Free Hannah Howell by Stolen Ecstasy

Charlie squatted by the fire and helped himself to some coffee.
    “Five hundred.” Luke’s rough voice rose in a near whoop of joy as he too helped himself to some coffee. “And we wouldn’t have to hand that over to Watkins.”
    “You can’t turn her in,” Jed protested.
    “Why the hell not?”
    “Who are you going to turn her in to, Luke?” asked Hunter. “The sheriff? He’ll grab you too.”
    “Yeah,” Charlie agreed. “They describe you too.”
    “Ain’t a very good description,” Luke muttered. “Fine then. We’ll just leave her behind.”
    “You can’t just desert her.” Charlie looked deeply shocked.
    “And what’s wrong with that idea? She’s been nothing but trouble. Now she’s going to bring the bounty hunters after us.”
    “And she can do that even better,” Hunter pointed out, “if she’s left behind to give a clearer description of us.”
    Luke caressed the handle of his Colt. “Then let’s shoot her. That way she can’t talk when we turn her in, and we can take the money and run.”
    Tom looked up from helping himself to some food, his dark gaze cool as he looked over the group. “I won’t turn bounty hunter.”
    That silenced Luke, but not for long. He repeated his suggestion about leaving her behind. It took Hunter quite a while to end the dispute.
    By the time Leanne sought her bed, she had a pounding headache. Fear knotted her insides. Luke was more of a danger to her than any bounty hunter. She began to wonder how long Hunter could keep the man in check, or even how long he would want to bother.
    Curling up beneath the blanket, she wrapped her arms around herself, closed her eyes, and prayed for sleep. It was the only time she was free of her fears. It was also the only time she was free of the increasing temptation Hunter presented, although her dreams reminded her of it in a rather scandalous manner.
    Sleep was still stubbornly eluding her when Hunter slipped in beside her. She tensed when he wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her close to him. The way he nuzzled her hair sent shivers through her.
    “I’m trying to go to sleep.” A telltale huskiness entered her voice as he nibbled her earlobe, and she silently cursed it.
    “Of course you are.”
    “I am.”
    “You seem to be having a little difficulty.” He could sense her fighting to maintain her tense resistance to him.
    She resisted the urge to snuggle against him as he smoothed his hand down her side. It was so easy for him to shake her resolve, she thought with self-disgust. He probably knew it too, she supposed. She had always been so good at hiding her feelings before.
    “That could be because I have a few little things on my mind, such as a five hundred dollar price on my head, the knowledge that every bounty hunter in the area is probably oiling his gun this very minute, and the distressing feeling that I have presented Luke with a terrible quandary—should he turn me in for the reward or just shoot me.”
    Gently, he turned her onto her back. He found himself heartily wishing he could ease the fear she felt. She was too smart to swallow any lies, however, and it would require lies to make her believe she had nothing to fear.
    “You’re going to fret yourself into an early grave, Leanne Summers.”
    Before she could reply, he was kissing her. She succumbed helplessly to the heated intoxication of his lips. It was only when she reminded herself that this man was an outlaw that she found the strength to push him away. She noted a little groggily that he only allowed the distance between them to be a very small one.
    “Stop that,” she ordered.
    “You don’t really want me to stop, Leanne.”
    She wanted to deny his words, and to her dismay, she heard herself speak with far more truthfulness than she wished. “That may be so, but it’s far from wise. I intend to continue to struggle for some common sense.”
    “Do you now.” He slid his hand along her side to her breast.
    Leanne