Riding West (6 page)

She would have continued but he tugged her head up forcefully enough that she obeyed, and this time she was the one who gasped as he lifted her out of the water. Wading deeper in the pool, Parker had a taut, almost fierce, expression on his face. Celia felt the coolness of the flat slanted rock at her back as he braced her against it. He parted her legs almost roughly underneath the water and thrust inside her throbbing cleft.

Perfect
.

The contrast of the cool water and his hot cock pushing into her was arousing, and so was how he held her hips in place and moved with a wildness that was unlike Parker‘s normal reserve. She liked making him lose control, and her arms wound around his neck as she spread her legs wider and clung to him. It wasn‘t long before she felt the escalating rise of orgasmic pleasure, the tempestuous rhythm of his lovemaking a perfect match for her own raw need.

When she climaxed, her cry rose above the sound of rushing water, and her thighs tightened around his lean hips. Parker pushed into her contracting passage until he exploded, pouring into her in a hot rush of liquid release.

He held her there, pressed against the rock. His uneven breathing was warm against her cheek and his arms felt strong and secure.

That was perfectly fine with her, Celia thought, gazing at her lover. She wouldn‘t mind if they stayed that way forever.

It was certainly the best bath she‘d ever had.

———

Parker crouched down and stirred the pot, glad he‘d taken the time to bring supplies up to the cabin a few days before he‘d gone after Celia. The stew smelled darned good, if he did say so himself. He‘d killed and skinned a rabbit earlier, and with carrots and potatoes from his mother‘s carefully tended garden, it promised to be delicious.

“I hope you know I can‘t cook.”

He glanced up and smiled wryly. “I know.”

Celia sat at the table, her arms folded as she watched him with a slightly rueful look on her lovely face. “I really can‘t sew much either. Both my mother and Rose say I‘m pretty hopeless when it comes to domestic skills.”

“Luckily, those aren‘t the skills that interest me.” Still crouched by the hearth, Parker gave her a sinful wink. “You‘re damned good at what pleases me most and you‘re still just a beginner, sweetheart.”

She blushed, her cheeks tinting a delightful, enchanting pink. “I suppose you‘re an expert judge, is that it? I have to say it has occurred to me the other night sure didn‘t seem to be your first experience with sex, Parker.”

Whoa, he didn‘t want to travel through this particular territory, though it did please him Celia seemed a little jealous. Her blue eyes held a hint of unhidden resentment.

He said cautiously, “I‘m twenty-five.”

“What has your age got to do with anything?”

“Men are a little different than women.” He straightened and leaned a shoulder against the mantle, hoping he didn‘t sound defensive. “We kind of regard virginity as something to dispose of as quickly as we‘re able to do so.”

That response apparently wasn‘t the one she wanted. Her chin lifted a little and she gave him a level accusing look. “I see. Just how old were you when you were
able
to dispose of it?”

He‘d been fifteen, and his first time had been with a beautiful Spanish girl a few years older. Conchita had eventually married one of his father‘s cowboys and moved to New Mexico, but he still thought of her from time to time. Since then he hadn‘t been exactly celibate, but once he realized exactly how he felt about Celia Evans, his cock had more than a passing acquaintance with his hand. Parker said coolly, “Pretty young. But I‘ve never regarded sex as a casual thing, Celia. I wouldn‘t ever pay for it like a lot of men do—and I haven‘t really even looked at any other woman since I fell in love with you a good five years ago.”

Her expression changed then, softening from defiant accusation to something entirely different. “You‘ve never said it to me.”

Parker blinked. “Said what?”

“That you‘re in love with me.”

He shoved his fingers through his hair in exasperation. “The whole world knows I‘m in love with you. There isn‘t a question
you‘ve
known it for a long time.”

She shook her blond head, soft golden curls brushing her slender shoulders. “You can be so dense, Parker.”

Maybe he was, because he sure as hell had no idea what exactly she wanted from him. “I proposed,” he pointed out.

“You told me you thought we should get married because we‘d been neighbors all our lives and you thought not only would we suit each other, but it‘d be nice that I would live so close to my family.”

