Fool woman. All it would’ve taken was one wrong step by the gelding and they both would’ve gone down and Lacy would’ve been killed.
Damn, he should’ve seen her actions coming, should have known she was so desperate to escape she’d do something foolhardy. Question was, did she really fear Devil Morgan enough to risk her life? Or was she just trying to escape justice for her part in the murders and robbery?
He glanced back over his shoulder at her. Her mane of reddish hair had come loose in spots and curled around her face. Moonlight shone down over her skin and, despite being tied to the horse, she sat the saddle straight and tall. Her will was strong, but he needed information and her cooperation, if for nothing more than her own safety.
“The woman is frightened of returning to Devil.” Dakota had slowed his horse to parallel his.
“She should’ve thought of that before she took up bank robbing and murder with him. And she’s a liar too.”
“Devil isn’t at the Hole-in-the-Wall?”
“Nope. She said the first direction to come in her head. She thought we’d believe it and leave her to hightail it out after him. It’s what I would’ve done. But I have an idea how to get the information from her.”
“How? She’s more afraid of him than us. You planning to beat it out of her? I’ve never known you to hurt a woman before.”
“She’s a submissive.”
Dakota cast him a sidelong look. “You guessed this from the collar she wears?”
“I had my suspicions, so I tested her a bit. I don’t think she’s aware of what her collar means or her own natural inclination.”
“We take turns coaxing the information from her?”
Quinn nodded. “She won’t last too long.”
Dakota cast him a doubting look. “A silver dollar says she lasts longer than you think.”
“I’ll take that bet,” he said with a grin. “Not too many can resist both of us.”
“Yes, but very few believe their lives depend on refusing our attentions.” They rode in silence for a bit before Dakota spoke again. “I’m going to hunt us up some game for dinner. Meet you at the campsite.” Dakota turned his mount and headed into the trees.
They’d scouted the area briefly on their way into Beaver Run earlier in the day. A small stream ran through the area and if they were lucky, by the time Quinn and their captive caught up, his brother would have a fire going and fresh game on a spit for their dinner.
When he glanced over his shoulder, he caught Lacy staring off at the trees, her shoulders slumped as if in defeat. For a moment he wondered how she really got mixed up in this mess. This was the first time he’d ever had to arrest a woman and bring her to justice. A knot sat hard in his gut. Juanita had taught him to respect women. What would she say to his plan to use Lacy to trap Devil Morgan?
The vision of Anson’s widow standing by his grave in the gray hours just after dawn popped into his head. He hardened his heart to Lacy’s femininity. She was an outlaw, a tool he could use to bring him closer to the monster who’d killed his mentor.
The corner of his lip lifted. He couldn’t help it if she was a very beautiful and sexy tool. Lacy was about to be tested beyond her endurance and he, for one, planned to enjoy every moment of her taming. Might as well start now.
He pulled on the horse’s reins until they were stopped side by side. “Dismount.”
“Why?” she asked, her brows drawn down in suspicion.
“Because I said so.”
He waited while she struggled to bring her leg over the horse’s side, getting a glimpse of her golden thighs as the slit skirt fell open. Damn, she had long, supple muscles, so different from the women willing and available to spend time with him and Dakota when they stayed in towns.
Once she stood by her horse, her hands still tied to the pommel, he slid down to stand beside her. He untied her hands away from the horse, but left them bound together then reached for his canteen.
“Thirsty?”
She shook her head. Stubborn.
He pulled out his canteen, opened it and took a long drink.
She licked her lips.
“Sure? After your crazy ride, I bet you could use something cool and wet.” He held it out to her.
“How am I supposed to hold it with my hands tied like this?” She gave him a look suggesting he was an imbecile.
He fought off the urge to laugh. Her spirit remained undaunted. Good. “I’ll hold it for you.”
Her eyes narrowed as he lifted the canteen to her lips, but she wasn’t foolish enough to waste the water. She drank slow and long, the muscles in her neck working as she swallowed the precious liquid. Heat shot straight to his groin as he watched her pull and swallow, thinking how good it would feel to have her doing the same to his cock.
Slowly her motions ceased. As she pulled away from the canteen, water dripped from her lip to her chin. He watched it trail down her neck, over the delicate chain collar, and disappear into the deep cleavage exposed by the half-buttoned shirt. He raised his gaze to hers.
Heat sizzled through him at the depth of fire in her eyes.
A challenge. He might hold her prisoner, but she wanted him to believe she wasn’t afraid of him. There was her mistake. For years he’d intimidated more dangerous criminals than her. This luscious woman had information he needed and he had a special torture in mind to obtain it.
With a grip on the reins, he pulled her paint closer, trapping Lacy between him and the horse. He reached behind her head, gripped her by the hair piled at the nape of her neck and pulled her forward. Her lips parted in a surprised O.
He claimed her mouth at that moment, sliding his tongue in to taste the depths of her once more, the warm heat and the defenseless feel of her surprise. Warm. Soft. Feminine.
Hunger shot through him. He held her head angled to one side as he devoured her lips, stroking her soft tongue with his own. Over and over he pressed in, wanting more, needing her surrender. Finally, she moaned against his mouth.
