Clockwork Cowboy

Chapter 41

Nova crept onto the porch, with only the moonlight to guide her.  Tip-toeing to the door - careful to avoid creaky planks - she reached for the handle. But, as her hand clasped the knob, it moved in her grip. Stifling a scream of fear she stepped back to hide in the shadows; a hand snaked through the crack and grabbed her wrist and Nova was yanked unceremoniously inside.

"Jese!" Her voice conveyed shock. "I wasn't expecting to see you."

Her husband's devilish black eyes were ablaze with anger. No sign of sleep lurking in their depths, as if he'd been prowling about the homestead for hours - waiting for her arrival. "Did you hope I was out? Searching the ranch like a complete fool?"

"I-"

"While you let yourself in, unnoticed?"

No. She'd expected him to be fast asleep, undisturbed. "Possibly."

"The whole town is searching for Miss India Sommers." His gaze fell to her attire. "I assume that is why you are wearing only a blanket?"

The horror continued to escalate.  Nova wondered where it would end. Would she be shot dead by her pursuers, or locked away in a tiny cell for the rest of her natural life?

"You look frightened."

"I'm not sure why anyone would be looking for me."

"A two thousand dollar reward, perhaps? If I were a heartless man, I'd turn you in myself."

"Well..." Her eyes flashed, challenging him. "What are you waiting for?"

He pulled her against his firm body. "I don't think this is the right time for your habitual self-righteous rage, Nova. Not when you are in such a vulnerable position." He tugged at the blanket, and watched it fall to a puddle at her feet.

The cold night air chilled her naked body. "Just as I thought," he murmured.  Jese's hand reached out to trace the white smudges on her chest. Nova noticed how the graze of his fingers had caused her skin to turn to goose pimples. "Residual white paint."

That he could whip her blanket off only to inspect her like a horse... the rage boiled inside.   He felt nothing towards her except for the vague concern that a man felt for a possession, she thought. "Take your hands off me, you brute!" She struggled in his grip, desperate to grab the blanket in an attempt to cover her modesty, but his hold prevented her.

"You married me so that your debts would be paid off... and then you went and robbed a train," Jese pondered aloud. Ignoring her protests. "What on earth can be going through that pretty little head of yours?"

"Let. Me. Go."

"You can hiss and snarl all you like, but I think you will find that you are stuck in an uncompromising situation." His free hand snaked around the small of her back and dragged her naked frame against his. "What is it about you?" He asked. Bending to nuzzle her ear with his nose, turning her limbs to jelly. "You drive me insane! Is this how you charm your way out of every predicament you get yourself into?"

"Not at all." She pulled back, ashamed to feel her body reacting to the rough sensation of his clothes against her bare skin. Her nipples, tormented by the cool night air and his proximity, turning to hard peaks. She saw her husband glance down - his pupils dilating as he took in her arousal - and felt a hot flush creeping over her cheeks. "I was conned into a bad situation."

He dragged his gaze back to her face. "Of course you were." Jese smiled, laconically. "You were conned."

"Damn you to hell!"

"You needn't waste your breath," he said with a throaty growl. "When I married you I think I damned myself." In an instant Jese brought his mouth down kissing her with a hungry urgency.