The Outlaw Stakes His Claim (11 page)

Dallas sat there after Jagger left, and let his
words play over and over in his head. He reached inside of his cut and grabbed
his cell. After finding Hope’s number, he only stared at it for a moment before
finally calling her. He needed to see her more than ever now, explain what he
felt and who he was, and hope to whoever was willing to
listen
that she wouldn’t freak the fuck out.

Chapter Eight

Hope heard the motorcycle before she saw it. When
Dallas had called her earlier she hadn’t been able to stop her body’s instant
reaction to hearing his deep voice. They had spoken at the diner, and although
he hadn’t said much after she told him that she wanted to explore what was
happening with them, he also hadn’t agreed he wanted the same, even if she
could look in his face and see that was the truth. He had called a few hours
ago, almost seeming desperate to see her, and she couldn’t deny that there was
also this desperation inside of her to see him as well.

She had gotten the keys to her place early this
morning, and had started unloading what she had brought with her in her Jeep
and the small U-Haul trailer she had attached to the back of it. Most of the
larger things had already been furnished: the couch, appliances, and even the
bed. That was another perk of getting this job, amongst other things, and she
was grateful seeing as she didn’t have any of those things. Boxes were littered
all around her living room, and although she had been working at getting all of
the little things out of the boxes and put away, she had a lot still to go. But
she had taken a shower, changed into something that wasn’t covered in sweat and
dust, and had waited with butterflies in her belly for Dallas to arrive.

Hope went into the bathroom once more and turned on
the light. The mirror that hung on the back of the door showed her reflection
from foot to head. She had her blonde hair in a ponytail, and despite it being
pulled up it still fell between her shoulder blades. She had always loved her
hair, and thought it was the only good attribute she had, but she was starting
to realize that what she saw in the mirror wasn’t a bad thing. The warped image
in her mind wasn’t as bad as it had been when she was younger. Her thighs may
be far bigger than she liked, and her hips wide, but that was just how she was
made. No more starving
herself
, or purging when she
binged from hunger. The guilt she had felt after doing all of that all those
years ago could have crippled a person for how strong it had been. She
certainly didn’t have the svelte body that models had. Her breasts were large,
and one of the parts of her that Parker had liked. In fact, it was probably the
only thing he liked since he seemed to only compliment her on that particular
part of her anatomy. She grabbed the edges of her shirt and pulled the material
snugly across her belly. The roundness was there, but she could still picture
herself as a teenage girl when she was deep in her depression and the eating
disorder ruled her life. She had been sick and unhealthy, and to the point that
her parents had finally realized what was going on with her and sought
professional help. But that was in her past, and not who she was anymore. Hope
had grabbed onto her strength, gotten through one of the worst times in her
life, and had survived.

Letting go of her shirt and sighing, she smoothed
her hands along her sides and smiled at herself. She could do this, rise above
her inner demons and go after what she really wanted. And what she really
wanted was Dallas.

The sound of a motorcycle pulling into her driveway
had her pulse racing. She left the bathroom and moved over to the front door. She
opened it just in time to hear him turn off the engine and see him climbing off
his bike. He wore the ever-present dark long-sleeved shirt, worn jeans, dark
boots, cut, and of course his glasses that made him seem so damn frightening in
a way that she became wet instantly. He was so big and muscular, so tall and powerful,
that it made her feel so very feminine.

He walked toward her like he was on a mission, or
maybe it was like he was a predator and he had come to devour his prey—her. A
shiver worked through her at that thought, and she curled her hand around the
doorframe to hold herself up. She shouldn’t have opened the door and just
stared at him, because how weird was that? But God, Hope had just been acting
on instinct, and she hadn’t been thinking at all, to be honest. Before he made
it to her door he took off his sunglasses and slipped them in the collar of his
shirt. He was only a few feet from her when he stopped, and for a second all
they did was stare at each other. There didn’t need to be any words spoken for
Hope to feel his desire for her, because it was just as potent as hers was. And
then he slowly looked up her and down, and let his gaze travel the length of
her body. She was so wet between her thighs that she had to clench her legs
together just to ease the ache that had settled there. His nostrils flared
ever-so-slightly as he inhaled, and for some reason that sight had a flush
slamming into her body. He could smell how much she wanted him.

Was this how it always would be when she was in his
presence? Because as it was every time they were in each other’s presence it
was like her body took on a mind of its own and she had no control over it.

“You look really nice, Hope,” Dallas said in a low,
soft voice. That gentleness seemed so different from his physical presence.

She couldn’t help the heat that stole into her
cheeks or the smile that covered her mouth at the compliment. “Thank you.” She
stepped aside to allow him inside, and he moved closer. Right before he crossed
paths with her and entered her house he stopped and looked down at her. He was
so close, and a lot of very dirty things played through Hope’s mind. She had
been intimate with Parker while they were together, obviously, but she hadn’t
felt a fraction of this arousal for him as she felt for Dallas. She just knew
that if she ever gave herself to him in that regard he would ruin all other men
for her. He already had.

Once again she saw his pupils start to dilate, and she
knew that his bear was close. She could smell the wildness that came from him,
felt the hairs on her arms stand on end because her body knew this man was
dangerous in more ways than one. But she didn’t say anything, and neither did
he. Before she could inhale he was moving into her house.

Taking a steadying breath, she knew she needed to
get control of her emotions and her body’s reaction to him. Hope stepped inside
and closed the door. He only stood a few feet from her, and although her house
was small, Dallas being inside made it
look
impossibly
tiny.

“Sorry about the mess. I just got the keys today and
was trying to get some things unpacked when you called.”

