Her Texas Lawman

by Stella Bagwell

  Sighing, she said, “This is so peaceful, Ripp.”

  “Well, compared to the Sandbur, this place is very quiet. I don’t have any close neighbors and no one is ever around here except for me. Sometimes Mac shows up for a visit, but that’s about it.”

  His upper body was pressing against her arm and part of her back. The hard warmth of him was both comforting and exciting and several times during the past few minutes she’d had to fight with herself to keep from turning her head and pressing her lips to his.

  “That’s not a bad thing,” Lucita told him. “Frankly, I’ve had enough excitement this past month to last me a lifetime.”

  The fingers resting against her shoulder began to entwine in her hair, stroking the long strands lying against her skin. In response, her breathing slowed and her heart picked up its pace.

  “I think Marti is doing incredibly well for all he’s been through,” he said. “Your son is a strong boy, Lucita. You should be proud.”

  “I am.” Turning her head slightly, she lifted her gaze to his. “And I’m very grateful to you, Ripp, for all that you’ve done for him. You’ve become his hero, you know.”

  He grimaced. “I’m not a hero, Lucita. I only rescued him from a closet. Anyone could have done that.”

  “Rescued. That’s the way Marti looks at it. When you entered that old house by the canal, you had no idea where the kidnapper might be. She could have been hidden in one of the rooms, waiting to ambush you. You put yourself in danger to find him. Don’t make light of what you’ve done for him, Ripp.”

  Shrugging, he said, “Well, I’d rather be Marti’s friend than his hero. That’s how I feel about it.”

  A soft laugh passed her lips. “Don’t worry. You’re all that and more to my son.”

  He quietly digested her comment before he spoke again. “You know, the first time I met Marti I got the feeling he didn’t much like me. He was a little standoffish. Obviously something changed his mind.”

  Lucita nodded. “That evening when he first spotted you in the kitchen with me I think…he got the impression that you were there for reasons that had nothing to do with your job. And—well—for the past three years Marti didn’t want any man trying to replace the spot in his heart that he’d always reserved for his father. I believe that all along, despite what he said, my son was hoping and praying Derek would come back to us, that his father would eventually show up as a better person and want to resume his spot in the family. Now Marti understands his wish will never come true and I—” Her expression troubled, she shifted on the swing so that she was facing Ripp head-on. “I’m afraid he’s beginning to see you as a…father figure, Ripp.”

  Slowly his hand lifted to cup the side of her face and it was all Lucita could do to keep from groaning aloud as the warmth of his touch filled her with sweet pleasure.

  “Have you ever stopped to think that I might be seeing him as a son?”

  It was the very last thing she’d expected him to say and for long moments all she could do was stare at him.

  Finally, she managed to whisper, “I’m afraid to ask what that means.”

  Leaning earnestly forward, he wrapped his hands around her upper arms. “Don’t you know, Lucita?” he asked, his voice raw and husky. “Can’t you see how I feel about you? I’ve fallen in love with you. I want to be a part of your life. Yours and Marti’s.”

  Tentatively, wondrously, she touched her fingertips to his cheeks. He loved her? For so long after Derek had disappeared, she’d thought of herself as incapable of holding on to any man’s interest. It seemed too incredible to believe that Ripp saw her differently.

  “Ripp, you don’t really know me,” she tried to reason. “And you—”

  “How can you say that?” he interrupted. “This past month I’ve watched you handle a horrid situation with more courage than most people will ever show over a lifetime. I know what you’re made of, Lucita. But then, I think I knew what sort of woman you were long before Marti was kidnapped.”

  Inside she was leaping with joy, shouting that this wonderful man loved her—loved her in spite of the mistakes she’d made in the past. How could she resist him, resist the very thing she needed the most? She couldn’t. It was that simple.

  Resting her forehead against his, she said, “Ripp, from the first moment we met—you frightened me.”

  Easing back from her, he asked with puzzlement, “Frightened you?”

