by Anna Schmidt
The kiss was sweet and lingering, full of a new kind of curiosity. They had time, Cody thought. They had all night. And when he took her hand and led her to his bedroom, she did not protest.
* * *
Lily knew Cody’s living quarters were part of his office. Once when she’d come there to seek his help, she’d glimpsed the rumpled covers on a narrow bed. Now they stood next to that bed.
“Lily, I—”
She placed a finger to his lips to silence him. She was done talking or analyzing the right or wrong of this. She eased the suspenders from his broad shoulders and began opening the buttons on his shirt, pulling the tails free as she worked her way from top to bottom. She placed her palms flat on his bare chest, feeling the heat of his body, the thunder of his heartbeat. She traced her fingers over the hair that tapered to the waist of his trousers, then straightened and reached for the first button at the neck of her dress.
“May I?” he asked, covering her hand with his.
For an answer, she slid her hand away, leaving his touching the buttons. With agonizing slowness, he opened each one, his face half in shadow and half illuminated by light from outside the single window. Finally, he released the last button. Watching her closely, he eased the upper half of her dress from her shoulders.
She shrugged her arms free before pushing his shirt open. He let it drop to the floor as he leaned in to kiss her bare shoulders, her exposed throat. Her breasts swelled with desire, her nipples pressing against the soft linen of her camisole. It seemed only natural to kiss his nipples and then to go a step further, laving them with her tongue.
He shuddered and looped a finger through the strap of her camisole, tugging it down. She drew in a breath. He bent to kiss the swell of her breast. She tangled her fingers in his hair and pressed him to her. Through the thin barrier of fabric, she could feel the nip of his teeth, the open-mouthed kiss, and a current coursing through her lower body that cried out for him to take her to his bed.
He stepped away and closed the door separating his private quarters from his office. He continued to face the door. She stepped closer, running her hands over his back. “I want to try, Cody,” she whispered. “At least then we’ll know.”
He turned to face her. “There are ways we can be together without…”
“Teach me,” she said. “Love me,” she whispered as he lifted her and laid her gently on the bed.
His hands trembled as he lifted her skirt to pull off her shoes and stockings. He took his time, cradling her calf in his palm and leaning in to kiss her bare skin once the task was done. He sat on the side of the bed and removed his boots, then knelt before her and ran his hands over her legs, up and under her skirt to her thighs. When she thought she might explode from the desire coursing through her, he withdrew his hands, smoothed down her skirt, then lay beside her and began undoing the ribbons of her camisole. He spread the fabric, exposing her naked breasts—breasts he cupped and nipples he caressed with his thumbs.
She closed her eyes tight, thrilling to the exquisite pain of it all. She struggled to sit up, and he took it as rejection, moving away at once and turning to face the window.
“It’s all right,” he said. “I understand.”
“Look at me, Cody.” He glanced at her over his shoulder. She stripped off her camisole and began unfastening her skirt. She stood by the bed and let both it and her petticoat fall to the ground. He was facing her now, and when she unbuttoned her pantaloons and eased them down her legs, she heard him suck in a breath.
She had gone too far—he would see her as some wanton woman and be disappointed. Lily turned back to the bed and reached for the quilt to cover her nakedness. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
He covered the chasm between them in two steps, unbuttoning the fly of his trousers as he did. Gently, he pulled the quilt away and dropped it back on the bed. His eyes never left her as he stepped out of his trousers and kicked them aside. Cody lifted her, one arm under her hips urging her to wrap her legs around him. She felt the fullness of his erection pressing against her through the fabric of his undergarment and wanted to cry out with her desire for him.
Clinging to one another, they toppled onto the bed, their legs intertwined.
“Lily?” His mouth was next to her ear, his breath warm. “Whatever we do from this moment, know you can stop at any time. If it’s too much—”
For an answer, she ran her finger down the center of his chest until she reached the band on his undergarment. She did not stop. Instead, she tunneled her hand under the fabric until she could hold him. When he startled like a newborn colt, she started to pull away, but he rolled toward her instead of away. His fingers threaded their way between her thighs, until he was touching the very core of her need.
They both froze, their eyes open—his seeking permission, hers pleading for him not to stop whatever this new sensation was.
He struggled out of his undershorts and straddled her. Tenderly, he positioned her bent legs to either side of him. She felt the tip of his penis seeking entry and grasped his bare hips, urging him on, giving him permission—and still he hesitated.
“Cody, yes,” she whispered.
Slowly, he eased into her. Surely, her body was too small to hold him! And yet she believed with all her heart that their bodies were meant to fit together in this way. She smothered a cry when something inside her seemed to give way, allowing him full entry. Any hint of pain was erased as he began to move within her, and instinctively, her body responded.
And then without warning, he pulled out and rolled to his side, his breathing labored.
“It’s all right,” he managed, but he turned away from her, and for one awful moment, she felt rejected and used. She pulled the covers tight around her and started to sit up. But then he was facing her again, stroking her shoulder. “Lily, it’s not what you think. Please, Lily, look at me.”
