Ruthless Heart Read online

  Until a mousy, book-learned spinster slapped him in the dense woods of a Utah forest.

  “How dare you?” Her voice nearly vibrated with fury. “I am a person and do not deserve to be treated like a dog who’s gone astray. You have no right to speak to me like that.”

  Grady knew she had passion, but to see it explode from her was an amazing sight. Her eyes shone like sapphires in the dusky light, her breasts heaved with each breath she took, and her skin glowed with righteous anger. He would hazard a guess she’d never slapped anyone or raised her voice before.

  “You got lost, woman.”

  “I realize that, Grady. I’ve been attempting to return to the campsite since I realized I’d lost my bearings.” She poked at his chest. “That still does not give you the right to scold me so. I deserve your respect, not your scathing words.”

  He’d never been as aroused as he was at that moment. A howl rose within him, and he listened to the beast, shunting aside his reservations and common sense. He had to have her.

  Grady grabbed her and slammed his mouth onto hers. She dropped the firewood and sucked in a surprised breath, giving him the opportunity to delve into the hot recesses of her mouth. His stitches pulled, but he didn’t care, he couldn’t have stopped even if blood streamed down his face.

  Eliza should have fought him but she didn’t. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed her breasts into his chest. He growled and pulled at her ass, grinding his hardened staff into her softness.

  Her nails dug into his scalp, and she pulled his hair. He couldn’t believe that instead of being annoyed at her, the roughness actually made him harder.

  “Jesus, Liz, I can’t… I’ve got to…” He could barely get a sentence out.

  “Yes, now.” She seemed to understand what he was trying to say and pressed her lips to his neck. He groaned and backed her toward a huge tree. He wouldn’t take her in the mud, but he couldn’t wait even a second longer to have her.

  She pulled his head down until her lips found what they were seeking. He ground his unbearably hard dick against her soft belly, with each movement he grew harder and longer.

  Grady pulled up her skirt and unbuttoned his trousers until he was finally free of the constraining fabric. The cool air did nothing to cool him down.

  He picked her up until she was level with him, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. His staff nudged the entrance of her pussy through the slit in her drawers, and he reveled in the wet heat that met him.

  She grabbed at his ass, pulling him closer. “Now, Grady.” It appeared that Eliza had found her voice and intended on using it.

  He wasn’t about to argue with her since that was what he wanted, too. As he slid his dick deep into Eliza, the pleasure radiated up through him with each inch.

  “Ooooh, it doesn’t hurt.” She sounded amazed, and Grady felt a twinge in his heart. He regretted the fact he had taken her once on the ground, and now for the second time, against a tree. What the hell was he doing?

  “Oh please, don’t stop. I’m enjoying this too much to stop now.” She scratched at his back. “Please, Grady.”

  He was so far removed from himself and what he’d normally do, he took a deep breath and moved. That was all it took for his body to take over again. He slid out of her pussy, and the cool air coated his slick skin. Then he plunged in again to be surrounded by the hot tight folds of her pussy.

  It was perfect, more than perfect, it was as close to bliss as he ever remembered experiencing.

  Her hot breath came in pants, brushing against his cheek as he thrust in and out of her. Her kittenish mewls echoed in the woods around them and through his body. He braced his arm on the tree, and the other supported her weight.

  With more leverage, he fucked her hard, reveling in the sounds of wetness from their joining. She was as aroused as he was, enjoying the pure pleasure with him. Grady found himself actually enjoying the sex more because she was doing the same. Definitely unexpected.

  Her breasts bounced against his chest, and he wished they were bare so he could lick and bite them. Eliza had gorgeous tits, and he’d never get tired of touching them, licking them.

  Ah hell, he had to have them. Now.

  “Open your blouse, Liz. Now.”

  She seemed to understand his urgency and quickly opened her shirt, pulling her chemise down so her breasts popped out. The nipples were already hard and begged for him. Grady leaned down with eager anticipation and pulled one into his mouth.

