Angel Gone Bad (2 page)

A
s Rune left Wolfpath in his dust, Angel glanced about as best she could from her awkward position. She squinted against bright sunlight and felt heat sting her face. She needed help, but the whole town appeared to be asleep on this scorcher of an afternoon. Readers armed with books stood no chance against a mad Viking with a six-shooter. Hopefully one of the ladies would run for the town marshal, but that'd take time. She was on her own.

“Put me down!” she hissed. “Your shoulder is cutting me in two.”

In answer, he slapped her bottom, boot heels ringing out a sharp, steady staccato on the wooden boardwalk.

“You're going to pay dearly for this ignominy.”

At the end of the boardwalk, he stepped off onto beaten dirt and turned sharply down an alley into dark shadows. He eased her off his shoulder and let her slide down his hard body till her feet touched the ground.

She stepped back, taking a deep breath, head reeling. She slipped her dime novel into her reticule. “Okay. You're mad at me. Maybe I made a mistake. No need to act like it's the end of the world.”

Rune loomed over her. “I spent months in a jail cell. You know how that feels? What I endured? What I lost?”

“If it helps, I regret my actions. Let's let bygones be bygones.”

“No apology?”

She straightened her shoulders. She had no intention of letting him intimidate her. “You dumped me in Fort Smith. Didn't you expect a little payback?”

“I treated you like the lady I thought you were. Respectable schoolmarm.”

Angel felt old pain squeeze her heart. Tears stung her eyes at the remembered hurt, the devastation of being rejected by him. She'd loved him with an intensity that still scared her. She pushed down the rogue emotions, not about to feel anything for him ever again.

“You told the judge and marshal I was dealing in stolen horses.”

“Okay. You hurt me. I hurt you. It's in the past.” She stepped forward to get past him. “I need to go back and reassure the book club that I'm fine.”

“Are you?” He put large hands around her waist and lifted her off her feet so they were face to face. His eyes burned like blue fire.

She felt almost overwhelmed by his scent, his heat, his power. She fought back with her own strength:
words
. “I'm getting mighty tired of you manhandling me.”

“I remember a time when you begged me to touch you.”

“Obviously I'd been out in the sun too long.”

“I'd like to hear you beg again.”

“In your dreams, Viking.”

“Did you dream about me?” Rune asked in a low, sensual voice. He set her down and pushed her back against the clapboard side of the building that loomed above them. He leaned over her with large hands pressed against the wood on either side of her face, corralling her.

Angel shivered, feeling the old emotions start to uncurl like a snake readying to strike.

“In my cell, I dreamed about you.
Succubus.
You know what that means?”

“Certainly. I'm a teacher. And no, I did not—”

“Come to me at night and ravage my body?”

“Absolutely not!”

“I felt you torment me. Soft hands sliding across my chest, moving lower, grasping my prick—”

“Oh! How dare you talk to me that way.”

“I'll talk to you any way I want.” He smiled, a sharp twist of his sensual lips. “I'll do anything I want. Every last damn thing I dreamed about.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his right hand, a feather-light touch. “You were naked. Hot, smooth flesh. And so wet for me.”

She slapped his hand away. “Life is not a dream. You do not get to be crude with me.”

“If I want crude, I get crude.”

“You get nothing except . . . I apologize.
There.
Is that what you came for? I'm sorry.”

“I like an apology on your lips, but it's not what I came for.” He rubbed a thumb across her lower lip, massaging till he reached moisture. “Your lips are made for a lot better things than apologies.”

R
une abandoned Angel's luscious mouth to slide his hand down her long, smooth throat till his fingers enclosed her delicate neck. It'd be so easy to take total, final revenge.
Too easy.
He wanted much more than that.

Some things men take for granted, namely a woman's love. Only when it's gone do they take notice. Rune was one of those men and he'd paid a high price for his lack of attention. Only Angel could give him adequate return on his investment.

“You owe me,” he said, voice cool, body hot.