He turned around, and before she could even react he
was right in front of her. The scent of him surrounded her. It was a spicy, yet
sweet aroma of everything she had come to associate with Dallas Stoker. He
searched her face with his gaze, and then everything stilled inside of her when
he lifted his hand and cupped her cheek. She felt the calluses along his long,
thick fingers, and a shiver worked its way through her. For a moment all he did
was
stare
into her eyes and hold her cheek. And then
he was stroking her, moving his thumb back and forth along her flesh in a
soothing, yet arousing manner.

“Dallas…” His name came from her so softly that she
didn’t even know for sure if she had said it aloud. He lowered his gaze to her
mouth, and his eyelids dropped to half-mast. The look was so intense, so
telling, that she held her breath, afraid to breathe and break the spell that
controlled both of them.

“Hope.” He said her name in the same breathy manner
as she had said his. “I want to kiss you really fucking badly right now.” His
profanity aroused her further.

She blinked, not able to form any words in response.
Hope wanted him to kiss her, wanted to feel his lips on hers, his tongue moving
slowly, thoroughly against hers.

“Do you want that, Hope?” He was still looking at
her mouth. “Would you like me to kiss you, and claim you until there is no
doubt that you are mine?” He didn’t state it like a question, and she knew that
if she was to surrender to Dallas in every way possible that there wouldn’t be
any going back from it. But she didn’t want to go back. This felt right, like
she was moving forward instead of staying in purgatory. He inhaled again, and
this time his eyes almost closed all the way. “Yeah, baby, you do want that,
just as much as I do, but it scares the fuck out of you.” He leaned in an inch
closer so that she could smell his cinnamon flavored breath brush along her
face. “It scares the fuck out of me, too.” He breathed out heavily, and she
smelled the sweet scent of his breath on her lips. “When something in life frightens
you, makes you question what you should do, then you know it has to be right.”

Her heart was pounding so hard she felt it in her
throat and heard it in her ears. “I’ve never felt anything like this.” And now
she couldn’t even control her words as they spewed forth in all their
embarrassing glory.

He didn’t crack a smile, and there was no amusement
on his face. He looked serious, determined, and like he was on the brink of
losing control. He moved his thumb along her bottom lip, and a small sound inadvertently
left her. His chest started rising and falling faster and harder as he breathed
with a force that rivaled her frantic respirations. Maybe it was too soon to be
letting things escalate like this, and maybe it was a foolish move to allow
Dallas to touch her like he owned
her,
or more aptly
like he was trying to stake a claim on her. And that was exactly what it felt
like to be touched by him, and by the way he looked at her.

“I want you so bad, Hope, you have no idea how badly
I want you.” He did close his eyes then, and there was an almost pained quality
in his voice and in his expression.

Hope didn’t care about anything else at that moment except
Dallas right in front of her, and all of the things she wanted to do with him.
He didn’t look at her like she was fat, and he certainly didn’t make her feel
uncomfortable. The uneasiness that she felt was from her alone and her own
insecurities. But she wanted this, had never wanted anyone as much as she did
Dallas, and she was sick of denying herself and letting her fears hold her
back. She was going to take this one thing for herself, and hope she didn’t get
hurt in the end.

****

Dallas was barely holding on as it was, and now that
he was so close to Hope, touching her, smelling her, and knowing she was wet
between her thighs had his cock pressing against the fly of his jeans
painfully. But right when he would have moved away, and given her the space he
knew she needed, she surprised the fuck out of him by spearing her hands into
his hair, pulling his face close to hers, and pressing her lips to his. A
guttural groan left him at the feel of her mouth moving softly, almost
tentatively against his. Her lips were soft and succulent, and so damn full
that he couldn’t stop himself from wrapping his hands around the back of her
hair and tugging her head back. Their mouths broke apart, and a gasp of
pleasure let her. He knew she had liked it, could smell the fresh moisture that
spilled from her pussy as soon as he had done it. He moved forward, using his
body to push her back until the front door stopped them from going any further.
For a second he just looked into her face, examined the arch of her cheeks, the
fullness of her dark blonde lashes, and the redness of her lips. Fuck, he was
hard, and wanted her like he wanted to take his next breath. His cock dug into
his zipper, and he swore the damn thing was seconds away from bursting through
the material. She breathed heavily, and her cheeks were a light shade of red.
Slowly letting his gaze traveling down the long, smooth column of her neck,
over her delicate collarbones, and stopping at the massive swells of her
breasts that were pressing over the hem of her shirt, Dallas felt his bear
nearly break through the surface.

“The things I want to do to you.” He hadn’t meant to
say that out loud, but he found that if he was near Hope she brought out this
other side of him, one that was almost a stranger. He never acted this
impulsively when it came to women, and certainly didn’t allow emotions to cloud
his judgment.

“Like what?” There was this naturally sensual
quality in her voice, and he knew she wasn’t doing it to tempt him. This was
who just she was, and that was perfect.

“Like things that would scare you, Hope.” He trailed
his gaze back up to her face and stared into her wide blue eyes. “Things that I
doubt you have even thought you’d let a man do to you.” He was an obscene
bastard. He pressed his lower body into her belly, ground his hard-on into the
soft swell of her flesh, and groaned deeply. She was all womanly curves, with
nice thick thighs, a big juicy ass, and tits that were well over a handful.
Dallas didn’t like those skin and bones females, and Hope was far from that. He
leaned in and ran the tip of his nose up her throat. Stopping right below her
ear, he inhaled deeply and grunted in pleasure. “You smell so fucking good,
like lemons.”

She sighed right by his ear. “This is the most
erotic and sensual experience I have ever had, and we haven’t even done
anything.” There was a slight tremble in her voice.