Escape

by Jay Crownover

  I was working my hands under the hem of her shirt when there was a soft ding, and the elevator stopped on our floor. I was still kissing her when the doors opened. I was still kissing her as I walked her back down the hall. I kissed her up to the doorway, pressing her back against the door and stealing each and every breath as she scrambled to find the room key. Her fingers were shaking as she touched the little plastic card to the sensor. We fell into the dark room in a tangle of arms and legs. My hat went flying. I twisted at the last minute so she would land on top of me instead of the other way around. I wanted to fuck her, not crush her.

  She hovered over me, long hair hanging down around my face. She kissed me and then used her hands on my chest to push herself to her feet. She stood over me like a goddess, like an ancient warrior ready to take what was hers. She started pulling off her clothes, dark eyes locked on mine as she ordered, “Strip, cowboy.” All I could do was obey.

  I lifted so that I could pull my shirt off and went to work on my belt and jeans. I had the denim open and the zipper down when Brynn’s naked body landed back in my lap. Every working brain cell I had short-circuited, and all the blood in my body felt like it rushed to fill my cock. The wet tip dragged against the soft skin of her inner leg, marking her with my arousal and seeking out her heat.

  “I hope you picked up protection at one of those gas stations we stopped at because I’m out.” We’d used up my stash in Vegas.

  She curled her arms around my neck and tilted back, putting her puckered nipples right in line with my mouth. I took the offered treat between my teeth and gave a hearty suck. I swirled my tongue around the pebbled flesh until she was squirming on my lap, her pussy rubbing erotically along the length of my rigid cock. It was her turn to mark me with her wetness, and all I wanted to do was drown myself in the evidence of her passion.

  “I did, but they're across the room in my bag, and I don’t want to get up.” She blinked at me and suddenly looked shy which was hard considering she was straddling me naked as the day she was born and practically riding my dick. “I’m squeaky clean. I got tested for everything so I could donate blood when you were shot.” She blushed and looked away. “I haven’t been with anyone since then either. I couldn’t seem to get in the mood with you lying in the hospital fighting for your life.”

  I reached up and cupped her precious face in my hands. “I’m good to go as well. They ran a million tests while I was in ICU and I haven’t been with anyone except you since then either. Are we really going to do this?” I hadn’t gone bare, ever. That was one thing Dad had drilled into all of us, wrap it up because the consequences were lifelong if you didn’t. Sutton was the only one of us who hadn’t taken that advice to heart.

  “I want to. There have always been so many things keeping us from each other. I don’t want there to be any barriers between us of any kind.”

  Holy shit. If she didn’t already have a hold on my heart, I would have handed it over to her right then and there.

  “All right, Brynn. No more barriers between us. It’s you and me and whatever comes our way.” I tangled my hands in her hair and pulled her down for a kiss.

  She only offered a quick peck before her mouth moved to my throat. Her teeth dragged across my Adam’s apple and worried the throbbing vein on the side of my neck. The wet tip of her tongue licked across my collarbone, and I nearly dumped her off of me when she took my nipple into the moist heat of her mouth. She flicked her tongue back and forth across the sensitive nub until I dug my fingers into her scalp and forcibly removed her mouth. She let the tortured peak go with a pop and moved her lips down the center of my chest until she reached my stomach. She took her time outlining each abdominal, tracing every dip and divot. She skated her fingers along the sharply defined V that narrowed down to my happy trail on either side of my hips. I got that definition throwing bales of hay and tossing saddles around. I was glad she appreciated what all that manual labor had done for my body.

  Her nose brushed along the dark fuzz of my happy trail and when the very tip of her tongue slid across the swollen, aching head of my erection, I came up off the floor. My back bent, and my hands clasped her head in a death grip like she might suddenly change her mind and stop doing what she was doing. I opened my legs as far they could go while they were still encased in my jeans and moaned as she teased the leaking slit, chasing the proof of how much I wanted this, wanted her, as it slid down my cock. She wrapped her hand around the base of my dick and shifted so she could take the rest of my length into the smoldering cavern of her mouth.

  I throbbed against her tongue, hips lifting involuntarily. She hummed a satisfied response and bobbed her head lower until her lips were touching her twisting and burning fingers. I was in her mouth so deep I was hitting the back of her throat every time she lowered her head. She sucked until her cheeks were hollow and it made my head spin. She squeezed the base of my cock and started sliding her hand up and down to meet the rise and fall of her mouth. I felt consumed by her like she was claiming every single part of me and it felt divine. She seemed to know exactly how I liked to be touched, and she wasn’t afraid to be a little rough. I felt the edge of her teeth more than once as she licked and nibbled on the underside of my cock.

