As they stepped away from the camp into the bushes, she sobbed, and he held onto her as tightly as possible. Rubbing her back and whispering to her. "You're safe. No one is going to hurt you. I'll protect you and keep anyone from harming you."
And he would. He would lay down his life to save her from being harmed. Thank goodness he made the decision to return to camp when he did. That would be the last time he left her alone with a prisoner.
Finally, she raised her tear-streaked face up from his shoulder.
"I thought he was going to kill me. All this time, I've said I didn't care if I die catching these men, but suddenly I didn't want to die. In my mind, I kept hearing my mother's voice saying, fight Addie, fight. Am I crazy?"
The hunting for this gang was beginning to affect her, and he needed to convince her to stop and let the law do the rest. He had seen the evidence of how the local sheriff reacted to her family's murder.
With a yank, he pulled her against him and held her tight. "No, you're not crazy. And your mother would want you to live. Grief can do strange things to a person and maybe in the beginning you didn't care if you died. Now, now the pain is still there, but not as much as before."
"I'm only alive because of my own selfish actions. If I had stayed and done the dishes, I would be dead. All these months, I thought I should have been killed as well. I deserve to die. Now I want to live. Is that wrong?"
Staring down into her emerald eyes, Wesley ached at the despair in her gaze. "No, it's not wrong. If you died, no one would have learned the truth. You were meant to live and fight this battle."
"But I'm tired."
"Yes, I know. Anytime you want to quit, that's all right, but I don't think you're ready to give up.”
With a sigh, she closed her eyes. "No, I can't."
The fear he'd seen in her eyes frightened him. His lips covered hers in a kiss filled with strength. He wanted to replenish her and make her his strong woman again. He liked her being fearless, and this afternoon had shown her, her vulnerabilities as a woman.
Her arms came up around his neck, and she pressed her body against his. A groan escaped him as he hoped this heated kiss erased the ugliness associated with being with a man like Al.
Their lips broke apart as she pushed back and stared at him. "Now I understand what my mother tried to protect me from. What we did together the other night was beautiful, but what Al wanted was so ugly." A shiver rippled through her. "If you hadn't killed him, I would have just for touching me."
His hand brushed her auburn curls back from her face. "Are you ready to ride to Zenith?"
"Yes, I so want to leave Walter with Zach. But I'm also afraid. Al said they were watching me. They learned a woman is capturing them, but don't understand why."
Fear gripped Wesley. Knowing a female hunted them wouldn't be good. Because now they would be wary.
Chapter 9
As they rode into Zenith with a prisoner on one horse and a dead man on the second, Addie felt the town's eyes on her. This was the fourth and fifth prisoners she and Wesley had brought in and people were paying attention.
Could the Colonel be amongst this crowd or even Rufus or James? Three more and she was done.
Gazing out at the faces, she tried to recognize them, but they became a blur. Exhausted, the fight with Al had all but drained her of any remaining strength. Today, for the first time since the death of her family, she had broken down completely.
After the attack, everything seemed to overwhelm her, and she couldn't take the pain any longer.
When they pulled up in front of the sheriff's, she threw her leg over her saddle and dropped to the ground. A gunshot exploded behind her and the people scattered. Zach jumped off the porch and dragged her inside the sheriff's office.
"Stay here," he demanded as she watched him and Wesley go racing through the streets.
The bullet whizzed by her left ear and if she hadn't stepped out of the saddle, it would have killed her. Someone in town didn't like what she was doing. Fear had her sinking into a chair until she remembered her prisoner.
Was this a diversion so they could rescue him? Or was it the jail they were interested in? Pulling out her silver pistol, she walked to the door and glanced up and down the street.
Walter sat on his mare laughing. "The Colonel knows you're here. I won't be spending much time in jail."
Disobeying, she hurried out of the office and down the steps to untie her prisoner from his horse. "No, you're going to hang. Now get down and move inside before I use you as a bullet shield."
