ANNIE AND THE OUTLAW

by Sharon Sala

  Unashamed of his nudity or the obvious ache in his manhood, he rolled over onto his knees and took the brush from her hands, scooting her gently until she was braced against his body.

  Annie sighed and let her head loll back against his bare chest with relief. Everything she did nowadays seemed to take too much effort to bother.

  "Let me," he begged, and began to pull the brush through her tangles in slow, firm strokes.

  "Be my guest," she said shortly, and then blinked quickly to stifle the film of moisture that distorted her vision.

  She was being rude and she knew it, but it was beyond her to accept his gentleness without bursting into weak tears. She hated herself for feeling it, let alone thinking it. She didn't want to be weak.

  Damn it! I want to be well!

  "Your hair is so beautiful," Gabe whispered softly, feathering kisses along the curve of her ear as he pulled the brush through her hair, letting it rake lightly against her scalp in a sensuous motion. "It's one of the first things I noticed about you."

  Annie shivered. She remembered the first thing she'd noticed about him. His size … and his mouth. How a smile had changed his appearance from menacing to marvelous simply by turning it up at the corners.

  "There's something I want to tell you," Gabe said. He dropped, the brush onto the table and slid his hands around her shoulders toward the front, cupping his palms to fit the thrust of her breasts beneath the gown. For days he'd been living with the knowledge that, for whatever it was worth, he was in love with Annie O'Brien. And yet telling her without making her think it was said out of pity was impossible. He'd struggled with the how of it for so long that he ached.

  "Don't talk to me, touch me," she begged and leaned a little farther back, allowing him easier access. Within an instant of his touch, she became lost in the sensuality of Gabriel's hands.

  Gabe shuddered as his body answered the call by thrusting uncontrollably against the softness of her backside. He closed his eyes and swallowed harshly, imagining her cupped tightly behind him on the back of his Harley without this ache being eased. It was impossible. He had to make love to Annie before they rode or he would land them both in a ditch.

  They would ride. Of that he was certain. But that would be later. After he'd healed both their respective aches and pains.

  And then he forgot what he'd wanted to say. He forgot about everything except his need to lay claim. Gently his hands feathered across her body in seeking strokes, in much the same way as he'd brushed her hair only moments before.

  "Annie, Annie … so much woman…"

  "…And so little time."

  He paused in mid-stroke, stunned by the finality of how she'd ended his sentence for him.

  "Damn you," he groaned, and rolled her beneath him. "Damn you for making us both remember."

  A sheen of tears puddled across her eyes. Even in the faint half-light, he saw her lips trembling around a smile.

  "Then make me forget," she whispered, and slid her arms around his neck.

  "I don't want to forget," he said harshly, as he yanked her gown up and off her body. "I don't want to forget a thing about you … ever."

  Annie's sob was lost as he lowered his lips to hers. Tears blended with passion as he swept across her body, moving like a marauder through the night, taking what he needed from her to survive, leaving behind a trail of pleasure for which Annie burned.

  She took what he gave and tried not to wish for more. And while she could hide it from Gabe, she could not hide it from herself. Just once … even if he didn't actually mean it … she would have given a precious minute of what was left of her life just to hear him say he loved her.

  Gabe left his trail across her body. A path of mind-drugging kisses that left her shaking and breathless and yearning for more. His hands coaxed and caressed her to the point of explosion and then gentled her back into a waiting game.

  And as he rebuilt the fire within Annie, his own body ached, pulsating to the point of explosion as her tiny cries of pleasure echoed in his ears. When it was nearly too late to make the move, he lifted himself up and then thrust. Falling too deep to pull back, he came apart in her arms.

  Ripple after ripple of pleasure exploded within him. Gabe shook from the exertion of his release. Unaware of Annie's arms around his neck, unaware of her legs around his waist, he buried his face against the curve of her neck and knew that the tears upon his cheeks were not his own.

  "You're mine … mine. You're my love," he muttered over and over as shudders racked his body, forgetting, in his weakened state, that he'd meant to keep that secret to himself.

