A Little Harmless Ride

by Melissa Schroeder

  Mitch shook his head. “We’ll know more as soon as we start looking around. It’s too late for anything now. But I do want to go over some other things with you.”

  He glanced toward her and she could see Eli was going to protest. The truth was, she needed time alone.

  “I need to take a shower.” She needed to wash the filth of the conversation off her. She excused herself and walked upstairs. For a long time she sat on her bed, thinking. She knew this had something to do with the ranch, but did the Kaheakus actually think she would run away because of this? If they did it, what kind of sickness was in her family that they would do this to punish someone of the same blood?

  She glanced toward her phone and noticed a message was blinking. It was past one there, which meant her father was probably up. She looked at the screen.

  Good morning, sweetie.

  She sighed. All through her problems with Ashton, she had stayed stoic. She hadn’t called her father when she first found out. She had dealt with it on her own then told her father later.

  Now, though, with everything that had happened, she needed him. She needed to hear his voice.

  She clicked on his number.

  “Hey, baby, what are you doing up so late?”

  “Oh, Daddy, it’s so good to hear your voice.”

  * * * *

  Hours later, Eli was alone in the study sipping on three fingers of whisky. He didn’t think anything would ever help him forget the sight of those cows. The person who had done that had been a sadistic fuck. He didn’t think much of Sam or his son, but Eli was pretty sure neither of them could have done that.

  “Do you have a glass for me?” Crysta asked softly from behind him. The room was dark, but when he turned, the light from the hallway gave him a view of her face. She was worried—beyond worried. He didn’t blame her. He was worried.

  “Yeah.” He went to the desk and grabbed a glass and splashed some whisky in it. She accepted it with a nervous smile. Without hesitation, she downed the drink.

  “Damn, I needed that.” She held it out again. “Hit me again, St. John.”

  He did as ordered, once again amazed by her composure. “You didn’t freak out tonight.”

  She sipped this glass. “Yeah. Well, comes with the territory.”

  “How’s that?”

  She settled in the chair in front of the desk. “Dad always said life in the military was better if you hoped for the best, but planned for the worst. This is definitely the worst. Or, I hope to God it is.”

  He nodded. “So, you’re not leaving?”

  For a second she didn’t answer. He had been worried that she would freak the hell out and head back to the mainland. He didn’t blame her. There was a moment there, as he stood staring down at the mutilated cows, that he had been ready to bolt.

  “Of course not.” She took another sip. “It makes me sad that those cows suffered and you have to be a sick person to do that.”

  “They were dead before they were mutilated.”

  He didn’t know that for sure, but for some reason he didn’t want her worrying about it. There was something in him that wanted to shield her from this. He didn’t want her to know about things like this.

  She nodded but she didn’t look like she believed him. Of course, he was assuming they were. The autopsies would tell them later.

  “What I can’t understand is why? I mean, rustling, I kind of understand.” She took another sip of her drink. “This is sick.”

  He sighed. “I know and neither of us is thinking straight. No sleep, worrying…that can’t make for good critical thinking skills. Why don’t you go to bed?”

  She nodded and drank down the rest of her whisky. “I think you’re right. Are you going to bed?”

  “In a bit.”

  She nodded again and left him alone. Again, in the dark, with his thoughts. Now, though, he was thinking about the woman he was desperately trying not to fall in love with…and how he was going to handle being with her almost night and day for the next few months. Now that he knew how she tasted, Eli wasn’t sure he would be able to resist getting another. And that spelled all kinds of problems for him and for her.

  Joe had probably known Eli would be attracted to Crysta. She was just his type, and…Joe just wanted Eli to settle down. He’d been all about hearth and home and he worried that Eli would die alone without family. So, he’d brought Crysta here on a dual purpose. It was true Joe had felt Crysta needed to know her roots, but Eli didn’t doubt he was trying to entice Eli. If Eli hadn’t loved the man so much, he would want to kick Joe’s ass.

  And now he wanted her. He wanted her in his bed, under his Domination, and he just wanted her in his life. And that was dangerous for a man like Eli. He just didn’t know how to handle it.

  “Damn, Joe, you really know how to leave me in a mess.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  A few days later, they weren’t any closer to the truth than they had been the night they arrived on the island. Eli was frustrated in mind and spirit. Dillon had talked about coming over there to head up the investigation, but Eli knew that would be a mistake. It was best to allow the locals to keep control. He’d lived long enough in Hawaii to know that bringing in private people, especially a haole, was a big mistake.

  “So, still nothing,” Crysta said. She had been distant from him since they’d arrived back on the island. He finished washing his hands and turned to face her. She’d made dinner, soup and sandwiches and he hated to admit it, but the thought of sitting down to a meal was something he looked forward to every day.

  “Nope. Dillon’s got a couple more background checks to finish, but he’s found nothing. He couldn’t even find anything on Sean Kaheaku.”

  “Hmm,” she said, as she slipped the grilled cheese sandwiches from the pan to the plates. “Can you get the soup?”

