Crime & Punishment 3: Theirs to Share (7 page)

“How long do I have?” he asked.

She tried to think past the fog of lust filling her head. “About forty-five minutes, maybe.”

He nodded and motioned for her to join him. She raised an eyebrow. If she got any closer, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t reach out and touch him. For crying out loud. She’d been with them for a grand total of three days, counting the trail, and all she could think about was sex. She was bored out of her mind, and if she didn’t stop this fantasizing, she was going to get into trouble.

“Do you know how to fight?” he asked.

“I…don’t know that I’ve ever been in one.”

He made a noise deep in his throat that sounded similar to a snort; then his full lips spread into a smile that made her weak in the knees.

Good grief.

“Then obviously you haven’t. Come here,” he said. “I think we should add hand-to-hand as part of your training.”

“Hand-to-hand?” she asked, but her mind went immediately to body-to-body. Hard body to soft body…to hard body. Sandwiched between the two of them. What an incredibly delicious idea. She shook her head, dislodging the naughty thoughts.

“Why not?” he asked.

“No, I didn’t…” She sighed before continuing. “Why the hell not?”

She walked over to stand in front of him. This close, her reactions to his body were worse. What the hell was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she stop thinking about sex?

Because they were cramped together in this cabin with nothing else to do, that was why. She was bored, and boredom always got her into trouble. What was she going to do? Jump from Grayson’s bed to Parker’s and then back again? One after another? Taking turns until… Oh, good Lord. Her nipples were getting hard.

Grayson reached out to take her wrist, and she jerked her arm away in reflex. “You’re all sweaty,” she murmured.

The eyebrow over his left eye arched. “You put your hands wrist deep into a man’s chest and you’re worried about a little sweat?”

She reached up and scratched the back of her head. Okay, she wasn’t really, but all that sweat glistening over all those muscles made her addlebrained.

“Yeah,” she replied. “Shower first.”

She turned and headed back up the stairs to safer territory. At the top, she spotted Parker by the island, chopping more vegetables. Well, maybe not so much safer. With a soft growl, she stomped off to her bedroom, the sound of Grayson’s chuckle from behind her ringing in her ears.

Cheyenne had a sinking suspicion Grayson knew exactly what her problem was. And that sucked.

Chapter Nine

Parker looked over at Grayson with a frown. “What was that about?”

Grayson grinned. “She couldn’t stop staring at my chest.”

Parker harrumphed and returned to chopping vegetables. “Yeah, well, you do look a mess.”

Ignoring his cousin’s remark, he walked over and checked the pots. “What’s for dinner? It smells good.”

“Roasted chicken, vegetables, and brown rice.”

Parker glanced at him over his shoulder, and Grayson got a feeling in the pit of his stomach that he wouldn’t like what his cousin had to say.

“Remember what we agreed to, Grayson.”

He sighed and set the lid back down on the pot of steaming water and spices his cousin was heating for the rice.

“I have no control over the woman and whether or not she makes a move on me.”

Parker growled and set the knife down so he could turn and fully face him. “Grayson—”

“Shut up, Parker.” He glanced toward the bedroom door before turning back to his partner. “Don’t even think about trying to tell me you don’t want her as much as I do. I know we said hands-off, but that isn’t going to last, especially if she keeps looking at me like she did downstairs. We’re all attracted, and we’re cooped up in this damn cabin. You know as well as I do it’s only a matter of time, so get off your damn high horse.”

“And what about after, Grayson? I can tell she’s different. Would you be willing to go into hiding with her, because you know that’s what her future is? Or are we just going to fuck her and leave her?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time, now would it? How many women have we had one-night stands with?”

“And how many have we tried a relationship with who ended up backing out because it was too much?” Parker countered. “If we fuck her, we compromise her and ourselves. And you know it. Our minds won’t be where they need to be, and they need to be on keeping her alive, not in our beds. Face it, Grayson. Keep your head in the game and your dick in your pants.”

Grayson knew Parker was right. She would be safer if they kept their hands to themselves, but he could also feel Parker’s struggle with his own attraction to Cheyenne. When their mothers had cast that damn spell, they’d bound them in ways even they didn’t realize. Their love life was the biggest damn side effect of it.

