he guessed? She was a virgin, but she wasn't innocent when it came to a man's ways. Just not experienced.

  "Do you want me?"

  She wasn't going to lie this time. There was no point in playing games with herself. But the notion of telling an untruth intrigued her, forced her to play hard to get. “No."

&nb
sp; A smile crooked his mouth into a full curve. “Come on, Maddy. We're out here all alone. A man and a woman needing each other. Nothing wrong with that."

  He'd put her in an awkward position. If she relented and the people of Plains Junction found out what would they think? Would her job be jeopardised for a roll in the hay? Most importantly, what would she think of herself after this was done?

  "Come on, Maddy. I promise I won't hurt you.” His hot index finger caressed her burning cheek. He lowered his head and ravaged her mouth with a lingering kiss that took her breath away. Her hands curled into his collar, holding him against her, reluctant to let him go.

  He unbuckled her belt, unfastened her trousers and slipped his hand against her pubic curls, caressing, while he trailed minute kisses along her cheek, down her jaw and along the side of her throat.

  Maddy moaned. He didn't give up, did he? But why would he if he knew she needed him the way a woman wanted a man, flesh to flesh, joined in a marriage of perspiring bodies?

  Her breath started to come in sharp, quick gasps. He found the hard nub of her clit, her pleasure point, and she could no longer hold back. Gripping his shoulders, she shut her eyes and cried out as a dizzying ocean wave snatched her body and swept her away on a crest of euphoria.

  As the wave crashed, she found herself on the blanket. Fully dressed, Jeb straddled her. “Was that good?"

  "Yes,” she whispered. And she wanted more. Much more.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Four

  Maddy did get more that day. One orgasm after another. When she began to unbuckle Jeb's belt to free his massive cock, he stayed her hand. He'd gotten up, his expression peaceful, yet resolute. She thought he'd gone off to relieve himself, but he hadn't. He'd ridden off in a flurry of dust and galloping horse, leaving her lying on her back to wonder what in the hell she'd done wrong.

  But she wasn't the kind to linger long on self-doubt and questions that had no answers. She buttoned her pants, thanked her lucky stars Jeb hadn't wanted what she freely offered, and allowed the memory to fade away as best she could. Which was nearly impossible. Whenever she thought of him and how he'd taken liberties with her, she blushed with mortification.

  She found herself at the homestead, having ridden until the night sky sported silver dots. The two-story house stood empty, lifeless and dark. In the barn, Maddy lit a candle. She spoke gently to her horse as she combed the snarls from its mane then placed some hay down in the stall. With the candle in hand, she strolled to the house, glad for the round of rising moon. Tonight, it would be full, perhaps an incentive for vigilantes and thugs to step out of the shadows for a quick strike. Come tomorrow, her services would be in heavy demand.

  A light breeze wove the scent of fragrant blooming roses and fresh cut hay through the house. She unbuckled her gun holster and left it in the kitchen where she could easily reach it in case of an emergency. Maddy's muscles protested with weariness. She didn't bother to light a small fire in the hearth to warm her dinner. She walked upstairs, holding the carved banister lightly in one hand, and meandered into her bedroom. The gauzy curtains billowed in the breeze, one of the few feminine touches in an otherwise genderless room.

  She sank into the high-backed chair next to the door and watched the moon edge higher into the sky, illuminating the room better than a meagre candle would have. So pretty, so perfect for musing.

  Maddy must have fallen into a light sleep. She was instantly awake, gripping the chair's armrests, certain that it wasn't the house settling but an unusual creaking in the hallway behind her that had awakened her. Was there someone in the house with her? No one else should have been in the house.

  Her pulse quickened. She laboured to keep her breathing imperceptible as she strained her ears. Just as she heard another creak in the floor directly behind her, she leaped to her feet, ready to confront the intruder. But incredibly he was faster than she was. The person slammed her against the wall, seized her wrists and pinned them behind her. She fought back, lifting her knee to the intruder's groin but was instantly blocked as his body slammed into hers, pressing her shoulders and ass into the wall.

  Now she could see the harsh lines of his moonlit face. Instant recognition laced with a mixture of trepidation and spite whirled through her. “McIntyre,” she whispered, hoping she wouldn't betray herself.

  "It's a perfect night to finish what we started,” he said, his voice gruff and laden with his own powerful brand of virility.

  "I didn't know back then what I know now. Let me go."

  "You don't know the whole story, you mean."

  "It doesn't matter what kind of story it is. I've sworn an oath to uphold the law in Plains Junction."

  He shrugged. “So? Go ahead and uphold it, but that doesn't mean we can't be a man and a woman who need each other for tonight.” He lowered his head.

  Hope rose in Maddy's breast. “You mean you're ready to turn yourself in?"

