Bounty Hunter Proposal (8 page)

“Filthy mouth. I can’t believe I let you around my children.”

She spat her words at him, and he smiled down at her wriggling form. If she thought that was filthy, she was in for a surprise. With one motion he pulled her pantalets past her knees. A small gasp came from her lips.

He caressed the curve of her backside and let out a low growl. “All day tomorrow, I’m going to be daydreaming of the way my wife’s ass looks in the pale moonlight. And I’m going to think of the scent of her innocent pussy.”

She shuddered at his coarse words. He let his fingers trail between her thighs, and she flinched as he got close to her sex.

“Just five tonight, Isabelle. There’s something else I want more than to punish you.”

He brought his hand down on her bottom, not hard but enough to give her a little sting. Twice more he spanked her in the same spot. Her pale skin bloomed a lovely pink. He gave her two final spanks on her thighs.

He lifted her and set her on her feet. She swayed unsteadily, and he tightened his hold on her. Kissing her, gently at first and then deeper, he gathered her gown in his hand and lifted it. He broke the kiss and drew it over her head.

“I want to see you. All of you.”

The moonlight cast her in a silvery glow. Slender shoulders, full breasts, narrow waist. She tried to cover herself, but he coaxed her hands aside.

“I can’t.”

“Everything here is mine. You have no one to blame but yourself.”

He cupped her breasts and caressed them, plucking the peaks lightly. She shuddered. Her breasts were full and tipped with rosy nipples, tightly beaded. He lowered his head and sucked the tip of one breast into his mouth. Threading her fingers through his hair, she moaned and writhed. He brushed his lips across the swell of her breast and sucked on the other nipple, drawing a whimper from her lips.

“We’ll do this,” she whispered. “And you’ll leave, and I’ll be left alone to raise a baby who will never know his father.”

He stroked his knuckle down her jaw. “I’m not going to leave you with a baby. Not yet. But I’m going to make you mine.”

His words were rough. She shivered. “You’re going to kiss me?”

“Just kiss you.” He nipped the inside of her thigh. “Maybe lick you and bite you a little. Promise.”

She panted softly. She wanted it, too. He could hear it in her breathing and could smell the sweet fragrance of her arousal. She had called him a beast, and he knew she was right, but he couldn’t help it. Savage need clawed at him.

“Isabelle,” he murmured. “You’re going to need to hold on to my shoulders.”

She set her hands down and pressed her fingers into his shoulders. He kissed her stomach and her thighs and clasped her calf, lifting her foot off the ground. She tightened her hold and gasped when he draped her leg over his shoulder. She had to pull her hand away and swayed precariously for an instant. He held her firmly so she wouldn’t topple over. She let out a murmur of alarm when he kissed her between her legs.

His tongue flicked against her intimate flesh. She was swollen, slick, and her taste was making him wild. She was sweet honey, and no man had ever tasted her. She was his, all his. He’d never let her go.

His short beard probably prickled against her tender thighs, but it was a small punishment for tying him up. She writhed and bucked. He pressed her against the wall with one hand splayed across her stomach. Each lazy stroke of his tongue made her whimper.

“Matthias, please. I can’t take this.”

He ignored her and stroked her with his fingers. Gently, he pressed his fingertip against her. She was impossibly tight. Untouched. Virginal. Primitive satisfaction burned through him. He was the first to taste her, and he’d be her first lover.

She trembled and was unsteady on her feet. Tightening his hold, he pinned her to the wall and sucked her clit between his lips. She twisted as her release took her, and he teased every last bit of ecstasy from her body. Small keening cries came from her lips.

“You’re beautiful, Isabelle.” He kissed her neck and stood up.

“I didn’t know that was possible,” she whispered. “You make me feel beautiful.”

She swayed, and he swept her up into his arms before she toppled over. The slight weight of her in his arms felt soft, warm and inviting. He nuzzled her neck and inhaled the perfume of her skin, resisting the urge to nip her.

“Everything’s spinning, Matthias. What on earth did you do to me? I feel like honey on a summer afternoon.” She giggled. “I didn’t know husbands and wives did that sort of thing.”

