The Bounty Hunter and the Heiress Read online

  At close range, she was even more mesmerizing than at a distance. Raven marveled at her silky perfection as he bent his head to kiss her as gently as he knew how and touch her as tenderly as he could—despite the ravenous need pounding through him.

  No matter what he’d told Eva to the contrary, she had gotten to him—to the extreme. She was far more than an impulsive tumble in the grass. She mattered to him, much as he hated that. Because her opinions and feelings were important to him, he couldn’t take from her without giving of himself, without offering her the same exotic pleasures he ached to discover with her.

  To that dedicated end, Raven reined in the impatient desire pounding through him and focused his attention on caressing her until her breath sighed out in ragged spurts. He smiled in satisfaction when she whispered his name and arched eagerly toward him again. He stroked her long legs and trailed his hand over her inner thighs repeatedly. When he touched her intimately, she moved toward his hand and he angled his head to flick at her moist flesh with his tongue.

  “Oh…my…” she rasped shakily.

  Raven had never devoted so much time to pleasuring a woman, had never wanted to. But anything less with Eva was unacceptable to him. He wanted her warm, willing and eager for him when he came to her. Already he could feel her body quivering in response to his intimate caresses. She was hot and tight and he delighted in seducing her one kiss and caress at a time.

  She clutched desperately at his shoulders and gasped for air. When she dug her nails into his skin, he didn’t mind.

  He reached down with his free hand to unfasten his breeches then shifted sideways to remove them. Her gaze fixated on him and her eyes widened at the sight of him. When she touched his throbbing flesh, while he held her essence in his hand, the world spun furiously around him.

  “My name is Evangeline Hallowell,” she murmured as she wrapped her hand around him and drew him ever closer.

  “Nice to meet you, Evangeline.” He bent his head to kiss her at the same moment that he settled between her legs and pressed familiarly against her.

  “Mmm…” She moaned at the sheer intimacy of the moment and the unexpected pressure of his hard length gliding inside her.

  When he braced his hands on either side of her shoulders and surged forward, she stared up at him, watching surprise register in those mystifying, catlike eyes. She knew the instant he realized that he was her first experiment with passion. His facial expression was usually well-guarded, but there was curiosity and amazement in his gaze when he looked down at her.

  Eva smiled, pleased that she had surprised a man who had experienced nearly everything life could toss at him. When he held himself perfectly still, Eva clamped her hands on his muscled hips and arched instinctively toward him. She was unsure what she needed, but she needed something desperately and he wasn’t cooperating.

  She heard a low rumble in his throat, saw his uniquely colored eyes flare and decided she must be doing something right. So she moved beneath him again. Delicious pleasure undulated through her like a river of fire, compelling her to surge and retreat again, even if he seemed afraid to move for fear of hurting her.

  Then he groaned and drove into her, burying himself to the hilt. Eva gasped as need intensified with each penetrating thrust. She looked down to where they were joined, aroused by the intimacy of their union, overwhelmed by the turbulent passion building inside her like a gigantic tidal wave.

  Heat blazed through her and she felt herself melt helplessly around him as they moved in frantic rhythm. She heard her own gravelly moan fill the breathless silence as scorching sensations seared through her. She stared into his ruggedly handsome face in astonishment when pleasure expanded until it radiated through every fiber of her being. She had never experienced anything so incredible…. Not until she discovered the meaning of passion in Raven’s sinewy arms.

  Impulsively, she reached up to cup his clean-shaven jaw in her hands and drew his sensuous lips to hers the same moment that she felt another round of intense sensations unfurl like a blossom opening to sunshine. She kissed him for all she was worth, while wild spasms rippled through her body. She cried out his name on a panted breath as time stalled out and immeasurable ecstasy pulsated through her.

  Eva held on for dear life when she felt Raven shudder above her. His ragged breath stirred the strands of hair beside her cheek as he rubbed his chin against her shoulder. She smiled in satisfaction as they lay together in the aftermath of overwhelming need and unbelievable passion.

