High Plains Heartbreak (Love On The High Plains Book 3)

by Simone Beaudelaire

  “That's enough of that, Mr. Jones,” Mrs. Phillips snapped with a sidelong glance at her daughter.

  “Sorry, ma'am,” he replied sheepishly, taking another bite of his dessert.

  “I might stop by,” Jesse offered. “Is there any reward money available?”

  “Not exactly,” Mrs. Phillips admitted. “But if it's an organized gang, you can bet someone's on a wanted list somewhere.”

  “All right,” Jesse said, a bit coolly. He doesn't seem too keen on that idea, Addie thought. But her first bite of apple crisp drove every thought right out of her head.

  Despite the comfortable feather mattress on which he lay, and despite the fat pillow under his head, Jesse couldn't sleep. The heavy pile of quilts on his bed seemed to smother him. The embers in the fireplace glowed too brightly. It was as though he'd become accustomed to sleeping outside, with the fresh air and the sky above. And that sweet brown-eyed girl in your arms. He shoved the thought away. In two days they would arrive at their destination and he would deliver Adeline to her aunt. He doubted he'd ever see her again. The thought didn't sit well. In fact, it nagged at him. If you care for her, you'll do what's best for her, his annoying, long-ignored conscience insisted. And what's best for her is a future with a husband who hasn't had his heart broken, who can lavish on her all the love and attention she deserves. She's special, and she deserves to be treated like she is.

  He knew it was true, so why did it feel like weasels were chewing on him, in the hollow where his heart used to be? Shaking off the sad feelings, he rolled over and willed himself to go to sleep.

  “I won't miss that town,” Addie commented, glancing over her shoulder at the horizon, where Cañon City remained barely visible.

  “What's wrong with it,” Jesse asked.

  Addie lifted her shoulders in her signature shrug. “I think there were a lot of gossips there. And that boarding house woman? She's in love with you.”

  “Naw.” He dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand. “It was never love. She wanted someone to talk to…”

  “And something more, right, Jesse?” Addie demanded.

  He felt his cheeks growing hot despite the cold of the day. “Yeah,” he admitted. “But only a couple of times. She couldn't accept it was just for fun, and got… possessive. So I had to break things off. I'm not sure she ever accepted it.”

  The similarity between that situation and this dawned on him, bringing a wave of embarrassment. You have a bad habit of doing this, Jesse West. Didn't you learn from Anne that decent, vulnerable women don't want casual sex? Apparently he hadn't learned, and now another good woman was about to be hurt by his carelessness.

  Jesse took hold of Addie's calf, where it rested above the stirrup. He didn't speak, but tried with all his might to send… something… he didn't even know what, directly to her.

  Her eyes remained on the horizon.

  “How long will it take to get to our destination?” she asked.

  “To our campsite tonight? Most of the day, naturally. We should arrive in Colorado Springs tomorrow afternoon.”

  She nodded and fell silent again. The discomfort he thought they'd gotten past ages ago had come back with a vengeance.

  Night had fallen long before Jesse and Addie settled for the last night in their blankets. This time they'd chosen a small meadow, surrounded by trees, on the side of a tall hill. To either side, the forest concealed a narrow road. Behind them, a sheer, rocky surface seemed more mountain than foothill. Before them, the embankment fell away sharply, revealing a long, steep drop to the icy river below. He expected her to lie rigid against him, sharing body heat but nothing more.

  He couldn't have been more wrong. No sooner did they settle in than she rolled over to face him, drawing his head down to press ravenous kisses to his mouth.

  “Addie?”

  Her only response was to slip her fingers inside his shirt and caress his chest.

  “Addie, I don't think we should do this, honey.”

  At last he had captured her attention. “Why not?”

  “I don't want you to get hurt.”

  She met his eyes, and the warm brown had turned to a whisky color in the firelight. Deep and rich enough to drown in, and worth every moment.

  “It's too late. You can't stop me from getting hurt now. I care too much for you. So since you can't stop my heart from bleeding, at least give me something to remember, Jesse. One last night.”

