Lola shook her head from side to side. “All I can say is don't be so hard on him. Give him some leeway. Maybe you can look the other way when he rides into town. After all, you'd think he needs companionship from time to time, don't you?"
"Sure.” Companionship wasn't the right word. Lust and stealing her heart were.
"Eat, Maddy. You'll need to be strong if he comes back.” Lola walked to the door and pulled it open. “Forgiveness goes a long way, especially out here.” And she was gone.
Maddy scratched her head. What had Lola meant about forgiveness? That sentiment didn't quite cut it in Plains Junction where fast talk and a pointed gun were the only things some people understood. Those things that Maddy understood best.
As she pondered what to do next to find McIntyre, the door creaked open again. Expecting it to be Lola, Maddy turned to admonish her friend for talking to her about things that didn't really matter, but the words froze on her parted lips.
She stumbled to her feet. Her limbs went rubbery, and she trembled visibly. “Did you come to turn yourself in?” was the best she could come up with on such short notice.
The habitual blade of grass stuck out from between those sexy lips. He was dressed all in black—hat, vest, shirt, pants and polished boots. Maybe a little too polished. And his cheeks and jaw were clean-shaven.
He locked the door behind him. “Does a man in black turn you on?"
She struggled for a breath of air and a modicum of composure. Hot fire coursed through her veins and that hidden spot between her thighs hardened, demanding attention only one man could now give. What could she say to him that didn't include begging him to do her again?
A quick glance at his crotch told her she was in trouble. The kind a lady sheriff didn't need.
Jeb had to act fast. He'd turn himself in when he deemed the time was right and not one second before. He strode forward, recognising that this moment could be his last if Maddy unholstered her gun and shot him. But he'd made a heavy bet that she wouldn't. She was too curious about him. Just as he was about her. He scooped her up in his arms and that was when she lashed out at him.
"What do you think you're doing?” She pummelled his chest with her bare fists.
"Locking you up in jail,” he said tersely. Man, he was going to hate himself in the morning.
She tried to reach her gun in a belated effort to make up for lost opportunities, but she wasn't fast enough before he set her on the floor inside the cramped jail and twisted her wrists behind her. “You wouldn't shoot a man who wants to make love to you, would you, sweet Maddy?"
She practically melted in his arms. Her tempestuous eyes flared momentarily, but she relaxed. He had no doubt she had it in her. He'd heard of several men who had gone out one morning on an errand of pocket enhancing but had never returned, courtesy of the lady sheriff and her fast gun.
He slipped the gun from its holster as her eyes widened in dismay and tossed it on the floor outside the cell. He smirked. “Now I want you to give me the key to this cell. Nice and easy."
She pursed her lips and knew he'd hit a nerve. “This is my town, McIntyre. My jail. My cell."
He chuckled. “Oh, I don't doubt you. It's all yours.” He curved her arm around her waist, allowed her hand to slide down to his stiff cock. “This is all yours too."
"No.” Doubt warred with arousal.
He lowered his head. His wide-brimmed hat shadowed their faces as he kissed her. More tension eased from her body. His tongue danced with hers, daring, madly, possessively. He backed up. “The key."
Reluctantly, realising she was no match for him at the moment, she slipped the key off the ring at her belt. “What are you going to do?” No fear, just inquisitive.
He ignored the question, figuring she'd find out soon enough. Still holding her wrist, he took the key, closed the cell door, locked it and threw the key on the floor just out of her reach.
She hissed as he turned to her, unbuckled her belt and led her to the narrow cot. “You've locked me in here,” she ground out.
Jeb loved her this way. Spitting mad. “I'm locked in here with you too. I understand you've been looking for me so ... here I am.” He spread his arms from his side and waited for her to make the next move. Interestingly enough, she didn't refasten the buckle but gnawed on the inside of her cheek as she contemplated him.
"How dare you!"
"Has anyone ever locked you in your own jail, pretty Maddy?"
She blinked repeatedly, giving him the impression that each time she thought of a retort, she tossed it out and started again. Her breasts heaved up and down with her gasps of outrage.
Roughly, he pulled her to his chest and stroked her golden hair. “You don't really want to do any of those things, do you?"
Her head tucked against his shoulder, the first sign he got that she was having trouble was when her own shoulders began to shake. Then she began to sob in big gulps, her hands curled into tight fists against his chest.
He crooned softly to her, wondering why her crying bothered him so much. Most likely, he felt helpless. Did she need protection? Did she need a good loving? Did he need to consider the possibility of sticking around in her life a lot longer than he'd initially planned? Every moment he spent with her, he took the chance she'd gird herself up and arrest him. He was a free man and intended to stay that way.
