His hand moved to her breasts, and he passed his hand gently over her stiff nipples. She groaned and would have backed away from the overwhelming sensations, but he would allow no retreat. He held her firm and secure to his muscular body while sparks shot from her breasts and landed, determined and pulsing, between her legs.
He slipped his hand inside her shirt and held her breast in his big hand. The touch on her bare flesh intensified, glorified, magnified the line of fire that ran from her most private parts directly to her breasts. He gave her nipples a gentle pinch, and her knees trembled. His hands dropped to her buttocks, and he pulled her close and lifted. The hard length of him pressed between her legs. An aching, empty, throbbing space, a place she hadn’t known existed, tormented her. Ethan was the answer to that pulsing. She knew he held the solution.
Ethan patted her on the bottom and pushed her head into his chest. “We better not get too carried away.”
He choked or coughed or growled. She didn’t know which. “I won’t take you on the ground for our first time, but later on, a little fun outdoors will be mighty fine. Right now, you’re as innocent as a baby. You deserve better.”
He held her, patting and rubbing circles on her back, until her breathing was steady, and her body stilled.
“I didn’t know,” she repeated.
He laughed. “Let’s sit for a minute and talk.” He led her to the bank and pulled her into his lap. “I’m courting you as hard as a man can court. My intentions are honorable. Tell me now. Can I be your man?”
She nestled her head into his shoulder. “Yes. Yes, I want you to be.” She lifted her head and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “But I have a little business to tend to first.”
“Tell me about it,” he said, and waited for her answer.
“I can’t yet. When I get an answer to my letter, I’ll decide what to do.” She saw disappointment flash across his green eyes. “I’m coming to town tomorrow with one of the brothers; I need more clothes suitable for Texas heat. I’ll check for my letter.”
He nodded his head in one sharp motion. “All right. I’ll wait, but you are not to put yourself in harm’s way. If you think I wouldn’t approve, if there is even a whiff of danger, wait and talk to me. Let me protect you.” He pulled her close. “Talking about danger, there is a cattle drive camped on the other side of San Miguel. Those cowboys are thirsty and have a little pay in their pockets. You stay with Michael’s ranch hand tomorrow. Don’t wander.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.” She waved her hand, dismissing the idea.
He turned her to face him. “Listen to me. You’re inexperienced. You don’t know about the world, or about men.” She tried to look away, but Ethan turned her face back to his with one long finger. “I’m none too pleased that you won’t share this business you need to tend to.” She began to protest, but his raised hand stilled her response. “But I can be patient as long as you don’t do anything foolish. You’re my woman, or near enough, and I aim to keep you safe and healthy. Stay away from those cowboys. They’re nothing but powder kegs on legs.” He pulled her close and hugged her tight. “Hear me?”
“I hear you.”
“Good. You mind me.” A light, loving pat landed on her bottom. The pat that followed was a harder warning.
This magnetic, compelling man would give her a life of safety, care, protection. But hadn’t she just escaped this very thing? Her father and Ethan were not the same. She knew this, and yet a spark of independence bloomed into a tiny bud in her chest.
Chapter 6
Ethan
Ethan looked over the swinging door into the saloon. Three cowboys leaned against the bar already sipping their first beer of the day. The girls who worked upstairs sat quietly around a large table sharing a breakfast of coffee and toast. They looked tired. Tired to the bone. By and large they were pleasant enough. True, every now and then some hell-cat came to town, but not often. Seeing them slumped over their coffee cups in their dingy finery made him clench his teeth until his jaw ached. What a hell of a life.
He moved on. Trouble wouldn’t come to the saloon until after dark, and he and his deputy would be ready. When he returned from courting Charlotte, he guarded the town into the early hours of the morn. Cowboys, beer, poker, not enough women—it was a recipe for flying fists and guns.
Courting Charlotte. His mouth curved into half a smile. She said he was her man. Lord have mercy. The memory of her breast in his hand had his manhood jumping. He wanted her something fierce.
