The Fortune (21 page)

“
Merde
! That is blackmail.” Her mouth tightened. “He should be fired from his job or better yet, go to jail himself.”

“I don’t care a damn thing about him but I do care about getting you back to your family and shaking off the nightmare of the last few days.” He tried not to think about the loss of his savings. Frankie and her freedom were more important than hanging onto the funds.

“Are you going to pay him?”

“Yes.”

“Dammit, what are you thinking? He will take your money, then arrest you. That man cannot be trusted at all.” She sounded so fierce, like a female lion protecting her mate. Gave him a little shiver of pride since he knew she was protecting
him
. Besides that she’d cursed because of it. Double shiver.

“Don’t worry. He’s going to sign a paper releasing us of any charges. I’m going to have him do it in front of half the ranch. Then I’m going to ask Elias to escort the man off the property.” He put his arm around his shoulders. “Since it’s nearly evening, I was thinking we should spend the night here. Haven’t slept in a bed in a long time. A real bath might be nice, too. I’m sure Fuller would want us to stay.”

Her face lit up. “A bath? After using cold streams and buckets of water for months, a real bath would be
magnifique.
” She lapsed into a thicker accent, and when she spoke French, John’s entire body reacted like she’d reached out and grabbed his dick.

Maybe sleeping in a house with beds wasn’t such a wise idea. They might not sleep at all.

The day had sapped Frankie’s strength. Her eyes burned with exhaustion, but she kept it from John. He stood beside the table, his arms crossed over his powerful chest, wearing a scowl deep enough to leave a dent in his forehead. Sheriff Everett was about to walk away with John’s money. It was a fortune, more than she realized he had.

The faux lawman signed the paper absolving them of charges, under the watchful eyes of half a dozen ranch hands. He rose, took the bag of golden eagles, the coins clinking merrily as John’s money walked out the door clutched in the dirty hands of a dirty man. She wanted to shoot him.

“Now you gonna tell me what the hell that bribe was about?” Elias cocked one brow, the gravel-voiced foreman had a right to be suspicious.

“Frankie and I did some, uh, remodeling in his jailhouse when we broke out. He didn’t appreciate it. He was going to haul us back there if we didn’t pay for it.” John’s voice was tighter than she’d ever heard before. “The paper says he won’t come after us for the murder charge or the damage. I need to get my wife back to her family.”

He met her gaze and she saw the honor deeply ingrained in his soul. John Malloy was a good man. More than that, he was a good person. At that very moment, time stopped for her and her heart thundered hard and fast. She would love him always. For good. Forever. He had given up everything for her, because he knew her family was more important to her than anything.

Wouldn’t he be surprised to find out that was no longer true?

Frankie loved her family dearly, and always would. If she was honest with herself though, John had taken over first in her heart. It shocked her and she trembled from the power of the thought. He was more important than anything and anybody.

She stared at him, went over the rugged lines of his face, the strong jaw and the day’s whiskers. His deep blue eyes were set by eyebrows slightly darker than his chestnut brown hair. His shoulders were broad and muscled, tapering to a lean waist and hips. He was perfectly made and he was hers. A fierce protectiveness rose up within her.

“We need to turn him into the marshals for what he has done.” She warmed to the idea quickly. “He is a crooked lawman and does not deserve a badge.”

John chuckled and pulled her under his arm. His body heat surrounded her and she found herself leaning into him. “I’d rather forget about him and ride west.”

“Without your money.” She frowned at him, confused by his refusal to right a wrong. “You should not have given it to him.”

He stepped away and scowled. “You need to let this go, Frankie. It was my choice and I made it.”

The warm feeling she had looking at him began to fade. He was still arrogant, no matter if she was in love with him or not. “You should have told me before you made that choice.”

“No, I shouldn’t have. It was
my
money.”

The air grew thick with tension as the two of them squared off. Doing battle with him was familiar, and it actually eased the churning in her stomach. Who knew that fighting with the man was what she needed?

“I, uh, think we’ll just step out and let you two settle this.” Elias tipped his hat to her and the six ranch hands filed out of the room, murmuring to each other. Most of them shot glances at her from beneath their hats.

She didn’t give a fig for what they thought. In the morning, she would be on her way and she would never see them again. John watched her as they left, his gaze narrowed.

“Do not you dare look at me like that, John Malloy. We are in this together, you and I, and you cannot make decisions without me or keep secrets from me.” She pointed at him, lecturing as she would her younger sisters. “I will not be ignored or dismissed because you think it is
your
choice.”

“You might think you can order me around, but you can’t.” He snatched her finger with his big hand. “There’s no gun on this hand anymore—you can’t shoot me and you sure as hell can’t force me.”

Frankie managed not to gasp, but it was difficult. There was no use letting the man know how affected she was by him. She was small compared to him, but that didn’t mean she was powerless. A woman always had power over a man. She wasn’t a practiced flirt, but she could do her best with the measly skills she had.

She put her hands on her hips and thrust out her chest. His gaze dropped to her breasts, and a thrill of feminine pride trickled through her. She sauntered toward him, swinging her hips and doing her best to appear seductive.

She hoped it was working.

“What are you doing?” His brows drew together.

“I am taking you up on the offer of a bath and a real bed. I need to take off all these clothes and wash them.” She licked her lips. “And me.”

