Longarm shrugged eloquently.
"Oh! So that is what you think of me! Well, I'll show you, Mr. High and Mighty U.S. Marshal!" Her hands went to the collar of her flannel shirt under the open sheepskin jacket, and a quick, hard tug popped several of the buttons as she ripped the shirt open. "There! Does that look like I'm a kid?"
She had bared her breasts, small, firm, pear-shaped cones that were lightly dusted with freckles. They were tipped with pale brown nipples that puckered from the chilly air, or arousal, or both. Longarm had to admit that as breasts went, they were a mighty pert and appealing pair.
Still, he didn't think it would be wise--not to mention comfortable--to lay her down on the floor of this rocky coulee and take his pleasure with her. "Molly," he began, "I know I made you a promise-"
"Yes, you did," she broke in, "and it's time you kept it! You make love to me, here and now, and... and, well, I'll go back to the ranch like you want me to."
"And if I don't?" Longarm asked ominously.
Calmly, Molly replied, "Then I start screaming. And sound carries a long way up here, Custis. If the men you're looking for are really up there higher on the mountain, they're liable to hear me, and then you won't be able to sneak up on them."
Longarm stared at her for a long moment, his eyes narrowing in anger at being blackmailed like this. Then, abruptly, a chuckle came from him. He couldn't help but admire somebody with as much gall as Molly Kinsman seemed to possess.
As if sensing that he was weakening, she added quickly, "Anyway, up here you don't have to worry about anybody seeing us. No one will ever have to know."
"All right," said Longarm. "But not right here. Too damn many rocks. Is there any grass in that little valley you mentioned?"
Molly nodded eagerly. "Sure. Grass and trees. It's one of the nicest spots you'll ever see, Custis."
"Let's go take a look then. If there aren't any outlaws hiding there, I reckon we can see about getting what we both want. Just close up that shirt until then, all right?"
Grinning, Molly pulled the ripped shirt together over her breasts. As they mounted up, however, Longarm noticed that it didn't cover her very well anymore. One or both of those hard nipples kept peeking out impishly.
It took another ten minutes to reach the upper end of the coulee. Longarm made Molly stay back while he catfooted ahead to check it out, Winchester held ready in his hands. The little valley ran crossways at the top of the gully, like the bar of a letter T. It was perhaps a hundred yards long and fifty wide, and Longarm could see the whole place as he edged his head above the lip of the coulee. As Molly had said, there were several clumps of pines and a thin coating of grass on the ground. Longarm saw no signs of hired guns or stolen cattle or anybody else, for that matter. He and Molly had the place to themselves.
"Come on up," he told her as he turned and gestured for her to proceed. "If the hideout's up here, it must be in one of those other spots you mentioned."
"I'll show them to you," she offered as she came up even with him.
"You'll tell me how to find them," said Longarm, his tone brooking no argument. "You agreed to go back down the mountain, remember?"
"Only when we're through making love," she reminded him--as if he was likely to forget.
He let her pick the place. She chose a little hollow beneath the spreading branches of a cluster of pines. At this elevation, the trees were somewhat shorter and not as thick through their trunks. The true giants prized so highly by the loggers grew lower down on the slopes. But these were good-sized trees, and they made a shady bower around Longarm and Molly.
When they had tied their horses so that the mounts could graze on the thin grass, she stood before him and gave a toss of her head that made her long red hair swirl around her shoulders. "Undress me," she said.
"You're liable to get a mite cold," Longarm warned her.
Molly shook her head. "No. I'm already hot."
He knew what she meant. That torn shirt had spread open again, and his eyes were drawn back to her breasts. He stepped closer to her and reached up to push the jacket from her shoulders. It fell on the carpet of pine needles behind her. Slowly, Longarm unfastened the remaining buttons on the shirt and then drew it off of her as well, leaving her nude from the waist up. The little freckles that were dusted so appealingly across her breasts were scattered over the rest of her torso as well. Longarm lifted his hands and cupped her breasts, moving the firm mounds of creamy flesh in small circles. Molly closed her eyes as a look of sheer pleasure washed over her face.
Longarm squeezed her left breast and lowered his head to bring the nipple to his lips. He closed them gently over the brown nubbin and sucked lightly. Molly took his hat off so that she could let her fingers play through his thick dark hair as he suckled her. Little exhalations of joy came from her lips as gradually Longarm took more and more of her breast into his mouth. Finally he had almost all of it drawn in, and his tongue circled the nipple in wet swipes.
While he was doing that, he reached down with his other hand and unfastened her belt, then started working on the buttons of her denim trousers. They opened under his deft touch, and a moment later the pants slid down around her calves. She was wearing the bottom half of a pair of long underwear, and Longarm pushed that down as well. As he did, he abandoned her breast so that he could kneel in front of her as he lowered the barrier between himself and her womanhood. The triangle of fine-spun red hair came into view. It was long and silky and already sparkled in places with the dew of her rising passion. Molly gasped in surprise as Longarm buried his face in it.
She smelled clean and eager. As Longarm nuzzled her, he reached around and caught hold of her buttocks, squeezing and kneading them. Molly gasped again as he spread her cheeks apart and ran a fingertip lightly down the cleft between them. "Oh, Custis," she moaned softly. Her thighs spread instinctively.
Longarm rose in front of her, still cupping her bottom so that he lifted her into the air. She seemed light, almost like nothing in his arms. He bent and placed her carefully on the ground, laying her on the jacket and the shirt he had dropped behind her. He grasped her boots and pulled them off, and with a couple of kicks of her legs, she had shed the trousers and long underwear as well. She was naked before him now, her breath coming in sharp little pants from her parted lips.
Longarm liked to be undressed by a woman who took her time and knew what to do along the way, but both of them sensed that this wasn't the right time for such sensual languor. Their need was too urgent, too sharp-edged. He skinned out of his clothes as quickly as he could. Molly let out an exclamation of surprise and joy as he pushed down his trousers and his shaft bobbed into view. It was iron-hard and throbbing as Longarm dropped to his knees in front of her. He put his hands on her thighs and spread them. Unresisting, she opened herself to him. He moved over her, and she reached down to grasp him and guide him home.
With a thrust of his hips, Longarm entered her, sliding his shaft into the slick grip of her womanhood. She was incredibly tight, and he paused as she let out a small noise that could have been either pleasure or pain.
In a husky whisper, he asked, "Are you sure you've done this before, Molly?"
She clutched at his back, her fingernails digging into his flesh. "Oh, God, Custis, don't stop! Make love to me! Please make love to me!"
She reached up and drew his head down to her, kissing him with all the passion and urgency in her body.
There was no turning back. Longarm drove ahead, feeling the momentary obstruction that barred his path give way under the onslaught of his burgeoning manhood. He was ready for Molly's reaction and clapped a hand over her mouth before her scream could rip out. She had lied to him about her past, and for the first time in he couldn't remember how long, he had just deflowered a virgin. Luckily, he hadn't completely forgotten what to do in a case like this. He held himself still, his shaft buried in her to the hilt, as the pain faded and the pleasure she was feeling began to grow. Only when her frenzied breathing had slowed a little did he take his hand away from her mouth.