by Connie Mason
"It will never go away," Meg vowed. "The town was scarcely behind us when Arlo pulled the wagon into a stand of trees and assaulted me. Nothing about that first time, or any other time, could be called lovemaking."
A sob burst from her throat and she stood up, turning away from he. He made no move to follow.
"What happened then?"
"We came to a town and Arlo decided to take a room for us that night. He dragged me into a saloon offering rooms. After booking a room, spied a poker game and decided to join in. I wanted to go to our room but he refused to let me go, insisting that I stay with him. I was so embarrassed I sat on a chair with my hands folded and never looked up. I had no idea Arlo was losing heavily until he pulled me forward and offered me as collateral during the play of a hand."
"He lost," Jess guessed, clenching his fists in outrage.
"He lost me to a man I'd never seen before. I was to spend the night with Mr. Dunbar to repay his debt. When I flatly refused, Arlo dragged me to our room and beat me nearly senseless."
His hands tightened into fists. "The bastard!"
"When Arlo left me, Mr. Dunbar came up to claim his prize. I hadn't the energy to fight him, but when he returned downstairs to purchase a bottle of whiskey, I found the strength to flee. I was hurting and sick," she recalled. "For days I wandered around in a daze, shunning travelers and towns. I don't remember much about those terrifying days for I was delirious most of the time.
"Exhausted beyond human endurance, dehydrated and starving, I collapsed somewhere out on the prairie and would have died if Zach hadn't found me, brought me to his home, and nursed me back to health. I owe him my life."
"You never saw Skully again until today?" Jess probed.
"He said he looked for me after I disappeared but gave me up for dead after a few days."
"Did you really have your marriage annulled?"
"Zach saw to it. A lawyer opened an office in town about a year after I moved in with Zach. The judge granted the annulment on grounds of desertion. Skully never showed up to contest it so I assume it's legal."
"I don't know the law, but I would be inclined to agree."
"What do you think Arlo will do now? I wish Zach were here. He's been like a father to me, one I grew to love and trust, one who offered me love in return."
"You have me, Meg. I won't let Skully hurt you."
She turned and regarded him solemnly. "Why are you still here? I thought you decided to leave Cheyenne."
"I learned Zach was called away to Philadelphia and couldn't leave you without protection."
She gave a snort of laughter. "I'm a bounty hunter, remember? I can take care of myself."
"You aren't doing a very good job of it," Jess reminded her. "It looked to me as if Skully had the upper hand."
Meg sent him a wounded look. "He surprised me. Arlo was the last person in the world I expected to see at my door, and I didn't have my guns handy."
"What did he want?"
"He said I was still his wife, and insisted that I leave town with him. I refused and he took exception. He wanted to...to..."
Jess's face hardened. "No need to explain. I know exactly what that bastard wanted from you. God, Meg, I would have killed him had he hurt you."
Meg's expression softened. She wanted to kiss him. She needed Jess, needed him to banish the memory of Arlo and the painful past she'd lived with far too long.
"Kiss me, Jess."
"Are you sure, love?"
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
Chapter Eleven
Jess stared at Meg as if she'd just offered him the world. "I don't think I could stop with one kiss, and I'm not sure that making love to you right now is a good idea."
Meg gave him a wounded look. "You don't want me?"
His arms tightened around her and he groaned into her ear. "I want you too much. So damn much that I'd risk anything to have you again."
Meg pulled away, searching his face as she put her fears into words. "I think Arlo recognized you."
"I've never met him, I'm sure of it."
"Then he's seen the poster," Meg said on a shaky breath. "It's not safe for you here. You have to leave, Jess. I couldn't bear to see you behind bars."
Jess's jaw firmed. "No, I'm not running. Being a fugitive is not the kind of life I want for myself. The hell with Arlo. I have a good notion to return to Dodge and fight the charges. My brothers and I were wrong to flee. We should have stayed and fought for justice. We panicked, and because we did, we became fugitives from the law. I'm a doctor, I want to be free to practice my profession."
"You won't stay free if you remain here. And returning to Dodge will only land you in jail. Please, Jess, flee before Arlo remembers where he saw you."
"I can't leave you, Meg. Zach is counting on me to keep you safe in his absence and I'm not going to let him down. I'll think about leaving after he returns."
"Is there nothing I can say or do to make you understand how dangerous it is to remain?"
"No, but you can let me kiss you. It is what you wanted, isn't it?"
He rose and narrowed the distance between them, bringing her against him. The delicious pressure of her breasts against his chest made his breath hitch. She must have been battered by the same emotions for her lips parted. Jess didn't wait for an invitation as he teased the lush sensitive curve of her upper lip and nibbled gently on the full lower one. He memorized the shape of her lips with his tongue, then pressed for entry, deepening the kiss.
His hands swept up from her waist, molding her breasts. They shared a single breath as the kiss turned into a prelude of something far more intense.
He broke the kiss, his breathing ragged. He cupped her face and searched her delicate features. Her eyes were dreamy, her lips faintly bruised and damp. He grasped her bottom and pulled her into the cradle of his loins. Her eyes widened as he ground his hips against hers, letting her feel the rigid length of his erection.
