1933563060-Devils-Pact-Cruise Read online

  Alarm ripped through her at the realization of the only other possibility.

  She froze at the ominous figure emerging from behind the tree.

  “Is this what you’re looking for?” The deep resonate voice was hauntingly low and utterly menacing. The owner of that intimidating voice held her dress up in his right hand, his left thumb hooked over his double holster, strapped low on his waist and tied-down the way gunslingers wore their belts. His fingers strummed casually over his left pistol, a long dagger sheathed by its side.

  She gaped, and as she studied the huge bear of a man, transcendent fear rose in her. It gripped her heart so fast, she thought she was going to die where she stood. At around what must be six-nine, he towered over her four-eleven frame, and even seemed to dwarf the hundred-year-old elm tree he stood beside.

  A wide-brimmed charcoal grey hat sat low on his forehead, completely shading his eyes. Dark wavy hair hung over the collar of his buckskin-fringed jacket. His sun-faded black shirt with the buttons undone midway revealed hard, bronzed flesh underneath and a spattering of dark curls across an impressively wide chest. Well-worn buckskins clung to his long, massive thighs and legged moccasins that reached his knees, where a hunting knife was strapped to both sides of each calf.

  The huge trespasser looked every bit as dangerous as he sounded.

  Quickly, she weighed her options, concluded there were none.

  She drew in a deep breath. Her first thought was the children. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be her last. She needed to think quickly if they were to survive.

  She eyed him defiantly, squaring her shoulders for the forthcoming battle. Her death, if it came to that, would not be that of a coward. She dropped her arms to her side, unconcerned the wet homespun shift now molded her body, transparent thanks to the river water dribbling from her soaked hair.

  A grin curled the corner of his lips, as if he derived enjoyment from unnerving her. She glared at him as her heart thundered.

  “Seems I am in possession of a calico, and you have need of one.”

  She willed herself not to move, run, or show fear, holding her ground with great difficulty. Despite the shadow concealing his eyes, the heat of his scrutiny was apparent. She could see the outline of his cock twitching beneath his buckskins. She wanted to scream bloody murder and bring about every man in the territory, gun in hand to shoot the brazen heathen. It was impossible. If she screamed, no one was around for miles to hear. Only Shelby and Emma, sound asleep in the back of the wagon, would come to her aid. What could two small children do but only add to the harrowing quandary?

  “Sir, I’m much obliged you found my dress.” Her tense-free tone came as quite a shock considering her limbs were unsteady. Mindful charitable sorts offered, not pilfered, she held out her hand. Bold. Foolish. It was risk worth taking.

  “Oh, no, missy, it ain’t gonna be that easy,” he replied in a tone hinged with a self-indulged diversion, a warning of sorts. Her eyes widened as he took a predatory step closer, lofty and menacing.

  She yanked her hand back instantly. Her wildly beating heart plummeted to her stomach. A chill of terror grated over her body. She gaped up into the dark shadow concealing his face and could only blink at the blatant insinuation.

  “It’s gonna cost you.” He waved the dress in his hand and narrowed the gap in two broad strides.

  “Sir, I have no money with me,” she responded in an unwavering tone, staggering backward. She feigned an ease she did not feel as her innards quivered by the nearness of such a powerful body. “If you follow me…”

  His deep chuckle caused her to falter for a brief moment.

  “…follow me home, I’ll pay. Name your price.” She didn’t have any money, even at home. Doc, and his assistant, Caleb, were waiting for her. They would pay, or better yet, shoot him on sight. Silently, she prayed it would be the latter.

  * * * *

  Devin studied her up close, her hazel brown eyes and long, sweeping lashes. Her soaked hair, he imagined when dry, would be the color of fiery gold. Her straight nose, with a few freckles across the bridge and high cheeks bones, were delicately carved.

  She had a very appealing mouth, a delightfully sinful mouth with full, pink lips. With a quick intake of breath, he visualized those perfectly lined lips on his and other places as well. His cock jerked in response.