She lifted her head and wiped her nose in her sleeve. “I don't know what to make of you,” she declared, fully meeting his gaze. “I don't know whether to hate you and everything you stand for, or to—” She paused as she considered her words. “Or like you,” she finished lamely.
Jeb laughed. Where most women's faces would have been blotched with red after the tears, her cheeks were pale with a hint of rose blush. She even cried pretty. “Did you mean to say you love me?"
Adamantly, she shook her head. “I can't love you."
"Is that the sheriff or the lady talking?” he teased.
"Both!"
"You're so beautiful when you're mad.” He sat her on the cot, began unbuttoning her shirt. She didn't protest. She only stared at him as if he were out of his mind. “I want to fuck you again,” he explained, omitting the part about that action taking place in her very own jail. “I want to do that until the man in the moon falls down to earth. Where he belongs."
That brought a hovering smile to her lips. Her chin jutted out proudly. As long as he didn't remind her that this was her jail, and she was locked in her own cell, Jeb didn't mind taking her for a long, lusty ride.
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Chapter Seven
Maddy didn't know what had overcome her. On seeing Jeb, every instinct told her to pull the gun from its holster and point it directly at his heart with the words, “You're under arrest.” But his devastating, shadowed gaze right into her eyes had made mush out of her desire and was promptly replaced by another kind. Pure, driving lust. She wanted more of Jeb's body, more of his strong, energetic presence.
Her shirt was open to the waist, her arms around his neck. She'd set aside the sheriff routine two days ago, and she could do so again. Just for an hour. Just until she got Jeb McIntyre out of her system. And she had to be able to do that, to be able to get order back in her fragmented life. She raked her fingers through the silky strands of his hair. The smell of hot man and sweet tall grass permeated the small cell space.
"I want you to make love to me, Jeb,” she whispered in his ear, leaving a trail of dusky kisses down his throat to his erect nipples.
He groaned before he started ripping at her clothes in an attempt to get them off as quickly as he could. She did the same for him. All he had on by the time they finished was his wide-brimmed hat. She was completely naked.
"You're exquisite,” he said huskily.
"No one ever told me that before.” She rose from the cot. “Let me do something for you."
"Are you going to try to escape?"
She heard the hint of amusement. “Are you?” she flas
hed back at him.
"Nuh-uh.” He caressed his hard shaft. “Where would I go with this?"
She giggled. “You could hold me up.” Before he could reply, she turned her back on him and wiggled her ass as she pulled the pins out of her hair one by one.
"I've never seen you with your hair down,” he said in wonder.
"You haven't seen a lot of things.” Maddy finished pulling the pins out, and her lustrous hair fell down her back to her waist.
"Come here, honey. You can tie my cock up with your hair any time. Lord God, but you have a mighty fine ass."
Coquettishly, she glanced over her shoulder at him. She'd found a new Maddy under all the clothes and the sheriff's stiff-necked attitude. She sensed him rise and come up behind her. He encircled her with his hands and rested his palms on her breasts. She kept moving her hips from side to side. He matched her little dance of enticement, his stiff cock pressed against her backside.
"You know what I want to do?” he asked, mouthing the words into her ear.
"Fuck me,” she said without turning.
"That too.” His laugh was light but hearty. “I want you to bend over that cot so I can do you from behind.” His warm hands moved down to the flat of her stomach, toyed with her belly button. She pressed her hand to his.
"From behind?” She didn't mean to sound, scared but her tone conveyed her hesitancy.
His right hand strayed down to her mound then lower still until the pad of his finger rested against her yearning clit.
"Ohhh. You're killing me,” she said, mimicking him from the night before.
"Really? That's good.” He guided her to the cot.
She rested her elbows on the cot's scratchy blanket and leaned over. But he surprised her. Instead of thrusting his shaft in her, he sank to his knees and said, “Let me see you."
Shutting her eyes tight, she stood still, skittish as a horse, as his warm breath blew on her inner thighs. Her clit got harder and her pussy wetter as he spread her apart to examine, to flick his wet tongue over her clit, to look some more. She shivered at the fact that a man was making love to her by surveying her. A thrill of erotic excitement shot through her.
Squinting her eyes, she saw him gaze back at her through the opening of her thighs. A slow smile curved his lips. “Is this how men make love to women?” she asked innocently, unable to glance away. The man was pure, sensual sin.
"Yeah.” His voice was gruff.
She suspected he would have said more, but he quelled it. Had he wanted to tell her he loved her? Or something more earthy about the ways of a man with a woman?
He continued to circle her hardened nub. Seconds later, she flew apart with a tiny cry of pleasure. Maddy hadn't finished her orgasm before Jeb plunged into her now very wet sheath. She took his full length in as he patted her ass. “The things you don't do to me,” he muttered.
Her breasts jiggled against the cot, and his balls slapped her ass as he moved inside her, faster and faster. Then, as they had the night before, they shattered together into sparkling pieces of stained glass.
