Dashing Druid (Texas Druids) (20 page)

“Tye!” Lil yelled, fresh terror rushing from her to engulf his receptive brain. With it came a pounding headache.

“I’m almost to ye. Hang on,” he called, ignoring the pain.

He’d pulled nearly even with her, but a tight knot of longhorns separated them. Despair showed in her huge dark eyes, ripping into him like a knife to his heart. Then a horn tip grazed her thigh, and she cried out.

“
Géill slí
! Move, ye bastards!” Tye roared, forcing his roan straight into the thicket of horns.

“Don’t! You’ll get killed!” Lil shrieked.

Cursing in English and Gaelic, Tye pounded noses with his fist and cut a path toward her. By some miracle, he and the horse avoided being gored. Then he was there beside her. She reached out, and he scooped her off the longhorn, onto his lap. With a cry of joyous relief that echoed his own feelings, she looped her arms around his neck.

“I’ve got ye, colleen,” he whispered in a hoarse voice, his arm tight around her. “Just hold on to me.”

She pressed her face into the hollow of his throat and clung to him, shaking. Feeling her curl trustingly against him, Tye thanked God for her life as he guided his horse through the horned obstacle course. The roan gelding was a powerful brute, and although he swam a bit lower in the water, he had no trouble carrying the two of them.

Del
waited on the north bank. Pale and obviously shaken, he clutched the reins to Lil’s chestnut. The horse quivered badly, blood trickling from his shoulder. It was a wonder he’d made it out alive.

Kneeing his mount up the bank, Tye brought him to a halt near
Del.
“You’re safe, love,” he murmured, kissing Lil’s brow. She tilted her head back to gaze at him, and he tenderly brushed strands of wet, dark hair from her face. Lord, he hated to turn her loose! He wanted to kiss her until she stopped trembling and kissed him back. But
Del
had dismounted and was reaching up to take her from him.

“Here’s your father,” Tye said hoarsely.

She was as reluctant to let go as he was, he realized, but she slowly relaxed her grip. Then she glanced down and gave a strangled sob when she saw her father.

Tye lowered her into
Del
’s arms. The normally stern man squeezed his eyes shut as he crushed her to him.

“Sweet Jesus! You scared ten years off my life, girl,” he muttered in a thick voice as Lil wept upon his shoulder.

Feeling like an intruder, Tye glanced away and gingerly rubbed his right shoulder. Funny, he hadn’t felt any pain from the panther scratches while Lil was in danger. Now they hurt like the devil, but that was a small price to pay for Lil’s life.

He reined his mount toward the river.

“Devlin, I owe you,”
Del
said gruffly, halting him.

Tye twisted to look at him. “Nay, ’twould grieve me if Lil ever came to harm. There’s nothing owed between us.”

Lil turned in
Del
’s embrace, and Tye smiled at her. Then her tear-wet brown eyes widened.

“You’re bleeding!” she cried, staring at his shoulder.

He glanced down and saw a splotch of red on his wet shirt.

“It’s nothing, colleen. You’re alive. That’s all that matters.” Ignoring her father, he winked and slanted her a grin, then headed back into the river. There were still cattle to bring across. Afterward, he looked forward to dry clothes and a stiff shot of whiskey. His only other wish was for Lil, but he held little hope of having that wish fulfilled.

* * *

Lil shifted restlessly on her bedroll. Exhausted as she was, she ought to be asleep by now,  like the snoring men around her, but she couldn’t sleep until she thanked Tye for saving her life. She’d wanted to speak to him over supper, but with her father and several others gathered around the campfire, she’d found it impossible to say anything. Now she lay here, staring at the stars, waiting for Tye to come in after his night-herd shift. At least they were no longer riding double shifts now that they’d left Panther Creek behind them. It shouldn’t be much longer now.

Finally, she heard Kirby and Jack get up. They rode the second night shift. She kept her eyes shut until after they’d each downed a cup of coffee and ridden out.

Minutes later, Tye and Dewey rode into camp. Lil listened as they settled into their blankets and contained her impatience a while longer, giving Dewey time to fall asleep. At last, she stole from her place and tiptoed over to Tye.

She glanced around. The others all appeared dead to the world, her father included. So did Tye. She hesitated, hating to wake him, but she simply had to relieve her conscience.

One touch on his shoulder, and his eyes popped open. Blinking, he started to speak, but she hushed him with a finger to his lips.

“Come with me,” she mouthed silently, beckoning with her hand.

His eyebrows lifted in surprise, but he sat up quick enough and pulled his boots back on. Seeing him grimace as he rolled to his feet, she bit her lip. He’d had to have Chic re-stitch his right shoulder. This was a bad idea; she should have let him rest.

Nodding, he motioned for her to lead the way.

She hesitated, then pivoted and tiptoed into the darkness with him close behind. Once they’d put a good distance between themselves and camp, she stopped and swung around. Tye’s face was a shadowed blur, but he stood close enough for her to feel his warmth.

Nervous, she stuffed her hands in her pants pockets and moistened her lips. “Sorry for waking you, but I . . . I needed to talk to you. Alone.”

“Aye? Well, I’m all yours, colleen. Say what ye will.”

His husky tone strummed along her spine. Trying to ignore the sensation, she cleared her throat. “It’s just, uh, I want to say thanks. For today. You saved my life, I reckon, and I’m grateful.”

“I was glad to be of service, milady, but as I told your father, I’m not looking for gratitude.” He paused, then added softly, “Though there is one thing I might ask of ye.”

Excitement singed Lil from head to foot when his hand cupped her jaw. She stared at the illusive glint of his eyes. His thumb stroked her cheek, and she had to part her lips to accommodate her rapid breathing.

