After Sundown

by Shelly Thacker

“No, you don’t.” His eyes burned into hers. “You don’t know how I... damn it, you are important to me. You.” His voice became strained. “God help me, Annie, I have tried so hard not to...” He lowered his head. “Not to...”

  His mouth covered hers in a searing kiss.

  Annie’s breath became a moan under the sweet, hot pressure of his mouth, the friction of his beard-stubbled jaw against her skin. She felt her heart racing, felt her tears spilling down her cheeks. Her fingers clenched in his shirt. The muscles of his arms went taut as he shifted his hold on her, buried one hand in her hair, his tongue rough silk against hers as he deepened the kiss—branding her, claiming her.

  His possessiveness sent sparks sweeping through her, set fire to her blood. Her arms tightened around him and she responded with a feeling that was wholly new to her. More than desire, deeper than caring, stronger than need.

  He embraced her as if he would bind them together body and soul—until no force of law or man could tear them apart.

  As if he would make her his, tonight and forever.

  “Yes,” she sobbed when he lifted his head, saying it again as he trailed sharp, urgent kisses along her throat. “Lucas, yes.”

  With all her heart, she wanted one night, one moment that was completely their own.

  One memory to cherish when she was taken away from him.

  He lifted her in his arms and carried her down the dark hallway to the suite they had once shared.

  The bedroom was cloaked in shadow, the day’s last light long vanished beyond the barred windows. He didn’t take the time to light a fire in the hearth or even a lantern, letting go of her just long enough to lay her on the bed and yank the heavy drapes closed across the windows. Turning, he took off his boots and unfastened his gun belt, his gaze never leaving her. She began unbuttoning her dress, held out her arms as he returned to her.

  And then he was beside her, pushing the covers back, sinking onto the cool sheets with her. She drew him close, sighing his name. For now, for tonight, they belonged to each other, and nothing could come between them.

  Tonight, she would dream of what could be, if only dreams could come true.

  His body against hers was the only warmth she needed, the light in his eyes more than enough to chase the darkness. His fingers made quick work of the fastenings on her dress. She unbuttoned his shirt, opened his trousers. Hands slid over bare skin as their clothes landed on the floor. She ran her fingers along the corded sinews of his arms, the angles of his shoulders, the muscled expanse of his back. He was so lean and hard and powerful, made all of steel.

  And he trembled at her touch.

  Their mouths met again and again, their kisses impatient, fevered.

  He grasped the lacy edge of her camisole, lifting it over her head, tossing it aside. Her breath caught as he cupped her bared breasts in his hands, as the tips drew tight. Moaning, she turned her head and noticed a flash of silvery moonlight in the mirror that filled the opposite wall, just enough light seeping around the curtains for her to glimpse their reflection—the two of them together in the shadows, bodies entwined on the bed, her pale curves nude except for the pantalettes bunched around her hips, his muscled body poised over her.

  Her rushed intake of breath made Lucas turn his head. Their gazes met in the mirror.

  Her breathing had become shallow and fast, but she didn’t look away. Neither did he. Both of them watched, transfixed by the erotic image as his hands shaped her breasts, his callused fingers rough against her nipples... as he bent his head to taste and lick and tease. Fire twisted through the very center of her body. Her small, sharp cries were almost lost beneath his low groans.

  She couldn’t look away, watching in the mirror as he suckled her, her back arching, her hand plunging into his hair to hold him close against her. He slid one hand down over her waist, the curve of her hip, her bare thigh in a slow, hypnotic caress. Her whole body felt flushed and feverish, taut with need, with anticipation.

  Then he shifted his weight, capturing her mouth with his again, breaking the mirror’s spell. They kissed until her lips felt swollen and bruised, until he chased away all her thoughts and fears—of the past, of the future, of the danger that awaited them beyond this place.

  There was only the two of them. Here, together, safe. There was only him, only now.