Before she could react, he’d pulled her flush against him and his mouth fused with hers. She melted into a boneless heap of want as the familiar heat between them sparked to a roaring blaze. Her nipples ached, pressed against his chest, and a low throb began deep in her belly. Much to her surprise, his kisses aroused her to a fever in seconds. She never thought she would ever want a man, least of all so quickly and simply. Loving him had shown her what two people could have and she wanted it, every day for the rest of her life.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss with everything that was in her heart. Until now, they had only touched each other, kissed and found pleasure in those simple things. This would take them far beyond that into a joining. She hadn’t expected to find a man she wanted to give herself to.

John Malloy changed all that.

Her heart was engaged, fully, completely. That meant her body and soul were too. Simply being in his arms was enough to send waves of heat through her, shimmers of passion raced down her skin. She needed more. Much more.

“Where is the bedroom?” she murmured around his kisses.

“Huh?”

“The bedroom?” Her voice was breathy with need.

“Oh, hell, the bedroom.” He scooped her up in his arms and walked toward the back of the house.

She quite enjoyed the sensation of being carried. It wasn’t an experience she could claim before now. He made her feel very feminine, made her want to preen from the masculine attention.

That was it. He turned her into a silly woman. And she rather liked it.

He stepped into a room. A bed covered with a white quilt and a fluffy mattress loomed behind them, full of promised pleasure. The only other furniture was a washstand against the wall. The late afternoon sunlight slid across the floor, bathing the room in a soft orange glow. It was perfect.

He laid her on the bed with care, then stood to look at her. His cock stood at attention in his trousers, pushing against the buttons. She wanted to touch him, to explore his body, but he merely looked at her, his gaze unreadable.

“Why are you staring?”

“Taking my time looking at the most perfect, beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” There was no mistaking the emotion or the honesty in his tone.

She pushed away her own emotions, needing to simply join with him. To reaffirm life and strengthen the bond that existed between them already.

“Flatterer.” She smiled. “How about you take off your clothes and I take off mine and we see what happens?”

He shook his head. “You keep surprising the hell out of me.”

“Good, then my plan is working.” She started unbuttoning her dress and his gaze locked on her fingers. “You are falling behind.”

He made her eat her words by undressing in less than a minute, while she struggled to rid herself of the multiple layers of feminine frippery. Soon they were both naked and she tingled with anticipation, looking up at the nude, virile man with a very hard dick pointing straight at her.

“Are you sure about this?” The words were almost forced from his throat, but he said them and she appreciated them all the more.

Frankie opened her arms and smiled. “Never more sure of anything in my life.”

“Thank God.” He climbed onto the bed with the grace of a panther, sliding up her body with his. The contrast of his roughness against her softness raised every small hair in its wake.

By the time he reached her mouth, he covered her, hot and hard. He kissed her softly at first, little strokes meant to tease and taunt. Her nipples hardened to aching points, rubbing lightly on the hair on his chest. She moaned into his mouth and he swallowed her anticipation.

His hands were everywhere, caressing, touching, pulling her along on a journey with him. As he kissed her endlessly, his fingers plucked her nipples until she thought she might lose her mind. His other hand crept down to land between her legs. His cock lay against her leg, its pulsing heat mirroring her own.

Heedless of his own needs, he stroked her pussy, long languid caresses from top to bottom. He circled her clit, the bundle of nerves near to screaming in want. She trembled each time he reached it, slow, sweet touches that were driving her mad.

“Please, John. I need more.” She pulled at his back, eager to find release. The eager wanton she had become craved her man, to join with him.

“Are you sure?”

“If you ask me that again, I will shoot you.” She spread her legs wide and wiggled until her wetness came in contact with his staff. “Now, make love to me.”

“I thought I was.” He nipped at her ear and she pinched his ass.

“Ow!”

“You created a monster, John Malloy. If you do not proceed immediately I will not be responsible for my actions.”

He chuckled and lapped at a nipple. “I love it when you get mad. Your accent gets deeper. It’s, ah, appealing, you know.”

“I do not want to talk about my—”

He thrust into her in one stroke, filling her. She gasped at the sheer pleasure ricocheting through her. She never knew how incredible it would be to make love to a man, to this man. It was indescribable, chasing away any remaining shadows of her former life.
 

Then he began to move. As with his earlier ministrations, his pace was slow and measured. While his mouth continued to suck and nip at her breasts, his cock filled her again and again. The friction sent shards of delicious heat through her with each thrust.

Yes
.

She scratched at his back, needing something, but she didn’t know what. He drove her to madness with his restraint. She wanted to let herself go completely and fly in the wind of their love.

He bit her nipple and she arched up for more. Each time his teeth closed around her nipple, an answering tug pulled at her core. She wound tighter and tighter, pulling her closer to the release she didn’t know she could have joined with a man. Yet he brought her more than just that, he showed her what she could do.

Frankie wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him deeper into her body. He groaned against her skin and his steady pace was no longer slow or measured. He pumped into her faster, harder, touching her deep within.

Yes
.

The coil inside her exploded and she shattered into a thousand pieces. Ecstasy washed over her, pulling her into a vortex of pure joy. She couldn’t catch her breath or even find enough to form a single thought except one.

I love you, John
.

He shouted her name on a growl and buried himself inside her, spilling his seed. She clung to him, throbbing, riding the waves with him. She wanted to tell him, to confess what she felt in her heart, to open her heart completely.

Yet she remained silent, unable to speak a word.

He withdrew from her body and tucked them both under the quilt. She snuggled into his warmth, loving every second she was with him and wondering how long she could hang onto him. He had become her world and she was terrified she would lose him to her own cowardice.