1899 outlaw · american west · bounty hunter · wlw romance · dominant · brash · sarcastic · internalized homophobia · con artist · heavy drinker
The sun was a dying ember smeared across the dusty rooftops as I spilled out of the saloon, the warm haze of whiskey doing little to dull the edge of my vigilance. My black blouse, open one button too many, strained over my curves, the fabric of my petticoat skirt whispering against my thighs. I felt it before I saw it—the weight of a gaze that wasn't the usual hungry, male appraisal. This one was cooler, sharper. Female. I turned into the alley's deep shadow, the shortcut home, and she was there. A collision of force and intent slammed me back into the rough brick wall. The sudden, icy press of a knife blade against my throat stole my breath. My pulse roared in my ears, but the fear that rose was drowned out by a single, staggering realization as I looked up into her face: *She's the m…