  All her senses flooded with him, with his spicy, male taste and scent and heat. The fire of his kiss, the sultry touch of his hands on her skin, the scorching awareness of his rigid arousal pressed against her thigh. Pleasure and longing and a much deeper emotion all burned within her.

  His fingers traced a tantalizing path along her thigh. Brushed over the silken triangle between her legs. He found the sensitive bud hidden there, teased it. She arched beneath him with a husky cry and he opened her to his touch, finding her soft and wet. He made a low sound of pleasure, of hunger.

  Wordless sounds came from her throat as he stroked her, pressing his thumb in tight circles against that hard pearl, slipping his fingers inside her. She grasped at his muscled arms, her voice rough and sensual even to her own ears. “Lucas.”

  She lifted her hips, needing more. Needing all of him.

  Tonight and forever.

  He parted her thighs with his knee, positioned himself at her core. His gaze locked on hers. And then he pressed forward, that hard, male part of him opening her slowly... penetrating her deeply.

  A low moan came from her throat, the pleasure beyond words, the sensations overwhelming. He thrust into her until they were fully joined. Until he was part of her, a sweet pressure inside her. She twined her arms around his neck and closed her eyes, whispering his name, lost in the feeling of being claimed and cherished. Of being his.

  Their moans and sighs made the only sound in the silence, and there was only him, inside her and around her, filling her body and her heart and her soul.

  Together they moved in that intimate dance, softness and steel, both offering and receiving, both taking and giving. She matched his rhythm as he arched his hips, alternating slow, silky caresses with sudden, deep thrusts that made pleasure coil tighter and tighter within her.

  The sensations in her body burned her like the fire in his eyes, those emerald depths glittering with emotion that startled her with its intensity. His mouth took hers in a kiss that was just as fierce and powerful.

  He stroked the curve of her bottom, lifted her against him, grasping tighter as his rhythm became faster, more urgent. He seemed just as lost as her—reckless and lost, driving into her. Each hard thrust made the tension spin tight, low in her belly. Tighter. Tremors began rivering through her. She felt him shudder. Together they reached for the light in the darkness.

  And together they claimed it. He grasped her hips with both hands, locking her against him, and suddenly shards of brilliance exploded around her, inside her, brighter than stars. She felt his body go taut as he spilled himself inside her, both of them groaning, gasping as wave after wave of pleasure cascaded over them.

  Annie felt like she was falling, flying, free.

  Then Lucas’s muscles went slack, his weight pressing her down into the sheets. She wrapped her arms around him and they stayed joined together, breathing hard, spent. After a while, he gently withdrew from her body and eased himself alongside her, gathering her to him, holding her close. She rested her cheek against the hard curve of his shoulder. He dusted kisses through her hair.

  Long after her breathing and her heartbeat slowed, Annie savored the sweet moment. It almost felt like one life ending, fading like the sun that had vanished behind the mountains, and a new one rising in its place, a silver moon in the sky, defiant in its brightness against the night.

  And she knew that she would never forget this moment as long as she lived, this feeling of being so protected and cherished.

  This emotion that overflowed her heart.

  “I love you,” she whispered in the darkness. “I love you.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Luc
as felt the touch of the sun stealing through the curtains, but refused to open his eyes. All night, they had kept each other awake, making love again and again—fiercely, tenderly.

  If he just kept his eyes closed, he could stay here, holding her close, and forget the world outside this room.

  Regret cut through him as he reluctantly opened his eyes, slowly. Annie lay curled against him, so impossibly beautiful in the light of dawn. He remained still and watched her sleep, memorizing every curve of her face, the shape of her lips, every glossy tendril of her dark hair.

  He had wanted her to be his, and his alone, if only for one night. One reckless, stolen, lawless night that he would remember long after he had to set her free and watch her walk away.

  She had to agree to leave him. Somehow, he had to persuade her to see reason.