Grayson was ready to get away from the agency and settle down. Parker was willing to settle as well, but the one aspect he still fought Grayson on was a wife. They’d tried dating separately, but it never worked out. They could each care for a woman, but to feel love, they both had to be emotionally involved. Alone, they were just going through the motions.

They both had feelings for Cheyenne. What those were, Grayson didn’t know yet, but he knew they were there. He was willing to explore them. Parker wasn’t willing to mix business with pleasure. And there was the standstill.

“I’m going to get a shower,” Grayson said as he left the kitchen and headed up the stairs to the bedroom in the loft.

“Get off while you’re up there,” Parker called after him.

Grayson flipped him the bird before disappearing into the bedroom.

* * * *

Cheyenne stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, wondering when she’d become so sex crazed.

“You’re just bored,” she told her reflection. “Find something to occupy yourself. Go find a squirrel and do a bypass on its heart.”

She snorted. That was a stupid idea. Without a bypass machine, it would die. She sighed and turned her back to the mirror and leaned against the counter.

“Get a grip, go back out there, and help with dinner. Stop moping in the damn bathroom. They’re just men, not some sex gods out to seduce you.”

Although the idea of her seducing them had promise.

She lowered her head and squeezed her temples between her thumb and forefinger. “Stop it, stop it, stop it.”

“Cheyenne?” Parker called.

She jumped. “Yeah?”

“You okay?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. No. She wasn’t. She had to admit, though, it was nice of him to ask. Parker seemed to be the worrier. That thought made her smile slightly. Parker a worrier? How could a man so big, strong, and confident be a worrier?

“Cheyenne?” Parker called again.

“I’m fine,” she called back. “I’ll be right out.”

He didn’t answer, but she could hear his footsteps on the hardwood floor as he walked back to the kitchen. She imagined him walking across the floor naked, that tight ass… She growled softly toward the ceiling and quickly left the bathroom.

In the kitchen, she washed her hands and tried not to look at Parker. Maybe this would work.
Just don’t look at them. Out of sight. Out of mind. Right?

She sighed.
Wrong.

“Do you need me to do anything?” she asked.

Like pinch your nipples? Lick your cock?
She shivered slightly as she threw the towel on the granite countertop. Maybe Grayson needed help in the shower.

“Stop it,” she snarled to herself.

“Stop what?” Parker asked with a chuckle.

She turned to look at him, her cheeks flaming. He stood at the island, a rag he’d used to clean up his mess still in his hand. What was sexier than a man working in the kitchen? A naked man working in the kitchen, perhaps?

“Nothing,” she croaked, then cleared her throat. “Sorry. I think I’m starting to get a little cabin fever. Are you sure we can’t go somewhere? Do something?”

Parker set the rag in the sink and leaned his hips against the edge of the counter. With his arms crossed over his chest and that casual stance, he looked good enough to eat.

“What did you have in mind?” he asked.

Don’t say sex. Don’t say sex.

“Maybe a hike?”

He nodded and appeared to be thinking. “There’re some trails close by that would probably be okay.”

She smiled in relief. Something to stare at besides their bodies. That was good. “That would be great. Anything to get me out of this cabin.”

“You would have to stick close to us; between us would be better.”

Cheyenne closed her eyes briefly and swallowed the sudden lump of lust that nearly choked her. “Great,” she said.

Parker’s lips twitched, and a wicked light shone in his eyes that made her believe what he’d said had a double meaning. Or maybe she was reading things that weren’t really there.

“We’ll head out tomorrow after breakfast; then we’ll do some more shooting.”

“Grayson said something earlier about hand-to-hand.”

Parker snorted softly. “Yeah. I’m sure he did.”

She tilted her head and frowned. “Is there a problem with hand-to-hand?”

“No,” Parker said with a shake of his head. “Hand-to-hand is Grayson’s forte. I can outshoot him, but he can lay me flat out on my ass every time. He prefers that to shooting, so it makes sense he would bring it up.”

She gave a nod of understanding.

“Might not be a bad idea,” Parker added.

