The Outlaw's Heart

by Amy Sandas

  The need to grasp her hips in his hands and raise her over him so he could plunge into her practically had him shaking. His hands gripped hard on the flare of her hips. His entire body stiffened against the lust raging through him.

  As though sensing the change in him, she ended the kiss to draw a deep, unsteady breath, and her sultry gaze sought his. “Please, Gabriel, I need you,” she gasped.

  His body hardened even more at her words. He replied through a clenched jaw. “I need you, too, but not here. When we come together, it will not be in a hurry to avoid the eyes of anyone who might pass by.”

  At his words, she gave a quiet start and quickly scanned the area around them.

  He smiled. “Be at ease. I would have heard someone approaching. But the morning grows late. It’s time to go back.”

  Her focus returned to him, and she seemed to study him for a moment. Her arresting passion slowly became layered with a quiet, thoughtful expression. She nodded and used his shoulders as leverage to push herself to her feet before she turned away to fetch her underthings.

  Gabriel let her go. But not before the rich female scent of her filled his nostrils. The undeniable evidence of her desire—her readiness—nearly had him jumping to his feet to grasp her around the waist and lower her to the ground where he could cover her and claim her right there, despite what he’d said.

  But he wanted to take things slowly—savor every moment of their joining—for her and for himself.

  Thirty-Two

  There was a bright and beautiful buoyancy in Eve’s heart as they walked together back to the meadow. It felt like hope and excitement. And deeper inside, where secrets were kept safe and private desires burned, there was a distinct sense of anticipation.

  After the way he’d caressed her and cared for her at the river, the respect and consideration he’d shown her through every interaction they’d ever had… She had no fear of what being with him might be like.

  Though imagining the actual act of physical intimacy between a man and a woman was daunting when she put it the context of her past experiences, Eve trusted Gabriel to guide her through it. She could not imagine it being anything but completely wonderful.

  And she wanted it.

  No. It was far more than that. She needed to finally complete the connection she’d felt from the very start when his eyes had met hers across the fire and she had experienced that stark and sudden sense of knowing.

  He saw her as no one else ever had. When she had been desperate to keep anyone from ever discovering the dark trove of secrets she held inside, he’d looked past the barriers and seen it anyway. Her fear and uncertainty, her desperation and her determination to start anew. He held no judgment for her past. He knew the truth and wanted her anyway.

  She recalled the sensation of being held in Gabriel’s strong arms, knowing he’d never hurt her. She relived the feeling of his mouth moving over hers—the taste of the desire on his tongue—and knew that he’d never speak words intended to break her down.

  Despite the work he’d done as part of Luke’s gang, Gabriel was the most noble and honorable man she’d ever known. She wanted to know more of him. She wanted to know what he feared, what he dreamt of at night, what he yearned for.

  She wanted to know his heart.

  As they reached the cabin, Gabriel waited for her to step inside ahead of him. The interior was illuminated by a bright shaft of sunlight pouring down from above. Earthy, welcoming scents surrounded her. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with a sense of comfort and security. And certainty.

  She turned in place to see Gabriel standing in front of the door, much as he had the day he’d first showed her this place. His body was tense. His eyes were focused only on her. She looked into his eyes and saw herself as he saw her.

  He’d called her beautiful and brave.

  When in his presence, she felt it to be true. That and so much more.

  Every doubt she’d ever been convinced to embrace—every self-conscious concern she’d been molded into believing about her appearance, her manner, and her ability to be what Matthew—or any man—needed…was swept away the second she looked into Gabriel’s eyes and recognized the yearning, the hunger, and the admiration banked in the dark depths.

  His desire had not faded during the short walk back. If anything, it had intensified.

  The wave of emotion she felt was more than relief. More than excitement.

  She wanted him so fiercely in that moment, it nearly overwhelmed her. Her lips parted on a breath as liquid heat flowed to the juncture of her thighs.

  His nostrils flared, and the muscles of his jaw bunched and released.

  Determined to convince him that the time for holding back was over, she slowly approached him.

  He followed her movements with his dark eyes. The heat smoldering there, barely banked, intensified the feelings coursing through her. Anticipation and exhilaration. Desire. A sense of inevitability.

  Stopping in front of him, she lifted her hand to the side of his face. She reveled in the warmth of his skin, the strength of his hard jaw beneath her palm, and the fact that he remained so still, watching her and waiting.

  Holding his gaze, she rose up onto her toes and placed her lips on his.

  It was a gentle kiss.

  She was tempted to close her eyes and press more firmly against his mouth in a quest for more, but she drew back instead and took a shallow breath. It was all she could manage with her chest so tight and her belly fluttering so wildly.

  His head remained tilted down toward hers, his breath slid warmly across her lips, and his eyelids partially concealed his gaze. But he did not reach for her; he did not pull her close.

  The next breath she took was deep and long.

  Time to be brave.

  With her hand resting over his heart, she said, “There is something…strange and powerful between us. I’m not sure what it is or what it means.” Her voice faded into a whisper. “Perhaps it doesn’t have a proper name. Maybe it’s just…not meant to be defined.”