He returned to the jail and perused the wanted posters, replied to his mail, and kept an eye on the Mercantile. When the Circle M wagon rolled into town, he planned to stroll on over.
“Sheriff.” A shrill voice snapped his attention away from pondering Charlotte’s plentiful attributes. “Hurry. I need your help. My boarder snuck out of his room without paying. He’s headed for the Livery.”
“All right, Mrs. Norris. I’m on my way. Go on back to your house.” Ethan moved with long-legged speed up the street.
Moving cautiously into the big barn, hand on his gun, he waited for his eyes to adjust to the filtered light. A man he’d seen about town the last few days was saddling a horse.
“Mister,” Ethan said, “I do believe you forgot something.”
The man glanced at his bag on the ground. “I don’t think so.”
“We don’t take kindly to thieves in San Miguel, mister. You’ve been enjoying Mrs. Norris’s hospitality, and you’ve forgotten to pay your bill. Now you either come settle up or you can wait in my jail until the judge arrives next week.” Ethan stood loose hipped and ready to move.
“Damn, sheriff. That woman’s cooking is so bad she should pay people to eat it. I ain’t paying for vittles hardly fit for a man to eat.” He returned to the task of getting out of town.
“Stop right there.” Ethan rested his hand on the butt of his gun. “Whether you liked her cooking or not is none of my concern. That you pay her for it is.” He moved close and gripped the man’s upper arm. “We’ll both be happier if you come peacefully.”
Ethan escorted the man to the boarding house. “Mrs. Norris. This gentleman wants to settle his bill.” He stood, arms crossed over his chest, while the cheat dug enough money out of his wallet to satisfy his debt.
“You’re free to go, but I’d rather not see hide nor hair of you in our town again.” He scowled and held the door open. “Do we understand each other?”
He spat on the ground and warmed up to his subject good and proper. “We do. Anyway, I wouldn’t come to this two-bit town again.”
“I don’t want to hear any of your belly aching. Be out of town by dark or spend the night in a cell.” Ethan added a growl to the scowl, and the man bolted out the door.
“Thank you, sheriff. I can’t afford…” She paused to wipe her eye with the tail of her apron. “I’m a widow and…”
“No need to explain. The man was trying to cheat you plain and simple. I’m glad I caught him before he got away.” He tipped his hat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll get back to business.”
He strode toward the Mercantile, his boots kicking up dust devils with his speed. The Circle M wagon was pulled up in front and a man was loading supplies into the back.
“You one of the brothers?” Ethan called.
“Yes, sir.”
“Which one?”
“Nick. We get so used to being called the brothers we almost forget we come with our own names.” The young man grinned. “Ma and Pa used to call us the boys, so moving from that to the brothers was plumb easy.”
“Did you bring Miss Weaver to town?” Ethan looked toward store’s door.
“I did. I took her to the Dressmaker and waited for her just like the boss said. Then we came to the Mercantile, and she did more shopping. The storekeeper had a letter for her. I’ve loaded her purchases, but she took that letter and went up the street looking for a place to read it. Said she’d be right back. She wanted a little privacy with her
mail.” The young man pursed his lips and put his hands on his hips. “I hope I didn’t do wrong.”
“I’ll go find her. You finish loading the supplies and head on to the ranch. I’ll bring her back with me.” Ethan went in pursuit of his misbehaving miss. He’d told her to stay with the hired hand. Mike told her to stay with the hired hand. Yet she wandered off alone. He shook his head and glared down the street.
A shriek split the still Texas air, and he took off at a run toward the saloon. His heart seized into a tight ball, squeezing, squeezing, in panicked pain. The three early drinkers surrounded Charlotte on the walk and were taking turns taunting and, holly hell, laying hands on what was his.
“Take your hands off that woman,” Ethan roared and charged toward the group.
One of the drunks placed his hand on her breast and Charlotte winced at his brutal grab. “Now, sheriff, this lady was parading down the walk all by herself. What kind of man let’s his woman do that? Well, there must not be one, so this one is up for grabs. That’s what. Nothing to concern yourself about.”