That’s what he thinks
. One hand on that man, and she’d be a goner. No doubt about it. So gone. Like clothes off, bodies tangled gone. And there went her nipples tingling again. She rolled her eyes and picked up the spoon so she could stir the rice. “Looks like it’s done,” she murmured.

“Gray! Dinner’s ready!” Parker yelled, making Cheyenne jump.

She whacked him on the shoulder with a wooden spoon. He turned to her with a grin that literally left her breathless. She pointed the spoon at him, determined to ignore the growing sensation of need that seemed to always be simmering in her womb this afternoon. “Don’t yell.”

“Yes, Mom,” he drawled.

She giggled at his teasing. She didn’t care if he yelled; she liked to pick at him. Maybe if she pretended they were her brothers? Nah, that was just sick.

No doubt about it, she thought. She was screwed.

* * * *

Parker took the plate Cheyenne handed him and set it in the dishwasher.

“Was that it?” he asked.

“That’s it,” she replied.

Parker shut the door and started the wash cycle. With a sigh, he turned and stared around the kitchen. “If we cooked, how is it we ended up cleaning?”

Cheyenne smiled softly. Parker’s heart did a little flip. She was too damn pretty for her own good. Hell, he’d make up a heart problem just so she would examine him.

“Grayson got a call from your boss,” she said.

Parker scrunched his nose. “I think Grayson’s long-winded on purpose. Anything to get out of cleanup duty.”

She giggled as she dropped into the leather recliner. She pushed it back into full recline position and stared up at the ceiling. “Another night. Another movie. Another TV show. Are you sure we can’t go into Gatlinburg? It will be dark soon.”

Parker smiled slightly. He knew she was bored. He was too. He wasn’t used to this. “Sorry, sweetheart,” he said softly.

She sighed and kept her gaze glued to the ceiling.

“We could start that hand-to-hand training,” he offered as he walked toward her chair.

“No,” she said tiredly.

Parker grabbed the edge of the recliner and put his weight on it, lifting the legs off the floor and forcing her head down. She squealed and gripped the arms of the chair. Her eyes were wide as she stared up at him.

“Why not?” he asked, fighting a grin.

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She swallowed and tried again. “That probably wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“Afraid you’d lose?” he asked with amusement.

The look on her face was a mixture of shock and something that resembled a deer stuck in the headlights of a car. Afraid to move. Afraid to speak. Afraid to say what was really on her mind.

“I have no doubt I would lose,” she said after finally finding her voice. “Would you set me back down, please? The blood’s rushing to my head.”

Parker chuckled but set the chair back down. He walked around it and took a seat on the corner of the leather couch. She eyed him warily. “What the hell was that for?” she asked.

He shrugged and set his elbow on the armrest, then rested his chin on his fist. “You looked bored. I thought I would liven things up a bit.”

She gave him a sarcastic smile that quickly morphed into a scowl. “Funny.”

Her gaze shifted to the stairs as Grayson stepped down into the great room. Parker didn’t miss the way her eyes moved over every inch of his cousin. She certainly didn’t hide her attraction to either of them very well. For a brief second, Parker allowed himself to imagine what her eyes would look like darkened in passion. His cock twitched behind his jeans, expressing its obvious interest.

Parker immediately regretted his line of thought. It was hard enough not touching her without his cock aching on top of it.

“Everything okay?” she asked Grayson.

“Everything is fine,” Grayson replied as he walked over to the couch and sat down. “The DA has all the evidence. Now we’re just waiting on the men to be picked up.”

“How long do you think that will take?” Cheyenne asked.

“They probably know they’ve been identified, so I’m sure they’re deep in hiding. It may take a while.”

Cheyenne growled and dropped her head back against the chair. “I’ll go insane!”

“We’ll figure something out, Cheyenne,” Grayson said. “I’m about to go a little stir-crazy myself.”

“I told her we would go hiking tomorrow. I think there’s a few smaller trails close by that should be safe enough,” Parker said.

Grayson gave a nod. “Sounds good to me. Some of the bigger ones might be okay too. I doubt the mob is out hiking the Smokies. If we stay away from town, we should be fine.”

“
Game of Thrones
is on tonight,” Parker said. “How about I make us some popcorn and we get settled?”