After the Ashes(16)
He shrugged. “Sorry, Lorelei. He knows me.”
She refused to turn away from his blunt clarification of his character. He was hiding his real intentions, and she wouldn’t drop her gaze no matter how desperately she wanted to. “Why did you come back?”
He returned to drying his horse. “Someone followed our trail to the ranch. Thought it might be Mulcahy.”
She sagged again at the reminder of the outlaw. She wasn’t safe alone. Nor was she safe with him. “I’m sure you’d be more comfortable in town.”
He dropped down to one knee and lifted his horse’s right front hoof. “If I leave, Langston might haul you in to see if it brings back Corey.” He picked out a pebble, then went onto the next hoof. “He needs a few notches in his belt to get permanent deputy marshal position.” He examined the last of the four hooves, straightened, and brushed his hands off on his thighs. Reaching out, he grabbed Lorelei’s wrist so casually that she didn’t resist when he pulled her to him.
“Don’t fight me. He’s watching through field glasses.”
Lorelei let him press her against the length of his body, but she kept her back straight. He wasn’t going to see her swoon just because his hot breath teased her cheek or his chest brushed against hers. Despite her traitorous body and the things she’d been forced to do to protect her family, she still had a little pride left.
“If you don’t believe me, you can see the sun reflecting off glass over my left shoulder.”
A flash of light winked beside a distant clump of cactus, taunting her.
Braddock rocked her in his arms, nudging her closer against him. She jerked her gaze back to his. She felt the rumble of laughter in his chest as much as heard it.
His teeth were white and even. It was amazing that he didn’t smile more with such nice teeth. “We need to make this look good. You’re as stiff as…” He laughed again. “Never mind.”
She gripped his biceps, fighting the urge to lean into him. His little joke about something being stiff didn’t escape her, not when it pressed against her stomach. But she was sure another woman, a lady, would never acknowledge such a thing, even to herself.
“Why are you going to all this trouble to help me?”
At her question he seemed to withdraw, though he held her just as close. “I don’t want Langston to get a jump on my bounty.”
“You think you can use me to trap my brother.” She tried to jerk away. Though his body responded readily enough, he had no trouble separating his cold intentions from any attraction he might have for her.
His grip tightened. “Hold on there. I want Mulcahy. Your brother is my only lead. If Langston gets him, he’ll be out of commission. And so will you. You could be arrested for aiding your brother, you know?”
She hadn’t known. Braddock had saved her and appeared to be Corey’s only hope. Though his motivation served his own purposes more than she liked. She put her hands on his chest to push him away. His nearness flustered her, almost convinced her they were allies when in reality they were hardly on the same side.
“I guess I’d better make you something to eat. Looks like I have no choice but to keep you around.”
“Before I let you go, I want you to kiss me.”
“Excuse me?”
“Langston’s watching. So far all he’s seen is me grabbing you and you trying to get away.”
Lorelei wanted to refuse, but she didn’t want him to know such a minor request raised a cacophony of discordant emotions, desire being the most earsplitting. To reach his mouth, she was forced to stand on her toes. He was definitely making her work to hold up her part of their charade. Or was he testing his appeal? She’d kiss him quick and dry and be done with it.
She slipped her hand around the back of his neck and guided his head down to hers.
The smooth, warm texture of his lips surprised her, leaving her unguarded for the purely pleasant sensation that washed through her. She allowed the moment to languish longer than she intended while waiting for his restraint to crack. When he didn’t try to force the kiss, just responded to her, she came down on her heels. His grip tightened before her feet landed firmly in the dirt.
“Not like in the hotel. A real kiss,” he said against her lips.
His reminder of their shared intimacy convinced her beyond a doubt he was toying with her. He thought he could melt her with his masculine arrogance, but Lorelei knew she was a good kisser. She’d sent many a boy off to war with a dreamy smile on his face, promises of wedding bells on his lips. Braddock would be the one to swoon now.
With the tip of her tongue she traced the softly parted crease of his lips. When he responded by opening his mouth a little wider, she grew more daring and slid her tongue against his. He was warm and tasted of something sweet, like mint candy. His scent filled her, and she instantly recognized the smell from his bedroll. No wonder she had lain awake thinking of him. His sleeping bag smelled of sage and desert wind, too much like the man. Below the lighter scents was something dark and strong, like worn leather, but not that at all. It was uniquely him, uniquely male. Everything about him wrapped around her like the bedroll, and she couldn’t resist slipping deeper into the lush comfort he offered.