"I tried to tell you what would happen if I kissed you."
She dragged in a calming breath. "I know."
"I want to make love to you, sweetheart. I need you more than the air I breath."
"Will you leave Cheyenne afterward?" Meg pleaded.
He swept her into his arms, striding purposely toward her bedroom. "Only if you come with me."
"You know that's impossible."
He kicked open the door and charged inside. He set her on her feet, letting her slide down the length of his body so she could feel how much he wanted her. Then he kissed her again, using his tongue to tease and torment her swollen lips, tasting her, savoring her as he would a fine wine.
"Too many clothes," he muttered against her lips as his hands found the fastenings on the front of her dress.
Meg's fingers crept under his shirt; the muscles cording his back and shoulders tensed. Her fingertips glided down his chest and dipped just inside his trousers. His flesh jerked beneath her touch. The sound he made was a mixture of pleasure and pain.
Her dress fell to the floor and he lifted her out of it. He released the ties holding her chemise together and it soon joined the dress. She unbuckled his gunbelt and it fell to the floor. She unfastened his trousers and ran her hands beneath the waistband.
With a growl of impatience he tore off her drawers and knelt before her to roll down her stockings. He stripped them off along with her shoes. Then he stood back to admire her.
"You're so beautiful it hurts my eyes to look at you. You're mine, Meg. Someday, I don't know how, but someday, somehow, we'll be together." His hand came up to stroke the tip of one breast. "You believe that, don't you?"
Meg looked into the smoldering depths of Jess's eyes and was willing to believe anything he said. The strength of his emotion humbled her. It was bitter comfort to know it was the wrong time to tell him she loved him. He had too much on his plate, he didn't need complications.
"You're a good man, Jess Gentry. Someday you'll find a sweet, innocent wom
an to love. I'm not asking for any declarations."
"I can't offer any until I'm free to declare myself," Jess murmured. "But if I could..."
She placed a finger against his lips. "No, don't say anything. Just make love to me."
He swept her up and laid her down on the bed.
"Your trousers."
He grinned at her and skimmed them down his legs. Then he kicked them off along with his boots. He returned to her as gloriously naked as she. She watched him hungrily. Never in her wildest dreams would she imagine herself wanting a man as desperately as she did Jess. He was broad where she was slim, hard where she was soft, every line of his powerful body a tribute to masculine beauty.
She licked her lips in anticipation as he eased his body over hers, gradually pressing his entire weight onto her. He was hard, hot, his movement wonderfully erotic.
Abruptly he rolled to his side, his hunger vividly apparent in the shining depths of his hazel eyes and the rigid length of his body. She gasped as his fingers traced the curve of her ankle, his touch light and teasing. His hand continued upward, over the swell of her calf, the sensitive indention behind her knee. He lowered his head and kissed her navel, then pressed his face against her belly. He slid lower, trailing kisses down her thighs. She trembled, waiting breathlessly for his next move.
Then he claimed her there and she screamed his name, winding her hands in his hair, afraid he'd go on and fearing she'd die if he stopped. He raised his head and gave her a grin that made her breath hitch painfully.
"I need to kiss you there," he murmured seductively. "Every part of you is precious to me."
One of his fingers dipped into the dewiness between her legs, using her own moistness to caress and tease. She sucked in a breath as his head dipped down and he took another delicate sip of her honey. Meg nearly expired from the delicious pleasure of it. His hands branded her flesh, his mouth and tongue drove her to unimaginable heights.
Spreading her legs wide, she arched and writhed, unable to think coherently as he increased the pressure upon the sensitive nub he found with his tongue. She closed her eyes as his clever mouth and tongue pushed her higher and higher. He cupped her bottom and she raised her hips in invitation. She wanted to show him without words that she loved him. If she thought leaving with him would help him, she'd go with him in a minute.
Then all thought ceased as heat began to rise in her belly. It burst upon her in an agony of pleasure so intense she felt as though her soul were touching the sun.
Moments later, she felt Jess move up her body and enter her in a long sliding stroke. Then it began again. The hard core of pleasure expanded as he moved inside her, thrusting hard, allowing no quarter as he stroked her to that exulted place she had visited scant moments ago. Something savage broke free inside her. It danced just out of reach, and when she finally grasped it, it inundated her with wave after wave of shimmering ecstasy.
She cried out his name but he didn't seem to hear her. His body had gone rigid, his jaw tightly clenched, his head thrown back, and his teeth bared. He plunged into her once, twice, then went still as he poured his seed into her.
Long moments passed before Meg regained her wits. When she opened her eyes Jess was lying beside her, holding her as her trembling subsided. She smiled at him.
"I don't know why lovemaking frightened me so. With you it's incredibly...wonderfully..." She shook her head. "Words fail me. It just feels right."
"I want it to be this way forever, love. But forever isn't possible until I'm free. All I can hope for are enough memories to last until this horrible mistake with the law is settled."
Meg didn't like the sound of that. "What are you going to do?"
"First I'm going to find Arlo Skully," Jess said tersely.
Meg swallowed a gasp. "Why?"
His jaw tautened. "I want to make damn sure my message got through to him. I won't let him bother you again."