  Her fingers flattened against his cheek, then cupped his strong jaw. “Yes, because you woke up something inside me. For the first time in years I was looking at a man—at you—in a sexual way. And since then, each time we’re together I feel something pushing and pulling between us. And it scares me, Ripp. I—”

  “Oh, no, sweetheart,” he broke in with whispered words. “Don’t be scared of me—of this attraction between us. Just let me show you how I feel. Let me love you.”

  The tenderness in his hands, the seduction of his gravelly voice, fueled her need to be in his arms. With a tiny moan of surrender, she pressed her lips against his.

  Instantly Ripp took control of the kiss, devouring her lips with a hunger that yanked the very breath from her body. Mindlessly, she opened her mouth to accept his tongue while her hands explored his face, the strong column of his neck and the long-muscled slope of his shoulders.

  Heat spiraled through her, caught her senses and swirled them into hazy cloud. Beneath her thin blouse, she could feel her nipples tightening, her breasts aching for the touch of his hands.

  Trying to draw even closer together, their bodies shifted and the swing rocked wildly. Planting his boot against the planked porch, Ripp stopped the violent pitch long enough to draw both of them out of the swing and to their feet.

  “Come on,” he whispered. “Let’s go inside.”

  Stepping over a sleeping Chester, he led her into the dimly lit house and didn’t stop until they were standing in a bedroom full of shadows. As Lucita darted a glance at the double bed, she shivered.

  Ripp must have felt the tiny tremors rushing through her because he paused long enough to look at her.

  “You can change your mind, you know.”

  His voice was thick with desire and she realized with shocking clarity that if she decided to walk away at this moment everything between them would end. If common sense was dictating her movements, then she might pull away from the light hold he had on her arm. But as she looked up at his rugged face, the only thing she felt was her heart beating fast, begging to be one with this man.

  “I don’t want to change my mind. I—oh, Ripp, you’re what I want!”

  With a groan of triumph, Ripp reached for her and once his lips had pressed a foray of kisses over her face, he began to peel away her clothing and then his own.

  When his body was finally revealed to her eager gaze, Lucita was instantly captivated with the hard, smooth muscles stretching across his chest and abdomen, down his long arms and legs. He was a man of strength, a man who undeniably wanted her and just the sight of his desire made her desperate to touch him, to absorb his hard arousal.

  After another long, consuming kiss, Ripp laid her crosswise on the bed, then stretched himself alongside her. As his hand kneaded one pale breast, he mouthed against her cheek, “Do I need to get protection?”

  Reaching for his shoulder, she urged him toward her while assuring him that she was safe on that count.

  “Now you’re probably thinking I’m taking oral contraceptives just to be prepared for…something like this,” she said awkwardly. Even though it shouldn’t matter, the idea of Ripp thinking of her as a promiscuous woman bothered her greatly. “But the truth is, Ripp, that—oh, this is embarrassing—”

  “Oh, honey, I don’t want you to be embarrassed. I want you to be able to say anything to me. Anything.”

  “I’ve only made love to one man in my life before now.”

  Groaning, he buried his face against the curve of her throat and murmured, “Tonight both of us are goin
g to forget the past, Lucita. From this moment on it’s only you and me. The two of us together. That’s all that matters.”

  Lifting his head, his hot gaze slowly feasted on the delicate features of her face, lingered on the small mounds of her breasts, then moved on to peruse the indention of her waist and the valley below it. And then his hands began to move, wandering, inspecting, skimming over her body like flames racing over dry tinder.

  “Damn, but you’re beautiful, Lucita. Every inch of you. You look like a painting. All pink and brown. Smooth and sweet.” His hand slipped beneath one leg and drew it upward until her knee was within reach of his lips. He kissed her kneecap and the curve of her calf before his mouth directed its ministrations toward her inner thigh.

  The slow wet progress of his mouth marched upward until Lucita was spinning violently in a dark, heated haze. Desire was the only axle holding her together and if he didn’t ease the pressure pounding through her body, she was going to fly completely apart.