  He nodded and did as she bid, as she grabbed a glass of water for herself. They sat at the kitchen bar. There was a light tapping of rain on the roof and the sun was setting. This was a little too comfy, but he couldn’t pull himself away from it…from her.

  He knew his need to be near her had gotten worse.

  “Have you talked to your father?”

  She shook her head. “I called him that night. It was so late here, and of course it was morning there. He wasn’t happy. I’ve talked to him almost every day since. He likes to pretend there was something to talk about every day, but I know he’s checking on me.”

  “I’m amazed he didn’t try and get you to come back to the mainland.”

  She glanced at him. “First, he knew it wouldn’t happen. He also said he trusted you.”

  She dipped her sandwich in the tomato soup and munched on it while Eli tried to figure out what she meant by that comment. A father trusted his daughter to Eli. Foster kid and SASR dropout. The man must not be a good judge of character.

  “Of course, I told him I didn’t need some man to protect me.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. He should know better. I can handle myself.”

  He sighed. “But you’re still his baby girl. I just can’t believe he trusts me that much.”

  “Oh, he doesn’t trust you that much. He wanted to know if we were sleeping together.”

  Eli choked on his tomato soup. She pounded on his back as he tried to drink water.

  “Are you okay?”

  He nodded. “What did you say?”

  “I asked if you were okay.”

  “No. To your father.”

  “Oh. I told him we slept together once but thought it was best that we didn’t continue.”

  For a second, he wondered how long it would be before Hamm showed up to kill him. Then she started laughing.

  “Oh. My. God. The look on your face. That was fantastic.”

  It took her a few minutes to calm herself.

  “Are you telling me you didn’t tell your father?”

  “Of course not. My father still probably likes to preten
d I’m a virgin.”

  “So you were just fucking with me?”

  She shrugged then started giggling. “If you could see your face.”

  And with the rain falling on the roof, he looked at Crysta and gave up and fell in love. It wasn’t going to do him any good and hell, he didn’t even know if they were compatible as Dom and sub. But, apparently, none of that mattered. He was in love with a woman.

  He couldn’t resist. He leaned forward and brushed his mouth over hers. She stopped laughing.

  “Eli,” she said, but he set his fingers against her mouth.

  “No. I just had to kiss you.” Then he stood. “I’ve got some work to do.”

  He took his bowl and plate to the sink then headed down the hall. He had a lot to think about and he wasn’t too happy about it.

  * * * *

  Crysta was in a mood. She had been all day, but after last night, no one should be able to blame her.

  That little kiss Eli gave her had kept her up all night. She knew he’d slept like a baby. She’d heard him snoring when she’d gotten up to get a glass of warm milk. Butthead.

  “That horse is going to get pissed and kick you if you keep brushing her like that,” Eli said from behind her. She turned and found him standing at the doorway of the barn, leaning against a bale of hay.

  “I’m not in the best of moods.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I heard.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Well, first, Jerry said I should avoid you. He said that he figured you were stressed out and needed a break.”

  “Did he?”

  Eli nodded again. “Then, there was Aiona. He said you scared him—more than he was scared of May.”

  “That’s mean.”

  His lips twitched. “Well, I heard you threatened to shave his head.”

  “He asked me if I was PMSing. He deserved that.” She crossed her arms knowing that she was acting like an idiot, but she couldn’t help it. She had never been a woman who could handle herself without enough sleep. Add in her frustration with Eli and the situation with their ranch, everyone was lucky she wasn’t using them for target practice.

  “Do you want to talk about what’s really bothering you?”

  “No. Nothing is bothering me. I just didn’t sleep well last night. I haven’t…” since they returned. The truth was, she didn’t know if it was fear, or if it was the man. Something told her it was the latter. Eli St John was a man women lost sleep over.

  “We need to talk about Honolulu. We need to talk about us.”

  She couldn’t face it. Crysta rarely hid from problems, but right now, she couldn’t deal with this. She wanted him more than she wanted her next breath and she couldn’t handle him knowing that.

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” she said. “We had one night, it was good, it’s over. We both said it was for the best.”

  He cocked his head to the side and watched her for a moment. “Is that so?”

  She turned around and started brushing the horse again. “Yes.”

  Eli stepped closer. She wished she could see him, but that would be admitting the need she had for him. The cocky Dom knew she wanted him, but it didn’t mean she had to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging her attraction.

  “So, you think you can resist me?” he asked, his voice deepening. She felt his breath against her ear and she shivered.

  “What you don’t seem to understand is that I have control over my own desires. I’m not some little sub who is awed by the popular Dom.”

  “Hmm.” It was all he said as he nibbled on her ear.

  It took all her willpower to step away from him and the temptation he represented. Crysta turned then settled her hands on her hips trying to keep from reaching for him. Every fiber of her being wanted that…but she’d been truthful. She might be a sub, but she wasn’t inexperienced.

  “We have to run this ranch together for months. I don’t think it’s a good idea to get tangled up.”

  He wasn’t happy, that was easy to see. His narrowed glare almost made her laugh. Had no one really ever rejected this man? Probably not. He was a Dom…a good one. The fact that he was a cowboy with a sexy Aussie accent was enough to make most women swoon.

