Title: I need you…

By: tayryn

Rating: FRAO

Disclaimer: not mine

Summary: the significance of Matt’s entreaty, “I need you, Kitty. I need you.”

Thanks go to several people for this one:

To Jaya, as always, for being my beta!!

To Orkey, for all her suggestions… especially for the epilogue.

And to Wulfie and Roxy for their comments and suggestions as well!!

Love to you all, ladies!!

~MK~

“LISTEN DODGE! THIS HERE IS JUDE BONNER! THEY HUNG MY LITTLE BROTHER THIS MORNING! I TOOK THAT MARSHAL’S WOMAN! NOW I BRUNG HER BACK…”

‘Oh God… the pain,’ Kitty moaned softly as she bent low over the saddle. She hung onto the saddle horn with one hand, and tried to stay on the horse that was being lead by one of Bonner’s men into Front Street. Her other arm wrapped itself protectively around her middle in a futile bid to stave off anymore hurt. When the horse stopped, Kitty forced herself, in spite of the pain, to straighten up as the citizens of Dodge City looked on.

“YOU TELL THAT MARSHAL OF YOURS, THAT IT WAS HIM MADE THIS DEAL!”

The Dog Soldier grabbed Kitty’s waist and roughly hauled her off the horse as Bonner continued to yell. On her feet, she hobbled, bent over and in pain, towards the Long Branch.

“AND THEN YOU TELL’IM, JUDE BONNER’S SATISFIED!”

‘Almost there,’ Kitty thought as she slowly moved towards the batwing doors. She was two steps away from the boardwalk when she felt the bullet rip through her from behind.

Kitty screamed as the force of the shot spun her around. She landed on her back on the boardwalk in front of her saloon.

She could hear Sam calling out for Doc… and then mercifully, the pain stopped.

~MK~

Pain.

Oh God… the pain.

She was in agony again. She had never experienced anything like it.

‘Please… make it stop. Matt! Matt, make the pain stop.’

She prayed for the painless peace of oblivion.

But her prayer wasn’t answered.

Voices.

She could hear voices.

They were muffled by the pain, but they were there.

Why were they there? Why wouldn’t they just go away and leave her alone?! Why wouldn’t they just let her go?

“I don’t think she wants to live.”

‘I don’t. I don’t want to live,’ Kitty thought amidst the pain. ‘I have no reason to live… Matt won’t want me now… not like this… not after what those animals did…’

The voices stopped.

Finally.

Peace.

‘Now I can let go…’

A familiar warmth enveloped her hand.

“…Kitty…”

Matt.

That was Matt’s voice.

And it was his large, warm hand holding hers.

Not wanting to see the look of disgust… of pity… in his eyes, but unable to stop herself, Kitty slowly turned her head towards the sound of his voice. She opened her eyes partway to find him kneeling beside her.

“I need you, Kitty,” Matt told her in a soft voice when she met his gaze.

‘He needs me…’ her eyes opened fully and she could feel the tears well up at the look on his face. It was only the second time she’d seen a look of vulnerability on Matt Dillon’s face. ‘He still needs me… wants me.’

“I need you,” he repeated and she watched him swallow back his fear. His fear of losing her, she realized.

Kitty stared at him as she pressed her lips together to hold back the sob she could feel building.

There was no disgust… no pity… in his eyes as he looked at her.

Only love.

I need you, Kitty. I need you.

A love so strong that she could feel it wrap itself around her heart, and start her healing. The tenderness in his eyes spread over her, cocooning her in his warmth.

Unable to speak, too overcome with emotion… Kitty closed her eyes with relief that he still needed and wanted her, and released a shuddering breath. She squeezed his hand to let him know that she’d heard his plea.

She would fight.

She would fight for him.

She would fight for herself.

And for them. She would fight for them.

Kitty turned her head back on the pillow and, with the knowledge that Matt was there with her, let sleep take her.

~MK~

Pain.

The pain was back.

She winced and fought against consciousness.

It hurt too much and she prayed, once again, for painless unconsciousness.

Another jolt. Another wince.

The pain was too overwhelming and wouldn’t let her go; wouldn’t let her slip away.

And there was something more. Something other than the pain that was pulling her back.

She moaned softly.

Something was wrong.

She was safe. That she knew. But still, something was wrong. Something was missing.

“…Matt…” she called out softly.

“Kitty,” Doc leaned forward in his chair and reached out to grasp her hand.

That’s what was wrong. What was missing.

Matt wasn’t there. He’d been there earlier. She remembered him being there. Remembered his soft entreaty to her… his words that had given her the will and the strength to fight her way back… to him, to their life together… to herself.

The battered woman turned to look at her old friend. “Where is he, Doc?”

“He went after him, Kitty.”

“Alone?” Her brows furrowed with worry.

“Festus and Newly went with him. And the whole town rode out after’em.”

“They can’t help him,” the worry worked its way into her voice. “They’re just targets for those…” her voice trailed off.

“Kitty. No power on Earth could have stopped him, you know that,” Doc said. “Now, I don’t want you to think about it. Not at all. I want you to rest. Just rest. That’s all.”

Rest?

Don’t think about it?

Matt. Her man. Her reason for living through this… for fighting through it all… was off hunting down the bastard that had done this to her and most likely falling into a trap, and could very likely not return to her.

Don’t think about it?

She couldn’t not think about it!

She opened her mouth to speak, but found it difficult to voice the fear that had gripped her heart. Finally, after a couple of shuddering breaths, her eyes filled with dread, Kitty spoke, “I couldn’t live without him, Doc. You know that.”

“You bet I do,” Doc replied. “Now let me tell you something. You won’t have to. Because the sun hasn’t come up on the day that Matt Dillon can’t take care of himself. Now you believe that. You just believe it.” He gave her hand a little squeeze.

Kitty took a deep breath and gave the old physician a slight nod before she turned her head and stared at the far wall.

I need you, Kitty. I need you.

The softly spoken words echoed in her mind.

His words.

Matt’s.

Words that had, like the first time he’d said them to her, wound their way around her heart and bound her to him stronger than any chain.

Kitty’s eyes closed and her dreams carried her back in time as her heart sought out Matt’s, hoping to give him the strength he needed in order to return to her. The same strength he’d given her to fight the pain and stay with him.

~MK~

Kitty looked around her room and sighed. There were dresses and petticoats everywhere. How on earth had she managed to accumulate so many clothes in just eight months?

Kitty shook her head.

She’d just have to take the necessities – a few dresses and toiletries - and have Bill ship the rest to her when she got to where she was going… wherever that was. That might be the easiest way.

She’d made the right decision.

Leaving Dodge was for the best. After all, she’d only stayed because of him.

Because of Matt.

Kitty sat on the edge of her bed as she thought back to that day eight months ago when she’d seen Matt for the first time. Her breath caught in her throat at the memory. He’d been so big. So tall and so very handsome that she’d lost her heart right then and there.

‘Okay,’ she admitted to herself. ‘There was an awful lot of lust involved as well.’

But what she’d seen had interested her like no other had and she had vowed to herself that she would get to know him better. And in the last eight months, she had. And the more she’d gotten to know him, the more she’d wanted him. He’d taken her fishing, spent time with her at the Long Branch… and they’d become friends. Good friends.

But nothing else.

“And from the looks of things, we never will,” Kitty muttered to herself as she reached for the petticoat that lay on top of the nearest pile of clothes. “Probably best that I leave now before I get too involved.”

‘You’re already too involved, and you know it,’ a voice sounded in her head.

She ignored it.

The saloon below had grown quiet, and a quick glance at the clock on the wall told her it was now after one in the morning. She sighed and got to her feet. If she was going to leave on the morning stage as planned, she’d best get back to packing.

A sudden knock on her door startled her.

“Kitty, it’s Matt.”

Kitty swallowed. She had hoped that she wouldn’t have to face him until tomorrow, if at all.

‘If that was true, you wouldn’t have said anything to Doc or Chester,’ the annoying voice in her head told her.

Another knock. “Kitty?”

“Yes?”

“I need to speak with you.”

Kitty could hear something in his voice she hadn’t heard before. “Can it wait till morning, Matt? It’s awfully late.”

“No, it can’t.”

“I’m… already in bed…”

She jumped as her door suddenly flew open. It banged against the wall as Matt stepped into the room.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!? Get out, Matt!”

“No!” Matt said as he grabbed the door and flung it shut. “We need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about, so would you please leave!”

“Where are you going?”

Kitty glared at him. “That’s none of your business.”

“You said good bye to Doc and Chester… were you even going to say good bye to me?” Matt asked as he looked around at the chaos of her room.

“I…” her voice trailed off and she looked away.

“Why, Kitty? I thought we were friends.”

Kitty could hear the pain in his voice and lifted her head so that she could meet his eyes. “Oh, Matt… we are friends.”

“Then why? Why are you leaving Dodge? I thought you liked it here.”

“I… it’s just something I have to do,” the redhead turned away from him and busied herself with the nearest piece of clothing. “I never really planned on settling here anyway, you know.” She tossed out over her shoulder.

“But you’ve made friends here.”

“And I can make friends where I end up as well.”

“Do we mean that little to you?” Matt asked her, anger mingling with the hurt in his voice.

Kitty spun around to face him. “You mean everything to me!” Her eyes widened at her unintentional admission and she quickly back peddled. “And Doc, and Chester… I care about you three a great deal… but I have to do this.”

“Why?” He repeated the question.