  Her heart stopped as his soft, urgent whisper nearly missed its target.

  Oh, Gabriel, Annie thought, as she clutched him to her in desperation. If only you meant it. If only I'd met you sooner … before it was too late. I might have had the nerve to take the chance.

  But Gabe was unaware of her thoughts. He was too lost in the feeling of having died and been reborn in Annie's arms.

  They slept. An hour before dawn, Gabe woke with a start, knowing that it was now time to implement his plan. He rolled out of bed and quietly began to dress. Soon he was ready.

  A small, indistinct sound filtered through Annie's mind. Sleepily, she rolled over and then sat upright, staring directly at the shadow of the man, who was standing in the doorway across the room.

  Just when she thought about screaming, she realized that it was Gabe. And as she did, she knew that the sound that had awakened her was the slight jingle his spurs made when he walked.

  Spurs! That meant he was dressed!

  "Gabe? What on earth are you doing?"

  "Kidnapping the schoolmarm."

  She imagined she saw his smile, although it was really too dark for her to have done so. But it was there in the sound of his voice just the same, and it reassured her as nothing else could have done.

  "It's still dark outside," she said, and then began backing up against the headboard of the bed as she saw him coming toward her.

  "The better to steal you away, teacher dear."

  This time she was certain he was smiling. She heard a distinct chuckle as her back connected with the headboard.

  "Nowhere left to run, girl. You're mine. All mine."

  With a practiced growl, he swooped, lifting her from the bed in a tangle of bed sheets and laughter.

  She struggled weakly, laughing too hard to put up much of a fight. But truth be known, she was too intrigued by what was happening to argue.

  "Go do your thing, woman," he grumbled in a gentle but teasing voice. "You've only got minutes to spare before I come in after you."

  Annie headed toward the bathroom to "do her thing," as he'd suggested. She had a sudden suspicion that it would be hours before he let her off that darned black Harley.

  She stared at herself in the mirror over the sink, realizing as she did that the woman who looked back was laughing and full of anxious anticipation. Her eyes sparkled; her hair was a wild, sleep-tossed tangle. Her lips were still slightly swollen from last night's passion. She should have looked like hell. But Annie knew she'd never looked better.

  "You've got two minutes, and then I'm coming in after you," he warned.

  Annie squealed in mock fright and began running water and yanking on clothes with wild abandon.

  On the other side of the door Gabe grinned sadly to himself. God willing, this trip would be perfect. It had to be. It might very well be their last. At the thought, he went to double-check, just to make certain that he'd packed that damned brown bottle of pills.

  * * *

  It was a heady thing to ride in the dark, with the throttle on the Harley wide open and the sound of the engine roaring in your ears. Annie imagined that it was like flying blind, trusting that instinct would keep you on the right path and luck would get you to your destination.

  She inhaled deeply, reveling in the freedom of the moment and pretending that if they went fast enough, she could outrun the inevitable. For
Annie, sitting behind Gabe on the back of the Harley was her past, present and future. Wherever he went, she was ready for the experience.

  Sunrise was waiting for an audience. Through his mirrored sunglasses, he saw the faint rosy hue and the change in the texture of the air just above the horizon. Without announcing the fact, he wheeled off the highway onto a small lookout point above the autumn hues undulating throughout the thickly wooded valley below. He nudged Annie with his shoulder to get her attention.

  Thankful for the opportunity to divest herself of the ungainly helmet, she pulled it up and off, unaware of what she was about to witness. At Gabe's insistence, she turned in the direction he was pointing and stared.

  It came over the treetops in a burst of color, moving up and out in a spasm of rebirth. A soft, pure white and thick, creamy gold, with a faint crimson lining to remind the onlooker that pain as well as joy came with new life. The day had begun.

  "Oh!"

  Her gasp of delight was all he needed to hear.

  "So beautiful," Annie sighed, and rested her forehead against the bulge of muscle on Gabe's arm, unaware of the tension beneath her cheek or the tight grip he still had on the bike.