  An oval face framed exquisite features, her only flaws were the shadows under her eyes, which he suspected were from the daylight fading fast behind the dense canopy of trees.

  And with a voice so soft and melodious, it sounded as if she were singing rather than speaking. It suited her perfectly, as did the dimples sparking near the corners of her lips.

  This little lady wasn’t pretty. Rather, she was a dream come alive. Downright the most beautiful lassie he ever laid eyes on, and that was saying a lot.

  He stood close enough to witness the fear in her eyes, despite the notable calm in her tone. She was definitely afraid of him, and with good reason. If she knew who he was, she would have turned tail long ago. Strangely, he wondered why she hadn’t made a run thus far.

  This woman definitely intrigued him.

  “Little miss, I don’t want your money.”

  A sharp gasp escaped her gaped mouth, which she abruptly clinched. Her eyes darted frantically around, as if looking for an escape.

  “If you want my horse, take it and ride on out,” she urged, her voice quavering slightly.

  He didn’t answer right away. Instead, his steady gaze bore into her. Her entire body trembled with fright—of that, he was certain. Nevertheless, she stood, facing him with her arms by her sides. Chin held high. She was not making a move to cover herself. She no doubt knew full well he could see right through the thin wet garment that clung to her every curve.

  The woman had balls of stone, which was more than he could say about most men he came across. His were hard as stone and ready to crack any second.

  “If that ol’ mare was worth more than half a red cent, I would’ve taken it long ago.”

  “I have nothing else of value.”

  His gaze traveled over her trim figure, the outline of her breast clearly visible, the taut nipples straining against the soaked fabric, calling out to him. Impulsively, he licked his lower lip as his sights rested on the dark wet hair shielding her mound. His cock twitched for freedom, aching for the glory between those thighs.

  He fought to hold onto the scrap of control that remained. It had been too damn long. He silently cursed himself for not stopping at the nearest brothel along the way. The way he felt now, he could come just by staring. Shit, six months without a woman could do that to a man.

  “From where I stand, you got plenty assets.”

  “I…I…”

  “I mean you no harm. If I wanted to molest or kill you, I would have done so by now.” He could see her fear of imminent ravishment in her eyes.

  “Wha—what then?” She looked fairly relieved.

  Her relief was short-lived.

  “A kiss.”

  She watched as he tossed aside her dress. The calico with the pretty green floral pattern landed near the tree stump.

  With his hands on the butt of each six-shooter, he waited patiently. He felt his rock-hard cock twitch as he imagined what they could be doing right now. How her small body would writhe beneath him as he held her slender hips and buried his cock between those slender thighs. Damn it! Why weren’t they anywhere else but Tejas? He’d have to settle for a meager kiss.

  That was, if she was willing.

  Thanks to the damned teachings on the proper treatment of the dainty gender ingrained in his subconscious by his two spinster aunts, if this dandelion said no, then by golly, it had to be no.

  Shit!

  He stood firm, looming out of the dark brush like an indomitable sequoia, ensuring she had no doubt that if he wanted, he could easily change his mind and kill her on the spot, though he never would.

  Leaving her no choice but to eventua
lly accept.

  The tense silence lengthened.

  “One kiss?” It was a breathy, nervous utterance.

  “Yes.” Though her consent came as clear victory on his part, his voice remained without inflection.

  “And you’ll leave us, me alone.” She bit her lip quickly.

  “Just drifting, I’ll be on my way…after.” He held his grin at bay. This was not going to be his first kiss. He was no green boy. Hell, he was doing more than kissing grown women at a tender age, so why the sudden excitement and anticipation of a simple kiss from half a sliver of a young lady a step outside of puberty?

  Judging from the size of her apple-sized breasts, impossibly tiny waist, slight roundness of what he didn’t even want to refer to as hips, and the fresh innocence in her hazel eyes, he figured she couldn’t be well into her teens yet.

  If only she were a little older…

  “I have your word as a gentleman. One kiss and you’ll leave?”

