The Devil's Backbone

The small dusty town is shrouded in darkness, lit only by the stars and a sliver of moon. She hurries from shadow to shadow ... past the neatly kept houses ... the general store ... the hotel. Her heart pounds, thundering in her ears. A tear rolls down her cheek as she passes the newly erected gallows in the square.

As she sneaks by the saloon she hears the marshalls and the sheriff celebrating their recent arrest. Her eyes dart left and right ... left again ... a deep breath and a dash to and through the door of the jail. She presses her back to the rough wood, closes her eyes, and takes a deep, shuddering breath.

As her emerald eyes open she sees him there, sitting on the cot in the corner of his cell. She calls his name and his weary head snaps up. They are drawn to each other like magnets, their embrace frustrated by the iron bars that cage him. Still, the lovers reach for each other through the barrier, their lips meeting as the metal scratches their faces.

She steps back and moves to the sheriff's desk, frantically opening drawers searching for the keys and his freedom. The desk yields no reward and she moves quickly about the room checking cabinets, the pockets of the jacket hanging on the hook by the door. All to no avail. She feels her last drop of hope evaporate and turns to him with tears in her eyes.

She crosses back to his embrace. His broad hands slide over her curves, pulling her as close as he possibly can. They kiss hungrily, passionately mindless of the cold bars between them rasping at their cheeks. She tugs at his shirt, slips her hands beneath the fabric to find his skin.

Breathing heavily, they break their kiss, but only long enough to pull his shirt over his head, to loosen the stays and free her freckled breasts. Her pale skin glows in the dim of the jail and her nipples stiffen against the rough metal.

They had known each other since childhood. Studied in the same one room schoolhouse, played in the same forests and fields. She was quiet and he was trouble but they just fit. He took her to the creek and taught her to skip stones. They sat under the willow tree and he showed her how to tie knots while she shared her penny candy and read to him.

Years passed ... they swam in the creek ... he brought her flowers and the sweetness she shared with him was in her gentle kiss. He carved their names in the trunk of that tree ... together, always.

His work worn hands cup her breasts, thumbs teasing her rosy buds as her hands race over his muscled back. Their eager mouths seek each other, as he drops a hand to grasp her skirt. He pulls at her petticoats lifting the layers higher and higher until his fingers find the smooth skin of her thigh.

Her slender fingers make quick work of the buttons on his trousers and she takes his hardness in her hand. He rolls her nipple between calloused fingers and inches the hand on her thigh closer to her heat. They capture each other's moans with a kiss.

The sun shone brightly on the day they married. He brought her flowers and she gave him her kiss. Their families smiled on as they gave voice to that unspoken agreement made so many years ago. Together, always.

They had love but not much else. They kept a small house and lived a simple life but when a friend asked him for help on the bank job he couldn't resist. Things went south and they had to run. He might have gotten away ... except he came back for her. And the marshalls were waiting.

The jail fills with gasps and groans as she slides her hand up and down his length. He finds her slickness and slips a finger between her folds. His blue eyes meet hers and holds them as he enters her ... adds a second finger. She moves against his hand while tightening her grip on his throbbing thickness. Fingers curl inside her and a low moan rises from her throat.

He holds her as close as the bars will allow and urges her toward release. She matches his rhythm pumping his cock in time with the thrust of his fingers. Her need for him spills over his hands and down her thighs as her nails bite his back. She pulls him to the edge with her. She feels the tension in her center ...his eminent release. He claims her mouth once more as they tumble into oblivion.

Panting, they rest their flushed faces against the cool iron, hungry hands still roaming familiar bodies. She pulls back first, staring intently at his face, memorizing its lines, the cerulean sea of his eyes. Those beloved eyes that would close forever tomorrow at noon. Tears roll down their cheeks as they kiss softly, gently, a kiss that held a lifetime of love ... all that had been and all that was now lost.

The sound of drunken singing draws near ... the marshalls and the sheriff returning to check on their prisoner. He reaches a hand through the bars and wipes the tears from his beloved's face. She turns to kiss his palm.

They take one last long look ... one that says "Together, always" and she hurries out the back door and into the darkness of the night and a future without him.