Sweet Silken Bondage

by Bobbi Smith

"Your horse is in the stable down the street. You can get him any time you want"

  "All right."

  "Think about my offer, will you?" the lawman urged.

  "I will," Dev promised.

  "I'll be waiting to hear from you," he told him as he walked him to the door, a hand resting on his shoulder.

  "I'll let you know just as soon as I have Molly's answer." Dev strode from the jail a free man. He paused in the street to take a deep, cleansing breath, then moved off down to the stable to get his mount. After that, it would definitely be time to see Molly.

  Dev felt like a green, callow youth as he rode the distance back to Molly's. His stomach was in knots, and, had he not had such a firm grip on his reins, his hands would have been shaking. He thought it strange that he could track down outlaws and shoot it out with them without flinching, that he could contemplate his own hanging all those weeks and face his own mortality without terror, but just the thought of telling Molly he loved her rendered him nearly useless.

  He was happy, there was no doubt about that. His life was perfect right now...or at least it would be soon.. .once Molly said "yes" to his proposal of marriage. But he was scared. The horrible, terrible possibility that she might turn him down haunted him.

  As Dev caught sight of the Magee house just a little way down the street from him, he almost wheeled his horse around and took off. Only the sarcastic urging of some inner voice tauntingly calling him a coward kept him going forward.

  It wasn't that he was a coward exactly, Dev rationalized to himself, alternating between excited anticipation and something he refused to identify as fear. It was just that he had never asked a woman to marry him before, and he wasn't sure exactly how to go about it. If he did it wrong, and she said no...Well, he couldn't even bear to think about that right now.

  To settle his nerves, he remembered that Molly had declared her love for him. He hung on to that encouraging thought as he reined in before the house.

  The special dinner Molly had so carefully prepared was eaten in relative silence. Though Eileen tried to make conversation, neither Molly nor Jimmy was in the mood to talk. Eventually, she gave up trying.

  As they began to clear away the dishes, Jimmy heard the sound of a horse outside.

  "He's here!" he shouted excitedly, almost dropping the load of plates he was carrying.

  He dumped the dishes near the sink and raced to the front door to throw it wide. The sight of Dev on horseback sent his spirits soaring. He charged forward to greet him with youthful exuberance.

  "Dev! I knew you'd come back! I knew you would!"

  Jimmy nearly tackled Dev when he dismounted. He threw his arms about his waist and hugged him tight. For a minute, he kept his face against Dev's chest because he didn't want him to see the tears that were burning in his eyes.

  "Whoa, there, Jim," he said as he gave a warm laugh at the rousing welcome. He tousled his hair affectionately as he held him back away from him to get a look at him. "Where did you get the idea I wouldn't be back?"

  The boy gazed up at him, his expression worshipful. "Mother said that you didn't have a reason to come back to us any more now that you were free. I was just afraid you wouldn't. Molly and me, we were worried about it." He glanced toward the house where his sister was standing in the doorway.

  Dev looked up with him and saw Molly there. Her slender body was silhouetted by the light behind her. Her whole manner was tense, poised and watchful.

  "Well, this time your mother was wrong, Jim. I do have a reason for coming back."

  "You do?"

  "Yes, more than one, in fact," he reassured the boy.

  "Are you going to stay?"

  His earnestness surprised Dev. He wanted to tell Jimmy that there was nothing he wanted more in the world than to live with them, but he knew he had to talk to Molly first. "I'm not sure."

  Molly heard his answer, and the hope she'd been feeling died. She believed Dev had only returned to thank them and to say good-bye.

  Dev started to walk toward Molly, keeping an arm around Jimmy's shoulders. "Molly."

  "Hello, Dev," she said, her voice almost a whisper.

  She sounded so forlorn that he gave her a curious look. When he'd left her she'd been as excited as he'd been, but he realized that something must have happened while he was gone. Without hesitation, he held his hand out to her, knowing he had to set things straight right away.

  "Let's go for a walk, Molly, just you and me," he invited.