“Because… ” she shook her head and walked over to her door and opened it. “Please leave, Matt… I need to finish packing.”

Matt walked over to her and in a move that surprised her; he reached out and pushed the door shut. “No! We’re not finished yet.”

Kitty felt her hackles rise and pulled herself up to her full height as she glared at him. “Yes we are!” She reached for the door handle but Matt stopped her. “GET OUT!”

“No!” Matt repeated. “Not until you answer my question.”

“Why you arrogant son of a…” she swung her hand at him, intending to slap him across the face but he caught her wrist. Her temper flared and she swung with her other hand.

All of a sudden, Kitty found herself pinned to the door by Matt’s body as his lips came crashing down on hers. She struggled against him even as every part of her being rejoiced in his finally laying claim to her. Her hands pushed at his chest but her fingers curled in his vest, pulling him back to her.

Their kiss grew deeper… harder… more demanding with each passing moment as each fought for supremacy.

Her world tilted suddenly and she realized that Matt had spun them around and was walking her back towards the bed. Kitty fought him every step. She wanted him. Wanted him badly, but she did not want to give in. Not yet.

She felt his hands on her waist and was momentarily air born before she felt herself land on the bed. She sat up right away as Matt knelt on the edge of the bed and quickly removed his gun belt, dropping it to the floor before he pushed her back onto the mattress and covered her body with his.

“Don’t you…” her words were cut off as his mouth once again sought hers. Kitty bucked under him and pushed at his shoulders as she shook her head from side to side to avoid his kiss.

Matt grabbed her wrists and yanked her arms up over her head, holding them easily with one hand as he cradled her chin with the other. “…Kitty…” he murmured her name in a voice filled with longing as he captured her mouth with his.

“Mmmnoo…” Kitty tried to turn away, but he held her still and continued to kiss her. It wasn’t long before the feel of his lips on hers… his warm breath… the lure of his unique flavour won her over and she began to kiss him back.

Her lips parted under his and she moaned as his tongue thrust into her mouth; giving Kitty Russell her first taste of Matt Dillon.

A deep moan echoed throughout the room.

Whether it was from Matt or herself, Kitty didn’t know… and in that moment, she didn’t care. All she cared about was Matt… and the delicious things he was doing to her body and her senses. And all the things he COULD be doing.

He released her wrists and rolled away, sitting up beside her to tug off his boots. Kitty whimpered at the loss of his body on hers and reached out for him, pulling him back on top of her the moment his second boot came off with such force that they rolled on the bed.

Kitty’s mouth crashed down onto Matt’s, kissing him hungrily as she ground her hips against his. She groaned at the bulge she could feel pressing into her centre; the only barrier between them his jeans and her thin nightgown. Her hips circled over his again, this time eliciting a moan from the big man beneath her. Kitty smiled against his lips.

They rolled again, Matt settling between her thighs as he, once more, pinned her to the mattress with his body. He rocked against her, rubbing his jean-clad erection against the heat he could feel emanating from her core.

“Matt…” Kitty gasped and arched beneath him. She needed him inside her. NOW! She’d waited eight months for him. She couldn’t wait any longer. Her hands slipped between the close press of their bodies and began to fumble with his belt.

Matt grabbed her hands and pulled them away the moment she’d freed his member from the confines of his jeans. He held them over her head with one hand as he reached between them to tug the bottom of her nightgown up. Once he had her uncovered, he grasped his erection and nudged the head through her curls to her waiting entrance then without warning, he plunged his length into her.

Kitty cried out.

Oh god! He was so big!

She had never had a man as big as Matt. She could feel EVERY glorious inch of him, throbbing and pulsing, within her as her body strove to adjust to his girth.

“Oooh…” Kitty gasped as he immediately began to move in and out of her; the pain and pleasure mingling as it coursed through her body.

Her eyes focused on his face as he thrust into her and she could see an almost primal look, mixed with the passion and desire, in his blue eyes. The intense, focused gaze sent a rush of moisture to her core and she wrapped her legs around him, meeting every drive of his hips.

Never before had Kitty been this aroused. The feelings and sensations running rampant through her body were more intense than anything she had ever felt before. Even more surprising to Kitty, was that she could already feel her orgasm approaching.

Needing to feel his skin, Kitty pulled at his shirt, yanking it free from his jeans and up until she could slip her hands under the material. She ran her hands over the hot skin of his back, scratching him with her nails; a move which garnered a low growl from Matt and an increase in the force of his thrusts.

All of a sudden, Kitty cried out in surprised pleasure; her body arching under Matt’s. She clutched at him, her nails biting into his shoulders and her legs tightening around his waist. “Maaattt!!”

Matt’s arms slid under her and his hands gripped her shoulders as he buried his face in her neck and continued to pound into her. She felt his body tense then stop as he thrust hard into her, grunting her name as he came, and spilt his seed deep inside her.

Kitty’s breath rushed out of her as he collapsed on top of her, his hips once more moving against hers. She unwrapped her legs from around his waist and entangled them loosely with his.

“Matt…” her voice whispered against his temple. She could feel that his erection had not diminished and her arousal began to grow again with his gentle movements. “…oh, Matt…”

“…Kitty…” he nuzzled her neck then suddenly his head snapped up and he looked down at her with worry in his eyes. “Oh god, Kitty… I’m sorry… I didn’t… I would never force…”

“Sssh…” Kitty placed a finger against his lips, silencing him. “You didn’t force me. I do know how to stop a man if I wanted to, and believe me when I tell you, Matt… I didn’t want to.”

The worry left his eyes as he lowered his lips to hers.

The kiss was so very different from the urgent, almost frantic kiss that had kicked off their frenzied coupling just moments before. This kiss was gentle and loving yet still filled with the same passion they’d just shared.

Tears filled Kitty’s eyes when Matt pulled his lips from hers, and locked his gaze on hers. The emotion she could see – could feel – in his blue eyes overwhelmed her and took her breath away.

“Oh, Matt…” she gasped and reached up to cup his cheek. Her thumb rubbed over his lips before she slipped her fingers into his hair and drew his head back down to hers.

As the kiss deepened, a fierce desire to feel Matt’s bare skin – all of his bare skin – against hers overwhelmed her. She slipped her hands between them and began to work at the buttons of his shirt. When they were undone, Kitty pushed at the offending material, trying to work if off his body.

Matt broke off the kiss and met her eyes. Without saying a word, she felt him slowly withdraw from her body then levered his away from her. He knelt on the edge of the bed and made quick work of his shirt and vest; tossing them aside.

Kitty raked her eyes over him and licked her lips at the sight. His body glistened, a sheen of perspiration coating his chest; curling the light dusting of hair. Her eyes fell to his manhood, still firm and erect; standing tall and proud against his stomach.

When Matt stood to completely shuck his pants, Kitty sat up and pulled her nightgown up over her head. She dropped it to the floor then held her breath as Matt moved his eyes over her naked body. Her nipples tightened under the heat of his gaze and she felt a surge of desire roll through her when he reached out to cup her breasts.

His thumbs circled the hard tips and she pushed into his touch. One of his hands drifted lower, gliding down her side then slipped down between her thighs to brush through the damp curls, eliciting a loud gasp from Kitty.

“Oh!” Kitty cried out when he suddenly grasped her shoulders and pushed her back onto the bed and stretched out over her. She moaned at the feel of his naked body against hers… finally.

Their mouths met and they kissed slowly, deeply; tongues meeting and wrapping around each other as their hands pulled each other closer.

Matt broke off the kiss and moved his lips down to her chest. He licked and nibbled around both breasts, avoiding her aching nipples, for several minutes until she thought she would go mad with want.

“…Matt… please…”

His lips closed over her left nipple.

“…ooh yes…” she hissed in pleasure as he drew hard on the berried tip, biting it gently with his teeth then swirling his tongue around it. Her fingers threaded into his thick hair as he moved to her other breast and held him to her as he bestowed the same sweet torture on that nipple.

After several long minutes of feasting on her breasts, Matt kissed and licked his way back to her mouth, where he caught her lips in a ravenous kiss. Matt moved so that he lay within the cradle of her thighs; his erection nestled between her swollen folds.

“Mmm…” Kitty moaned as he rocked against her, the head of his shaft bumping her clit, sending shards of sensation shooting through her.

He pulled his mouth from hers.

Blue met blue and held.

Passion and desire swam in his cerulean depths.

Kitty’s eyes widened.

That same deep emotion she’d glimpsed only minutes before, after that loving kiss he’d given her, was back in his eyes.

“…Matt…” she whispered, her voice thick with the same emotion.

A soft smile touched Matt’s lips. He shifted, lifting his hips so that the head of his erection was poised at her entrance.

Kitty’s breath caught in her throat as Matt slowly began to ease inside her. A soft whimper of pleasure sounded deep in her throat and her eyes remained locked with his as, inch by magnificent inch, he continued to slide into her until he was fully sheathed within her slick warmth.

“Oh…” the young redhead exhaled the breath that she’d been holding. She felt so overwhelmed… so full. Kitty could feel him stretching her; feel her body quivering to accommodate his generous length once more. Tears, that had nothing to do with pain, pricked the corners of her eyes as she reached up to cup his cheek.

Matt turned his face into her grasp and kissed her palm as he withdrew then slowly sank back into her. He moved in and out of her, each withdrawal and return as exaggerated as the first.

Kitty slid her hand from his cheek into Matt’s hair and pulled his face down to hers. She kept her eyes open as they kissed, watching the emotions dance in his blue ones. Their tongues met and danced as their bodies moved leisurely against each other.