  Just like you, my love, Gabe thought.

  She smiled up at him, then saw that he was still wearing the glasses, still hiding his feelings behind those mirrored walls.

  Oh, Gabe. You never let me in. And then her thoughts became lost as she watched his face.

  His lips tilted into a gentle smile. Something told her that he was feeling more than he was saying. It had to do with the muscle jerking along the cut of his jaw and the way the skin seemed to tighten across his cheekbones.

  But you care. You can't make me believe you don't care, Annie thought.

  "Seen enough?" Gabe asked roughly.

  It was for damn sure he had. Feeling Annie's soft body pressed firmly against the back of his for mile after mile had done nothing to ease his aching libido. Seeing the beauty that sunrise had put on her face made everything worse … and at the same time made everything better. This trip was meant to take her out of herself and her worries. From the way she was smiling, he'd done it in spades.

  "The prelude was spectacular. What's next?" she asked, still willing to play along with the game.

  "Breakfast in Branson," he said, and handed her the helmet.

  "Branson? I haven't been to Branson in years. Especially not since it's become the 'New Nashville.'"

  Nearly every country and western singer of any merit, plus half the entertainers who had once played solely in Las Vegas, played Branson, Missouri, now.

  Elaborate music halls had sprouted up. nearly overnight and dotted the small, cramped hillsides surrounding the tiny town to the point that tourists drove bumper to bumper on a quest to see their favorite stars.

  "Me either," Gabe said. "Besides breakfast, there's something I want you to see."

  "What?" she asked, her stomach suddenly growling at the mention of food.

  Gabe grinned. "Food first. Surprises later. Now, quit asking so many questions. You're supposed to be my prisoner, remember?"

  She smiled beneath the smoke-tinted visor of the helmet and wrapped her arms around his waist as the Harley's powerful engine made the bike leap forward beneath them.

  * * *

  Chapter 12

  «^»

  Gabe sat in the small cafe with his back to the wall, nursing a cup of coffee. He watched with satisfaction as Annie cleaned the last of her biscuits and gravy from the plate and than looked around the table to see if there was anything left that she might want to eat.

  It was the most food he'd seen her eat in a week. Their outing had put color in her cheeks and a growl in her belly, but there was no way he could stop the destruction that was happening inside her head.

  She looked up from her plate with a smile on her face. But it was impossible to look at her and not see the shadows beneath her eyes or the deepening hollows in her cheeks. Annie's health was failing, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to stop it.

  "You're frowning at me," Annie accused, and nodded when the waitress sailed by with a fresh pot of coffee and stopped to top off her cup.

  "No, baby, only at how much you ate," Gabe teased. "You ate the last biscuit."

  She laughed. "Some kidnapper," she chided. "You let me have it."

  He leaned close until his lips were only a whisper away from her face before he answered. "I'll let you have it all right, darlin', but not now … and not here."

  A woman in the next booth choked on her food. At the same time, Gabe and Annie turned to look. They saw the guilty expression on her face and knew that she'd been eavesdropping. Gabe's sexy innuendo had left her gasping for air.

  Annie leaned over and whispered conspiratorially to the curious woman, "He's real good at it, too."

  Gabe grinned as he hauled Annie out of the chair. "That does it! You're coming with me, lady. Remember … you're my hostage for a day. Now let's go before you get me into something I can't fight my way out of."

  Annie's eyes sparkled. Gabe was a wonderful kidnapper.

  "I can hardly wait until later," she whispered as he dug in his pocket to pay for their meal.

  His eyes widened and a grin slid across his face. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't through playing with him.

  "What happens later?" he asked, and knew the moment he'd asked that he'd fallen right into her trap.

  "That's when I pay my ransom. What did you have in mind? A little bondage, or just some—"

  Her feet barely touched the floor as Gabe yanked her out the door.

  "Lord, lady. You're gonna get me arrested yet," Gabe swore, then looked around nervously to see who else might be listening to their byplay.

  Annie shrugged. "Can't help it. That's what usually happens to the bad guys."

