Collection 1

by Therese A. Kramer

  “You find humor in this?” Her voice was honey over slivers of glass.

  “Sorry.”

  “Why is it that I don’t believe you.? And you can turn around now.”

  Her hair was dripping wet, soaking the front of her shirt, causing the outlines of her nipples to show through. He should not have stared so long because she placed her arms across her chest, realizing what was happening. Her eyes grew darker, indicating strong emotions. If harsh looks were daggers, he’d be pierced through and through.

  Lace wondered if she was affected the same way he was, and felt a strong pull between them or, was she deliberately shutting out an awareness of him. All he wanted to do was kiss her. No, that wasn’t all he wanted to do. He had to clear his lusty thoughts, for now, he needed answers.

  “How did I get here? The last thing I recall was getting shot and lifted onto the outlaws horse.”

  “You were found in the woods by a woodsman.”

  Lace scratched his course chin, he had to shave, the whiskers were annoying. “And where is here?”

  “Wyoming.”

  “Very cheeky, of you. I know what state we’re in, but what is this place? Does it a have a name?”

  “No. We’re just a small settlement in the middle of the forest.”

  “There’s something strange about this place.”

  “What do you mean by strange?” she tapped her bare foot.

  “What I am saying is that I never heard of you people.”

  Her beautiful green eyes were darkening warning him that she was lossing patience. “And, what do you mean by, you people?!”

  12

  This was becoming a frustrating dilemma. He wasn’t getting any answers and felt as if were pulling teeth. Maybe he’d do better with her parents, unless these folks were hiding something. But what? They all looked like decent, kind folks. What made her so defensive?

  He walked closer and Geena drew back a step losing her balance. He caught her before she toppled back into the water. She gasped and he kissed her, and he didn’t expect her to kiss him back. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, and locked herself in his embrace, his pulse quickened and he became lost in the heated moment. Her mouth was so sweet, but he knew it would be.

  He kissed her slowly, thoughtfully, as his tongue explored the recesses of her mouth. The woman in his arms gave herself freely to the passion of his kiss and it sent a wild swirl to the pit of his stomach. Never had a woman’s lips thrilled him so. Lifting his mouth from hers, he gazed into her eyes, and something intense flared through them, but only for a moment. She licked her swollen mouth and sucked in a deep breath and trembled.

  “Please, don’t do that again.”

  “Sorry, I can’t promise that.”

  “You use the word sorry to lightly. You shouldn’t say it if you don’t mean it, it losses its sincerity.”

  “You’re right, I’m not sorry for anything today, but I will not make promises I can’t keep.”

  He rubbed his thumb across her mouth, whispered in her ear that he also wanted to make love to her. She gasped and he left her there with her mouth agape.

  When he turned, she yelled, “I always carry a gun!”

  Damn, that was one of his questions, where was his six-shooter?”

  He was certain that after what happened, she’d never tell him anyway.

  Chapter Five

  It took only one toe-curling kiss…

  To fill her heart with wonderful bliss…

  That was what ran though Geena’s mind as she stood there trembling, but not from her wet body. And what possessed her to tell him never to kiss her again? It was probably the only time she had a logical moment, because her mind had turned to mush when his mouth covered hers. The kiss caused a gentle soothing to spread slowly through her bloodstream. It was a wonder she didn’t leap out of her skin to escape the wave of desire that washed over her.

  When his gaze dropped from her face to her shoulders to her breasts, staring boldly over her, she was by no means blind to his attraction. She experienced a sensation between her legs, causing her to become weak, losing her balance. When the man took her in his arms, she was powerless to resist and she shocked herself when she freely gave herself to the passion of the kiss. But then she had never been kissed like that before. What was she thinking? She had never been kissed period! Maybe if she could compare his mouth with another, she might find that when a man kisses you, it can cause the same sensations.

  Believe that, and you more a fool.