The man grinned at her, but he didn't hesitate getting down and going into the jail. One empty cell remained, and she placed him in the lockup and slammed the door shut with a clang. "The men will untie you when they return."
"What if I paid you two thousand dollars to let me go?" the outlaw asked.
His words sent rage rushing through her and gave her strength. They reminded her no matter what, she was in this until the end.
"You think my family is worth two thousand dollars?"
A frown crossed his face, and then he leaned against the bars. "You better hope I never break out of here or you're a dead woman."
Laughter filled the room as she chuckled at the man.
"Don't you think every man in here feels that way? Get in line with the others. But just remember, I went to the Lipstick and Lead Bounty Hunting school." She twirled her pistol in her hand. "I'm trained in gun fighting and I can put a bullet in the bull’s-eye every time. And, honey, you're an awfully big target."
She walked out of the room leaving the man growling in frustration. When they arrived, she had been defeated, but now, her anger had been reignited. Three more to go.
Zach and Wesley strolled back in. "No luck?"
They shook their heads.
"Where's Walter?" Wesley asked.
"He's in a cell, but he's still all tied up."
The sheriff laughed.
"I told him you boys would be removing his ropes.”
"We need to find out who the Colonel is," Zach said, sitting in a chair. "Someone must have told him about you. I'll be concerned every time you step outside."
"Do not go riding or doing anything by yourself. Do you understand me?" Wesley demanded.
The man was becoming a little too controlling. Just because they had sex did not mean he could tell her what to do. No commitment existed between them, and at the moment, she didn't want one.
The heated gaze she sent him should have made him realize she was her own woman, who wouldn't take bull from him.
"I managed before I met you, Ranger. And I'm sure I'll manage after you're gone," she said.
His face turned red and his eyes flashed with rage. Having sex only complicated things between them even more. Nothing would stop her, including the man she was falling in love with. Until all eight outlaws were behind bars, or she was dead, whichever came first, she would not quit.
"Wesley is only trying to protect you. Both of you look tired and probably hungry. I've got two prisoners to do paperwork on. One dead and one alive. Go register for a hotel room and find something to eat. We'll talk again before you leave."
Addie turned on her heel and strolled toward the exit. As she got to the door, she glanced back.
"You coming, or am I riding alone?"
A grimace crossed Wesley's face. "Of course, I'm coming. You're not leaving here by yourself."
He took her by the arm as they walked out of the jail, his eyes searching the streets for any gunmen.
Fear clutched his stomach as he hurried her across the street, searching for a hidden gunman. Walking through the door of the hotel, she glared at him and said, "We're not sharing a room."
"The hell we're not. You're not getting out of my sight until this is over."
Like a raging wind, she whirled to face him. "You're not going to boss me around."
"All right, will you please share my room with me, so I can protect you?"
The way he asked brought a s
mile to her lips and she shook her head laughing. "I'm not going to take your bossiness."
"Oh, I'm sorry for wanting to keep bad men from killing you," he said.
They reached the counter and the decision was taken out of their hands.
"Folks, we only have one room left."
Giving the desk clerk a frown, she gazed at the man. "This seems to be a recurring problem. Have you thought about adding more rooms?"
"Sorry, ma'am, I just work here," the young man said.
Wesley faced her. "Are you all right with just the one room."
The look she gave him should have frightened him, but he wasn't afraid. The woman was more bluster than fight. "Get the room."
All the way to the top of the stairs, she remained quiet. The door shut behind them, and she turned on him.
"Maybe I should show you how you're going to lose control," she said dropping her saddle bags and approaching him. "Maybe it's time I started bossing you around."
"It's for your protection," he said. "I'm the Texas Ranger."
"And I'm your worst nightmare," she said, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her body against his.
Desire surged through him like a hot summer thunderstorm raging out of control. Today he almost lost her, and at this moment, he wanted her.