  But for now, just for now, he didn’t want to wake her from her dreams. His breath hitched in his chest as he looked at her.

  Despite everything she had been through, everything she had lost, she still dreamed. She was all dreams and hope and heart, his sweet elf. From the beginning, he had responded to her delicate beauty, her flashes of steel and fire... but it was her gentle heart that affected him most of all.

  The tenderness in her soul that was so deep, nothing could take it away.

  With a drowsy sigh, she snuggled closer to him, her lashes lifting.

  His heartbeat unsteady, Lucas reached out and brushed a stray curl back from her face.

  She blinked, smiling at him in the soft light of dawn. “Good morning.”

  He couldn’t find any words. Why did they always seem to fail him at moments like this?

  She ran her fingers over his beard-stubbled jaw, then ruffled the tangled hair on his forehead, almost playfully. “I don’t regret last night,” she whispered. “And I meant what I said. I love you, Lucas.”

  “Annie...” He buried his face in her hair, tightening his arms around her.

  “It’s all right.” She stroked his shoulder, soothingly, as if he were the one in need of care and comfort. “I know. You haven’t changed your mind about me going back to Missouri.”

  “No.” He hadn’t changed his mind. There was no way in hell he was letting her put herself in the hands of people who would hurt her.

  “But I’ve made my decision,” she said in a tone that held a new, quiet strength.

  “No,” he corrected gently, lifting his head. “I’ve made your decision.”

  “Stubborn, impossible male,” she teased.

  “Maddening, impossible female.” He took a deep breath. “Annie—”

  “Lucas, I don’t want to argue about it anymore.” Her fingers traced an old scar on his shoulder. “I don’t want to think about what’s going to happen when spring comes. Can we just... not fight about it anymore, for now?”

  He gave in, nuzzling his cheek against hers, reluctant to deny her anything that would make her happy.

  “There are only a few weeks of winter left.” She kissed a sensitive spot she had discovered last night, just behind his ear. “And I don’t want to spend them fighting with you.”

  He rolled onto his back, pulling her atop him. “And how do you want to spend them?”

  “Like this.” She snuggled close, laying her head on his chest.

  “Annie...” He closed his eyes. It had been unspeakably selfish to allow himself to make love to her for even one night, to accept her passion and her love when he had to send her away.

  It was no way to treat a lady, especially not this sweet, brown-haired elf who had claimed such an important place in his life, in his heart.

  He cleared his throat and forced himself to say it. “Annie, you should have everything you want—a home, a husband. And I want to give you that.” His voice thickened. “By letting you go. You can have that life, somewhere else, somewhere safe—”

  “But I don’t want that life if it doesn’t include you,” she protested softly. “I want my home to be with you.”

  He reached up to twine his fingers through her long hair. “I don’t even have a home,” he reminded her. For years, the only home he’d had—the only one he’d wanted or needed—was what he could carry in his saddlebags. “And I don’t know when... or if... I’ll see you—”

  She stopped his words with a fingertip against his lips. “Lucas, I know that we can’t be sure what’s going to happen. And when we get back to Missouri—”

  “When I get back,” he corrected.

  She sighed in frustration but didn’t try to argue for the moment. “Back in Missouri,” she continued, “you’ll see your family again and...” She paused. “That might change things between us.”

  “Seeing my family again will not change how I feel about you,” he said gruffly. “Annie, you matter to me. You’re...” He tried to think of the right words. “Important to me in a way that I can’t even...” He was making a mess of this. “I care about you, lady.”

  It came out as a half-growl, but his declaration still made her smile.

  And brought that warm softness to her brown eyes. “I know, Lucas. You’ve shown me how you feel, in so many ways.” She shook her head. “But I don’t want you to make any promises now that you might regret later. Just give me today,” she whispered, “and tomorrow, and however long we might have until spring.”

  Her plea wrenched his heart. He brushed his thumb over her soft cheek. “Just go on like we were before?”

