Black Conley (16 page)

"Are you sure you've never done any of this before?” he asked.

She got out of bed to rinse her mouth and chew on the mint the way he'd done the night before. “Positive, but I have good teachers."

"I'm afraid to ask what else they've taught you. Come back to bed and let me make love to you in the proper way. I don't think I can take any more of your lessons tonight."

When she turned back to the bed, she saw he was fingering the feather. The pleasure she had thought she would give to him had changed hands. It was entirely possible that he planned something wicked with the instrument of love that she'd borrowed from Janna.

When she returned to the bed, she noticed that he was sitting on the edge. Before she could react, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down across his knees. The coarse hair on his legs prickled against her belly and breasts, arousing her far more than she ever thought possible.

Once she was in this position, he thrust his finger first into her cunt and then into her asshole. The pleasure exceeded anything she ever imagined. Then to her horror, he smacked her squarely on the bottom.

"What are you doing?” she asked as she winced from the pain.

"Just showing you a little of the lessons I learned from Kate. It seems that pleasure and pain go together to make the sexual experience far more enjoyable."

Again his hand smacked her bottom. Rather than feel his fingers press deeply inside her, she felt the feather as he trailed it up the inside of her legs. Her body shuddered as though she was on the brink of orgasm, only to have him smack her again. This time it was her breasts that garnered his attention. Instead of dreading the spanking that came next, she anticipated it and could hardly wait for his hand to connect with her bare bottom. She couldn't help but wonder where he would pleasure her next, when he shoved his fingers deep inside her.

"Just as I thought,” he declared, “you're more than ready to be fucked."

Gently he lifted her to a standing position before he lay her down on the bed. Once her legs were spread for him, he entered her with a force that was so different from the night before. He was a powerful lover, but their first encounters had been sweet in comparison to this. Out of instinct, she wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing him even deeper within her.

How long their lovemaking lasted, she'd never know. What she did know was that he had taken her to heights she never thought possible.

"Thank you,” she whispered, as she lay entwined in his arms.

"For what?” he asked, his voice heavy with the sleep that would soon overtake both of them.

"For teaching me more lessons that I thought possible. I hope this won't be the last time you treat me like a disobedient child. The experience was wonderful. Where did you learn to do those things?"

He chucked, and then pulled her closer to him. “I've had my share of whores, but none of them liked to be spanked. I learned that lesson from Kate. I do admit I always was up for whatever the whores I bedded wanted to do and took to heart what they had to teach me."

"Only whores? Haven't you ever been with someone other than a paid companion?"

"Not until yesterday. There aren't a lot of upstanding women who are willing to bed Black Conley, the gunslinger. They're afraid I'd wreck their reputations. I suppose I would."

"Then why me?"

"Because you're the first woman who has made me want her for more than fulfilling a need. With the whores, it's a release, with you, it's the desire to be with you the way a man is with a woman. Even though when this assignment is over I'll be leaving, I knew I had to bring you to full womanhood before I left."

Thoughts of him leaving brought tears to her eyes, but she refused to shed them. She'd wanted him as much as he did her and no matter how long their relationship lasted, she planned to enjoy every minute. She knew that when he was gone, there was no one who could take away her memories of the nights spent in his loving embrace. She fell asleep snuggled against him, dreaming dreams that she never though would enter her subconscious.

Black lay with her in his arms long after she went to sleep. He'd felt her tense when he mentioned leaving the Double Bar B. He had to admit the thought bothered him as well.

Never before had he dreaded an assignment coming to an end. He knew there would always be another to take its place, and looked forward to the challenge. This time the thought of leaving bothered him. He wondered if this was where he was supposed to put down roots. If it were, would Belle accept him for what he was? Could she be content with a gunslinger turned lawman who had more experience in bed than she could ever imagine?

Rather than continue to worry about what could be, Black closed his eyes, pulled Belle closer to him and went to sleep. There would be time to contemplate his future by the light of day. For now he needed his rest and he wanted to enjoy the feel of Belle in his arms for the remainder of the night.

With sleep came dreams of the men he killed. Each of them stood between him and Belle, threatening to destroy any love she might have felt for him.

"What kind of a woman would want you as her husband?” Mike Slade asked, walking up to Black. “I'm thinkin’ you're no more than a snot-nosed kid who doesn't know his place. You're no better than that whore mother of yours. The sheriff was right to tell you she couldn't be buried with decent folks. I only wish I'd been faster with my gun, then you'd be the one who was dead rather than me."

One by one the other men came forward, each saying much the same thing. Even though Belle knew about the ranch where he'd grown up, would she be able to say yes to being with him for the rest of her life? If he listened to the men he'd killed, he would start having doubts.

"I know you killed all these men,” Belle said. “It doesn't make any difference. I love you, Black Conley."

The nightmare gave way to more pleasant dreams of a life with Belle by his side. Even as his subconscious played out his dreams, his mind wondered if that was all they were, nightmares and dreams. Would Belle ever be able to love him in the same way he was coming to love her?

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The next morning, Black was surprised to see Roy sitting at the kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee. “What are you doing here?’ he asked.

"When the weather is bad, I never let Mama come over here alone, especially in the morning. With last night's snow, I brought her in the wagon."

"How much snow did we get?” Black asked, glancing toward the window for the first time.

"Only about an inch or two, but it rained before it snowed, so it's icy under the snow. It wouldn't do for Mama to fall and break something. Of course, that's not the only reason I came over here this morning."

Black looked at the old man quizzically. Could he have read Black's mind? Had he come because Black had been thinking about talking to the old man this morning? “So what is the other reason for you to come out on such a cold morning?"

"Last night I got to thinkin’ about that rustler you winged. He couldn't have gotten far. If I don't miss my guess, he's holed up in one of those caves up by the creek."