  "You could say that.” A light chuckle before his mouth took hers sweetly but urgently.

  Every fibre of her being resented the invasion, yet as his tongue darted into her open mouth, the protests began to fall dangerously away, replaced by a gut-wrenching need. If only she could move her body in time with her objections, she could end this madness and arrest him. But her body had other ideas.

  "I want to fuck you, Maddy,” he murmured against her ear. His warm breath fanned her hair and sent erotic shivers down her spine and into her very wet channel.

  She moaned, lost in the sensation of his husky words, lost in the images of his pulsing erection thrusting into her then riding her hard. Desire raged within her.

  "I never wanted any woman more than I wanted you that day at Pointe Bluff. And that was the only time I've walked away.” He smelled of sweet grass and sun-warmed skin.

  Maddy found herself asking breathlessly, “Why?” How she wanted to know!

  "You deserved better than a quick roll on a blanket. And I wanted to savour you in a comfortable bed rather than take a chance a cold rain would fall and ruin what we had."

  It had rained as she'd ridden home, she remembered, as if the sky had been waiting to pour out its contents. “We didn't have anything then, and we don't now."

  "That's where you're wrong. I saw it in your eyes this morning. Before you blew a few holes into that old shed next to the jail."

  Did she hear a hint of amusement in his tone? “If you'd been there, I'd have put one in you,” she bluffed.

  "I was there. Behind you."

  Her eyebrows puckered in a frown. “You're lying."

  "Lola and Old Gotch were a few of the onlookers to your spectacle. What made you so angry you had to take it out on a few rotted boards?” He laved her ear with the tip of his tongue, rasping over the delicate flesh. Her nipples peaked against her shirt and her breathing quickened.

  Her own tongue flicked out to his lower jaw, but another moan broke through the haze in her mind as he tweaked her right nipple. She quivered under his light touch. “I found out you robbed another stagecoach.” It was as if her words had their own way of making their way out of her mouth without any volition on her part.

  "Hmm. Did you get your anger at me out of your system?” he quizzed her. “Because tonight I really intend to finish what I started. Fucking you until you cry out and buck your hips and beg for more.” His tone was confident and his heartbeat raced as he melded their bodies together. His cock was heavy and hard against her stomach.

  She shook her head to try to clear her troubled thoughts. “No. I will arrest you, McIntyre."

  He laughed against her ear. “Maybe in the morning, but right now just let me be a man who wants to make love to every inch of your exquisite body."

  Maddy sighed with desire. She was in a bad way, her back to the wall and Jeb's shaft shoved against her. He meant business. “I don't bargain with thieves,” she muttered, flushed with desire.

  "I'm a man right now. Not a thief,” he said simply. “Making
love to my woman."

  She would have told him she wasn't any man's woman, but his fingers crept down into her pants, and she knew that for this one night, Jeb could do anything he wanted. She didn't have the will to resist him.

  Jeb instantly recognised when Maddy relaxed. He wasn't the kind of guy who took women by force and was revolted at the mere thought. He'd sensed from the moment he met Maddy that she was different. Any woman who took on the job of sheriff had to be resilient, hard-headed and as stubborn as a mule. And he'd found, to his amusement, that she was all of those and more.

  He released her hands as a test. Would she launch herself at him like a she cat or would she lean her curvaceous hips into his thighs and make little moans as if she was already coming apart under his hands? He enjoyed that sound. She didn't give herself airs like other women he'd known had. How would a confessed stagecoach robber and a sheriff get along under ordinary circumstances?

  A soft, protective instinct hit him in the heart as she raised her palms to his face and kissed him full on the mouth. He edged one arm under her knees and the other under her back, intending to carry her to the bed with an old-fashioned quilt thrown over it. Muted colours, although he couldn't tell for sure in the moonlit greyness.

  Maddy clasped both her soft hands around his neck and clung to him, her breath raspy with need. It was far too soon to tell her he loved her. And that brought him back to how did a male thief and a female sheriff mix together when he was on the most wanted list? He'd unravel that mess later. Much later judging by the heat flaring in Maddy's eyes. He'd have loved to fuck her like she never had been before in broad daylight, but that was taking far too big a risk. One he didn't want to take.

  He laid her on the bed over the down quilt and watched as she closed her eyes and blinked them open as if she were dazed.

  "Maddy?” he asked, concerned that she'd changed her mind at the last moment. “Are you okay?'

  Her gaze fluttered on him with butterfly lightness. Her chin trembled. “Why do I always fall for the wrong men?"

  Not exactly what he wanted to hear when his dick was so hard and really bothering him. He'd have to let it out to play soon. “What makes you think I'm the wrong kind of guy?"