  “You should have told me this was your first time,” he mumbled as he kissed the curve of her neck.

  “Would it have mattered?” she asked as she combed her fingers through his thick black hair.

  “Yes, it would have. I shouldn’t have been your first time, last time or anytime in between.”

  “No? Who should have? Someone from the Rocky Mountain Detective Agency?” she teased as she angled her head to glance sideways at him. “You’re the best time I ever had, J.D. Want to try to break your own record?”

  He chuckled lightly. “Give me a minute, Miss Evangeline Hallowell, I…”

  She knew at that moment her name rang a distant bell. He frowned pensively then blinked like a hibernating bear emerging from his dark cave.

  “Hallowell,” he repeated. Then he spoiled the most amazing moment of her life by rearing up and yowling, “Holy hell! Son of a bitch!”

  He rolled away, bounded to his feet and stalked naked into the frothy spring-fed pool. “Damn it, Evangeline!”

  “How long are you going to keep yelling?” she asked as she stood up and listened to him swear profusely.

  “Until I get over being mad at you for withholding your last name until now!” he bellowed.

  Eva walked over to join him in the warm pool. When she sank down beside him, Raven refused to look at her, just glared at the bright rays of sunlight, as if they were somehow responsible for the shocking revelation.

  “Well, that explains a lot,” he muttered. “But it wouldn’t have hurt to be open and honest with me right up front. Damn it!”

  “You’ve said that already.” She snickered at his blustery show of temper.

  “Not often enough, damn it to hell!” he erupted again.

  She glided across the pool then returned to kneel in front of him, demanding his full attention. “I anticipated this exact reaction from you, which is why I didn’t give my last name. See there? You’re doing it right now. You’re looking at me differently because my family has money.”

  “Family has money?” he repeated flippantly. “I have money stashed in one of the banks you own, but you have wealth. There’s a big damn difference.”

  Eva swatted him lightly on the chest. “What difference did that make two minutes ago when I was just the woman sharing an amazing moment of passion with you? An hour ago I was the pain-in-the-ass female you didn’t want in your cabin or in your life.”

  His dark brows swooped down and flattened over his glowing gold-green eyes. “If it makes you feel better I still think you’re a pain in the ass. More now than before. You’ve given new meaning to complicated, damn it!”

  “Why? I have asked nothing of you. Plus, I’m still paying you to help me find Gordon, who did deceive my sister and stole five thousand dollars of her money. She is beside herself with anger and embarrassment. I swore to her that I would keep the story quiet and would hunt Gordon down to retrieve her money.”

  “And five grand is just a drop in the bucket to the Hallowells of Denver, right? Well, excuse me, your highness, but I prefer to know who I’m dealing with and this changes everything.”

  She pressed the heels of her hands against his muscled chest and shoved him backward so quickly that he kerplunked in the pool. He had that coming, as far as she was concerned.

  When his head reappeared above the water, she got right in his handsome face. “This changes absolutely nothing,” she said in a sharp tone. “I’m a paying client and you are my first lover. Those
are the facts, like them or not.”

  Clearly, he didn’t because he was still glaring at her.

  “I didn’t trick you into what just happened between us and I didn’t plan it, either. But I told you that I’m not making demands on you so don’t panic and begin doubting my intentions and ulterior motives again.”

  “Don’t worry, firebrand,” he muttered as he wiped the water from his face. “I know I’m the last man you’d really want as a husband.”

  A lot he knew. He was exactly the kind of man she wanted. A man who had desired her in a heated moment of passion…until she told him who she was and he ruined everything by retreating in outrage.

  “Of course, Hoodoo’s proposal is still on the table so that puts me down the list,” he added sarcastically.

  “Feel insulted and whatever else you want to feel,” she stormed. “But it isn’t my fault you can’t handle who I am, although you can cope with everything else life throws at you. For some reason you enjoy being annoyed at me every chance you get.” She wagged her finger in his face. “But hear this, Jordan Daniel Raven, if you treat me any differently now than before I’ll be tempted to shoot you. I’ve had my fill of men who see my money and never me. Do you hear me?”

