Crime & Punishment 3: Theirs to Share (6 page)

“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?”

“Yes,” he said firmly. “Now hold your arm out.”

She started to lift her arm, and Parker grabbed her wrist, pointing it toward the hill. “Always keep the dangerous end that way, away from people you don’t want to shoot.”

She gave him a tight-lipped smiled. “Maybe I wanted to shoot you.”

Parker harrumphed, but otherwise didn’t reply.

Cheyenne held up her arm and pointed the tip of the gun toward the hill. Closing one eye, she stared down the barrel and then pulled the trigger. There was a low popping sound, and the gun kicked back, forcing her wrist up and her elbow to bend. She squealed and stepped back, almost losing her balance in the process.

Parker caught her around the upper arm and steadied her. With a frown, he grabbed the gun from her hand. “Never shoot one-handed.”

“Sorry. You didn’t tell me that.”

“I wasn’t ready for you to shoot,” he snapped.

“Why the hell did you hand it to her with the safety off?” Grayson asked from the porch. His voice was laced with barely contained laughter.

Cheyenne thought he looked exceptionally delicious this morning in jeans and a denim shirt. The sleeves were rolled up, showing off strong, muscular forearms. His blue eyes danced with mischief over the rim of his coffee cup as he lifted it to take a sip.

“Do you want to take over?” Parker asked.

“Nah. Watching is more fun.” He set his cup on the railing of the porch. “You’ll have to have patience with him, sweetheart.”

“Funny,” Parker drawled.

“I think it’s more the other way around.” Cheyenne winced and realized her look of innocence failed miserably. “Besides, I may have done that on purpose. I figure if I look like a lost cause, you guys will drop this whole thing.”

“Not a chance,” Parker said. “
I figure
if you can open up someone’s heart, you can shoot a damn gun.”

She put her hands on her hips and scowled up at Parker. “You’re so bossy. If I refuse, are you going to spank me?”

Parker’s eyebrow shot up, and she heard Grayson snicker. Her face flamed red, and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand. “Forget I said that. That was just… That was wrong.”

She noticed Parker’s lips twitch as though he fought a grin. “That’s right, imp,” he growled, but there was a playful light in his eyes that sent currents of wicked sensation straight through to her womb. “Tell me no, and I’ll have you bent over that railing so fast you won’t know what hit you. Now take the gun and do as I say and nothing else. Am I clear?”

She slowly lowered her hand and took the gun he held out to her. Instead of being angry, she felt…turned on. Sexy. She’d never had a man order her around. She’d never had a man be so…dominant.

She liked it, but she wasn’t sure she wanted him to know that. Cheyenne wasn’t easy. She didn’t do one-night stands. She didn’t have the time. To be honest, she couldn’t really even remember the last time she went on a date. She had her toys. What did she need a man for, especially when she got better orgasms with the toys?

But, oh boy. When Parker looked at her with those intense blue eyes, all she could seem to think about was using him as her new toy.

Chapter Eight

Grayson stood back and watched the two of them. Cheyenne’s face had turned the most adorable shade of pink when she’d blurted out the comment about spanking. He had a feeling Cheyenne often blurted things out without thinking them through first, which could make for some interesting spontaneous situations.

Grayson liked being spontaneous. He also liked feisty women. And he definitely liked to spank. Did Cheyenne like it? Once she’d said the words, it was obvious by her blush where her mind had gone. If her mind moved that fast to a sensual spanking as opposed to punishment, did that mean the idea turned her on?

It was definitely worth digging into.

Yeah, he’d told Parker hands off. But the more time he spent with her, the more he realized that wasn’t going to happen. They were attracted to her. She was attracted to them. They were in a confined space. It was only a matter of time before one of them made a move. The pull to touch her was too damn strong sometimes to fight. He’d found women attractive before, but he’d never run across one who he couldn’t seem to resist. Until her.

He sipped his coffee and watched Parker step behind her. Grayson moved to the other end of the porch so he could see her profile as Parker wrapped his arms around her shoulders and helped her properly hold the gun. She swallowed and turned her head, briefly glancing over her shoulder.

Her breasts rose and fell with her breathing, which was slow and steady at first. As Parker moved in closer, though, it became shallower. Her cheeks flushed. When her tongue darted out to lick her pink lips, Grayson felt his cock twitch. Yeah, it was only a matter of time.

CHEYENNE TRIED TO pay attention to what Parker said, she really did. Unfortunately, her mind could only seem to comprehend how good his chest felt against her back. Wow, he was hard…and wide. He dwarfed her, intimidated her, but at the same time made her feel safe.

She glanced sideways at Grayson. He leaned against the railing, casually drinking coffee and watching them with barely restrained interest. The way he stared at her made her whole body tingle.

“Did you hear what I said?” Parker asked in her ear, making her jump.

“Honestly? No.”

“Pay attention, Cheyenne. I know you don’t like guns, but this thing may save your life.”

She sighed. “I know. I’m sorry.”

She drew in a deep breath and stiffened her spine. He was teaching her how to shoot, not seducing her. She needed to get a grip.

Parker rested his hands along her forearms. Her skin prickled and then warmed as he whispered in her ear, “Now, pull the trigger.”

With one hand braced over the other and both elbows slightly bent, she squeezed. A pop sounded, and the gun jerked. But this time she kept control and didn’t fall. She watched in stunned awe as the bullet hit the target left of center.