“I apologize again. There's nothing more I can do.” She pushed against his chest. She hit him over his heart. She stomped his boot.

“Smart.” He ignored the pain. “You didn't try to pull my hand away.”

“Jailhouse education?”

“You get two payback choices.” He stroked down her neck to her shoulder, eyeing the slope of her full breasts bound by a tight corset. He wanted to set those soft mounds free. He'd dreamed about doing just that for so long. He wanted to see if reality met fantasy. Instead, he grasped both her shoulders in his hands.

“Turn me loose right this moment, or you'll be continuing to learn in prison.” She kicked his shin.

“
One.
I get you fired from your schoolteacher job by letting your employer know you rode with outlaws in Indian Territory. Plus, you have the nerve to write dime novels.”

Angel gasped and grew still.

“
Two.
You agree to do whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“What's it to be? One or two.” He shook her, but only slightly, to make his point.

“I don't know how you even found me.”

“Beside the point.” He acted more Loki than Odin but doubted if she knew the difference. You could reason with one, but not the other.

“I'm not making a stupid choice like that. You let me go now and we'll forget all about this nasty little incident.”

He squeezed her shoulders, hard this time. “Your choice. If you want to go, I'll let you. But I'll ride straight to Bonham and you'll never get another teaching job.”

“You wouldn't do that.”

“It's what you did to me.”

“But—”

“I lost everything. You gave me no choice.” He stroked her shoulders, gentling her like he would a wild mare. “I'm giving you one.”

She shrugged half-heartedly to remove his hands.

“One or two.”

“I have a life. I can't just run off with you.”

“You did once.”

“That was different. You rescued me from those outlaws.”

“Nobody to rescue you now.”

“Rune, listen to yourself. This makes no sense.”

“Guess you made your choice.
One.
He dropped his hands, tipped his hat, and turned to walk away.

“Wait!”

He headed toward the main street, but he moved like a turtle to give her time to change her mind.

“Rune!” She grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“You can slow me down, but you can't stop me.”

“I didn't make a choice.”

“No?”

“I'm out of school for the summer. I have obligations, but I suppose I can make a little time for you.”

Rune shook his head. “One or two. No negotiations.”

Angel stamped her boot. “If you're going to be that way . . . two!”

“Good choice.” He grinned. “Kiss me.”

“What?”

“That falls under whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want.”

“Don't push your luck.” She pulled down his face, smacked his lips, and started to step back.

“Not good enough.”

He took off his hat and held it aside. With his other hand he drew her against the length of him, feeling her warmth, smelling her lavender toilet water, and tasting her sweetness as he planted a kiss on her cool mouth.

Nipping and nibbling her lips, he felt them heat and swell under his touch. She sighed, sounding as pent up as he felt, and he slipped his tongue into her honeyed depths. He growled with need, grasping the back of her head so he could control her body, if not her soul. He feasted on her, plunging deep into her mouth, stroking down her back with long fingers, pushing against her . . . hot and hard.

No world except Angel existed until he heard a man clear his throat several times at the entrance to the alley. Reality dashed him like cold water. He thrust her behind him for protection, put on his hat, and wheeled to confront the intruder.

A man with his feet wide apart, hand near his Peacemaker stood on the boardwalk watching them. Sunlight glinted off the marshal badge on his vest.

“Ladies at the Wolfpath got me out of the shade. You the troublemaker?”

“Y
es, he certainly is a troublemaker.” Angel stepped around Rune, adjusting her wig and hat with one hand. Rescue was here.

“Don't forget our agreement,” Rune said, low enough for her ears only.

She hesitated, calculating the odds. This was her best opportunity to get Rune Wulfsson out of her life. Yet there was their bargain. . . and his threat. Her emotions warred with her intellect. And that didn't begin to address her traitorous body.

Conscience or no conscience, she had too much to lose to turn him over to the law. For the moment, he held the winning hand.

She took a deep breath as she moved forward. “Marshal, my name is Angelica. I'm the author of
Sweet Rescue in the Indian Territory.
”

“That's what they tell me.”

