Outlaw Marriage

by Laurie Paige

  “Keep it under your hat,” Garrett ordered with a frown. His eyes were twinkling. “Let’s get this mess solved first.”

  “I’ll head into town as soon as I get showered.”

  Twilight was deepening the sky to gold and lavender as Collin drove through Whitehorn to the other side of town and parked in the guest parking lot at the condo complex where Hope lived.

  He would invite her to dinner to discuss the new proposition. No Hip Hop tonight. They would have wine and candlelight out at one of the fancy tourist places on the main highway. Maybe they would go dancing later.

  The blood surged hotly through his body at the thought of holding her. He wanted to do a lot more than that…

  Okay, maybe they’d better not dance, or else she would accuse him of trying to seduce her to get her to agree to the new proposal. First he would get the agreement out of the way, then he would suggest dinner. Yeah, that would work. Then he could take her dancing.

  Feeling better now that he had a plan, he marched up the sidewalk to her door and rang the bell. He admired the plants tastefully arranged around the small patio-like porch. Probably a gift from her friend—Meg somebody, the florist. And wedding planner.

  Again his body reacted strongly to the thought.

  Frowning, he rang the doorbell again and heard it chime within the condo. He peered at the window. A light was on inside, but he couldn’t tell anything else as the shade was lowered to the sill.

  “No one’s home,” a feminine voice said behind him.

  He spun around. Hope stood there. His heart went into overdrive. She wore a sleek one-piece bathing suit with a towel draped around her shoulders. Her hair was wet and clung to her shoulders in curling tendrils.

  Without makeup and her office uniform, she looked as delectable as the proverbial apple. Her skin was smooth and inviting. Her legs were long and shapely. Her hips curved seductively. Her breasts thrust against the suit top, the nipples visible against the material. Her lips were bare and soft and kissable. In other words, she was the epitome of the perfect woman.

  “Hello,” he drawled, stalling for time while he brought his body back under control. “I, uh, would you like to eat…go out to dinner…dance…”

  His planned strategy evaporated from his memory and his tongue seemed equally determined to evade his mind’s direction. “You’re beautiful,” he concluded.

  She gave him a severe frown, which did nothing to dishearten his libido. “What are you doing here?”

  “I, uh, came to talk to you. About a new proposal.”

  She unlocked the door and turned without inviting him inside. “What kind of proposal?” she asked warily.

  His mind went completely blank. With an instinctive urge as old as mankind, he moved toward her. She moved back. He stepped forward again and realized he was inside. Some diabolical part of his brain took over. Without conscious thought, he closed the door behind him.

  Her eyes opened wide, then narrowed on him. “Do come in,” she invited in her precise back-East accent that could cut a man to shreds with little effort.

  “Thanks. I will.” He let his gaze run down her slender form all the way to her feet, which were narrow with short plump toes. The toenails were painted a pearly pink. To him, her feet looked delicate and tender. Perfect for her slim, graceful legs.

  Every muscle in his body went into fight-or-flight mode—or making-love mode, whichever was appropriate.

  “Dinner,” he croaked, sounding like a dying man just crawling in from a trek in the desert.

  “I haven’t time.”

  He regained some control over his thinking processes. “There’s a new proposal. About the land. It’s a deal your father won’t be able to refuse.”

  He groaned. He sounded like some actor from a B-movie.

  “I need to shower and go over some papers.”

  Anger came to his rescue. “Then you refuse to take our offer to your client?” he demanded, reminding her of her legal obligations.

  She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. “Give me fifteen minutes.” She walked off. “Make yourself at home,” she called over her shoulder. “As I’m sure you will.”

  He grinned at her stiff back. “If I did that, honey, we’d be in bed.”

  Her chin sailed up in that haughty manner she could put on so easily. His grin widened as she refused to acknowledge the quip. Maybe it hadn’t been wise, but it had gotten her attention. He heaved a deep breath and settled on the sofa to wait while she made herself beautiful. An unnecessary waste of time, in his opinion. She was already lovely beyond compare.

  “What happened to your truck?” Hope asked when they reached his vehicle, aware of the man beside her in a thousand ways—all of them dangerous.

  “I left it in Elk Springs.” He cranked up the low, sleek sports car, a vintage model. “I found this old Corvette in a ravine out in the back country when I was boy. When I was a teenager, I got my grandfather to help me haul it out. I used all my ranch earnings to restore it.”

  “It’s really lovely. You did a wonderful job.”

  “Thanks.”

  While his answer was sincere, she sensed his impatience with small talk. The air between them throbbed with unspoken questions, accusations… longings…

  He took her to an expensive restaurant and presented her with the latest Kincaid plan. “Repeat that,” Hope demanded, not sure she believed the offer.

  “Wayne Kincaid will include his land in the sale, minus five acres with the cabin, if possible. If your father refuses to let the five acres go, then Wayne will release them, too. We can’t do anything about the reservation land, but we’ll throw in an equal acreage of prime pasture from the Kincaid land that joins the old Baxter land.”

  She mentally examined the offer from up and down, inside and out. “What’s the catch?”

  His grin crinkled the corners of his eyes. “No catch. The Kincaids are serious about settling this case. Are the Baxters?”