  She shook her head gently. “When I left Boston, I swore to myself that I would never again accept a life of fear. But right now, I am fearful in a way I’ve never been before.”

  His body tensed, and she could see—she could feel—that he wanted to reach out to her, to lend her his strength and comfort. She knew why he didn’t, and the warmth that burst in her chest stole her breath. He understood that she needed this moment to stand on her own. To declare herself.

  His restraint gave her the confidence to continue. She tipped her head back to meet his steady regard. “I am afraid my courage will fail me as I stand here struggling to find the words to explain what I am feeling.”

  A rich sound vibrated from his chest. “There is no need for words. I feel the same.” He covered her hand with his, pressing her palm firmly to the steady thrum of his heartbeat. “Here.”

  His voice was deep and strong. It wound through her with a gentle, irrevocable force.

  He was right. Words weren’t needed.

  Sliding her hand free from beneath his, she took a step back. Then another one.

  As badly as she wanted to step into him, feel his arms come around her as she melted against him, there was something that had to come first.

  She would show him everything she felt through her actions. Her certainty, her desire, her trust. Her love.

  Love.

  The simple acknowledgment of her deepest feelings filled her heart with the light of pure happiness. Happiness she wanted only to share with the man in front of her in the most intimate way possible.

  With hands that had started to tremble, she gathered her hair and let it fall down her back. She wanted no veil between them.

  The heat of Gabriel’s focus followed every movement of her fingers as she released the buttons of her dress. She slid the fr
ock off her shoulders and pushed it past her hips to the floor. Her petticoat was the next to go, and then her boots and stockings. Lastly, with her heart beating in a furious rhythm, she removed her undergarments until she stood naked before him.

  The breath she took was shallow because she could see the fire glowing deep in his eyes as he swept his attention down the length of her body. She could feel his desire like heated breath against her skin.

  In silent communication, she waited, knowing he would understand what she wanted.

  When his smoldering gaze returned to her, he lifted his hand over his shoulder, grasping a handful of the tunic he wore. He dragged it off over his head in a swift movement that revealed all the lovely, masculine ridges of his chest and abdomen, the solid width of his shoulders, and the defined muscles of his arms. He bent to quickly take off his boots before straightening to remove his pants.

  Eve watched him undress with focused attention.

  Every emotion she’d ever had swirled together inside her; confidence, anticipation, joy, desire, breathless excitement, and a wonderful sort of fear.

  When he finally stood as naked as she was, they both stepped toward each other. His breath was long and even as he brought his hands to her hips. Her breath, on the other hand, seemed to shorten with the swift rise of her physical need. She ran her hands over the smooth surface of his chest, then lower over the ridges of his abdomen. He was a force of masculinity by the sheer nature of his size. But he was so much more in the calm tenderness he exuded despite his very obvious arousal.

  His steadiness was the only thing keeping her grounded as she struggled to contain the trembling in her body.

  Looking into Gabriel’s beautiful face, she said the only words that came to mind, an echo of what he’d said to her in the river. “Please. Touch me.”

  Gabriel lifted his large hands to frame her jaw as he tilted her face up to meet his kiss. A step forward brought their bodies flush against each other. Skin to skin. Heat swirled as his lips moved over hers, rubbing in delicious play before he parted his lips to slip his tongue past her teeth.

  On a sigh, Eve opened herself to him. Her head tipped back in his hands, her tongue twirled with his, and her hands grasped his sides where taut muscles wrapped a rib cage that expanded and contracted with his heavy breath.

  There was an air of desperation in his kiss, as though after holding it back for so long, the wild desire inside him was clawing to break free.

  She might have been frightened by the power she sensed in him if she didn’t have complete faith in him. It allowed her to revel in the subtle madness of his desperation as it fed her own.

  She shifted her body against his. The slide of his warm skin across the peaks of her breasts made her gasp even as the thick, hard heat of his erection against her belly ignited a melting in her core and the thrust of his tongue into her mouth triggered a deep physical yearning for fulfillment.

  As though sensing her rising agitation, Gabriel slowed his kiss, softening it as he smoothed his hands down the sides of her neck, then over her shoulders. She tensed at the first brush of his fingers over the scars on her back. But his touch was light and warm as he smoothed his palms down the slim length for her spine, leaving her sighing as gooseflesh rose in the wake of his caress.

  Reaching the narrow span of her waist, he grasped her firmly in his hands. Lifting his head just enough to murmur against her lips, he said, “If you tell me to stop, I will. At any time.”

  “Nothing in my life has ever felt as right as this moment.” She pressed a light kiss to his lips. “And this one.” Tilting her head, she brushed her lips along his jaw as she eased her hands up the broad expanse of his back until her fingers curled over his shoulders. “And this moment.” She kissed the side of his throat. “And the next,” she whispered into his ear. “Every moment with you—even when I’m scared and unsure—feels right. Is it strange that I can feel terrified and elated at the same time?”

  He replied gruffly. “I feel the same.”

  Thirty-Three

  Eve looked into his face. “What terrifies you?”