  Yes, that was it. He sucked at the ripe nipple, and then nibbled at it. She was salty and sweet on his tongue. Unfortunately, there was no way he could reach her clit to heighten her pleasure.

  “Touch yourself.”

  “What?”

  “Touch your cunt, Liz. You know where. C’mon, touch it.” He wanted to see if she’d do it, this schoolmarm who’d turned into a wanton in his arms. How far would she go? Her eyes widened with shock, but she licked her lips and nodded.

  To his utter shock, her slender hand slid between them and found her hot spot. She hissed in a breath as her fingers moved.

  “That’s it. You’re nice and wet from fucking me.” Far from being put off by him, she seemed to enjoy the dirty talk, the hot sex in the woods. “How does it feel to touch your cunt? Tell me.”

  “Mmm, it’s… marvelous.”

  He smiled and sucked her nipple hard into his mouth as his balls tightened with release.

  “I’m gonna come, Liz. Come with me. C’mon, you can do it.”

  Her pupils dilated until her eyes appeared almost black. She licked her lips again and then he saw the orgasm rip through her face. That was all it took for Grady to explode inside her. He pumped into her as waves of ecstasy pulsed through him and her breathy pants echoed in his ear.

  He sucked in a breath and realized his legs were about to give way. Grady dropped to the ground with his dick still inside Liz, and mud flew up around them. She landed on top of him with an oomph, and her soft breasts pushed into his chest.

  “I should get lost more often.”

  His laugh echoed through the woods.

  “I’m covered in mud.” Eliza looked down at herself and realized that having sex with Grady against a tree hadn’t been the smartest idea. If she could go back, she wouldn’t have changed her mind about it though—it was almost like a wild animal’s mating. She’d never felt more alive in her life.

  He grunted and continued dressing.

  “I need to wash the mud off myself as well as these clothes. I can’t ride with itchy dirt all over me.”

  “So, wash up.” He was distant again, pulling away from her as soon as their bodies parted. Their connection was tenuous most of the time. Then when they touched, the world came alive with color and sound. All of it faded when he turned away from her. It was like an arrow piercing her heart each time.

  She gathered up her clothes and walked toward the sound of the rushing water. There was no need to stand around and wait for him to be rude to her again. Eliza still had trouble believing she’d yelled at Grady and slapped him. No matter how many times she’d wanted to do it to her father, she’d kept the impulse in check.

  Grady opened up the passion she kept locked away inside her. For that, she’d be forever grateful. That didn’t mean she would allow him to speak to her in whatever way he wanted. Eliza’s self-confidence had reached new heights. She knew there was no way she’d ever go back to the life she’d led before embarking on this journey.

  “Where are you going?”

  She kept walking toward the river, which she could now see had a grassy bank. “I’m going to wash as you ordered.” She couldn’t keep the sarcasm from her voice.

  “Liz, you can’t just walk off by yourself. I thought you already learned that lesson.” He was obviously following her.

  “I’m fine, just dirty. I’ll only be a few minutes.” Eliza reached the river and walked right toward the water.

  She yelped in surprise when she
was again scooped off her feet. A shirtless Grady scowled at her.

  “Woman, you’re going to drive me loco. Do you even know how deep the water is? Or how strong the current is?” He gently bounced her on his arms.

  Eliza had to admit she hadn’t thought of either of those things. The current in the river in front of her didn’t appear too strong. However, after the bend twenty yards away, there were larger rocks and an incline where the river grew much fiercer.

  “I was planning on finding out.” She wiggled in his arms, aware of every inch of his skin against hers. They’d just finished an amazing sexual experience. How could she desire him again so soon?

  “I’ll bet you were. Now before you get swept away to Colorado, let me check it for you.”

  Very chivalrous and surprising. Eliza had never anticipated the gruff Grady would even come close to acting like a gentleman. She was intrigued to discover more of the hidden depths within Grady Wolfe.

