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“You don’t sound very worried about the situation,” she said, dropping her last shred of clothing to the ground.
He took her hand and drew her closer. “I’m not. Nothing I can control either way. Why worry about it?”
He pulled her onto his lap, her legs straddling his. She sucked in a breath and draped her arms over his shoulders, settling herself over him.
“Because it’s your life we’re talking about.” She kissed him gently. “It’s worth worrying about.”
He gripped her hips and thrust up as she sank down.
“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that,” he murmured before he captured her mouth with his.
She wanted to argue more, but his grip on her tightened, urging her to move, and she decided to let it go for the moment. But not forever.
She was going to make him realize his life was worth something if it was the last thing she did.
…
They headed to the jailhouse bright and early. Gray assumed everyone else would be as eager to hear about his trip as Mercy had been. Preacher would probably fill them in, but Gray wanted to be there as well. Though, if he were honest with himself, it had more to do with wanting Mercy safely surrounded by allies than anything else.
For the first time in a very long time, he had someone he cared about. And though he’d never admit this to anyone out loud, he wasn’t completely confident in his ability to keep her safe.
Mostly confident. But doubt was beginning to edge in.
In a one-on-one fight, he’d win. And if the man who had come yesterday were any indication of what was out there, he had nothing to worry about. But there was the slightest chance that someone better than him might come along. Not a good chance, of course. But he wasn’t willing to risk Mercy’s life on it. If being around the other townsfolk helped up his chances of keeping her alive, so be it.
They rode together on Birdie, much to the horse’s dismay, since the wagon was still being repaired. Birdie had tried to nip at his leg but had nudged Mercy affectionately. Though the nag still refused to move until Mercy produced a sugar cube from her pocket. All the spoiling was not improving the horse’s already questionable disposition.
Jason came out to greet them as Gray tied up Birdie at the post.
“Anything?” Gray asked, not needing to elaborate further. He’d given his deputy strict instructions to stay vigilant, and from the looks of the bags under his eyes, he’d taken the task to heart.
Jason shook his head. “All’s quiet so far, Sheriff.”
Gray nodded. “Head upstairs and get some shut-eye.” Jason looked like he was about to protest, but Gray beat him to it. “You’ll be useless to me if you’re too tired to see straight. I can handle things down here for a few hours. Itismy job.”
Jason gave him a tired half grin. “All right, I’ll head up now,” he said, tipping his hat to Mercy.
She nodded at him and then followed Gray into the jailhouse while Jason clambered up the outside stairs to his apartment.
Gray slumped into his chair with a groan while Mercy fiddled with the coffeepot, set some of that magical brew to percolating. God, he was going to need a gallon of it to stay awake. Between the would-be assassin, the trip to Josiah’s, not to mention the encounter itself, and Mercy alternately berating and fucking him all night, he needed a vacation. A really long, permanent vacation. Oh hey, maybe he should retire. Retirement sounded good.
He snorted at his own joke, and Mercy looked up, her brows raised in question. He shook his head and then held out his hand, pulling her onto his lap when she took it.
“You look tired,” she said, smoothing her hands over his face.
He turned his face so he could kiss her palm. “Hmm, that’s because my nag of a wife kept me up all night.”
She gasped in mock outrage and tried to push away from him, but he chuckled and held on tight.
“I didn’t say I minded,” he pointed out.
“Uh-huh,” she said. “I’ll remember that the next timeyouget the urge to stay up all night.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He rested his chin on her shoulder so he could whisper in her ear. “Ialwayshave the urge to stay up all night with you.”
She giggled and kissed him, pressing against him when he deepened the kiss. He pulled away before he was too tempted to toss her onto the desk and have his wicked way with her. Of course, he’d been tempted to do that since the moment they’d walked in the door, but he stopped the kiss before the urge overrode his common sense. Barely.
“Maybe we can stay up all night again tonight,” she murmured to him, nipping at his ear lobe. Holy hell, the woman was going to be the death of him.