The drunk’s slurred words sent anger, sharp and searing, shooting through Ethan’s chest.
“That’s right, sheriff. You just pay no never mind to us. I always liked me a woman with big breasts and a…”
Ethan jerked the man by the arm and threw him to the dusty street. He struck the other man in the jaw with his fist and watched in satisfaction as he joined his friend.
The third man backed away, hands held up in surrender. “I’m leaving. I’m leaving. Ain’t no woman worth a scuffle with the law.” He scurried away like the low-down varmint he was.
Ethan took fierce possession of Charlotte’s arm and pulled her toward the jail.
She trotted like a naughty three-year-old in his wake, squeaking out, “Now, Ethan. Slow down, Ethan.”
Once in the building, he slammed the door and pierced the disobedient woman with a furious glare.
“What? What’s the matter?” Charlotte stuttered. Her eyes bounced around the room looking everywhere but at the tall, fuming hulk of sheriff.
“What’s the matter? Holy hell, woman, how can you ask such a question? Those cowboys intended to have their fun with you. You were five minutes away from being dragged into that alley and raped. That’s what’s the matter.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “If I hadn’t come along… Well, it don’t bear thinking on. If something happened to you, I would be…” He paused for another breath. Anger dissipated, lessened. Tension eased in his chest like the soft air after a thunderstorm. He asked in a curious voice, “What were you thinking?”
“I wanted to read my letter. I didn’t think walking up the street would be a problem.” Charlotte held her hands palms up in apology.
“Didn’t I tell you to stay with Mike’s man?”
“Yes,” she admitted.
“Didn’t Mike tell you to stay with his man?”
Charlotte agreed a second time. “I wanted to read my letter,” she told him.
“I know that letter’s mighty important to you, but safety comes first. Always. You could have read that letter in the wagon on the way home or brought it to my office or waited until you returned to the Circle M. Wandering down the street, alone and unprotected, was an invitation for trouble.” He lifted his hands and let them drop. “You’ve lived a sheltered life. You don’t have any idea about men and their needs. The cowboys in this town are lonely, aching for a woman. They will take what’s not offered, Charlotte. Do you understand me?”
She gave a small, barely perceptible nod.
“You said I was your man. Did you mean it?”
Another more emphatic nod shook Charlotte’s deep brown hair. A pin dropped with a clink to the jailhouse floor.
“I was hoping you’d agree.” He waited until her eyes met his. “You must do what I say. I mean to protect you, keep you safe and healthy. I don’t plan to boss you around, so when I tell you something, you need to pay attention.”
“All right, Ethan. I’ll keep that in mind.” Charlotte’s nod was downright vigorous. More pins joined the first in a little collection at their feet. She moved toward the door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Ethan snagged her arm.
“To find Nick. He’s supposed to escort me home.” Questions lingered unasked in her big brown eyes.
“I told Nick to go on ahead. I’ll take you later. After I spank your pretty bottom.”
“Excuse me?” Her voice quivered with surprise.
“You heard me. You’ll remember to mind me next time. A spanking gets a person thinking twice.” Still holding her arm in the vise of his hand, Ethan locked the door.
“Don’t you have duties to tend to, sheriff?” Charlotte enquired while unsuccessfully pulling on her arm.
“Deputy Burke will be here soon, and this is a quiet hour in town. If you don’t want the deputy watching your spanking, we should get to it.” He pulled his big chair to the middle of the room.
Charlotte pulled with renewed vigor on her arm. “Ethan, no. I didn’t think before walking off to read my letter. It won’t happen again.”
“Right, and this will help that memory stay fresh.” Charlotte wiggled her arm and twisted away. “Stop that squirming.” He took firm possession of her arm and targeted her with a look of serious intent. “You deserve to be spanked. Do you agree?”
That question brought her body to a sudden stand still. “Do I have a choice?”