Put that way, he supposed it didn‘t sound particularly romantic. Parker crossed his arms over his chest and flushed slightly. “All of that is true.”

“This is big country but we have other neighbors. I suppose I should consider marrying one of them.”

Her flippant tone irritated the hell out of him, not mention the fact he intensely disliked the idea of any other man touching her, even if she was being sarcastic. “You‘re marrying me tomorrow in Tijeras, sweetheart, so you can get over that notion. The judge comes into town every Thursday.”

Celia shook her head and stood up, looking luscious in her simple blue dress, her eyes flashing. “You can‘t
tell
me to marry you, Parker.”

“I think I just did,
Miss Evans
.”

“Go to hell.”

“That sassy mouth of yours has got to be reined in.”

“I dare you to try.” She looked more beautiful than ever with high color in her cheeks and fire in her gaze.

“We
have
to get married, sweetheart. I‘ve fucked you, remember?” The minute he said it, he regretted it. He wasn‘t handling this right, but she had the ability to get under his skin the way no one else could. She used the crude word now and then in playful banter because he disapproved, but he knew she didn‘t really think of what happened between them in bed—and a few other places—that way.

He didn‘t think of it that way either.

Her soft mouth tightened. “You sure have. Just like you fucked all those other women, however many there have been. I notice you didn‘t marry them, so it makes that particular argument invalid, I‘m afraid. Excuse me, I think I‘m going outside for a short walk. I don‘t think much of the company in here.”

Lord, this is not going well
.

She turned and stalked toward the door and at first Parker figured he‘d just let her go cool off outside. When Celia thought about it, she‘d know they were obligated to get married, and more than that, he was convinced she felt the same way about him as he did her. Then he‘d ask her politely again to be his wife, and leave out all mention of the points of his first proposal she apparently didn‘t appreciate.

She furiously swung open the door, and Parker changed his mind.

No, she wasn‘t walking out on this argument. Whenever he played the passive suitor, he lost ground. It was an old pattern, and it had gotten him nowhere. On the other hand, she seemed to like it when he was a bit more assertive. Letting her flounce out would be a mistake.

He lunged away from the mantle and caught her in three long strides, just as she stepped out on the tiny front porch of the cabin. Celia made a choked incensed sound of surprise as his hands grasped her waist, and he barely avoided a wild swing of her fist he suspected would have hurt if it connected. Parker dragged her back inside and kicked the door shut, ignoring her struggles.

“Get your hands off me,” she said icily, doing her best to kick him in the knee. “I do not want to talk to you right now.”

“Too bad. I
do
want to talk. Right now.” Crossing the small space, he fairly tossed her on the bed.

She tried to sit up but he wouldn‘t let her, catching her arms over her head and pinning her to the thin mattress with his longer, much larger, body. She always felt wonderful beneath him, and he could feel the generous swell of her breasts through her dress and his shirt, not to mention the perfect cradle of her hips against his crotch.

With a lethal glare, she called him a very, very bad name.

In answer, he kissed her.

It was his intention to be forceful, but instead he found he molded his mouth to hers with gentle persuasion that said more than any words he could find. At first she was stiff and unyielding, but it lasted all of two seconds. Her lips parted and let him inside the sweet recesses of her mouth, welcoming the gentle glide of his tongue.

His bride-to-be loved sex, he‘d already discovered that. With her tempestuous personality he wasn‘t precisely surprised, but her uninhibited reaction to the physical act was more than what he expected. In the past three days, she had initiated sex as often as he had, and he simply could not believe how incredibly she responded to him.

That was a weapon he wasn‘t too proud to use.

He kissed her long and slow, until he could feel her lift her hips in supplication and need. Trailing small nips along the elegant line of her jaw, he nuzzled the hollow beneath her ear. “You make me crazy, Celia.”

“Do I?” He‘d released her arms and she slid them around his neck.

“I think you have a pretty clear idea you do,” he said, not able to help a small note of cynicism in his voice. “In fact, I‘m sure you do it on purpose, damn your sweet hide.” He kissed the slim column of her throat, finding the place where her pulse beat quickly under the delicate skin.

