“Sorry. I had to ask. Wouldn't feel right if it wasn't as good for you as it was for me. No, it was fucking amazing.” I let the words bounce off my tongue. Truth and memory hopped along with them.
“You said it. I like country girls, but a lot of them aren't adventurous. Not like you. Makes dating difficult. And fucking? Out of the question.”
“Until now?” I purred. I rolled toward him and clasped his big hand softly in mine.
“Yeah. Makes me wanna stay here and chase Anderson forever.”
“And what if you get bored?” I rubbed his knuckles, the same ones that rubbed so beautifully against me. “How do I know this isn't just a one off test drive? Or blowing out a little steam in the best possible way?”
“You kidding?” His eyebrows quirked up again. “Jesus, you really don't get it. I'm in this for the long haul, Misty. Oh, there'll be plenty of experiments, if that's what you're worried about. But we'll go slow, and abandon anything you don't like.”
“That's what I wanted to hear.” My heart swelled with happiness. “Sorry. I just...I hardly have any experience with this kind of thing.”
“And that's what makes it so good for both of us. You liked it all, didn't you? The rough riding, my hands on your ass, the way I pulled your hair...you were born to take this beautiful body exploring.” Declan trailed off, licking his lips, savoring the sweet memories just like me.
I nodded. There was that damned blush again, the same one that always came when I laid myself bare.
“Just don't do anything that'll leave a permanent mark,” I said shyly.
“Oh, a lot of things are gonna stick, little lady. Right. Here.” He stuck out his finger and brought it toward me.
I laughed, thinking he was going for my head, pointing at my overexcited brain. But he went lower, and settled his palm on my chest instead.
So, dominating my body wasn't enough. He wanted my heart too? A girl could live with that.
But not before we wasted the rest of our perfect night with soft caresses and sleep. The beautiful gesture turned into a spontaneous tweak along my nipple.
I sat up, the better to kiss him deep. Wetness dotted my flesh, and then the heat came, the sweltering red bliss I was starting to adore.
Almost as much as I loved him.
VI: Darker Discoveries (Declan)
I couldn't focus on ranch work, driving into town on deliveries, or my investigation. Hell, I could barely focus on lacing my boots straight in the mornings.
Falling in lust takes a lot out of a man. But falling deeper, into something I didn't want to even admit?
Yeah. Love is exhausting.
It's like the worst jungle heat, an energy sucking front permanently hovering over your body. And if it was the price of those long, long nights in her bed, worshiping her skin with mine, then I was ready to pay it a hundred times over.
She explored herself with me, the same way I explored my body. Testing her limits again was all that kept me awake during the day, especially with all the sleep we'd sacrificed for sex.
“Damn, Declan. Didn't you hear me the first time?” Jimmy called to me, annoyed as I peered across the horizon.
“Yeah. Hold your horses, buddy. I mean, literally.”
We were about to hitch up a long trailer from another rancher across town. His barn was undergoing renovations, and he wanted to keep his animals at Misty's place until everything was finished.
We met him halfway, not far from the town's edge, where the badlands faded into little businesses and quiet cafes.
Here, the land yawned wide without obstructions, flat and desolate. Perfect place to catch anyone wandering around where they shouldn't – especially near the hills, where I got a better angle than I usually did near the ranch.
“Oh, you up to that investigatin' again?” I practically saw him relax his arms behind me, excited as a little kid. “Say no more. Take all the time you need.”
“Thanks, Jimmy.”
Actually, I really appreciated his crude impatience. It jarred me out of thinking about Misty's supple curves, the warmth of her mouth, the way her nipples poked out like perfect rosy splashes in cream...
Damn it! There you go again.
Come on, man. Focus.
I raised the binoculars, carefully looking toward the horizon. I didn't want to make the stake out too obvious for any passing vehicles.
In a little rural town of this size, it didn't take long for gossip to spread. Ill rumors and scandalous happenings were always more exciting than another round of darts at the bar or rehashing the latest football game.
The late summer sun rippled above us, surprisingly hot for the season. Miles away, the dusty earth laid like a thick blanket, dead and undisturbed.
No dust. No bad guys. Nothing.
“Guess what? It's been a week.” Misty waited for me to look up from my breakfast.
Her smile sent energy to my stomach, warm blood that caressed me from the inside out. We already had sex that morning too.
Surely, I couldn't be getting hard so soon...doesn't a man ever get a rest?
“Hm? What are you talking about?”
“Seven days without any big problems here! For once, I can pay my taxes when they come back without whining to the accountant about an extension. You know what that means?”
I shook my head. I had no idea, but all that mattered to me was her happy expression, pretty white teeth shining behind her ruby lips.
Jesus, her lips always look luscious. Sweet. Even when they aren't wrapped around me one way or another.
“This place is off to a new start. This is everything I've dreamed about since Daddy died. My guys seem happier too. I think they know they're not walking a tight rope to get paid for once. You know, I really couldn't have done it without you...”
She reached for my hand. I clasped her delicate fingers in the center of the table, downing the last of my morning coffee.
“Don't sell yourself short. You, little lady, are the one who's really in charge of this place. You took it by the reigns and turned it around. Not me.”