  Snaring her fingers in his thick hair, she lifted his head just enough to see his face.

  “Ripp, don’t tease me,” she choked out. “Come here. I can’t wait. Let me feel you inside me.”

  With a growl of compliance, he quickly positioned himself over her and entered her with one, smooth thrust.

  The instant connection took Lucita’s breath away, and then fiery sparks of pleasure showered through her body, sizzling every nerve ending. The sensation was so incredible that Lucita actually cried out in shock.

  Above her, Ripp clenched his jaw and moaned. Lucita recognized that he was fighting to keep this time between them going forever. And even then, forever wouldn’t be long enough. Not for her.

  “Oh, my lovely,” he whispered. “My lovely Lucita.”

  Through crescents of thick lashes, Lucita watched a myriad of emotions sweeping across his face. The tender hunger she saw among them filled her heart with an emotion too big to understand.

  Unbearable need overtook her and wrapping her arms around him, she thrust her hips upward. That sole movement fractured the moment and ignited a firestorm between them. Hunger and need exploded, fed the mindless surge of their bodies.

  Like a horse racing wild and free over the open plains, Lucita felt everything inside her rushing forward, seeking, straining to find that exquisite spot where the hot sun would melt her bones, where she and Ripp could float and drift on a sea of grass.

  Time ceased to exist for Lucita. Yet she was somehow able to recognize the end was coming all too soon. She tried to stop the final ascent, tried to clench back the sweet sensations shivering through her. But they were too strong and her body too weak to resist the delights he was giving her. Gripping his shoulders, she sought his mouth and let herself soar.

  The deep moans in her throat, the tight clench of her body fueled Ripp to join her in that climb to paradise and seconds later he was crying out her name, clutching her small frame to him as he drove his seed deep, deep inside her.

  Ripp wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he finally became aware of Lucita’s small body lying limply beneath him. With his breathing still ragged, his heart pounding to the point of explosion, he somehow managed to ease his weight from her and roll to his side.

  Once his breathing quieted and his rocked senses settled back to earth, he reached for her and tucked her damp body in the curve of his.

  As he stroked her moist hair off her forehead, he searched for the right words to speak to her, but a drunken man would have had more vocabulary than he seemed to possess at the moment. Even so, how could mere words convey what he was feeling? he wondered. She’d taken his body, his heart on a wild trip, one from which he’d still not totally returned.

  Shutting his eyes, he allowed his hand to glide over the curve of her hip and linger against her thigh. Next to his chest, he could feel the rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed and the closeness of her intoxicated him.

  Pushing the tangled mass of hair away from her shoulder, he bent his head and kissed the sheen of sweat glistening along her collarbone.

  “Was that a smile I saw on your lips?” she whispered drowsily.

  Her hand fell limply against his arm. He lifted it, pressed kisses to her fingers, then turned her palm up and tasted the center.

  “Right now I think I’ll go on smiling forever,” he uttered like a blissful fool.

  Enfolding her hand in his, he turned his attention to her face. Her brown eyes were soft, her lips curved in a gentle smile. At that moment he knew that even if he lived to be an old man, he’d never see a more beautiful woman than this one now cradled in his arms.

  “I’m glad you’re happy.”

  His chuckles fanned her cheeks. “Happy? Woman, just give me the chance and I could jump over the moon.”

  Laughing softly, Lucita glanced toward the curtained window. “I’m not sure the moon has risen yet. Maybe I’d better go out on the porch and look.”

  One arm tightened around her. “I’m not letting you go anywhere. Not tonight,” he growled.

  Even though his possessive attitude thrilled Lucita, it also reminded her that she had more than herself to think about and she looked at him with dismay. “Ripp! I can’t stay here all night! Marti—”

  “Is staying the night with Gracia. Remember? I’m sure after their late night, he won’t wake early. I promise to have you home before daylight.”

