Electing to Love Read online

  The sight of him standing there threatened to take her breath away. She nodded a greeting, unable to speak.

  His smile broadened, as if he sensed her weakness and found it endearing. "Do you want me to stay out here?"

  She blinked a few times, released a nervous titter as she stepped back to allow him entry. "Sorry. Come in."

  He moved into the apartment and she shut the door behind him. She watched as he took off his hat and vest, placing them on the old oak coat rack by the door.

  "Something smells good." His remark cut through the silence.

  "I thought you might be hungry after working all day. I roasted a hen with some potatoes and carrots."

  "A beautiful companion, and a meal. I'm a lucky man." He closed the space between them. Touching her chin, he lifted her face up and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

  Her cheeks heated at his words. Her whole body felt warm; his very presence seemed to heat her blood. "You're quite the charmer this evening."

  "Only for you, dear." He kissed her again, this time on the cheek.

  Sensing the growing heat between them, she gave him a nudge. "Come. Let's eat before the food gets cold."

  She walked to the kitchen with him only a breath behind her. Gesturing for him to take a seat, she set about carving the hen. When she presented him with a plate, piled with half the hen and the roasted vegetables, he clapped his hands together.

  "Thank you for the meal, Angel. It looks marvelous."

  She passed him a cup of lemonade, then sat down with her own food. "I hope you like it."

  For a time, only the sounds of their silverware striking the china plates filled the apartment. She glanced up to see him eating heartily, and that pleased her.

  "How was work today? Anything interesting happen?" She was pretty sure that if a crime had taken place she would have heard about it by now, but she wanted him to know she cared about his work.

  He shook his head, swallowing a mouthful of roast hen. "No. Just a typical day filing reports, making patrols, that sort of thing."

  She nodded. "All I did today was see my aunt onto the stagecoach to Oakland. I usually take it pretty easy when the saloon is closed."

  The finished the meal in companionable silence. He pushed his plate away, patting his stomach with a satisfied grin. "Angel May, thank you again for that delicious meal."

  She felt the smile stretching her lips. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've got a strawberry tart in the icebox, if you have room for dessert."

  He reached across the table to grasp her hand. His dark eyes were alive with desire as he spoke. "Honey, you are the only dessert I want."

  Her pulse quickened, her breath catching in her throat.

  He stood, walked around the table, his hand still wrapped around hers. Gently he urged her to her feet, He ran his fingertips along her jawline, then showered torrid kisses across the bared expanse of her shoulders. "Will you give me the dessert I'm craving, Angel?"

  "Yes..." The word escaped her lips on a breathless sigh as he continued to brush his lips against the sensitive nook of her neck. In that moment, she'd have done anything he asked.

  Her knees weakened, turning to jelly as he kissed the tops of her breasts, bared by the cut of her gown. She braced her hips against the table to keep from sinking to the floor in a heap.

  His bold hands reached inside the top of the gown to free her breasts. His dark eyes glittered with desire. He moved his hands to cup the twin globes, bent his head to pleasure them with his warm mouth.

  "Ah." Her head lolled back when his lips closed over one of her nipples. He let his tongue bathe it, then drew several long, deep sucks before moving his magical attentions to the other nipple.

  Now the sighs escaped her one after another. Her whole world was spinning, all rational thought drowned out by the dizzying pleasure he brought.

  Finally, he pulled away. She looked at him, found him watching her.

  With desire blazing like a fire alarm fire in his eyes, he said, "Come. Let's go to your bed."

  His arm moved around her waist and she went willingly, letting him guide her and her disheveled gown into her bedroom.

  ***

  Gregory could not recall ever being so hard and so ready to please a woman as he was at this moment. Angel lay across the bed, with the bodice of the deep purple gown in disarray. Her pert brown breasts, capped with dark nipples left hard and begging by his earlier attentions, were bared to his hungry eyes. The dark riches of her hair were spread out around her head, her lips were kiss swollen. Her tawny eyes were focused on him, and held an invitation he could not resist even if he wanted to.

