Lone Star 05 (9 page)

“Don't change the subject, Thad.” Her voice was closer, right over his shoulder.

He looked up. Jessie stood there with her hands planted on her hips, her shapely legs in a wide stance. She was not smiling.

“For Christ's sake, don't look at me like that. All right, I promise not to have anything to do with a plan to spring the kid. In fact, I'll tell Fagan and McKittrick to call off the whole thing and go ‘home. It's not as if the kid had ten thousand dollars riding on him. He's got plenty, but maybe not enough to get everybody killed over. How's that?”

“Better,” she said. “But I want more.”

“Maybe I'll just finish up my bath here and be moving on. Are my clothes back yet?”

“No, and you're not going anywhere until they are.” She cracked a smile now, her eyes twinkling at his discomfort.

“So that's why you've been so generous. To get me up here, strip me, soak me down, and hold me captive—until I give in to whatever scheme you have up your sleeve.”

The young woman shrugged coquettishly. “I never thought of any such thing,” she protested. But her sparkling smile betrayed her. He was sharp-witted as well as handsome; she liked that in a man. And he seemed to be honest, someone she could trust. Perhaps he would join up with her and Ki to protect the boy and see that he was released and brought to a proper court of law.

“I really don't have a scheme, Thad. Not like that. All I want is to see justice done—and to find out why Thomas is saying he's my half-brother. If you help me, I can see that you're rewarded for your trouble.”

“I never take money from widows or orphans,” Thad said.

“Don't be like that,” Jessie countered. “It would be a purely business proposition. The company would pay you—not me.”

A smile played on the man's lips. He took another sip from the whiskey glass. “Well, if you put it that way—how much will the company pay me?”

“Oh, I knew you'd do it!” She bent over and placed a kiss on his wet forehead. “Let's see, how does fifty dollars a week sound? Plus a bonus of five hundred dollars when we have him safely in Provo?”

“In Provo?” Thad almost choked on his drink. “Jesus, that's two days' ride from here. Who knows what can happen on the trail from here to there—unless we can eliminate some of the potential danger beforehand.”

“You mean kill your friends Fagan and McKittrick?”

“First of all, they're not my friends. And second, if they try to take the boy from us, we'll have to kill them, yes. Then there're those detectives. And Mueller might not like to lose sight of the kid and decide to send his two bulls after us. And the marshal—what will he think of you escorting a killer all that way?”

“I'm sure we can persuade Marshal Scott to go along—make him see it's the only way. And with Ki, that will make three men, which ought to be plenty, along with me. And I can handle a gun and a horse with any man.”

“Right, but who the hell is Ki?”

“He worked for my father. He is my friend. You'll meet Ki before long. I hope you like him.”

“Is he that funny-looking fellow you rode in with today?”

“That's not how I'd describe him, but yes, I rode in with him.”

“Where does he come from?”

“He was born in the Japans. His father was an American, his mother Japanese. He came to this country several years ago and went to work for my father. Don't underestimate him; he's a good man and surprisingly capable. He surprises most people.”

This beautiful girl was growing more and more fascinating by the minute. Thad was entranced with her charm and her powerful, attractive personality. To say nothing of her lovely body, which strained at the seams of her clothing.

There was a knock on the door and Jessie went to get his clothes. She set them on a chair by the tub and retreated to the other side of the screen. It was a good thing, because as Thad emerged from the bath to towel himself dry, his attraction to Jessie was painfully obvious. He quickly slipped into his freshly laundered clothes and felt like a million dollars—or at least fifty dollars a week and a five-hundred-dollar bonus.

“Would you like another drink?” Jessie asked.

“Sure,” he said. Already his head was swimming, but he couldn't turn down free whiskey. As he took the drink, his stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten a thing in twenty-four hours.

“It's just about supper time,” she said, pouring herself another shot. “Would you care to join me? I don't know where the best place in town to eat is, but we can look around.”

