Crime & Punishment 3: Theirs to Share (4 page)

“We would have to separate? And what about our careers? I’m a heart surgeon, for crying out loud. I’m not about to go work flipping burgers after spending over two hundred thousand dollars on my education.”

Grayson lifted his hands in surrender and tried to get her to calm down. “The agency will help with that. I swear. You will still be a cardiologist. Same with Steve. You’re both professionals, so the FBI will keep you in your fields, even if they have to send you out of the country.”

“This sucks,” she grumbled. “What about my dad?”

Grayson looked away, and Cheyenne almost crumbled to the floor. “No,” she said. “Couldn’t they go after him to get to me? Couldn’t he be included?”

Her father no longer had the ranch. He’d sold it not long after her mother died. He had taken out too many loans against it in an effort to save her mom when she got sick. In the end, he hadn’t been able to pay the debt. A combination of impatient banks, bad weather, and a shitload of bad luck.

“Where is he, and we’ll have the FBI put a detail on him?” Parker asked.

“He’s Archer Willis. Key West, Florida.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Parker said as he pushed off the couch.

“Thank you,” Cheyenne called.

Parker waved his hand in response. She turned back to Grayson, who stood at the large kitchen island.

“Do you want some coffee?” he asked.

“Do you have tea? Coffee makes my hands shake, and considering my line of work, that’s not a good thing.”

Grayson smiled and gave a nod. “Understood.”

While she walked over, he rummaged through one of the cabinets. “Looks like all we have is Earl Grey. That okay?”

“That’s fine. I like that one. I tried it after watching
Star Trek
.”

He glanced at her over his shoulder with an amused expression.

“What? Girls can’t like sci-fi stuff?”

He pulled the tea down from the cabinet and set it on the granite counter. “I didn’t say a word.”

“No. Your look said it for you.”

He filled a cup with water and a tea bag before setting it in the microwave. He hit two minutes, then leaned the small of his back against the counter. As he reached down to grab hold of the edge of the counter, his shirt opened a bit more, showing off a small section of smooth chest that had Cheyenne’s heart skipping.

“So a big
Star Trek
fan, huh? What about
Star Wars
?”

“I’m a fan of the original three. I don’t care too much for the others.”

He gave a nod. “
Battlestar Galactica
?”

“Of course,” she said with a grin.

Parker walked into the room and took the stool next to her at the island.

“She’s the woman of your dreams, Parker,” Grayson said.

Parker looked at her with a sexy grin that had her entire body tingling. “Really? How so?”

“She’ll sit through all those damn sci-fi shows you like.”

Cheyenne gave a snort, then giggled. “So that’s what all the grilling was about? You trying to set me up with your cousin?”

Grayson shrugged one shoulder as the microwave dinged. “Cream or sugar?” he asked as he pulled out the cup.

“Honey,” she said. “If you have any.”

Grayson’s full lips twitched a bit before he replied. “Damn, woman. And I thought Parker was picky.”

Cheyenne tried to hide her smile. Grayson apparently liked to tease. “I’m not picky. I just know what I like.”

Their eyes met over the cup as he handed it to her, and she got the distinct impression he was sizing her up…trying to read her. It was as though he looked for something specific.

“So,” she said as she set the cup down and wrapped her hands around the warm ceramic. “I guess since we’re going to be together for a while, we should get to know one another. You know a lot about me. All I really know is that the two of you are cousins. Are either of you married? Girlfriends? Kids?”

“No to all three,” Parker replied.

“Is it because of the job?” she asked, then cringed. “Sorry. That was probably too personal.”

“No, it’s not,” Grayson replied. “And yes. It’s partly the job, partly the hours. Mostly, it’s just us. We’re set in our ways and want specific things most women aren’t okay with.”

She froze with her cup halfway to her lips. “Like what?”

Parker stood and walked over to the coffeepot. As he did, he mumbled, “Grayson.”

Cheyenne took a sip of tea, then set it down. “Okay, now you have me intrigued.”

“Since you started it, you finish it,” Parker said as he poured a cup of coffee and returned to the stool.

“Parker and I are very close. If you want one of us, you get both.”

Her mouth fell open in shock. Both of them? “As in living in the same house together?”

“Yes, but there’s a little more to it,” Grayson answered, his lips twitching.

“Such as?” she asked.

“If you date one, you date both of us.”

Cheyenne frowned. “Like a ménage?”

Grayson nodded.

“I didn’t think people really did that. I thought it was only for erotic romance novels. No wonder you can’t get anybody.”

Parker almost choked on his coffee. Cheyenne quickly handed him a napkin from the pile in the center of the island. “Sorry,” she said. “But two guys? All the time?”

Parker wiped his mouth. “I’ll admit it’s a lot to ask, but…” He shrugged. “We’re good at it.”

Chapter Five

Grayson watched Cheyenne’s eyes widen and her cheeks redden right before she burst out laughing. He fought a grin at her obvious amusement. Her hair still had twigs buried in it. Her face was covered in smudges from the night before, but to him, she looked absolutely adorable.

“Okay, you guys are pulling my leg, right?” she said.

“No,” they both replied in unison.

She eyed each of them skeptically, then snickered as she stood and rounded the island toward the sink. “Yeah, well. Don’t look at me. It’s bad enough having to fake it with one.”

Grayson was stunned. Fake it? “Wait. What?” He stepped aside and allowed her to set her cup in the sink. “You mean to tell me you don’t…”

She looked up at him with an adorably amused expression. “I’m a doctor, Grayson. You can say the word. Orgasm. And no, I don’t.”

