“I’ll show you,” Jessie murmured, deepening the kiss. The touch of Ellie’s tongue against hers made Jessie weak in the knees.
Ellie couldn’t help moving her hips against Jessie’s as she wrapped her arms around her neck. She’d never wanted anything so badly in her life, yet she had no idea what it was that she’d wanted. She just knew she wanted it. Her chest burned with a yearning she’d never felt before.
Jessie moved her hands up Ellie’s sides, over the edge of her breasts, to the top button of her blouse. She ended the kiss, looking into Ellie’s brown eyes as she opened one button at a time. Ellie moved her shaky hands over Jessie’s shoulders to the top of her chest. She’d never undressed anyone or had someone undress her.
Jessie let go of the blouse she was opening and removed her coat, tossing it aside. Then, she unclasped her tie, adding it to the pile. She placed her hands on her vest to remove it, and Ellie grabbed them, stopping her.
Ellie held her breath as she unbuttoned the vest and pushed it off Jessie’s shoulders. It dropped to the floor behind them without a sound. Their eyes met again as they continued undressing each other, pausing here and there to share long, sensual kisses, until there was nothing left but their undergarments. Ellie had on traditional bloomers and a camisole. Jessie’s bloomers were cut shorter, stopping at mid-thigh instead of just above the knee, and she’d worn nothing under her shirt, so she still had it on as well.
Ellie ran her eyes over the woman in front of her, from head to toe, then she reached up, unbuttoning Jessie’s shirt. After the last button, she spread the garment open. Her breath hitched at the sight of Jessie’s bare torso. Her breasts were small with beady, pink nipples.
Jessie grabbed Ellie’s hands, placing them on her breasts. Then, she shrugged out of her shirt, leaving her nude from the waist up. Ellie’s heart raced as she nervously ran her hands over Jessie’s upper body from her breasts to her flat stomach and back up again. Jessie put her hand under Ellie’s chin, lifting it slightly.
Ellie’s eye traced a path from her breasts up to the green eyes gazing back at her. She licked her lips and pressed them to Jessie’s, kissing her with as much ardor as she could while relishing in the soft skin under her finger tips.
Jessie reached down, grasping the edge of Ellie’s camisole on both sides of her waist and tugging it up. Ellie pulled her hands from Jessie’s body long enough to have the camisole lifted away, revealing bouncy breasts that were bigger than Jessie’s but not over-sized for her petite frame. Jessie bit her lower lip as her eyes took in the sight in front of her, and her hands ran gently over Ellie’s creamy-colored, silky, smooth skin. She’d never wanted someone so badly.
Ellie’s knees wobbled weakly with Jessie’s caress. She nearly fell into Jessie’s arms as their bodies came together. The feeling of another woman pressed against her made Ellie’s body betray her. She rocked against Jessie as warm, wetness seeped into her bloomers.
Jessie’s mouth met Ellie’s in a deep, desirable kiss that left them both panting. She removed her own bloomers, tossing them to the side as Ellie did the same.
“You’re so beautiful, Ellie,” she murmured.
Ellie smiled shyly. ‘I’ve never…” she muttered, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I’ve never been naked with anyone, before,” she finished shakily as her body trembled, more from the yearning deep inside, than nervousness.
“But, you were married,” Jessie said, grabbing her hand. “Weren’t you intimate?”
“Yes, of course…but, not like this.” She waved her free hand between the two of them.
Jessie nodded and pulled Ellie into her arms once more, bringing their full bodies together. She leaned back slightly, meeting Ellie’s gaze, before kissing her tenderly.
Ellie deepened this kiss, searching for Jessie’s tongue as Jessie’s leg slipped between hers.
“Oh, my…” she gasped.
Jessie smiled, feeling the wetness coat her thigh. She ran her hands up and down Ellie’s back while slowly moving her leg. Ellie shivered in her arms as her legs spread further. Jessie kissed the delicate skin of her shoulder and neck, up under her ear, and pulled the pins from her hair, allow it to fall freely and hang down her back in natural, loose waves.
