The gunslinger was staring at them, a real mean-mug glare, clearly showing he was displeased about something. Channing ignored the man. He kept an eye on him.
Channing leaned against the bar and faced the door at an angle where he could keep everybody in the building in sight. “Good evening, Sheriff Jacob. I would have preferred to keep riding toward the ranch, but I thought it best to stop in town first and warn you.”
The sheriff grumbled beneath his breath. “What the hell now? You gonna tell me you and Harland are at it again? I swear ifn’ Matt Graham don’t heed my advice about his boy, he’s gonna end up dead before his time.”
“Apparently, your advice was ignored. You might want to send someone out to Jasper Creek to retrieve Harland and two of his friends’ bodies.”
“Ah, hell, you gone and finally got around to killing Harland? I don’t know the circumstances, but sad to say, he probably had it coming. He went too far this time, huh?”
“He tried to hang me for an offense I didn’t commit.”
Sheriff Jacob frowned and shook his head. “That boy’s been trouble since the day he was born. I’m just glad his mama isn’t alive to see how rotten he turned out. God bless her soul, she was a good church-going woman, and this would have killed her. Who’s your friend?”
“This is Noor Rynoir. He happened to be passing by and came upon Harland and his cohorts. If it weren’t for him, I might be swinging from a tree about now.”
The sheriff eyed Noor and then nodded.
“Sheriff,” Noor said.
The man furrowed his eyebrows deeply, creating a unibrow. “I haven’t seen you around these parts before, son. Channing said you passing through. Do you mind me asking where you headed? Where you come from, and how long do you intend to hang around these parts?” the sheriff said, inspecting Noor from head to toe.
Channing motioned for two whiskey shots. “Sheriff Jacob likes to keep a tight rein on strangers in town.”
Noor completely understood where the sheriff was coming from and didn’t take offense. Sanguine was a major hub for narcotic transporters. For this reason, each visitor had a retinal scan when importing and exporting. If the person didn’t already register a identification profile, their data was uploaded to the Interplanetary Security Database and an intrusive background check was run. If anything suspicious displayed, the authorities detained the person for further investigation. He understood the sheriff’s inquiries and his technique. The sheriff was checking his credentials the old-fashioned way.
Law officials had an innate knack for catching someone in a lie. Not making eye contact, body language, or a tone could give a criminal away.
He would answer his questions but keep it simple. “I’m afraid my father thought sending me to Texas to purchase land and cattle would keep me occupied and dissuade my wayward youthful antics, which had become a strain on the polite society of the city.”
“I don’t want no trouble, son.” The sheriff’s point was clear. He motioned to Channing and said, “Your mother has sent your father into town three times looking for you. She’s beside herself with worry, just so you know.” His comment was an underhanded way of chastising Channing for worrying his mother.
Channing swallowed his drink and called for two more shots. He sipped, studying the occupants over the rim of his glass. “Duly noted, sheriff. I don’t intend to stay in town tonight. I just came by to inform you about Harland. He was stupid but deserves a decent burial.”
“Uh-huh. I will send Haskell out to Matt’s ranch to tell him about Harland, and he can go and get his son. When can I expect you to be on your way?”
The sheriff was not subtle. When he saw the gunslinger start forward, he understood why. He noticed Channing paid attention to the man but didn’t seem concerned.
“Long enough to have a few drinks and entertain myself,” Channing said, grinning.
Noor watched Channing shift his attention to a petite brown-haired woman who was standing off in the corner. She was attractive, all smiles, and clearly interested in Channing’s attention.
“Now, if you will excuse me, Sheriff Jacob, I believe Mattie is waiting.” Channing finished his drink and started toward the girl. He wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered something in her ear making the girl giggle before he headed toward the stairwell.
Channing paused and called over his shoulder to Noor. “She has a friend,” he said, and then turned his back.
A small pixie-looking girl with large blue eyes, red hair, and a curvy figure came toward him. He stayed focused on the gentle sway of her hips, accentuated in the form-fitting red and black satin corset gown she wore.