  She took his hand without hesitation and let him draw her down to his side. Dev was aware of the coldness of her small hand as he held it in his, and he wondered why she seemed so nervous.

  "Hello, Dev, and congratulations," Eileen called as she came to the door to greet him. "I'm glad things have worked out right for you."

  "Thank you, ma'am."

  "Jimmy, you come on inside now," she told her son, wanting to give Dev some time alone with Molly.

  Jimmy looked up to Dev, hoping that he would ask him to stay, but he gave him a shake of his head.

  "You go on in like your mother says," he told him. "I need to talk to your sister for a while."

  "Will you come back inside when you're done?"

  "Sure."

  At his promise, the youth did as he'd been told. He entered the house and shut the door behind him.

  When the front door closed, Molly and Dev were engulfed in the darkness of the night with only the moon to light their way. They stood there for a moment in total silence. Both of them were a little hesitant and unsure, but for completely different reasons. Neither of them knew quite what to say first.

  Molly trembled as she imagined that this was the last time they would be together. She feared he was only here to say his farewells before resuming his life as a bounty hunter. The thought of never seeing him again upset her, and she fought hard to control her emotions.

  Dev felt Molly shiver slightly, and he looked down at her to see the uncertainty in her expression. It hurt him to think that she could be that unsure of him, but then he realized that he'd never given her anything solid to believe in. He had always held himself deliberately aloof from her and had tried desperately not to care about her or her family. He'd failed miserably, of course, but Molly didn't know that. Evidently, she'd believed his act completely. He knew then that right now, he had to prove to her he loved her.

  "Let's walk down to the pond, all right? I think there are a few things that need to be said between us.

  "All right." She nodded in agreement. As they started to walk down the path, memories of that last time they'd been at the pond swept through her. She wondered miserably if Dev would kiss her good-bye before he left.

  They had walked nearly to the barn before Dev finally spoke up.

  "Did you really think I would just leave and never come back?" he asked huskily.

  "I wasn't sure," Molly replied with painful honesty, gazing up at his moonlit profile as they walked through the night. He looked so handsome, and remembering his kiss, her heart fluttered wildly in her breast.

  "Why?"

  She gave a little shrug. "Everything's changed now. I mean, there was no real reason for you to return here any more. You're free to go. You have your job as a bounty hunter and your friend Clay..."

  "I am a free man now, but I never said I wanted to leave," he told her gently.

  "You don't?"

  "No, or at least right now, I don't think so. But you tell me whether I should leave or not, Molly. The sheriffs just offered me a job as a deputy, working for him. Should I take it? Should I plan to spend the rest of my life here in Monterey?"

  "I can't tell you how to live your life, Dev. It's a decision only you can make."

  "Oh, no," he countered. `It's our decision."

  They started walking again, moving past the barn and on down to the gentle, grassy slope of the bank.

  "Ours?" His statement was such a surprise, that Molly stopped to look up at him.

  "Ours," he repeated
firmly. The pay's decent and steady. Enough to support a family on, I think."

  "A family?"

  They stopped near the water's edge much where they'd stood the other night. The whole scene had a dream-like feeling to it. The moon, the stars, the gentle night breeze and the soft lapping of the water at the bank. It was romantic and wonderful, and Dev only hoped everything turned out the way his dreams usually had-happily.

  Dev faced Molly, his expression growing serious as he struggled to find the words. In desperation, he finally decided just to tell her the truth and be done with it. The suspense was driving him crazy. He had to know if she would marry him. He wouldn't be able to relax until he knew.

  "Molly..." He paused, then forged ahead. "Molly, I love you."

  His words were a heart-sent caress, but at first, she didn't quite believe it. Dev loved her?

  Dev wasn't sure if her silence was good or bad. He lifted one hand to caress her cheek.

  "I love you, Molly." Said the second time, his words were almost a groan. "It seems like I have forever."

  "But you were always so cold ...so distant..."