“Oh my God,” she squealed. “I almost hit a bull’s-eye!”

“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Parker murmured close, sending goose bumps along her body. “Okay, do it again.”

Her stomach fluttered, and the most delicious sensation worked its way up her spine. If people could see inside her head, they would think she was some sort of sex-starved teenager with the way she reacted to his voice so close to her ear. She didn’t believe he did it deliberately, but crap! The man had an amazingly sexy voice.

Shaking her head, she huffed out a breath and again lifted the gun. This time her bullet hit below the bull’s-eye and several inches farther away than the first shot. “Well, shucks,” she grumbled.

Parker chuckled as he moved to stand next to her. “It takes practice. I want you out here every day doing this. I want you to get used to the feel of it. How to turn the safety on and off. And most importantly, where to hit a man to do the most damage.”

She eyed him out of the corner of her eye. “I could probably tell you that better than you could.”

He snorted. “You have a point. Shoot again.”

“Yes, taskmaster,” she grumbled.

“That’s yes, taskmaster, sir,” Parker countered.

Cheyenne stuck her tongue out at him before turning her attention back to the target. Wow, wasn’t that an adult thing to do? What was it about him and Grayson that turned her into such an idiot? Why couldn’t she think of a good comeback? Why did her insides feel like jelly when she stood so close to them?

She focused on the tip of the gun—on taking aim. Shooting wasn’t as hard or as bad as she had thought it might be; although firing bullets into a paper target was a lot different from firing one into human flesh. She wasn’t stupid. She knew shooting a person would be so much harder, if not impossible.

She’d often wondered how she would handle fear. Would she fight, or would she flee? She’d like to believe she would fight.

She pulled the trigger again, this time trying to imagine one of the mob stood before her. She imagined the bullet ripping through his flesh. Blood would spurt everywhere as the man crumpled to the ground. Despite the fact it wasn’t real, she felt a powerful sense of satisfaction in destroying the man who’d destroyed her life.

* * * *

“You will be happy to know,” Parker said as he walked back into the kitchen and set his phone on the island, “Steve is safe and sound with his agents. He also sent a message for you.”

Cheyenne stopped chopping the carrots and looked up at him. Her heart raced. “What did he say?”

Parker smiled. “That he doesn’t hate you. He loves you.”

Cheyenne smiled in relief. “Really?” She set the knife aside and ran around the counter. With an excited squeal, she wrapped her arms around Parker’s neck and hugged him.

Parker’s chest vibrated with his chuckle as he slid his arms around her waist and hugged her close.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome,” he replied.

It was then, when his voice resonated through his big chest to vibrate against her nipples, that she realized what she’d done and how close they were. Every inch of her body, from her shoulders down to her knees, rested against his muscular body. His heat seeped into her flesh, wrapping around her like a blanket of sexual warmth.

She had a sudden urge to sink into him, to feel his lips and hot breath against her neck. She gasped and quickly pushed away from him. What was she doing? “Sorry,” she mumbled and moved back to the carrots.

“I’m not,” he drawled.

When she looked up at him, he winked, and his lips spread into the most outlandish, wolfish grin she’d ever seen on a man. She snickered, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand before laughter bubbled out.

“That’s better,” he said before moving to the fridge.

“Where’s Grayson?” she asked, still smiling.

“He’s in the basement putting the weights to good use.”

Her mind shifted to a sweaty Grayson lifting weights. Her hand froze in midair as she thought about all those chest muscles flexing. Did he work out without a shirt? If she stuck her head in the basement, would she get a nice show?

“Do you need me to cut those?” Parker asked.

Cheyenne jumped slightly. “What?” she asked guiltily before glancing down at the knife in her hand. “No. Sorry. My mind just wandered.”

“So,” Parker said playfully. “Not only do you talk to yourself, but you get lost in your own little world at the drop of a hat. Should Grayson and I worry about our safety? Will you go all crazy lady on us?”

Cheyenne curled her lip and pointed the tip of the knife at his nose. “I might.”

Parker took the knife from her hands and nudged her aside with his shoulder. “Do me a favor, Doc. Go downstairs and tell Grayson to get cleaned up for dinner. He can sometimes lose track of time when he’s working out, especially if he’s got a lot on his mind.”

“Okay,” she said, then cringed at how excited she sounded.

She was sure he didn’t work out in the nude, so what did she think she was going to see? The second she landed on the bottom step leading into the basement, she knew, and every part of her tingled with a wild rush of need.

A few feet away, Grayson pounded out his frustration on a standing punching bag. Every thump of his fist hitting the leather sent a thrill down her spine to land somewhere in her nether regions.

Holy crap.

His chest glistened with a thin sheen of sweat. Muscles rippled and bunched with every swing of his arm or punch of his fist. Blue eyes glistened with determination. His jaw was clenched tight. Even the deep ridges of his stomach rippled as he moved.

She normally didn't see men like this. At least outside a magazine. The men she usually saw were older, sicker, and heavier. They came to her on their last legs. She had a treadmill at home that she ran on, because trips to the gym were few and far between. But even when she went, she never saw hard bodies like his.

Stop staring, Cheyenne. Say something.

“Parker said to get…” He stopped punching the bag and turned his head toward her. She swallowed the sigh that lingered on the tip of her tongue.
Get a grip. Get a grip. Masturbate later
. “To get cleaned up for dinner,” she finished.