She gave him a little flirty smile. “I'm reading to the Red River Book Club today.”

“Know it. The wife's there. She's been prattling on about your book for a month of Sundays.”

“How kind of her.”

“Last thing I want is some kind of worry over you.” He glared at Rune, hand still near his Peacemaker. “Does this troublemaker need to be put in jail so you can finish your reading?”

Angel forced an amused chuckle. “Not today. I thought the ladies would enjoy a demonstration of how real life invigorates the written word.”

“From what I could see, looked pretty invigorating to me.”

“Perhaps our demonstration got a little out of hand.”

“That mean you
don't
want him arrested?”

“Correct.”

“And you'll finish reading so my wife will cook that fried-chicken supper she promised me?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay.” He gave Rune a hard stare. “A word of warning. Civilized citizens of Dennison, Sherman, and parts around here don't cotton to such activity in public. You want to kiss, do it in private.”

“Please accept my apologies.” Rune stepped forward and clasped Angel's hand. “In my ardor, I lost my senses.”

“Any more disturbances of the peace and you'll lose your freedom. I'm being lenient here because of the wife.”

“Thank you.” Rune held out his elbow like a gentleman for Angel to grasp.

“We've learned our lesson.” Angel smiled, tucking her fingers around Rune's arm. “If you'll excuse us, we'll go right back to Wolfpath Mercantile so I can finish reading to those lovely ladies.”

“See that you do.”

Rune tipped his hat to the marshal as he took long strides out of the alley and onto the boardwalk. Angel struggled to keep up with his fast pace.

“Will you slow down?” she hissed. “I'm about to fall on my face.”

“Pardon me if I prefer not to be anywhere near the law.”

“If you hadn't barged into my reading and—”

“I know what I did and you deserved it.”

“Let's not have this argument now.” Angel shivered despite the heat. “I can feel that marshal's eyes on us like a hawk on a mouse.”

“No doubt.”

“Why don't you get a drink in the nearest saloon while I finish my reading?”

“You'd like that, wouldn't you?”

“I'd prefer the ladies weren't distracted by your presence.”

“Like hell I'm letting you out of my sight.”

“Can you at least sit outside?” She pointed at the wooden bench in front of the store. “I'll bring you some peppermint candy.”

“What would I do with it? Wear it?”

“Funny.” She stopped in front of the mercantile. “It'd give you a normal reason for sitting out here. Otherwise, folks might take one look at you and think you're planning the next bank robbery.”

“Are you saying I look like an outlaw?”

“I'm saying you appear dangerous.”

“I
am
dangerous. Best you don't forget it.”

Angel felt the impact of his words like a blow to her mind and her body. He was dangerous to her on so many levels that she couldn't even count them all. Yet she didn't know him, not anymore. Once, he had been kind and gentle. Now he was hard and merciless. Not a man to cross. She'd best remember that, too.

“If candy's a bad idea, I'll bring you a sour pickle.”

“Sweets for the sweet and sour for the sour. Are you trying to make a point?”

“Wouldn't think of it. Not with a big, bad dangerous outlaw like you.” She bit her lower lip, wondering why she couldn't keep her smart remarks to herself around him. She didn't need to dig the hole she was in any deeper.

Rune squeezed her fingers. “Get on in there and finish up. I want to shake the dust of this town off my boots before it turns to mud and I get mired in it.”

She opened the door. “Are you going to—”

“I'll wait out here, without the candy or the pickle.”

She let go of his arm and glanced up into his ice-blue eyes.

“Hurry up. I want us on the road before dark. The Verdigris Gang is waiting for us at the Bend.”

“For us? Outlaws?”

“Yes.”

“Are they as bad as the notorious Badger Gang?”

“They're as dangerous, but small in number.”

“But why are they waiting for us?”

“The V Gang is expecting the best female cardsharp west of the Mississippi.”

“Do you know her?'

“Sure do.” He grinned, revealing strong, white teeth. “She's called Angel the Ace.”