She smiled at him, and he wondered how old she was. He was in another time and place that didn’t have a law against mingling with girls he thought were too young to be in her profession, but he didn’t care to fuck some teenager, legal or not.
The girl stopped in front of him, put her hands on her hips, and licked her lips. He reacted like a horny goat. She was a dish, but again his reservations about having sex with a minor surfaced and eased the throbbing between his thighs. That and he wondered if he could potentially be about to have sex with the future Empress of Oridus.
It was at the forefront of his mind when the girl advanced on him, slid her body against his, and leaned in to take a sip of his drink. She wet her lips, ogled him suggestively. He had to contain himself from tossing her over his shoulder and bounding upstairs.
“How old are you?”
The girl gave him a coy smile. “I’ve been told old enough, mister.”
Noor studied her a moment, trying to decide what to do. He reasoned out matters inside his head. If he got her undressed and found she was the target, he wasn’t obligated to fuck her. In fact, there were express orders given to keep his cock inside his pants where the empress was concerned.
The sheriff assumed his hesitation meant something else. He said, “Her name is Suzy, son. She doesn’t bite.”
A man sitting by listening to the conversation snickered, saying, “Not unlessn’ yer wantin’ her to. Suzy ain’t as tame as she appearin, ifn’ you wantin’ a girl like that.” He chuckled.
“I’m afraid I’m not into such.” Noor eyed the lovely. “How old are you?”
“Why, I must be havin’ one of ’em gentlemen type I be hearin’ ‘bout.” Suzy smiled and rubbed against him. “You sure are a tall drink of water and damned ifn’ you ain’t a handsome devil. Ifn’ you staying in these parts, I believe Channing have a right good rivalry for attentin’. I’m twenty-three…is that too old for you?”
Noor put his drink on the counter. “On the contrary, it’s perfect,” he murmured.
As he led Suzy toward the stairs, he wondered if she would think him insane if he asked about any personal markings on her body. Then he heard a movement behind him. He froze and slowly turned around and faced the gunslinger. “Can I help you?” he said, his voice quiet but firm.
Suzy slammed her hands on her hips. She glared at the man. “Now, don’t you go and try to start no trouble, Wiley. This ain’t ’bout you. I’m not your girl.”
“You shut your mouth, Suzy. This is between me and the half-breed.”
Noor’s eyes narrowed and darkened. “I don’t want any trouble, but that doesn’t mean I won’t entertain you if you are foolish enough to draw your gun.”
He was foolish. Wiley withdrew his gun. Noor countered and pressed the tip of his pistol against the man’s forehead and cocked it in one fluid motion. The swiftness with which he unsheathed his weapon seemed to startle the man. He stared bulge-eyed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down, as he gawked at the steel cockeyed. He started stammering.
“So, we have an understanding?” Noor said. The man nodded. He released the trigger and stepped back.
“Whew, mister, I hope you’re as good in bed as you are with ’em fancy pistol you got.”
Noor grinned and encircled her waist with his arm. He leaned in close, and the heat of h
is lips brushed her earlobe. He whispered, “Very good, but not as fast. Isn’t that what counts?”
Chapter Six
It was late, and the sun had long since settled behind the mountains and shrouded the town in dimness. The streets were quiet except for a few people milling about. The faint glow of a light filtered from a building across the street. The saloon was in full swing. Loud laughter and ruckus came from the establishment when Noor exited the building.
Channing was sitting on his horse, leaning lazily. The rein of Noor’s horse were in his hand, which he tossed at him. “I thought I was going to have to come and save you from Suzy.”
Noor smiled wolfishly, caught the leather straps, and mounted his horse. “The girl was, ah, insatiable. I had no choice but to accommodate her.”
“I’m sure you did,” Channing said, nodding at Suzy who watched from the doorway. “She looks pleasantly exhausted.”
Noor didn’t comment. It wasn’t necessary to explain his rapturous appetite for the fairer sex.