Desperation had him clinging to her. Greedily, his lips covered hers with an insistence that clawed at him. An urgency swelled through his blood, thundering in his ears, reverberating through his mind. This woman tempted, tantalized, and led him on a merry quest, but was more vulnerable than she appeared.
As he melded her sweet body to his, his mouth plundered hers, his hands were everywhere as his need exploded through him in a gripping sensation. He needed her in a blinding way. He needed her to chase the beasts from his consciousness and clear the voices of fear from his head. He needed her to banish his doubts.
To reassure him they were going to be all right.
After Big Al almost raped her, he wanted to protect and brand her as his own. Addie slayed demons and fought for what was right. For her family's honor. For their revenge. For the murderers to be convicted. Now he feared someone had learned her identity and was out to kill her.
Like a flower, her mouth opened, and his tongue caressed the inside of her lip, then swept her mouth, insistent and urgent. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him, pressing her luscious curves against his hard body, seeking what he was more than happy to supply.
With a swish of her skirt, he lifted her and carried her to the bed. Needing the contact of her lips to his, he covered her mouth once again, nipping at her bottom lip, drinking of her nectar.
Joining her, he curled around her, wrapping her in his embrace.
The urgency to be next to her, to touch her, almost overwhelmed him. To absorb as much of her in one night as he was capable of, though he knew his thoughts were irrational. Together, they would finish her need for revenge.
"We haven't eaten," she whispered against him.
"Are you hungry?" Trying to be polite, but thinking food wasn't what he wanted at this moment.
"Only for you," she said as her hands skimmed down his shirt to his pants.
A moan escaped from him as his hand glided down the front of her shirt, cupping her breast, kneading the soft mound, while he ached to wrap his mouth around her sweet nipple.
This time he longed to linger over her body, explore her, relish in her full curves. Addie tasted of erotic dreams and lazy mornings, and if this was a dream, he didn't want to awaken if Addie was not in bed lying beneath him.
His lips trailed down her neck, across her silken shoulder, as his hands worked at the buttons of her blouse.
Like a blind man, his fingers fumbled, and she brushed them away. Quickly she unbuttoned her shirt and opened the bodice of her chemise. For a moment, he became lost in her hot emerald gaze.
Until she pulled his mouth back down to her lips, collecting his attention, once again, kissing him hungrily. Reaching inside, he tenderly plucked her hardened nipple under her chemise, the pebbled kernel hard and wanting, just like him.
Reluctantly, he released her sweet mouth and continued his exploration across her shoulder and down her chest, leaving a trail of soft, moist kisses on her sensitive flesh.
Encircling her nipple, he moved closer and closer until finally he flicked his tongue across the hardened pebble. Addie arched her back, pressing the kernel into his mouth, wanting more. A moan, a deep, earthy sound, echoed in the room as he suckled her breast, teasing and taunting her.
From the very beginning, she'd attracted him, intrigued him, and defied him. There was an attraction between them like he never experienced.
Finally, she pushed him aside and sat up on the side of the bed.
Standing, she faced him, her lips turned up in a tantalizing smile that left him breathless. Slowly, she peeled her skirt from her body and stood before him, her chemise hanging down to her knees. Through the filmy material, her breasts beckoned him as his groin tightened.
Her drawers peeked out from beneath her chemise as she turned and pulled the loose garment over her head. When she whirled around in nothing but her drawers, he gasped at the sight of her naked curves, pleased his woman was no shrinking violet.
Holding out a hand, she placed her palm in his as he yanked her into bed, determined not to let her out again.
But Addie promptly pushed him out of bed.
"Hurry," she indicated with a wave of her hand, pointing to his clothes.
Reclined in the bed, her auburn hair splayed across the pillows, she looked as though she belonged there.
Slowly he turned toward her and began to unbutton his pants. When he glanced up and met her gaze, the fire in her eyes scorched him, and he straightened and undid another button. Never had he been more self-conscious in all his life, yet he couldn't help but grin. With his back to her, he shucked his shirt and pants to reveal his naked skin beneath.