Their lips parted and Matt raised his head to look down at her. “Kitty…” he murmured her name as he grasped her hands, laced their fingers together and raised their hands above her head. He continued to thrust into her, allowing the pleasure between them to build slowly.

Kitty wrapped her legs around his waist, moaning as the change in position allowed Matt to sink deeper inside her. She clenched her inner walls around him as he slid in and out of her, adding to the sensations already coursing through their bodies.

It wasn’t long before the slow gradual pace of their lovemaking was not enough for either of them. Matt began to move faster, and within moments, their bodies were moving frantically against each other. He drove his length into her, plunging deep and hard. Kitty moaned, arching beneath him to meet every thrust of his hips.

The sounds of their passion filled the room. Bodies moved together, shifting on the soft cotton sheets. Moans and gasps mingled with heavy breathing as they worked together to reach that ultimate moment of bliss.

Kitty could feel the sensations coiling in the pit of her stomach, the pleasure so intense it bordered on pain. With every drive of his member into her, Matt ground his pelvis against hers, the pressure on her clit causing the fabulous spiral of excitement to twist and condense within her.

Suddenly Kitty’s hands clenched his, her nails biting into the tops of his hands, and her legs tightened around his hips as the coil snapped. “MAATT!” she cried out his name as her orgasm overwhelmed her, leaving her spiraling out of control.

A low growl escaped Matt’s throat and his hands gripped hers tighter as he thrust hard into her once… twice and then, with a loud shout of her name, he drove into her one final time; his juices flying from his shaft to splash against her womb.

Kitty pulled her hands free from his as his grip loosened and wrapped her arms around Matt’s back as he fell into her embrace. His large body sagged against hers, replete with satisfaction. She gave a deep sigh of contentment as she lowered her legs from around his hips, wrapping them loosely around his.

After just a few moments, Matt withdrew and rolled off of her onto his back; gathering her into his arms. Kitty curled up against his side, her head on his chest and slipped her leg across his thighs. The fingers of one hand combed through Kitty’s long locks, while his other hand stroked her body; from shoulder to thigh and back.

With Matt’s heart pounding beneath her ear and the sound of their still rapid breathing in the room, Kitty almost missed the words uttered softly into her auburn curls.

“I need you, Kitty. I need you.”

Kitty’s head snapped up and she inhaled sharply at the look in his eyes and on his face. In the eight months she had known Matthew Dillon, Kathleen Russell had never once seen what she was seeing now.

Vulnerability.

“I need you…”

“Oh, Matt…” her eyes filled with tears at the deep emotion she could hear in the quietly spoken words.

“I need you, Kitty…” he repeated. “And not just for this…” he gestured to the intimate position they were in, “not just for sex.” Matt paused a moment as he reached up to brush the backs of his fingers over her cheek. “I don’t know how you did it. After what happened with… I swore I wouldn’t get involved with another woman, and I tried to fight it, tried not to let you in but…” Matt cupped her cheek. “You’ve become a part of me, Kitty… a part of my very soul.”

The tears in Kitty’s eyes spilled down her cheeks.

“I can’t imagine my life without you in it now, but I can’t offer you a future, Kitty. I wish I could… God, do I wish that I could. I’d marry you in a heartbeat if I thought… but in my line of work,” he shook his head, a sad wistful look on his face. “I refuse to leave behind a widow… a family.”

“I understand, Matt. Maybe someday…”

“I can’t even promise you there will be a someday, Kitty. Wearing that badge makes me a target. I could be shot and killed tomorrow…” the young lawman sighed. “Yet in spite of all that, in spite of knowing that I should leave, that I should let YOU leave Dodge… I can’t. I need you, Kitty. I need you here. I need to know that when I’m out on the trail, you’ll be here waiting for me when I get back.”

His hand flexed on her hip.

“I have no right to ask you… but I am anyway…” Matt stroked his thumb over her cheek. “Would you be my girl, Kitty? My woman?”

“Oh, Cowboy… I’ve been yours since the first day I saw you.”

“I can’t promise you anything, can’t give you anything…”

A small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth and she shook her head, recognizing this as his last attempt to warn her away… to save her the pain of an uncertain future. “You already have… more than you know. And I would be proud to be your woman.”

“…Kitty…”

Kitty shifted so that she was lying on top of him and grasped his face in both of her hands. “I love you, Matt,” she told him in a quiet voice and lowered her lips to his.

It was a gentle kiss, filled with love. Their mouths opened to each other and the kiss deepened with each passing beat of their hearts.

“You won’t leave?” Matt asked in a breathless voice when the kiss ended.

“I won’t leave,” Kitty answered. “I will always be here for you, Matt. For as long as you need me.”

Matt smiled and drew her back down for another gentle kiss.

When the kiss came to an end, Matt pulled her into his embrace. He reached out for one of the blankets that had been pushed aside during their lovemaking, and covered their cooling bodies.

Kitty laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She released a contented sigh and snuggled closer. As she drifted off to sleep, the steady beating of Matt’s heart beneath her ear she heard it; whispered softly against her hair...

“I love you too, Kitty.”

~MK~

“Matthew.”

Matt slowly turned from his contemplation of the rock in front of him to see Festus walking towards him.

“We’re fixin’ to head out to Fort Dodge now with them dogs.”

Dillon nodded then glanced around. “Let me get Buck and…”

“Aw foot,” Festus interrupted him. “We kin handle it. Why don’tcha head on back to Miz Kitty.”

Kitty.

The image of her, bruised and battered, flashed through his mind. A red haze swam before his eyes and a wave of rage washed over him. His hands balled into fists at his side. He looked around, his eyes once again settling on the rock in front of him. The rock he’d almost used to bash Bonner’s skull in with.

“Matthew, go on back to town,” Festus said in a quiet voice. “Miz Kitty’s gonna be needin’ ya.”

Matt met his old friend’s eyes and saw nothing but concern and understanding. He nodded. “Thank you, Festus.”

“I’ll see you directly, Matthew.” Festus said.

As he turned and began to walk away, Matt heard him mutter under his breath. “I think you’re gonna be needin’ Miz Kitty too.”

The lawman stood there and watched, as moments later, Festus, Newly and the men from Dodge, herded out the dog soldiers. Another wave of fury engulfed him as he caught sight of Jude Bonner tied to his horse, and it was all he could do to stop himself from reaching for his gun and shooting the bastard.

Kitty.

The thought of her, as it always did, made his heart skip a beat and brought him a measure of calm and peace.

Without further thought, Matt made his way over to where Buck was grazing on a small patch of grass. He climbed into the saddle, pointed the buckskin’s nose towards Dodge and spurred him into an easy trot.

“Festus is right,” Matt said aloud. “I do need Kitty.”

‘I’ve always needed her,’ he thought to himself as he remembered back to when he first realized how much his redhead meant to him… and vital she was to his existence.

~MK~

The lawman looked up as the door opened and Chester walked in, his shoulders slumped dejectedly. Matt watched with a bemused smile as Chester made his way over to the table and dropped down into the chair with a deep sigh.

“What’s the matter, Chester? Lose all your money in a poker game?”

“No, I didn’t lose my money in a poker game,” Chester replied with a long-suffering tone.

“Then why the long face?”

“Well, I’ll tell you, Mister Dillon, it’s just very upsetting to me that Miss Kitty is leaving Dodge,” Chester told him.

Matt felt a lump form in his throat.

Leaving?

Kitty was leaving?

What!? When!?

He cleared his throat. “Kitty’s leaving?”

“Well yes, that’s what she just finished telling Doc and me tonight over at the Long Branch,” Chester said then gave Matt an exasperated look. “Don’t pretend like you didn’t already know, Mister Dillon. Doc and me figured Miss Kitty told you before she told anybody else.”

Matt nodded absently as he tried to work out why Kitty was suddenly leaving. ‘And without saying good bye!’

He stood suddenly, almost knocking his chair over and startling Chester. “I’ll be back later, Chester. I’ve got something I need to take care of,” he told the other man then left the office in a rush.

Without really thinking about it, only knowing that he had to somehow stop her from leaving, Matt quickly made his way across Front Street to the Long Branch. He pushed through the batwing doors and stopped.

“Evenin’, Marshal.” Sam said, coming around the bar. “We’re just about to lock up.”

“Kitty in her room?” Matt asked as he moved towards the stairs.

“Yes, but… like I said, we’re about to lock up, Marshal.”

“Go ahead, Sam. I have to talk with Kitty. I’ll let myself out when I’m done, and get her to lock up behind me.” Dillon told him then sprinted up the stairs.

He made his way to Kitty’s door and rapped his fingers against the wood. “Kitty, it’s Matt.” When there was no answer, he knocked again. “Kitty?”

“Yes?” Kitty’s voice came through the door.

“I need to speak with you.” He told her, trying to keep the urgency he was feeling out of his voice.

“Can it wait till morning, Matt? It’s awfully late.”

“No, it can’t.”

“I’m… already in bed…” she called out to him.

Before he could stop himself, Matt raised his foot and kicked open the door. He strode into the room.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!? Get out, Matt!”

“No!” Matt said as he grabbed the door and flung it shut. “We need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about, so would you please leave!”

“Where are you going?”

Kitty glared at him. “That’s none of your business.”

“You said good bye to Doc and Chester… were you even going to say good bye to me?” Matt asked as he looked around at the chaos of her room. How had she managed to accumulate so much in eight months?

“I…” her voice trailed off and she looked away.

