Part 23 (2/2)
And gaining quite a reputation as he did so. She s.h.i.+vered suddenly.
She'd seen him shoot the snake. She'd known that he was fast and good.
She shouldn't have been surprised to hear that he had knocked down four of yon Hensen's men in a matter of seconds. Then he'd humiliated yon Heusen at the ranch. Von Heusen was going to be mad, and he was going to be thirsting for blood. Her blood.
But she'd known she had to fight him. And she had Jamie. She'd wanted the gun.
And she'd wanted the man.
And now she had both.
She tightened her fingers around the drawstring of her little purse and stopped walking to lean against a wooden wall as a fierce trembling swelled within her. hard and inhaled deeply as she remembered the previous night.
She couldn't have been so brazen. Or so wanton. or so decadent. or so searingly intimate.
But she had been. He had warned her away. He had given her every opportunity. He had told her that she should be with a man who cared. He implied that he didn't care. Surely that wasn't true. He liked her.
There were about her he loved.
But it didn't mean anything. That was the rub. It mean anything at all.
She was just a woman, a warming body. Just like Eliza. She had thrown herself at him.
And one day he'd turn away from her, just as he had turned from Eliza.
She inhaled, exhaled, then forced herself to walk. She must not let it happen again. Even if it had been more than she had ever dreamed. She'd never imagined that making love could be so erotic, so wonderful. She'd never imagined that it was possible to feel so excited,- so cherished, so ~ explosive and so sated. She'd never imagined that a man's hands could do what his had done, or that a man's kiss could awaken everything in her body, or that a man could 'join with a woman so completely and bring about such splendor.
It could quickly become addictive. But he didn't intend to stay. Even if he bought her land and settled down, he had made it clear that he didn't intend to stay with her.
She had taken care to sound independent, too. And now. Now she wanted to lie down beside him again. She wanted ~to laugh and feel his touch and explore his shoulders and his chest and his long, muscled legs and .
everything. Even the parts of the body that she couldn't quite bring herself to name aloud. She had wanted him. never deny that. But now she was afraid of the long that seemed to have escalated since she had known his touch.
Having him hadn't quenched the desire at all.
It had set it all afire. She was in front of the lawyer's office. She set her hand k.n.o.b and twisted it and walked in. Mr. Barrymo~e finis.h.i.+ng copying out a second set of papers. Jamie directed him as to what he should write.
timing,” Jamie said, applauding her.
”We need ~ ” Shouldn't I read the doc.u.ments?”
”Be my guest.”
Tess took the papers from Mr. Barrymore, but she couldn't quite manage to read. She pretended to, skimming the words. They all swam before her.
”We need a witness,” Mr. Barrymore said. ”No problem,” Jamie told him.
He stepped outside. A moment later, he was back with Doe. He signed one set of papers, then Mr. Barrymore and Doe signed as witnesses. Then Tess signed, not having the least idea of what was really on the papers, and her signature was witnessed, too.
”That's that, then!” Jamie said, pleased. He counted out gold coins to Mr. Barrymore, who seemed very pleased. So much was being done in paper currency lately. ”Let's go, Tess,” Jamie said.
”Good day, Mr. Barrymore, Doe. Thank you,” she told the lawyer. But Barrymore and Doe were hardly able to respond before Jamie had his hand on her elbow and was leading her out.
When they reached the wooden sidewalk, she wrenched her hand free.
”Jamie, I just might not be ready to head home.”
”We're not heading home,” he told her.
”We're going to talk.”
”What if I had something to do?” she demanded. ”It would have to wait.”
”It wouldn't!”
”Today, Tess,” he insisted, ”it would.” The brim of his hat was pulled low over his eyes, hands were firmly on his hips.
”Now, listen” -- ”You listen,” he told her, wagging a finger beneath nose.
”I'm not going to live like this. We're straighten out the relations.h.i.+p.”
”There is no” -- ”The h.e.l.l there isn't. Now get in the wagon, or I'll put you in it.”
”You wouldn't” -- He took a step toward her. Before she knew it she was off her feet, then she was sitting in the wagon. She swung around, but he was beside her in an instant, and the reins were in his hands, and he was clucking to-the thoroughbred that pulled the small conveyance.
Tess crossed her arms over her chest, staring straight ahead.
”You are intolerable!” she told him.
”I just don't like a bunch of bull, that's all.”
”Bull” -- ”The way you're acting.”
”I'm not acting” -- ”I hope to h.e.l.l you are.”
”I don't know what you're talking about.” They were already out of town.
He was silent for a moment.
The horse picked up its gait and it seemed they were flying down the road.
Then, suddenly, Jamie reined in. The horse slowed and Jamie hooked the reins around the brake. He jumped down and came around the wagon for Tess.
”What?” she demanded, staring down at him. He reached up, placed his hands around her waist and lifted her down. When she was on the ground, his hands still her. His eyes were like smoke, and his jaw was She knew that he did, indeed, intend to have things She opened her mouth, wanting to protest again, want- to deny and denounce him and run away. But she was because that wasn't what she wanted at all. She to trust him. She wanted to lean against him.
And, of all, she wanted to feel his lips upon hers again, as as the sun, as rich as the earth. But she didn't want to him so badly. she didn't want to make a fool of her- like Eliza.
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