Flirting With The Law (Outlaw Brides Book 1)(18)

Maddie stepped back from Seth's embrace. He let her, or she'd still be  securely within his arms. I wanted to be the one to hold her, but I  couldn't. Was it all an act? A ruse, just like whatever she'd done to  coax the money from the tellers at four different banks?         

     



 

"Did I kill my-oh, you mean the Black Widow?" She sniffed, wiped the  tear streaks from her pale cheeks. "Of course I didn't kill Orville. He  died of the ‘flu."

When I didn't say anything, she filled in the silence. "That was years  ago. Mr. Rollins first approached my father last summer. I only robbed  the first bank last month."

When I still didn't speak, she added, "Do I really seem like the person who would kill her husband?"

I looked away from her pale eyes. "No, but Seth and I both have reason for concern, don't we?"

She blanched at that. "You said you knew me. Really knew me when you had  me naked and beneath you. Did you marry me just so you could fuck me?"

"No, but you perhaps married us for protection," Seth added.

"I didn't even know you were US Marshals until just before we went to  the sheriff. If you remember correctly, we didn't do much talking."

No, we didn't. I'd said I wanted her to call me God.

Seth sighed. "Come out of the sun, sweetheart, and tell us everything."

I could tell by the stiff line of his shoulders he wasn't happy, but he  wasn't planning on stringing her up either. I was just mad I'd been  tricked. Seth was right. Maddie wasn't our usual suspect and we didn't  have to treat her as one. We'd married her because we knew deep down she  was a good person. I had to remember that as I tried not to judge her  now.

Seth held out his hand and she took it, let him lead her around the  stage and thankfully away from the dead body. He lowered himself to lean  against the back of the stage where they were in shadow, pulled her  down to sit in front of him, her body settled back against his chest,  his arms about her waist.

"Relax," he told her.

"It's somewhat hard to do when being interrogated," she countered.

"Tell us everything. Landon will sit his grumpy ass down and listen."

I was being the ridiculous one now, so I settled on the ground facing them, my legs sprawled out before me.

"Tell us everything."

She took a deep breath, went through it all again. She explained what  happened with the ranch, how Rollins had ruined other families as well.  How she'd formulated a plan to get the money back for herself and the  others. How she robbed the bank, all of it. "And so yesterday, before  you returned, I gave the money to the friend I spoke of meeting. That  had been the truth. It was actually two friends. They collected their  portion and left."

"A tall dark haired woman and a short blond?"

Maddie's eyes widened. "Yes, how did you know?"

Her voice held brittle tension, as if she was afraid to admit who they  were. Were they more than just women who'd had their family ranches  taken away? Were they accomplices? But the one teller we'd interviewed  had been lovestruck by the robber. No, he'd been lovestruck by Maddie  and had been little help. He'd never said anything about accomplices.  None of the reports from the other robberies mentioned three gun toting  women. One was memorable, but three?

"We held the door for them when they came out of the hotel. While we  have made you our bride, Landon and I still notice a pretty face or  two."

"I'm … I'm still yours?"

She sat up, turned so she could look Seth in the eye.

"Why would Rollins make you out to be such a villain?" he asked.

Maddie got up to her knees, but made it no further, because I took hold  of the hem of her dress, tugged her back down. "Why Maddie?"

"Because he's a terrible man!" she cried. "Someone told him no. Because I made a fool of him."

Maddie sank back to the ground, as if deflated.

That was true. I even felt the fool for marrying her and not knowing  what she'd done. But Rollins? He'd been robbed four times, and by a  woman. She'd had a gun, but never pulled the trigger. She'd smiled at  the teller, told him what she wanted and he'd just given it to her. Each  time.

Our wife had charmed all four tellers, and us. As for Rollins, all  Maddie had done was make him mad, so mad that he was willing to destroy  her.

"Fuck," I murmured. Seth looked to me. "What would have happened if some other Marshals had been called in?"

I saw the second Seth understood. If we hadn't been the men sent to meet  with Rollins, there was a good chance they'd believe Rollins over  Maddie. They'd think she was the ruthless, cunning woman he'd made her  out to be.