“According to the marriage license, we’ve been married a month, so I waited to debauch you.”

“I should do something for you,” she said shyly. “But you’ll need to tell me how.”

Every part of him yearned for release. He wanted to feel her lips around his cock or to sink into her and claim her. She’d claimed him already when she wrote his name next to hers on the marriage license, but he wouldn’t ask for a single thing from her. Not now. She was fragile and delicate, in spite of her bravado, and deep down all he wanted was to shield her from the world. From everything. Even his own fierce desire.

He shook his head and tucked her into his arms. “Go to sleep, sweetheart.”

Isabelle awoke to sounds coming from the kitchen, pots clanging and water splashing into the basin. She wrapped the quilt around her shoulders and padded down the hall to find Matt in the kitchen, dressed and clearly in a dark mood.

“I’m going into town,” he said.

It took her breath to see him there. He was dressed just as he had been yesterday, trousers, a linen shirt, chaps and spurs.

“You have no tub,” he groused. “There’s no stove for your room. I don’t like it.”

It was true. The house lacked many comforts. It was worse than what she’d known as an orphan.

“Jerome was a simple man.”

“I’m not.”

“I have a little money in the bank. Jerome didn’t leave me penniless, and I’ve made money leasing the land for grazing, but…” Her words trailed off.

“But?” He scrubbed his hand over his face, his irritation becoming more pronounced by the minute.

“I don’t feel the money belongs to me.”

He laughed, crossed the kitchen, and tugged her into his arms. Nuzzling her neck, he nipped her and kissed her skin.

“That money doesn’t belong to you anymore does it? It belongs to me, just like everything that’s wrapped in this blanket. It’s all mine.”

He slid his hands beneath the folds of the blanket and slid them down her back. She shuddered and leaned into him.

“I’m not going to take your money to buy what I want. I have plenty of my own. I just want you to remember that I’m in charge here.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“I think you’re forgetting about last night. When I get back from town, I’ll take you down to the woodshed and remind you of a few things.”

His voice was gruff, and she could feel his chest rumbling as she ran her fingers along the muscular expanse.

“Remind me of what?” she teased.

“You’re a powerful distraction, Isabelle. I have my horse tacked up and ready to go, and you’re making me forget my chores, making me want to take you back to bed.” He straightened. “I’m getting you a tub and a stove for the back room. What else do you want? Something for your kitchen? Pots? Pans?”

She shook her head. “I have a cast iron pan. I use it for everything. I’m pretty handy with it, if I say so myself.”

Brushing his thumb over her lips, he smiled. “You are.”

He pulled his coat on and tended the fire. She watched his every movement. He teased her about everything belonging to him. He could, in fact, go into town, ask about her account at the bank. It would be in the name of Hudson, and there would be nothing to stop him from withdrawing every penny.

He murmured a few words of goodbye and was gone, leaving her. She returned to her room and dressed. It would do her no good to think about him. He could leave and never come back. He could hurt her or the boys in a thousand ways, but there was nothing to be gained by agonizing over possibilities.

She kept herself busy making breakfast and tidying the cabin. The boys brought the pup down from the loft. They took him outside to play in the morning sunshine.

After lunch Violet and Savannah arrived to pick up a christening gown Isabelle had sewn for Violet’s daughter. Isabelle served them some peach pie, fresh from the oven. The conversation swirled around the dinner Violet and Ben would serve after the christening that evening.

The dinner had started out as a small affair, just family, but now the number of guests had climbed to almost a hundred. There would be music and dancing and games for the children.

“Violet doesn’t believe in small parties,” Savannah mused.

Violet served herself another piece of pie. “Once you start cooking, it’s as easy to serve a dozen as it is to serve scores. You just throw another potato in the pot.”

Savannah scoffed. “Potatoes! Don’t believe her, Isabelle. She’s serving prime rib, ham, fried chicken. It would be easier to list what
won’t
be on the menu.”

Isabelle half-listened to the two sisters-in-law. They chattered on about where the dancing should take place and whether they would need a tent. Her mind kept wandering back to Matt and what they’d shared the night before. What was he doing right then, she wondered. Was he still in Colter Canyon, or had he left?

