by Linda Broday
Clay put his arm around her and pulled her against him. She whimpered and laid her head on his shoulder. “If you’re asking me to tell you where you’re going, you’ve come to the wrong place. I’m only muddling through myself. I know little more than you, darlin’.”
“But you’ve traveled and met so many women.”
“That doesn’t teach you much. I’ve never come across any as pretty and smart as you. And I never loved any, not even the ones I asked to marry me.”
“I’m sure you learned a lot about women though. You had to.”
“Some, I reckon. One thing I know is I haven’t lived in saloons most my life to be taken in by a schemer like Rebel. I know who she is and what she has for sale—and I’m not buying.” He moved Tally’s hair aside and kissed her neck. “She doesn’t interest me. You do. When I’m with you, I feel like I have my finger in water that’s being struck with ten thousand bolts of lightning. My whole body is alive. You excite and thrill me at the same time.”
“Don’t just say that to spare my feelings.”
“I mean every word.” The brush of his fingers along her arm brought tingles. “Now that I don’t seem to be in your crosshairs anymore, I want to get something off my chest. You saw me dancing with Rebel tonight and I’m sorry about that.” Clay winced. “Want to know why?”
“Enlighten me.”
“She vowed to leave me alone if I waltzed with her just once more—for old times’ sake. Only she kept trying to get her hands into places they shouldn’t go.”
Tally glanced up. “You could’ve pushed her away.”
“You didn’t see the times I removed her hand only to have it right back. Rebel thought she could wear me down.” His voice tightened. “She learned different.”
“But for how long? She seems to have a very short memory.”
“Besides coming to tell me about your friend Alice, did you come up here to get me to move back into the dugout to save me from her?”
Tally made a wry face. It sounded so tawdry put that way. “Something like that.” She paused a moment, listening to the rumble of distant thunder. “As long as we’re confessing—I want to tell you something.”
“Go ahead. Shoot.”
“When I got scared and ran, I stood at that spring, thinking about what I’d done and feeling horrible for betraying you. I knew it wasn’t fair to you. I had made the decision to come back, only when I swung around to tell Violet, she was gone.”
“Why didn’t you tell me at the time?” Clay asked.
Tally lowered her eyes. “I didn’t think you’d believe me. You were too angry and hurt.”
“You’re right about that. I felt like I’d been kicked in the teeth by a mule.” He let his fingers drift down the long column of her throat. “That’s water under the bridge now.”
“Hold me, Clay, just for a little while. Let’s forget about everyone. Pretend everything is all right.”
The instant their lips met, all the turmoil inside her settled. Tally clung to him and kissed him with searing passion, holding back nothing. Belle had been right. She just needed to listen to the truth in her heart. Right now, it was saying she could have everything she’d ever wanted…if she’d just trust and reach for it. Clay was worth saving. Together, she and Clay were going to build a wonderful town here and make a good life.
Aching hunger spread through her. He ground his mouth against hers, and Tally unbuttoned his shirt, laying her palm against the warmth of his skin. He was hers.
“I want you, Clay. Tonight. Right now,” she murmured against his mouth.
He pulled back to study her. “Do you know what you’re saying?”
Tally’s eyes met his. “I want to be your wife in every way, and I don’t want to wait another minute. It’s time we consummated our marriage—assuming you still want me. From the very first, I haven’t made any of this easy for you and I’m sorry.”
She held her breath, waiting for him to spurn her.
“Of course I still want you. Good God, woman! I’ve waited for you to say these words ever since you rode in with Luke.” He paused. “Only—are you positive?”
“I am.” Tally tried to control her shuddering breath, but panic made it nearly impossible. All she knew of men she’d learned at Creedmore, and pain had been on the menu each day. She closed her eyes to block out the horror, only to have Slade Tarver’s leer staring back from behind her lids. And next to him stood Pollard Finch, with his thick, groping hands. Even in sleep, attempts to escape them seemed useless. It was almost as though her fate was tangled with theirs, and they would always be waiting in the shadows.
Clay’s hands engulfed hers. “You’re shaking. What’s wrong?”
“Bad memories. I try to forget, but then there they are. Please make them go away.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Tally swiveled in his arms. She placed her hands on each side of his face and kissed him with a hunger that flared to life the instant their lips met. The anger and confusion she’d felt melted away.
Silently, he caressed her arms, her back, her throat. A rumble rose from his chest as he returned her kiss.
“Tell me how to do this, Clay,” she mumbled against his mouth, ending the kiss.
“Lie back.” He removed her shoes and slid his palms up the length of her legs. Then, one after the other, he massaged her feet, kissing her toes. The pain that plagued her began to ease, along with her panic. Clay wouldn’t hurt her. He cared for her. To confirm it, his gentle touch whispered against her skin like the soft fuzz of a baby bird.
Little by little, she relaxed under his patient caresses. This was going to be all right.
He kissed her behind one ear and left a trail of kisses down her neck to the wild pulse beating in the hollow of her throat. Tally slid her hand into his hair and held him there while she tried to absorb the multitude of sensations playing havoc with her body. She’d never known gentleness like this. Touches that made her melt. Never had she known a man like Clay. Tingles waltzed up and down her spine to match the chaotic flutters in her stomach.
