Saving the Gunslinger

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

Cricket songs and frog bellows filled the air as Samantha stood by the river, her bare feet enjoying the feel of the soft grass beneath them. A cool breeze blew through her loose curls as her gaze went to the fading purple of the twilight sky to the west. It had been a long day. They had worked until the sun had begun to set before finally sending the men back to town for the night.

With so many hands doing the job, a lot had gotten done. The hole had been dug and already much of the bigger debris had been loaded up and tossed inside. The ash they could salvage was being stored separately to spread over the garden plot before they turned the soil which would provide good fertilizer for the ground.

Tomorrow the men could easily finish the first part of their task and then the real work would begin. Building a house.

Samantha was pulled from her thoughts when Zachary's strong arms slid around her from behind and he rested his chin on her hair. "I got the fire going. Do you want to eat or get cleaned up first?"

While Samantha's stomach was growling, she was also filthy. The idea of getting clean proved stronger than her hunger. "I want to wash the soot off myself."

Zachary's mouth moved to her neck, his warm breath teasing as his teeth grazed across her tender skin. "If anybody is gonna be washing your body clean, it's me."

Her knees weakened. "That water will be cold," she warned.

He smiled against her neck. "I'll keep you warm."

"I'm sure you will."

Zachary's fingers went to the buttons on the front of her blouse and Samantha was trembling as he undid them swiftly and slid the fabric from her shoulders, kissing her pale, freckled skin as it became revealed to him.

"Zachary, I'm filthy," she warned, her breath catching in her throat when those calloused fingers grazed across her breasts through her chemise.

"You taste damn good to me," he growled, against her.

Samantha threw her head back and simply allowed him to devour her neck and shoulders—those work roughened hands cupping her breasts and teasing the hardened peaks of her nipples. A hungry moan left her throat when one of his hands dipped lower, sliding into her skirt. She knew he would be able to feal the heat of her though her underclothes as his fingers rubbed against the sensitive juncture between her thighs.

Turning her head, Samantha caught his lips with hers and lost herself in the taste of his kiss. Zachary undid her skirt and slid it and her underclothes to the ground. A breeze blew against her bare legs and Zachary pulled away and took a step back. Samantha turned as well so she could watch him as he slid off his weapons and tossed them into the grass.

Biting her lip, Samantha stepped out of her discarded clothes before grabbing the bottom hem of her chemise and lifting it over her head.

Zachary's gaze nearly burned her as his eyes raked across her body. Feeling emboldened by the want he so openly displayed for her, Samantha tossed her chemise at him before covering her breasts with her hands and running into the river. The water was cold but not shockingly so and she found the deepest part of the river which came to her hips and she hooked her finger, beckoning him to come to her.

Zachary did not hesitate. His clothes were shed in an instant and Samantha watched his lithe, powerful body as it moved through the moonlight. Her man was breathtaking.