Ellie moaned in protest as Jessie pulled away. She grabbed Jessie’s hand and allowed her to lead them to the bed. She watched as Jessie pulled back the quilt. Then, she climbed onto the bed, lying on her side. Mimicking her position, Jessie pressed their lips together once more. She ran her hand over Ellie’s body, before rolling her to her back, and moving on top of her.
Ellie ran her hands up and down Jessie’s back, reveling in the feeling of her smooth skin as they continued to trade kisses, until Jessie pulled away. Sliding her body down until her face was even with Ellie’s breasts, Jessie placed delicate kisses across her chest, careful to avoid the perky, pink nipples. Unsure of what to do, Ellie simply let herself enjoy the tender touches as she watched Jessie move her mouth side to side. She gasped and hissed when Jessie sucked a nipple between her lips, teasing it with her tongue before releasing it.
Jessie looked up and smiled at the brown eyes staring at her. She kept her pace excruciatingly slow as she ran her tongue around the outside of the other nipple, then fully over it. Ellie released a panting sound that she’d never heard before, causing her to look away in embarrassment.
Jessie paused and moved back up to see her eyes. “Are you okay?” she asked.
Ellie nodded, then bit her lower lip. “What are you doing to me?” she whispered.
“I’ll stop if you want me to,” Jessie said, pulling back to look at her.
“No…No, don’t stop,” Ellie replied softly, running her hand through Jessie’s hair.
Jessie smiled and met her lips once more as her hand moved along Ellie’s body. Her palm slid down the side of her torso to her hip, then all the way back up at an agonizing pace, over and over, teasing her fingers lower with each pass. Ellie was nearly breathless by the time Jessie’s fingers slipped between her legs, lazily stroking up and down. Her hips rose as high as they could with Jessie lying halfway on top of her.
“Oh!” Ellie cried out.
Jessie kissed the soft skin on the side of Ellie’s neck, before moving her head down to suckle her breasts. Ellie’s body jerked around under her as she applied more pressure with her fingers, then pushed two of them inside of her.
“I’ve got you,” Jessie whispered as Ellie’s body began to tremble.
“What…oh…oh my…” Ellie panted breathlessly.
Jessie touched her thumb to Ellie’s center with each thrust until Ellie tightened around her fingers. Jessie stilled her hand and simply held Ellie as the wave of pleasure rolled through her.
Ellie’s body went limp and collapsed under her, causing Jessie to grin as she rolled to Ellie’s side. With her free hand, she wiped away the sweat on Ellie’s brow, then she kissed her softly.
“My God,” Ellie puffed, sounding a little winded. “What…was that?”
“That’s called making love,” Jessie replied, still smiling at her.
“I’ve certainly never felt anything like that before…not with anyone.”
“Maybe that’s because you were meant to be with me,” Jessie teased, kissing her again.
Ellie ran her hand over Jessie’s cheek. “I love the way your skin feels. It’s so soft.”
“I love you,” Jessie said, turning her head and kissing her palm.
“Show me how make love to you,” Ellie murmured, staring into her green eyes.
Jessie rolled to her back, pulling Ellie up against her side in the process. Then, grabbing her hand, she placed it on her breast and pushed it lower, down across her stomach to the top of her thigh. Spreading her legs, she ran Ellie’s hand between them, pushing her fingers into the wetness at her center. Jessie’s hips bucked as she showed her how to move in delicate circles, applying just the right amount of pressure. Mov
ing her hand away, Jessie let Ellie take control.
“It’s okay,” Jessie encouraged. “You’ll feel it when you’re doing it right.”
Ellie nodded nervously.
Jessie pulled her down into a searing kiss. Losing her train of thought, Ellie began moving her fingers in a slow, enticing rhythm.
Jessie fought to keep a steady breath and slow her building climax. It had been so long since she’d been touched, she’d forgotten how good it felt. Sensing Ellie dip down lower, she grabbed her hand, pushing her inside, then, showed her how to work her fingers in and out. She threw her head back, moaning when Ellie took over, her timidness obviously gone as she stroked her with ease.