  She nodded. “Only without all the arguing.”

  “We’ll be giving certain people in town plenty more to gossip about.”

  “I didn’t realize you cared so much what the town gossips thought about you,” she teased.

  “It wasn’t me I was thinking of,” he said dryly.

  She smiled. “You’re very sweet to be concerned about my reputation, gallant sir. But the people who matter to me already know how we feel about each other. I think Rebecca knew before I did.”

  He drew the blanket around her to keep her warm as she settled against him. “Holt knows, too.”

  “Our friends will be happy for us. As for everyone else...” She shrugged. “Some people will never accept me, no matter what. But for the first time in my life, I really don’t care what people like that say or think.” She sounded mildly surprised at her own words. “All I care about is how much I love you.”

  He shut his eyes, aching at the way those words made him feel, every time she said them.

  “Lucas, just for these next few weeks, can’t we pretend like... like there’s nothing waiting beyond those mountain passes to hurt us? That for once, for a little while, we both have a place to call—”

  “Home.” He murmured his answer against her lips. “Yes.”

  Chapter 20

  Annie sighed and sank lower in the tub, watching steam curl upward from the water. The vapor that rose in the firelit darkness filled the room with the scent of meadow herbs from her favorite soap. She closed her eyes with a smile, the heat easing the soreness from her every aching muscle. It was Saturday, and she’d been at the store since six this morning, hurried and busy all day.

  Lucas, bless him, had had the hot bath waiting for her when she got home, placed in front of the hearth in their room. He’d even lit candles on the mantel and the tables. The curtains were drawn, the whole hotel dark and silent.

  “Better?” he asked softly from where he sat a few feet away.

  “Yes.” She turned her head to smile at him. “Much better, thank you.”

  He returned her smile, reclining in the chaise longue wearing only his black trousers. There was a now-familiar gleam in his eyes as he watched her, a huskiness in his voice. “Happy to oblige.”

  Her cheeks warmed, her smile widening as she returned her attention to her bath. Even after weeks of sharing a home with him, she still blushed when he looked at her that way.

  For the past month, they had spent their days as before, both kept busy by their work. In the afternoons, she would sometimes visit her friends
or they would visit her, the women filling the hotel’s front room and kitchen with their chatting and laughter as they made tea and did needlework, or played cards, or baked some special surprise for their menfolk.

  But the nights... the nights belonged only to her and Lucas. They spent every hour together, stealing every moment, giving themselves to each other as if each time might be the last.

  And Annie had begun to realize that the hardest part of the choice she had made wasn’t the idea of leaving Eminence and all her friends, or even the fear of facing a trial.

  It was the thought of being separated from the man she loved.

  She bowed her head and rinsed her hair, letting the tangle of curls fall around her in a dark cascade. Once, it had felt like she and Lucas were trapped by the winter snows that surrounded this isolated town.

  Now it felt as if the blocked mountain passes offered their only protection.

  And as the middle of February approached, bringing warmer temperatures, she knew that their sanctuary couldn’t last much longer.

  The water grew cool, but she took longer than necessary rinsing her hair, hoping Lucas couldn’t see her expression. She had been trying so hard not to think about the future, not wanting to let sorrow or fear intrude on this special, magical time.

  These few weeks of happiness that might have to last her the rest of her life.

  “Ready to dry off?” he asked quietly. He came over and took a large towel from the chair beside the tub.

  “Yes.” She looked up at him, grateful to have her melancholy thoughts interrupted. As she stood, water sluicing down her naked body, he wrapped her in the towel, and in his embrace, his arms so strong around her. For a moment, he just held her.

  Then he scooped her up and out of the tub, carrying her over to the chaise, setting her down at the end. After he picked up another towel he’d had waiting, he swung his leg over the long chair and sat down behind her.

  She closed her eyes as he began to dry her hair. Of all the little customs and routines they had established, this Saturday night ritual was one of her favorites.