Turning, she took one long look at him and smiled as he crawled beside her where he pulled her against him, reveling in the touch of her satiny flesh against his.
"Oh . . ." A coo escaped her as he rolled on top of her, his hands trailing down her skin.
His fingertips continued their path down past her waist, down to the thatch of hair between her thighs. Soft and silky and oh-so-warm and moist, just for him.
He'd been her first lover. If he had his way, her only lover. Today, when someone shot at her in the street, fear clutched his heart and held it hostage. If she hadn't moved, they would have killed her. Whoever wanted her dead, he had to find them.
"Oh, Wesley," she whispered in his ear as his fingers delved into her moist depths.
Gently, he cupped the center of her being while his lips nibbled on her earlobe as he brushed her satiny folds. Tempting and teasing her as his mouth skimmed her neck and trailed down her creamy shoulders, sampling her sweet flesh.
Like a cat, she arched her back against his hand, wanting more, her lashes fluttered and her pulse pounded rhythmically.
In the glow of the lantern, he felt her heated release as he stroked her center until she cried out. "Wesley."
Before this woman, no one ever called his name out loud with need. No one ever abandoned herself totally in his arms the way Addie let herself go. Exhausted, she lay limp, trusting. Never had he been so connected with another human in his life.
His hand reached out and brushed the tangled mass of curls away from her face, and she opened her eyes slowly.
"Wesley, I . . ." The way she said his name was more of a purr.
Tempting, he covered her lips once again, groaning at their sweetness. No, he didn't want to talk at this moment. All he wanted was to experience Addie. Tomorrow they could both die, but tonight, he needed her. Needed her body lying beneath him. Her flesh wrapped around him, pulsing against him.
No thoughts of what could happen, only tonight, the two of them pursuing the desire between them. Not knowing if they wo
uld live to see another day.
She slid a hand down his chest, past his waist, until she reached her final destination. With a gasp, his lips released hers, as she wrapped her fingers around his hardened flesh, flicking the head with a gentle stroke.
Lying back, he let the fierce pounding of his blood overwhelm him as pleasure wafted over him in pulsating waves. She leaned over him, her hand still caressing as her mouth covered his. Greedily, she devoured him, her tongue tracing the edges of his lips, her hand sliding up and down his blood-engorged manhood.
Deep, resonant, sensations filled him as her fingertips work their magic, rhythmically stroking him ever closer to the edge. Teasing a seductive path down the hardened muscles of his chest, her lips nibbled and stroked his flesh, her mouth lavished his nipple, tenderly caressing the tender orb.
Suddenly, unable to take the ecstasy anymore, he lifted her and rolled her to her back in a single movement.
As she wrapped her legs around him, he placed his manhood at her entrance. With a primal surge, he entered her, her flesh surrounding him, burying himself deep within her.
Soft whimpers of pleasure increased with each long, slow, stroke of his body as he slowed his pace, wanting to make their lovemaking last.
This woman had changed him for the better. Made him realize that before now, he never truly experienced love. Made him appreciate every moment he spent in her arms, each breath he took of the sweet scent of his woman. And by golly, she was his.
If the Colonel thought he could take her, he would face a bullet.
No matter what happened tomorrow, tonight, he would celebrate with his woman.
What he experienced with Clara was nothing compared to the emotions building for Addie. This was love, this was the beauty of finding someone you wanted to spend forever with.
With a groan, his lips covered hers as they shared the breath of life, his nostrils filled with the scent of Addie, the taste of her on his tongue. And he was consumed with a passion that surpassed every sexual experience he’d ever had.
He clasped her hands in his, bracing against her, plunging deeper and deeper into her, feeling like his soul was joining with hers. Her eyelashes fluttered against her cheek. As she shuddered with completion, her body quivered against his own.
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