The sound forced sanity back into his head. Slowly he pulled back, still gripping her, staring into her wide-open eyes. Deep pools of liquid green heat stared up at him. Her lips, swollen from his assault, begged for more. Her breasts rose and fell as she gasped in deep breaths. At the moment, she was every man’s desire, and at his mercy.
He fought to control the raging need coursing through his veins. Her sexual beauty be damned, he’d use her inner needs to his advantage. Using others’ weaknesses to gain information was what he did best.
With a curse, he released his hold on her hair. He climbed back on his mount then nodded to her. “Get back on your horse.”
“You could help me,” she said, struggling, one foot precariously in the stirrup.
He didn’t trust himself to touch her right now.
“I could, but you didn’t have any trouble mounting your horse after your father and his men robbed that bank. Now mount up.” He held the paint still.
She cast him a look of pure hatred at his reminder of the bank job but managed to get into the saddle.
“Devil Morgan isn’t my father. He married my mother when I was a little girl.”
“Still doesn’t excuse you from helping him rob and murder.”
“I didn’t know he planned to kill innocent people at the Cheyenne raid. You have to believe me. I never would’ve gone with them.”
“Doesn’t change the fact you went on the raid with them.”
“Not even if I tell you it was the only time?”
“Once is all it takes.”
He started in the direction Dakota had gone. As they rode through the twilight, he glanced back to see how she fared.
Her hair had come loose to hang about her shoulders in a wanton fashion. Her collar looked like a spider web against the skin of her throat, and the swells of her breasts flashed in and out of the open front of her shirt. She gripped the pommel with her tied hands and stared back at him with those haughty sensual eyes.
/> Lacy gripped the pommel tight to keep from falling from the horse’s back. Every muscle in her body shook from the desire ignited by the man called Quinn. Her mind still whirled from his kiss, and from the fact he hadn’t punished her yet for trying to escape. The key word being yet. Hard men exacted punishment for the simplest act of defiance—usually with their fists. She’d known hard men like Quinn and Dakota all her life. Living with her stepfather and his men had taught her not to trust them.
Once, she’d forgotten that lesson, giving her heart and trust only to have them used against her. Tragedy had ensued. Her life irrevocably changed.
Although neither of her current captors had hit her yet, she knew it was only a matter of time before they did. As she followed Quinn through the dark countryside, fear added to her shaking.
They rounded a corner to find the glow of a fire. The small clearing in the woods lay next to a riverbank. On a spit near the edge of the campfire roasted two hares. Dakota rose from tending their dinner to greet them. “Took you long enough.”
“Stop bellyaching. I’ll set up camp tomorrow.” Quinn gave the reins to him as he dismounted, then walked around to reach for her. He untied her hands then grasped her by the waist to lift her down.
“Trust me, before this is over you’ll be very happy to submit to me.”
Quinn’s words rang in her ears. She knew she should fight him. Her honor demanded it, but her body and spirit had taken all they could handle today. She had the feeling she’d need what little strength she had left just to get through the night.
As he lifted her off the horse, he let her slide down his body until her feet reached the ground. She felt every hard muscle and flat plane of his body, which only heightened the trembling still racing through her muscles. Each place that came in contact with him burned with need.
What in the world was wrong with her? Only one man had ever made her feel this way. Despite her vow never to let a man use her again, both Quinn and Dakota had aroused something deep inside her. Was she no better than her mother, just as Devil claimed?
“You’re trembling.” Quinn’s deep voice rumbled like liquid honey over her frayed nerves. He held her against him, gently rubbing up and down her arms with his big hands.
She wanted to give in to the tenderness he was suddenly showing her. She wanted to collapse against him.
“I’m not using you as bait, kitten. More like a gift.”
His earlier threat brought her renewed strength. She stiffened her spine and pulled back from his grip. Not enough to make him angry, but enough for him to know she wasn’t a coward.
“I’m not going to let you take me back to Devil, no matter how badly you beat me.”
Now she’d find out how he really acted when challenged. Men always lost control, always used brute force to get their way. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes tight and waited for him to strike her.
“Dammit.” He bit out the curse. “Open your eyes.”
God, he was worse than Devil. He wanted to see the pain in her eyes when he hit her. She slowly forced her shoulders to relax and opened her eyes.
“I’m not going to beat you.”
“You’re not?” Relief poured through her, followed quickly by suspicion. He was lying. All men lied.
“I won’t lift a hand to hurt you and you’ll still tell me what I need to know.” He released one arm and led her past the fire to a nearby tree. A blanket was spread beneath it. “Sit.”
He held her elbow while she sank to her knees, then wiggled onto her bottom on the blanket.
“Hold out your hands.”
Good. At last he planned to untie her. Probably only long enough to let her eat.
She lifted her bound hands.
Instead of untying them, he lifted her arms up by the leather thong and hooked it over a low-hanging branch behind her head.
“What are you doing?” She wiggled to try to break free. The leather held her in place.
“Keeping you right where I want you,” Quinn said, reaching down and grasping her by the chin. “Stop moving before you injure yourself.”
She shot him a look of hatred. “You bastard!” She strained her body to try to pull the leather free. Her efforts succeeded only in tightening the leather so it dug into her wrists and hands.