“Beautiful Lily, you’re an enchantress,” he murmured. “From the first moment I saw ye, I’ve been under your spell. These past days have been nothing short of torture. Kiss me, colleen, and let me hold ye for a moment.”

His sweet words were rain to her parched soul. She couldn’t deny him or herself. Sighing softly, she stepped into his warm embrace and slipped her arms around him. Her eyelids fluttered shut as their lips met. Gentle as the glow of moonlight, he kissed her and tempted her with delicate strokes of his tongue. When she touched her own tongue to his, he deepened their contact into a passionate kiss. Too soon to suit her, he broke it off.

“God, Lily! I want ye too much! When you’re in my arms and I feel you wanting me, it’s like being caught between heaven and hell. Because I know I’ll never have ye.”

Awash in her own longing for him, Lil understood how he felt.

“I’d never force ye, love,” he added hoarsely, “but I can’t stand this torture.”

He tried to back away, but she refused to let him go. The truth hit her then – gratitude wasn’t what had brought her out here tonight; she’d wanted him to hold and kiss her again. No, the plain truth was she wanted more than kisses, the same as he did.

All the reasons why she shouldn’t give in to her desire for him ran through her head, but somehow they no longer mattered. For once, she was going to take what she wanted, consequences be damned.

“I can’t stand it either,” she whispered, reaching to pull his head back down.

He inhaled sharply, hesitated, then groaned and fused his mouth to hers. She held him tight as their tongues twined in wild abandon. His hands roamed frantically over her, while she explored the broad, rippling terrain of his back.

Grabbing hold of her shirt, he jerked it loose from her pants. His hands started to dive beneath the material, then halted abruptly.

“Saints above, I’m behaving like a ravening beast,” he muttered against her lips. “But I’m half mad for ye.” He drew back an inch. “Lily, are ye sure? I’d made up my mind not to –”

“Tye Devlin, you’ve driven
me
mad for months, whispering pretty words and stealing kisses. Don’t you dare back off now.” To enforce her half-angry speech, she undid a button on his shirt and slipped her hand inside the opening. His warm skin invited her caress, and it thrilled her to feel his muscles contract at her touch.

However, he quickly withdrew her hand. “Nay, love, not yet, or I fear I’ll lose all control.”

“But I want to touch –”

He silenced her with a swift kiss. “I know,
mavourneen
, and I want ye to, but if I’m to bring ye pleasure we must take a bit of time. Aye?”

“All right,” she said, not really understanding. Clearly, he had a lot more experience at this lovemaking business than she did. The thought disturbed her for a moment, but he quickly banished it.

His warm lips dropped slow kisses across her cheek, then nuzzled her ear, sending shivers over her skin. At the same time, his hands loosened her braid. Fanning her hair out around her shoulders, he buried his face in it.

“How can ye smell so sweet and clean in the middle of a trail drive?” he murmured, voice vibrating against her throat.

She laughed softly. “Maybe because I took a good dunking today.”

His arms clenched around her. “Lord, woman! Good’s not the word for it. When I saw ye go under with your horse, I thought I’d lost ye. And then I was so afraid those muddle-headed steers would kill ye before I could get to ye.”

“But you did get to me.” Catching his head, she found his lips in the dark. “And I don’t want to talk about it any more.” With a boldness she never would have believed herself capable of, she invaded his mouth with her tongue.

He uttered a strangled groan, and his hand captured her breast. Covered only by her cotton shirt, since her long johns were still damp from the river, her flesh sizzled at his touch. When he rolled her nipple between thumb and forefinger, liquid fire shot through her veins, settling between her legs. She moaned and sagged against him, tipping her head back as he nibbled a path down her throat.

At the same time, he unbuttoned her shirt and eased it aside. He paused to look at her in the moonlight, and where his gaze touched, she burned. Suddenly embarrassed, she crossed her arms over her breasts, certain he must find her lacking.

“Nay, love, you’ve nothing to be ashamed of,” he said as if reading her mind. Catching her hands, he gently drew them away. “You’re everything I could want.” His palms brushed her breasts, making her gasp; then his fingers circled, homing in slowly on the crests. When he reached them, delicious sensations flooded her.

Bending, he kissed and tongued his way downward past her collarbone while she clung to him for support. His scalding mouth reached a taut nipple, and the fire in her blazed hotter. She was hardly aware of his hand unbuckling her belt and loosening her britches until it slipped beneath them. Down, down it glided, making her breath catch and her belly muscles contract.

He sucked hard on her breast, and a jolt of white-hot delight shot straight to her woman’s parts. She cried out and panted as his fingers slipped lower, searching until he found the heart of her pleasure. When he began to press and circle that aroused spot, she thought she might dissolve at his feet.

“Oh! Tye, it’s so . . . . I’m going to die from it!”

Chuckling softly, he kissed her breast and whispered, “Then we’ll go to paradise together, I vow.”

His fingers plucked and she whimpered in delight. A moment later, she groaned when he removed his clever hand and forced her to stand on her own.

“Let’s get rid of your shirt, aye?” Not waiting for an answer, he slipped the garment down her arms and dropped it to the ground. Caressing her tenderly, he bent to kiss her breasts again. Lil ran her fingers through his hair, enthralled by all the delicious sensations she was feeling.

“Now your boots,” he said in a husky voice when she was nearly melting again. Squatting before her, he grasped the back of her left knee.

Wobbly from the effects of his attentions, she laid a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as he tugged the first boot off. Then she recalled his wounds and jerked her hand away.