  Relaxing somewhat, she slanted him a wry grin. “Oh, that’s great. A woman of my age coming home at daylight. Are you trying to turn me into a brazen woman?”

  He grunted with amusement and then his whole demeanor took on a serious note as he stroked fingertips against the curve of her cheek. “No. I’m trying to turn you into my woman.”

  Closing her eyes, a contented sigh rose up from deep inside to slip past her lips. “I think you’ve already done that, Ripp.”

  “No. I mean more than making love to you, Lucita. I want—I want us to be married, Lucita. I want you to be my wife.”

  Her eyes flew open; her jaw fell. Was he serious? Surely he wasn’t, but everything about his earnest expression said otherwise.

  “Married? I—Ripp, I don’t know what to say! This is—it’s so sudden. We’ve not known each other that long.”

  “I wasn’t aware there was a set time for a person to get to know someone. If there is, I think we can safely say we’ve surpassed it. Especially now,” he added with a wicked grin.

  Rising up on one elbow, she stared at him as though he’d just turned into a stranger.

  “You really are serious,” she murmured.

  He frowned at her. “Of course I’m serious. I wouldn’t joke about something like this.”

  Rising to a sitting position, she thrust both hands into her hair, then held her head as though it was about to burst. “You’re not thinking clearly, Ripp.”

  Pushing his upper body off the mattress, he rested his hand against her back. “Why?”

  Did he actually expect her to give him a simple answer to that question, Lucita wondered incredibly. How could she explain? His proposal had thrilled her with joy, yet it also terrified her, filled her with doubts that hovered over her heart like dark storm clouds.

  “Because you don’t know what sort of wife I’d be. And I don’t—well, when you mentioned your broken relationship you more or less admitted that you haven’t been looking for a wife or even considering having a family. A man doesn’t take that much of a U-turn in just a matter of days.”

  His forefinger slipped lazily up and down her backbone, sending flickers of heat over her damp skin. Just the thought of having this man beside her, to make love to her, to hold and comfort her, was all that she could ever dream of. But would he stick around once the passion of the moment cooled? Would she be a fool to think that he would?

  “I wasn’t looking for a woman, period,” he conceded. “But you came along and made me do more than just a U-turn, Lucita. You have me thinking about things—planning things that I never thou
ght I’d want in my life.”

  Shifting to a sitting position upon the mattress, he pulled her into the circle of his arms. Lucita couldn’t resist pillowing her cheek on his strong shoulder.

  “Ripp,” she began doubtfully. “It’s only been a few days since I found out my ex-husband is dead. I need time to absorb all that’s happened and—”

  His hand tangled in her hair and lifted her head up to his. Lucita had never felt more exposed as his gaze bored deeply into hers.

  “Are you still in love with him?”

  She shuddered at the thought. “No. That ended a long time ago—when I received his divorce papers in the mail.”

  “Then what are you trying to say? That you don’t care about me?”

  How could he even think that after what had just transpired between them, she wondered. She’d poured her heart out to him. She’d allowed him to be inside of her, see inside of her. Because she loved him. Only because she loved him.

  The sudden realization of her feelings hit her hard. And so did the doubts. Maybe Ripp did care deeply for her right now. But how would he feel after a few months? A few years? When they’d first married, she’d believed Derek loved her. She’d believed their marriage was solid. His desertion had been like a giant earthquake and once the pieces of her shattered life had settled, her self-esteem was nowhere to be found. For the past three years she’d been searching for it, trying to tell herself that she wasn’t the reason her husband had left, that she was worthy of a man’s love. But she wasn’t yet convinced that she was brave enough to try again, to put her complete trust in another man.

  “Oh, Ripp, I do care for you. Very much. I wouldn’t have—I wouldn’t be here with you like this if I didn’t care,” she tried to explain. “But marriage is a huge step. For right now I think—well, I think it would be best if we…kept our relationship to…that of lovers.”