“Mmmm,” Jessie growled, stilling Ellie’s hand as the euphoria washed over her. Completely spent, she pulled Ellie’s hand free and wrapped her in a hug.
Ellie pressed her lips to Jessie’s. “That was the most powerful thing I’ve ever experienced,” she murmured, kissing her again. “I love you, Jessie Henry.”
“I love you, too,” Jessie whispered as her heart rate gradually found its way back to normal.
“I look forward to making love again,” Ellie said quietly.
Jessie rolled Ellie to her back and moved over her. “How about right now?” she grinned, kissing her passionately.
TWENTY
“Good morning,” Jessie said, coming down the metal, spiral staircase with a cup of coffee in one hand and her hat in the other.
Ellie looked up and smiled. “I was wondering when you’d appear,” she replied, glancing at the clock.
Jessie walked over, setting her mug and hat down on the counter, before pulling Ellie into her arms. “I know I won’t get to wake up next to you every day, because we keep different hours, but you’re still the first thing I see before I start my day,” she murmured, kissing her softly.
“Waking up next to you is quite nice,” Ellie said. “So is going to bed beside you,” she blushed.
Jessie grinned. “I should probably get going. Justice Samuelson will be here in a week, so I’m sure the mayor will be on edge with daily meetings.”
“I thought all of that was over…”
“So did we, but he’s coming to personally interview Bert and I about the ambush.”
“Surely, he doesn’t think you’re fibbing.”
“I doubt that. He’s a smart man. I’m sure everything is fine. He and the mayor are old friends, so it’s probably more of a social call,” Jessie said, not wanting to alarm her new bride. “I’m not sure what time I’ll be home, but I’ll be here for supper before I go walk the alley tonight.”
“I know. I’ll see you when I see you. Not much has changed,” Ellie said. “You have a town to watch over, and I have a store to run.”
“Everything has changed…at least for me it has,” Jessie replied, grabbing her hand.
“I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I always looked forward to the possibility of seeing you during the day. Now that we’re married, I don’t have to wonder if I’ll see you in the street, or if you’ll pop in to buy something, because I know you’re coming home to me every night,” she said, placing her free hand on Jessie’s cheek.
The bell over the door jingled just as Jessie was about to press her lips to Ellie’s. “And thus starts the day,” she said with a smile as she backed away and slipped her hat on. She grabbed her mug and a copy of the newspaper sitting nearby. Then, she placed a coin on the counter to cover her purchase.
“Be careful out there,” Ellie said, watching her leave as she headed over to greet her customer.
“Always,” she replied, nodding to the rancher who’d come into the store, on her way out.
***
Bert was leaning against the doorway of the Marshal’s Office, chewing on a licorice stick, when Jessie walked over from the General Trade. She went inside and sat down at her desk with the paper.
“Molly keeps talking about your ceremony, and how lovely it was. I think she’s become a fan of outdoor weddings,” he said. “It was nice though, I have to agree. We were married in the church back home. Nothing fancy, I suppose, but it was full of family and friends.”
“I’ve been married five times now, and they’re all the same to me, but I think this one turned out all right,” Jessie replied, sipping her coffee without looking up from the newspaper she was reading. Boone Creek didn’t have a local paper, although the mayor had been talking about adding one into the budget, which was obviously a higher priority than adding another deputy or two. Since settling in the town, Jessie had taken to reading the Frontier Ledger, a weekly newspaper out of Red Rock that covered local news, but also reported on major national news when they heard about it.
“What? No—” Bert stammered.
Jessie winked at him and turned the next page. “It can’t be,” she mumbled, setting the paper down and pulling open her rickety desk drawer. She flipped through a file containing old newspapers and pulled one out. “Son of a bitch!” she growled, wadding up the paper. “I’ll be back in a bit,” she said to him as she rushed out of the building.