“But you fell in love with me anyway?” There was an underlying note to her voice he recognized as arousal, coupled with a question she apparently needed answered.

“I sure did.” It was perfectly true.

Her pelvis lifted again, pressing his growing erection. “Show me, Parker.”

“If you agree to marry me, I‘ll be more than happy to oblige, ma‘am.”

For a moment, the dreamy look in her eyes clouded. “That‘s not fair.”

“Is there anything about what‘s between us that is fair?” The raw note in his speech was as honest as anything he‘d ever expressed in his life. “Let‘s talk about fair for a moment, sweetheart. If you knew how many hours of my life I‘ve spent thinking about you, wanting you, and not just this way,” he lightly thrust against her with the bulge in his jeans, “you‘d realize just how much I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

For a moment, she said nothing. Then she lifted her mouth to his in a passionate, searing kiss. When they broke apart, she said huskily, “That isn‘t precisely what I was looking for, but it‘s good enough. Fine, I‘ll marry you.”

He wasn‘t about to let her refuse, but still Parker felt a thrill of elation at her capitulation.

Her lashes lowered and her gaze was pure feminine allure. Her soft lips moved in a slow, enticing curve. “Now, if I‘m not mistaken, you‘re in good form to hold up your end of the bargain.” She wiggled suggestively against him, making his cock swell even more. “Prove to me you love me.”

He had absolutely no problem with that request. Parker grinned. “If you insist.”

Her blue eyes held the heavy look of sensual need. “Believe me, I insist.”

John Evans lounged in the doorway of the shop, one shoulder propped on the doorjamb. His seemingly casual pose was at odds with his heightened attention.

As he predicted, Colter was in town, and he could smell the stink of real trouble.

Shit.

Sometimes he just plain hated being right.

His gaze narrowed on the small, dusty little building that served as both jail and courthouse, John waited. Across the street, his brother Jared stood by the entrance of the general store, his stance just as deceptively relaxed. Joshua was outside the saloon, watching for the small group of men Rance Colter had brought with him to town to leave.

If Colter had a notion of self-preservation, he wouldn‘t try anything. Yeah, he had more guns if it came down to a count, but Parker was no slouch shot, and Jared was generally considered to be one of the best in Colorado. John knew he and Josh could handle themselves just fine as well, but they were there more for prevention than anything.

It couldn‘t be coincidence that on the day the circuit judge came through, Colter suddenly decided to make an appearance. Any fool could figure out if Parker wanted to marry Celia, this was the day he‘d bring her into town.

Which is exactly what had happened. A few minutes ago they‘d ridden up and gone inside to see the judge. John had a glimpse of a small boy, who had been loitering by the courthouse steps, running off toward the saloon where Colter and his men had been drinking most of the afternoon.

Not a good sign.

Intent on the façade of the building, he almost didn‘t realize a woman walked by until he caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced up and straightened immediately, politely touching the brim of his hat, his expression neutral. “Good afternoon, ma‘am.”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Evans.” She smiled faintly, holding an infant in her arms, two small children crowding her skirts. Dressed in a blue gown, Mrs. Reed looked young and pretty, with her dark hair neatly in a bun and her eyes showing a hint of curiosity over his vigilant post outside the dressmaker‘s shop.

He glanced at the wide blue eyes of the baby she held for a long moment, and then back at the doorway of the saloon. Very quietly, he said, “You might want to take the children inside and off the street.”

Maybe it was the tone of his voice, but the young woman complied at once, hustling the children through a nearby doorway.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, six men came out of the Lucky Lady.

Fuck
.

The stickiest part of this was to make sure Celia stayed safe. That was why John had insisted they all come to town today. He‘d heard rumors Colter had made a few drunken public comments to the effect that if he‘d known all he had to do was tie Celia Evans up and ride off with her, he‘d have made his move a long time ago.

John just had a bad feeling in his gut. The rancher was a ruthless bastard. He knew it, and most of the area knew it. He‘d completely approved of Celia‘s lack of enthusiasm for his attempted courtship. Unfortunately, Rance Colter was also used to getting his own way, especially in this section of Colorado.