Her lips quivered. I really meant what I said.
I wanted her to bask in the confidence she deserved for managing the place. I just provided muscle power and a little nuisance as I ate her food and slept in her bed, in between pursuing a monster.
“You know me. I was raised to be modest. But, maybe you're right.” She moved, opening my palm, brushing her small fingers along the curve of my palm.
“Let's call it an even split. I made the right decisions, sure, but you've given me the luck and the energy to make sure they're executed well. A student needs a good teacher.”
“Fair enough.”
I smiled firmly and picked up my dishes. After they clanked in the sink, I turned around. Her bright eyes remained on me.
“Where are you heading today?” She asked, concern lining her face.
“Gonna stake out the usual places. One of these days, I'm hoping to find their spiderholes.” She repeated the word softly, sweet in her ignorance.
“Uh, the dig sites they leave covered up and camouflaged in remote areas. They usually hide their guns, cash, and whatever else in there.”
“Oh.” Her smile faded, and the light waned in her eyes.
“I'll be back for supper. Wouldn't dream of missing it.”
A quick flash of my grin comforted her, but I walked away with a dull feeling deep in my stomach. Anderson and his murderous crew were out there somewhere.
Why? I asked myself. Why is this turning into such a wild goose chase? Should've been over a long time ago.
I started the old truck she'd loaned me for deliveries and spying. Hadn't driven my LTD more than twice since we were both laid up at the ranch.
As I went toward the badlands, my stomach churned, heavy with lead anxiety.
I wanted Misty to be safe, secure, and happy. When we were together, in the bedroom or walking along the country paths, we had that.
But i
t faded whenever Anderson came into view. No, not just Anderson, but my mission.
We slept, ate, and made love together. But actually, I spent half my time a world apart, plumbing intrigue in a realm frighteningly distinct from an innocent prairie woman's life.
True, that evil bastard brought us together, but he's not the one who should be keeping us like this. If this is gonna work for the long haul, then we need to stand alone, without an invisible demon breathing down our necks.
I threw on my brush colored jacket and left the truck on the shoulder of the road. I wandered to my usual spot, behind a big boulder, handgun in my pocket and binoculars drawn.
Hours passed. Frustrating as usual, the same as they'd been since I saw Anderson's trade going down.
The bastard had thrown me again, intentionally or not. Before our run in, I tailed him for almost three weeks.
Pretty successfully too. I knew he averaged three or four disgusting slave trades a week, plus several extra stops for buying weapons or trading cash on the black market.
Now, it was like the guy had dropped off the face of the earth. Either he'd wizened up and wasn't doing the deals anywhere near here, or else something made him tweak his pattern.
Water poured into my mouth at regular intervals, cold and refreshing. In the early afternoon, I took a break to chow some jerky and an energy bar, cursing the way my time had been wasted with nothing to show for it.
The evening drive to Misty's place was more defeating than ever.
Inside me, impulses collided, sending vibrant shock waves through my system. I wanted to screech over, run into the desolate places, and start kicking sand until I found something. Anything.
I needed a lead, and I needed it bad.
Most of all, I needed Misty, but with a fresh new start behind us. She'd gotten one with her ranch, which was awesome.
We needed one in our relationship, and it couldn't happen until I'd done my job.
I was driving so quickly I almost plowed straight into the tall, rusted truck parked unevenly in her driveway. I cursed and went around him, pulling into the nearest free spot I could find.
What the hell is this?
The side read Milt's Sanitation. It was one of those boring, outdated logos with nothing but a stylized name in white and baby blue, ghostly as its business climate, walled off from decades of modern marketing.
Probably the only guy in town. No need to market when competitors weren't an issue.
Jimmy, Tom, and Clarence had skipped out early. I wandered toward the barn and the sheds around it, looking for Misty or Mister Repairman.
Loneliness can really sneak up on a person at an isolated prairie ranch. And when it seems like you're the only one around, it hits ten times harder.
Just as I was dragging, something caught my eye. A flash.
I started running, straight to the garage where I parked my old LTD. A glass expert came and repaired the busted window. Since then, I only stuck my head in to retrieve gear from my trunk.
Nobody had bothered anything, until today. A man in a neat white uniform with the same dull Milt's logo on his arm patch turned around.
Just in time for me to leap and crush him to the wall. He was middle aged, wiry, and scared as all hell.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I snarled.
He yelled. His camera clattered to the floor, a hand held thing without bells and whistles.
The man broke down and began to cry. Normally, I would've backed off. But I wasn't letting anything go in a situation so strange.
Not when he'd come here, up to no good, his beady little eyes doing the devil's work. A devil named Anderson Dugan.
I looked him up and down, recognizing his core weakness. If beating down a man one third my size meant keeping Misty safe, my fists were ready to rocket.
“P-please! They made me do it. You can't hurt me, I never really meant any harm. They're going to take me out in the badlands.”
“Shut up!” I shook him against the wall, relaxing my grip a little. “Who the hell are you talking about, buddy? Anderson Dugan and his boys?”
“I don't know! Those men...the one with the bald head. And that fat ape who said he'd put a bullet between my eyes...” He trailed off in another whimper.
