Pretty Lawless

by Jodi Linton

  He tilted his head to the side. “Just how am I looking at you?”

  “Like I just made the biggest flipping mistake of my life,” I replied.

  “So you are going to help me take a bath.”

  I stepped out from his embrace and stuck out a hand. “See,” I said, taking in the shameful grin causing the dimples to punctate his cheeks. “I told you I was about to make a fucking mistake.”

  Water poured from the faucet, masking the silence in the small motel bathroom. I knelt down beside the tub and tilted my head back at Gunner indolently leaning into the doorjamb. He gave me a smile that barely reached his eyes, then began to unsnap the button on his holey, blood-dried Wranglers, working the jeans down both narrow hips. It’d only been a bullet graze on his thigh, but from his clenched jaw I could tell it hurt like hell.

  “Fuck. Fuck. I always forget how painful it is to get shot.” Gunner winced as he bent over to step out of the pant leg. “God, this is embarrassing.” Uttering a curse under his breath, he pulled the other leg out of the jeans.

  When he started to reach for the waistline of his boxers, I jumped to my feet and walked toward him. His hands stopped midpull on the elastic waistband, and his brows narrowed, outlining his stunningly handsome face in a torrid mix of frustration and heartache.

  I touched his callused knuckles, wrapping my hands around his. “Here, let me help you with those.” He sighed, relieved almost. His head fell back and his body went rigid when my fingers sank beneath his boxers. I tugged at the elastic, drawing them down and springing that thick, hard cock to life. Rocking forward on the balls of my feet, I pressed my lips softly to his stubbled chin as my fingers rustled over one devastatingly touchable happy trail. It’d been a ballsy move. But a move I needed to make. His hard-on nudged my stomach, and a groan tore from deep within in his chest. “That bath won’t wait forever, cowboy.”

  He pressed his forehead into mine. Sweaty flesh slicked against hair. “Will you be able to wait for me?” He sounded so miserable. “I just need a little more time to right old wrongs, sweetheart.”

  Instead of giving him a reply, I took him by the hand and bottled up all the hurt, leading him toward the lukewarm bath. Nothing I’ve done when it came to this man was smart. Nothing. I should know by now our love was cursed. “Come on. The water is starting to get cold.”

  Chapter Five

  Gunner

  A pair of soulful brown eyes split my heavy heart in half.

  Maybe she still cared. God knows, Laney could crush me, and right here with her gentle caress sliding all over my chest, we both understood each and every way.

  “Lord, woman,” I rasped against her cheek, cock fully upright and aching for those small hands to grab on. “You are killing me.”

  “Lift up.” Soft hands gently pressed a washcloth into my shoulder blades, and her kissable lips formed an adorable pout. “I need to wash your back,” she said, trying to mask the crackling in her voice with a soothing tone. “Tonight I’m taking pity on your sorry ass by giving it a bath.” And then her thumbs and fingers kneaded into my flesh, breaking up the tension pulling at my strained muscles. “What does Luke know?”

  Her hands moved slowly down my back, and the sight of those amazing tits rubbing up and down my side struck me momentarily dumb. I let both my arms fall over the bathtub and bent forward, opening my body up to a better back-washing position. Groaning from the tender way her fingers dug into my neck, I closed my eyes and finally relaxed for the first time in days. “Redbud tried to strike up a deal with him.”

  “What kind of deal, Gunner?” With a snap and the familiar sound of a zipper being sliced open, Laney edged around the tub and yanked her jeans down around her thighs, kicking them into a pile on the tile floor. The sight of my girl in only a pair of cotton panties and a shirt stole all the air in the tiny room. “The deal…” Laney knelt by my side, and before I could utter a simple reply, she placed both hands on my chest. Our eyes clicked, and she awarded me with one of her smiles. Even if it was short-lived, I welcomed the attention. “I didn’t want to get my jeans wet.” And then she slung a leg over the tub and eased herself down on my lap, paying careful attention to not rub against my bandaged thigh. Like second nature, my gaze locked in on her endlessly long legs wrapping around my body. God, that figure of hers did very bad things to my thoughts. “Jesus, it feels good to be near you again,” Laney said breathlessly.

  And even though I knew deep down she deserved a better man, there was no way I would let her go unless someone pried her from my cold dead hands.