“Answer my question. Do you deserve a spanking? You put yourself in real danger, Charlotte. If I hadn’t heard your cries, you’d be lying in that alley with your skirts above your head. If you’re my woman, I need to punish you. It’s the way I am. It’s the way I know to keep you safe. If you’re not my woman, then I’ll be mighty unhappy, but I’ll return you to Mike’s care, and that will be the end of it.”
Charlotte gulped. “The end of us?”
He nodded his head, subdued and sad. “If I can’t protect and guide you, there is no us.”
“But I don’t want to be spanked,” she whined.
“Of course not. Nobody does. But do you deserve it? Will you allow me to be that man in your life?” Waiting for her answer made him a bit sick, but he needed, desperately needed, to know.
The air hung heavy and still. “You are. You are that man.”
“Come here.” He sat and extended his hand. “Show me you understand this spanking is given in love and for your benefit.”
She placed a trembling hand in his. “I don’t know what to do.”
The whispered words softened his heart, but would not soften his hand.
“Lay yourself over my thighs.” He helped lower her into position. “I expect you’ll need to wiggle some, so I’m putting my leg over yours to help you be still and not fall off my lap. I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Remember, it’s only a spanking. I’m not going to kill you or harm you in any permanent way. Nobody ever died from a hot bottom.” He rubbed his hand over her quivering flesh.
“All right,” she replied, her words tiny in the humid afternoon air.
He reached for the hem of her dress and threw it over her back. His hand sought the ribbon on her drawers. He admired the fine fabric and pink ribbon trim before sliding the garment to her knees.
“No. No. No. Leave my skirt down.” Charlotte began to struggle.
“Stop that. Spankings are on the bare.” He reinforced the sentiment with several sharp spanks to her bottom. “Now settle in.” His hand rose and fell with regularity. Right. Left. Right. Right. He spread the spanks around her generous flesh, watching as her skin turned pink and advanced to rose. Stopping for a moment he alternately rubbed and squeezed. “Will you mind me?”
“I will. I will.” Her desperate reply emerged in a wail.
“All right, sweetheart. We’re almost done.” Two more trips from side to side and top to bottom had Charlotte’s tears puddling on the floor, and she lay shuddering over his knees.
He was hard.
Rock hard. Did she feel it? Did she know what it meant?
“Do you feel me, sweetheart? Do you feel my hardness?”
She stilled and wiggled her hips. “I do.”
“That’s what happens to a man when he wants a woman. I want you. Make no mistake about it. I want you,” he growled.
“What happens to a woman?” Charlotte lifted her head to peer up at him.
Her innocence was going to kill him. “Well, a woman gets soft and wet. Her body is ready for her man then and making love feels good. Better than good.” His hand moved between her thighs, and he saw arousal glistening on her skin. She wanted him. That was enough for now. He didn’t want to scare her. Removing his hand, he patted her flaming bottom before pulling her drawers over her scarlet orbs.
“The strangest feelings squirm in my body just from looking at your hands or smelling the scent of sweat and horse that is you.”
She relaxed, and he smoothed her skirt into place.
“That’s how it should be. Both of us wanting.” He helped her to sit on his lap. “Will you marry me? Will you be my bride?”
“Oh, Ethan. I want to say yes, but I have that piece of business. It’s personal.” Anguish filled her words.
“Tell me. Let me help. Trust me.” Ethan offered his support. His dedication.
“I will. I do. Give me a little time.” Charlotte sniffed and tried to rub her ravaged bottom.
“No rubbing,” Ethan stilled her hand. “A little time. I’ll agree to that as long as you don’t do anything foolish. Promise me. No foolishness.”
“I’ll try.”
Ethan’s mouth was a solid line of unhappiness. He didn’t care for that answer, that non-answer, that waffling reply.
Not. One. Little. Bit.
The doorknob jiggled. “Sheriff? You in there?”
“It’s my deputy.” He helped Charlotte stand and waited while she adjusted her clothes. “I’m coming.” Ethan took one last look at her tear stained face. He was sorry and not sorry. Damn. He swung the door open.
Treasured (Lonestar Love Book 2) Page 5