Soon it became easy for all of them to see that Griffin needed to be in bed. The frivolity had sapped the last of his day’s energy. He looked tired and wan.
Jessi had no place for the Twins to bed down. She offered them the porch, but they had other ideas.
“We’ll stay in town for now. It’ll give us a chance to look around, learn the lay of the land. How about we meet you back here the day after tomorrow?”
Griffin had no problem with their plan, and neither did Jessi.
After the Twins departed, Jessi blew out the lights and walked with Griffin to his room. “They’re quite a pair.”
“Yes, they are. Did you like them?”
“I did,” she replied honestly.
“I should have made them stay tonight so they could sit watch.”
“I don’t think there’ll be a need. I’m betting Reed Darcy and his people’ll stay close to home tonight. It isn’t every day his foreman gets whipped and somebody throws a chair through one of his fancy imported windows.”
They were now standing outside his door.
“Do I get a kiss for all my good deeds?” he asked.
“You most certainly do.” She lovingly placed her hand against his bearded cheek, then raised up and kissed him slowly and, she hoped, thoroughly. When she eased away, she asked softly, “How was that?”
He slid a thumb across her bottom lip and whispered, “You’re getting real good at this.”
“I wasn’t before?”
“Not really, no.”
She grinned. “Then maybe we should do it again. Practice makes perfect.”
When practice ended, Jessi was breathless and light headed; her lips were kiss swollen, and she craved more. “Do you think you’ll have time for another practice session tomorrow, maestro?”
“I will always have time for such an eager student. Meet me on the roof at dawn and we’ll continue your tutoring.”
Jessi could say without hesitation that she was on fire for this man. He was the source, the spark to her kindling, and she wanted to be consumed by the blaze even knowing he would not stay. “I’ll be there. Sleep well.”
The next morning he was already on the roof when she arrived, and as always, his bearded smile warmed her soul even if the bruises on his face were still ugly and red. He poured her a mug of coffee which she accepted gladly, then she settled in to watch the sunrise. Until he’d entered her life, she’d never taken the time to indulge in such frivolous endeavors because life had been too intense and serious. Granted, little had changed, but with him by her side the obstacles seemed less daunting. She was beginning to enjoy the time spent up here, and when he headed out for Mexico she would probably continue alone. The view was beautiful and she would always be grateful to him for giving her such a simple but priceless gift.
She’d just turned to him to ask about the practice session they’d talked about last night when they both spied a wagon coming down the road.
“Looks like Doyle Keel,” Jessi remarked, rising to her feet. “That’s Gillie on the seat beside him. I wonder where they could be going this time of the morning?”
As Doyle reined the two-horse team off the main road and onto the one that led to her place, she had her answer.
“Guess those lessons you wanted will have to wait,” Griff stated.
She offered a mock pout. “I guess you’re right.”
Smiling, he gave her a potent good-morning kiss. “Let’s go see what they want.”
They wanted Joth. Once a year, Doyle drove Gillie down to Austin to visit her sister Maude. Maude now had a grandson living with her, and Joth and he had played together during last year’s visit. The two boys had had such a great time, Gillie had promised Joth he could go the next time. Well, the next time was today, and Gillie apologized for her lack of notice. “I got up this morning and decided this is what I wanted to do.”
Doyle Keel added, “And with Auntie’s closing for a week for repairs, it was a perfect time.”
Doyle had been in Gillie’s old classroom with Jessi, and he loved the old woman as much as Jessi. The part-time barkeep and livery owner also had a soft spot in his heart for Joth. “I left that lazy assistant of mine in charge of the livery; let’s hope he manages to keep the place open until we get back.”
Doyle had fired three assistants in as many months. None of the young men had been able to meet his exacting standards.
“I’ll go and get Joth up,” Jessi told Gillie and Doyle. “Luckily, he’s cleaned his room and’ll be able to find the things he’ll need to take with him.”
Griff, Keel, and Gillie waited in the parlor for Jessi’s return. It was hard to miss the wood nailed over the big window. Doyle walked over and peered at it, then tested the sturdiness of the repair. “I’ll bring back some wood big enough to cover the whole window.”
