Read Online Outlaw by Lisa Plumley - Free Book Online Page B

right of it
yesterday? What if the stagecoach never would have returned
for her? She might have died alone on that distant road already—if
not for Mason.
    He raised his gaze to hers, and the
tenderness she saw there made Amelia catch her breath. No man had
ever looked at her that way before. It doubled her confusion.
"Mason, I..."
    "Shhh, I won't hurt you, Amy." His hands
slid to the middle of her back, pressing her closer; his eyelids
lowered as his gaze swept to her lips, then held. She quivered as a
tiny, forbidden thrill raced up her spine. He wanted to kiss her
again, she could tell.
    Heaven help her, she wanted him to do
it.
    She held her breath as he brought his mouth
nearer...nearer. His hands flattened against her back, holding her
close against the warmth of his body. Her bosom pressed tight
against his arm and chest, her breasts aching at the contact,
yearning for something she couldn't name. Amelia's eyes closed, all
her attention centered on the moment when their lips would
meet.
    She waited, sensing his face only inches
from her own, chilled by the shadow he cast over her—and warmed all
over by the spell he'd somehow woven. Blindly, she cupped her hand
around Mason's neck, urging him without words to come to her.
    He didn't yield an inch. Surprised, Amelia
opened her eyes to see Mason exactly where she'd expected him—close
enough to feel her breath on his cheek. But his attention had
shifted someplace else, she realized. His expression was faraway.
As she watched, he cocked his head slightly, as though
listening.
    "Mason! I—" She hadn't the faintest notion
what to say to him. Heat rose in her cheeks, her heart still
pounding wildly from what had passed between them. Had he lost
interest in her already? Was it only she who felt the attraction
between them? Or maybe her kisses were lacking, that he'd stopped
right amidst one and not even missed it?
    Shamefaced, she whipped her hand from his
neck. Mason caught hold of her wrist, his gaze shifting instantly
to her.
    "Listen," he commanded.
    Her gaze locked with his. Amelia tried to
focus her attention on whatever he'd heard. Bird cries...something
skittering across the desert floor nearby...then, faintly, a
rhythmic beating. Drums?
    "A stagecoach," Mason said, releasing her
wrist. His eyes gleamed—with passion? Or a desperado's anticipation
of the chase? He turned in the saddle. "I'll help you
dismount."
    "No! Why?"
    Heedless, he all-but flung her from behind
the saddle, forcing her to hold onto him for dear life as she
descended to the ground. She landed beside the horse, still
clutching his hard-muscled forearm with both hands.
    "Why, Mason? Tell me!"
    "Stay here," he said, taking up the reins in
his free hand—making ready to leave. She had little doubt he'd ride
off with her dragging behind the horse, if that's what it took.
    "No! Where are you going?" Amelia cried.
Panic made her voice shrill, but she couldn't help it. The horse
pranced forward, sensing its master's mood. Both man and beast
wanted to be away—now. Its trampling hooves came too close—she
released Mason's arm.
    Far away on the leftmost horizon, a rising
cloud of dust foretold the stagecoach's progress. The teams'
thundering hooves sounded louder now, faintly overlaid with the
clank of the harness metal.
    "You're going to rob that stagecoach!"
Horrified, she backed away from Mason. "You can't! Not now, not
with me here to—"
    "I won't be gone long."
    He pulled a black bandanna from his duster
pocket and tied it at the back of his head, concealing his face.
Amelia suppressed a shiver. She'd been wrong earlier—he did look
fearsome, even in the daytime.
    "Stay here." The horse danced beneath him,
despite Mason's hold on the reins. "I mean it."
    He spurred the horse into motion, riding
toward the dust cloud in the distance.
    Amelia stared after him, hardly able to
believe her eyes. Thoughts of their kiss fled, chased by a tangle
of emotions she didn't want to feel. He'd left her so