Outlaw Hearts(62)
She felt as though she was floating in another world. His big hands covered her bottom, pulled her to him in perfect, exhilarating union . She had seen that most manly part of him, knew he was a man built to give a woman great pleasure. It was even more wonderful than she had dreamed it might be. He surged hard and deep, groaning with every thrust, meeting her mouth again and running his tongue deep as though claiming her mouth as he possessed her body.
He was wild and hard and determined, just the way she knew a man like Jake would be. She wondered why it had been so easy to open herself to him, was surprised at her own boldness. He came down close then, kept one hand under her bottom and gently molded her breast with the other, kissing it through the material of her dress, arousing an ache to be naked so that she could offer him the breast fully, enjoy the feel of him tasting her nipple. Never had she had such lustful, near-sinful thoughts, not even with Mack. Was it because of the kind of man Jake was, dangerous, forbidden?
“God, I love you, Randy,” he whispered, kissing her so fiercely it almost hurt. She felt his life surge into her then, and he uttered her name in a kind of whimper, as though in an agony of his own. When he was finished, he lay quietly for several long seconds, his face resting against her breasts.
“My God,” he finally muttered. “What the hell have I done?”
Miranda ran her fingers into his thick, dark hair. “Made love to me. That’s all. It wasn’t something terrible, Jake.”
“Wasn’t it?” He rolled away from her, pulling down her dress and covering himself with a blanket. “Jesus, I’m sorry, Randy.” He put a hand to his eyes. “My God,” he repeated. “I’m sorry I talked to you like that. For Christ’s sake, I half forced you.”
She raised up on one elbow and leaned over to touch his face. She kissed his cheek. “You have got to stop cussing, Jake Harkner.” She put her head on his shoulder. “If I had felt forced, I would have fought back and you would have stopped. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t. You’ve just never done this before when love was involved. You don’t understand what just happened to you, but I know what happened to me, Jake. I let the man that I love be a part of me. Just for tonight let’s accept the fact that we want to be together. Let’s not worry about how right or wrong it is, or what is going to happen tomorrow or next week or next month. I want you, Jake. It’s already dark outside. Why not just stay in here with me tonight? I’m so tired of sleeping alone.”
He turned, pressing her shoulders into the blankets and hovering over her, searching the eyes he thought were so pretty, eyes that had cast some kind of spell on him. “I hurt every person who comes into my life, Randy.”
She touched his face lightly, tracing her slender fingers over his eyebrows, his nose, his lips, studying the longing in his dark, fiery eyes. “Only because they hurt you first. I’ll never hurt you, Jake. We have a good six weeks of travel left, maybe longer, plenty of time to talk. Tonight let’s just be together.”
He closed his eyes and stretched out beside her, kissing her hair. “I’m no good, Randy. There’s no future with a man like me.”
She ran a hand inside his shirt and leaned closer to kiss his chest. “We don’t know that yet. And you are good, Jake.”
He wrapped his fingers into her hair and rolled on top of her. “If I was really good, I would never have let things go this far with you. You mean too much to me, and if you stay with me you’re going to suffer, Randy. You’ll always be running, always wondering when someone might find out who I am and come gunning for me. Life is hell with me, believe me—”
She touched his lips again. “Tell me you can take me to Nevada now and just leave me there and ride off without me. Can you do that, Jake?” His only reply was to meet her mouth in a savage kiss.
Ten
Miranda opened her eyes and stared at the saddle stored in the wagon. Jake’s saddle. She lay still, gathering her thoughts, realizing the strong arm that was secured around her from behind belonged to Jake; remembering then a night of heated, sometimes almost violent lovemaking.
Had she really let it all happen, even welcomed it? A dull, yet pleasant ache deep in her belly told her she had, and now she lay here naked, her back snuggled against this man she once thought any decent person should surely hate. She had let Jake Harkner make love to her, not just once, but several times and she had responded. He had tasted and explored and claimed and invaded her, and not once had she felt it was wrong or sinful. Maybe to others it would look that way, but not to her. She had fallen in love with a man who desperately needed to be loved, even if he didn’t know it himself.