Nevada Heat (17 page)

"Jesse," she called his name softly. Her head thrown back, Miranda was lost in the all-encompassing feelings rushing through her. When his mouth moved on her breast, it was as though he was drawing her soul into his.

A curling spiral of need started in the pit of her stomach and spread quickly. She'd never known anything like this before. Never even imagined that this kind of pleasure existed.

His tongue drew circles around her nipple and she felt the edges of his teeth move over the tender flesh. She arched against him, instinctively seeking more. In the very center of her, a tingling began, quickly building into a pulsing need. Miranda held his head to her breast, long past any idea of stopping him.

If she could, she knew she would keep him there forever. When he turned his attention to her other breast, slipping one hand under the chemise to caress her skin, Miranda groaned and opened her eyes wide. Above them the night sky was fading away into a parade of early-morning colors. She saw and felt each shade of pink and yellow and lavender. They became a part of her, swirling through her mind, mingling with the delicious sensations Jesse brought to her body.

He groaned, shifted her position slightly, and moved his free hand down over the curve of her hip. His mouth continued to tease her breasts, each in turn, but now Jesse's hand slipped between her legs and began to rub the center of her need. Through the soft, worn buckskin trousers she wore, Miranda felt the pressure of his thumb against another bud. And when he touched the throbbing, sensitive spot, she jumped in his arms.

“Hush, Miranda," he whispered, his breath cool against the dampness of her breast. “I won't hurt you. Hush now."

She eased back into his grasp and gave herself into his hands. His wonderful hands. So tender with Serena and now so strong and sure with her.

It was too much, she told herself frantically. The suckling at her breast and the hard warmth of his hand rubbing the core of her until she thought she would die with the expectation. There was more to come, she knew. She could feel it. A mounting sense of urgency filled her body. Every nerve screamed with the tension.

Cautiously she lifted her right leg higher, resting it against his hipbone. Somehow she wanted to give him more, open herself to him more.

“Yes, M'randa," he gasped, his own need to bring her pleasure blinding him to everything else. His thumb moved even more quickly over the worn buckskin.

She gasped, arched her back, and dug her fingernails into his shoulders. Something was happening. Something was going to burst. She felt it.

She opened her eyes wide. Her breath was reduced to short gasps. The colors in the sky overhead seemed to drop down and surround her. Jesse's fingers moved quickly back and forth over her sensitive flesh, seeming to draw the heat of the coming sun into her body. Spreading and growing inside, the soft colors of the dawn raced through her until there was nowhere for them to go and they split apart… shattering Miranda with their brightness and trembling through her with a shaking, rhythmic pleasure.

Chapter 10

She had no strength. Her limbs hung uselessly, and if not for Jesse's arms around her, Miranda would have fallen to the ground. Now that the astonishing throbbing had eased, she was left with a delightful contentment.

With one hand, Jesse pulled the edges of her shirt together and she was only mildly surprised that she wasn't embarrassed at all. Slowly, letting her body slide down his, Jesse lowered her until her feet were firmly on solid ground again. Immediately Miranda leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. His heartbeat pounded out frantically beneath her ear. She drew a deep, shuddering breath into her lungs and tried to think of something to say. But what was there to say?

Thank you?

That hardly seemed appropriate. And yet Miranda felt a need to touch him somehow. To let him know what he'd done to her. And how much she'd enjoyed it.

#

Jesse clenched his teeth. The ache in his groin was almost unbearable. Just having her pressed up close to him was torture. What in the hell had he gotten himself into? And how could he have let things get so far out of hand?

Deliberately he closed his arms around her, cradling her still-trembling form tenderly. Though his own body screamed for release, Jesse didn't think he would change a thing. Just watching her face as the tremors shook her had almost been enough to kill him. If he'd had to survive his own satisfaction as well, it might have been too much for him.

As it stood now, he was hard put not to touch her again. All he wanted to do was to bury himself in her. To look down at her face and watch her lips curve in pleasure. To slide his fingers in and out of her warmth and know that he and he alone held Miranda's secrets.

He groaned and slapped the back of his head against the post. She didn't seem to notice. Reluctantly Jesse grinned. She probably wouldn't notice if a buffalo stampede thundered past them right now.

What was he going to do? Like it or not, things had changed between them. Her little plan to treat each other as "friends” was a miserable failure. But was he really ready to set aside the justice he'd been seeking for two long years?

His hands moved over her back slowly and he could have sworn that she was damn near to purring. No, even for Miranda, he wouldn't stop his quest. But whatever else happened, he knew he couldn't give her up. Not now. Not yet. Maybe it was selfish of him, but Miranda Perry was the only good thing to touch him in longer than he cared to think about.

And he couldn't bear the thought of losing her.

A far-off staccato sound drifted on the morning air and Jesse stiffened.

“What?” She raised her head.

“Hush.” Jesse's hand came up to cover her mouth briefly. "Listen."

They held their breaths, straining to hear more. After a long silence, another brief scattering of distant pops reached them.

Miranda straightened up and he reluctantly let go. They turned as one to stare at the mouth of the canyon.

"Gunshots," she whispered.

"Yeah."

He'd almost forgotten about the men and women facing a raiding party. They were so far off and the high walls of the canyon twisted and turned so that the gunshots sounded as if they came from a dream. Jesse glanced down at the woman beside him and knew that he was wrong. What he had just shared with Miranda was the dream. The other people, the canyon, the Indians… they were real.

Miranda quickly did up the buttons on her shirt, keeping her eyes fixed on the far, red rock wall. Already she was distancing herself from him. He could feel it as surely as if she'd already left him in the street alone.