  Sheesh, she reprimanded herself! But, her conscience was right, no man but Lace could turn her insides to mush. She just needed to talk herself out of the truth, because now it will be even harder to leave him. How foolish of her to warn him that she’d shoot him with a hollow threat if he tried to ravish her? She had shot him once, she wouldn’t do it again. Thank goodness, he didn’t know it was her, if he did, he might not try to seduce her. What the hell was she thinking? It was bad enough she let him kiss her. Jeeze, she had definitely lost her mind because she was certainly not being rational! Since that morning he opened his eyes, for few moments, she hadn’t plan to see him again and now his strong jaw was covered with a growth of dark beard. It made him look incredibly wicked and very tantalizing. Geena put on her boots relieved she had the mind to change from her black pants and shirt into a blouse and skirt before taking her swim.

  Later in the day, she headed for her parent’s lodging, feeling a bit lightheaded, blaming it on missing her noon meal; it was her only logical answer. Entering her parent’s hut, her heart leaped into her throat. Too surprised to keep her voice down, she cried, ”What are you doing here?” Her gazed lingered on Lace sitting there and she wished she hadn’t looked at him so closely. He looked very please with himself, his eyes glimmering with humor. She smothered a groan and smiled unabashedly.

  “Dear,” her mother said with annoyance in her tone. “He came to have supper with us and when I told him that he was staying in your home, he offered to camp outdoors from now on. But I offered him your pallet.”

  That idea annoyed the heck out of her. She didn’t want the lawman to sacrifice anything for her. “That’s not necessary marshal,” she quipped.

  He raised a brow. “Lace, please Geena, now that we know each other better.”

  The insinuation hit home and she felt heat rise up her neck. How she wanted to clobber him for making her uncomfortable. How she wanted to kick herself for letting him make her feel that unwanted emotion; no man ever made her feel uneasy. She refrained from making a disparaging comment, and side-glanced her parents. They didn’t appear to have noticed or maybe they only pretended not too, in any case, she fondled the pearl handle on her gun, giving him a message of her own.

  “Thank you Geena, but I’ll move out tonight. I’m used to sleeping under the stars.”

  “Shoot yourself,” she shrugged. And she meant it the way it sounded!

  He winked and grinned.

  Ohhh! Hers was a hollow victory.

  The marshal and her folks did most of the talking which was fine with her. She found herself doing some rude staring without even being aware of it until her father cleared his throat a few times, brining her out of her stupor. He grinned knowingly, and she believed he suspected there was something between her and Lace. She had to be more careful, she was wearing her heart on her sleeve. Geena tried to channel her thoughts elsewhere for the remainder of the meal.

  She had to forget him. At least she needed to believe she could.

  Geena slept in her own bed that night; well, she tried to sleep. Night crawled slowly into her lodge and she couldn’t get the memory of Lance’s kiss off her mind and the way it made her feel. A glorious kiss that made her tremble and burn. Her brain whirled with disjointed thoughts, all she had to do was ride out a few more days, then he’d be gone. That’s all… and her life would get back to normal.

  And goody for you! Lonely, miserable, heartbroken, but normal.

  S
he hated it when her conscience was right.

  The next two days Geena took long rides through the forest, beyond the mist and into the valley. And she bathed in her wooden tub, not wanting to chance meeting the marshal by the lake again. At night, she lay there gazing at the ceiling calling herself all sorts of names for being a coward. Would she hate herself more if Lace left and she ruined the one chance she had to become a real woman, to experience what it felt like to have a man make love to her? Could she lose her virginity with a man who didn’t share the same emotion, love? She knew he lusted after her, it showed in his whiskey eyes.

  She was betwixt and between.

  She never believed in love at fist sight, and she had spent many days and nights telling herself that is was just infatuation. She almost had herself convinced, until that damn, sweet kiss!