“Why, Kitty? I thought we were friends.” He asked, not even bothering to hide the pain in his voice.

She lifted her head and met his eyes. “Oh, Matt… we are friends.”

“Then why? Why are you leaving Dodge? I thought you liked it here.”

“I… it’s just something I have to do,” the redhead turned away from him and busied herself with the nearest piece of clothing. “I never really planned on settling here anyway, you know.”

“But you’ve made friends here.”

“And I can make friends where I end up as well.”

“Do we mean that little to you?” Matt asked, anger mingling with the hurt in his voice. ’Do *I* mean that little to you?’ he wanted to ask but couldn’t.

Kitty spun around to face him. “You mean everything to me!” Matt watched her eyes grow wide at her unintentional admission. “And Doc, and Chester…” she quickly added. “I care about you three a great deal… but I have to do this.”

“Why?” He repeated the question.

“Because… ” she shook her head and walked over to her door and opened it. “Please leave, Matt… I need to finish packing.”

Matt walked over to her; reached out and pushed the door shut. “No! We’re not finished yet.”

Kitty pulled herself up to her full height and glared at him. “Yes we are!” He stopped her as she reached for the door handle. “GET OUT!”

“No!” Matt repeated. “Not until you answer my question.”

“Why you arrogant son of a…”

Matt caught her hand as she took a swing at him then pushed her back against the door, pinning her body against the wood with his. Without thinking, he covered Kitty’s mouth with his in a hard, almost punishing, kiss.

He pushed his body tighter against hers as she struggled against him; her hands pushing at his chest while he could feel her fingers in the material of his vest and pull him closer.

Their kiss grew deeper… harder… more demanding with each passing moment as each fought for supremacy.

She felt good.

Too good.

And Matt wanted her.

‘More than I have ever wanted anyone…’ Matt thought as he spun Kitty around and began to walk her back towards the bed. With every step they took, she fought him and yet, Matt could feel how much she wanted him by the way she pressed her body into his. He smiled internally… her feisty nature was just one the many things he found attractive about her.

When they reached the bed, Matt grabbed Kitty by the waist and tossed her onto it. He knelt in front of her, straddling her legs as she sat up to keep her from fleeing, and quickly removed his gun belt. He dropped it to the floor then pushed Kitty back onto the mattress and covered her body with his.

“Don’t you…” he cut her off as his mouth once again sought hers. Kitty bucked under him and pushed at his shoulders, shaking her head from side to side to avoid his kiss.

Matt grabbed her wrists and yanked her arms up over her head, holding them easily with one hand as he cradled her chin with the other. “…Kitty…” he murmured, his voice soft and filled with longing just before he captured her mouth with his.

“Mmmnoo…” Kitty tried to turn away, but he held her still and continued to kiss her.

It wasn’t long before he felt her respond and begin to kiss him back.

Matt felt her lips part under his and thrust his tongue into her mouth. ‘Oh god… she tastes good…’ he thought as he deepened the kiss.

A deep moan echoed throughout the room.

Matt didn’t know who groaned… and in that moment, he didn’t care. All he cared about was Kitty… the feel of her in his arms… her body under his… and soon… the feel of being buried deep inside her.

It was the last thought that was driving him. That primal need to be one with her and make her his in every way.

Matt released her wrists and rolled away to sit up and remove his boots. He heard Kitty whimper softly and felt her reach out for him. When he’d gotten his second boot off, he allowed her to pull him back to her, rolling on the bed so that he was lying beneath her.

Her mouth crashed down onto his and she kissed him hungrily, grinding her hips against his. Matt felt Kitty press her centre against the bulge throbbing in his jeans then circle her hips over his and couldn’t hold back his moan. He felt Kitty smile against his lips.

He couldn’t wait much longer. He’d been fighting this for eight months and one moment longer was a moment too long. He needed to be inside her.

Matt rolled them again and settled between her thighs. He rubbed his jean-covered erection against the heat he could feel emanating from her core; pleased when she gasped and arched beneath him.

He felt her hands move between them and her fingers tug at his belt and his fly. Moments later, she’d freed his member from the confines of his jeans. Matt bit back a moan when he felt her cool fingers touch his aroused flesh and he grabbed her hands and pulled them away before she could fully wrap her fingers around him.

He pinned her arms over her head with one hand and tugged her nightgown up until he’d uncovered her sex. Matt grasped his erection and nudged the head through her curls to her waiting entrance then without warning, he plunged his length into her.

The cry of an eagle soaring overhead pulled Matt from his thoughts. He glanced around and realized that he was still a fair ways from Dodge. He shifted in the saddle as the memories of that time with Kitty had an obvious effect on his anatomy.

That first time had been quick, and Matt knew he hadn’t been too gentle with her. In fact, he’d been almost primal in his need to possess her. The feel of her slick flesh around him had almost been his undoing. She’d felt so good… and it had felt so right being buried inside her, that he’d been helpless but to give into the need to make Kitty his in every way.

He’d come hard and fast. ‘Too fast,’ he thought with a grimace, although he had been gratified that Kitty had come too. ‘But thank God for youth…’ he couldn’t help but smile then; remembering that he’d not lost his erection with his release and proceeded to love her a second time.

Matt sank into Kitty’s embrace, unable to stop his hips from continuing to rock against her, pleased that his arousal had not diminished. He felt Kitty move her legs from around his waist and wrap them loosely around his legs.

“Matt…” he felt her warm breath against his temple. “…oh, Matt…”

“…Kitty…” he nuzzled her neck then suddenly it hit him.

He’d… oh god… had he just…

His head snapped up and he looked down at her with worry in his eyes. “Oh god, Kitty… I’m sorry… I didn’t… I would never force…”

“Sssh…” her finger against his lips stopped his words. “You didn’t force me. I do know how to stop a man if I wanted to, and believe me when I tell you, Matt… I didn’t want to.”

Matt felt a wave of relief wash over him as he lowered his lips to hers.

He kissed her gently… almost reverently and yet still with the same passion they’d just shared. After several moments, he pulled his lips from hers and locked his gaze on hers. He could see tears filling Kitty’s eyes as he looked down at her, and knew that she could see everything he felt for her shining in his gaze.

“Oh, Matt…” she gasped and reached up to cup his cheek. Her thumb rubbed over his lips before she slipped her fingers into his hair and drew his head back down to hers.

Buck’s snort startled Matt out of his reminisces. He gave the horse a gentle pat and urged the animal to continue towards home. His thoughts turned inward once again… drifting back to that first night in Kitty’s room.

As the kiss deepened, Matt felt Kitty’s hands move between their bodies and fumble with the buttons on his shirt. Once they were freed, she began to push it off. He broke off the kiss and met her eyes. Without saying a word, he slowly withdrew his length from her warm sheath then levered his body away from hers. He knelt on the edge of the bed and made quick work of his shirt and vest; tossing them to the floor.

He watched Kitty rake her eyes over him, watched her tongue dart out to moisten her lips as her gaze fell to his manhood which was still hard. He felt a pulse move through him at the hungry look in her eyes and quickly shucked his pants.

As he tossed his pants aside, Kitty sat up and pulled her nightgown up over her head then dropped it to the floor. Matt moved his eyes over her naked body. ‘Lord, she’s beautiful!’ he thought as he watched her nipples tighten under the heat of his gaze.

He reached out and cupped her breasts. He teased her nipples into hard points with his thumbs, pleased when Kitty pushed her chest into his touch. Matt’s eyes drifted down to the auburn patch between her thighs and couldn’t resist the urge to touch her. He dropped his hand from her breast and brushed his fingers through her damp curls, eliciting a loud gasp from Kitty.

She was wet and warm and he needed to be inside her again.

Now.

He couldn’t wait any longer.

Matt suddenly grasped her shoulders and pushed her back onto the bed, stretching out over her.

Finally… they were skin to skin… no barriers between them.

Their mouths met and they kissed slowly, deeply; tongues meeting and wrapping around each other as their hands pulled each other closer.

Matt broke off the kiss and moved his lips down to her chest. He licked and nibbled around both breasts, touching her everywhere but her nipples. He teased her until she begged him, arching beneath him.

“…Matt… please…”

His lips closed over her left nipple.

“…ooh yes…” she hissed in pleasure as he drew hard on the berried tip, biting it gently with his teeth then swirling his tongue around it. He felt her fingers thread into his thick hair as he took her other breast into his mouth and suckled greedily.

After several long minutes of feasting on her breasts, Matt kissed and licked his way back to her mouth, where he caught her lips in a ravenous kiss. He moved so that he lay within the cradle of her thighs; his erection nestled between her swollen folds. Matt rocked against her, bumping her clit with the head of his shaft, grinning against her lips as she moaned.

He pulled his mouth from hers.

Blue met blue and held.

Passion and desire swam in her azure depths.

He watched Kitty’s eyes widen, knowing she was seeing in his eyes, the same deep emotion she’d glimpsed only minutes before.

“…Matt…” she whispered, her voice thick with the same emotion.

A soft smile touched Matt’s lips. He shifted, lifting his hips so that the head of his erection was poised at her entrance.

Matt heard Kitty’s breath catch as he slowly began to ease inside her. A soft whimper of pleasure sounded deep in her throat and her eyes remained locked with his as he pushed into her until he was buried completely inside her wet heat.

“Oh…” the young redhead exhaled.

He held still… savouring the feel of her stretching around him, quivering and giving to accommodate his generous length once again; giving her body time to adjust.