She was cunning, that was for sure. Smart, too. She'd tricked Rollins and everyone else, including us.         

     



 

And that meant the Marshals wouldn't have stood by and let a woman best  them either. She'd have gone before the judge and been hung. All for  taking what belonged to her and the others Rollins had wronged.

If she'd been a man, she could have confronted Rollins, made it right by  threats alone. A broken nose and a busted lip. No man would be arrested  for that. No wanted posters would have been made. No US Marshals would  have been called in. Just revenge or retribution. Wild west law at play.  Nothing else.

But Maddie, sweet, perfect Maddie, would have been destroyed.

Reaching out, I grabbed for her, pulled her easily onto my lap so she  straddled my legs. Her skirts rode up and bunched about her thighs as  she gripped my shoulders for balance.

"Landon," she breathed, her eyes wide as she met mine.

God, she was perfect. No, she wasn't perfect. She was far from it and  that's what I loved about her. She was feisty and determined,  tenderhearted and passionate and so fucking daring. Jesus, I wouldn't  even have the balls to rob a damn bank.

All my anger toward her was gone, bled away by the truth. Rollins was a  fucking ass and I'd deal with him later. Now, Maddie needed me. Us. She  needed to know we would support her, stand behind her in this. We  weren't US Marshals with her. We were her husbands.

Instead of telling her this, I showed her by wrapping my hand about her  neck and pulling her down for a kiss. At first, she was stunned and  didn't kiss me back, but I finally felt her melt in my hold. Seth moved  up behind her, told her everything I couldn't because I damn well wasn't  lifting my head.

"You're ours, sweetheart. We want you. Need you. Landon's going to show you how much, then it'll be my turn."

With my arm about her waist, I spun us about, lowered her to the grass so I hovered over her.

"This is going to be fast."

Her eyes held no more wariness, only desire. With frantic fingers, she  reached down and worked the hem of her dress up, higher and higher until  it bunched about her waist. She was bare, just as we liked her. "Hurry.  Please," she begged. "I need you inside me."

I needed to be inside her, too. I opened my pants in seconds, pulled out  my cock, which was throbbing with need to sink deep. Shifting, I  settled between her parted thighs, aligned myself and filled her in one  stroke.

Maddie's head angled back and her eyes fell closed. I couldn't help the  groan, for she was hot and wet and all but squeezing my cock. There was  no place else I wanted to be. Taking hold of her hips, I moved her as I  wanted. I wasn't gentle, my fingers most likely leaving marks. I didn't  care and the way Maddie cried out each time I plunged deep, neither did  she. I was going to come. Yes, I'd been reduced to a randy teenager and  spending within seconds, but this wasn't just fucking, this was a  release. We'd almost died and then I discovered my wife was a vigilante  and the man who hired us was a vindictive fucker hellbent on revenge. I  needed a release, but I needed it with Maddie more.

I needed her to feel as good as me, to know that this kind of pleasure  would only come with her husbands, that we'd give it to her. Yet this  time, it was about taking, too. I needed her, needed to know she was  alive and whole and not the ruthless criminal she'd been depicted to be.

No, she was my wife and I was going to come, to fill her with my seed.

"Mine," I growled, then kissed her. I didn't stop pumping into her.  "Come, Maddie. Let me feel you milk the seed from my balls." My  breathing was ragged and sweat dripped down my brow, even though we were  in the shade.

Perhaps it was the command in my voice or that Maddie was just as  desperate as I, but she came with a scream. When she rippled and  tightened around me, I was done for. Gritting my teeth, I gave over to  the pleasure that burst forth along with my seed. A shout rent the air  as I came in long hot pulses.

"Maddie," I murmured, stroking my hand over her damp cheek. She, too,  was catching her breath, but Seth wouldn't give her a chance to rest.

Falling back in the grass, I pulled her with me so I was on my back and  she straddled my waist. She'd pulled all my energy out of me along with  my seed and I didn't want to crush her.