  He moved his body to position himself between her legs, where they dangled off the side of the bed. His manhood throbbed, and all he wanted was to ruck up the dress, strip away her underthings, and bury himself deep between her rich golden thighs. He held himself in check. This night was their first encounter, and he wanted to take his time gifting her with more pleasure than she'd ever experienced before.

  He leaned low to place a soft kiss on her lips. "Let's get you out of this gown."

  Her only reply was a soft, sultry smile.

  He stood again. He grasped one of her ankles, then led his hand slide up the silken skin of her leg. When he reached her thigh and found it bare, he drew a sharp breath.

  "You're nude underneath." He stated it instead of asking her, because his hands were already touring the warm softness of her naked flesh beneath the flowing skirts.

  Her eyes tempted him to explore further. "I thought you might be pleased to discover that."

  He groaned low in his throat while rucking up the gown, pushing the skirts into a bundle around her waist. The full expanse of her bronze legs was revealed to his hot gaze, and his attention went immediately to the triangle of curls crowning her shapely thighs. A moment passed with him simply admiring the beauty of her body. His manhood was now so engorged he feared he might spill before he removed his trousers.

  He knew he had to remove the last, silken barrier between him and her body, lest he ruin the gown. He reached for her hands, helped her to her feet.

  She showed him her back, and he worked as quickly as he could to undo what seemed like a hundred tiny buttons and loops running down the dress. When he finally finished, the open halves fell apart to her waist. He stepped back a bit to allow her to remove it. Before his very appreciative eyes, she shimmied the garment down her hips and let it pool around her ankles before stepping out of it. The moment she did, he turned her to face him, his hands cupped the round softness of her bottom. He caressed her, gave her gentle squeezes as he drew her close, kissing her lips.

  By now his body demanded release, so he eased her away from him, and helped her lie back across the bed. He shed his own clothing hastily, then joined her on the bed. Their bodies touched as he lay next to her, kissing her lips and letting his hands tour the curves of her nude flesh.

  "You are beautiful." The words slipped from his lips on an awe filled whisper, then the kisses began anew. He took his time making her ready to receive all he had to give, placing slow, languid kisses between her breasts, and down the soft plane of her stomach. Her sighs were like music to his ears as he eased his way between her thighs. When he placed his kisses there, her back arched like a bow and her legs fell open to allow him full access to the very center of her. He remained there, stroking her with his lips and tongue, until release shattered her and she cried out his name.

  He moved above her, enjoying the sight of pleasure's glow on her face. Bracing himself on one elbow, he cupped her bottom with the other hand and slid smoothly into her. Her body accepted him readily, and when she began to clench around him, he brought his hands to her waist and held on. Then he started to rock his hips, letting his passion have its full head.

  Moving in and out of her at increasing speed, he felt himself hardening even more. Her silken warmth pushed him to the very heights of arousal. Holding back became more difficult, then impossible. He
pressed his upper body against her soft breasts, lifted her hips with both hands, and stroked her like a man gone mad.

  The soft moans slipping from her lips became louder, more intense as he made love to her. Soon his own groans filled the room, harmonizing with hers like their very own passionate music.

  She shattered then, her silken passage quivering and compressing him as she cried out his name.

  Her crisis fueled his own. On a shout of glory, he gave one last thrust as his whole body vibrated with ecstasy. Everything in his body sang her name as he lay atop her, folding her into his embrace. With their bodies still joined, he showered her face with soft kisses until sleep swept him away.

  Gregory opened his eyes, taking a moment to let them adjust to the dim light of Angel's bedroom. He raised his head from the feather pillow a bit, listening.

  He heard only her soft, breathy snores.

  As if she sensed his scrutiny, she opened her eyes. Sleepily, she looked to him. "What is it? Why are you watching me like that?"