  The wounded innocence in her eyes proved to be his undoing. He lifted her chin and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss of aching tenderness and regret. I wish I could be different. Addie is worth it. But that ache in his chest remained, unabated, and so he knew he still couldn't be all Addie needed and desired.

  But I will give her a night to remember, a night to satisfy her dreams until she meets that special man. The thought of another man touching Addie made him want to grit his teeth and hit something, but instead he soothed his unwarranted jealousy by focusing his attention on pleasuring his girl one last time. As he ravaged her mouth with long, wet kisses as he skimmed his hands up her torso to cup the generous fullness of her breasts. Nice, and surprisingly big for her small stature.

  Addie helped him access her by opening the buttons on her blouse. He wasted no time lifting one plump breast free and seizing the nipple with ravenous eagerness. Addie's hands laced into his hair and she held him pinned in place, insisting he tend the sensitive bud to her satisfaction, and then she guided him to the other side.

  Far from wanting to protest, Jesse gladly sucked and nibbled the pebbled peaks, enjoying the naughty taste of her.

  She unbuttoned his shirt as well, sliding her hands along the solid muscles of his chest. He hummed at the sweetness of her touch, her strong, calloused fingers making him shiver. Without hesitation, she unbuckled his belt and then opened the fastenings of his jeans, worming her hand into the tight denim to grasp his rigid length.

  Jesse groaned at the touch. I'd love to be touched by this woman every day of my life.

  Shoving away the thought, and also his clothing, he turned to Addie and slowly stripped away her skirt, chemise and bloomers. Her breath caught in her throat.

  “Open, Addie,” he urged, pressing outward on her thighs. She parted for him. He kissed his way down her torso until he could part the lips of her sex and run his tongue along the salty-sweet folds between.

  Addie released a whimpering cry at the intimate touch and moisture surged against his tongue. He lapped and nibbled at the lacy folds and in the meanwhile inserted one finger deep into her, always careful not to damage the proof of her innocence.

  Addie tilted her head back and let out a soft cry. She's so responsive. What a woman. He focused his attention on Addie's pleasure, working her love button with his lips and tongue, tickling deep inside her with one fingertip. And he watched her as her pleasure built and built within her, watched her climb recklessly towards the summit of ecstasy. He took great pleasure in knowing that it was his touch, his skill, making her feel so good. With a whimper she tumbled into the abyss, her muscles locking, her passage clamping down on his finger. I can just imagine what that would feel like, all tight and clinging. She made a soft sound of protest as he withdrew from her, aligning his sex with hers.

  Her eyes flew open. “Jesse?”

  “Trust me, Addie.” He thrust his hips, not to enter her, but to slide his erection along her wet, heated flesh, stimulating himself and her in one movement.

  “Ahhhh,” she sighed.

  “That's it, sweet girl, enjoy it,” he urged. He knew he would. The heat of her perfect female flesh enveloped him. Careful, careful, Jesse. Not too fast, not too hard. Enjoy this last taste of Addie.

  His seed was rising, and he couldn't stand against it. At last, with a groan, he slid along the entire length of her wetness and erupted, splattering her with hot, viscous liquid.

  “You know something, Jesse?” she asked in a breathless voice.

  “What's that?” he whe
ezed.

  “You're too much a gentleman for your own good.”

  He chuckled, kissed her lips and sponged the semen from her belly and mons with a dirty piece of clothing. “Sleep well, Addie.”

  She cuddled up against him and closed her eyes. He kissed her cheek and found it wet, but refrained from commenting on her tears.

  Addie sat by the embers of the faltering fire. Jesse had retired to the woods around the corner for a bit of privacy. Soon they'd be off for the last day of their journey. The last day Jesse will be in my life. She could still feel the wetness of his seed on her inner thighs from where they'd played again, just as dawn pierced the horizon. The last time. She wiped tears away from her cheeks. And I told him how I have better control than most girls. I boasted about it. Look at me now, sniveling like a little baby.

  Her harsh thoughts did nothing to assuage her grief.