A few town folk greeted her, giving a wave or polite nod as Jessie walked briskly down Main Street Curve, to the large building at the end of the corner. She stepped inside and hurried up the stairs.
“Good afternoon, Jessie,” Mayor Montgomery said when she appeared at his office door. “How’s married life?”
“It’s been less than a week. Ask me in a month,” she mumbled. “Do you read the newspaper?” she asked seriously, moving into the room and closing the door.
“We don’t currently have one,” he replied, puffing on a cigar.
“The Frontier Ledger,” she corrected, setting the carelessly folded paper on his desk, before walking over to the window to look down at the street below.
“Of course. Why? What’s got you all excited?” He picked it up, glancing at the front cover. “This is two weeks old.”
“Page two,” she uttered.
He flipped the paper over and glanced at the entries. One entire column was nothing but a listing of trial dates for territory lawbreakers, along with the location of the trial and the charges against them. Shamus Maguire’s name was in the very middle.
“Well, son of a bitch,” he spat.
“Shamus knew all along that the paper would give his gang exactly what they needed to attack us,” she uttered, shaking her head.
“How the hell did we miss this?”
“I knew they listed all of the territory trial information, but I never thought much about it.”
“So did I,” he stated, blowing out a frustrated breath.
“I never even finished reading this issue because I was dealing with Shamus and his big mouth.”
“The front page looks familiar, but I don’t get to read them all the way through sometimes. This was probably one of those times, unfortunately.”
Jessie sat down in the chair in front of his desk. “I understand the need to inform people, but… something of this nature shouldn’t be public knowledge, at least in my opinion. How many other transports have been ambushed because of this, I wonder?”
“I’d like to know the answer to that myself. I’ll have a discussion with Justice Samuelson. For now, keep this in a safe place. We’ll need it as evidence if this gets messy.”
“Do you think it will…get messy?” Jessie asked.
“No,” he replied, shaking his head.
***
Later that evening, Jessie sat at her usual table in the back corner of the Rustler’s Den. Bert was next to her, tapping his foot to the music of the piano while watching a Faro game.
“Do you think things will be okay with Justice Samuelson?” Bert asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Jessie said, watching the Dice table. “He’s at it again.”
“Who? Mr. Munroe?”
“Who else?” she muttered, shaking her head.
“How is he winning
so much?”
“He’s using weighted dice. When the turn comes to him, he switches the house dice to his own using sleight of hand. It’s a fairly simply technique, but the problem is, he does it too often. You’re supposed to do it for a few hands, then switch them back so that you lose. Then, switch them and win a few more.”
“It sounds like you know a lot about it.”
“I’ve gambled a time or two. I never said I was perfect.” She glanced at him. “I had another life before I came here.”
“Me too. I worked with Grim and our dad, driving street cars in St. Louis. What about you? What did you do down south?”
“Ran cattle across the Texas/Mexico border.”
Bert nodded. “Have you really been married five times?”
“Hell no,” she laughed. “This is my first and last.”
Bert smiled and shook his head.
“Look, Mr. Munroe is leaving.”
“We missed our opportunity.”
“We’ll get another one,” she said.
He watched the saloon girls go around the room, working each table. “I guess Miss Lita isn’t hanging all over our table anymore, now that you’re married.”
“No, it’s not that…I’m pretty sure she hates me,” she replied, laughing lightly. “Mr. Munroe is gone and it’s starting to quiet down. I’m going to call it a night,” she added, standing up.
“Me too. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jessie patted his shoulder and walked up to the bar.
“That damn Nicolas Munroe has been in here all day, challenging anyone who will play, and taking their money of course,” Elmer spat. “What are you going to do about it?”
“I’ll bust him soon enough,” she said.
“The town folk are going to catch on, then they’ll fill him full of holes.”
“I know. At least we are doing well with the no carry law. I’ll stop him before it gets to that point.”
“Yeah, like you stopped ‘High Card’ Jack or the Dirty Boys?” Otis mumbled. “Lady Law,” he laughed.
Boone Creek Page 12