Kitty reached up and cupped his cheek. Matt turned his face into her grasp and kissed her palm as he withdrew then slowly sank back into her. He moved in and out of her, each withdrawal and return as exaggerated as the first.

Kitty slid her hand from his cheek into Matt’s hair and pulled his face down to hers. He kept his eyes open as they kissed, as did Kitty, and he knew she was watching the emotions dance in his; emotions he could not hide from her. Their tongues met and danced as their bodies moved leisurely against each other.

Their lips parted and Matt raised his head to look down at her. “Kitty…” he murmured her name as he grasped her hands. He laced their fingers together and raised their hands above her head as he continued to thrust into her, allowing the pleasure between them to build slowly.

Kitty wrapped her legs around his waist, and Matt moaned as it allowed him to sink deeper inside her. She clenched her inner walls around him as he slid in and out of her, adding to the sensations already coursing through their bodies.

It wasn’t long before the slow gradual pace of their lovemaking was not enough for either of them. Matt began to move faster, and within moments, their bodies were moving frantically against each other. He drove his length into her, plunging deep and hard. Kitty moaned, arching beneath him to meet every thrust of his hips.

The sounds of their passion filled the room. Bodies moved together, shifting on the soft cotton sheets. Moans and gasps mingled with heavy breathing as they worked together to reach that ultimate moment of bliss.

Matt could feel the beginning of his orgasm taking hold, the pleasure dancing up and down his spine. But before he could give in, he had to be assured of Kitty’s pleasure. With every drive of his member into her, Matt ground his pelvis against hers, the pressure on her clit causing her to gasp his name.

Suddenly Kitty’s hands clenched his, her nails biting into the tops of his hands, and her legs tightened around his hips as the coil snapped. “MAATT!” she cried out his name as she came.

A low growl escaped Matt’s throat and his hands gripped hers tighter as he thrust hard into her once… twice and then, with a loud shout of her name, he drove into her one final time; his juices flying from his shaft to splash against her womb.

His grip on her hands loosened and he felt her pull her hands free. As she wrapped her arms around his back, he sagged into her embrace. She gave a deep sigh of contentment, which he echoed, as she lowered her legs from around his hips and wrapped them loosely around his.

Knowing she couldn’t bear his weight too long, Matt withdrew from the warmth of her body and rolled onto his back, bringing Kitty with him and gathering her into his arms. He closed his eyes as she nestled into his embrace; her head on his chest… her damp curls tickling his thigh as she draped her leg over his. He held her close, stroking her long hair with one hand, while the other caressed her body from shoulder to thigh and back.

His heart pounded in his chest and he sought to catch his breath as he turned his face into her thick hair.

“I need you, Kitty. I need you,” he whispered.

Kitty’s head snapped up and Matt heard her inhale sharply, knowing she was seeing something in his face that he had never before allowed anyone to see.

Vulnerability.

He was allowing Kitty to see just how vulnerable he truly was.

“I need you…”

“Oh, Matt…” her eyes filled with tears.

“I need you, Kitty…” he repeated. “And not just for this…” he gestured to the intimate position they were in, “not just for sex.” Matt paused a moment as he reached up to brush the backs of his fingers over her cheek. “I don’t know how you did it. After what happened with… I swore I wouldn’t get involved with another woman, and I tried to fight it, tried not to let you in but…” Matt cupped her cheek. “You’ve become a part of me, Kitty… a part of my very soul.”

The tears in Kitty’s eyes spilled down her cheeks.

“I can’t imagine my life without you in it now, but I can’t offer you a future, Kitty. I wish I could… God, do I wish that I could. I’d marry you in a heartbeat if I thought… but in my line of work,” he shook his head, a sad wistful look on his face. “I refuse to leave behind a widow… a family.”

“I understand, Matt. Maybe someday…”

“I can’t even promise you there will be a someday, Kitty. Wearing that badge makes me a target. I could be shot and killed tomorrow…” the young lawman sighed. “Yet in spite of all that, in spite of knowing that I should leave, that I should let YOU leave Dodge… I can’t. I need you, Kitty. I need you here. I need to know that when I’m out on the trail, you’ll be here waiting for me.”

His hand flexed on her hip.

“I have no right to ask you… but I am anyway…” Matt stroked his thumb over her cheek. “Would you be my girl, Kitty? My woman?”

“Oh, Cowboy… I’ve been yours since the first day I saw you.”

“I can’t promise you anything, can’t give you anything…” he tried one last attempt to warn her away… to save her from an uncertain future.

A small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth and she shook her head. “You already have… more than you know. And I would be proud to be your woman.”

“…Kitty…”

Kitty shifted so that she was lying on top of him and grasped his face in both of her hands. “I love you, Matt,” she told him in a quiet voice and lowered her lips to his.

It was a gentle kiss, filled with love. Their mouths opened to each other and the kiss deepened with each passing beat of their hearts.

“You won’t leave?” Matt asked in a breathless voice when the kiss ended.

“I won’t leave,” Kitty answered. “I will always be here for you, Matt. For as long as you need me.”

Matt smiled and drew her back down for another gentle kiss.

When the kiss came to an end, Matt pulled her into his embrace. He reached out for one of the blankets that had been pushed aside during their lovemaking, and covered their cooling bodies.

Kitty laid her head on his shoulder and she released a contented sigh as he pulled her closer. As he felt her drift off to sleep, he moved his lips against her hair…

“I love you too, Kitty.”

~MK~

Matt looked up as Buck came to a stop in front of Moss Grimmick’s stable and realized that he’d made it into Dodge without even knowing it.

“Welcome back, Marshal.” Moss said as he strolled out of the building. “Did you get’im?”

“Yeah… I got him,” Matt answered as he climbed down out of the saddle. He handed the reins over to Moss without saying anything further and headed off towards Doc’s office.

The lawman was aware of the townspeople watching him, but thankfully none of them stopped him and within moments he was climbing the outside steps to the physician’s office. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, calling out quietly for his old friend.

The door to the back room opened, but instead of Doc Adams, Ma Smalley stepped out, closing the door behind her.

“Ma,” Matt acknowledged the older woman with a nod of his head. “Where’s Doc?”

“He got called to an emergency out on Jud Briar’s ranch. It seems Jud and Hattie’s little boy got thrown from a horse,” Ma replied. “He asked me to sit with Kitty.”

Kitty. His heart ached with the need to see her and he glanced towards the back room.

“How is she, Ma?” Matt asked quietly.

“She’s sleeping, but it’s a restless sleep,” Ma answered.

Matt frowned. “Did Doc say when he’d be back?”

Ma shook her head.

“If you want to go home now, Ma, you can,” Matt told her. “I’ll sit with Kitty.”

The older woman nodded as she stepped over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Kitty’s a strong woman,” she said in a quiet voice. “She’ll be all right… after all… she has you to help her.”

Matt nodded.

Ma patted his arm then walked over to the door and opened it. “Get some rest yourself, Marshal.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He said then called to her as she stepped out onto the landing. “Ma…”

She stopped and looked back at him.

“Thank you.”

Ma gave him an understanding smile then closed the office door.

Matt glanced around the empty office and his eyes fell onto his badge, which still lay on Doc’s desk where he’d dropped it earlier before heading out after Bonner and his dog soldiers. Doc’s words, when he’d seen that Matt had removed the tin star, came back to him.

“Matt, no! Don’t do that. Don’t do it. I know you gotta go after him, but before you take off that badge, I want you to listen to me. Before you came into Dodge, Matt, there was no law at all. You brought it all with you when you came, and people love you for it and respect you. Now if you take off that badge and go out there with vengeance in your heart, then you’ll betray everything you’ve ever stood for. Within the law… like it’s always been.”

Matt shook his head. Doc just hadn’t understood.

Bonner hadn’t hurt Matt Dillon the Marshal when he and his men had taken Kitty.

Bonner hadn’t hurt Marshal Dillon when they’d brought her back to Dodge, beaten and raped, with no will to live.

Bonner had hurt Matt Dillon… the man.

He’d ripped out Matt’s heart and soul.

Ripped her out, brutalized her then shot her and left her for dead on the street.

Matt’s response to Doc had been the truth. “If it had been anything else, Doc. Anything else.” Anything else and he would have gone after them as the Marshal. ANYONE else and it would have been Marshal Dillon hunting them down.

But it had been Kitty.

His Kitty.

His reason for living.

And so, he’d gone after Jude Bonner as a man.

Kitty’s man.

That badge of his may have had a strong hold on him through some ingrained sense of duty… but the heart it covered was held by an even stronger force - Kitty. And while those two forces were often at war with one another, it was his love for Kitty that gave him the strength to do his duty.

That’s what Doc hadn’t understood.

Matt sighed and tossed his hat onto the desk beside his badge then moved over to the back bedroom door. He took a deep breath then opened the door and stepped into the room. Closing the door behind him, the big man slowly walked into the room. He grabbed the chair Ma had been sitting in and carried it closer to the bed then sank down onto it.

He looked down at the face of his woman as she slept. Even battered and bruised, she was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Tears sprang, unbidden, to his eyes.

“Oh, Kitty… I’m sorry…” Matt whispered and hung his head; the tears coursing freely down his cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”

~MK~

Kitty’s eyes fluttered open and she turned towards the sound that had awoken her to find Matt, his chin resting against his chest, snoring softly as he dozed in the chair beside her bed.

He’d made it back.