  His startling blue eyes stared straight at her as he tossed the challenge at her feet. She mulled the settlement over. She had to admit it seemed like one her father couldn’t refuse. “It seems fair.”

  “When will you present it to your father?”

  “He’s out of town again until Tuesday night.”

  Collin grimaced in impatience. “Call him.”

  Hope dug in her heels. Her father was handling other problems within the company. “I see no reason it can’t wait. As you pointed out, it’s been dragging on for a year. Another few days can’t hurt.”

  He sighed and leaned back in the comfortable chair. Picking up his wineglass, he raised it toward her. “Here’s to one more thing out of the way.”

  Hope lifted her glass. She looked a question his way as they clinked the crystal.

  “Of us,” he explained.

  “There is no us,” she snapped, sounding peevish, then was immediately angry with herself for showing that much emotion.

  “There should be,” he countered quietly.

  Her heart lurched so painfully, she wondered if she were in danger of having a heart attack. She couldn’t look away from his straightforward, level gaze. There was something in his eyes, something meant just for her…

  With a final effort, she looked away and observed the other diners in the soft gloom of the candlelight.

  “Coward,” he said gently but with an edge.

  “I’m not—”

  “Yes.”

  She lifted her chin. This was ridiculous and she wasn’t going to dignify the quarrel, or whatever it was, by arguing about it. Which made no sense at all. She absolutely and positively refused to verbally spar with him.

  “Got it all figured out, counselor?” he asked lazily after a lengthy silence.

  Giving him a glare, she replied that she did.

  She repeated it to herself. She wasn’t going to fall for the Kincaid charm, no matter that he made her heart go crazy with his lazy smiles, those delightful crinkles, that slow
, burning way he had of looking at her as if she were manna from heaven and he wanted to devour her on the spot.

  Heat flushed all over her body. A sheen of perspiration followed. Her pulse sounded in her ears like the plangent song of tom-toms beating on a distant shore.

  “Stop,” she heard herself say.

  He understood the request. “Tell me how.” His tone was wry, weary, ironic.

  The music changed from soft background noise to a vibrant thrum. She realized a small combo had taken up position on a stage at the far end of the room. Couples rose at the invitation of the band leader and went to the dance floor. The lights dimmed even more.

  It had been years since she’d danced, other than command performances at the company Christmas parties. Not since college had she danced just for the joy of it. Longing coursed through her. For a strange moment she wished she were back in those days when she’d been young and trusting, when she’d believed her heart.

  But they were gone forever.

  Tears misted her eyes, turning the candle glow into halos of light at each table. She blinked them away. “I need to go home.”

  “All right,” he said as if sensing the desperation that overwhelmed her.

  Outside, she filled her lungs with crisp night air that blew from the south, sweeping down from the Beartooth Pass, that heart-stopping gap through the mountain peaks that brought tourists from Yellowstone to Whitehorn. She felt she was at the crest of the pass, with that thousand-foot drop on each side. She only needed to take a step in either direction and she would fall…

  No, no, no.

  They reached her place all too soon. She had the car door open before he’d hardly turned off the engine. “I’ll call you after I talk to my father,” she said quickly.

  He got out and met her on the sidewalk. “I’ll walk you to your door.”

  “That isn’t necessary.”

  Without replying, he fell into step beside her, his shoulder brushing her arm. It was like being burned whenever they touched. She could have wept.

  “I feel so mixed up…” she started, then stopped, appalled at what her words revealed.

  “It’s tough,” he agreed.

  She was afraid to ask what he meant. At her door she put on a firm smile and held out her hand. “Thank you for dinner. It was lovely. I’ll speak to my father Wednesday. I think this information is better delivered in person.”

  Collin took her hand in his and held it between his calloused palms. “I bow to your judgment,” he said. A smile flickered briefly across his face, then disappeared.

  She found she didn’t want to break the contact between them. Gazing into his eyes, where the moonlight reflected a thousand dreams that equaled her own, she swallowed as misery rose in her. Her heart urged her to act, to take the moment and not look back. Her heart had been wrong before.

  When he finally moved, she didn’t protest. His arms gently circled her and his lips sought hers.

  She raised her head and let it happen…wanted it to happen…needed it to happen….

  She moved instinctively, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, feeling the soft fabric of his suit, sensing the controlled strength of his body.

  His lips were sweet on hers and not at all impatient. He let the passion build through gentle pressure, then the softest forays of his tongue gliding along her lips.

  When she opened her mouth to his caress, he leisurely accepted the invitation. Playful yet serious, he took possession, stroking along the edges of her teeth, finding her tongue and coaxing it into sensual play.

  Her heart pounded fitfully and painfully. She finally turned her head, unable to bear more of his touch without coming apart. She wanted to weep, but couldn’t. Inside, she sensed a powerful river of emotion push against the dam of hurtful past experience.

  “Ambrosia,” he whispered against her neck, laving her with hot moist kisses. “I think of holding you, kissing you, every waking moment. And in my dreams…” He lifted his head. “In my dreams, we don’t stop at kisses.”