  His fingers flexed around her waist, making her belly swirl deliciously before he answered. “When our bodies join, our spirits will become linked.” His voice roughened. “It will be difficult to let you go.”

  From anyone else, the words might have caused a flare of panic, but not from Gabriel. Because she knew without a doubt that no matter how desperately he might not want to, if it was her desire to leave, he would let her go.

  “What if you didn’t have to?” she whispered.

  His eyes flashed with a possessive fire, fanning the flames inside her to greater heights, emboldening her to explore the full depths of her hunger for him.

  Pulling back from his embrace, she pressed her hands against his chest, reveling in the rough texture of his ceremonial scars and the steady beat of his heart. Exerting more pressure, she urged him onto the bed, her eyes promising things she could not put into words.

  As he lay back on the bed, his heavy-lidded gaze never left her face. Under his fixed and heated focus, she felt brave as she crawled onto the furs and knelt between his spread legs. She smoothed her palms along the hair-roughened surface of his thick-muscled thighs while her gaze fell eagerly on the hard length of his desire.

  He was as large there as he was everywhere.

  In all the times Matthew had come to their marriage bed, she had never seen him fully naked, and certainly had never caught a glimpse of the distinctly male part of him. She was grateful now for her limited experience as it freed her to look upon Gabriel with all the wonder he alone inspired.

  She ached for him. Between her thighs, deep in her womb, and in the center of her chest where her heart beat heavy and strong.

  Glancing up the muscled length of his body, she met his gaze and asked in a hoarse whisper, “Can I touch you?”

  The sound that rumbled in his chest was so near a growl that it made her insides clench in a delightful way. “I am yours.”

  The surge of power his words inspired was a heady thing. She lowered her gaze to continue her exploration. Her touch was light at first, a gentle sweep of her fingertips along his hardened length. But as her fingers reached the ridged crest, his erection jumped beneath her hand, as though eager for greater contact.

  She was just as eager.

  Holding her bottom lip between her teeth, she took him more fully in her hands, wrapping her fingers tightly around him as she swept her thumb over the slit at the top. The heat of him—the silken strength so carefully contained—made her breathless.

  Gabriel fisted his hands at his sides and lifted his hips slightly off the bed, but he said nothing. His focus remained intent upon her face as his jaw clenched in self-control. Sinking into his gaze, she slid her hands up and down his length, learning the feel of him. His absolute mastery of his own desires awed her as he allowed her to touch and tease him.

  The more she caressed him, the needier she became, until she could resist no more. Holding him in both hands, she leaned forward and brought him to her mouth.

  The moment her lips slid over the broad tip, she moaned softly in pleasure. The satiny texture against her tongue, the salty, male taste of him, the instant rush of power…and the love she felt nearly undid her. She looked up the hard length of his body to see his eyes clenched tightly closed and the cords of his neck standing out as he strained to maintain control. A pulse of warmth and wetness flooded her sex. She squeezed her thighs tightly together to contain the sensation, but the added pressure only increased the gentle throbbing.

  Hungry now for more of him, she swirled her tongue over his tip as she eased her mouth up and down his length. Holding him tightly at the base, she followed her instinct as she indulged in her curiosity and explored and tasted every inch of him.

  She would have gone on much longer if she hadn’t fel
t Gabriel’s hand sliding beneath her hair to gently grasp her nape.

  “Eve.” Her name on his lips was a raw and needy sound.

  She eased her mouth up his length one last time, sucking and twirling her tongue as she went. The ragged groan that issued from his throat delighted and enflamed her. As soon as she released him, he sat up and pulled her mouth to his. Grasping her hips firmly in his hands, he lifted her to straddle his lap, then doubled his arms around her as his tongue tangled with hers in a drugging kiss that made her muscles weak and her insides tremble.

  The length of his erection pressed hot between their bodies. She rocked her hips, seeking something more.

  He answered immediately, rolling them both over until she lay on her back and his big body hovered over hers with his hips pressing heavily between her spread thighs.

  She gasped at the delicious weight of him. This. This is what she craved—the undeniable evidence of his strength and power, the knowledge that regardless of how vulnerable she might be with him, he would only protect and support her.

  She closed her eyes so as not to reveal the gentle wave of emotion rolling through her heart.

  But she should have known better than to try to hide from him.

  Propped up on his elbows, he framed her face with his hands. “Look at me,” he murmured roughly and deeply.

  She did and saw the concern in his furrowed brow.

  “Is this all right?”

  She sighed, smoothing her hands up and down his back. “No. It’s more than that. It’s wonderful and perfect. I ache for you…so deep inside…”

  With a ragged groan, he closed his eyes and hung his head to rest his forehead against hers. His erection pulsed heavy and hot against her inner thigh. Lifting her chin, she fit her lips to his and slid her hands down to the hard curves of his buttocks.

  The fiery hunger inside her was astonishing. She’d had no idea it was possible to feel so much lust and longing for a person. Her body was aflame, but the feeling went so much deeper than sexual craving. It was the intense need to meld herself with him, to become one, to join their hearts as well as their bodies.