She was fighting tears of humiliation, but she turned to him, tossing her hair away from her face. “There’s no need for apologies, Cody. Here we thought I might be the one to reject you—”
He let out a growl of pure frustration. “I pulled out because I don’t want you getting pregnant before we can marry.”
Her heart skipped a beat as she realized this man—this incredible man—had foregone his own pleasure to protect her.
“Oh,” she said, the only response she could find. All the tension seeped out of her.
“Will you stay tonight?” Cody’s hand rested on her shoulder.
“Maybe it would be best if I went home.”
“Please stay, Lily. I’ve lost count of the nights I’ve spent lying in this bed alone, staring at the ceiling and imagining you here beside me. And I’m talking way before we started stepping out together.”
She wanted to stay more than she’d ever wanted anything. She wanted to spend the rest of her life lying next to this man. “Maybe, if that cup of tea is still available…”
He laughed. “Wait right here.” He got up and pulled on his trousers. Moments later, she heard him in the other room, clanging the lid on the wood stove as he stoked the fire, followed by the clink of a spoon against crockery. She wrapped herself in the quilt and watched him from the doorway.
He caught her looking and grinned at her. He was shirtless and barefoot as he puttered around gathering a tin of loose tea and a bowl of sugar while the water heated, and she was pretty sure no man had ever looked more desirable.
“Cody? I’ve been thinking.”
“I’ve discovered that can be dangerous when it comes to you,” he teased.
“I’m serious. I’m sure Victor is long gone and can’t hurt us or those we care about anymore. What if we don’t wait—to be married, I mean?”
He continued pouring steaming water into a teapot, then set the kettle back on the stove and turned to face her. He was frowning. “Letting Victor get awa
y will not end this, Lily. He’ll always be there. Maybe not physically, but we both know he had something to do with Jake’s death. And we both know what he did to you. Not to mention the other girls he’ll take advantage of.”
She knew he was right. Justice for Jake had been the one thing driving her for weeks now. Letting Victor walk away from that was simply not possible.
She took the mug of tea Cody offered and headed back to his bedroom. She sat on the side of the bed, pulling the quilt around her. When Cody followed, he tucked the cover more securely around her before pulling up a chair and straddling it. “Are you all right?” he asked, watching her sip her tea. “I mean, do you understand how much I wanted…”
“Cody, I’m very all right,” she assured him.
He ducked his head, suddenly shy.
They drank their tea, the silence between them feeling as normal to Lily as if they’d shared such moments countless times.
“Cody, how can we stop Victor? How can we prove he was behind Jake’s death and the robbery and everything else?”
“We don’t do that, Lily. I’ll handle it. You need to stay out of it.”
“No.”
His head shot up, and he scowled at her. “No? Lily, I can’t be worried about your safety at the same time as I’m tracking Johnson.”
“I want to help. And I will, with or without your permission.” She set her mug on the floor and rummaged around for her undergarments. It was difficult to make her point when she was wearing nothing but a quilt. She found her camisole and put it on. While tying the ribbons, she felt Cody watching her.
“Stop that,” she said without meeting his gaze.
“Can’t,” he replied as he set his mug on the floor next to hers and stood. He was giving her that devilish grin that was a surefire way to get her heart racing. “Need some help?”
When she risked a glance his way, he was holding her pantaloons. She snatched them away from him and put them on. “You’re impossible,” she muttered, but she couldn’t help but smile when next he held up her petticoat.
“Put your shirt on,” she grumbled.
He chuckled and did as she asked. She finished dressing and went to his desk to retrieve her pins and combs to put her hair back up. Cody came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Leave it down,” he said as he kissed the nape of her neck.
“I have to get back to the hotel.”
“I know, but we’ve got a little time.”
She turned to face him, leaving the combs and pins on his desk and wrapping her arms around his neck. “If anyone had told me I would fall in love with a lawman, I would have laughed,” she said.
“And yet?”
“And yet here I am,” she murmured as their lips met. In spite of everything she’d endured in the past, her future with Cody promised to make up for it all. “Cody, promise me you’ll do everything possible to prove Jake’s innocence.”
He was still holding her close, kissing her temples and forehead. “I’ll do my best, Lily, but we both need to face the fact that Jake may have been involved at the beginning. Perhaps he had a change of heart.”
“Well, he didn’t have to die for a change of heart. What if he was trying to do the right thing? What if he wanted only to protect me?” As was always the case whenever she thought of Jake, Lily felt sadness overwhelm her. She had taken his friendship and devotion to her for granted. “I just want to do whatever I can to make sure Jake rests in peace and his good name is restored.”
“I know. All I ask is for you to let me do my job—a job that may involve my having to leave town for a while. Promise me you won’t make any moves on your own while I’m gone.”
She looked up at him. “You’re going after Victor?”