Seth burst through the door. “A wagon from the mercantile is coming up the path.”

“Are you expecting something?” Violet asked.

“It’s a tub, and a stove.” Isabelle said. She couldn’t help but smile. If he was going to leave her he wasn’t going to do it today.

Isabelle was about to get up when she heard Matt’s voice instructing the men to bring the things inside.

“Do you need to go talk to the men?” Savannah asked.

Isabelle bit her lip. “No, I think they’ll manage all right on their own.”

The men carried a large copper tub into the cabin, and Matt directed them to a wash room beside the kitchen. When they brought the stove in, he noticed her sitting with Savannah and Violet and nodded to the ladies.

Savannah was the first to speak. “Isabelle, that’s so wonderful you bought yourself a tub. Finally. And a stove, too. We won’t have to worry about you and the boys freezing in the winter.”

Seth and Luke stood in the doorway, wide-eyed at the commotion. Each held a peppermint stick.

Matt ushered the boys inside and scooped up the pup before closing the door. “Isabelle did not pay one red cent for any of that. You could say it’s a wedding present. From her husband.”

He offered his hand to Savannah. “Matthias Hudson.”

Savannah paled, and for a moment Isabelle felt a little guilty for not telling her friends about Matthias when they’d first arrived.

Savannah lifted her hand and shook his. “Sa…Savannah Sutton.”

“Pleased to meet you,” he said.

Violet’s shock was as evident as Savannah’s. She was speechless and gaped at Matthias as she offered her hand.

“My sister-in-law, Violet,” Savannah said. “We live on the ranch next door.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” he said.

He smiled a charming smile, and Isabelle could see he relished their apparent shock.

“Nobody ever expected you to come to town,” Savannah said.

Matt nodded and caught Isabelle’s gaze, holding it with a simmering heat. “Especially Isabelle. She was mighty surprised when I arrived.”

The boys clambered onto chairs, and Isabelle served them a slice of peach pie. Matt set the dog down on a blanket in the corner, and when he returned to the table he kissed Isabelle on the top of her head. He ambled out the door. Isabelle had to suppress a smile. He had to know the shock and disbelief and dismay he left in the wake of that kiss.

When he was gone, Violet let out a long, shuddering breath. She reached across the table and grabbed Isabelle’s hand with an iron grip. “Are you all right?”

Isabelle smiled at the expressions on their faces. When Matt first arrived and scared her half to death, a tiny part of her blamed Violet and Savannah. It pleased her to see their shock and dismay.

“Why wouldn’t she be?” Seth asked, frowning. “Mr. Hudson is really, really nice, and he brought a puppy for us.”

“How long has he been here?” Savannah asked.

“He’s been her two days,” Seth replied. “His name’s Hudson just like Belle’s, but guess what? He’s not her brother. He’s her husband!”

Violet gave a small murmur of dismay and shook her head in disbelief.

Matt returned carrying part of a bed frame, and the other men trailed behind carrying the rest.

“I got us a bigger bed, sweetheart. The carpenter’s shop had one just the right size for both of us.” His face was solemn as he passed, but she could see the spark of amusement in his eye.

Violet coughed and gave Savannah a pointed look. Isabelle could feel heat creep up her neck and spread over her cheeks.

“You need to bring Mr. Hudson to the Christening this evening,” Savannah said.

Isabelle felt her blush deepen. “Well, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I’m not certain how long Mr. Hudson, I mean, Matthias, will be staying…” She drew a tremulous breath. “With me.”

Violet snorted. “The man just bought a bed big enough for the two of--”

Savannah drew a deep breath. “A little discretion, Violet. We have children at the table.”

“I want you to bring him this evening. I have enough food to feed Colter Canyon two times over, and we’ll have music and dancing. Bring him, and leave Seth and Luke with us for a day or more.”

Matt’s footsteps echoed down the hall, and when he appeared, he filled the doorway. “We’d love to come, Mrs. Sutton. And that’s a fine offer to keep the children. I’d very much like to dance with my wife.”

Violet beamed. “Good. It’s settled.”