Free Lawless by Emma Wildes Page B

away.
    Gabe was probably right, she realized. Roots would make a man like him vulnerable and she didn’t need to be told Cal wasn’t interested in permanence.
    The trouble was, she wanted to change his mind.
    “Me either.” The admission was made in a quiet voice and his gaze was heavy, one arm holding her close.
    “You? I’m sorry but it is obvious you’ve done it before.” It took a lot of effort to keep her tone even and dry.
    “Sex? Hell, yes. I’m twenty-nine years old and it’s always been pretty easy to find.”
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    She realized she not only didn’t like the idea of him with other women, but was acutely aware of their still intimately joined bodies and his embrace. “Then I’m surprised you’d agree with me. How is this different?”
    “It is, but it doesn’t matter. I’m poison for a woman like you.” Once again it was there, that edge of bitterness and a glimmer of bleakness in his storm gray eyes.
    “I have this feeling the truth is the other way around.” She said the words slowly.
    “How do you figure that?”
    Softly, Laurel said, “I think you are more afraid of me than I am of you.”
    Dark blond brows lifted. “Is that so?”
    She nodded, smoothing her hand down his back, feeling the hard honed muscles.
    “Petrified, Mr. Riker.”
    “Seems to me I’m twice your size.”
    “So? We both know you wouldn’t hurt me and that isn’t what I’m talking about anyway. I—”
    He interrupted her speech by suddenly rolling her over on her back, making her give a small cry of surprise at the abrupt movement. His mouth hovered over hers, lowered and took possession in a blatantly carnal kiss, and he gently rocked his hips.
    “I’m still hard like I didn’t just come,” he whispered against her lips. “I want you again, sweetheart, feel it?”
    She did. He filled her, stiff and hot.
    As a distraction, it was masterfully done and she did find it impossible to pursue the conversation as he started to move again in long, measured thrusts between her open legs.
    Fine, she thought, drowning in erotic sensation, if he couldn’t handle talking about his feelings yet, she could wait.
    The discussion was postponed, but not over by any means.

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    Emma Wildes

Chapter Seven
    John Evans looked at the man sitting across from his desk and leaned back in the chair. “Not that you aren’t the answer to a prayer, but do you mind telling me where you got this information, Mr. Ranson?”
    “Yep, I mind.” The older man, heavy in the shoulders and chest, with a graying beard, didn’t shift his straightforward gaze. At his feet sat what looked like a full-bred wolf, obedient but with that unmistakable wild look. “Look, Sheriff, I’m giving you the River Bend Outfit, free and clear. They’ve pulled off a lot of robberies and now added kidnapping to the list. That’s why I’m here in Tijeras. It’s up to you to get the information in the right hands or even go after them yourself. I’ve done my duty as an honest citizen.”
    “You’ve done your duty again, you mean,” John said dryly. “The last time you strolled in with news like this—little over a year ago, if I remember correctly—we caught what was left of the Holbert gang. I guess I’d like to know who’s tipping you off that doesn’t want to come here himself.”
    “Wonder all you want, because I ain’t sayin’.” Ranson shook his head, the dogged movement emphatic. “Let’s just say you’ve got a friend on the other side who dislikes it when sidewinders like Ferris Norton drag innocent young ladies off of trains while relieving folks of their belongings.”
    John looked at the instructions on the location of the camp where Ferris Norton and his cohorts supposedly holed up between jobs. It was just like the last time, precise, detailed and written in the same neat script. “Can you blame me for wanting to know who he is?”
    “We’re curious by nature as