“She’ll appreciate that,” Griff told the big man.
“And I appreciated the way you defended her yesterday. Only one problem—after your friends were done with him, there wasn’t any left for me.”
Griff grinned. “Next time I’ll tell them to not be so greedy.”
“Much obliged.”
“Where’s West now?”
Doyle looked confused.
“Clem Davis’s real name’s Percy West.”
Doyle’s eyes lit with humor. “Percy, is it? Well, he’s licking his wounds somewhere inside the Darcy Hotel. He and his partners were so broke up when they left after the fight, some of them were just about crawling. Of course, I had to wake ’em all up before they could leave, thanks to your friends.” Doyle smiled.
Griff had a question. He didn’t remember a thing after being hit by the chair. “When did the Twins arrive?”
Doyle looked confused. “Twins? What twins?”
“My friends. Two Shafts and Neil.”
“Those two are supposed to be twins?”
The astonished look on Doyle’s face made Griff chuckle. “Yep. Same father, different mothers. Born on the same day, believe it or not.”
“Amazing,” Doyle replied. “Well, they came in right after you got hit with the chair. They saw you go down and all hell broke loose. Since there were four of Darcy’s men and only two of them, I came out from behind the bar, figuring they’d need some help, but nope, they took care of them with no problem at all and seemed to have a good time doing it.”
“They do enjoy a good brawl.”
“I could see that. Tore the place up, and when the dust cleared, they were the only two men still standing. Auntie was real upset about the damage at first, but after they paid her with the gold from that old carpet bag, she was smiling again.”
Griff went still. Old carpet bag? They hadn’t said anything about covering the damages to the saloon with his money.
Gillie asked, “Is there something wrong, Griffin?”
“No, ma’am,” he replied shaking his head. Those two were the physical embodiment of Coyote, the supreme trickster of Native American lore, and if you weren’t careful, they’d bite. Luckily for their friends, their bite was never mean-spirited; Auntie deserved reimbursement for all the damage, yet Griff did wonder how much the carpet bag had originally held and how much it actually contained now.
Jessi returned carrying a large valise. “Joth’s wolfing down his breakfast and will be ready directly.”
She walked over and gave Gillie a strong hug. “Thank you for this. With Darcy and everything, it’s a good time for him to be away.”
“That’s how I feel. He can play with my sister’s grandson and not have to worry about anything but being a child. I will make certain he keeps up with his lessons, though.”
“I know you will.”
Gillie then turned to peer at Griffin. “Although I do wish I were here to see what your champion is going to do next.”
Doyle turned sharply. “Whose champion?”
“Jessi’s champion. Griffin.”
Jessi felt embarrassment flood her cheeks. Leave it to Gill
ie to know everything about everyone.
Doyle didn’t look pleased as he surveyed Griffin. “Is that who he thinks he’s going to be?”
Gillie told her former student quietly, “It isn’t about who he thinks he’s going to be, Doyle Keel. It’s about who he is.”
“Him? And Jessi?”
Doyle Keel had always been sweet on Jessi, and everyone knew it. He’d long ago resigned himself to the fact that she’d never return his feelings, but continued to be a good friend nonetheless. He too had defied Darcy’s edicts by bringing her food and supplies.
Doyle looked first at Griffin and then at Jessi. “Can he beat you at marbles?” he asked her bluntly.
Jessi fought to keep a straight face. “He says he can.”
“Well, saying and doing are two different things.” He turned to Griffin and related just as bluntly, “I’ve been in love with this girl since I was eight years old, but for some reason she won’t have me.”
Doyle shot Jessi a grin and she smiled.
He turned back to Griffin. “If she’s picked you, I can live with that, because you seem like a decent sort. But if you break her heart, or if she so much as tears a fingernail because of you, Blake, I will find you and break you in half. Do you understand me?”
Griffin most certainly did. He’d already noted the barkeep’s great strength and had no desire to be introduced to it personally.