  He looked at her, lying there among the rumpled bedclothes. The glimmer of light from the rising sun cast a golden light on her, making her look as angelic as her name implied. She'd taken his heart, and he couldn't bear the thought of a life without her.

  That moment, he knew he would do whatever he must to protect her.

  "Angel, you're going to have to take some measures to ensure your safety."

  Her round eyes found his. "Like what?"

  "Like, never walking alone after dark. And making your doors are locked at night. As a matter of fact, I'm going to the mercantile to get you a new set of bolts for your doors, and ..."

  She stuck up her hand. "Hold on, Greg. I've walked around town after dark alone for years, and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

  He shook his head. "I'm telling you, Angel. You've got to take precautions. Lupe can walk with you places, or one of your other troublemaking friends. It doesn't matter to me so long as you aren't out alone."

  She rolled her eyes, crossing her slender arms over her bosom. "Would you listen to yourself? You can't tell me what to do, Gregory. You're not my Pa, and you're certainly not my husband."

  He could feel his brow furrowing. Why was she being so contrary? All he wanted was to ensure her safety. "Come now, Angel. Why can't you just do as I say, honey?"

  "Oh, do you mean like last night, when you didn't want me on top of you?"

  He pressed his hand to his temple, feeling his head begin to throb. In the wee hours of darkness, she'd awakened him for a second round of lovemaking, and he had insisted she lie beneath him. Was she really holding that against him? He did all the work, leaving her nothing but the leisurely enjoyment of their coupling.

  "Well?" Her eyes flashed angrily.

  "The natural way of lovemaking means the man is on top..."

  "And in control. Go on and say it, Gregory. That's what you really want. To be in control, all the time, in every situation."

  He blew out a breath. "Angel May, that's not what..."

  "Stifle, Greg. I don't want to hear it. Best thing for you to do right now is get your gear and leave."

  He stared at her. "Are you serious? You're throwing me out?"

  She didn't flinch. "How can I make myself any clearer? Get out, Gregory."

  With a groan, he slipped his feet into his boots, then stood. Fastening his gun belt and putting his sidearm into it, he looked at her again. Surely, she would come to her senses at any moment.

  The frown marring her face told him that wasn't going to happen. She stood, still holding the sheet around her body. "Go on, scoot!"

  He strode into the parlor, got his vest and hat from the coat rack. As he shrugged into the vest he shot her a censuring look. "I'm only thinking of what's best for you, you know."

  She harrumphed. "And you presume to know what's best, as always. Get out, and don't come back until you've gotten over your delusions of male superiority."

  She held open the door and nudged him out before slamming it in his face.

  Outdone, he turned and started walking toward Buck's. Knowing his friend, he'd have a cigar, and after dealing with his prickly little vixen, he could certainly use a smoke.

  * * *

  Chapter 11

  Angel moved slowly down the toiletry aisle of the mercantile, tucking her purchases into the canvas bag she'd gotten at the counter. Lupe trailed behind her with a bag of her own.

  Tucking a lavender scented bar of soap into her bag, she turned to Lupe. "Can you believe Gregory thought he was going to tell me what I should and should not do?"

  Lupe, examining a package of bath salts, rolled her eyes. "He's a man. That's how they are."

  "Well, no man in my life is going to be that way, because I won't have it."

  Lupe chuckled, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Oh, please. If he's as talented in bed as you say he is, you'll let him get away with plenty."

  Angel said nothing in response to that, but Lupe's words did bring back a flood of heated memories of Gregory's loving. He was a well-made man, and he knew a plethora of ways to make her body sing his name. A tingle danced down her spine as she recalled the feel of his big hands and soft lips all over her body.

  Another shopper turned sideways and squeezed down the aisle to pass them, reminding Angel that she was in public. She shook off the carnal memories as best she could, trying to focus instead on her shopping.

  She was inspecting a bottle of perfumed toilet water when she heard a male voice.