She said it as a matter of fact. No embarrassment. No discomfort. No apology.

Grayson leaned one hand on the counter, the other on his hip as he studied her down his nose. “You are most definitely very blunt.”

“I learned in med school I had to speak up. If I hesitated, I got lost in the crowd. I don’t mince my words. I say it like it is. For me, sex sucks.”

Grayson stared in shock toward Parker, who looked just as stunned. “I suddenly feel a need to apologize for the entire male race,” Parker drawled.

Cheyenne laughed, and the sound was so sweet to Grayson’s ears, it actually caught him off guard. There was something about her that fit with him and Parker really well. The three of them seemed easy together. Or at least so far.

She smiled. “No need. I’ve learned to live with it and have become very good at satisfying myself. With hands like mine, what do I need a man for?”

Grayson and Parker both chuckled.

“Now, if one of you will please tell which room is mine, I can finally get a shower and get out of these filthy clothes. I feel like I’ve been in them for days.”

Grayson inclined his head toward the set of double doors off the living room. “We gave you the master. The clothes they left for you are on the bed. There’s lots of shampoo, soap, and toothpaste in the bathroom. Whatever you need that’s not there, we’ll do a list, and I’ll make a run to the store.”

“I know one thing we’ll need,” she said as she headed off toward the bedroom. “Ice cream. I’m going to be doing a lot of worrying, and I can’t worry without ice cream.”

The bedroom door shut as Grayson turned to Parker with a huge smile. “She’s too damn cute.”

“Yes, she is,” Parker said in a serious tone. “Forget it, Grayson. She’s under our protection. We’re on the job. It’s a sexual harassment case waiting to happen.”

Grayson scowled as he poured himself another cup of coffee. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I know that look in your eyes. The thought of sharing her has already crossed your mind.”

“Like it hasn’t yours,” Grayson grumbled.

“It crossed and kept right on walking. We cannot seduce a woman while we’re protecting her.”

Grayson remained silent as he walked to the window and stared out over the narrow valley below. Dusk turned the sky to a bright orange and put the mountains in shadow. The lights of Gatlinburg twinkled through the black of the surrounding hills.

Right now he’d love nothing more than to visit a couple of the bars along the strip, but he wasn’t sure alcohol would improve his mood. He was attracted to Cheyenne. More so than any other woman lately, but Parker was right. They were on the job. It was hands off. Period.

Not to mention the fact that once this was all over, she’d be assigned a new identity. They would have to cut ties with her. Anything they did could never go beyond this cabin anyway, so what would be the point of starting?

But damn. His balls tightened every time she came within two feet of him. This was going to be a long assignment.

“Grayson,” Parker said in warning.

“What?” Grayson snapped. “I agree with you.”

“So we’re on the same page? No touching?”

Grayson gave a nod but kept his gaze on the small tourist town below. “No touching.”

* * * *

Cheyenne stood under the showerhead and let the warm water soothe her aching muscles. She wished it would soothe the ache in her chest. She prayed the Feds would get to her father before the mob did.

Had the hit men gotten a good look at her?

It didn’t matter if they had or not. All her stuff was still at the campsite. Her purse, her credit cards, her driver’s license with her home address, and her house keys.

God, what had she done?

She’d done what she was trained to do. She thought someone was in trouble and she ran without thinking, hoping to save a life. Who would’ve thought it would be the mob? Who could’ve imagined they would be torturing someone? Certainly not her.

And because of it, she’d ruined not only her life but the life of her best friend.

Even if the FBI gave her a new identity, it took weeks and sometimes months to get the right surgical team together—to get to know each other, to understand her subtle hints and movements. She very seldom had to ask for anything. Her staff knew what she needed. They knew what kind of music she liked to play in the operating room, and they also knew that when complications arose, she wanted it off so she could think.

Often, that’s when she would talk to herself. Her staff knew it and remained quiet while she worked out her next course of action. Those instances were few and far between. But with a new staff, it would take precious seconds to explain—precious seconds she might not have.

Her mind turned to the young man she was supposed to operate on this week. He was only seventeen and so scared. She’d promised to sit with him and hold his hand while they put him under. Once she was done with her shower, she needed to write a note to the doctor who would cover her load, to explain about the boy and beg him to please make him feel safe.

Her backup wasn’t near as good with his bedside manner. He could often come across as gruff and distant, but Cheyenne knew he was just shy and quiet. A true introvert. He struggled with small talk, but he had a kind heart. She hoped he would take care of the boy. She had to believe he would.

She thought about Steve and how good he was with kids. If he referred one of his patients to her, he was always there in the operating room when they put the child under. He would talk to the child, make him or her feel at ease. Sometimes, the drugs they gave to relax patients weren’t enough. That’s when his ease with children would really kick in.

Would he hate her for this forever? Would he ever forgive her?

A tear slipped down her cheek. The salty taste lingered on her lips as it flowed over her mouth, then dropped from her jaw to mingle with the rest of the water.

“I’m so sorry, Steve,” she whispered.

With a hiccup, she brushed the water from her forehead and tipped her head back, letting the water rinse the last of the conditioner from her hair. She’d been in here long enough. She’d allowed herself a moment to wallow, and now it was time to pull herself up by her bootstraps.

She’d made it through med school and surgical residency. She could make it through this.

Her only true moment of pause was her growing attraction to the gorgeous FBI agents keeping watch over her. It would be incredibly stupid to even consider starting something with either of them. Once this was over, she’d never see them again. If the mob was still after her, which it most likely would be, any contact with Grayson and Parker would be too dangerous—for all of them.

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?