  His solemn perusal left it up to her. Without stopping to think, she removed the key ring from her purse and turned to the door. When she had it open, she stepped inside without flicking on a light.

  Moonlight lay across the tiles of the entrance hall and living room like a silver path. She followed it. He followed behind her. When the door closed behind them and the lock clicked into place, his hands settled on her shoulders.

  Hope leaned against him and let his warmth soak into her body. It was magic heat that warmed her all the way through, enveloping even that cold place deep inside that she hadn’t been fully aware of. He moved around her and embraced her again.

  His hands roamed her back and sides, seeking without demanding. She sighed and pulled his head down to hers until their lips melded once more. She couldn’t get enough of his kisses and caresses.

  “Collin,” she whispered, needing to hear his name.

  Collin fisted his hands in her hair and lifted handfuls of the fine material, letting it sift through his fingers. It was like water, like strands of silk, like magic.

  The need pushed at him. “I want you,” he told her, exposing the raw need, his voice hoarse with it.

  “Yes,” she said. “Yes.”

  She understood the yearning she heard in him, understood and responded helplessly to it, the longing great in her, too. With an instinct as old as the first man and first woman, she moved against him.

  Collin ran his hands over her, experiencing the sweet flare of her curves with tactile pleasure. When his hands went to the zipper at the back of her modest black dinner dress, he moved slowly, waiting for the protest that didn’t come. Relief flooded through him, adding to the harsh, hot surge of desire. He let off the control a bit as he slipped his hands inside the opening and explored tender flesh.

  Hope caught her breath at the wonder of his touch, how gentle it was, how cherished she felt.

  “You’re warm and soft, like hot whipped cream,” he whispered, pressing his face against the groove of her neck and shoulder and kissing her there.

  With impatient, shaking fingers, she pushed at his jacket. He shrugged and it fell to the floor. She tackled his shirt. “Need to touch you…now.”

  Collin sucked in air and let her tug his shirt free of his dress slacks. He sensed her impatience. Elation added fuel to the flames licking through his veins.

  Stepping back from her, he shucked his shirt, smiling at her little moan of distress when they parted. “I need you, too. Like water. Like air.”

  “Yes. It’s so…necessary.” And she realized it was, this need they shared. It was important, although she couldn’t say how, or why, or when it had come about. “I don’t understand—”

  “Shh.” He touched her lips with his, stopping any words of caution she might have uttered. He didn’t want caution or questions between them. “It doesn’t matter. Not tonight. Tonight there’s only us. Everything else can wait.”

  “Yes.”

  And it was that simple, she found. To let go. To dispense with clothing and inhibitions. To hold hands and walk side by side to her bedroom. To know his body.

  “You’re so incredibly gentle,” she said almost on a sob as they lay together on the sheets, which felt cool beneath her.

  “I want to be gentle with you,” he murmured. “In ways I don’t understand. Don’t ever be afraid of me.”

  “No, of course not.”

  “I’d better take care of this.” He held a foil packet in his hand. “Do I need it?”

  “Yes. I’m not on anything. I haven’t needed to be.” Why was it so easy to be truthful with him?

  “I bought these today,” he said as his own confession that he hadn’t needed protection in a long time, either. “I didn’t know…but I’d hoped.”

  Only the briefest snatches of conversation were needed to explain. Her heart listened and filled in the spaces. She released a shaky breath and explored him fully. He did the same with her. When he t
ouched her intimately, the playfulness disappeared, and they became all serious intent and urgency, all harsh demand and sweet giving.

  When he rose over her, she met him eagerly. They merged, blended, became one.

  “Collin,” she said, suddenly frightened as a storm of emotion coursed through her along with the passion. “It’s too strong…too much. Oh!”

  He moved in her, hard and smooth. His mouth and his hands caressed her in ways that intensified the longing and the panic. She clutched at him.

  “Trust me,” he said, feeling her fear as well as her hunger. He needed her trust as much as he needed the release in her body. More. It was necessary to his soul. “Trust me,” he said again and heard the plea underlying the words.

  She moved her head restlessly on the pillow, caught up in the throes of moonlight and luminescent fulfillment.

  Thinking became impossible as his own climax poured over him, involving more than his body, taking him to places within himself that he’d never fully explored before.

  “Heaven,” he said a long time later when he could breathe easily again. He kissed the side of her mouth and rolled over, taking her with him, unable to give her up just yet. “Heaven and everything else.”

  He cupped her against his body, feeling the damp moisture of their passion, as tired as if he’d climbed a mountain in the brief hour just past.

  “I think,” he murmured, “that I’ve gone and fallen in love with you.”

  She looked as shocked as if he’d struck her.

  Six

  “No,” Hope said miserably. “It’s impossible.”

  “Difficult, not impossible,” he said, running a soothing hand along her back. “The suit is all but over. Your father can’t refuse to settle.”

  She had a feeling he could.

  Collin must have read her mind. “If he does, we’ll countersue.”

  “What basis?”

  “Slap suit.”

  “How has my father harassed your family?”

  “By refusing a reasonable offer, one some people might consider more than reasonable. Since land developers are known to use frivolous charges against others who oppose them, your father would be a prime suspect for using such tactics.”