“Enough,” he ordered after a minute or two of watching her. He slid his hand down her neck to rest over her collar once more. “Right now, Dakota and I are going to eat dinner. The sooner you calm down and stop struggling, the sooner we’ll feed you.” He squatted at her side, bringing his face within inches of hers. “And I suggest you do so before we eat all the rabbit. Understand?”
The aroma of the seared rabbit made her mouth water and her stomach rumble. Days might pass before she ate again, so she ceased her struggles and nodded.
He sent that half-dimpled smile her way once more. “Good.” He let his fingers slide down to the buttons on her shirt. “I think I’d like to see some beauty while I eat, wouldn’t you, Dakota?”
“Two things always make me hungry,” Dakota said from the fire. “Good food and a beautiful woman.”
“And our pet is lovely.”
“Then I definitely want to see all of her.”
She bit her lips to keep from cursing them. As soon as she had the chance, she’d shoot them both for treating her like some plaything.
Quinn unbuttoned her shirt until it hung open, then untied the ribbon holding the camisole together. Heat and anger flooded Lacy’s body as more and more of her skin was exposed. When he pushed the flaps to the side, revealing her breasts completely, her nipples hardened from both embarrassment and the cool night air.
Both men rose and stepped back, staring at her naked upper body. And finally she understood. They didn’t intend to beat the information from her. They planned to seduce her for it.
Stunned by the knowledge and aware she had little defense against their plans, Lacy froze in position. Her arms stretched high over her head forced her to arch her back, which in turn thrust out her breasts, as if she offered them to Quinn’s and Dakota’s view.
For a moment she thought all they planned to do was stare at her. Their eyes grew heavy lidded and their gazes took on a darker interest. Her body heated from the intense lusty looks both men gave her. She slowly lowered her gaze in an effort to gain some control over the sizzle coursing over her already frayed nerves.
Big mistake.
While their eyes suggested their lust for her, the distinctly large bulges in their pants confirmed her fears. Once she gave them the information, rape was in her future.
She just prayed they weren’t as barbaric as Devil and his men when they brutalized their captive women.
“Let’s eat,” Quinn announced in a husky voice.
Oh God! They meant to eat her?
“No, please.” The words slipped out of her mouth as her gaze shot back up to their faces, only to see they’d turned their attention away from her to the roasting hares.
Dakota glanced over his shoulder. “You haven’t tasted my cooking, Lacy. Do not refuse so easily what you haven’t tried.”
His words seemed to imply something more than reprimanding her for refusing the food. If she explained her plea, she’d only put ideas in their heads. Perhaps for now it was best to remain silent until an opportunity to escape came her way.
While Quinn unsaddled their horses and set the saddles on the other side of her blanket, Dakota sliced pieces of meat onto plates for them. He handed one to his partner, then came over to sit next to her. At the sight and smell of the food, her stomach growled and she swallowed the saliva in her mouth.
He slipped a piece of the succulent meat into his mouth, juices dripping down his fingers. “Mmm. It is very good.” Then he lifted a piece and held it in front of her lips. “Open and taste.”
So hungry she thought she’d die if she didn’t eat, Lacy obeyed. He slipped the food between her lips. As she pulled the meat loose, she suckled in some of the ju
ices from his fingertips. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the flavors of the rabbit and the man.
“Very good, darlin’,” Quinn said as he sat on her other side.
Her eyes popped open. As she chewed she stared into his blue gaze, seeing the small lines crinkling around the edges of his eyelids.
“Would you like another bite?” He held another piece of meat just out of her reach, a small bit of juice dripping onto her breast.
She nodded.
“Tell me where Devil really hides out.”
“I already did. He’s at the Hole-in-the-Wall.”
“Kitten, I know you lied. If you want to eat, you’re going to have to tell us the truth.”
“I can’t.”
“Too bad,” he said, then ate the meat instead of feeding her.
She slumped slightly, putting pressure on her arms and shoulders. Quickly, she straightened to relieve the pain, only to thrust her breasts forward once more.
“If you tell us where to find Devil, we’ll untie you and let you eat your fill,” Dakota said, holding another piece of meat so she couldn’t reach it. More juices fell onto the breast nearest him.
“I can’t go back there,” she pleaded and watched him suck the meat into his mouth.
They continued this special torture until they’d consumed almost all the rabbit. Each time she refused to give them the location of Devil’s hideout. Each time, they covered more of her breasts with the warm juice from the rabbit, then withheld the food from her.
When the last hunk of meat lay on Quinn’s plate, Dakota scooted in close, his long hair stroking her neck and shoulders as he nibbled on her ear. “Pet, tell us what we need to know. Just a direction. A place to start. We do not want to starve such a beautiful woman as you.”
Heat coursed over her body with each word he whispered to her. She cursed herself for a fool. Her body responded to the words and attention, just as it had once before on that fateful night. The night she’d found out she could be a whore for the right man.
“It’s been months and he might have moved,” she said, praying they wouldn’t push for more.
“But you know his favorite place to hole up, don’t you?”
The Surrender of Lacy Morgan Page 3