Maddy clung to his cock as long as she could, willing her heartbeat to slow down. Behind her, Jeb's breathing was hurried and raspy as he gathered his wits about him. Now was the time to arrest him, she thought. Now or never.
"Maddy?” he croaked.
"Yeah?"
"I want to tell you something."
She took a deep breath. “Just remember I'm the sheriff, and what you say might not necessarily stay with me only."
"This definitely will."
She didn't believe him. She waited.
"I think I've fallen in love with you."
* * * *
Deputy Cantrell held no illusions about what McIntyre and the sheriff were doing in the jail. Quietly, he'd tried the door but it was locked from the inside. He wasn't used to waiting patiently, but he did by the tree outside the jail. He waited for an hour or more before McIntyre emerged, looking up the street then down and disappearing behind the back. Cantrell knew what he had to do. If he wanted McIntyre, all he had to do was rough up the lady sheriff. The stagecoach bandit wouldn't fail to come to her rescue.
He headed for the jail, confident he had both of them where he wanted. With McIntyre in jail and the lady sheriff losing her position, Cantrell would hold it. Bobby Cantrell, Sheriff of Plains Junction. He liked the sounds of his new title.
The only thing he didn't count on was a feisty woman who sensed what he was about to do and smashed a frying pan over his head. She brushed her hands in congratulations and headed into the jailhouse.
* * * *
"Maddy?” The door had opened so quietly, the sheriff hadn't heard. That or she was still engrossed in the tingling memories of Jeb making love to her.
She spun around. “Lola."
The jail smelled of lilacs as soon as her friend strolled in with a frying pan in hand. Her face was the tiniest bit flushed. “The deputy's been bit of a problem lately. He arranged for a bounty for both Jeb and you."
Puzzled, Maddy asked, “For me? What in the hell for?"
"He jumped the gun. If you're hanging out with an outlaw, then you're as crooked as he is."
"I am not—” Maddy protested, blinded by fury.
"It's no secret to the townsfolk that you're making love with Jeb supposedly behind their backs.” Lola burst out laughing at Maddy's horrified expression. “No secret at all."
Pinning the last of her hair back up, Maddy huffed a breath. “Is that right?” The knowledge that all of Plains Junction knew about her and Jeb made her flush crimson red.
"Jeb gave me a message to give you once he was gone."
Maddy gave her a quizzical look. “Why would he want to leave a message with you?” Why not give the message directly to her?
Lola's lips curved in a gentle smile. “He wanted to make sure he was well clear of the sheriff in case she wanted to arrest him."
"I—” How could she do such a thing? As soon as she put Jeb in jail, that would be the end of their lovemaking. And he'd told her he loved her. How foolish had she been to let him go again? She settled her hand on her dancing heart.
"Don't deny it, Maddy. You love him, too."
Maddy nodded slowly.
Lola continued. “Jeb told me to tell you he's waiting for you behind the jailhouse. If you want to ride off with him, he'll make an honest woman out of you and an honest man of himself."
Maddy hesitated. “He's here? Waiting for me?"
"What can I say? He loves you.” Lola hefted the cast iron frying pan. “Cantrell had other ideas about Jeb so you better get gettin’ if you don't want him to wake up and find you're still here with your man."
Maddy enjoyed the sound of that. ‘Your man'.
She ran and gave Lola a quick hug. “I'll be in touch if I can.” She was out the door before Lola could say anything more.
All Lola heard as she sauntered down the street with her frying pan were two horses in the near distance galloping away. She wished Jeb and Maddy luck and knew they were just right for each other.
Many miles from town, Maddy brought her horse to an abrupt stop next to Jeb. Her breath came in unsteady gasps, and her eyes feasted on the apparent love glowing on Jeb's handsome face. She jumped off and ran to him. His strong arms enveloped her, and their hearts beat as one.
"I love you,” she whispered, gazing into his face.
He pressed light kisses on her forehead and along her cheeks before his lips sought her own.
She took with hungry eagerness.
When he drew back, he asked in a low, sexy tone, “Would you like to ride off into the sunset with me, my love? California's a good place right about now. Big, open country, and we can disappear there."
"As long as we're together, I'll go anywhere,” she breathed. “California, here we come."
Love had a way of binding two unlikely souls together.
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About the Author
Aur
ora Rose Lynn, a bestselling erotica author, lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and conure. She enjoys writing romance with a sensual twist but first and foremost, her stories must be about love. When she isn't writing romance, she writes young adult and fantasy stories under a pen name.
Email: [email protected]
Aurora loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at www.total-e-bound.com.
Also by Aurora Rose Lynn
Blue Dragon Challenge
Lust or Go Bust
Vampire's Captive
Shotgun Bride
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