“Well, I hope you got it out of your system. Our ranch is in remote terrain, quite a distance from town, and there are only a few females living there. Consuela is our cook. She is twice your age and feisty as hell. She’s married to one of our ranch hands who thinks she is the hottest filly this side of Texas. If you look in her direction, you will find a bullet in your forehead. Billy is that jealous.” Channing set his horse in motion. “Then there is my mother. She’s an ageless beauty, if I must say so myself. Time has only magnified her graceful attractiveness, much to my father’s chagrin. She still catches the attention of every male when he rides into town, and it accelerates my father’s temper to boiling. You don’t want my father to get his gun, Noor. I have witnessed it before, and the sight is unpleasant. There are servants, but we have a hands-off policy.”
“Duly noted, and the third female?”
“My sister, Allura, who is twice as pretty as my mother, but I should warn you her disposition isn’t as genteel.”
Noor thought the statement interesting. “Why is that?”
“Allura doesn’t have a man because she has effectively frightened the wits out of anyone who has gotten the nerve to approach her.” Noor lifted his eyebrow at this. “Besides her physical attraction, she is intelligent, witty, opinionated, and wields her tongue like a whip when her ire is up. She is educated and carries a gun, all attributes conducive to ensuring she remains single, possibly for the rest of her life.”
“She sounds like my sister Lyric.”
Channing looked at him pointedly. “As I said, she doesn’t have a man, but she has me. Of course, I would rather walk over brimstones than admit it to her, but I’m overly fond of her, sassy mouth and all.”
Noor matched Channing’s gaze. “That suspiciously sounds like a warning for me to keep my distance.”
“You’re an intelligent man, Noor. I like that,” he said, and then spurned his horse into a gallop.
Noor appreciated his frankness. His ignored his threat. He felt the same about his sisters Lyric and Lovey. Lyric could handle herself, and if a man stepped out of line, he might be more apt to protect him instead of her. Lovey’s disposition was the complete opposite. Shy to a fault and gentle natured, Lovey tended to let men run over her. On occasion, he had to step in and handle relationship matters when an idiot foolishly tried to take advantage of Lovey. Fiercely protective, he found himself having to do such a lot lately, because she couldn’t or wouldn’t get it through her head all men weren’t gentlemen.
Chapter Seven
Channing said a lot about his sister. He had mentioned her attractiveness, but his description was generic and understated if the girl walking toward them was Allura. He tried damned hard not to be rude, but he gawked shamelessly at the statuesque female with the long, almost mannish, stride, except there was nothing male about the woman.
She was splendidly feminine, voluptuous, a sight of lushness he couldn’t ignore. He gazed at the lovely with a practiced eye, appreciating the swell of her breast visible from the delicate cream blouse she wore and the hip hugging dove blue skirt sweeping the ground with her movements.
She was a vision of beauty. Her features were alluring and entrancing, magnified by the flawless skin and curvaceous body enclosed in the corseted outfit that accentuated her full breasts and flaring hips. He found himself unconsciously salivating at the thought of running his hands over the satiny skin and slender neckline. It was all he could do to remain mounted.
Her complexion, dulcet and thrice kissed by the sun, glistened and lured his thoughts in a salacious direction of wanting to touch her. Her exotic eyes, liquid pools of dark brown and gold with hints of green striations, were seductively sinful. Her full heart-shaped lips were definitely a plus, and appeared made to be devoured. Hell, he wanted to kiss her now but felt Channing glaring at him. Not that he gave a damn, but etiquette required he show some semblance of decorum.
She stepped up to them, and the fragrance of sunshine, wildflowers, and feminine essence wafted by his nose. Her unique sight and scent complemented her. And when she smiled, a sense of warmth spread through him that left him feeling slightly enchanted.
Noor leaned over toward Channing, his eyes focused on the woman, and inquired, “Is this your sister?”
“Yes, she is,” Channing said, tight-lipped and possessively.
“She is stunning,” he murmured.