  "Not all the time," he reminded her, giving her a lop-sided, self-deprecating grin. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, but I had to be strong... for both our sakes. I thought I was going to die. I didn't want to drag you down with me. I'll make it up to you now, if you'll let me. I love you, and I don't ever want to leave you again."

  "Oh, Dev..." she sighed ecstatically. "I never thought I'd hear you say that. I love you. I love you with all my heart."

  No more needed to be said then, as Dev bent to Molly and claimed her lips in a passionate kiss of promise. He had denied himself for so long that the embrace was exquisite agony for him. It felt so good and so right. She was so wonderful. He knew there was no place else on earth he would rather be than there with her. When the kiss had ended and they broke apart, they stared at each other in a fever of sensual understanding.

  The kiss had told him all he needed to know, and Dev delayed no longer. Emboldened, he asked the question that had been tormenting him.

  "Marry me, Molly..." he urged. "Let me make a life for us. Let me love you like I've wanted to for so long."

  It had been wondrous enough that he'd told her he loved her, and now he wanted to marry her. It was all she'd ever hoped for, all she'd ever dreamed of.

  "Yes, Dev. Oh, yes!" she cried in delight as she clung to him.

  "You will? You really will?" Dev was amazed that his luck could have changed so dramatically within the space of just a few hours. That morning, he'd been nearly certain that he would hang, and now his every wish in life had been fulfilled.

  "There's nothing else I would rather be than Mrs. Devlin O'Keefe," Molly vowed, linking her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly.

  Standing in the quiet of the night, their arms wrapped around each other, they were lost in a haze of rapturous contentment. Their lips met and parted, savoring the taste of one another. It was a tender moment, a foreshadow of the years of loving to come.

  "How soon?" Dev asked hoarsely, breaking the sensual mood. His need for her was threatening to overpower his common sense, and he knew he had to be sensible. They weren't married yet.

  "How soon, what?" Molly blinked, trying to focus on something besides the glorious feelings that were sweeping over her. Just a short time before she'd feared never to see him again, and now he wanted to marry her...to make her his wife.

  "The wedding," he answered, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, then one to the softness of her cheek, and then settling on the sweetness of her mouth once more.

  Shivers of delight coursed through Molly at his tender ministrations.

  "The wedding," she rhapsodized, her expression decidedly dreamy. "Whenever you want."

  Dev kissed her again, unable to resist, then said distractedly, "I suppose I should wait until Clay gets back."

  "I guess that would be best," she agreed slowly. "When is he due to return?"

  "I don't know. He was hired to find somebody and bring them home. As soon as he does that, he'll be back."

  "Will it be much longer?" Molly wondered, her fingers innocently tangling in the hair at the back of his neck where it grew over his shirt collar.

  Dev knew she wasn't being deliberately provocative, but at her simple touch, the heat within him was building to a fever pitch. He wanted her. He had for weeks now. It had been difficult enough not making love to her when he'd been a prisoner, but now that he was free and the future was theirs for the taking, he was finding it next to impossible to control himself. She was all woman, warm and willing, and he loved her.

  "God, I hope not," he growled as he pulled her close and kissed her deeply.

  Molly melted against him. This was heaven for her. Her prayers had been answered. Dev loved her, and they were going to make a life together.

  Caught up in the splendor of their embrace, Dev never wanted it to end. His lips plundered hers, teasingly arousing her to heights of desire she'd never experienced before. The raging emotions he'd created within her, left her feeling weak and pliant to his will. She wanted him, and she wanted to please him. They dropped down to the grassy bank, their bodies pressed hotly together. Their hands moved restlessly over each other as they strained closer, anxious for complete intimacy

  For Molly, it would have been enthralling to share his love fully, but Dev was not about to let that happen. He could feel the eagerness in her. He could sense that she was his for the taking, but he would not do it. He held her trust, and he would keep that trust. He would do what was right for the both of them.

