Collection 1

by Therese A. Kramer

  “Don’t stop now,” she rasped into his ear, and he gave the lady what she wanted.

  Together they found the tempo and soared high until the peak of delight was reached.

  Chapter Seven

  As the light of day is so different from the dark of night…

  A few wrong words can make true feelings no longer right…

  As Geena lay in the afterglow believing Lace’s words. He was right, there could never be another man she would be able to compare him to. And, there’d never be, because she could never love another the way she loved this man. What happened today could never be repeated between them. She came from a different world, and if he ever discovered who she really was, what he had felt for her now would disappear. She didn’t regret what transpired between them and she never would. She’d remember it for the rest of her lonely life. Now it was time for him to go and time for her to vanish.

  He kissed her neck, drawing her from her sad reveries. Geena shivered now cold because the heat of their lovemaking was gone. She pushed him aside and he grumbed something to the effect that he wanted her to remain in his embrace.

  “Sorry, but it’s getting late and my parents will be wondering where I am,” she fibbed. They never questioned her whereabouts and for that she was glad. He sat up looking at her, his eyes heavy with pleasure and wearing a pleased grin. She snorted, “My, but your looking quite satisfied with yourself.”

  “And your not? I didn‘t hear any complaints when I…” he frowned. “I’m sorry if I’d known you were still a virgin I wouldn’t have…”

  She was indignant. “What do you mean, if you had known? Did you think I spread my legs before? I told you that I had never seen a naked man!”

  That got his ass up off the ground. Dear God, he was beautiful even in his natural state, but having a fight with him might just be the excuse she needed for him to leave here. He folded his arms and she proceeded to dress. She wanted to shout for him to do so also, because her control not to make love to him again was weakening.

  She turned in order to think straight. He touched her shoulder.

  “Don’t get impertinent with me, you know what I mean. I didn’t mean it the way you took it and I hadn’t taken you seriously before. I really thought you were joking to ease your nervousness. I meant if I’d known you were a virgin, I would have been more careful.”

  She was forced in a verbal corner, one of her own making. She had to remain angry, albeit she knew she sounded foolish, she continued lying, “I wasn‘t nervous.” She managed to get on her blouse and bloomers when she felt his body up against her back. He cupped her breasts and his organ was pressed up against her buttocks. She tried her damnest not to moan but she failed.

  “Why are you trying so hard to spoil what we shared?” he whispered into her ear, massaging her breasts. Her head rolled back onto his chest as that wonderful sensation was growing in her groin again. She had to fight it, she couldn’t let him know how he controlled her emotions. But then his hand skimmed down into her bloomers and his fingers stroked her mound and her legs lost their strength.

  Geena collapsed against him. “Please don’t,” she managed to whisper.

  A raven squawked overhead and she grasp by the fact that the mist was rolling in thick, she had to get home. Snapping out of the trance, she yanked the man’s hand away and turned around. “Look, what we shared was beautiful, but we must leave, the mist in closing in on us.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her, looking quite upset. “Why the quick turnabout?”

  “Sorry, but we must leave now!”

  He seemed disappointed with her and he shook his head regretfully but he quickly dressed. There was sourness in the pit of her stomach as they rode back in silence.

  Geena knew her parents would invite Lace for dinner again and she would prefer not to be in their presence but she didn’t want to appear a coward. When she dismounted from Tuck, she told Lace that she’d join him and her parents after a quick swim in the lake. She had a lot of thinking to do. After a vigorous swim she was no closer to solving her predicament than she was before. She loved Lace but the laws of her community would prevent them from living happily ever after. He was an outsider and no one can love or marry an outsider. It had been the law long before she was born. She was not a true person of the mist, and there were secrets that the lawman cannot know. Of course, her being a outlaw was number one on the list. Pain squeezed her heart as she though of him.

  Oh, why did she shoot him? That regret twisted the tatters of her conscience and it would have been better if it was her who had been shot. Well, she can’t turn back the clock, so she had to do what a girl had to do and leave for awhile; it was too late for regrets. Entering her parent’s lodge and seeing the marshal sitting there talking with them, he looked as if he belonged, but he didn’t.

  “Hello mama and papa.” She kissed her mother’s wrinkled cheek and then kissed her father’s weather beaten brow. She plastered a smile on her face for Lace and he nodded, smile less. Geena overlooked it, she had to but it stood to reason why he was upset with her. She just couldn’t explain the truth to him. She had to remain aloof, and tonight she’d leave; it was time to do a job and stay in her hideout for a few days.

  While her parents and Lace conversed, she played with her food not having any appetite. Her life had become a bitter battle and her brain whirled with disjointed thoughts. Her mother gave her a confused glance every once in awhile but said nothing. She also saw her parent’s give each other a shrug, knowing she was acting out of character and she whished she could ease the awkwardness.

  After the meal, the lawman excused himself to take a walk, her father offered to join the marshal giving her the chance to speak with her mother. She opened her mouth to speak, but her mother beat her to it and asked, “What’s wrong child?”

  Geena groaned with contempt for herself and her moment of weakness with Lace. And then her chest rose and fell with an elaborate sigh and she murmured, “Oh mama, I fell in love with the lawman.”

