The Outlaws: Jess (22 page)

"You're a good man, Jess Gentry. Someday
you'll find a sweet, innocent woman to love. I'm not asking for any
declarations."

"I can't offer any until I'm free to declare
myself," Jess murmured. "But if I could..."

She placed a finger against his lips. "No,
don't say anything. Just make love to me."

He swept her up and laid her down on the
bed.

"Your trousers."

He grinned at her and skimmed them down his
legs. Then he kicked them off along with his boots. He returned to
her as gloriously naked as she. She watched him hungrily. Never in
her wildest dreams would she imagine herself wanting a man as
desperately as she did Jess. He was broad where she was slim, hard
where she was soft, every line of his powerful body a tribute to
masculine beauty.

She licked her lips in anticipation as he
eased his body over hers, gradually pressing his entire weight onto
her. He was hard, hot, his movement wonderfully erotic.

Abruptly he rolled to his side, his hunger
vividly apparent in the shining depths of his hazel eyes and the
rigid length of his body. She gasped as his fingers traced the
curve of her ankle, his touch light and teasing. His hand continued
upward, over the swell of her calf, the sensitive indention behind
her knee. He lowered his head and kissed her navel, then pressed
his face against her belly. He slid lower, trailing kisses down her
thighs. She trembled, waiting breathlessly for his next move.

Then he claimed her
there
and she
screamed his name, winding her hands in his hair, afraid he'd go on
and fearing she'd die if he stopped. He raised his head and gave
her a grin that made her breath hitch painfully.

"I need to kiss you there," he murmured
seductively. "Every part of you is precious to me."

One of his fingers dipped into the dewiness
between her legs, using her own moistness to caress and tease. She
sucked in a breath as his head dipped down and he took another
delicate sip of her honey. Meg nearly expired from the delicious
pleasure of it. His hands branded her flesh, his mouth and tongue
drove her to unimaginable heights.

Spreading her legs wide, she arched and
writhed, unable to think coherently as he increased the pressure
upon the sensitive nub he found with his tongue. She closed her
eyes as his clever mouth and tongue pushed her higher and higher.
He cupped her bottom and she raised her hips in invitation. She
wanted to show him without words that she loved him. If she thought
leaving with him would help him, she'd go with him in a minute.

Then all thought ceased as heat began to rise
in her belly. It burst upon her in an agony of pleasure so intense
she felt as though her soul were touching the sun.

Moments later, she felt Jess move up her body
and enter her in a long sliding stroke. Then it began again. The
hard core of pleasure expanded as he moved inside her, thrusting
hard, allowing no quarter as he stroked her to that exulted place
she had visited scant moments ago. Something savage broke free
inside her. It danced just out of reach, and when she finally
grasped it, it inundated her with wave after wave of shimmering
ecstasy.

She cried out his name but he didn't seem to
hear her. His body had gone rigid, his jaw tightly clenched, his
head thrown back, and his teeth bared. He plunged into her once,
twice, then went still as he poured his seed into her.

Long moments passed before Meg regained her
wits. When she opened her eyes Jess was lying beside her, holding
her as her trembling subsided. She smiled at him.

"I don't know why lovemaking frightened me
so. With you it's incredibly...wonderfully..." She shook her head.
"Words fail me. It just feels right."

"I want it to be this way forever, love. But
forever isn't possible until I'm free. All I can hope for are
enough memories to last until this horrible mistake with the law is
settled."

Meg didn't like the sound of that. "What are
you going to do?"

"First I'm going to find Arlo Skully," Jess
said tersely.

Meg swallowed a gasp. "Why?"

His jaw tautened. "I want to make damn sure
my message got through to him. I won't let him bother you
again."

"What if he's already gone to the sheriff
with what he knows?"

"He doesn't remember me. He might never
associate me with that wanted poster."

"The sheriff," Meg began. "He can identify
you if he ever decides to glance at the wanted posters in his
drawer."

