And besides. Who shared girlfriends? That had to be a joke. Unfortunately, joke or not, it didn’t stop the images of her sandwiched between them from running through her head. Two men at once? Or one man while the other watched?
Her lips twitched slightly. Maybe that’s why she’d never had an orgasm during sex. She needed two men to get off, not just one. She snorted out loud at that. Trying it once, maybe, but who in their right mind would do it all the time?
“Stop thinking about it,” she grumbled to herself as she turned off the water. “They’re on the job. Your time with them is short. Those two men are hands off. Period.”
Stepping out of the shower, she grabbed a towel and began to dry off. She needed to get to work on that list for Grayson.
Chapter Six
“Okay,” Parker said as he turned the stool around to face Cheyenne. “Let’s go over some house rules.”
Cheyenne raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t Grayson be here for this?”
“Nah. He knows the rules. Hell, he wrote half of them.”
She sat back against the leather sofa and drew her legs up next to her. “Go on.”
For a moment, Parker forgot what he had in mind to say. He’d thought she was pretty all mussed from the trail. Now, showered, hair fixed, and dressed in clean clothes, she looked downright stunning. Especially those eyes. Had he ever seen anyone with eyes so vibrant?
The jeans were a tad big, as was the T-shirt, but the baggy fit did nothing to hide the curvy figure he knew lay beneath. In the soft light of the lamps, her tan appeared almost golden and her hair had a yellowish tint. She reminded him of a sun goddess patiently awaiting the dawn.
Get a grip, jackass.
“You never leave the house without one of us.”
She nodded. “Agreed.”
“No phone. No social media. No e-mail.”
“No phone here or computer for that matter, so easy enough,” she countered.
Parker didn’t miss the slight snark to her tone. Cheyenne didn’t like being this isolated.
“The bedroom door can be shut but never lock it, just in case we need to get in.”
Her lips thinned before she reluctantly nodded. “Just promise to knock first if you ever want to enter.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem unless we hear you scream.”
Her eyes twinkled with a spark of mischief. “Well, if I scream, I give you full permission to break the door down if necessary. In fact, I encourage it.”
“I also want to teach you how to shoot a gun.”
That mischief faded. “No.”
“That wasn’t a request, Cheyenne.”
She shook her head in frustration. “I don’t like guns. Do you know how many gunshot wounds I’ve worked on when on call for the ER?”
“Do you know how many agents I’ve lost to the mob?” he countered. “This is your life we’re talking about. You will learn to shoot a gun and defend yourself. You’ll do it without argument,” he added when she opened her mouth to say something. “And you’ll like it.”
She clamped her mouth closed and stared at him angrily. Wow, she was cute mad. “I don’t like you very much.”
He leaned his elbow on the island behind him. “I’m not here to be your friend, sweetheart. I’m here to protect you.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she conceded. “Boy, Steve would have a field day with this one. He’s been trying to get me to learn to shoot for years.”
“What is the relationship between you two? If you don’t mind my asking.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t mind. We grew up together. He lived in a small house across the road from mine. We met on the school bus when we were eleven. Steve had a tough father and started hanging around the ranch with me. We’ve been pretty much inseparable ever since but never boyfriend and girlfriend. I never thought of him that way, and it’s the same for him. I think of him too much as a brother.”
Her eyes turned sad. Parker fought down the desire to hug her. She was hands-off. He needed to remember that, despite how much he wanted to taste those full, pink lips.
“I think this will be the longest I’ve gone without talking to him.”
“I can check on him,” Parker offered. “Through our boss.”
She smiled and his heart actually skipped a beat. Jeez. He really needed to get laid. Maybe if he did, he could stop envisioning her naked all the damn time.
“Really?” she asked, hopefully.
“Really.”
With a sigh, he sat up on the stool and stretched. He caught her staring at his chest as he arched his back. Her eyes met his and her cheeks turned an adorable shade of red, and then she looked away quickly toward the window. When she realized she could see his reflection in the dark glass, she huffed and reached for a magazine lying on the table.
Parker grinned but didn’t say anything about it. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass her more.
“If you like movies, there’re some in the bookshelves in the loft,” he offered. “There’s also a pool table and a few books. In the basement is a bunch of workout equipment.”
“Thanks,” she replied. “Is it possible my situation is like the movies? That the mob has an insider and they can find out where you’ve taken me?”
Parker stood and walked over to the couch. He sat down in the opposite corner and stretched his arm along the back. “I wouldn’t rule anything out, but we’ve never had that problem in the past.”
“You should never say never.”
“See why learning how to shoot a gun is so important now?” he asked pointedly.
She scrunched her nose at him, making him laugh.
Headlights shone through the kitchen window and cast their reflection along the opposite wall. Cheyenne tensed immediately, and fear darkened the blue of her eyes.
“It’s fine. It’s Grayson,” Parker said. “Trust me. The mob isn’t going to drive down the driveway.”
She frowned. “They tortured a man barely off a public trail. They were brazen enough to do that.”