  “Laney, babe, you don’t need to do this.” My dick grew harder. Painfully so. Damn, she felt soft. Way too beautiful to be mixed up with the likes of me. Capturing her beautiful face in my hand, I strummed a thumb beneath her chin and caved. “Redbud wanted Luke to push drugs through the family ranch business.”

  She lifted up an inch to readjust her position, and a set of tanned long legs that never ceased to make me mad with lust bled into view. It was crazy how after all these years she still stuck around, allowing my sorry ass to break her down. “And I’m assuming Luke shot Redbud’s offer to kingdom come.”

  “You could say that,” I bit out when her finger flicked across the top of my dick. “You can do that all day.”

  She laughed, the girly sound making me wish we could hole ourselves up inside the motel and never leave again. “God, I want you so bad. So damn bad.”

  Hey, I won’t lie. I’d been waiting to hear those words fall from her luscious lips all evening. But, fuck me. Something felt seriously off. I’d known Laney way before stealing her V-card, and she didn’t have a single begging bone in that slick little tight body of hers.

  She moved back and forth and smiled up at me. “Like the first time.” And…bam, there was the elephant in the room. Small hands wrapped around the base of my dick and glided up and down in a firm stroke.

  Way to hit below the belt buckle. To this day I hated how I’d taken Laney’s virginity. Reckless screwing could only be the way to describe that Fourth of July night. Shameful. She’d deserved so much more than a few hard thrusts given by a horny teenage boy more concerned with not shooting a load off in his pants. Over the years, I’d tried to right that wrong. Though the knowledge wasn’t wasted on me that I might’ve done a crappy job on fixing past mistakes, since at the moment my naked ass was sprawled out in a tiny motel bathtub while Laney used one of my most shitty moments against me.

  I grinned. “That boy was a prick.”

  She looked disappointed. “And the man’s so much better?”

  The pang in my chest burst wide open at her coldhearted remark. But hell, I figured it’d been coming.

  “He’s trying to turn a new leaf.” The woman before me stilled, the casual expression on her face faltering a bit.

  Then her hand slid down my length, splashing water all over my stomach and her red-stained lips. I badly wanted to dry them with a tender kiss. “How does that feel?” She sighed, gaze locking on mine. “Good?” Her tongue darted out and dragged along that plump bottom lip. “What about here?” she asked and squeezed me hard.

  “If you keep it up, I won’t make it much longer.” I grabbed her hips in a firm grip and pulled her forward, placing her mouth within an inch of my own. “Better.” I kissed her chin as I squeezed that fine ass again. “So much better, darling.” Fastening my mouth around her pert, cotton-covered nipple, I drew it between my teeth. The sweet intake of her breath drove the craving to claim her, so I tested the waters a little more and pressed the pad of my thumb, softly at first, and then hard, pinching her clit. She wiggled that fabulous body, and all thoughts fogged into a clouded mess. Such mind-numbing friction. “I missed this,” I mumbled through another tender bite, sliding a finger over her panties and pushing the fabric aside. “You are all I have ever wanted. All I have ever needed.” I slipped a digit up into her, and the feel of her clenching around my fingers, drawing me deeper, almost caused me to prematurely blow a
load like a motherfucking teenager scrambling to unclothe a chick in the backseat of his pickup.

  Her head fell back on a belated sigh. “Gunner…” Lips parted, she glided back and forth against my palm, wet flesh against flesh. My balls drew tight, and the pressure in my dick wrapped around my insides like a vise. I wanted her. No, I craved her. Laney was a warranted addiction.

  “Yes.” I bit back a curse. The feel of her soft skin against mine was almost too much to bear.

  Eyelashes fluttering frantically—her nervous tell—Laney worked her hand up and down my shaft. A hiss fell from my lips when her fingers casually roamed across my balls. She knew exactly what made me tick. “So this whole damn mess with Luke is about a small-time crook wanting to peddle drugs?” Her hand tightened. “You could have told me. I’m really good with keeping secrets,” she drawled, hand tightening around the head of my penis. My whole body shook in a pleasurable wave of anticipation.