  On the third day, Geena rode Tuck deep into the forest, but not beyond the mist. It was early, the camp was not yet awake, and the sun hadn’t lifted its bright head over the peak of the mountain. She wore pants, and she rarely wore the one skirt she owned, preferring pants. An industrious woodpecker was tappinly-tapping at a nearby tree and a squirrel chased another across a limb. She climbed off of Tuck and sat on a damp boulder listening to an early bird sing. She loved it here, but there were times, as now that she’d wonder who her real parents were.

  Anna and Gene told her, when she was old enough to understand, that they had found her one morning lying under a fir tree. They said they believed an angel left her there because she was so beautiful with hair so light it had to be spun by angelic fingers, from the sliver lining of the clouds. That thought came back the morning Lace called her an angel. Deep in her reveries, she jumped when fingers curved into the softness of her shoulder and gently shook her. Her reflexes were so heightened she drew her gun and whirled on the intruder.

  “Whoa!” Lace cried. “No need for the gun. I merely touched your shoulder. Sorry, I didn’t mean to frightened you.”

  “What are you doing here?” she glared at him a murderously. She could see the tendons in his neck tighten.

  “I was awake and saw you ride out, so I followed you. I hope the owner of this horse is more understanding than you,” he intoned, not pleasantly.

  “Robin belongs to my father.”

  “Good, he’s more even tempered than his daughter.”

  She held her weapon, unsure if she should holster it. They were far from camp and all alone. He must have read her mind, and said, “Put that away, I’ll not attack you. But then, if you want me to, I’d be obliged,” he drawled and his lips twitched. He seemed to be holding back a smile.

  Although, she was a bit uneasy, she accepted his barb without flinching. She was G.T., a thief after all, she could handle herself.

  “Like I said, marshal, I always carry my gun,” she cautioned him in a dry voice, “and you do not frightened me.” Not much.

  He reached out and touched her cheek with a finger. “Are you sure?”

  She held back a sigh because the challenge in his voice had to be met.

  “Yes, I’m positive. I’ll admit I enjoyed that little kiss the other day, but it was nothing special,” she forced herself to lie.

  He grabbed her wrist, and pulled her so close, Geena knew she was about to be kissed. She leaned into Lace, closing her eyes. Before his lips touched hers, his warm breath caressed her cheeks sending chills up and down her spine, a prelude to what was about to come. Her legs seemed to have turned to mush and she grabbed his forearms feeling his muscled tense But his mouth didn’t touch hers and her eyes popped opened in confusion. He was smiling at her.

  “What” was all she managed to croak. He better not be playing with her? she thought feeling a bit mortified now.

  “Angel, if I kiss you, I’ll not stop with just a kiss,” he warned.

  “Huh?”

  His light brown eyes darkened like burning embers and surely she was about to eat her words, and hoped they tasted sweet. His mouth came down on her hers hungrily; this time she did sigh when a spark tingled in her body, but she wanted a flame. Her wish was granted, when his tongue danced around hers, and his hand cupped a breast. Surely, she would puddle onto the forest floor in a glob of melted emotions. Geena was breathless when he broke the kiss she felt was much too soon..

  “Angel, do you know what you do to me?” he rasped.

  “If its anything like the way I feel, I have an inkling.”

  He unbuckled her gun belt, letting it fall from her hips.

  “I don’t think you’ll be wanting this.”

  Chapter Six

  Give fate a chance…

  Your heart will find romance…

  Geena had never lain with a man, much less been kissed so intimately by one and she felt ill-equipped to undertake the act of lovemaking. She had to admit to herself that she was more nervous now than she had ever been before one of her robberies. She was experiencing passion rising in her like the hottest fire, clouding her brain.

  He must have felt her body tense when he unbuttoned her blouse because he whispered into her ear. “Relax sweetheart, I promise you’ll feel like you have wings.”

  She could use a pair of wings right now because as much as her heart wanted him, her mind warned her to fly away. But then, when had she ever listened to her smart-self?

  Her feelings for him had nothing to do with reasons. So into her dazed thoughts, it wasn’t until the cool breeze touched her bare chest was she that cognizant of the fact that he had removed her blouse.