  A strange expression crossed Gabe's face. "Not always. Sometimes they just string 'em up and ask questions later. Here, put this on," he ordered, and stuffed the helmet in her hands without waiting for her to respond.

  Annie tucked in the strands of her hair and did as she was told. But she couldn't help wondering what she'd said that had put that guarded look on Gabe's face.

  "Gabe…?"

  "What?"

  "If my teasing embarrassed you, I'm sorry. I was just…"

  He lifted the visor of her helmet and leaned inside.

  Lips met. His hard and demanding. Hers soft and ready to please.

  Gabe groaned as he reluctantly released her from the kiss.

  "Gee, Miss Annie, for a schoolmarm, you're a real good kisser."

  She blushed.

  Gabe laughed and then added, "And you ought to know that you can't embarrass an outlaw, darlin'. Now mount up. We're ready to ride."

  The grin was back on his face. She sighed with relief. Whatever she'd unwittingly said had been forgiven.

  As he guided the Harley out into traffic, Annie slid her arms around his waist, searching until she found her familiar handhold. Locking her thumbs into the two front belt loops of Gabe's jeans, she leaned forward, bracing herself against his back, ready for whatever was to come.

  An hour or so later she heard him gearing down and looked around in surprise. As they pulled off the highway and into a huge parking lot, she craned her neck, trying to see where they were going. All she could see was row after row of cars.

  "What on earth?" And then she saw the sign up ahead and started to smile. "Oh, Gabe!" She squeezed him in delight. "It's Silver Dollar City."

  Gabe heard the excitement in her voice and knew he'd chosen wisely. But Annie would be surprised to know the real reason he'd chosen to visit the old-tune, frontier-style theme park.

  Annie waited impatiently while he buckled down and locked up everything they weren't taking inside.

  "I haven't been here in years," she said.

  He stuffed his sunglasses in his front pocket, then used his fingers for a comb, roughly shoving the black, shaggy length
of his hair away from his face in haphazard fashion.

  "Me either. I came once, a long time ago, when it first opened. It made me homesick," Gabe said quietly.

  And then he slid his hand along her neck, tugging gently at the silky thicket of hair hanging down her back. "It's only fair that a man show all he can about his past to the woman he loves."

  Annie's eyes grew round. Her lips parted, but no words would come. Her heart pounded, and she clasped her hands together to keep from throwing herself into his arms.

  "Don't look at me like that," Gabe growled, and pulled her into his arms, anyway, ignoring the constant influx of tourists pulling into the theme park.

  "Oh, Gabe," she whispered, moved beyond belief that he'd admitted his feelings to her.

  "I know, darlin'," he said softly, and bent down. "It takes my breath away, too."

  When their lips met, she was smiling. When he came up for air, Gabe was smiling back.

  "Don't get me wrong," Annie said, as they walked toward the entrance gate. "I love being here. But how can bringing me to Silver Dollar City have anything to do with your childhood? This kind of life-style disappeared over a hundred years ago."

  "By all rights, I should have, too." He gave her an odd sort of grin, one that held more regret than humor. "Don't ask me to explain, honey. Just know that I'm more comfortable with the way of life in there than what's out here."

  Annie nodded, accepting him on his word alone, as she'd done since the moment they'd met It was a fact mat, by all rights, their meeting each other, much less becoming lovers, should never have happened.

  She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked through the entrance gates to the theme park nestled deep in the verdant hills of southern Missouri. She didn't care that they came from two different worlds. She didn't even care that he was an enigma she couldn't explain. Gabriel Donner loved her. It was all that mattered.

  And so they walked the narrow streets of the town, marveling at the reclamation and resurrection of an older and slower way of life, and pretended, as did everyone else who ventured inside, that they were in another world.

  Their footsteps echoed on the wooden sidewalks as they crunched candy apples and savored the hand-pulled saltwater taffy only hours old. And all through the day, as Annie saw the old mountain town through Gabe's eyes, she realized that she was also seeing another man emerge.