Part 52 (1/2)
That last was an ornery thing to say, but it plucked a laugh out of me. I locked my arm around Jesse's head and clamped it tight and gave her a few gentle punches in the belly. Then she slipped her head free, flung herself against me and bowled me over sideways. I didn't struggle much except to swing my boots clear of the fire. While I concerned myself with that, she got me onto my back and straddled me. With her knees, she pinned my arms to the ground. I was still laughing, spite of her weight on my chest.
”I always knew I could take you,” Jesse gasped.
”You've got me.”
”Yup.” She gave a bounce that made the air grunt out of me. ”Gotcha right where I want you.”
”Delighted to be here,” I said.
At that, she backhanded my face. Not so much a slap as a pat. ”Don't get crude, Trevor.”
”I meant nothing crude. Not at all.”
She fetched my face another whap, a bit harder than the last. ”Did too.”
”You're the one that's put me between your legs!”
”Ah-ha!” She whacked me again.
So I kicked up my legs, swinging them up till I hooked her shoulders with my boots, and flung her backward. She let out a whuff when she slammed the ground. I scurried up right quick, knocked her knees out of my way, and dropped down flat atop her. She squirmed under me, laughing fit to bust.
Instead of pinning her arms, I used my hands to dig into her sides. She fairly squealed. She bucked and thrashed and grabbed at my hands, trying to hold them off.
”Quit!” she blurted between her squeals. ”You quit!”
”Gotcha right where I want you!”
”I mean it! Quit, now! 'Fore I bust a seam!”
”Have at it.”
”Trevor! I'm gonna wet!”
So I quit. Jesse spent a while giggling and gasping underneath me, but she finally settled down.
By and by, she said, ”It's downright mean, tickling a body.”
”Meaner than slapping?”
”I didn't hurt you.”
”I didn't hurt you, either.”
”You dang near split my gut.”
”Shall we call it even, then?”
”Give me a kiss.”
Well, that suited me. So I lowered my mouth to hers, fixing to kiss her real sweet, and she gave my lip a nip.
”Ow! b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l!”
”Now, we're even.”
”b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l! You bit bit me!” me!”
”Ain't the first time.”
I licked my lower lip and tasted blood. ”You made me bleed!”
Smiling, she nodded. ”Don't fret about it none. I ain't got the rabies. Not as I know about, leastwise. Did I ever tell you about that feller down El Paso way that...?”
”You told me.”
”Let me kiss your hurt and make it better.”
”And give you another go at chewing on me?”
”I said said we're even. Don't you trust me?” we're even. Don't you trust me?”
”You've got some mighty peculiar ways about you, Jesse.”
”That may be. But we're pardners, ain't we? You can't trust your pardner, who can can you trust.” you trust.”
”Do you promise not to bite?”
”Word of honor.”
So I eased my face down toward hers, not quite knowing what to expect. What she did, she slipped out her tongue and licked the blood off my lip. Then she raised her head off the ground and kissed me, just as soft and gentle as you please.
Pretty soon after that, I rolled off her. We lay on our sides, holding each other.
I felt ever so peaceful and contented. But it didn't last. Before long, I took to feeling all hollow and achy inside. This was to be our last night on the trail. Tomorrow, we'd be riding into Tombstone. No matter what else might happen, it would mean the end of our times together in the wilderness. Our times alone, just her and me.
It would all be over.
Things would be different, starting tomorrow, and I didn't want that at all.
I might never again find myself stretched out on the ground by a campfire, holding Jesse in my arms.
It gave me the fantods, thinking about such things.
And it didn't make a lick of sense, really. We'd still be together in Tombstone. But I couldn't shake it out of my head that our fine times together were just about over.
I squeezed Jesse tighter, and she did the same to me.