"What if he's already gone to the sheriff with what he knows?"
"He doesn't remember me. He might never associate me with that wanted poster."
"The sheriff," Meg began. "He can identify you if he ever decides to glance at the wanted posters in his drawer."
Jess glanced out the window; Meg didn't like the look on his face.
"What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that whatever I do will never be enough. I could get rid of Skully but that doesn't guarantee I'll be free. There's always those blasted posters making my life a living hell. I'm not an outlaw," he gritted. "But who will believe me?"
"I believe you," Meg whispered.
He pulled her roughly against him. "Do you care for me, Meg?" He carefully avoided the word love. "Do you care for me enough to go away with me? Perhaps I should take your advice and leave. I can't take the suspense of waiting any longer. Every time I see the sheriff I think he's going to arrest me."
"This is no time for declarations, Jess," Meg hedged. "Perhaps one day we can unburden our hearts, but not now. I care, let it go at that. I have an idea that just might fix things so you won't have to leave."
"Forget it," Jess said bleakly. "I don't want to involve you in my problems."
"Just give me a chance before you make any decisions. At least listen to my plan."
"All right, I'll listen, but I'm not going to let you do anything foolish on my account."
"If it wasn't for that poster in Sheriff Bufford's desk no one would know about you, right?"
"Right," Jess answered warily. "So?"
"I can get that poster and destroy it."
Jess gave her a skeptical look. "How do you propose to do that?"
"Bufford is accustomed to having me rifle through the newest batches of wanted posters. He often leaves me alone in the office while I'm perusing them. I'll just remove yours and destroy it. Then no one will ever know Jess Gentry is a wanted man."
"Absolutely not! What if Bufford decides to remain in his office while you're there? Too many things can go wrong. Besides, there's Skully. He might suddenly remember where he saw my face."
"Over the years I've learned that Bufford rarely remains in his office for long periods of time. He's usually out keeping the peace. I'll just wait around until he leaves, then destroy the poster."
Jess frowned. "It sounds too easy."
"It is easy."
"What about Skully?"
"As long as he doesn't remember where he saw you, you're safe. He'll probably leave town before he recalls anything about you. He's not one to stick around in once place for long."
"I'll only agree to this harebrained scheme if you move into town with me. I don't want you out here by yourself."
Meg touched his face, her caress soft and loving. "If I do that, I'll ruin your reputation. You're well-liked in town, whereas I'm treated like a pariah. You could lose your patients because of me."
"My patients will be there whether or not you're with me. At least until another doctor comes to town. Right now I'm all Cheyenne has. Take it or leave it, Meg, but that's the only way I'll allow you to put your plan into motion. If you're caught, you could end up behind bars with me."
She nodded jerkily. "Very well, I'll do as you say. But you'd best be prepared to face some irate patients when they see me in your home."
"They won't remain irate long if we get married," Jess proposed, once again surprising himself. If Meg refused once, why would she agree now? In fact, the notion was so crazy he should have retracted it at once. He didn't.
Meg stared at him. "Why?"
"That's the only way to keep Skully from bothering you."
"I can take care of myself."
The next words didn't come easy for Jess. He'd never said them to another woman. And given his situation he never thought he'd say them at all.
"I know this isn't the right time for a declaration but it needs to be said. I love you, Meg. I've never said that to another woman. I can't leave you to fend for myself no matter how capable you are "
Meg looke
d stunned. "I know you care for me...but love?"
"Believe it, sweetheart. I know you don't love me like I love you, but I'm hoping to change that."
"Jess, you're not thinking clearly. Are you sure it's not lust you're feeling?"
"Lust? Oh, yes, there's lust aplenty, as I've just proved. But that's only a small part of what I feel. Marry me, Meg."
Marrying Jess would make everything right in Meg's world. But was it the right thing to do at this time? Meg wondered. Would it do Jess more harm than good? Would he lose his patients and respect of the townspeople by marrying her?
"Jess, I don't think..."
"Don't think, love, just feel." He brought her hand to his groin. "Feel how much I want you?"
Her eyes widened. "Again?"
"Again and again and again."
Then he kissed her and coherent thought fled. He kissed her until her mind spun and she melted all over him, burned to cinders, consumed by fire. They came together like a wild prairie storm. She opened her legs in eager surrender and he slid inside. Then abruptly he rolled with her in his arms, placing her on top.
"Ride me, sweetheart. Yes, that's right," he murmured as she gasped and bucked and squeezed her legs tightly against his sides.
Meg felt her blood thicken, her body tense. Liquid fire licked along her veins. And then she exploded. Not until she was limp and collapsed around him did Jess stop his delicious movement. She heard his labored breathing and knew he had found his own release. He held her immobile a few moments before lifting her and settling her beside him.
"I've never had with another woman what I just experienced with you," Jess said with a hint of awe. "This could be ours forever if you marry me."
"Are you sure, Jess, very, very sure?"
"Don't ever doubt my feelings for you, love."
"Then I'll marry you. But not until I retrieve that wanted poster from the sheriff's office."
Idly he stroked her breast. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"Do you have a better one?"
"Not at the moment."