  “Oh dear.”

  Her mother’s mouth became as pale as her cheeks and Geena couldn’t agree more with her reply. Oh dear was right!

  Her mother took her hand. “I was afraid of that. You know the law, honey, what are you going to do?”

  Tears welled within her eyes as a flash of wild grief ripped through her. Her voice broke miserably. “The o-only alternative I h-have is to leave in the morning to s-stay at the shack. Send a messenger telling me when the lawman has left. I’ll come home before it’s time for all of us to leave.”

  She brushed the wetness off her cheeks and paused. She continued in sinking tones, “I know my love for the man is fruitless, but I wish you and papa could talk to the council, remind them that I’m not one of the community.”

  Her mother’s eyes were sad, giving her the answer she feared. No amount of persuasion could change their minds. The leaders were stubborn men and she was sure that even her father couldn’t change their minds. Geena sat in silence grief and despair tore at her heart, tears still trembled on her eyelids. She was defeated and she kissed her mother good night; so tired that she wasn’t up to coping. The only things left were the raw sores of an aching heart.

  Sleep didn’t come easy that night and Geena dressed in her back attire in the morning. She quietly went into the corral and threw the blanket and saddle on Tuck and as she tightened the saddle girth, she whispered, “We must be quiet, boy.”

  They left as raindrops sparkled on the tips of the leaves in the shinny mist of early morning.

  Chapter Eight

  Finding your true love and soul mate…

  Is not something one can leave to fate…

  Lace was not about to let Geena get away from him. He had no idea what happened between them last night, but by God, he would find out! Something was fishy around here. Her parents were decent folks and kind to him, but the people around the village treated him coolly, as if he had the plague. Oh, they nodded and sai
d hello, but even the children glared at him as if he had two heads. And how was it that he had never heard of this place?

  He didn’t sleep well last night and he was up early watching the stars fade and the morning light drift in through the thick trees. He lay on the ground thinking when he heard a twig snap. Under his lashes he watched someone dressed in black, blend in with the shadows. They tip-toed towards the corral and saddled a horse. Where were they going so early? And who was it? Curious, he unhitched Gene’s horse, placed a bit into its mouth and climbed on its back without a saddle. He’d return with the animal as soon as possible.

  Lace followed the rider through the thick morning mist. It was cool and he shivered feeling as if he were going through a strange dimension. It gave him a uneasy sensation, nothing he had ever experienced before. Looking back, he couldn’t even see the trees anymore and he had never experienced claustrophobia before but he was now. He turned back startled by the fact that the rider he was following quickly disappeared. Once out of the strange thick mist, the rider was nowhere in sight and it took him a while to find the horse’s hoof prints. Trotting up a hill, Lace stopped at the crest spotting the mysterious rider holding up a stagecoach.

  Son-of-a-bitch! No, it couldn’t be G.T., the bandit who shot me! The bastard was living in the village all along!

  “I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!” he spat into the wind.

  Lace decided to wait until the culprit was done, he didn’t want to take the chance of an innocent passenger getting shot. He’d trail the thief back to the village and then apprehend him there. He noticed that G.T. didn’t rob the couple but emptied the contents of the strong box into a sack and galloped away. He was confused by the fact that the robber wasn’t heading back to the village but in the opposite direction. Maybe, that was just as well, he really didn’t want to arrest the man amongst his friends, he might not have been able to leave the camp without a struggle. There were just three people who liked him, maybe just two, because Geena wasn’t speaking to him after last night. And… that continued to plague him mind.

  G.T. led him to an abandoned mineshaft and the outlaw entered a shack. He tied the horse to a tree, un-holstered his gun and carefully crept up to a window. The glass was filthy obstructing a clear view of the thief, but the man’s back was to him. Lace edged his way to the front door and kicked it in.

  “Raise your hands, mister!”

  He saw the body tense and didn’t move for a second then G.T. rested his hand on the handle of his gun.

  “I wouldn’t think about trying that!” he ordered firmly.

  “You wouldn’t shoot someone in the back,” he said in a choked voice.

  At the sound of the voice, Lace frowned. It was deep, and raspy, but there was something familiar about it. He spent no more time on that notion and stepped closer, shoving the gun into his prisoner’s back and snarled, “If I shot you mister, it wouldn’t be in the back, an arm or leg will do. Now, I suggest you raise you hands and turn---”

  “All right!” There was a hint of resignation in the voice.

  It happened so fast that the next thing Lace knew he was clipped under his chin with an elbow causing him to involuntarily squeeze the trigger of his weapon firing into the ceiling. Debris and choking dust fell on him as he struggled with the man. His eyes tearing and he was coughing, Lace managed to hold onto his captive, but the culprit fought like a wildcat and they landed on the floor. A sharp pain lanced through him.

  “Get off of me, you big ape!”

  Lace rubbed his eyes against his arm, blinking to clear his vision. It took a moment or two and when it did, he received the shock of his life.

  “Geena?“ he gasped.

  She glared murderously at him and the air seemed to be sucked from his lungs.