  When he stepped into the river with Eliza in his arms, she took back the thoughts of how chivalrous he was. The water hit her heated skin, and she nearly screamed at how cold it was.

  “Good gracious, why is it so cold?” She was absurdly grateful she hadn’t jumped in alone.

  “It’s mountain run off. This was snow a few days ago.”

  She thought he must be absolutely frozen considering how cold she was, and the water was only touching a part of her body.

  “Let me get cleaned up quickly then before we both suffer from hypothermia. Please set me down.” She didn’t really want to wash in the cold water, but she didn’t have much of a choice and she was already partially wet.

  “You asked for it.” He set her on the sandy river bottom and it took her a moment or two to get her balance.

  The wickedly cold water swirled around her, instantly numbing her from the waist down.

  “Now, those are some diamond-hard nipples.” Grady’s voice was husky, making her shiver from more than the water.

  She glanced down and realized her areolas were so tightly puckered, they almost hurt.

  “I can’t remember ever being so c-cold before.” She wanted to explore the attraction between them further, but she really had to get out of the water before they suffered hypothermia.

  Grabbing sand from the bottom, she scrubbed herself and her clothes as quickly as she could. He did the same, unsuccessfully getting his back cleaned off. She couldn’t let him put on a shirt with that much dirt left on him.

  Eliza stepped toward him. “Let me help you with your back.”

  He grunted but didn’t say no. She scooped up fresh sand and rubbed it between her hands before she started rubbing the mud and dirt of his back. Although he was lean, Grady had a wide upper back and shoulders. She could hardly reach the very top, but fortunately, that was the area he’d already cleaned.

  His skin was smooth and tight. Truthfully, it felt wonderful beneath her hands. Touching him was almost sensual, as if washing each other was an extension of what they’d already shared. She enjoyed it so much she took her time rinsing off the sand until his back was clean at least twice over.

  “I’m done.” Although she didn’t want to be done touching him, she was frighteningly cold in the water, particularly considering their state of undress.

  He turned back around and watched her as she finished cleaning herself. Standing there half-naked with a man should have made her uncomfortable, but it didn’t. In fact, she felt sexy and aware of her body beyond its required needs of food, sleep and daily ablutions.

  Another first for the bookish Eliza Hunter, a shy creature who’d spent her life in the shadows, was now a full-fledged woman in her own right. A surge of power accompanied the realization, and she smiled at the sensation.

  “Something funny?” He sounded annoyed. “The water’s making my balls crawl up into my belly, so if you think this situation is funny, please tell me why.”

  “It’s making your testicles crawl up into your belly?” She turned to look at his trousers. “That’s an interesting phenomenon. May I see?”

  She reached for him, but he swatted her hand away. However, she saw a twitch in the corner of his mouth.

  “Finish washing up, woman, so we can go get warm.” His lips were starting to turn blue, and her teeth were chattering so hard, she was afraid she’d bite her tongue soon.

  “Yes, sir.” She almost saluted him.

  Eliza made quick work of the rest of the mud then found herself having trouble walking back to shore. Grady sighed then threw her over his shoulder. All the breath whooshed from her body as her stomach was pushed against her spine.

  She punched at his back, but he ignored her and slogged out of the freezing cold river. He didn’t stop walking until they returned to the campsite where he dropped her on the bedroll, and then wrapped the other around her.

  “Stay.” With that, he walked back into the woods and left her shivering by the empty fire pit.

  She wanted to be angry with him, but the truth was, she was grateful for the brusqueness of his methods. In this case, she badly needed to warm up, and he obviously knew it. The quickness of his actions might have been protectiveness, but it might also have been self-preservation. Regardless of what his reasons were, she didn’t move from her little cocoon until he returned with her pile of firewood.

  “May I assist you?”

  “No, just sit there.” He had put on his shirt, but it was unbuttoned, gaping open to reveal his own hard nipples.