Clay placed her hand inside his open shirt. “I have scars inside—and out. I want you to touch them.”
Without hesitation, she explored the hard muscles that formed his chest, wondering at her outlaw’s lean build. Not one ounce of fat was anywhere on his body. She did, however, discover healed bullet wounds. Quite a few in fact.
Suddenly, she was grateful to Rebel for whatever part she’d played in treating some of these. If not for the woman, he might’ve died. She vowed to be kinder.
Tally threw back her head to allow him greater access to her throat. “You make me crazy with want. Make love to me.”
He gave her a slow, sinful grin that showed his teeth. “You don’t know how much I’ve wanted to hear you say that. Relax and let yourself feel.”
One button, then two, then all, he slowly undressed her, kissing the skin he bared as each item fell away. She lay back on the bedroll, jagged streaks of lightning flashing around them.
The storm grew fierce, wind buffeting them atop the bluff and whipping her hair.
“Tally Shannon, you’re the woman I’ve always wanted.” He let his fingertip drift across her skin. “You’re so beautiful it hurts to breathe. Even down to the little mole near your collarbone.”
He spoke of no one she knew. “I don’t know how you can say I’m remotely pretty. You must be drunk, because I’m as plain as the day is long and I won’t pretend otherwise.”
“Silly woman. I walk around half crazy out of my head, needing to see you, to feel you, to know we have this life together. Lady, you make me dream of the future.” He brushed her cheek with the back of a knuckle. “My warrior,” he murmured, nibbling, teasing, kissing her lips until she was breathless.
Now that her initial panic had passed, she tried to pull him on t
op of her, desperate to feel every inch of him. She had to have this man, have more of his feather-like caresses. The air smelled fresh with wildflowers and rain, the storm intensifying. The gigantic crack of thunder seemed to come from inside her, breaking away long-formed barriers.
“Let me get out of my trousers at least,” he protested.
“You’re too slow.” She propped herself on an elbow and watched him undress in the bright flashes that lit up the sky. The possibility of rain didn’t bother her. She welcomed it, if only to banish the sultry summer heat for a few hours.
Clay had a beautiful body, perfectly formed from his broad chest and lean waist down to his long, muscular legs. He picked up their clothes and wrapped them in a slicker he’d brought, then stashed them in a crevice in the rocks.
When he was done, she took his hand and pulled him down beside her. “Make love to me, Clay. Take me to a serene place where trouble can’t find us.”
“Not yet. I want to satisfy my feel of you first. I’ve waited a long time for this and I’ll not be rushed.” He explored, kissing his way down her body—stroking, gliding, fondling.
The pleasure was almost more than she could bear. Her nipples rose to hard pearls, all of her clamoring for his attention. Each touch heightened the ache for more, and when Clay pressed his lips to the soft flesh inside her thighs, she arched her back and a low moan rolled from her throat. “More.”
Her hands moved along the muscles of his back, then rose to plunge again deep into the softness of his hair. She clung to him, as if afraid he’d leave her in this ragged state. Something beautiful waited for her. She could feel it, almost touch it, but not quite.
The storm grew, both inside her and in the heavens, the rumble of thunder getting ever louder. Clay’s fingers played upon her body as though she was a musical instrument, and a moist sheen covered her skin.
A caress here.
A light nip with his teeth there.
A flick of his tongue. Sucking. His breath hot upon her skin.
And she did the same to him, savoring the taste of his body. He lightly pulled her bottom lip into his mouth with his teeth. Everywhere he touched brought pleasure beyond belief.
“Clay.”
“Open your eyes wide, keep them open, and look in my face.” Clay stared deeply inside her, seeming to know where her fear lived, only a heartbeat away. “I’ll never hurt you, darlin’.”
He tasted, smoothed, and caressed her, explored the soft folds that protected the entrance to her core, placed a finger into her slick passageway. At first she stiffened, then relaxed and let currents of rapture race through her, thrusting her toward something mysterious and exciting.
Higher and higher she rose, reaching for whatever this was, consumed by an overwhelming hunger for completion.
The warm rain came down in sheets, the wind pushing it sideways, drenching their naked bodies.
A dam burst all of a sudden, wave upon wave washing over her body, bringing her to a place of perfect beauty and calm. Her heartbeat thundered like the heavens above her. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She felt cherished, her soul more contented than she could ever recall.
In the space of a heartbeat, Clay was poised above her. “If you want me to stop, say the word.”
“No, please. I want all that you have to give.” She’d truly go insane without all of him.
He kissed her lightly, then more urgently. He lowered himself until her swollen breasts pressed against his chest, his hips to hers. It seemed hot embers lined her body, making her yearn to feel every delicious inch of him on top her.
“Don’t close your eyes,” he murmured. “Let me put new, good memories in your head to replace the bad.”
