Deborah Camp (32 page)

Her eyes glinted with something carnal and her lips curved in a sensuous smile. He felt caught, pinned, branded. He loved it.

“Hard and hot,” she whispered. “And mine.”

To his utter astonishment and undying gratitude, she leaned back, lifting herself up and then down. Up, then down, up, down. Her pace was steady and slow, agonizingly slow. He gripped her waist, steadying himself rather than her. She needed no guidance from him. She was in control.

His heart flung itself against her ribs, and he knew he was teetering, ready to dive into bliss.

“Dellie … oh, Lord … I … I—” He clenched his teeth, hearing himself babble as his body trembled and his flesh caught fire.

Her tempo quickened. Reasonable thoughts melted. Primitive responses erupted.

He grasped her waist tightly and rode out his passion, his body acting on its own and exploding inside her in four sharp bursts that she answered with four long moans.

She crumpled like a rag doll, falling over him like a shower of sparks. Her skin was slickly hot and her breath burned his shoulder. He draped an arm over her and kissed her flushed cheek. He saw her smile before he closed his eyes, ready to drift away.

“Who’s on top, Reno?” she whispered in his ear.

His eyes popped open and he examined the situation. “Let’s go for two out of three.”

Laughing, she rolled off him and sprawled at his side, her hair spread across the pillow. “You just don’t know when to quit.”

He trailed a fingertip over one of her pouting nipples, sending rays of pleasure searing through her.

“That’s right, darlin’. Are you complaining?”

Turning onto her side, she flung one long, shapely leg over his hip. “Nope. Are you?”

“Never.” Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close to him, belly against belly, chest against breasts. Heaven in his arms, he thought hazily. Heaven.

She realized she’d fallen asleep when she was roused by Reno’s warm lips on her shoulder. Smiling, she kept her eyes closed while his mouth traveled down her arm to place a kiss on the inside of her elbow.

“Dellie?”

“Hmmm?”

“Where did you learn what to do when a woman is on top?”

Furrowing her brow, she had to think for a few moments before she understood what he meant. “I don’t know. I guess I just did what came naturally. I did to you what I’d dreamed about doing.”

“I like the way you dream, sugar.” He chuckled and pulled her back against him.

“Why did you ask? Are you suspicious of me? Did you think I was holding out on you?”

“No. I thought you’d read about it somewhere, and if so, I wanted to borrow that book.”

She laughed and snuggled closer. “I guess, like
most everything else, I’m a quick study.”

“I’ll say!”

“I know one thing for sure.”

“What’s that?”

“I like that kind of fighting.”

He chuckled. “Me, too.”

A snippet of music from downstairs floated into the room, reminding Adele of the rest of the world. She traced the curve of his upper lip with her fingertip and admired the bold lines of his face and the dimple in his chin. “Does this mean we’re going to patch up our differences?” she asked.

“I’m willing if you are.”

“I’m willing.” She caught her lower lip between her teeth, seized by momentary shyness. “I’ve been thinking about what you said about how I’ve changed.”

“We’ve all changed.”

“Yes, that’s true, but I can see how it’s true that I’ve become more guarded and not as willing to give the benefit of doubt to others. Since my mother’s death-well, perhaps even before that—I’ve been fearful. That hardens the heart and tests the faith.”

“Fearful?” He caught her hand and kissed her fingers. “What are you afraid of, Dellie?”

“Of failing. Of being thrown out on the street because I can’t make a decent living for myself. Of never having a real home. Of being condemned to a life of wandering—like my mother. She said she didn’t mind traveling from city to city, going wherever she was needed, but I minded. I resented that life very much.”

“I know, Dellie.”

“You do?” she asked, surprised by his quick admission.

“Yes, you told me. Don’t you remember that day we went for a swim in the pond and we told each other our most secret wish, our deepest desire?”

“Oh yes.” The day came back to her in all its summer heat and wildflower beauty. The murky pond water had felt like cool silk on her skin, weighting her undergarments so that she had to stay in the shallows for fear that she might be dragged to the bottom. Reno had dared her to strip them off, but she hadn’t accepted the challenge. Later, when they had stretched on the grassy bank to let their underclothes dry on their bodies, they had exposed secrets instead of skin. Far more risky, Adele thought. Far more revealing.