  “I’ve always misjudged your skills,” I rasped on a growl, roughly wrapping my arms around her slender waist. Her mouth fell open again. With her hands fitted snugly around my hard length, I became captivated by the way her firm, plump tits bobbed up and down as she rocked in the water. Head cocked to the side, I smiled, whispering an obscene lullaby in her ears, “Fucking love your tits. Tomorrow morning you might hate me, but hell, darling, right now I’m going to own you.” She shifted, angling her body higher as if needing a moment to let the full weight of the day sink in. I decided to prove my point and slammed my mouth over hers. Aggressively pushing at her lips, I worked deeper into her mouth, tasting the sweetness. The need to take every ounce of her pleasure spurred on my addiction.

  She was mine. I’d killed a man to protect her. And in a heartbeat I’d pull that fucking trigger again.

  When that tight, lithe body moved against mine, the thrill of finally having her hold and acknowledge me for the first time since I’d walked out on her this morning made Laney a dangerously real obsession. “You feel so damn good, baby.” My grip secured on her hips. We sank further into the throes of desire. And we embraced it. We always had.

  Sweat dripped from my forehead, trickling past my nose to rest above my upper lip. I licked the salty film away and peered into those brown eyes that owned me. “We’re gonna be okay,” I said, trying to hold on to her heart. Her tense expression stayed fixed over my shoulder. “You can just feel it, Laney. I can give you that reason to believe in me again.”

  The air was stale between us. She said nothing.

  My chest pounded, and my cock throbbed. The sight of her cheeks flushed and rosy pink and panting with need pushed me over the edge.

  “I’m going to leave you to whatever you need to do.” She rose up, water cascading in a rain shower as it slid down her gorgeous legs. “Thanks for the information on Luke.” And then Laney stepped out of the tub and stood dripping wet in the middle of the bathroom.

  I’d been played. Gripping the side of the tub, I pushed myself erect, splashing water onto the floor. “You’ve got to be kidding me here, sweetheart.”

  Opaque eyes locked in on me, irises black and shimmering under the lamplight like slick blacktop after a midmorning rain shower. Laney opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. In that moment everything flashed to life: our love, our secrets, our obsessions. And it pained me to think I might need her more than she needed me.

  Laney picked up the Kleenex box off the sink and tossed it on the floor near the tub. “Make sure to dry your hands off first. You wouldn’t want to get tissue all stuck up your asshole.”

  Then she grabbed her jeans and stormed out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

  I might’ve misjudged that cute smile. Maybe just a little bit. Because as I relaxed back against the tub, I realized Laney wasn’t going to roll over and be my girl again by way of a few confessed secrets. Yet her driving my ass home from the hospital confirmed one thing…she still cared. And hell, I’d always been a man who loved a good challenge, especially if the chase rewarded me with some smoking-hot make-up sex. I cut a glance at the Kleenex, and then at my cock. Not like I hadn’t jacked off before.

  Damn straight I’d fallen in love with one helluva stubborn woman.

  “It looks like it’s just you and me tonight.”

  Chapter Six

  Laney

  My old weather-beaten farmhouse rose above the hill. Shortly after pulling Gunner’s strings, I’d darted out of the Pistol Rock Motor Lodge, wearing only the borrowed black T-shirt I’d snagged off the motel bed and my jeans commando-style. Still can’t believe how sexually unsatisfied I was, but damn glad he was suffering a bit.

  Blast the sexy man.

  Gravel crunched beneath the tires of my cruiser as I swerved on the icy path. Christmas evening was looking more dismal than that time my mother told me she’d signed me up for the Miss Tumbleweed beauty pageant. I parked next to the shed, then jogged across the brittle, ice- glazed winter lawn. Blackness engulfed the entire front of the house. Gnats twirled about the single porch lamp. With keys jiggling in the palm of my hand, I raced up the steps and wrenched open the screen door. It sucked how horribly wrong the day had gone. Tonight I’d planned a special dinner with my—well, deceitful—Texas Ranger boyfriend. Call me crazy, but hell, I still loved Gunner Wilson. And it blew me away how easily I’d let him back in my life, my heart…if he were to come knocking tonight I’d more than likely welcome him home.