  Crysta was made of stronger stuff. Resisting him, the lure of a submission to him, was the only thing that could save her heart. He might just be in it for fun, but she wouldn’t be. She would fall in love with him, then it would be bad.

  He moved forward and slipped his hand to her waist. Ignoring her protest, he pulled her closer and kissed her. It was a full frontal assault that had her senses reeling. She could smell the leather and sweet Hawaiian air on him as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. She resisted for a second, and then surrendered to the pleasure.

  In the next instant, he was gone. Eli released her and stepped back.

  “If you want another taste, it comes with a price,” he said.

  Both of them knew the charge would be her submission.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Eli heard her footsteps before he saw her. They had been avoiding each other for over twenty-four hours. He had done it for self-preservation. He couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t drop to his knees and beg for her to accept him.

  That wasn’t the thing for a Dom to do.

  He was sitting in the library again, sipping on whisky. The sun was setting in the distance, and it had been a hard day—which had been preceded by an even harder night. After letting Crysta know that he was interested in moving forward, he let her come to him. Many people would look from the outside and wonder if he truly was a Dom.

  He smiled. He knew that much of what the public thought about submission and Domination was fucked up. And, from the moment he found an outlet as a Dom, he stopped caring what other people thought about it. For him, it wasn’t that he had to convince her that he wanted her. She knew that. He also knew Crysta wanted him. That night in Honolulu had taught him that.

  No, now when she came to him, she would be giving him the ultimate surrender.

  And what Dom wouldn’t want that?

  A floorboard creaked behind him and he hid a smile as he took another sip. He had no doubt who was there.

  “Have you eaten dinner, yet?” she asked.

  He glanced over his shoulder and hid his reaction. At least he hoped he did. She’d been to town with Jerry and she was wearing one of those sundresses she loved. This one was yellow, bright like the sun and her personality.

  “I had a bite to eat earlier. Did you and Jerry have a good time?”

  She chuckled. “I’m not sure if I would call it a good time. Jerry might never recover from shopping for my Dad’s birthday. The man acts like he’s never been out shopping with a woman.”

  “I have a feeling he hasn’t been for awhile.”

  She sighed and walked to the chair in front of his desk. “Are you going to stop avoiding me?”

  “I haven’t been. I’ve been giving you time to think.”

  “About?”

  “Don’t play coy, love. You know what I want. You want it to, but I know you needed the time to think about it.”

  “And it’s my choice.”

  “I want you. I think we both know that. And I know that having you submit to me will be the most amazing experience.”

  “We need rules, Eli.”

  He nodded. “I always have rules, love.”

  “No. About the ranch. That’s business. Submission, that relationship stops when we leave the bedroom.”

  He nodded. “Agreed.”

  She stared at him for a long time. He knew she wanted it as much as he did.

  “Okay.”

  His heart squeezed tight as he tried to accept that she had just agreed. “Well, then, I think we need to go upstairs.”

  * * * *

  Each step up the stairs had made her hotter. Crysta had never been one for rushing things. Anticipation always made sex—especially when playing—so much more intense.

>   When they were in Eli’s room, he said nothing, leaving her standing in the middle of the floor.

  “One thing I noticed about our time together was how much you liked to be spanked.”

  He stepped closer and moved her hair, draping it over her shoulder.

  “Doncha?”

  She nodded.

  “So, I guess I need a safe word, and then, you agree to submission for tonight. You do as I command in this room. Do you have any kind of things you won’t do? Anal?”

  “It’s been awhile. So…”

  “Well, not tonight. Besides, I have so many other things I want to do to you.”

  She shivered, her nipples tightened. She wasn’t a novice, but the first night with a new Dom was always like an initiation. And something told her that Eli took her submission very seriously. He wouldn’t have asked for it otherwise.

  “Safe word.”

  “Anchor.”

  For a second he said nothing, then, he said, “Navy brat, through and through. I need you naked. Fold your clothes and place them on the bed.”

  She pulled off her shirt first, then her bra. Her body was already very sensitive, ready for his touch. She unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down her legs. When she picked them up to fold them, she realized her hands were shaking. It made sense. This was the first time in over a year she had submitted.

  He hadn’t said a word since he had given her the order. He was moving around the room and she had a sense he was getting things ready for her, but she knew the game, knew what was expected of her.

  The lights were turned down then he came to her.

  “Hands on the bed, and spread those legs wide.”

  She situated herself as instructed. For a few moments, she wondered if he was going to do anything. Then, she felt the crop on her ass. The sting of the leather against her skin had her gasping, as did the surprising force behind it. Then, he trailed the crop over her flesh.

  “It’s like we were made for each other. I do like to spank, and the fact that you like it…well that makes for fun for us.”

  He tapped her, but it wasn’t enough to hurt. It was just enough to tease her. And frustrate her. She needed a good spanking, needed a bit of pain to enjoy, and knowing that Eli was an experienced Dom, he understood it. And he would use it against her. She gritted her teeth. Her breasts were heavy, swinging, her nipples tightened. Painfully. Cool air washed over her as her skin started to heat up.