Channing gave him a scolding look. “Don’t forget what I told you, Noor.”
“My memory is excellent,” he said softly as Allura moved closer. There was an instant when their eyes collided and the heat of their gazes spiked the temperature to sweltering. “Are you going to introduce us?” Channing glared at Noor, clearly displeased. He ignored him. “I’m Noor Rynoir, and you must be Allura.”
“Noor,” Channing said, his lips pinched tight.
Allura smiled and waved her hand dismissively. Her voice was husky and as appealing as the package, he noticed. “Forgive Channing for being rude. I’m afraid he can’t help himself.” She held out her slender fingers, which he enclosed in his own and noticed her skin was as hot as his blood. “I’m Allura, Mr. Rynoir, welcome to our home.”
He knew he held her hand longer than necessary. He forced himself to relinquish the softness. “Please, call me Noor. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, low and throaty.
His tone denoted his interest, and he could tell she felt it, too, because Allura’s cheeks turned rosy. Good. He wasn’t the only one besotted.
“Will you be staying for dinner?”
“If he behaves,” Channing said, giving Noor the evil eye.
Allura laughed and tossed back a mane of blue-black hair that shimmered and sparkled in the sun like molten oil. “Channing thinks he is my chaperone, even though I’m well beyond the age for him to coddle me.”
Channing scowled. “Allura, behave.”
“Channing, you must stop interfering in my affairs. Goodness, I do not need your consent to make inquiries or speak to a man.” She smiled prettily at Noor. “I have long since been of age not to require a mother hen,” she said, and flashed a teasing smile at Channing.
It was insane, but he felt a sense of jealousy Channing received her beguiling smile. She was his sister, after all. Everything he thought and ached to do with the treasure flooded him with untamed sensations, leaving him feeling slightly off balance. He had never been affected so by a woman.
“Exactly how old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“That is none of your business,” Channing bit.
“The question was directed to Allura,” he said mildly.
Channing gave him a gimlet-eyed stare. “Are we going to have a problem here?”
“Not if you don’t start any trouble,” Noor said.
Channing blew air through his nostrils, which flared and flattened against his face.
Allura threw up her arms. “I swear, you are much too overbearing…and rude. You bring a guest t
o our home and threaten him, of all things. How rude, Channing.”
“He doesn’t scare me, but thanks for your consideration.”
“That’s it. Maybe one day you will learn your lesson.” Channing growled, dismounted, and stormed away.
“What did he mean by that?” Noor asked and jumped down from his horse.
“Channing is not known for his even temper.”
He noticed she didn’t answer the question, but he gave her a pass. At this moment, with the way she looked at him, yielding and hot, he would have given her the galaxy served on a jewel-encrusted platter, with the stars and moons. “Neither am I, but that is neither here nor there.”
“What does that mean?”
“Maybe you had better heed your brother’s advice.” Sanity suddenly surfaced and left him realizing he had pushed Channing’s generosity to the point of rudeness. No matter he had saved his life. He didn’t owe him full access to his sister. That, and the upbringing his mother had drilled into all of his siblings, which required he act the consummate gentlemen and respect he was in Channing’s home, graciously invited, and therefore shouldn’t take advantage of the situation by fucking his sister.
Allura lifted her dimpled chin. “Channing doesn’t tell me what to do. I do as I please. I’m not a child but a woman,” she said in a brisk tone.
She looked damned kissable. Noor focused on her forehead to throttle the urgency he felt to toss her over his shoulder, find the nearest bed, and lose himself in delirium of slating the undeniable lust she ignited in him.
He smiled fractionally and captured her chin between his fingers. “Trust me. I couldn’t mistake you for a child. However, that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t act immature without knowing who they are dealing with.” Allura frowned. He brushed her lips with his thumb. “I meant that in the most positive way, no offense intended. You are a delight. I won’t lie and say I’m not interested, but my mother would be greatly displeased to know I offended a man in his own home.” He stepped back to break the trance between them. It didn’t help.
Pure Desire [Pure 3] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 5
