Free Dorothy Garlock - [Annie Lash 01] by Wild Sweet Wilderness Page A

outrage, her beauty highlighted by the high color in her cheeks and the sparkle of tears in her eyes. He wanted more than anything to kiss her. Just to kiss her and hold her, not to bed her. She was too rare a woman to use and discard. What would she do? Would she stab him with the knife she had in her pocket? He didn’t want to risk frightening her by taking the knife, so he asked her.
    “Will you stab me if I kiss you?”
    To his surprise, she laughed. “Why do you want to?”
    “Because you’re so . . . pretty.”
    “I might not like it. I’ve not been kissed by a man.
    “I’d like to be first.” The shimmer in her eyes and the smile on her soft mouth made him feel shaky inside.
    “What do I do?”
    “First, we get rid of this hat.” He took it from her and hung it over the barrel of his gun.
    Berry’s heart fluttered, and she drew the tip of her tongue across dry lips. The boldness of her actions, the sheer wonder of it, sent a thrill of excitement through her. Her hands lay palms down against the buckskin shirt that covered his chest. She could feel the steady thump of his heart beneath her hand. Slowly, haltingly, he drew her hands up to his shoulders so that he could pull her close to him. The moment crackled with tension. The hands on her back pulled her against him. At first she was rigid, unyielding. It seemed indecent for her breasts to be touching his chest.
    His nose nuzzled into the hair above her ear. “I’ll not force you,” he whispered.
    Berry felt her heart pounding like that of a scared rabbit. She was frightened, yet it was so pleasant to be close to him. He had a scent like spices and fresh pine needles. Her hands moved higher and her fingers came in contact with silky hair that hung to the back of his shirt. She breathed deeply and leaned against him. They stood for a moment, suspended in time, before he turned his head and lightly touched her lips with his. It was over in an instant and his cheek was pressed to hers. She was disappointed.
    “Did you like it?”
    The whisper tickled her ear. She laughed. “I don’t know. Is that all there is to it?”
    “Maybe we should try it again.” He liked the feel of this small girl in his arms. God! He’d never felt like this before. Not even with the women in that fancy brothel in New Orleans. He wanted to hold this lovely lass, cherish her, see that no harm came to her.
    “If you want to.” The whisper barely reached his ears.
    The arms that enclosed her tightened, and she was conscious of the heavy pounding of a man’s heart against hers for the first time. He lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers, held them there for an instant, then kissed her.
    Berry had no time to think about what she was doing. She tightened her arms about his neck and offered her lips again. This time their breaths mingled for an instant before he covered her mouth with his. There was no haste in this kiss. It was slow, sensuous, languid. He took his time deliberately and she offered herself willingly. Berry could feel the hard bones and muscles of his body thrusting against the softness of hers through her cotton dress. There was nothing threatening about the arms that held her. She felt protected, sheltered, intimately cocooned in his embrace. Forces stronger than she compelled her arms to tighten about him and her mouth to part beneath his.
    Mesmerized by his kiss, her thoughts fled, and feelings took over. Although his lips were soft and gentle, they entrapped hers with a fiery heat. There was a sweet taste to his mouth that was extremely pleasant, and his cheeks were rough against her face. Her fingers moved into the hair at the back of his neck as the bittersweet ache of passion was awakened in her.
    Berry was only vaguely aware that his hand had traveled down her back to her hips and that she was pulled tightly to him. She clung, unaware of his restraint, unaware of the tremor in his arms. She felt as well as heard the raspy sound that came from