  I unlatched the lock and slipped inside, getting a not-so-warm welcome of dead quiet. Dropping my keys on the entryway table, I wandered through the living room, switching on lamps and kicking off my red cowboy boots en route to the kitchen. Most late-night working evenings, I could hear Gunner shuffling around the kitchen, looking for a drink or something to eat, but tonight it was eerily quiet as I shrugged my boyfriend’s T-shirt over my head and tossed my straw cowboy hat on the Formica countertop. I reached above the sink to find my one true friend, the man who’d never failed me, Jack Daniel, when something breezed past my shoulder, then toppled to the floor. I stopped in mid-foraging and knelt down to pick up the photo resting on the tile floor. Okay, maybe I’d jumped to conclusions. Gunner had done way more than just dig around a few old boxes of family photos. Because blinding me like a deer caught in a set of headlights was a picture of Mitch Wagner and Tex Wilson, my boyfriend’s dad, smiling for the local town paper at the annual Wagner Cattlemen’s Ball.

  I’d always been led to believe the two men hated each other. Some enemies they were, posing together as if they were friends at a charity event put on by the very man Gunner’s dad, to my knowledge, had wanted locked behind bars. The photo crumpled in my hand, and my heart sped up. I opened a kitchen drawer and placed the photo under a dish towel, tucking it away for safekeeping. As I plucked the whiskey bottle up off the table, I stared an ungodly moment at the bundle of daisies in a blue vase he’d sent to arrive on my doorstep two hours after Luke’s arrest, then, foregoing a glass, I beat feet to the stairs.

  A couple hours later, blotchy eyed and slightly drunker than a skunk, the sound of wind bashing against the windowpane had faded into a mournful quiet solitude. I chugged down the last drop of whiskey—the burn chasing away painful memories—pushed open the closet door, and stared straight ahead into a hole packed plumb full of clothes showcasing the facade of a happy living arrangement between a cowboy and his gal. Tomorrow I had a date with destiny, yet tonight I had a date with secrets. Dragging a stool out from under the clothes, I climbed on top and rooted around the upper shelf. My hand brushed past a pile of thermals, a pair of old Wolverine work boots that Gunner no longer wore, and a set of cotton sheets. Eventually, I stumbled across the fabric box I’d stowed away behind an unloaded rifle in the far left corner. Holding on for dear life, I tucked it to my chest and made my way toward the bed.

  I dropped the contents of the box on the quilt. Photo after photo spilled out. A few nights back I’d picked through, analyzed, and lost a helluva lot of sleep over these sa
me images. I’d caught Gunner going through them, and upon my questioning he’d played it off as needing some pictures for the annual ranger New Year’s Eve party. Because I’m head over heels in love with the guy, I desperately latched onto that line of his as quickly as I do when he tells me I look adorable passed out in the living room chair with my head hanging over the armrest and my arms clutching my boobs. Naturally, I should’ve drilled him for more information. Today he’d claimed they had something to do with his parents’ murder case. Too many fibs over time had caused so much doubt that on a good day like tonight, when Gunner’d opened up—no matter how small the amount of information had been—I still had trouble taking him at his word.

  There had to be something about these Polaroids capturing a timeline of the Briggs and Wagner families’ friendship over the decades that pulled the puzzle pieces together. I stared at the snapshot of my mother, Mitch Wagner, and my old man again. Then I moved on to my parents’ wedding day. Nothing stood out. Just Luke’s dad, Mitch, standing on the sidelines with that signature scowl on his sourpuss face as he leaned into the ear of a young man. The guy appeared to be college age, but other than that I couldn’t make out much. For all I knew, the stranger was an old ranch hand of the Wagners’.

  At the moment it looked as if the Texas drought might be replaced by a tsunami before I figured out the purpose of these pictures.

  I’d already burned each and every one of these images into my mind mere days ago. What the hell was I missing? I glanced at the spread laid before me detailing my past. The photo of my dad and me on my first day of school, the picture Gunner had been eyeballing when I stumbled in on him barely three days ago, was nowhere in sight. Where could it have gone? Not like it was on Gunner, because I would’ve noticed it when he stripped butt naked back at the motor lodge.

  Unease clouded my thoughts. I badly wanted to believe these photos meant nothing but a wild goose chase my boyfriend happened to set his sights on. Yet here I sat on the floor, understanding that Gunner never went after something if it didn’t warrant it. There’s something I wasn’t putting my finger on, and even as I knew Gunner hadn’t told me the entire truth about his and Luke’s involvement, I also knew I couldn’t let him go. No matter how troublesome the Texas Ranger could be, I was in our fucked-up relationship for the long haul. I just intended on making Gunner sweat some more before dishing out that piece of information.