Jess glanced out the window; Meg didn't like
the look on his face.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that whatever I do will never
be enough. I could get rid of Skully but that doesn't guarantee
I'll be free. There's always those blasted posters making my life a
living hell. I'm not an outlaw," he gritted. "But who will believe
me?"

"I believe you," Meg whispered.

He pulled her roughly against him. "Do you
care for me, Meg?" He carefully avoided the word love. "Do you care
for me enough to go away with me? Perhaps I
should
take your
advice and leave. I can't take the suspense of waiting any longer.
Every time I see the sheriff I think he's going to arrest me."

"This is no time for declarations, Jess," Meg
hedged. "Perhaps one day we can unburden our hearts, but not now. I
care, let it go at that. I have an idea that just might fix things
so you won't have to leave."

"Forget it," Jess said bleakly. "I don't want
to involve you in my problems."

"Just give me a chance before you make any
decisions. At least listen to my plan."

"All right, I'll listen, but I'm not going to
let you do anything foolish on my account."

"If it wasn't for that poster in Sheriff
Bufford's desk no one would know about you, right?"

"Right," Jess answered warily. "So?"

"I can get that poster and destroy it."

Jess gave her a skeptical look. "How do you
propose to do that?"

"Bufford is accustomed to having me rifle
through the newest batches of wanted posters. He often leaves me
alone in the office while I'm perusing them. I'll just remove yours
and destroy it. Then no one will ever know Jess Gentry is a wanted
man."

"Absolutely not! What if Bufford decides to
remain in his office while you're there? Too many things can go
wrong. Besides, there's Skully. He might suddenly remember where he
saw my face."

"Over the years I've learned that Bufford
rarely remains in his office for long periods of time. He's usually
out keeping the peace. I'll just wait around until he leaves, then
destroy the poster."

Jess frowned. "It sounds too easy."

"It
is
easy."

"What about Skully?"

"As long as he doesn't remember where he saw
you, you're safe. He'll probably leave town before he recalls
anything about you. He's not one to stick around in once place for
long."

"I'll only agree to this harebrained scheme
if you move into town with me. I don't want you out here by
yourself."

Meg touched his face, her caress soft and
loving. "If I do that, I'll ruin your reputation. You're well-liked
in town, whereas I'm treated like a pariah. You could lose your
patients because of me."

"My patients will be there whether or not
you're with me. At least until another doctor comes to town. Right
now I'm all Cheyenne has. Take it or leave it, Meg, but that's the
only way I'll allow you to put your plan into motion. If you're
caught, you could end up behind bars with me."

She nodded jerkily. "Very well, I'll do as
you say. But you'd best be prepared to face some irate patients
when they see me in your home."

"They won't remain irate long if we get
married," Jess proposed, once again surprising himself. If Meg
refused once, why would she agree now? In fact, the notion was so
crazy he should have retracted it at once. He didn't.

Meg stared at him. "Why?"

"That's the only way to keep Skully from
bothering you."

"I can take care of myself."

The next words didn't come easy for Jess.
He'd never said them to another woman. And given his situation he
never thought he'd say them at all.

"I know this isn't the right time for a
declaration but it needs to be said. I love you, Meg. I've never
said that to another woman. I can't leave you to fend for myself no
matter how capable you are "

Meg looked stunned. "I know you care for
me...but love?"

"Believe it, sweetheart. I know you don't
love me like I love you, but I'm hoping to change that."

"Jess, you're not thinking clearly. Are you
sure it's not lust you're feeling?"

"Lust? Oh, yes, there's lust aplenty, as I've
just proved. But that's only a small part of what I feel. Marry me,
Meg."

Marrying Jess would make everything right in
Meg's world. But was it the right thing to do at this time? Meg
wondered. Would it do Jess more harm than good? Would he lose his
patients and respect of the townspeople by marrying her?

"Jess, I don't think..."

"Don't think, love, just feel." He brought
her hand to his groin. "Feel how much I want you?"

Her eyes widened. "Again?"

"Again and again and again."