Then Doyle’s brown eyes lightened. “But if you can beat her at marbles, you can be my champion, too. Hell, I’ll even throw in free drinks for as long as I’m behind Auntie’s bar. Deal?” he asked, sticking out his boulder-sized hand.
Filled with relief, a grinning Griffin stuck his hand in Doyle’s, then tried not to wince from the bone-crushing power of the man’s grip. “Deal,” he croaked.
“Men,” Jessi said shaking her head.
“You really think you can whip her at marbles?” Doyle asked Griffin in a noisy aside.
“Yep.”
Jessi rolled her eyes. “If the two of you are finished, I’d like to know how the town reacted to Griffin breaking the hotel’s window?”
Gillie chuckled. “It put poor Reed in such a rage, he must’ve jumped up and down in front of that busted window for ten minutes yelling and cussing. Put on quite a show.”
“He’s never been challenged before,” Doyle said. “I don’t think he likes it.”
“Good,” Griffin replied. “Maybe we can inspire a few others to stare him down.”
“You’ve certainly given folks something to talk about, if nothing else,” Gillie remarked.
Joth came in. “I’m ready to go.” Buttercup would be going too, and Joth had already trailered him to the wagon. It would be the pony’s first long trek, and Joth was a bit worried, but when Jessi explained to him that the blood of the great plains horses ran through Buttercup’s veins, he seemed reassured that his favorite mount would make it to Austin and back.
Doyle and Griffin loaded Joth’s belongings in the wagon and then it was time to say good-bye. On the porch, Jessi gave her nephew a strong hug which he returned tenfold. “I’ll tell Miss Maude you said hello,” Joth told her.
“You do that, and remember your manners.”
“I will, Aunt Jessi.”
Griff was waiting by the wagon. “Bye cowboy. You have a good time.”
“I will. Tell the Twins I’ll see them when I get back.”
“I will.”
Doyle slapped the reins over the team and the wagon began to roll. Joth and Gillie waved. Jessi waved back until they were out of sight.
Griff came up on the porch and slipped his arm around her waist. “You’re already missing him, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but as I told Gillie, he needs to be away for a while.”
“I agree. So what are your plans for today?”
“Laundry.”
“Laundry?”
Jessi turned in the circle of his arms so she could look up into his bearded handsomeness. “Yes, laundry.”
“How about you relax instead?”
“I don’t have time. Today’s the day I do the wash.”
He bent and brushed his lips over her ear. “The Twins will be gone for two days—Joth at least a week—and you want to do laundry? No routine today, Jessi Rose. Today’s a holiday.”
“Griffin,” she sighed pleasurably, feeling her desire awakening. “I have to do the wash.”
“Who’s the maestro here?”
He punctuated the question with a kiss that warmed her to her toes. She didn’t have to answer, and he didn’t really expect one; they both knew. As the kiss deepened, she wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer. The wash was the farthest thing from her mind.
When she finally came up for air, she was woozy and it took a moment for her eyes to open. His mustache rose around his smile. “Still want to do the wash?”
“If I say yes, will I get kissed again?”
“Yes or no, it won’t much matter. I’m going to kiss you either way.”
Desire rose, warming the cool morning air like afternoon heat. Jessi felt bold and filled with a burgeoning sensuality that made her want to ensure he remembered her when he was gone. “Make love to me,” she told him, in a voice quiet as a candle’s flame.
Griffin’s eyes closed and his blood rushed fast as a canyon flood. The heated request, the seriousness in her gaze, let him know this was not some teasing ploy. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. Looking down, he saw a beautiful dark-skinned beauty he had about as much business pursuing as he had trying to rob a well-guarded express car alone, but he wouldn’t trade his place here with her for all the railroad gold in the world. He traced a finger over her lips and asked quietly, “Are you sure about this?”
She nodded.
He leaned to touch his lips to hers. “Then I am too. Did you already start the water heating for the wash?”
He was slowly undoing the buttons of her shirt.
Filled with anticipation, Jessi was finding it hard to concentrate. “Yes.”
