Outlaw (4 page)

He put his hands on the
hand grips
,
and began pushing the bike off the road. “Yeah. Here. Come on.”

She followed him until they were about fifty yards
from the road.

He parked the bike, and began untying a rolled up
blanket from the front of the handlebars. He reached down into his saddlebag,
and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. The silver rings on his hand flashing in
the moonlight. He grabbed her by the elbow, and pulled her along. “Come on.”

He led her over to some boulders.

“Is the part where
you
rape me, too?”

He looked over at her, trying to hold his patience.
“No, this is the part where we get some sleep.” His eyes held hers for a
moment,
then
he turned, and shook out the blanket.

As she watched him, flashbacks of what she had
endured at the hands of Chuck came flooding back, and a gripping fear took hold
of her. The fight or flight instinct took over, and she found herself running
blindly. She didn’t care where, as long as it was away from him. She ran like a
hunted animal. She only knew she had to keep running to escape whatever he
might do to her.

After a few moments, she became aware of footsteps
pounding on the ground behind her, closing in. Her hair fell in her face, and
her breath rasped in her throat. She knew she was tiring, her steps beginning
to slow and falter. No! Please, not again. She couldn’t let him catch her. She
tried to turn back to see how close he was, and she tripped, and felt herself
falling to the ground. She stretched her arms out to protect herself as she
landed in the gravel and dirt.

She lay there, exhausted and defeated. She opened
her eyes, and saw his boots coming to stand before her face. From above her,
she heard him ask, “You done?”

Her chest was heaving as she tried to catch her
breath.

“Did you really think you could get away from me?
Did you think I’d let you go?” He reached down to pull her to her feet. “I know
you’re not that stupid.”

As she slid up his body, she grabbed at the knife he
kept in the sheath at his side. Hardly thinking beyond the blind desperation
she felt, she swung the blade at him, slicing through the air, her cuffed hands
making the movement awkward.

Cole managed to jump back, and the blade skidded
across his vest leaving a thin scratch across the leather. She heard him curse
under his breath as he grabbed her wrists, and slammed his boot against her
ankles, knocking her off her feet. She landed on her back with him on top of
her. He had her manacled wrists pinned above her head, and he slammed them into
the ground twice before the knife went skidding out of her hands across the
ground.

“Goddamn, woman! That’s twice now you’ve tried to
kill me.” He stared down into her eyes. “I told you I wouldn’t hurt you. But
you can only push a man so far, Angel.” Her face was illuminated by the
moonlight. Her eyes were dark and liquid, her mouth slightly open, her breath
panting. He watched as the fight went out of her. As the resistance in her
ceased, and he felt her submit, his anger dissolved. He was breathing hard, his
chest heaving, as he lay poised above her.

“Please-”

“Please what?” he snarled. His eyes dropped to her
mouth, and desire roared through him. It was the chase, the violence, her lying
here under him, subdued, and flat on her back.
All that
animal aggressive shit. He felt it surging through him, and he tried to fight
it, to push it back.

Angel sucked in her breath looking up at him, at the
intensity of his face. His gaze was searing hot, wild and hungry. Angel’s pulse
jumped. She looked at his mouth, and a wave of liquid heat washed through her.
This was insane, how could she be attracted to him.

Angel swallowed hard as temptation swept through her.
She wanted to tell him, ‘no, stop’, but her eyes fell to his mouth, and all she
could think about was what it would feel like to kiss him.

She glanced up to his eyes, and realized he was
thinking the same thing a split second before he lowered his head, claiming her
mouth. His mouth was hard and merciless, forcing her mouth apart under the
onslaught of his kiss. Crazily she noticed little details, like how soft his
golden blonde facial hair was as it brushed against her skin, the feel of his
tongue as it delved into her mouth, the male scent of him. He lay on top of
her, and she felt crushed and completely breathless. When she would have moved
her head away to escape, to breathe, to claim some sanity, she felt his hands
release her wrists, and slide into the hair on either side of her face, holding
her pinned. He kissed her roughly, wildly. Her body arched against him, and her
lips softened under his as she felt the flame of desire curl through her belly.
She raised her left leg, bending at the knee, pushing her boot heel into the
ground, pressing her hips up.

Cole felt her melt against him in total submission,
and he groaned deep in his throat. His mouth softened on hers, his kiss
becoming gentle. He ran his right hand down her side, over her hip and bare
thigh. His hand cupped the back of her knee, and pulled her closer, molding her
tighter against him. This little wildcat,
who
was all
claws, was responding to him with a sweetness that heated his blood. He wanted
her. Right now, right here. He tried to tell himself he didn’t give a fuck what
she would think of him afterwards. She could think the worst of him, and it
would all be true. He was a man who took what he wanted. There was no honor in
him, he told himself as his hand moved to the buttons on her shirt. Why should
he stop? He hadn’t been the kind of man that did the right thing for years now.
His mouth trailed down her throat, and lower as he pulled open her shirt.

Angel’s eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at a
sky full of sparkling stars, and suddenly felt Cole at her breast pushing her
bra to the side, his mouth closing over her nipple. He sucked on it, and her
back arched off the ground as the sensation tore through her. His palm moved
over her exposed, smooth belly. She sucked in her breath.

Oh, God. She wanted him, wanted this. Yes. Yes. No.
Not like this. Not on a cold desert floor. What was the matter with her? Panic,
shame, guilt, all poured over her like ice water.

“No.”
The word barely audible.
She swallowed hard, and pushed against his back and shoulders with her cuffed
hands. “No, please. Stop.”

Cole felt her hands on him. It was the feel of the
cold metal of her handcuffs at the back of his neck that jerked him to his
senses. His hand stilled on her stomach. He raised his head, and looked down at
her.