  “So beautiful,” he rasped, and she saw the heat-rending tenderness of his gaze.

  “Thank you,” she answered, believing she had to say something. Her heart jolted and her pulse pounded and Geena was surprised she managed to say even that through a clogged throat.

  “I bet you taste as good as you look,” he proclaimed and brought his mouth to a nipple, flicking his hot tongue, making her gasp with delight. Oh, the sensation he was causing made her heart pound an erratic rhythm, upsetting her balance.

  “Pleeease,” he whispered.

  “Please what?”

  “I don’t know,” she groaned.

  “Well I do know,” and he suckled on her other nibble torturing her with more pleasure. If this felt so good, she was now anticipating what was to come. Before her head cleared he had unhooked her skirt and it fell to the grass. Her boomers followed and Geena was now standing naked for all eyes to see. She was certain that many of the forest creatures were also gazing at her and she didn’t like the fact that he was sill fully clothed.

  “I’d like to see what I am getting too,” she managed to say, feeling the blood coursing through her veins like a river and her face heat under his scrutiny. Lace smiled and quickly disrobed. At first she could only stare at his face.

  “Are you going to look at all of me?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

  Well, she did ask. Taking a deep breath, her gaze slowly went to his massive chest covered with brown hairs that thinned into a line reaching his flat stomach. With a will of their own, her eyes went lower and settled on a mass of curly hairs. Nestled in it was his organ that was fully engorged.

  “Oh, my,” she rasped.

  “Is that a compliment?” he asked.

  She gulped and foolishly replied, “Honestly, I’ve never seen a naked man before sooo…”

  In one forward motion, she was pulled into his arms and he murmured, “You do have a way of flattering a man.” She didn’t hear any sarcasm in his tone and believed he wasn’t hurt. Then, his grip tightened and his attitude became more serious. “Hopeful by the time I’m finished loving you, my angel, you’ll never feel the need to compare me with an other male.”

  She had no words to reply to that. But she didn’t need any because his mouth recaptured hers again, more demanding this time. She returned his kiss with reckless abandonment. He then left her mouth burning with desire and gently eased her to the cool grass. Cradled in his embrace, his lips seared a path down her n
eck, her shoulders, once more to suck on a nipple with tantalizing possessiveness. She wasn’t sure she could take anymore because a new and strange sensation was building between her legs. A tremor inside her heated her thighs and groin, spiraling up to her belly in an awesome, shuttering ecstasy. It was not only wonderful, it was also frightening. She thought that nothing could be this magnificent and not be real. Geena desperately needed more of him.

  Lace never felt such painful passion for a woman before, and the feeling was much more than sexual desire. Her kisses were honey sweet and and her flesh tasted like, what he imaged tasted like tears of an angel. He was so engorged that a turbulence of passion swirled around him and he didn’t know how much longer he could keep from entering her. But, he wanted to take his time to taste, smell and touch every inch of her sweet body.

  He sensed the awakening flame within her and he took her hands, encouraging her to explore his body. She hesitated at first but when her fingers brushed his backside, he groaned. Slowly, she skimmed his hips and then she grabbed his manhood and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea but he wanted her to know his body also.

  “Oh, my! I think I’ll explode, my angel,” he groaned with painful pleasure.

  “What do you want me to do,” she asked, her voice tight.

  He swallowed hard. “You’re doing just fine,” his voice hoarse.

  His hand skimmed her hips and went between her hot thighs to her velvety fold to search for pleasure points. She was also swollen and passion radiated from the soft core of her body. His finger entered her hot sheath and she gasped, pulling away.

  “Did I hurt you?” She didn’t answer but shook her head negatively.

  “You’re ready, so open up for me.” She nodded and her eyes were dark and glossy and she welcomed him into her body. When Lace entered her, he felt the barrier which surprised him but he couldn’t withdraw and plunged deeper. She gasped but didn’t push him away and he rested a moment to let her get used to his size.