He cursed his empty stomach, but accepted her offer. “There's a cafe near the courthouse. A Mormon widow runs it, fixes good home-cooked meals. That sound okay?”

“Suits me fine,” Jessie said. She raised her glass in a toast. “To a good dinner,” she said. Their glasses clinked.

“And to many meals thereafter,” he added.

“Come on,” she said after gulping down the fiery liquor. “Let's try some of that Mormon cooking.”

 

After a cloudy day, the sky had cleared; it did not fulfill its earlier ugly promise. The night was crisp, the moon white-bright. Thad Hill and Jessie strolled out of the cafe and down the street, heading nowhere in particular, each quietly enjoying the other's company. Again, he felt the need straining at his pants and the want building up in his gut. She was so beautiful—and so near.

Jessie said, “Want to keep walking? It's nice out after all.”

Was there an invitation veiled behind her words? “Sure. You want a smoke?” he asked, pulling a pair of cheroots from his pocket.

“No, thank you. Please, you go right ahead.”

Thad inhaled the rich smoke. He was just finishing the cheroot when they reached a dark copse outside of Skyler. They found a relatively soft spot near an overhanging tree that blotted out the strong moonlight. They could still see thousands of glittering stars that hung like diamonds against the dark blue night sky. The air had a slight bite to it, and the earth was cold. But as he pulled her down, locking his mouth on hers in a sudden, all-consuming kiss, they felt only the warmth they had to share.

She did not resist, but let him guide her down. Jessie was quite attracted to Thad Hill. It had been a long time since she had been with a man.

Jessie kissed Thad longingly. He tasted manly and fresh after his much-needed bath. As she held her arms around him, she could feel the rippling muscles of his upper body and his wide shoulders. He was strong, all right, and she liked the sense of power and masculinity that emanated from him.

He pulled his face apart from hers. “Jessie, I—I don't want to force myself on you. We hardly know each other, and—well, I don't know if I can stop now.”

“Do you think I want you to stop?” she whispered. “Thad, I need a man right now. I wouldn't have allowed us to go this far if I didn't intend to go all the way. I want to please you—and I want you to please me.” She ran her fingers through his thick hair. “We have tonight together, Thad. It was meant to be like this.”

Thad was throbbing with anticipation. He caressed her soft face, shining palely in the night. He kissed her again and again, her lips catching fire at his touch. “Oh, Jessie,” he said. He licked and teased her earlobes and breathed hotly in her ear. She responded by biting playfully at his ear. He laughed and lifted his head. “You've got some spunk, girl,” he said.

“I learned a long time ago that I have to go after what I want. I can't wait for things to come to me. That includes you.”

“I suppose I fall in the same category as fast horses and fancy clothes, huh?”

“Well ... yes,” she acknowledged. “But right now horses and clothes are the farthest things from my mind.”

“Mine too,” he agreed, burying his face in her neck, kissing it, tasting the fine creamy skin there.

She moaned softly as she felt his lips on her neck, and she kneaded his back with her long fingers. Yes, he was muscular and lean—all man. Farther down, against her leg, she felt his stiffness straining against his pants. Then she freed herself from his strong grasp.

“Wait a minute,” she said in a husky voice. She quickly unbuttoned her blouse and opened it to reveal her fine, proud breasts. A gust of cool breeze raised goosebumps on her flesh as Thad kissed her there. His warm mouth soon banished any thought or feeling of cold from her. She lay back and enjoyed the sensation of his eager mouth as it explored the soft mounds, giving herself up to his renewed kisses.

Thad took a nipple in his mouth and felt it harden. With one hand he caressed her breast. Never before had he felt like this while making love to a woman. Jessie opened herself to him, all of her, for his pleasure. He wanted to linger, to take all night in this delicious exploration of every inch of her body. Now he slid his free hand down to cup her behind.

Jessie, in turn, was working to unbutton his shirt. It wasn't easy with Thad so diligently teasing and pleasing her with his mouth, but she tried. When the last button popped free, she worked the shirt down off his shoulders, exposing his powerful neck and broad back.