Tears of relief filled her eyes. He was all right and he’d come back to her. She moved her gaze over him. Her cowboy looked a little rough – dirty and bruised – but in that moment, he’d never looked better to her.

He’d made it back.

She took a deep shuddering breath then slowly released it along with the worry she’d had about his riding into a trap.

“…Matt…” Kitty called out to him.

Matt’s head snapped up and seeing her watching him, he slipped out of the chair to kneel beside the bed. He took her small hand into his large one. “Kitty…”

“When did you get back?” She asked in a quiet voice.

“Not too long ago,” Matt glanced down at his grimy clothes. “I’m sorry; I know I’m a mess. I should have changed first and cleaned up but I wanted to see you.”

The barest hint of a smile touched her lips. “I’m glad you did.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Like I was rode hard and put up wet.”

Matt frowned; his eyes filling with a mix of pain and anger.

Kitty pulled her hand from his and reached out to touch her fingers to the two tiny pinholes in his shirt. “You took it off.”

“Yeah.”

“Did you kill him?”

“No.”

Kitty held his eyes.

“But I almost did and, God, I wanted to,” Matt told her as he suddenly pushed away from the bed, stood and stalked across the room to the window. “I had him pinned on the ground… had a rock in my hands and I was ready to bash in that bastard’s skull…”

The unexpected slamming of his fist into the wall made Kitty jump.

“…I’m sorry…”

Matt whirled around to face her.

“I’m so sorry, Matt. I should have fought them harder… I…”

“Kitty, no!” Matt hurried over to her as she began to sob and dropped down to his knees beside the bed once again. He took her hands in his. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“It’s all my fault…” Kitty cried. “I… tried so hard, Matt… I fought them… I really did… I’m so sorry…”

Matt cupped her right cheek. “Kitty…”

“I tried… I couldn’t stop them… there were too many… oh, Matt… I tried… you have to believe me… I tried…”

“I know you did, Kitty… I know. You did nothing wrong! You are not to blame for what happened, honey…” he told her emphatically. “I am.”

He pulled away from her, got to his feet once again and began to pace the room; his anger and frustration growing with every step.

“I should have tried harder with the Governor to get that stay…” Matt growled. “Or beaten Bonner’s location out of his brother… I…” he stopped pacing and hung his head. “It’s my fault this happened to you, Kitty… my fault.”

“Matt… no…”

His shoulders slumped.

“Why?” Matt slowly turned to face her and grasped the metal frame at the foot of the bed. “Why have you stayed with me all these years? What has being with me brought you? You’ve been kidnapped… beaten… shot… so many times, and all because of our relationship.”

“Because… I need you, Matt. *I* need you,” Kitty told him and held her hand out to him in a silent request for him to come back to her.

Unable to deny her, Matt moved back to Kitty’s side. He took her outstretched hand in his as he sank onto his knees beside her. With his free hand, he reached out to cup her cheek once more. “You deserve so much better, Kitty… so much better…”

“I could ask the same question,” Kitty said. “Why me? When you could have had, still can for that matter, any one of the respectable women in this town, why did you choose me? I was used goods then…” her eyes filled with fresh tears, “and I’m certainly used goods now.”

Matt’s eyes flashed. “You are not used goods! I don’t ever want to hear you call yourself that again! Do you hear me?! Never!” His grip on her hand tightened and he leaned closer. “You weren’t used goods when we met and you aren’t now. You did what you had to do in order to survive… I know that, and I respect you for that. What happened yesterday….” his voice trailed off as a look of pain crossed his face. “What happened does not change how I feel about you.”

Kitty shook her head. “Matt…”

The hand cupping her face caressed her cheek and he interrupted her. “You asked me, why you? That’s easy, honey. My heart was lost to you the moment I saw you in the café all those years ago. Oh, I tried to fight it, as you know… but I couldn’t. You were… and still are… the other half of my soul, Kitty.”

He gently wiped away the tears that coursed down her cheek with his thumbs. “I love you, Kitty. I know I don’t tell you that as often as I should… but that doesn’t make it any less true.”

“I know you do…” Kitty whispered, overwhelmed by the depth of emotion she could see in his face, and hear in his voice. Matt was usually a man of few words, and so his effusive declaration drove home to Kitty just how close she had come to dying, and how scared Matt had been of losing her. “I love you too. So much…”

Matt gave her a tender smile and continued to gently, and lovingly, stroke her cheek with his thumb as they fell into a comfortable silence.

“You’re going to get through this, Kitty.” Matt said in a quiet voice. “I promise you that I am going to be here with you every step of the way and, TOGETHER, we will get past this. Anything you need… all you have to do is ask.”

“Anything?”

“Anything.”

“Kiss me.”

“Kitty?”

“Kiss me, Matt.”

“Are you sure?”

Kitty nodded and took a deep shuddering breath. “Please, Matt… I can still taste them. Doc gave me a small shot of whiskey to help with the pain and… but I can still…” her eyes filled with tears. “… please…”

Matt shifted and leaned closer. “Sssh…”

Kitty released a sigh of relief as Matt brushed his lips over hers. She could feel that he was holding back… letting her determine how far to take the kiss, and felt a wave of gratitude at his thoughtfulness wash over her. She lifted her hand to cup the back of his head as she parted her lips beneath his and drew his tongue into her mouth. Tears filled her eyes as Matt’s unique flavour flooded her senses and she felt the tiniest spark of desire flash within her. Unable to stop herself, Kitty began to cry even as she and Matt continued to kiss.

Matt pulled out of the kiss. “Kitty, I’m sorry! I knew it was too…”

She pressed her fingers to his lips to stop him and gave him a watery smile as she shook her head. “No… it’s all right.”

“Then why the tears?”

“I felt us,” Kitty whispered. “I was so afraid that after what those animals did… I was scared that I would never… that I wouldn’t be able to… but just now, when you kissed me… oh, Matt!” Her smile grew. “I felt us… felt that need for you that is always inside me. Just a brief flash of it… but, Cowboy, it was there. I was afraid that I would never feel that again.”

The worry on Matt’s face faded away.

“It’s going to take some time… how much, I don’t know…” Kitty continued. “But now I know that I…” she cupped his cheek. “WE will be fine. We are going to beat this… beat them.”

“We are,” Matt agreed as he brushed his fingers through the hair at her temple. “We most certainly are.”

“Now, Cowboy…” Kitty began as Matt tried unsuccessfully to muffle a yawn. “I have one other request.”

“And what is that?”

“Take off those boots and dusty clothes, and get into this bed and hold me.”

He shook his head. “Kitty…”

“Matt, you’re exhausted,” she told him. “And I’m pretty tired myself.”

“Not that I don’t want to hold you… but I don’t think it’s a good idea. You’re still recovering, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You could never hurt me.”

“Doc won’t like it.”

“I don’t care,” Kitty said. “I’m tired, Matt… but I’m afraid to sleep,” she admitted quietly. “I’m afraid because I know when I close my eyes that I am going to relive what happened, and being in your arms is where I feel safest.”

“Are you sure, honey?”

Kitty nodded then gave him a small, crooked smile. “Never thought I’d ever have to beg you to share a bed with me, Cowboy.”

Matt chuckled. “And you won’t have to start now,” he said and dropped a light kiss to her lips then stood.

Kitty watched as Matt sat in the chair and pulled his boots off. Her eyes followed his movements as he got to his feet and removed his shirt then his pants, until he was clad in just his union suit.

She shifted slowly onto her right side to face the middle of the mattress as Matt walked around the bed and climbed in under the blankets, rolling up onto his side to face her.

“You’re still certain about this?” Matt asked as he reached out to finger her cheek, careful to avoid the burn mark left behind.

“I’m certain.”

Matt nodded and moved closer. “Come here, honey…” he said and opened his arms to her.

Kitty nestled carefully into his embrace and immediately felt herself begin to relax. “This is what I needed… thank you, Matt.”

“You’re welcome,” Matt replied. “I told you, I am going to do everything I can to help you through this. I won’t let you down, Kitty. Not this time…”

“I know you won’t, Matt.” Kitty replied. “And for the record, YOU never let me down. Your job may get in the way from time to time, but YOU never let me down.” She pressed a kiss to his chest then snuggled closer.

“I love you, Kitty…” the exhausted lawman whispered into her hair. “I love you, and need you more than you will ever know.”

“I feel the same way, Cowboy,” Kitty murmured sleepily.

“Go to sleep, honey…” Matt told her in a quiet voice. “Go to sleep… I’m here. I won’t let anything else happen to you… I promise.”

Wrapped safely in Matt’s arms, with his warm breath ruffling her hair and his heart beating a familiar and comforting cadence in her ear, Kitty drifted off into a dreamless, healing sleep.

~epilogue

Kitty stood at the end of the bar watching as Matt helped Sam hustle the last of the cowboys out of the Long Branch. As her eyes moved over HER cowboy, taking in his broad shoulders, long legs, and – she licked her lips appreciatively – his firm backside, she was shocked to feel a surge of desire run through her.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

She’d not felt anything close to desire since the night after she was attacked and Matt had kissed her; igniting the tiniest spark of need within her. It had been then, that she’d known that she and Matt would be fine… that SHE would be fine.

Over the last five months, her physical wounds had healed up, leaving little to no scars; however, the emotional scars had taken longer. But with Matt’s patience and help, even those were fading.

He’d been true to his word, and had been with her every step of her recovery; even going so far as to send Festus and Newly on all the out of town jobs so that he could be with her each night.