  She was fascinated by the small flat discs with the tiny points in the center. She’d not had the opportunity to truly look at them until now. The urge to touch them, maybe even taste them, washed through her.

  Grady had turned her into a wanton. The thought made her smile again, much to his consternation apparently.

  “You’d better quit that, or I’ll toss you back in the river.”

  This time Eliza laughed out loud, so delighted to not only be alive, but to feel alive. She hid her smile behind the blanket as he expertly made the fire. If she wasn’t careful, she could get very used to being around Grady Wolfe. A dangerous proposition indeed.

  Chapter Nine

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  Two days after they’d shared that marvelous sexual experience in the woods, Eliza found their relationship had changed. No longer aloof and uncomfortable in each other’s presence, she and Grady were true traveling companions. She could hardly believe they had been together nine days when she hadn’t even known he existed two weeks earlier. And now, she couldn’t imagine not knowing him.

  A routine developed, as they often do, where she would ready the campsite while he gathered wood—he simply refused to allow her that chore any longer. Then she would make food while he took care of the horses. As they ate their meal, she would ask questions about things they’d seen, such as animals, rock formations, or interesting trees.

  Surprisingly enough, Grady was very knowledgeable about the terrain and the flora and fauna. Eliza enjoyed learning from him as she was always hungry for new information. She hadn’t felt as comfortable with a man before, except for Ephraim. The fact he’d been in his sixties had somewhat limited their relationship to teacher and pupil.

  What she had with Grady was as far removed from that as possible. She was ashamed to admit, even to herself, but she’d been dreaming about him and their intimate experiences. And she wanted more and found herself watching him as he worked, as he moved, as he slept.

  It was almost embarrassing the way she nearly ogled him, particularly when he sat astride Bullseye. Thank God he hadn’t noticed, at least she hoped he hadn’t. There wasn’t much to do but look at things when they rode, and Grady was a very nice something to look at.

  Amazingly enough, Eliza had stopped forgetting about how hard the saddle was, or how much she bounced on it. She was proud of the way she had become accustomed to being in the saddle for longer periods of time. Eliza was on her way to becoming a true horsewoman.

  If only their journey would neve
r end, if they could simply ride through the west together, enjoying each other’s company and experiencing life. A silly dream, to be sure, but deep down, she was a romantic. Wuthering Heights had opened her eyes to true love between a man and a woman.

  Perhaps she was on her way to feeling that kind of love for the gruff Grady. The very idea scared her because she knew the only direction their relationship could go was to a very quick end. Since she didn’t want to think about ending anything, Eliza chose not to consider it all.

  They stopped in another small town called Black Rock, which had a gathering of wood front buildings, a smattering of wood planked sidewalks, and three saloons. Eliza knew immediately this town was not one she should venture into alone.

  Grady stopped at the building with a crooked hand-painted sign that read HOTEL. He frowned then looked at her.

  “Doesn’t appear we’ll be spending the night.”

  Eliza was glad of that fact. “I would say I regret not sleeping on a bed tonight, but I fear the beds in that building would be riddled with insects.”

  “Bugs would be the least of our worries.” He shifted in the saddle and made sure he could reach his pistol. “We’d be lucky to not be robbed and left for dead.”

  Eliza shivered at the thought. Black Rock was definitely a dark place. “Should we simply leave?”

  “Need to get a few supplies, and I’ve got see the smithy we passed.” He started riding again, his gaze constantly moving as they made their way through town.

  Eliza hadn’t truly felt frightened until then. The idea that Grady was on guard had her feeling ready to turn tail and run. She assumed he was looking for information about Angeline, but she hoped her sister had avoided this town completely.

  They found the mercantile in a surprisingly clean building, so much so it seemed out of place in a town like Black Rock.

  “Looks okay,” Grady said. “You go on in, and I’ll stay out here to keep watch on the horses.”

  Eliza gaped at him. “You want me to go into the building without you?”