Audrey and the Maverick by Elaine Levine Page A

rubbing her back, Audrey felt her tears ease. He kissed her hair. He lifted her face and pressed his lips against her forehead, then lower to the space between her eyebrows, then one side of her nose. He kissed her wet cheek, the corner of her mouth, before his mouth slanted across hers. He cupped the back of her head and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her up and against him.
    His tongue slid against hers, pushing and tasting until she forgot all else. Her hands moved up his chest so she could wrap her arms around his neck. He broke the kiss, then started it again, his mouth moving over hers ravenously, a man starved for affection. When the kiss ended, he slowly set her feet back on the ground.
    She moved back fractionally. “I’m not your woman, McCaid.”
    “You are. I’ve claimed you.”
    Audrey felt shock stiffen her limbs. “You can’t do that.”
    “I’ve done it. Men are simple creatures. They want food. They want work. And they want sex. I’m giving them food and work. I just made it damn clear that they won’t be getting sex from you. You’re safer if they think you’re my woman.” McCaid grew still. For the space of a few heartbeats, he simply regarded her, the emotion in his brown eyes sizzling like a lit fuse. He touched her cheek, his fingers feathering across her skin. Never had she known a man’s touch could be so gentle. Audrey wondered if her bruises on her neck were still visible. They didn’t hurt anymore.
    “Give me one night,” he whispered as he brought his other hand up to her face. His touch was so distracting that it took her a full minute to understand the meaning of his words. “One night. Then I will take you back to Defiance, your debt forgiven. You can get away from this camp, from me, from the men here. You can be settled again in your own home.”
    Audrey didn’t say no, but she couldn’t say yes. It was too soon for her to return to Defiance. His mouth took hers in a gentle kiss. She opened her eyes, seeing half of his face washed in the golden light of the lowering sun, the other half darkened by his own silhouette. His arms went around her. He was hardness and muscle and bone where she was soft and round and thin. Her toes barely touched the ground. She didn’t fight the kiss, but she didn’t assist it either. She was too absorbed in cataloging what it felt like to have his arms around her.
    Glorious.
    It was glorious. And deadly.
    If she surrendered, he would return her to town. “No.” She pushed away from him. “No.” He dropped his arms, giving no resistance as she backed away. “Good night, McCaid.”
    Julian said nothing; he just watched her pivot and enter her cabin. He headed back to camp, where he poured himself a cup of coffee and cast a jaundiced glance over the men. Who of them had been with Audrey? Which of them had she let near her, hold her. Fuck her? Some looked at him, some ignored him. Shit. He dumped his coffee and went to the corral to saddle his horse. Maybe a ride would help this rangy restlessness consuming him.
    He was just tightening his horse’s cinch when Franklin approached him. “Boss, I gotta talk to you.”
    “What is it, Franklin?”
    “That man tonight—there were two of them that came in together. One of them was that Howie character you just dealt with, the other a mean hombre named Zeke. I think we oughtta get rid of them both.”
    Julian straightened. Had Audrey been looking for Howie’s partner? Who the hell were they? “No. They’re here for a reason. Might go better for us to know about them, know what they are up to, than to have them out of eyesight. Keep them separated. Work them like sons of bitches. I want them too tired to cause trouble. Don’t issue them rifles. They won’t be at the target practices.”
    “Yessir.”
    “And, Franklin—get a cot set up for Amy in the cookhouse. She shouldn’t be so far from Miss Sheridan at night.”
    “Will do, boss.”
    Julian swung up onto his horse as