Parker stood and walked toward the front door. As he did, he threw over his shoulder, “They did it there because most people would think they were poachers and would leave them be. Plus, they were right next to a cliff; they could throw the body over.”
He opened the door just in time for Grayson to step through with an armload of bags. “There’s more in the car.”
Cheyenne stood to come and help, but Parker held up his hand. “You stay here. I got it.”
She nodded. “I’ll help Grayson unpack.”
“SOUNDS FAIR,” GRAYSON said as he smiled at Cheyenne.
He’d spent the entire time at the grocery fantasizing about this pretty blonde. Why the hell couldn’t he stop doing that? This proximity was going to be hell. He’d have to masturbate in the shower later to ease some of the ache that had started in his balls. Unfortunately, he doubted that would take care of the problem.
Her comment about not having an orgasm with men had been bad enough, but when she’d hinted at getting off by her own hands, that really got his thoughts going into overdrive. He envisioned her laid out on the island, open to his hands, his mouth, his dick as she brought herself to orgasm over and over.
Then he’d demonstrate how a man would do it. He wanted to show her she could definitely achieve release with a man. Especially with Parker and him. He shook his head to clear his erotic thoughts.
Don’t go there. Don’t go there.
He glanced over his shoulder at her as she retrieved two boxes of pasta out of the bag and set them on the island. She reached inside and pulled out the can of whip cream he’d picked up at her request for the hot chocolate she liked to drink at night. Her fingers wrapped around the can, and his mind went instantly to imagining what it would feel like to have those fingers wrapped around his cock. He shut his eyes tightly and turned away.
Damn it. I went there.
“Did you say something?” she asked.
Shit. Did I say that out loud?
“I asked if you’ve seen the box of wheat crackers. Parker likes them with peanut butter.”
“Ooh, so do I,” she said as she began to dig through the other bags on the island. “They’re good with cream cheese too.”
He winced. “That’s just wrong.”
“What’s wrong with cream cheese?” she asked, her voice laced with amusement.
“Guys don’t eat cream cheese,” he grumbled.
“Speak for yourself,” Parker said with a chuckle as he dropped another handful of bags on the counter. “If you haven’t figured it out yet, Grayson is the picky one.”
Cheyenne set a small tub of butter on the counter. “No. Really?”
She and Parker laughed softly. Grayson narrowed his eyes, although he wasn’t really angry. He liked this easy teasing among the three of them.
“So, what’s for dinner?” Cheyenne asked. “I’m starving.”
“I don’t know,” Grayson replied. “What are you cooking?”
She looked up at him with a confused frown. “Am I cooking? I don’t mind. I like to cook. I just—”
Grayson raised an eyebrow, and her frown morphed into a knowing scowl. “You’re such an ass,” she murmured, making Grayson chuckle. “Apparently we need a kitchen schedule. Now it’s time for me to make the rules. If I cook”—she raised her hand and pointed at the two of them—“you clean and vice versa.”
“Fair enough,” Parker replied.
Grayson gathered all the plastic bags and put them in a box under the sink. “Or we could all work together on all of it.”
Cheyenne handed Parker the stuff that went in the fridge. “We’ll try that and see how crowded the kitchen gets. Usually, if there’s more than two, it gets a little cramped, and when it gets like that, I get bitchy.”
“No. Really?” Grayson teased.
She wadded up a plastic bag she found on the floor and threw it at him. He ducked and laughed. When he looked up, she smiled at him and sent his libido into immediate attention mode.
Damn.
Chapter Seven
Cheyenne stood at the bedroom window and stared out over the town below. A full moon hung high in the sky, casting the surrounding mountains in a soft, white glow. Wow, it was pretty out there.
Her first thought was to take a picture, but then she realized she didn’t have a camera with her. Her shoulders slumped as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her sigh sounded loud in the quiet room.
She wondered how Steve was doing. Was he safe? Still pissed?
As she stared out over the landscape, she also wondered what her two FBI protectors were up to. They’d been so much fun during dinner, laughing and teasing both her and each other. Their close relationship was obvious. It showed in the way they talked, the way they moved around and interacted. They seemed to know what the other was going to do, even before he did it.
After dinner, while they were cleaning up, she found herself sneaking glances at their asses, their muscular backs, their wide shoulders. Ever since they’d mentioned sharing girls, she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it. Maybe she’d been without sex too long, or maybe she liked the idea and didn’t want to admit it. She wasn’t sure.
She’d wanted to ask more questions, but didn’t want to appear as though she might be interested. The idea of taking two men at once was both arousing and scary. At the moment, though, more scary.
It was the unknown, and Cheyenne didn’t handle unknown things well. It sometimes took a lot of time for her to build up courage to try something new. Even surgeons could get in ruts. She researched new procedures and equipment thoroughly before even considering them. A couple of her colleagues had accused her of being too young to be so stuck in her ways. She needed to be more adventurous, do something new and exciting to get her name out there.
She wasn’t really concerned about being published or winning awards. She’d become a doctor to save lives, and that was her focus. Until today. For the last few hours, all she could seem to focus on were the two men who would be with her every waking moment for God knew how long.