  Off in the woods, a twig snapped. Her eyes immediately darted that direction, but she could see nothing. Probably a deer. There were mountain lions too, in these woods, and they sometimes attacked travelers. Mercury also raised his head up from the dry grass he'd been nibbling, a disgusted expression on his equine face, his warm dark eyes scanning the tree line.

  “What is it, boy?” she asked the horse. Mercury whickered in response. “Jesse,” she called. “Is that you?”

  Something sharp and icy touched Addie's throat. She gasped and a little yelp escaped. Mercury echoed the cry with a loud whinny.

  A heavy, tobacco-smelling hand clamped over her mouth. “Stand up, girly, nice and slow,” a raspy voice growled in her ear.

  When the man exerted upward pressure, she acquiesced, terrified she might be cut. Her heart pounded in her ears and she felt a strong urge to gag.

  “Where is he?” the man snarled. “Where's the bounty hunter?”

  He loosened his hold on Addie's mouth, but the knife against her throat didn't waver.

  “I don't know,” she said honestly.

  “You're going to take me to him, help me catch him. We can't have bounty hunters hanging around these parts.”

  “He's here to take me to my aunt's house,” Addie protested. “He's not here for you.”

  “We can't take chances. Help me find him, girly, help me catch him, and you'll live to see your aunty.”

  Addie squeezed her eyes shut. The lascivious drawl in his voice told her what would happen before her alleged release. Damn you, Jesse, did you preserve my virginity for a gang of rapists?

  But this was not a gang, at least not yet. If only something could distract him, she could form a plan.

  “What the hell?” Jesse's exclamation burst through the clearing, sending birds into the air with startled squawks. A squirrel scolded from the top of a nearby pine. “Get your filthy hands off my girl!”

  “Not so fast, partner,” the man replied in a phony casual tone. “I'll turn loose of your girl… eventually. But not before I have a little taste. She looks downright tempting.”

  “Bastard!” Jesse took a threatening step forward.

  “Careful,” the man replied. “One little slip…” he jiggle the knife and nicked Addie's skin. Warm blood ran down her neck.

  Jesse froze. Addie whimpered and made a movement with her hands as though seeking support by grabbing the villain's clothing.

  Just as I suspected. A desperate plan took shape in Addie's mind. She met Jesse's eyes, schooling her face to calmness, and deliberately closed one eye, not in a wink, but to catch his attention.

  Jesse did not react to her gesture in the slightest, but she could only hope he'd gotten her message.

  “She's not really worth all this fuss, man.”

  “Ha, that's not what I saw this morning,” the villain scoffed, clutching one of Addie's breasts.

  Jesse shrugged. “She's a decent bit of skirt, nothing more. You don't really think you can get me to sacrifice myself for the sake of a half-breed slut, do you?”

  Addie took a deep breath. It hurt to hear Jesse saying these things, even though she knew he didn't mean them.

  Casually, Jesse removed his gun from its holster. “You'll never draw in time to live.”

  “I'll take her with me.” The knife bit in deeper.

  Jesse lifted one shoulder. “You'll be dead either way. Tell me, man, how much is your carcass worth?”

  The tension in the man's body shifted. His attention was now focused on Jesse and not on her. I might not survive this, but I have to try.

  In one fluid movement, she reached behind her, grabbed the gun she'd found strapped to his hip and turned it backwards, shooting him in the thigh and at the same time twisting in the direction of his entrapping arm, crowding close to his body to escape the knife. She sat straight downward as a second pistol roared. Something flew over her head as she ducked, snipping a chunk out of her hair. The bandit yelled as he staggered backwards. The knife dropped from his hand and sank deep into the ground, pinning the corner of Addie's divided riding skirt and only missing her leg by an inch.

  She turned without thought to see the villain who had grabbed her–a grizzled man with sagging jowls like aged leather–clutching his shoulder. Everything had happened so fast, he was still stumbling backward with the impact of Jesse's bullet on his shoulder when Addie turned. His last step connected with a slick stone and the man's feet went out from under him, sending him tumbling. His legs landed on the rocky ground, but his head, torso and hips didn't, and he fell over the steep embankment head first, screaming until his cry ended in a sickening crunch.