Clay plunged deep inside her and she’d never been so overcome with emotion. She stared into his eyes, lifted a hand to caress his rugged jaw. There was no pain or fear, and that surprised her. Tally relaxed totally, becoming a lump of melting hot desire. He moved with a slow in-and-out rhythm, the strokes driving her out of her mind. She wanted him. Now. She needed this fire inside quenched.
The wind kicked up in a fury around them, raindrops peppering her face and eyes. Not once did her gaze waver from Clay’s. She kept her eyes locked on his beautiful brown ones.
The rain pelted them, drenching her hair, providing slick wetness for their bodies and drove the rhythm faster and faster to match the fury of the storm.
In the flashes of jagged, silver streaks, Clay’s eyes revealed fevered passion and sweet misery.
Tally threw her arms around him and clung, moving until light and love and utter pleasure blended together into a ball and shot off into the dark sky. She jerked and trembled, straightening from head to toe in the whirling rush of release.
The storm washed away everything from the past—all the hurt and pain and darkness. When she came back down, she lay basking in the beauty and completeness of their love.
Clay collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily, his heart beating wildly against hers.
Tally kissed his shoulder, burying her face in the hollow of his throat. Water rolled off his back, cooling her, banking the embers of the raging fire that had encompassed her.
“I didn’t know it could be like this,” she murmured in wonder.
“How?” The word came out rough and hoarse.
“I didn’t know that lovemaking could be free of pain, that it could bring this immense pleasure.” Or that it would be something she didn’t have to fear. Delicious heat curled inside her, and happiness wove through her like the golden threads of a beautiful cloth.
Clay raised on his elbow, brushing wet hair from her face. “You’re something else, pretty wife. I’ve never known such peace, such contentment. If I die tonight, I’ll die a happy man.”
“I don’t want you to die.”
“I have no intention to.”
His lips were warm on hers as his hands moved slowly down her body. Their tongues lazily swirled around each other’s as their hands touched, stroked, savored every inch of warm, wet skin.
“I’ve always loved storms. Rain washes away all the dirt and filth, making things new again.” Like their relationship. Tally kissed away the raindrops poised on the tips of his long, dark eyelashes. This outlaw had awakened her to so much delight. A world that had only joy.
Naked, he sat up, resting next to the boulder. He pulled her back flush against him and crossed his arms over her chest. She could hear a rumble of contentment in him as he moved her hair aside and nibbled on her neck and shoulders. They sat in silence, watching the heavenly light display, the rain falling gently now and cooling their fevered skin. His warm breath whispered at her temple.
Tally didn’t know what love was, but the new stirrings inside her were forceful and strong. Maybe she could choose to love Clay as he did her until she figured out what her body was telling her. But from now on, he was hers and she belonged to him. Whatever came, they could handle it together—one body, one heart, and one fierce will to fight anything or anyone who tried to rip them apart.
Despite caution, she found her heart opening like the petals of a flower slowly unfurling, revealing beauty and wonder she’d never had.
She was truly home for the first time.
Seventeen
Thankfully, the storm passed on, and Clay walked Tally back to the dugout before Violet or Alice woke. He paused at the door. “I’m glad you came to me last night. But I won’t move back yet. Not until you can come to terms with your feelings.” He kissed her cheek. “After last night, maybe you can start to put those ghosts to rest.”
“Thank you for awakening me. I’d never made love before and you were so gentle.”
That told him some of what she’d endured. Who knew what they’d forced on her?
“Always. I’ll never knowingly cause you pain.” Hopefully, now that she saw what he was like, she could
ask him soon to move back in.
Clay whistled while he milked the goats, his heart happier than it had ever been.
Then, he found Jack and asked him to escort Alice back to Deliverance Canyon and treat Hester Mason’s leg. “Will you do it?”
“Sure. I’ll get some yarrow, comfrey, aloe vera, and a few more things together for poultices, and get ready to ride out. From what I’ve heard about those ladies, they’re awful skittish. Will they trust me?”
“They have to. Alice will help ease their fears.” Clay laid a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m glad to help, and there’s nothing to do here until Luke brings more lumber. Speaking of that, he’s way late.”
“Yeah. I hope nothing’s happened. Jack, take a packhorse with you so you can replenish those ladies’ supplies.” Clay paused for a second to find the words he owed his faithful friend. “Sorry for being a jackass last night. We’ve ridden together far too long to squabble.”
“Yeah, we have.” Jack grinned. “I noticed quite a rosy glow on Tally’s face this morning and I’m guessing you put it there.”
“Tally is the only woman for me and has been from the first.” Clay kept his gaze on Violet to make sure the kid didn’t wander from sight.
“Glad you found some sense. Thought I was going to have to knock some into your thick skull.” Jack turned his gaze toward a group of men outside the saloon. “When Luke gets here, they won’t have time to lounge around like this.”
“Nope. I’ll make sure of it.” Clay grinned. “This trip will give you a chance to meet Darcy Howard. You’ve been writing her for a few months now.”
“Think she’ll like my boyish charm?”
Clay chuckled. Nothing about the hardened outlaw looked boyish. They parted ways with Jack going to make ready for the trip.