  "Well. If it isn't two of the most troublesome hellions in town."

  The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she whirled around to face Nathan Greer, who stood at the top of the aisle, smiling smugly as if he thought himself very clever. He was a short man, rail thin and dressed in a brown suit that did nothing for his pale coloring. His salt and pepper hair was beginning to recede, and the beady little brown eyes, hidden behind a pair of bronze rimmed spectacles, raked over her like grimy fingers.

  "Hello to you, too, Mr. Greer. I see you still have the manners of someone raised in a cave."

  A frown furrowed his woolly, graying brows. "Sass, as always. I'm not surprised. You never did know your place."

  Lupe, her fists propped on her hips, lit into him. "Oh, go on with your fat mouth, Greer. We ain't interested in anything you have to say."

  "Is that so? You may want to change your mind, because when I win the election, I'm going to see that your little sin palace is shut down."

  Angel groaned. "I'm not interested in your threats, Greer."

  He tugged his lapels in the self-important way that made Angel's blood boil. "It's no threat. As a matter of fact, closing the saloon will be my very first order of business. And after that, I'll be setting in motion some laws to keep you females in your..." he eyed the two of them with malice filled eyes..."natural place."

  Lupe made a face as if she'd caught a whiff of something foul. Then she began muttering rapidly in Spanish, something she often did when angered.

  Angel could feel her own face tightening. There was something about the way Greer was looking at her that made her skin crawl. He seemed to be regarding her with a mixture of hatred and lust, and it made her feel as if an entire colony of ants had taken up residence beneath her clothing.

  Not bothering to mask her dislike for him, she turned on her heel, tossing back, "Have a good day, Mr. Greer." She moved away, with Lupe in tow.

  "Don't you walk away from me, you little tart!"

  She glared back at him. "This tart isn't under your command, so take your threats and jam them right up your hind end, you oaf!"

  As he stood there, his jaw hanging open like an unlatched barn door, she and Lupe went to the counter to pay for their purchases.

  He had sense enough not to approach them again, and Angel was glad of it.

  As they stepped out onto the walk with their goods, Lupe adjusted her small flowered hat, then turned to her. "I don't know how Perry put
s up with him. He's such a pain in the ass."

  She chuckled at the mention of Greer's wife, Persephone. "I don't know either. Maybe she doesn't 'put up with him.' Maybe sleeping on the settee every night is why he's so damn ornery."

  They both laughed at that.

  "What were you saying in Spanish back there, Lupe?"

  A small smirk crossed her face. "I was cursing him, which I'm sure you know. Anyhow I'd best not repeat it in English. Let's just say I called him some choice names."

  She gave her friend a playful punch in the arm. "Naughty Lupe. Such language."

  A silent beat passed between them, before Lupe spoke again.

  "Do you really think he'd shut us down, Angel?"

  "If he wins, I'm sure he'll do everything in his power to make our lives miserable. Not just us, but every woman in this town."

  Lupe shook her head. "Dash it all. I wish we could vote, so we could vote against the bounder."

  Angel kept her eyes on the walk ahead, being careful to avoid other people moving past her. "He's cocky, that's for sure. But don't worry. He can't do anything to us if he loses."

  As she and Lupe moved on down the road, she pushed away thoughts of Nathan Greer, and any actions he might take if he were elected. Despite all his bluster, he hadn't won yet.

  They passed the corner near the library, and waited to cross the road. They stood there, unaware of the man watching them from behind the building that housed Lilly's Dress Emporium, and waited for traffic to slow.

  When they crossed the street, the man waited a few beats, then followed them.

  Lupe glanced back over her shoulder.

  The man turned his back quickly, and headed north past the hotel while the girls headed east toward the saloon.

  Angel, noticing Lupe's backward glance, said, "What is it, Lupe?"

  She shook her head, refocusing her attention. "Nothing, I suppose."