Black laughed. “Now I know you're a mind-reader. I was thinkin’ the same thing last night. I'd planned to come over to your place this morning to find out just how big those caves are."

Roy joined Black's laughter. “Guess great minds do think alike. When Matt and I first came here, we were young and green as grass. We knew about ranching, but we wanted to get rich a hell of a lot quicker than by raisin’ cattle. When we saw those caves, we decided that we'd strike gold and be so rich we'd never have to work again."

"What did you find?"

"In the first cave, we found that a bear was using it as a winter den. You can jolly well bet that we didn't hang around for him to come home and find us. In the second one, there was hardly enough room for the two of us to be in there, but it was evident that someone had used it in the past. There was a black spot on the floor where a fire had been laid, and the walls had drawings of animals all over them. It was the third cave where we finally struck pay dirt, or so we thought. It ended up to be fool's gold, but it kept us busy for an entire winter. What a disappointment we had the next spring when Matt rode down to Denver to have it assayed. That's when we decided we were better off if we stuck to something we knew, like ranching."

"So, this cave where you found the fool's gold, how big is it?"

"Big enough that a lot of men and horses could hole up there and be right comfortable. There's a stream in the back that has some of the best water you'll ever taste and it faces east so that those northerly and westerly winds don't hit it. When we were working it, we stripped down to shirtsleeves since it was too warm to work with our coats on. Of course, once you stepped outside, you knew it was winter."

"What do you say you and me take a ride up there this morning? I'd like to do a little exploring, and maybe even find a rustler or two hiding out there."

"I don't like the idea of you going on a manhunt, Roy,” Annie said, without ever turning away from the stove. “It could be downright dangerous and I don't intend to loose you just yet. Isn't there someone else who could go with you, Black?"

"Not without tipping my hand. I could send a wire to Denver, but by the time someone could get up here, anyone hold up in that cave could be long gone. I promise that I won't let anything happen to Roy. If I did, I'd have Ed to contend with and I don't plan on tangling with him."

One by one, Belle and the girls joined the discussion until at last Annie served breakfast and Belle deemed that talk of rustlers and caves wasn't proper breakfast conversation.

Kate and Janna said that they were planning to check on the cattle, while Cara and Lacy took care of the horses, leaving Black free to do any exploring he wanted to do.

"I want to go with you,” Belle declared.

"Ain't no fittin’ place for a lady,” Roy argued.

"Then I guess I ain't a lady,” Belle replied. “It's my cattle that are being rustled, and my responsibility to see that at least one of the men responsible is brought to justice. It would give me great pleasure to see one of Clayte's men hang for what he's been doing to me."

"Don't go jumping to conclusions,” Black warned. “Even though we have our suspicions, we don't have any concrete proof of who's responsible. We certainly can't ask the other ranchers for help. They saw Clayte's steers mixed in the bunch those rustlers were running across your land, but that doesn't mean jack shit. As far as anyone other than those of us on this ranch knows, I'm just a gunslinger who is trying to get out of the business. It wouldn't do for anyone to guess that I'm really a U.S. Marshal. That's information that I don't want out until I'm ready to arrest the men responsible for these raids."

"Then can I go?"

"It won't be an easy ride, and there could be gunplay,” Black countered.

"I'm as good with a gun as Roy is. I should be; he taught me how to shoot and told me to practice until I was comfortable with it. I can handle a six-shooter as well as I can a rifle."

"We might as well let her come along,” Roy finally said. “If we don't, she'll follow us. This little gal has more spunk than most, and I gave up saying no to her years ago."

Even though Black didn't like the idea of Belle coming with them, he decided it was better than having her follow them and riding alone. There was always safety in numbers; at least that's what his ma always said. He'd been a loner for so long, he'd forgotten what it was like to have someone watching his back.

"I don't think this is any job for you,” Annie continued to argue as Black pulled on his coat and went out to saddle the horses.

"Do you think Annie will convince Belle to stay behind today?” Black asked, once he and Roy were outside.

"It would be easier to convince a bull not to go after a cow when she's in heat. Belle will win out, but Annie will have her say and that's enough to satisfy her."

Black nodded. He didn't known any of these people well, but he'd been around them long enough that he knew Belle usually got her way. He chuckled at the thought that he'd broken her down so quickly. Her desire not to grace a man's bed had been foolish. He knew it the minute he kissed her. She wanted him as badly as he wanted her. It would have been only a matter of time before it happened. It was a good thing he was able to convince her sooner rather than later. The thought of bedding the other girls had been tempting, but not practical, since Belle was the one he wanted.

"At least dress warmly,” Annie finally conceded. “With daylight, that north wind could pick up. It was fairly mild when Roy and I came over this morning, but you know how the weather can turn when you least expect it."

"I know,” Belle agreed. “I've got on my long johns as well as my britches and shirt. Along with my coat and gloves, I should be warm enough."

When she stepped out onto the porch, she sat Black and Roy leading her horse toward the house. At least they hadn't listened to Annie's protests about her going.

She had expected the temperature to be mild considering the snow last night, but instead it was crisp and cold enough for her to see her breath. She was glad she had dressed for the cold weather.

In a way, she wished that Roy wasn't going with them. If they didn't find anything, it would have been the perfect opportunity to make love to Black in one of the caves and pretend that they were Indians seeking shelter from the cold.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she dismissed it. Lovemaking was best enjoyed in the warmth and privacy of the bedroom, although she had liked it when he took her on the east pasture.

"Are you ready to ride?” Black asked as she came down the steps to join them.

"I am, and I have some sandwiches that Annie packed for us in case we're still out at noon."

Roy laughed heartily. “That old woman worries far too much, but I guess that's why I love her."