  "Molly ...we can't do this. Not yet." Dev protested painfully. His body clamored for him to satisfy his desires, but his heart and mind cried out for him to wait.

  "But Dev, it feels so good to be with you this way," she argued in a love-laden voice.

  "That's the point, sweetheart," he began to explain as he stopped kissing and caressing her, but continued to hold her close. "It feels too damned good."

  "I don't understand," she said in confusion.

  "I know, and that's part of the trouble, too."

  "I don't mean to be troublesome to you."

  She sounded so regretful, that he had to laugh. "You should always be this troublesome to me."

  He gave her a quick kiss, then released her and rolled away. Getting to his feet, he held his hand out to her to help her up. Molly took it reluctantly for she was still puzzled by his words. Her thoughts and feelings were confused by the mesmerizing power of his passion.

  "Your mother and Jimmy are waiting for us at the house. Think we'd better go back up?" he reminded her.

  "Oh," Molly gulped, a little embarrassed at having forgotten everything but the magic of being near Dev. "I forgot."

  "I almost did, too, love," he admitted, chagrined. "But I bet your mother hasn't."

  "We'd better hurry back."

  Hand in hand, conspirators in love, they rushed back up the walk. The night wind carried the sounds of their private sighs and their soft words of promise and devotion. They paused by the water pump to share one last kiss before facing her family.

  It was then, lost in the headiness of Molly's embrace under the canopy of silver moon and twinkling stars, that Dev knew he couldn't wait for Clay's return. He'd been looking all his life for this kind of love, and he didn't want to wait any longer to claim Molly for his very own.

  As much as Clay's friendship meant to him, Dev knew he didn't want to spend the rest of life days like a tumbleweed, riding aimlessly about the countryside, without roots or binding ties. He wanted a family, a wife and children. He would marry Molly just as soon as they could arrange it, and he would tell Sheriff Macauley that he had hired himself a new deputy.

  Dev felt a twinge of guilt about making plans without telling Clay, but his need to marry Molly overshadowed any doubts he might have. He believed in his heart that ultimately, his friend would understand.

  "Molly..."

  "Um
?" she responded, her eyes still closed as she relished his nearness.

  "Molly, I don't want to wait for Clay."

  At this, her eyes flew open as she gazed up at him, both startled and pleased.

  "I've waited too long for you already."

  Molly was thrilled. When he moved to kiss her once more before returning to the house, she met him hungrily in that torrid exchange.

  "Let's go tell your mother," Dev said in a strangled voice as they moved apart.

  Breathless, her cheeks flushed with passion, Molly took Dev's hand and they went to plan their future.

  The lamp glowed golden, gilding the lovers in a soft, gentle light that matched their mood. Lying together in a loving embrace, Dev and Molly rested, sated from the wonder of their first joining.

  For Dev, making love to Molly had been the most exciting thing he'd ever done in his life. As he held her close, cherishing the tenderness of the moment, he stared down at the gold band on her left hand. He couldn't imagine life getting any better than this. Molly was his, and they had their entire lives ahead of them to spend loving each other.

  In peaceful contentment, Molly lay fully against him, her head resting on his shoulder. She had never known that making love could be so perfect. She smiled as she remembered the surprise she'd felt at her initiation to love's ways, and then the joy that had been hers when she'd become one with him. Dev was her husband.. .the man she loved.

  "What are you smiling about?" he asked in a love-husky voice as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  Molly nestled closer as she replied, "I was just thinking about you."

  "I'm glad I make you smile."

  "Oh, you do more than make me smile, Devlin O'Keefe," she answered as she rose up on one elbow to gaze down at him. He looked so handsome, that her heart ached. She was glad this man was hers, and she knew she would never let him go. Leaning forward, her breasts crushed sweetly against his chest, Molly gave him a quick kiss.

  "I do?"

  There was a twinkle of devilment in her eyes as she shifted her weight up on top of him and began pressing little kisses to his jaw, then down his neck and across his chest. She moved slowly lower until she had Dev practically squirming with impatience.