She felt the cool night air on her nipple, wet from
his mouth. Her stomach trembled under his hand. What had she been thinking? She
didn’t know him at all, and she didn’t trust him. He was a stranger to her. And
he was dangerous. Angel was aware of her position, handcuffed, helpless. He
could do anything he wanted, and she couldn’t stop him. The thought scared her
to death. The anticipation was just as terrifying.

Cole saw the panic take over her. Guilt washed over
him. The small shred of conscience that he still possessed stopped him.
Goddamn, what kind of animal had he become? What was he doing? He was no better
than Chuck. He pulled back, and adjusted her clothing. He took a deep breath.
The idea of hurting her cut deeper than he wanted to admit. He brushed her hair
back from her temple, looking into her eyes. “I’m sorry. I swear I never meant
for this to happen. I promised you I wouldn’t hurt you, and I meant it.” He
found himself wondering why he was explaining anything to her.

He got to his feet, and pulled her up. Then he bent
to retrieve his knife, returning it to its sheath.

She watched him silently, trying to figure him out.
He’d backed off instantly when she’d asked. That surprised her. Shocked her,
actually. Did he really mean it when he said he wouldn’t hurt her? Was he
really just trying to help her?

“That’s twice you got the drop on me.” He admitted
reluctantly. Then continued with a smile. “I guess that’ll teach me not to let
my guard down around you. I underestimated you.”

She watched as his hand ran across the knife mark on
his vest.

“I hope you realize that you came just a couple
inches from finding yourself all alone out here.” He gave a short laugh. “Who’d
have guessed a little spit fire like you would almost be the death of me.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, realizing what she’d
almost done. Wondering how he could joke about it.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not the first time I’ve
cheated the reaper.” He grabbed her by the upper arm, and yanked her to him as
he turned, and walked back toward his bike.

She submitted as he pulled her along, back to where
he had left the blanket. She had begun to shiver uncontrollably.

He let her go, and grabbed up the blanket.

“I thought you were going to rape me. That’s why I
ran,” she suddenly felt the need to explain, her teeth chattering from the cold
and exhaustion.

He looked over at her. “I almost just did.”

She said nothing, just stared at him.

“You don’t trust me. I guess I can’t blame you. But
it won’t happen again. You have my word, for whatever it’s worth.”

She looked in his eyes, wondering if he could lie to
her, and stare right in her eyes while he did it.

“Come here,” he demanded, holding his hand out to
her.

She backed up a step shaking her head.

“C’mere,” he repeated threateningly.

She looked down at his hand knowing if she didn’t
come to him, he’d just come after her, and she’d already pushed his temper to
the limit.

He stared her down. He could see the defiance in her
eyes. He could see she was going to challenge his authority at every turn. She
needed to learn to submit.
The sooner, the better.
They were going to have to work on that. He blew out a breath, his patience
about at an end. “Look, Angel. It’s been a long fucking day, and I’m beat. I
just want to get some rest. That’s all. I swear. Don’t fight me, sweetheart.”

Hesitantly, she went to him.

Cole sat down, and leaned back against the boulders.
He pulled her down in front of him, and nestled her between his legs covering
them both with the blanket.

She began to struggle again.

“Quit!” He tightened his arm around her, holding her
close, and after a while she stopped struggling, and sat there stiffly. “Body
heat’s all we got to keep warm,” he said tersely.

She waited but he did nothing, and so she began to
relax as the warmth of his body began to seep into hers. She watched as he took
a long drink from the bottle he’d brought, and then he held it up to her.

“Here. Take a drink.”

She turned her head away. “No, thanks.”

“I’m not asking you, I’m telling you. Take a drink,”
he ordered.

She looked over her shoulder at him defiantly, but
made no move to take the bottle from his hand.

He shook his head. “We can do this the easy way or
the hard way, darlin’.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can pour it down your throat, if that’s the way
you want it.”

Her mouth parted. He was serious.

He raised his eyebrows. “I’m waiting.”

She took the bottle, and drank, choking and gagging
on the raw, burning liquor. She handed the bottle back, glaring at him through
watering eyes.

“You need to learn to do what you’re told.”

She stiffened.

He smiled. Yep, they were going to need to work on
that. “It’ll warm you up, okay? That’s all. I’m not trying to get you drunk,
and take advantage of you.”

She looked away.

“You don’t have much of a sense of humor, huh?”

She didn’t say anything.

“Yeah, I guess I wouldn’t either in your position,”
he admitted.

She felt the whiskey warming its way down to her
stomach. She watched him take several more hits off the bottle. When he noticed
her watching him, he held the bottle out to her, and this time she took it
eagerly.

Cole leaned back, and could feel her body relaxing
in his arms. Her soft curves felt so good pressed up against him. He was going
to have a hard time keeping his hands off her.

Fuck.

It was going to be a long night.

He looked up at the sky. It was pitch black, but
there were a billion stars and a low hanging moon. Tucking the blanket tighter
around her, he bent to her ear, and whispered, “You warming up?”

She nodded, and took another swig from the bottle
before handing it back to him. They drank half of it in silence before she
spoke again. “What are you going to do with me?” she finally had the nerve to
ask.

All the mental images of what he wanted to do with
her flashed before his eyes, desire shooting through him. But he’d made her a
promise, and he intended to keep it. He took a deep breath. “If I let you go,
you’ll tell your dad, ‘the cop’. And there ain’t no way,” he nodded back toward
where they’d come. “
you
tell
that
story, that there’s anything on this earth that would keep him
from coming for all our heads. And I wouldn’t blame him. But, babe, I can’t let
that happen.”