  “Hell, yes, you have my word as a gentleman,” he said firmly and let out a slight chuckle. He’d been called plenty of things in his life, but a gentleman was never one of them.

  Before she could utter another word, he tossed his hat in the vicinity of her dress and closed the short gap between them. He encircled her waist, amazed his long fingers overlapped. He lifted her. She weighed nothing at all.

  “What are you doing?” she shrieked as her feet left the ground. Her hands barely curled over his forearms as she grabbed onto him. She was a tiny thing. He walked toward several boulders a few feet away, holding her at arms’ length.

  He stood her on the closest boulder, keeping his hands on her waist until she steadied herself. Calmly, he explained, “So I don’t strain my neck bending down so far.”

  Barely reaching mid-chest when firmly planted on the ground, the added height of the boulder brought her to within a few inches of his towering height.

  She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply as if to ease her nerves. The subtle move caused her breasts to rise and fall in a beguiling way that caught his appreciative attention.

  He cleared his parched throat and wondered how he was going to get though this in one piece. “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you,” he offered, more as a reminder to himself.

  * * * *

  Megan repeated to herself, she could do this. One minuscule indiscretion, a simple kiss from a brute she doubted ever kissed a woman in his life. If one judged from his squalid clothes and unkempt whiskers, no decent woman would dare near him. Perhaps if she kept her eyes closed and thought of someone else. With her pistol hidden in the pocket of her dress yards away, there was no other choice. For the children, she replayed in her mind.

  She felt a gentle brush of his hand against her cheek.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  Her eyes darted open at his unexpected touch, the softness in his tone and the honesty in those two words. For the first time, she gazed into piercing silvery gray eyes. She witnessed a torrent of emotions and lust flaming in the darkening depths that stole her breath.

  She realized there was every reason to fear this man. More so than the guns, knives, and sheer brute strength of his size, which clearly proved he was a man capable of murder. The glimpse into the depths of his very soul revealed a brutality of one possessed by the devil himself.

  Her heart skipped a beat, and her mouth fell open in awe as she continued to peer into deep caverns of granite that mesmerized and beckoned her.

  “Do I frighten you?”

  Whatever it was she felt, it wasn’t fear. Yet she was frightened—not by him, but by the way she was responding to him.

  Slowly, she nodded her head as she held a trembling hand to squelch the fluttering low in her belly. She tried not to notice the blatant desire in his silver gaze, the invitingly sensuous, full lips parting in anticipation, surrounded by the sable brown beard and mustache that matched his wavy, shoulder-length hair.

  She couldn’t believe or deny the instantaneous thrill of the forbidden rushing through her veins, igniting every nerve while he ran his thumb along her jaw in a smooth caress that seared an indelible path in her skin. A simple touch beckoned the wanton woman in her. That sinful nature Mrs. Walker warned she was cursed with.

  “Don’t be. I won’t hurt you,” he promised in a husky, pained tone as though he was the one compromised.

  For some unknown reason, she believed him. A huge, powerful, and formidable man with piercing eyes that seemed to read her deepest thoughts. Long-forgotten urges made her ache with desire.

  It was true.

  Everything they said about her was true. Respectable women weren’t supposed to take pleasure in mating with a man. Yet here she was with a complete stranger, the epitome of evil, touching her, about to kiss her, and her body was coming alive, tingled with lustful awareness, a warm gush of liquid settled between her thighs.

  With her arms by her side, she clinched her hands into tight fists as he twined his fingers in her soaked hair, disturbing the bun she just made. His warm breath against her ear sent currents of heated blood surging to her toes.

  “I’ll be gentle,” he whispered as his fingers curled in her hair and drew her yielding body close with his other hand.

  Before she could say or do anything, his lips covered hers in a surprisingly soft, warm, and inviting kiss.

  Megan groaned, caught off-guard by his sweet lips, talented and persuasive. His rugged, musky scent of fresh pine, baked sweat, trail dust, and ferine male arousal drugged her. She grew dizzy. Her head spun as his hands moved down the length of her back, pressing her body into a hard wall of rippled muscle.