“I’m going to Santa Fe to see what I can find out from the gang members being held there. Depending on what they have to say, I will follow the trail wherever it may lead. But I can’t do any of that if I’m worrying about you, so promise me—”
“I’m hardly likely to—”
“Promise,” he growled.
She bit her tongue, knowing he was right. She would not add to his danger by causing him unnecessary worry. “I promise,” she said.
He let out a long breath of relief and picked up her hairpins. “Time to get you back to the hotel.” He placed the pins in her hand.
She twisted her hair into a knot and stabbed it with the pins. “I don’t want to go,” she admitted.
“If I could, I would keep you here all night, but you were right earlier, and we both know it can’t happen.” He touched each button on the front of her dress. “But when I return…”
“When you return, Sheriff Daniels, it had better be with the intent of marrying me as soon as possible.”
He grinned. “That’s a promise I can make—and keep,” he said as he placed his hand against her back and steered her toward the door. Just before opening it, he pulled her close and kissed her, a kiss that left them both breathless.
“I guess that’ll have to hold me until I get back,” he said. He reached for the door and then once again turned back. “One more thing,” he said. “Next time we make love? Nothing will stand in our way, okay? No Victor, no curfew, and definitely no need to be careful. Agreed?”
He looked so intense that all Lily could do was smile. She brushed his hair away from his forehead. “Agreed,” she said. And when he turned for the third time to open the door, it was Lily who stopped him. “You know that kiss? The one that’s supposed to last us?”
He grinned. “Not enough?”
“Not by a long shot,” she said as she stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Chapter 16
The ride to Santa Fe took longer than planned. A sudden dust storm rolled across the desert, and Cody had to stop and find shelter for himself and his horse. Like the thunderstorm he and Lily had endured, the pillar of swirling dirt and debris seemed to come out of nowhere. One minute, the sky was as clear and blue as the cornflowers that had grown on the lane leading to his parent’s place, and the next, everything went dark as granules of sand and dirt stung his eyes and skin. He made it to an arroyo at the base of a mesa where he and his horse were protected from the brunt of the passing storm by the high walls to either side.
It certainly didn’t take a dust storm or memories of a thunderstorm to start him thinking about Lily. He’d had nothing else on his mind since leaving her the night before. He reminded himself repeatedly on the road of the need to keep his focus on the work at hand. He couldn’t help worrying that Lily might go off on her own though. If she discovered anything she thought might clear Jake, she wouldn’t hesitate to follow that lead regardless of the danger. So the sooner he caught up with Johnson the better.
He’d thought about speaking to Aidan, asking him to keep an eye on Lily, but he knew she would be furious if she ever found out. He’d also considered leaving a note for Emma with the same message but again knew Lily’s fury would not just be directed at him but at her friend as well. He’d figured out that trust was a big issue with Lily. A person had to earn that. After last night, he figured he was on pretty solid ground, but with Lily’s history of having her trust broken, it was probably best not to take anything for granted.
The storm finally passed, and Cody headed for the jail. He knew the military officers in charge of the prisoners from serving with them when he was working with the army as a scout and guide. Captain Troutman personally walked Cody to the wing of the jail where the outlaws were being held.
“We can’t get anything out of them. You might have more luck,” he said. With a jerk of his head, he dismissed the two soldiers on guard duty. “I’ll leave you to it, Cody. Keep your distance from the cell doors—last thing we need is a hostage situation. Guards will be just outside here.”
“Thanks,” Cody said and nodded to the guards before e
ntering the dim corridor that ran the length of the building. There were four small cells, three occupied by two men each and the last by a familiar, lone outlaw.
Rusty.
Cody leaned against the rough clay wall outside the gang leader’s cell, folded his arms, and simply stared at the man who had held Abigail and him captive.
“What do you want?” Rusty sneered, but he backed away from the bars, and his voice shook slightly.
“Depends,” Cody replied.
“On what?”
“On whether you and your friends here want to take the full brunt of paying for what happened back in Juniper—and the job a few weeks ago in Santa Fe.”
“You got no say in that.”
“I’m a witness, and I know several others willing to testify against you. I reckon that might be enough to see you all hang.” He heard murmurs from the other cells and was aware the other men were listening to everything he said. That was his intention, so he waited a long beat before adding, “Of course there might be a way ’round that.”
“Such as?”
“We both know who was the actual brains behind these robberies.”
Rusty moved a step closer. “You sayin’ I don’t have the smarts to put something like this together?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Snickers came from the other cells.
Cody shifted his position, cocking an ear. “You boys hear that?” From outside came the unmistakable sound of hammering. “Sounds like the captain might be having his men get a head start on building that gallows. Shouldn’t take long.”
“We deserve a fair trial,” one of the other men shouted.
“That’s true. Doesn’t change the likely outcome, since you were caught with the goods, but you’ll have your day in court,” Cody replied, never taking his eyes off Rusty. “Of course by then, it’ll be too late.”