If it was like this today, what would it be like a week from now? Would she be so aroused she would throw herself at them? Tie them to the bed and take turns licking their bodies? Or ride one while she sucked off the other?
Her breasts thickened with that thought, and she tightened her arms, putting more pressure against her throbbing nipples. Masturbating would be a very good idea at the moment. Could she be quiet? Would they hear her and investigate? If they walked in and saw her would they…
She pressed her palm to her forehead. “Oh, God. Stop it!”
A knock sounded at her door, and she squealed. She turned just in time to see Parker stick his head in the door. “You okay?” he asked. “I thought I heard you talking.”
Cheyenne swallowed down the desire to tell him no, that she was horny as hell and needed sex. “I’m fine. Just couldn’t sleep, and I tend to talk to myself. I’m not used to people being in the house with me.”
Okay, that wasn’t really a lie. Just an evasion.
He grinned. “Understood. Grayson and I are in the loft. If you need us, just yell out. We’re both light sleepers, so we’ll hear you.”
She nodded but then frowned. “Who’s guarding the cabin?”
“It has a very good alarm system. No one can get within twenty feet of the place without us knowing it. You’re safe.”
She smiled slightly in relief and adjusted her too-large robe. “Good to know.”
He started to back out but appeared to think better of it. He opened the door once more and said, “I noticed the clothes are a little big for you. If you want, write down your sizes, and Grayson can make another run to town for more.”
“No,” she said. “I don’t want to be that much trouble.”
“It’s no trouble. Consider it a safety precaution. After all, how well can you run in clothes that keep falling off you?”
Cheyenne giggled.
“Although now that I think about it…” he began, with a deliciously evil glint in his eyes.
Her giggle turned into a laugh. “What was that you were saying earlier about sexual harassment?”
He twisted his lips into a painful expression that almost made her laugh again. “Hmm. I don’t believe I recall.”
“Liar,” she accused and waved her hand in dismissal. “Out.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, grinning. “Good night, Cheyenne.”
“Good night.”
PARKER SHUT THE door and smiled to himself all the way up the stairs to the loft. Inside the smaller bedroom petitioned off toward the back of the loft, Grayson had propped himself against the headboard, an open book on his lap. As Parker entered the room, Grayson lowered his glasses and stared at him over the rims.
“Is she asleep?” Grayson asked.
Parker snorted as he stepped into the adjoining bathroom. “No. She was standing at the window, staring outside.”
“Is she okay?”
Parker walked back into the room and began unbuttoning his shirt. “Seems to be. It’s a good thing she didn’t realize that the light from the full moon shining behind her made that robe she wore practically paper thin.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Nice figure.”
Grayson snickered. “Ass.”
Parker smiled as he shrugged out of his shirt and threw it into the bathroom. “Like you haven’t noticed, Mr. High-and-Mighty.”
“Touché,” Grayson drawled. “Have you given any more thought to what I talked to you about a few weeks ago?”
Parker leaned against the door. “You mean retiring as an agent?”
Grayson nodded.
With a sigh, Parker moved to sit on the bed next to Grayson. He understood why Grayson wanted out. He felt it too. The feelings of helplessness and frustration when they hit a dead end or when criminals walked. Their lives always in danger, always needing to look over their shoulders. “Yea
h, I have.”
“And?” Grayson asked.
“I agree. Once this case is over, let’s find somewhere and settle down.”
Grayson looked relieved. “Good.”
“What would you have done if I had said no?” Parker asked.
“I’m not sure,” Grayson said thoughtfully. “Probably retire anyway and leave your sorry ass behind.”
Parker grinned. “You can always change your name and go into hiding with Cheyenne. I could come home on vacations and holidays, show her what a real man has to offer.”
Grayson frowned, and the noise that came out of his throat sounded amazingly like a snort. “In your dreams. Besides, she’s off-limits, remember?”
“Maybe she is, but that doesn’t mean I can’t use my imagination.” Parker climbed off the bed and headed to the shower. “Which I plan to do right now.”
Grayson chuckled softly. “Pervert.”
* * * *
Cheyenne stood outside in the cool shade, Parker beside her. This morning was her first shooting lesson. Cheyenne was less than enthusiastic, but she understood the reasoning behind it. She had to be able to defend herself, especially if—God forbid—Parker and Grayson were wounded.
The cabin was to her back. In front of her was a thick grove of trees and a steep embankment. Parker said that was the perfect backdrop. If she missed the target, the bullet would go into the dirt of the hill. No chance of hitting anyone who happened to be walking trails close by. Cheyenne wondered if the sound would draw attention, but Parker surprised her by screwing in a silencer.
“Boy, you come prepared for every contingency, don’t you?” Cheyenne said with amusement.
“Yep,” Parker said as he handed her the gun.
It felt heavy in her hand, the metal cold. She stared at it with growing trepidation, and her lips curled. The thought of shooting a gun scared the hell out of her. Even if her life depended on it, she wasn’t sure she could actually shoot somebody. “Do I really have to do this?”
Crime & Punishment 3: Theirs to Share Page 4