“You wished for wealth,” she said, and he nodded. “And you desired a big family to spend your money on.”

“You remember,” he acknowledged. “You wished to find someone you could depend on to be around when you needed him, and you desired a home—not just a house, you said, but a home to grow old in.”

She laughed softly and ran her fingers through the downy hair on his chest. “Yes, and I thought thirty was ancient back then. I figured if I reached that doddering age, all I’d want is a rocking chair by the fire.”

“I didn’t tell the truth that day, Dellie.”

“You didn’t?”

“No. My deepest desire was to be the someone you could depend on.” His smile could touch any woman’s heart and Adele’s was no exception. “I couldn’t tell you that then. You would have laughed.”

“I wouldn’t have laughed. I would have been surprised,
because I didn’t know you liked me in that way back then.”

“Yes, you were blind.”

“No, I was looking in a different direction.”

“At Win.”

“Yes. Everyone seemed to believe we belonged with each other, and I tried to make it so, but I couldn’t.”

“And I was damned glad.”

“Yes.” She smiled. “I do remember you jumping for joy and grabbing me up and spinning me around until I was dizzy.”

He laughed with her and held her closer, nuzzling her hair. “It would have broken my heart if you’d married him.”

His confession brought sudden tears to her eyes. She blinked them away and cleared her throat of emotion. “Probably would have broken mine, too,” she admitted. She kissed his shoulder. “I’ll try not to be so bossy from now on, Reno, if you’ll be more careful around Terrapin. Why court trouble? Court me, instead.” She breathed in his ear and tickled it with her tongue.

He hunched his shoulder. “How can I resist you, sugar?” He rolled on top of her and grinned. “You’ve got a deal. We bring out the best in each other, Dellie. I swear we do.”

She lifted her head to seal his mouth with hers. Stroking his ribs and back, she opened her lips to the seduction of his tongue.

His pace was lazy, his kisses slow and deep, making her simmer sweetly. Stretching like a cat, she brought her hands up over her head and grasped the
metal bars of the bedstead. Reno moved down her body to lavish on her breasts wet kisses that made her tingle madly. She writhed with frustration and longing, gripping the metal bars with all her might as the carnal assault continued. Her breasts grew heavy and hot, her nipples throbbing with each beat of her heart.

Gathering one in each hand, he teased the hard crests while his mouth moved ever south over her stomach, her hip bone, her thigh. He pressed warm kisses on her knees and inner thighs, making her tremble with need and abandon any notion of changing positions to get the best of him. She was already getting his best.

He kissed her most private place, and she drew in a sharp breath and released the bedstead. Her hands moved of their own accord to his head, clutching desperately as her mind fought with her body.
More, more
, her body screamed.

Then his mouth settled on that intimate place again, and his tongue touched a spot that sent fire shooting through her veins, eradicating all rational thought.

The power of her passion was almost frightening. She felt as if she’d been pulled under by an immense wave of feeling. She could hear herself gasping for breath as she clutched his head and arched her body against his sucking mouth. Her legs trembled and colors exploded behind her eyes. Moaning his name, she thought she might black out, but he lifted his mouth and moved up her body.

He entered her and she convulsed around him. The blistering pace he set left no time for tender kisses or whispered words. Theirs was a tumultuous, panting, sweating, grasping completion. Adele felt as if she’d
run a race when Reno relaxed against her. Her heart boomed and her breath came in labored hiccups. She filled her lungs, and the haze of passion lifted from her mind. He was still inside her, filling her, stretching her.

She caressed his shoulders and back. He was so big and masculine! She could hardly believe he was hers to love, to build a dream on. His lips moved against the side of her neck. He pulled out of her. Her body shuddered from the long good-bye.

“Every time I make love to you, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,” he whispered.

“Me, too,” She stroked his hair, loving this man who could speak such things to her.

“Being with you like this is so incredible. I’m afraid it’s a dream and I’ll wake up.”

“It is a dream, but a waking one.”

He shifted to his side and she nestled in his embrace. Just like home, she thought, and went to sleep on a smile.

