Wild Lilly by Ann Mayburn

crushed her hips to his, ran her nose along his collarbone, and gave his chest a small lick. He tasted salty and delicious.
    “Why did you stop?” she asked in a plaintive whisper.
    “Because you’re driving me crazy. If I don’t stop now, I’m not going to be able to resist pulling down your dress, exposing those stiff little nipples, and feasting on them until you scream my name,” he breathed against her ear.
    “Oh.”
    He chuckled, the vibrations doing scandalous things to her sense of modesty. “Oh, indeed.” He pulled away and gazed at her. The heat in his eyes burned through her body, and settled into her soul. No one had ever looked at her like that, and no one had ever made her feel so desired.
    She wondered if he ever looked at Estrella like that and her desire cooled at the bitter taste of jealousy.
    Sensing her shift in mood, he stepped back and took a deep breath, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Thank you for stopping by, Lilly. And thank you for giving me another chance.”
    “This is the only chance you get, Paul.” She cupped his chin and looked into his eyes to make sure he heard her. “Don’t hurt me.”
    His eyes softened and he tugged her to his chest. The deep thunder of his heart blended with the low rumble of his voice as he said, “I’ll have a talk with Estrella. She won’t bother you anymore.”

    ***

    Lee Krisp slammed his boots on the floor with a thump, his lip curling over his teeth. “You saw this with your own eyes?”
    The three men gathered in Lee’s game room. The heads of stuffed animals peered at them from the walls with glassy eyes. Between a coyote head and a rack of antlers, an outsized, colored map dominated most of the north wall. Half a dozen framed pictures littered the desk, all showing the same fair-haired child with big dark eyes. Over the fireplace hung a life-size portrait of Lee, with a proud smile, holding a chubby blond baby in an elaborate pink dress on his lap.
    The man across from him nodded, his eyes darting nervously to the down-at-heel man who slouched behind Lee. “Yes, sir. Miss Brooks kissed him, bold as you please, right in front of everyone.”
    Surging to his feet, Lee began to pace the room while pounding his hand into his fist. “I knew it. I knew that trollop was lying to me.”
    Hank backed into a corner as Lee strode over to the huge map. The land Lee owned stood out in blue, the land he wanted in yellow, and Paul’s land in green.
    “Do you see this?” He jabbed his finger at the green portion of the map. “This is getting bigger!” He jabbed his finger to the yellow portion. “And this is getting smaller! Unacceptable! My daughter’s inheritance needs to be the biggest ranch in Kansas. I won’t give her anything less.” Lee raged across the room, slamming his hand into his fist again.
    “I tried to be nice. I tried to be a gentleman and give that uppity bitch a chance to sell me the property. Little hussy thinks she can play Lee Krisp for a fool, she’s about to find out how wrong she is.”
    “You, out!” Lee roared to the man who was sitting and staring at him. The man pocketed his coins and scurried out the door. Lee collapsed back into the chair behind his desk. He took one of the portraits from the polished surface and stared at the small face of his daughter, Mina.
    “Hank, I think it’s time we teach Miss Brooks how things work out in the West.”
    Hank’s rotten teeth peeked out from his greasy beard. “Yes, sir. What’cha want us to do?”
    “Nothing too drastic. If she’s dead, she can’t sign over the land, and I’ll have to deal with whoever inherits it next. I want this done soon, before winter hits.” Lee stroked the butt of the gun at his hip, his dark eyes thoughtful.
    “You need to make sure she’s alone when you do it, so nothing at the school or in town. Have one of your boys keep an eye on her place, watch her from the other side of Willow Creek. I don’t want her, or McGregor, to