He trailed kisses down her bare throat. “Do you think it’s hot by now?”
She was certain it was and wondered why he cared. “It should be…Why?” she whispered.
“We’ll need it later.”
Jessi had no idea what he was talking about and didn’t much care. His hands and lips were roaming ever so lazily. He pulled her frayed camisole down and gave her breasts a long, lingering loving. Raising up, he looked down at her with blazing eyes, then picked her up and carried her into the house.
The kiss he bestowed upon her as he set her on her bed had enough potency to keep a woman satisfied for a week. While she lay there ebbing and flowing, a haze-filled Jessi felt him leave her. She hadn’t an inkling as to where he’d gone or what he was doing, she just wanted him to return.
He did only moments later. “Sorry for leaving…”
He kissed her deeply and her desire rose higher. He gently stripped away her shirt. The camisole went next and he filled his hands with the soft bare flesh. His thumbs rubbed against them in silent invitation and they hardened on cue.
“You’ve learned your lessons well…”
He gave them each a glancing lick, then gently bit the yearning peaks. He proceeded to divest her of the rest of her clothing slowly and expertly.
“No wonder society doesn’t want decent women associating with disreputable men like you,” Jessi breathed, as she looked up at him from atop the sheets on her net-shrouded bed. Her breasts were hard as jewels and she seemed to be throbbing everywhere.
Lying beside her, he grinned softly. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
His mouth tenderly captured a nipple and she arched and crooned to the dizzying pleasure. Breathing became difficult as his tapered brown fingers meandered and roamed. A sweet lingering heat flared and grew everywhere he touched. Strong hands slid over her like velvet, learning her lines, tracing her shapes, mapping her as if she were an uncharted land he
’d come to claim in the name of some erotic kingdom. Although she’d never enjoyed the marriage bed before, Griffin made her want to be his in every way.
“Open your legs, querida,” he whispered, brushing a kiss against the small dark whorl of her navel.
Jessi shuddered and rippled like heat waves on the horizon. His fingers dallying with the passion-damp hair below her navel made her legs part without thought. The tiny licks he began to place on the trembling inner skin of each thigh were overwhelming. Her ragged breathing became audible as he alternated the flicks of his tongue with humid, lingering touches from his lips.
Bold fingers tutored and cajoled her to widen her legs even further, and groaning aloud, she shamelessly complied. He was knowing, masterful, brazen. Continuing to tease her blissfully, he warned softly, “Now, don’t scream…”
Before Jessi could voice her confusion, his tongue moved over her so wantonly no further explanations were needed. The sensations were so seeringly sharp she had to grab a fistful of sheets to keep from screaming loud and long. What was he doing to her? She knew, of course; she just didn’t believe it. While she twisted and moaned, he dallied, nibbled, parted her gently, and gave her passionate fits. When her body rippled its powerful release, she swore she’d been flung up to the stars.
Griffin’s manhood throbbed with need as he watched her response. He realized he could want this woman twenty-fours hours a day. Who’d’ve thought she’d be this lush, this magnificent? He couldn’t keep his hands from touching her, stroking her, toying with her. While he knew it would take her a few moments to recover, he was ready to continue branding her into his soul. To that end he stood and undressed. When he rejoined her atop the bed, he began again, teasing, inviting, making her heat rise to match his own in this age-old dance of man and woman. His grip on his own passion was steadily eroding. He had to have her now or shame himself like an untried youth.
He entered her a few heated moments later and their mutual sighs of satisfaction mingled in the otherwise silent room. As he began to move slowly within her, he was glad this first time had happened during the day so he could see her take in his pleasure, watch her nipples grow hard as wild blackberries under his kisses, and view the delicious way she arched as she rode his rhythm. Just thinking about it made him increase the tempo of his thrusts. Her hands traveling sensually over his back were hot, the place sheltering his manhood warm and tight. Next time they’d go slower so they could explore each other’s passions at length, but right now, as she rose to his strokes, and her lush, lean body drove him over the edge, his hold on his self broke and the world shattered into a thousand shuddering pieces.