Moving quietly around the room, Adele located her various pieces of clothing and dressed, early-morning sunlight illuminating the space. She let Reno sleep. Occasionally she glanced at him, attracted to the boyish quality of his features in repose. Her musings meandered like a stream, winding through special times she’d shared with Reno. In retrospect she realized he had secured a special place in her heart from the moment she’d met him.

Winston had introduced them. Adele had been attracted to Reno’s wild side. He hadn’t tried to fit in, but challenged people to take him as he was: a mischievous
rakehell. He didn’t care about bloodlines and ancestors, didn’t try to conform or compromise or change. He cared only for fun and trying new things, taking a chance.

Adele had accepted him, happy to share his company because he was infinitely fascinating.

Still is
, she allowed, glancing at his reflection in the bureau mirror. His lashes were thick and inky on his cheeks and his ebony hair was adorably tousled. Sorely tempted to jump back into bed with him, she focused her attention on brushing her hair and pinning it in place on top of her head. She had to attend to business, no matter how much she would like to stay in bed with Reno. She wanted to check on Little Nugget before she left, too. After all, if it hadn’t been for her, Adele would have spent last night alone again.

By coming to Little Nugget’s rescue, Reno had made Adele see that his good points far outweighed his bad ones and that it wasn’t his fault that she had expected too much of him. She still believed he could better himself, but she knew he would have to go about it in his own way. If this saloon was a steppingstone for him, so be it. She would accept it and hope that he moved onto something else soon.

Whenever possible she would give him a gentle push in the direction he should go. However, she had to remember he was a rebel and that was one of the things she had always loved about him. Rebels could not be tamed, but they could be guided.

When she laid the hairbrush down on the bureau, she noticed a telegram lying open there. The salutation caught her attention and begged her perusal: “Dear Partner.”

Who would be calling Reno a partner? She glanced at the name signed at the end of the message: “Lewis Fields.”

The name held a familiar ring, but she couldn’t place it. Giving in to her curiosity, she picked up the sheet of paper and read the message.

     DEAR PARTNER,

     ASSUME YOU ARE NOW PROUD OWNER OF SALOON(STOP)WANT YOU TO MEET MY BRIDE(STOP) WANT TO MEET YOURS TOO(STOP)F&G PRINTING BUSINESS DOING WELL(STOP)MAKING POTS OF MONEY(STOP)PLEASE

The paper was suddenly plucked from her fingers by Reno, looking tousled and sleepy-eyed and a little annoyed.

“Morning, sugar. Looking for something in particular or are you just plain nosey?”

“I didn’t think you’d mind if I read that telegram, since it was lying out in the open.”

“Did you notice it was addressed to me?”

“Yes.” She narrowed her eyes, thinking about what she’d read. Reno held the paper above her head, out of reach. That he was trying to keep it from her was infuriating. She jumped and snagged the telegram, then danced backward when he tried to grab it. “What are you hiding, Reno? Who is Lewis Fields? Why does he think you own this saloon?”

She regarded him, her gaze slipping down his naked body, her pulse quickening when she noticed that he wasn’t completely … at ease. She grinned. He
frowned and snatched the sheet off the bed, wrapping it around his waist.

“Lewis is a fella I know from back in Deadwood.” He kicked at the clothes on the floor. “Where the hell are my pants?”

She pointed to the other side of the bed. “Somewhere over there, I think. Does he own this saloon?”

“No, I do.”

Adele laughed, shaking her head. “Very funny. Now tell me the truth, Reno. No more games.”

He sat on the side of the bed, trousers in hand, and brought his gaze up to hers. “All right. No more games.” He dropped his pants back to the floor and spread a hand over his chest in the region of his heart. “As much as I hate to tell you this, as much as it pains me to burst your bubble …” He drew in a deep breath and shook his head in a moment of high drama.

“Just spit it out, Gold,” Adele snapped.

“Okay, okay. Dellie, not only am I the bravest man you’ve ever met, I’m afraid I’m also the richest.” He sent her a devilish wink. “My last name isn’t Gold for nothing, sugar.”

“R
ich?” For a moment she believed him, but then the absurdity of the idea tickled her and she laughed and waved the telegram at him like a flag. “Do I look like a fool, Reno Gold? Now quit your joshing and tell me the truth.”