For the first month or so, she’d reveled in Matt’s attention; in having him spend so much of his time with her. When he wasn’t at the jail, he was with her; first at Doc’s then at the Long Branch. He’d even practically moved in with her.

“If they didn’t know about us before, they certainly do now,” Matt had told her in a sleepy voice the first morning she’d woken up, well after dawn, in her own bed to find Matt still asleep beside her.

She’d smiled at that and nestled back into arms when he’d continued, telling her that he hadn’t wanted her waking up alone and frightened.

After the first month and a half though, all the constant attention had begun to get on her nerves. She loved him dearly… loved that he was trying to so hard to help her heal, but the lack of any space, privacy or moments to herself began to eat at her. She’d been surprised when Matt had brought it up first, telling her that he’d realized that he was starting to smother her, and together they’d worked out a way to keep her safe but give her her needed time to herself.

But in all that time, even though she and Matt slept together, shared a few gentle kisses and some tender embraces; Kitty had not felt any urge whatsoever to move their relationship back to the way it was before her attack.

That was until tonight.

Watching Matt as he moved about the saloon, putting the chairs up, Kitty felt a sudden and fierce desire to make love to her man.

She smiled.

“Sam,” Kitty called out to her loyal friend and bartender. “Leave all that, Matt and I will finish up.”

“You sure, Miss Kitty?”

“Yeah, go on home.”

A big smile broke across the craggy face. “Thanks, Miss Kitty.”

Matt shot Kitty a curious look as Sam moved into the back office to retrieve his coat and hat. She merely smiled enigmatically back at him while he continued to put the chairs on the tables.

“I locked the back door,” Sam told them as he emerged from the office, sliding his arms into his coat.

“Thank you, Sam.”

The older man smiled. “You’re welcome,” he replied as he walked over to the batwing doors. “Good night, Miss Kitty. Good night, Marshal.”

“Good night, Sam,” Kitty called out as she stepped away from the bar to extinguish the lamps along the saloon’s back wall.

“Night, Sam,” Matt said as he pulled the outer doors closed. He slid the bolts into place then turned to find Kitty waiting for him on the bottom step of the staircase in the darkened saloon. As he moved across the room towards her, he realized there was something different about her. Something he couldn’t put his finger on. “Are you all right, honey?”

“Mmhmm,” Kitty nodded. “Just anxious to go to bed.”

“It was a long night,” Matt said as he stopped in front of her. He reached out to cup her cheek. “You must be tired.”

“Actually, I’m not,” she told him as she laid her hands on his chest and leaned into him. She brushed her lips over his then whispered, “I’m ready, Matt…”

Matt gripped her upper arms and held her away from him, staring into her eyes. For the first time in five months, he saw need and desire in her blue eyes. He also saw a touch of fear. “Kitty? Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Kitty nodded and wound her arms around his neck as she, once again, leaned into him. “I’m nervous as hell… I won’t deny that, but I am sure. I want you, Matt.” Her brow furrowed suddenly and she pulled back slightly. “But… I’d understand if you didn’t want… not after…”

Matt pressed a long finger to her lips to silence her. “I always want you…” he whispered and leaned in to kiss her.

The kiss started out gentle, a mere pressing of their lips together but after several moments, Kitty opened her mouth beneath his and slipped her tongue into the warm cavern of his mouth and deepened the kiss.

Low moans echoed throughout the empty saloon as the kiss became almost frantic.

All of a sudden, Kitty felt her feet leave the step as Matt swept her into his arms. “Matt!” She squealed in delight as he began to climb the stairs. “Matt, you shouldn’t be carrying me… what about your back?”

“It’s fine,” Matt told her as he reached the landing then headed for her rooms. “Besides, I like having you in my arms.”

Kitty smiled adoringly at Matt as he carried her inside their room and kicked the door closed. He let her down but kept her in the circle of his arms. As Kitty looked up at him, seeing the desire swimming in his eyes, feeling the hard line of his body against hers, she suddenly felt very nervous. Kitty wanted him, of that she was certain, but she was nervous.

As if sensing her unease, Matt brushed a kiss against her forehead then stepped back. “Why don’t I build up the fire?”

Kitty gave him a grateful smile as she nodded. As Matt moved to the fireplace, Kitty stepped over to her vanity and began to remove her makeup. She’d finished with her face and had just begun to take down her hair when Matt stepped up behind her. She swallowed and felt a warmth move through her body as she saw that he had removed his shirt, and without looking she knew that he had also removed his boots and socks as well.

She’d always loved seeing Matt in nothing more than just his pants. There was just something about him that way… something that was just so… masculine, and it never failed to arouse her. It wasn’t failing now.

“Let me,” he said and began to carefully remove the pins from the artfully coiffed hairdo.

Kitty dropped her hands into her lap and watched Matt in the mirror as he began to slowly comb his fingers through her hair to loosen the curls. His touch sent shivers through her body and she bit her bottom lip in an effort to keep from moaning aloud.

When he leaned forward to pick up her brush, Matt placed a kiss just below her ear, she couldn’t help herself and a soft moan escaped.

Brush in hand; Matt moved the bristles through her thick locks with sure, gentle strokes until her hair fell in soft waves about her shoulders.

“I love your hair down like this,” Matt told her as he placed the brush back on her vanity then resumed combing his fingers through the auburn tresses. “…love the feel of it…”

“I know you do,” Kitty replied, her eyes meeting his in the mirror. Her body hummed with a strange mix of arousal and nervousness.

Matt could sense the warring emotions within her and laid his hands on her shoulders. “We don’t have to do this, Kitty. We can wait. It doesn’t have to be tonight.”

Kitty stood and faced him. She shook her head. “No… it can’t wait. I am tired of just SLEEPING with you, Matt. I am tired of being afraid of something that I KNOW is a beautiful and wonderful expression of the love two people share… of what WE share.” She laid her hands on his chest, her fingers curling gently in the light sprinkling of hair. “I need that back between us, Matt. I want that passion… that pleasure. I need to feel you in and around me again.”

“I want that too, Kitty.”

“Then make love to me, Cowboy. Help me to feel whole again,” Kitty said then rose up on her toes to take his mouth in a passionate kiss. She wound her arms around his neck and pressed close.

Matt enveloped her in his arms and returned her kiss with equal passion. He slowly walked them back towards the bed, his fingers already working the buttons free along the back of her dress. When the backs of his legs hit the mattress, Matt had released all of the buttons. He broke off the kiss and began to peel her dress off of her.

Kitty stopped him. “Let me turn down the lamps.”

“What for?” Matt asked and grabbed her hand as she reached out for the light.

“Because I…” she faltered and hung her head. “Because I don’t want you to be repulsed by the scars,” Kitty finished in a whisper.

“Are you repulsed by the scars on my body?”

Kitty’s head snapped up. “Of course not! You have a beautiful body, Matt. You know the scars don’t bother…” her voice trailed off as realization settled in. She glanced down at his chest and traced the scar that was etched just above his heart. Her eyes met his again. “Point taken, Cowboy. I just…”

“I know, honey, I understand,” he told her as he covered her hand, holding it against his chest. “You will always be beautiful to me, Kitty… always. There is no way you could be anything else in my eyes.”

“Oh, Matt…”

“I know you’re nervous about this, Kitty. I am too,” Matt admitted. “I’m also scared.”

“You are?”

“Mmhmm…” the big man nodded. “I know we’ve been through this before…”

Kitty shuddered at the memory, knowing exactly which time he was referring to. “We have… and we made it.”

“We did. But this time is different. Even I can feel that,” Matt said. “So I’m scared, Kitty. Scared that I might do something that will hurt you, or frighten you…” he admitted. “And I would sooner tear out my heart than hurt you anymore than you already have been.”

“You would never do that,” Kitty told him as she reached up to cup his cheek. “I could never be frightened of you, Matt. You’re right, this time is different. Last time, it was just one man. This time it was a pack of anim…” she shook her head.

“We don’t have to do this tonight,” Matt offered again.

“No! I told you… I want you, Matt. I do!” Kitty answered. “More than that… I NEED you.” With that, she pulled his mouth down to hers and kissed him hungrily. “I need you…” she murmured against his lips.

Matt ended the kiss and together they removed each other’s clothes until they were standing naked in the lamplight. His eyes moved down her body, pausing only briefly on the few visible scars before returning to meet her gaze. “Beautiful,” he whispered as he brushed a lock of hair off her shoulder.

A grateful smile came to Kitty’s face and a warmth washed over her as she heard the truth in his words. She let her eyes drift down his body to rest on his erection. “I feel like a virgin,” Kitty admitted quietly as she watched his manhood harden further under her gaze and felt an answering throb in her loins, “That was the only time I can remember being this nervous.”

“It feels like my first time too,” Matt admitted then gave her that boyish grin that made her melt. “This will be our first time again tonight.”

Kitty nodded as Matt reached out for her and instead of lowering her to the bed as she expected, she was surprised when he drew her into his embrace. He held her close; his arousal trapped between them and simply held her. After several moments passed, Kitty began to press light kisses to his chest and slowly worked her way up his throat.

“…Matt…” she moaned just as his mouth covered hers.

As the kiss grew in intensity, they tumbled back onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs; rolling until Kitty lay beneath Matt; his large, hard body pressing hers into the mattress. They continued to kiss, their tongues wrapping around each other, foreshadowing the intimate dance their bodies would soon share.

She felt Matt slide a hand down along the side of her body and grasp her knee, pulling her leg up so that he could press closer. Kitty suddenly tensed under him when she felt his rigid member press against her centre. She pushed at his chest and pulled out of the kiss with a gasp.