Slowly an intense desire built inside Jessie. It
had
been a long time since she had felt this way for a man. Thad was bringing out the best in her as a woman; she wanted to give him all of herself. She did not want to hold back anything.

Thad was now prying open the buttons of her denim pants, not having an easy time of it, but persisting nonetheless. When he undid the last button, he pushed the jeans down around the curve of her hips, and past her lovely knees. There was a moment of awkwardness as he realized she was wearing boots; he'd never undressed a woman who was attired this way. She sat up and undid the buttons of his fly as he wrestled the boots off her and pulled her jeans the rest of the way off. As she lay back, he removed his own boots and pants with considerably more speed, spurred on by his need for her.

He lay beside her, his arm around her shoulder, and their nakedness was open to the night. They did not care. They had each other.

Jessie turned toward him, pressing her breasts against his chest and throwing one leg over his hip.

“It's a beautiful night,” she said, kissing him, just a peck on his fevered lips.

“Yeah,” he growled. His need was too much to bear. It was difficult to breathe; her hair, her fragrance, her flesh filled all of his senses. Words, too, were not easy for him at a time like this. He had never been an easy man with words, but right now he felt positively mute.

Her hand slipped down over his flat stomach, to the tangle of dark pubic hair below his navel. Tentatively at first, she groped for his erection; then, when she found it, she took it in hand and began stroking its length.

“Thad, you're so hard,” she murmured. “Did I do this to you, poor boy?”

He managed a laugh. “Yes,
you.
God, Jessie, I'm about ready to explode.”

“Well, let's not waste any more time.”

She lifted herself over him, straddling him with her long white legs. Poised above him like that for a moment, Jessie Starbuck was the most beautiful creature Thad Hill had ever seen. Her breasts hung suspended in the night. He reached up to cup them in his rough, masculine hands. He touched them and the girl emitted a long sigh. Then she carefully lowered herself, guiding his manhood with her hand.

The tip of his erection found the warm folds of her sex. She held his shaft in her fist then and rubbed it there, bringing forth her wetness and stimulating the tender flesh and making it ready to receive him.

Thad nearly choked. God, he just wanted her to take it in. It was rock-hard and painful, and he had to bury it inside her. Then she brought her pelvis plunging down on him, his stiff organ at last finding relief as it split the nether lips and headed for home. They gasped simultaneously as his rod found the hot, vital center of her.

For a long moment, neither Jessie nor Thad moved. They had just discovered the outer limits of endurance and now were on the threshold of completion. Then their hips began to grind together as if there were no way of stopping them. They moved slowly at first, Thad barely withdrawing from her, then gradually they increased the rhythm of their love dance.

Thad lengthened his strokes, pulling out and plunging even more deeply, feeling himself harden even more each time. Her tightness held him in its welcoming warmth. Her slickness emboldened him. He began pumping more quickly, then, breathing louder.

“Thad! Thad!” Jessie cried as he pushed it to the hilt. She pulled him to her and kissed him savagely.

Thad could not stop now, nor slow down. With his large hands he enveloped her buttocks, holding her steady as he worked his hips up and down, driving into her. “Jessie, honey, you've got me ready to die. God, it feels so good to—”

“Hush, Thad,” she admonished him. “I can't hear a thing except the sound of you inside me, all of you. Yes, keep doing it, Thad. Yes!” Jessie moved above him accepting every inch of his thick manhood. She lifted herself to meet his strokes. She too approached the brink of climax and shut her eyes tight. Colors flashed across her brain. Now she knew what brought men and women together. It was this beautiful fleeting moment when we are at one with each other and the rest of the universe.
How we cherish it and fear it all at once!
she thought. Then all thought flooded out of her head and only sensation remained as Thad suddenly paused.

“You mustn't stop!” she pleaded.

He had no intention of stopping, only drawing energy for the final thrust. For Thad, it ended in a blinding release. In a great upward thrust he triggered the explosion. She came at the same time. Together they cried out.