Well, that describes Anderson's men, even if it doesn't include their boss. What's going on here?
“Calm down and tell me straight what you were doing. Or am I gonna have to crush this camera into little glassy bits?” I bared my teeth, raising my heel over the fallen unit, without bringing it down just yet.
“Okay. Okay!” He took a deep breath. “I'm here to take a look at Miss Sheen's plumbing. Said she wanted an estimate on installing a new system, and I agreed. Didn't take long after the appointment was set up. I get this call from a guy inviting me out to the edge of town...”
The man winced at the memory. I loosened my grip a little more. No, he wasn't dangerous. I doubted he was lying either.
“Go on.”
“Well, soon as I pulled up, this nasty little bald man hopped in my truck and shoved a gun to my head. He made me drive. He gave me the camera. Told me I needed to get everything I could here and bring it right back to them. Or else...”
He blubbered. His lips twisted pathetically, showing me the countless vicious possibilities Anderson and his goons were capable of.
“I got it.” Slowly, I reached for the camera, turning it over in my hands.
It was a basic digital model. I hadn't used one before, but the controls were pretty intuitive. I switched it on and started going through the pictures.
The ruddy barn...three shots of my brown car, encased in long shadows...Misty's farmhouse...a shot of Misty from the back, walking into the sheep pen, her long beautiful hair flowing behind her.
“I'm deleting this one.”
The man looked at me nervously, but didn't argue. He hadn't gotten more than a dozen shots before I got to him, and only one that showed any people.
“Here.” I handed it back to him.
He looked up, eyes wide.
What the hell are you doing? He didn't need to ask the question for me to understand exactly what he meant.
“Doing what it takes to save our asses. Both of us. You take this back to Anderson's boys and give it to them.” I reached for his bony shoulder. “Don't do it in the badlands. Insist on a public place.”
He nodded. Still shaking, the short man turned to go, but he paused at the open door.
“There's something else,” he said with a sigh. “Check underneath your car. It's the only thing they made me do besides this. Right hand to God!”
He lifted his palm. The palsy in his fingers was so bad he could barely keep it straight.
I relaxed, and nodded. I wasn't going to thank him, even if he was a victim like everybody else Anderson conscripted into vile service.
“Get out of here. If you didn't do the estimate, you can come back another time.”
“Sure!” With that, he left me, walking rapidly to the tall sanitation truck and high tailing it off the property.
Alone, I crouched on my knees and circled my car. I swept my hands up underneath the first side.
Nothing but tiny flecks of rust, dirt caked on metal, collected from several states. It broke away in my fingers. Only one more place to check...
I felt it near my back tire. The small plastic box snapped away in my hands, far too modern to be permanently fixed to any vehicle built in the eighties.
“Son of a bitch.”
I held the GPS tracking box up to the light. It was one of those little hand held things a person could pick up at almost any electronics' store.
Isn't technology grand?
“Oh, you're back early! What's that you're holding?” Misty chirped happily and slid her hands on my shoulders.
She noticed the tension immediately. I turned, restraining the fight-or-flight instinct raging in my system.
“It's a GPS tracking device. Found it on my car, all
thanks to your sanitation inspector.” I held my lips tight.
“Huh?” She snatched it out of my hand, studying the tiny unit, her lips curled in shock.
“He didn't have much say in it. Anderson's boys left him no choice. I let him off with a warning.”
She didn't resist as I lifted it back into my hands. When she looked at me again, it hurt. Fear had replaced the happiness that normally shone when she saw me.
“What are you gonna do?” She whispered, voice like steam.
“Leave it here, where it won't do them much good.” I crouched low, putting the tracker right where I'd found it. “Bastards don't realize they got the wrong vehicle, as long as you keep letting me use the truck. And I don't mind them thinking that way.”
“But...they know about this place?” She swooned, her face still frozen in terror.
I reached out to catch her. I held her close as she breathed hard against my chest, shaking lightly in my arms.
“I'll never let them come here. If I have any say, this is gonna end soon. I'll haul this bastard in and we can spend the rest of our live together after he's finished.” I nestled my chin into her hair, inhaling the sweet flowery scent she put in every morning.
Damn. Now comes the hard part, the part nobody wants...
“But I'm gonna cut the bullshit right now. I can't guarantee your safety, Misty.” She looked up. “I'm not gonna lie to you and claim I can. I thought it would be fine before...but I've underestimated this man too many times. Unfortunately, I'm not magic.”
“Then?”
“You shouldn't be here. It's like I told you before. Shut down, give everything here a rest, stay with relatives until this all blows over.” I waited. Hurt and anger stripped her eyes. “Yeah. I know. You're not gonna do that.”
“You're right,” she said, firmness returning to her voice.
She pulled away from me, keeping one hand on mine. We laced fingers in silence for a moment, staring at the rear corner where I'd re-attached the tracker.
“I won't abandon this place, no matter how crazy it seems or how dangerous it gets. I won't leave you.”
She turned to me and pivoted on her heels. I tugged her close and we kissed.
The Alpha's Touch Boxed Set (14 Book Bundle) Page 82
