The Temptress (Montgomery/Taggert 8)

Chris thought her heart was going to leap from her breast as he began to move inside her, so gently, so slowly at first—and the sensation was absolutely heavenly. Slowly, deeply, rhythmically, he moved, touching her in a way that seemed to consume her, to make her grow bigger, to expand until she felt as if she might explode.

“Tynan?” she said and there was some fear in her voice because she didn’t know what was about to happen.

He caught her legs, moved them back around his waist then lifted her hips upward so that half of her body weight was supported by his hips. He began to move more quickly and, if possible, more deeply. Chris put her hands up to touch the heavy muscles of his chest, clutching at him, digging her fingers into the thick muscles, wanting to claw him. Her head began to turn back and forth and there were little sounds coming from her.

Tynan’s movements quickened until Chris thought she might explode.

Afterward, she lay still, clinging to him, not wanting to let him go.

“You can, can’t you?” she said at last.

With a chuckle, Ty moved off of her, but held her close, one arm under her head, one thigh across hers.

“That was lovely,” she said, stretching. “Did I do all right? You weren’t disappointed?”

“No,” he murmured.

“You aren’t falling asleep, are you?”

“Not if you keep jabbering. Chris, we have to get up early tomorrow, this has been one hell of a day, what with you climbing across roofs, so I’d like to get some sleep.”

“Sleep?” She moved so she could look at him. “But I’m starving and we have so much to discuss. I want to know how you found out about my following Owen and when we’ll be married and what we’ll do about Lionel and Pilar has to go and—”

“Wait a minute!” His eyes flew open. “Married? Who said anything about marriage?”

“But I thought…I mean, after what we did…”

He rolled away from her, pulling on his pants.

She watched, the blanket clutched to her, as he built up the fire then lifted the cooked rabbits and began to reheat them. At long last, he handed her a big chunk of meat before he went to stand by the door.

“I never wanted this to happen,” he said, turning to look at her. “I meant to keep my hands off of you, just like your father demanded.”

“If you’re worried about the pardon,” she said, mouth full, “I’ll see that you get it. My father won’t send you back to jail.”

“Don’t you have sense enough to understand that it’s deeper than that?” he asked angrily. “Somebody like me can’t marry somebody like you, and besides, I don’t want to get married.”

Chris paused in eating. “Oh, Tynan, you have such a low opinion of yourself.”

“So do you when the chips are down.”

Chris tried to keep the meat from choking in her throat. “I made a mistake and I apologize. It won’t happen again. Especially if you’re my husband.”

“Well, I’m not going to be!” he said, moving away from the door. “If I married every woman I’ve—”

“Never mind, thank you!” she said quickly. “But, Tynan, I love you.”

“You think you’re in love with what you see. Chris, I’m trying to be kind to you. What happened tonight was just what always happens when a man and a woman spend a night in a cabin alone. It was inevitable.”

Chris threw the bone in the fire, then stood, wrapping the blanket around her. “Maybe in your world it’s inevitable, but not in mine. When I was investigating the Mexican government, I spent three nights alone with a Mexican guard and he never touched me.”

“How many guns were you holding on him?”

“One very small pistol,” she said with a smile. “Tynan, I—”

“There’s no more to be said. I want you to lay down and sleep. It’s best if we forget what happened here tonight.”

“Forget, but—”