"They don't appear to be doing much firing," she said finally.

“No.” Jesse's gaze slid sadly away from her.

"Maybe that's a good sign."

"Maybe." She turned toward the door to Serena's cabin. “I, uh, should go check on Serena and the

baby."

“Yeah.” He pulled his hat brim low and didn't look at her. "Reckon so."

"Jesse," she began uncertainly, “I…"

“You go on, Miranda." He stepped off the boardwalk into the street. “I’ll keep watch."

“Jesse…"

“Just go in, Miranda." He kicked a pebble and watched it skitter across the road. "Please."

He held his breath until he heard her go inside and close the door behind her. He was alone again.

#

"C'mon, darlin'," Dave urged, and tugged on her hand. "Somethin's wrong."

"Don't call me darlin'," Shelly muttered halfheartedly, and hurried her steps. Since the floodwaters dropped and they'd crossed the creek, Dave had been practically dragging her back to town. She hadn't heard a thing, but he swore he'd heard gunshots.

As they rounded the edge of the corral Shelly was willing to admit that something unusual was going on. There was no one in the street. And generally, even at dawn, there were a few early risers wandering about. Dave's grip on her hand tightened and she tried not to think about how good it felt.

“Hey!” Dave shouted.

Shelly squinted up the street. It was no use. She couldn't see who the man was yelling at. Then a figure stepped clear of the early-morning shadows. Jesse.

“Hey, Jes!"

Shelly pulled at Dave, trying to slow him down. He only shot her a quick glance and continued on. Jesse was walking toward them.

"What the hell's goin' on, Jes?"

Another short burst of firing came from the cliffs, and this time Shelly turned with the men to stare at the mouth of the canyon.

“Buck rode in last night. Said a small raidin' party was settlin' in." Jesse narrowed his gaze as though he could see the small group of defenders clustered on the rocks.

“Who all's up there?" Dave whispered, still listening for more gunshots.

“Just about ever'body." Jesse jerked his thumb toward Serena's cabin. "Miranda, Ezra, and Serena are in yonder. I stayed, just in case."

Dave nodded. "They all right?”

“Yeah. Serena's baby came last night, too."

Shelly's jaw dropped. “Did Miranda deliver it?"

He shook his head. "I did."

Dave slapped Jesse's shoulder and grinned. "Hell, you had you quite a night, old son!"

Shelly paid no attention to Dave. Instead she watched Jesse's eyes. He wasn't telling everything.

"Miss Shelly…"

She turned to look at the tall blond beside her.

“You best stay with Serena and Miranda. Jesse'll be here. I'm goin' on up to the rocks to help the others."

“Wait a minute," Jesse interrupted him. “I been here all night, I'll go. You stay."

Dave smiled and shook his head. “Who told you to stay put here? Birdwell?"

Jesse nodded.

"Then you best do it. Don't wanna make that man mad now, do ya?”

Jesse's teeth ground together, but he didn't argue. Shelly was already on her way to the cabin when Dave called to her. She stopped and looked over her shoulder.

“I'll be back directly, Miss Shelly." He smiled knowingly. “You take care now, y'hear?"

Jesse looked from one to the other of them, clearly confused.

She stared at Dave for a long moment, then slowly turned away and moved for Serena's place. No point in pretendin' anything was gonna be different, she told herself. No point at all. Grudgingly she remembered the night before. He'd held her all through the long, cold darkness and never once let his hands go roamin'. She knew it for a fact. Heaven knew, she'd waked up often enough to be sure.

But if he wasn't after her body, what was he interested in? She walked quickly across the wooden boardwalk and grabbed the doorknob. Love. That's what he'd said. Love. She snorted. It wasn't the first time she'd heard that word. Damn fools seemed. To think all they had to do was say “I love you" and a woman would just curl up and die. Well, not this woman. She'd had to learn her lessons the hard way, but by thunder… she'd learned.

Dave Black seemed to be a nice enough man. But when all was said and done, he was still a man. And men seemed to use the word “love" almighty easy. Most of 'em forgot it even quicker.

She straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath, and pushed the door wide. Time to put all that nonsense behind her and get about her business.

#

"She seems fine." Shelly dropped the sheet back into place, glanced at the still sleeping Serena, and whispered to Miranda. "That's a good-lookin' child. He give you much trouble?"

Miranda paled for a moment in memory of Serena's long, painful labor. But just as quickly the memory of Jesse's strength and tenderness invaded her mind. She smiled and shook her head. "No. Jesse says everything happened just as it should."

Shelly's lips quirked. "He does, does he?"

"Oh, yes. Shelly, you should have seen him!" Miranda moved around the end of the bed and stepped up beside her friend. “He was wonderful. So kind, so gentle. If he hadn't been here, I don't know what I would have done."

Shelly looked into the other woman's eyes and felt the unmistakable stirrings of jealousy. She chided herself for her foolishness. After all, for Serena's sake, Shelly should be glad that the man was here to help. For all the use Miranda and Ezra would have been, Serena would have been as good as alone. And still, it panged her to hear Miranda talk about that fella like he was some kind of storybook hero. Always, it had been she who Miranda'd looked up to. Come to for advice. Trusted. Now it seemed to Shelly that her friend's loyalties were shifting to a no-good outlaw who would be riding out of the canyon — and Miranda's life — as soon as it suited him.

And by the glow on Miranda's face, it was too damn late to do anything to stop it

A sudden suspicion snaked through Shelly's mind. She recalled clearly the almost haunted look on Jesse's face earlier. And now that she took the time to notice, Shelly thought she saw the same sort of elusive shadows dancing behind Miranda's usually forthright gaze.