  “Who can’t? You’re yelling your head off. My assassin will know exactly where to find me.”

  Scowling, Eva wheeled around and walked ashore to grab her discarded clothes. She didn’t look back while she dressed, either. Then she clutched the shotgun and strode away.

  Things between Raven and her had been perfectly fine during their passionate tryst. And then…wham! She had hoped he wouldn’t recognize her name, but he had heard of her family. Now things between them were worse than before.

  “Lunch is on!” Hoodoo announced while he stood on the stoop.

  Eva glanced sideways to see Blackowl sitting atop Raven’s pinto pony. His wry smile indicated that he thought it had taken far too much time for Raven to summon her for the meal.

  When his gaze drifted pointedly to the secluded pool then back to her, she muttered under her breath. Blackowl could think what he wanted. She didn’t care. Men! Damn them all.

  That evening, Hoodoo sent Eva outside to pen up the chickens that had the run of the lawn during the day. She fed them grain then ambled back to the cabin. She stopped short when she noticed a new set of buckskin clothes and moccasins laid out on the table. She frowned curiously when Hoodoo walked through the front door, a step behind her.

  “For you, little gal,” he replied to her unspoken question. “If you’re headed to the rowdy mining camps then you gotta dress as a boy. It’s safer for you. Besides, it’ll take the pressure off your bodyguards. Too many men up there have been too long without a woman and some of them are short on morals and scruples.”

  “So I’ve been told, repeatedly,” she murmured as she brushed her hand over the garments. “Thank you, Hoodoo. I’ve never had such a wonderful gift.”

  “No? Raven said you have all a woman could possibly want already since you practically own Denver.”

  She hugged the clothes to her chest and smiled appreciatively at him. “This is what I want most of all because you made the garments for me yourself. This gift is special and I shall treasure it always.”

  A pleased expression settled on his scarred features. “Go try ’em on so I can see if they need alterations.”

  Grabbing the moccasins, designed exactly like Blackowl’s and Raven’s, Eva bounded upstairs to put on her mannish clothes. “They fit perfectly,” she called down to Hoodoo. “There is no end to your exceptional talents…. Now when did you say we’re getting married?”

  Hoodoo chuckled. “You’re damn…er, darn good for my pride, little gal. So, what about the moccasins? Comfortable?”

  “They fit like gloves. I’m never taking them off!”

  His chuckle floated up to her as she all but skipped down the steps to show off her new attire.

  “Do I look like a boy?” she asked as she pivoted for his inspection.

  “No,” Blackowl said bluntly, as he came through the door. “Too many curves in telling places.” He pointed to her belt. “Take that off and let the doehide hang loosely over your hips.” He waved his hand impatiently. “And do something about your chest. It’s a dead giveaway that there is a woman beneath.”

  “I thrive on your flattery,” she said sarcastically before she reversed direction to bind her breasts with the fabric from her petticoats.

  “And wear this, too,” Blackowl called out.

  A wide-brimmed hat sailed through the air then bounced off the wall. Eva scooped it up and tugged it down on her forehead. When she went downstairs to see if she met Blackowl’s approval, Raven came in from working with the horses. He dodged her gaze, as he’d been doing since she told him her name during their tryst by the springs.

  “Much better,” Blackowl declared. “But you’ll have to smudge dirt on your face to disguise your sissy-colored skin.”

  She started to take offense, but she noted the mischievous grin that twitched his lips.

  “Blackowl has agreed to teach you to handle weapons tomorrow and he’ll give you a few hand-to-hand combat pointers,” Raven said as he stared at the air over her head. “I’ll work the horses so they’ll be as ready as possible for our journey.”

  “I’ll look forward to it,” Eva enthused.

  “You shouldn’t. You might get roughed up again,” Blackowl replied. “I’m not going to go easy on you because you’re a woman, Paleface.”

  “Wouldn’t expect you to. I’ll try to keep the crying and whining to a minimum.” She glanced at Raven, who was doing a spectacular job of pretending she was invisible, then she returned her attention to Hoodoo.