  Chapter Nine

  A lie is like a snowball that rolls down a slope…

  It can grow so big crushing all hope…

  It was a miracle Geena didn’t jump out of her skin when Lace busted into the room. Damn it to hell, the marshal must have followed her from the camp. No way had she wanted him to discover her identity this way. Hysteria bubbled in her throat causing her skin to breakout with a thin, clammy sweat, and the hurt and surprised look on his expression cut through her like a hot knife. He didn’t move and his heavy body was crushing her. “Please Lace, I can’t breath,” she rasped. He shifted his full weight off to the side, and she breathed a little, but he kept her pinned to the floor, wrapping his arms around her like a warm blanket.

  “I kinda like it just where I am. So, my sweet thief, want to explain the truth to me?”

  His tone was careful, hers became defensive, and she jutted her chin up. “I’ll not tell you a damn thing until you let me up!” His hot breath on her face was like a soft kiss and she needed to escape the wave of desire washing over her.

  “Boy, are you asking for it !What a shame that a man can’t hit a woman,” he drawled.

  “Ah, poor baby,” she purred with saccharine sweetness and nipped at his lower lip. His expression softened and that scared her more, especially seeing the way his whiskey eyes were looking at her.

  “I’m not sure if I want to throttle or kiss you.”.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Humility was not an emotion that suited her.

  “Bloody, bloody hell, Geena, what am I suppose to do with you now?”

  She licked her lips and smiled seductively. “Well, I can think of a few things, and she whispered them into his ear making him groan.

  “Woman! You do not play fair! Although, I do like the way you think, angel. I believe I shall give you a good whipping first.” His eyes sparkling with intent.

  Geena gave him a real loud snort. “You wouldn’t?”

  He stood swiftly, yanking her up with him and dragged her over to the unmade bed. The mattress was filthy and lumpy, but he sat and pulled her over his knee. A wordless cry escaped her and she couldn’t believe that he meant what he threatened. But he did and his hand came down hard on her rump, again and again until she cried for him to stop. She stood and rubbed her smarting backside.

  “You beast! You can go to the devil for all I care!” she cried, trying to hold back tears and failed. “You know those things I said you could do to me, well marshal, you can do them to yourself!” She sniffled piteously and turned to leave but found herself thrown onto the bed. Before she could protest, he covered her mouth with his and she no longer wanted to object.

  Quickly, they removed their clothing and joined together swiftly, climaxing. She lay there fretting what would happen next. He was a lawman sworn to uphold the law, it was his duty to bring her to stand trail. Justice had to be done, but she’d die before she’d let him take her to prison. Truthfully, she didn’t want to die either or lose him, but what she wanted may not be in the cards. A sob of fear lodged in her throat.

  She should have been honest upfront when they were at camp. Her family and friends would’ve protected her, but she feared she’d lose his love. But then, he never expressed his feeling for her. Did he love her? He lusted after her, but that’s not what she wanted from the lawman. Surely, now she’d never have it.

  “Angel,” he interrupted her sad reveries. “Why do you do what you do?”

  She sighed. “We need the money to survive. I only take from the wealthy.”

  He chuckled. “So you’re a modern day Robin Hood?”

  “Yes, and I want you to know I never meant to shoot you. I’d never shot anyone before.”

  “I suppose I should thank you for saving my life.”

  There was a sarcastic note in his voice which she chose to ignore and she snuggled closer. “Oh, you thanked me just fine, my handsome lawman. How about you thank me again,” she rubbed her body against his, feeling his response touching her belly.

  He raised a brow in question. “So you think that I’m so easy you can get away with being a thief by offering me your body?”

  She grinned and ran her fingers down his massive chest
, flat stomach and cupped his organ, feeling him shudder. “Am I wrong to believe that all men are easy?”

  He grabbed her hand and hissed, “Maybe easy, my angel, but not foolish!”

  She winced and sighed. “I guess you have me on a technicality, marshal. Are you now going to handcuff me?”

  “I’d like nothing better than to tie you to the bed and ravish you again, but like I said, I’m not foolish. I don’t have to bind you to anything to have my way with you. Besides, I like your hands on me.”

  He placed her hand back where they had been before, telling her that this time he was going to make love to her nice and slow, something for her to remember when she was incarcerated. He kissed her passionately and his mouth tasted like honey but his words stung her heart like bees. This was the last time she’d be with him and the feeling was bittersweet. He kept his word and with his tongue and hands he brought her to the brink of sweet cataclysm. He played her body as if it were a fine instrument making it sing with so much pleasure she thought she’d explode. And, she did when he entered her.

  “Oh, Lace,” tears filled eyes. “I’m so sorry and I love you with my whole heart.”

  Lace kissed her wet face, his heart breaking for what he had to do. He loved her also but what good would it do to say so? Besides, she wouldn’t believe him. He wouldn’t if someone declared their love and then dragged them off to prison. No, it was better to hold back his true feelings. Oh, if it were possible, he’d take her place, but he was a lawman, he took an oath. If he let he go, he’d be an accomplice and they would have to hide the rest of their lives. What kinda existence would that be? He’d put in a good word to the judge, telling him that she had saved his life instead of leaving him to die, which she could have done. God, this was awful; his little thief had also stolen his heart.