  Silence descended on the impromptu campsite, broken only by the sound of blood rushing in Addie's ears and a strange ringing which must have been a result of the pistol's loud report. She concentrated on drawing air into her lungs, ignoring the messy cut still dripping tickling droplets onto her bosom.

  “Addie?” She started violently at the sound of Jesse's voice. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded slowly.

  “You're bleeding!”

  She raised trembling fingers to her throat and was stunned to see them come away stained red. At last her eyes focused on the scene. A lock of burnished hair lay on a gray rock beside her, snipped from her head by a bullet. The knife that had cut her was now stuck through her skirt. A pistol slipped from her sweat-slickened hand and tumbled to the ground, a wisp of smoke still rising from the muzzle.

  Jesse's face appeared in front of hers without warning. She screamed and scrambled back a bit, slitting the hem of her skirt as it escaped the bite of the blade.

  “Addie, it's me. You sure you're okay?”

  She swayed.

  In a heartbeat, Jesse had plunked himself down on the ground and hauled her into his lap, where he slowly rocked her back and forth, murmuring as though to a frightened child.

  Addie nestled into his warmth. She felt cold and disoriented, not quite sure what had happened. All she knew in that moment was that this – these warm arms, this familiar scent – represented safety. She never wanted to leave the cradle of his embrace.

  “What happened?” she asked at last.

  “A man attacked our camp. Attacked you. You shot him with his own gun. My brave, strong girl.” He crushed her in his arms. “I thought he was going to kill you. I thought I was going to watch you die. Oh God, Addie.”

  He kissed her lips.

  She liked the warmth of his embrace, so she kissed him back, and then again, and again. Without warning the kiss exploded into a fiery passion Addie could never remember having experienced before. Even while they played at lovemaking, she'd never felt anything like this. Gripping two handfuls of Jesse's shirt, she pinned him in place so she could devour his mouth with hers. He crushed her in his arms.

  The world tilted around her and the next thing Addie knew, she lay on the ground, Jesse's solid weight pinning her down. Frantically he delved under her skirt. Her bloomers still lay on the ground a ways off, and Jesse took advantage of her nakedness to slip two fingers past the coarse auburn hair between h
er thighs and push deep into her body. Her wetness from all their love play the previous night and this morning allowed the rough penetration.

  “Uhhh,” she moaned, more in pain than pleasure. She'd taken one finger well enough, but two stretched her uncomfortably. You're about to discover what more than just two fingers feels like, she realized, noticing Jesse was yanking at his belt.

  She uttered not one word of protest, instead hiking her own skirts up to bare herself to him.

  Jesse shoved his jeans to his knees and covered her body with his.

  Addie laced her fingers through the back of his hair and pulled him down, wanting nothing more than to drown her senses in more of his delicious kisses. With her free hand, she reached down low and took hold of his jutting erection. Acting on pure instinct, she guided it to the entrance of her body.

  No sooner had their bodies aligned than Jesse shoved hard, pinning her body to the ground with the force of that first thrust.

  “Awwww,” Addie whimpered. There was no gentleness, no tenderness to Jesse's taking. While she understood why, understood his terror over their near disaster, the hard, rough way he was moving in her just plain hurt.

  “I'm sorry, Addie,” he panted. “I know it stings but I,” he gasped. “Can't.” Another sharp inhalation. “Stop.”

  And he didn't stop. He rode her hard and deep, slamming into her virgin passage with the force of a rampaging stallion, battering the mouth of her womb.

  Addie squirmed against the onslaught. Jesse slid his hands under her buttocks and lifted her to the angle he desired. The shift in position brought with it a change in sensation. Now the end of his penis was scraping and nudging that special spot he'd found inside her. Heat tingled, mingling with the soreness. Then it grew, spreading and radiating out from her stinging passage into every inch of her body. Though she would never have thought it possible, the discomfort of her rough deflowering was rapidly changing into something different. Tension thrummed, taut as bowstring, in every nerve.