  “Thank you so much for the thoughtful gift,” Eva said again, then walked over to hug the stuffing out of Hoodoo.

  “Here.” He pulled a new voodoo doll from his pocket and presented it to her. “I gave it my best Cajun curse.”

  She chuckled as she appraised the miniature effigy of Gordon Carter with pins sticking through his torso. “Wherever he is, I’m sure he’s feeling the effects of your curse.”

  “I’m camping out with the horses tonight and I’ll keep watch for our sniper,” Raven announced as he grabbed his bedroll from the corner. “Blackowl, you can sleep in the cabin.”

  When he walked away, Eva wanted to call out to him, but she held her tongue. She’d like to shake him until his teeth rattled, but she doubted it would change his attitude toward her. What she preferred was to revisit that realm of incredible pleasure that Raven had revealed to her.

  Murmuring a quiet good-night, Eva went upstairs to bed, knowing she would have no opportunity to share Raven’s passion unless she initiated it. Plus, she was leaving on her crusade to find Gordon soon and privacy would be at a premium.

  She frowned thoughtfully when Hoodoo’s comment about taking the pressure off her hired bodyguards, by wearing men’s clothes, came to mind. It troubled her that she had placed Raven and Blackowl at risk to serve her cause. At first, it was just about hiring a guide and gunfighter to locate Gordon. Now it was personal because she knew and liked both men and didn’t want to see either of them hurt.

  Setting aside her new garments, she slid into bed and wished Raven would join her. But she knew that wouldn’t happen. He didn’t even want to be in the same cabin with her.

  The next evening, after an intense day of working with the horses, Raven ambled onto the covered porch. He stared into the sunset, wrestling with a dozen emotions, none of which he wanted to feel in the first place. Guilt over taking Eva’s innocence needled him constantly. Discovering she was an heiress frustrated him to no end. The possibility of Eva getting hurt during her crusade to find Carter tormented him. Not to mention that forbidden desire was eating him alive.

  Overall, it had been a tortuous day.

  “There’s a storm brewing in the mountains,” Blackowl announced as he stepped outside after supper to join Raven.
/>   “I know.” It rivaled the storm brewing inside Raven. “The sniper will have more trouble finding his footing in the mud and keeping his balance on slippery boulders, while trying to bushwhack us. It will make the trip to Purgatory Gulch sloppy but safer for us.”

  Raven could feel his cousin’s intense gaze on him.

  “Thanks for spending the day teaching Eva to shoot and to defend herself while I worked with the horses,” Raven said to fill the stilted silence.

  “She’s a quick learner…. Why have you been ignoring her?” Blackowl asked.

  Because guilt, frustration and sexual torment had a fierce, unrelenting hold on him. Of course, he wasn’t particularly surprised that his cousin noticed how distracted he’d been and how he’d distanced himself from everyone, especially Eva. Very little got past Blackowl.

  “Because she is Evangeline Hallowell, that’s why. Her family owns half of Denver. Her father was one of the first to strike it rich in Colorado and he invested in several lucrative businesses. Practically everything he touched turned into a gold mine.”

  “So she’s good for the money,” Blackowl remarked, a smile in his voice. “I should have asked for triple the going rate for survival training and travel guide.”

  “This isn’t funny,” Raven muttered sourly.

  “It is from where I’m standing. Watching you wrestle with the newfound knowledge and seeing how you’re reacting to it is even more amusing.”

  Raven rounded on him. “Don’t you get it? She owns the bank where I stockpile my bounties. She owns my favorite restaurant. And hell, she even owns the London House where I stay when I’m turning over my prisoners to the city marshal.”

  “Then thank her kindly for providing good accommodations when you’re in town,” Blackowl teased. “Maybe you should have done that instead of what you were doing at Phantom Springs when you were supposed to call Eva to the cabin for lunch yesterday.”

  Raven glanced away from his cousin’s all-too-knowing grin. “I should leave her to you for the trip and remain at the cabin with Hoodoo.”