Then he kissed her and coherent thought fled.
He kissed her until her mind spun and she melted all over him,
burned to cinders, consumed by fire. They came together like a wild
prairie storm. She opened her legs in eager surrender and he slid
inside. Then abruptly he rolled with her in his arms, placing her
on top.

"Ride me, sweetheart. Yes, that's right," he
murmured as she gasped and bucked and squeezed her legs tightly
against his sides.

Meg felt her blood thicken, her body tense.
Liquid fire licked along her veins. And then she exploded. Not
until she was limp and collapsed around him did Jess stop his
delicious movement. She heard his labored breathing and knew he had
found his own release. He held her immobile a few moments before
lifting her and settling her beside him.

"I've never had with another woman what I
just experienced with you," Jess said with a hint of awe. "This
could be ours forever if you marry me."

"Are you sure, Jess, very, very sure?"

"Don't ever doubt my feelings for you,
love."

"Then I'll marry you. But not until I
retrieve that wanted poster from the sheriff's office."

Idly he stroked her breast. "I'm not sure
that's a good idea."

"Do you have a better one?"

"Not at the moment."

"I'd like to wait until Zach returns so he
can attend our wedding. That's only another week."

"I'll wait a week, no longer," Jess said,
climbing out of bed.

Meg watched with avid appreciation as Jess
poured water from the pitcher into a bowl and washed himself. The
play of muscle and tendons across his shoulders and chest, his taut
buttocks, the long sturdy columns of his legs; everything about him
suggested strength and virility. She'd do anything to keep him from
wasting away in prison.

Jess dressed quickly and walked back to the
bed.. "Stay here, I'll bring up some fresh water and clean towels.
When you're finished, pack your belongings. You're moving to town
with me immediately."

Meg didn't try to dissuade him. She knew
she'd be better off in town. Remaining out here alone now that Arlo
knew where to find her was dangerous. But she meant what she'd
said. She wouldn't marry Jess until that damned wanted poster had
been destroyed. She and Jess would enjoy no peace until the threat
to his freedom had been eliminated.

Unfortunately there was still Arlo Skully to
contend with. Perhaps between them she and Jess could find a way to
diffuse the danger Arlo presented should he remember where he'd
seen Jess's face.

Arlo Skully watched with interest as Jess and
Meg rode into town. He followed at a discrete distance until they
reined in at Jess's office and entered the house together. He
hadn't missed the fact that Jess carried a carpetbag that obviously
belonged to Meg into the house, and rage seethed through him. Meg
was his. He was her first and he meant to be her last. That little
piece of paper annulling their marriage meant nothing to him. In
his mind he and Meg were still husband and wife, and he was already
contemplating the ways in which he could capitalize on her mature
beauty and sex appeal. She was much more attractive to men now than
when she had been as an innocent sixteen year old.

# # #

"You haven't been eating right," Meg scolded
after she'd unpacked her clothes and went down to the kitchen to
fix Jess something to eat. "There's nothing in the larder."

"I eat most of my meals out," Jess
confided.

"Surely not all your patients pay with cash,
do they? What do you do with the produce and livestock offered in
payment for your services?"

Jess flushed. "I give everything to my poorer
patients."

Love for Jess grew by leaps and bounds.
"You're a good man, Jess Gentry."

Jess sat down and pulled her into his lap.
"Shall I show you how bad I can be?"

Meg's cheeks pinkened and she pushed to her
feet in mock indignation. "Not now. I just heard the bell over your
door jangle. You have a patient waiting for you and I need to buy
provisions at the store."

"While you're at it," Jess said, "stop in at
the sheriff's office and pick up your reward. He asked me to tell
you it's come in."

Jess went into his waiting room to greet his
patient and Meg put on her battered wide-brimmed hat and prepared
to go shopping. No bonnet for her, she thought as she adjusted the
hat on her head. At least she wasn't wearing trousers. The
townspeople would just have to get use to her wearing a man's hat.
Some things she was willing to forego for society's sake but others
she was not.