  Foreign sensations coursed through her body as he boldly swept his tongue over her lips, asking, probing, caressing, and tempting an invitation to a state of complete bliss—paradise.

  She melted against his strength and clutched his jacket to keep from falling as her legs turned to mush. He nipped her lower lip between his teeth and bottom lip. Her mouth opened with a small startled gasp, and his tongue slid into her mouth, tasting every inch, exploring every crevice, teasing her senses.

  Instead of pulling away and breaking the illicit kiss, she found herself responding willingly. Deepening the kiss, she captured and began to suck on his tongue.

  In return, he devoured her mouth with his own hunger that took her unawares. His lips were firm, yet passionately demanding, too sensuous to resist. His velvet tongue was greedy, influencing her traitorous body to submit mercifully as she surrendered to the incredible sensual pleasure he roused in her.

  Unable to resist, her hands draped around his neck, splayed across his back as she pressed closer to his body. The bulging heat beneath his buckskins pressed against her belly, and she felt a flame of arousal race down her spine and flare deep in her core.

  He slid his hands lower and cupped her buttocks, lifting her off the rock, pulling her body tightly against his. He easily positioned her mound against the engorged head of his cock without breaking their bond. Slowly, he started to move her flushed body up and down, rubbing the tender flesh against his cock. She couldn’t distinguish his groans from her moans.

  The heat of his hard cock building a roaring fire between her throbbing legs made her want to wrap them around him. She clung to his neck, her nipples growing harder, breasts flat against his massive chest. Her breathing grew uneven as her entire body writhed in his grasp. She ground her hips against the solid flesh jutting between them and allowed the burning ache to transcend any trace of reality, every aspect of decency, surrendering to the exquisite torture he deftly inflicted.

  * * * *

  What in the hell was he doing? Devin thought. If he kept this up, he was going to either spend in his buckskins or rape her any second.

  “Shit,” he growled, unprepared for the sheer force of a single kiss. Never had a need so great consumed him with the capacity to hinder his self-restraint. He was unable to get enough of her, as though his skin wanted to breathe her into his pores, brand her b
ody to his. Senses inundated with furious intensity, he used every last drop of willpower to lower her feet back to the boulder. His chest heaved with each rasping breath, and the Cannon throbbed at the violent denial, so close to erupting. He was in physical, bone-searing pain.

  As he straightened, a pitiful sigh of protest escaped her. She sounded as if she wanted more.

  His hands went to the back of his neck to loosen her unrelenting stronghold. At that moment, she pulled him closer. She stared wide-eyed and hopeful into his eyes, bewildered and darkened with unsatisfied, fiery lust.

  “Don’t stop,” she pleaded breathlessly.

  He stared at her for the briefest of moments. A flood of emotions clouded her glazed eyes. Whatever it was she struggled with, her red-hot desire was stronger and he wasn’t about to disappoint her.

  It wasn’t rape if she asked for it. Lady or not, Tejas or not, young’un or not, he wasn’t about to pass up the raw hunger blazing in her eyes.

  She wanted him as badly as he wanted her.

  Hell, maybe even more.

  It wasn’t too often he came across a woman like her. Those luminous hazel eyes revealed a ravenous sexual appetite capable of fulfilling his darkest needs and carnal demands.

  * * * *

  Megan reeled from an unspoken promise broken. She was unable to believe he actually stopped after one long, passionate kiss that boiled her blood, aroused her lust, and left her desiring more.

  She rose on her toes. Her lips possessed his in a kiss so passionate it was almost savage in intensity as his arms wrapped around her. Her fingers clutched his hair as she moved against him. Her tongue asked, begged, and demanded what she could not.

  Something had come over her. Never would she be able to explain it. Perhaps the truth suddenly became all too real. Maybe it was the simple fact he said she was beautiful, the heat of his silken touch, or her shameless disappointment.