Matt looked down at her and what he saw broke his heart. Kitty’s eyes were closed tightly, her face pinched in fear. “Kitty…” he spoke in a low soothing voice. “Open your eyes, honey… look at me. Kitty…”

Kitty’s eyes flew open at the sound of his voice. Tears filled her eyes as she choked on silent sobs. “Oh, Matt… I’m sorry… I…”

The big man rolled so that he was propped up beside her. He cupped her face. “Sssh… it’s all right, Kitty. It’s all right.”

“No,” she shook her head. “No, it’s not! I don’t think it will ever be…”

Matt’s heart broke at the anguish in her voice and the utter despair he could see on her face. In that moment, he knew what he had to do. “Kitty,” he laid his finger across her lips. “Do you trust me?”

“You know I do,” Kitty sniffled. “But it’s no use… every time I close my eyes I see them… I feel them… I thought I was ready… oh, Matt…”

“Sssh… I want you to listen to me,” Matt told her. When he had her attention, he continued. “I love you. I love you, and I would NEVER hurt you.”

“I know that. I love you too.”

Matt smiled. “I want you to trust that at any time you want me to stop, you tell me and I will. No matter what, I will stop.”

“All… all right.”

“I will stop, Kitty.” He repeated firmly.

Kitty nodded.

His fingers circled her eyes. “Keep these open,” Matt told her. “Keep’em open and on me. I want you to see me, Kitty. See me and know that it’s me loving you. Me touching you…” he leaned down and brushed her lips with his. “See and feel only me, Kitty…”

A soft moan escaped her as she opened her mouth to him, allowing Matt to deepen the kiss. Her eyes focused on his, seeing only love, tenderness and controlled desire in his blue depths.

“…only me…” Matt murmured again as he moved his lips down her throat to her chest.

Kitty gasped as she watched him flick his tongue out against her right nipple then draw the tip into his mouth. She felt the tip grow hard as he sucked on it and moaned at the sensation. As he suckled at her one breast, Matt gently squeezed and kneaded the other.

“Mmm… Matt…”

Matt looked up and smiled around the nipple he held gently in his teeth, pleased to see that the fear had retreated from Kitty’s face, to be replaced by growing desire. As he kissed his way to her left breast, Matt slowly slid his hand down her stomach and cupped her mound.

Kitty inhaled sharply as Matt flexed his hand against her then slipped one finger between her swollen folds. “Ooh…” she exhaled the breath she’d been holding when Matt began to stroke her; dipping his long digit into her core then bringing it back up to circle her clit. “…Matt…”

The pleasure moved up through her body in ever larger growing waves with every stroke of his finger within her. Without realizing she was doing it, Kitty began to arch beneath his touch, thrusting her hips against his hand, moaning when he added a second finger. “Oooh…”

Her eyes widened and she suddenly curled up off the bed, crying out Matt’s name as her orgasm slammed through her. “MAATT!! Oh, Matt!”

Matt continued to move his fingers inside her, his thumb keeping up the steady motion against her clit. Moments later, she called out his name again as a second release exploded on the heels of her first. He smiled and released her nipple from his mouth as he raised his head to watch her.

The sight of his woman consumed by her orgasm was always a sight to behold. And as always, it was a sight that never failed to arouse him.

When a third orgasm rushed through her, Kitty reached down and grasped his wrist. “Nooo… no more… mmm…”

Matt slowly withdrew his fingers and laid his hand against her stomach as he leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss. He pulled back when he tasted her tears. “Kitty?”

“Oh, Matt…” she took a shuddering breath as her tears continued to flow. “That was… thank you…” a watery smile formed on her face. “…thank you…”

“You’re welcome, honey…” Matt brushed another kiss over her lips. “Thank YOU.”

Kitty reached up to cup his cheek. “Now, Cowboy… really make love to me…”

“You sure?”

“Oh yes…” Kitty nodded. “I want… NEED to feel you inside me and all around me.”

Matt shifted and rolled so that he was once again lying above her; his upper body braced on his elbows. He reached for her hand and drew it between their bodies, wrapping her fingers around his length. Kitty stroked him gently, almost shyly as she brought the head of his arousal to her waiting entrance.

She reached out and grasped his hip and gave him an encouraging nod. Matt began to slowly press inside her and Kitty’s breath caught in her throat. She stared at him, her eyes focused on his even as she concentrated on the feel of him as he continued to ease inside her. Kitty gasped when he stopped, his full length buried deep within her and her eyes fell shut.

“Still okay?” Matt asked her in a low voice. He could feel her body adjusting to his generous size.

“Mmhmm…” Kitty murmured. “Very okay…”

“You sure?”

Her eyes opened and she gave him a beatific smile. “It feels wonderful. YOU feel wonderful… and you’ll feel even better when you start moving, Cowboy.”

Matt chuckled and dropped a light kiss to her lips as he began to gently rock his hips against hers. “Yes, ma’am…”

“Ooh… yes… just like that…” Kitty moaned as the pleasure began to flow through her body once again. She focused on Matt’s face, his beloved face, as he withdrew then eased back inside her. He repeated the movement several times and Kitty could feel that he was holding back, could see it in the hard concentration on his face, and felt an overwhelming burst of love for her man at his not wanting to frighten her.

And in that moment, Kitty realized that she wasn’t frightened. There was no fear present any longer. Only love and desire.

And need.

Need for the man above her. The man who was inside her… not just physically, but emotionally.

“Matt…” Kitty whispered his name as she reached up to cup his cheek. “No more holding back…”

Matt stopped moving and asked in a husky voice, “Are you certain?”

“Oh yes…” Kitty replied and wrapped her legs around him.

“Yeah… you’re certain,” Matt groaned when she clenched her inner muscles around his throbbing shaft as well.

“Now, Cowboy…”

Matt held her eyes a moment longer, seeing nothing but love, desire and need in her blue depths. There was no more fear. He lowered his mouth to hers for a brief kiss then pushed up onto his hands and began to thrust harder into her.

“Mmm… yes…” Kitty moaned. She could feel the delicious tendrils of her orgasm curling in the pit of her stomach and urged him on, wanting to reach that moment of ecstasy that she’d only ever found in his arms. “More…” she lifted her hips to meet his.

Matt felt the change in her body, heard the plea in her voice, and knew that she was close. He felt his own release tickling down the base of his spine and knew that it wouldn’t be long, but he had to be sure of Kitty’s pleasure first.

Their bodies rocked together, moving in that timeless rhythm that only comes to lovers that know each other inside and out. Kitty tightened her legs around Matt’s hips as his thrusts grew harder and faster, his pelvis grinding against hers.

Kitty gasped at the delectable play of sensations running rampant through her then cried out his name as the sensations suddenly burst within. “MAAATTT!!” Her body writhed under his as her orgasm consumed her.

Assured of her satisfaction, and unable to fight the clutch and pull of her inner walls around his aching flesh, Matt gave in to his need and plunged as deep into her as he could. He shouted her name as he came; his seed spilling deep within her body.

Matt sank into her arms, and buried his face in her neck as he sought to catch his breath. Kitty wrapped her arms tightly around him and held him close. Together they rode the pulsating spasms as their love continued to explode and spread outward, much as if a rock had been thrown into a calm pool.

The tears began to flow before she could stop them and Kitty tightened her arms around him. Matt lifted his head when he felt the moisture against his cheek.

“Kitty?” Concern coloured his voice. “Honey? Did I hurt you?”

“No…” she shook her head and gave him a watery smile. “No, you didn’t hurt me. Oh, Matt…” her breath hitched and she shrugged, unable to find her voice.

Matt rolled so that they were lying on their sides facing each other, bodies still joined, legs tangled together. He reached up to brush the tears from her cheeks. “Talk to me, sweetheart.”

“That was… thank you,” Kitty finally whispered. “Thank you for giving me what I needed and for reminding me just how beautiful this can be. I know it’s not been easy… for either of us… and I can’t tell you how much it’s meant having you here with me to help face this… to fight the fear and find myself again.”

“I wouldn’t have been anywhere else.”

She laid her hand on his chest, feeling the rapid beating of his heart beneath her palm. “I know I still have a ways to go, that I am not completely past this yet… but I also know now that I’m going to be all right… we’re going to be all right,” she smiled at him, her eyes filled with love and gratitude. “You’ve been so patient with me, Matt…”

“I love you,” Matt said simply.

Kitty leaned in and brushed her lips over his. “I love you too.”

They fell into a comfortable silence as they stared into each other’s eyes. The last five months had seen their already strong connection grow stronger. With every nightmare – hers and his – they fought, and every wound – physical and emotional – that healed, their relationship had grown deeper. No words were needed… they knew what was in each other’s hearts.

A sudden yawn filled the silence followed by Matt’s deep chuckle. “Did I wear you out?”

“I think you did,” Kitty replied with a soft laugh as she was hit with another yawn. “But it was worth it.”

He returned her smile as he caressed her cheek. “I think it’s time we get some sleep.”

At Kitty’s agreeing nod, Matt reached out and turned down the lamp. He pulled the blankets up over their now cooled bodies as Kitty nestled closer. They both released contented sighs into the darkness.

As he listened to her deep, rhythmic breathing, Matt pressed his face into Kitty’s hair. “I will always need you, Kitty…” he whispered against her auburn curls. “Always.”

“And I you, Cowboy… always…” Kitty murmured as she faded off to sleep.

~fin

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