  When she shifted so that she could maneuver her free hand between my legs I had to pull her off. As soon as her fingers touched my balls, her touch delicate and light on that sensitive place, I lost it. I was so wound up that her whispering touch over that tightly drawn sac and pressing in on that magically hidden spot right behind it had me ready to go off like a rocket.

  With a growl, I lifted her up and wrapped my arms around her waist. I pulled her back to the top of my straining erection, now shiny and glossy from her mouth. I used a thumb to bend the stiff shaft toward her entrance, seating her on my rigid cock and frantically thrusting up to meet her damp entrance. I slid into her heat with no resistance, Brynn’s body sucking me in as she fell to meet my lifted hips.

  She threw her head back on a gasp and curled her hands into fists on my chest as she started to ride. Her undulating hips moved in my hands, and her perfect breasts swayed in my face. I was too caught up in the moment to do anything more than revel the way she clamped down around me. The clutch of her body bare against mine was mind-numbingly good. It felt like we were melting together, fusing as one and becoming stronger together than we were apart. “God, Brynn, you feel so fucking good. I never want my dick back. You can keep it, it’s yours.”

  She laughed, and I felt the vibration move through my throbbing dick. “That’s exactly what I always wanted. You sure know the way to a girl’s heart, Lane.”

  She bent at the waist so she could touch her lips to mine. She was flexible on top of everything else. I was an idiot for wasting so much time being afraid of things I was never going to be able to control when I should have focused on what I could. Things like making her moan my name and writhe on top of me like she currently was. I let her kiss me breathless while working a hand between her legs so I could touch her in a way that was bound to drive her wild.

  As soon as I brushed her clit, she went stiff above me and lost her perfect rhythm. She started panting and grinding on top of me, unashamed of how good she was feeling and letting me know loud and clear that I was hitting all the right spots.

  With a grunt, I rolled us over and braced myself above her with an arm on the carpet above her head. I was going to have rug burn on my knees and on my ass, but I didn’t care. I hammered into the woman below me like I was trying to fuck her through the floor. It was raw, primal and messy. I loved it. Loved feeling the way she got wetter and hotter the harder I thrust into her, and the more primal I tried to take her.

  My orgasm struck like lightning. One second I was growling into the damp skin under her ear, the next I was shaking all over and emptying inside of her in a furious rush. Luckily my release triggered hers, and she met me thrust for thrust and surge of pleasure for surge of pleasure. We were a wet sticky mess, but I r
efused to move or to let her go. This was how we were always supposed to be, stripped down to our very basic selves, exposed and uncovered. This is who we really were to each other, lovers who had loved and lost each other too many times to take this moment for granted. From here on out we would let nothing, nothing, come between us.

  “I’m pretty sure you’re my forever, Brynn.” The words were whispered in the darkness, but I knew she heard them. “And I’ll always be thankful that I was your first.”

  Her lips landed on my jaw, and I felt rather than heard her sigh. “You’re my only, Lane Warner. My only one.” It wasn’t a proposal, but it was pretty damn close.

  Chapter 14

  Brynn

  High or Low

  When I crawled out of bed the next morning I had to shift Lane’s arm off my chest. After rolling around on the floor and then on the bed, he’d taken a shower and practically fell asleep standing up. Instead of sending him back to his own room I let him crash in my bed. I couldn’t resist checking to make sure Bauer was still tucked in safe and sound. There was a bump under the covers, so I left him alone, even though I wanted to tiptoe into the room to make sure it really was him in the bed and not a pile of pillows. Ten stumbled into the room sometime around dawn. She looked exhausted and frustrated. She waved me off when I sleepily asked her if she had any luck tracking down Mikey’s friends or someone who might know where the kid was. She told me we could talk in the morning—she was too tired to even realize it was already morning—and then gave me a wink and told me that Lane looked good in my bed. I silently agreed. It had taken long enough for him to get there that I doubted I would ever get tired of watching him sleep.

  Once I was free of the heavy muscle that was caging me in, I stumbled into the bathroom and made my way through my morning ritual. I was finishing up brushing my teeth when a light tap on the door caught my attention. Not wanting to wake Lane or Ten if it wasn’t necessary I rushed to the door before whoever was on the other side could knock again. Webb had his forearm braced on the doorframe above his head, and his attractive face was set in worried lines. I knew what brought him by this early without having to ask, but I did anyway.

  Pulling the toothbrush out of my mouth I sighed and muttered, “He’s gone, isn’t he?”

  Webb nodded and ran a hand through the hair on the back of his neck. He had dark circles under his vibrant blue eyes, and white lines of tension were radiating out from the corners. He looked younger than he was, with an air of mischief that perpetually hung around him. It wasn’t hard to picture him getting in and finding all kinds of trouble. He reminded me a lot of Lane that way.

  “Yep. My phone rang this morning. I put in a few calls seeing if anyone from back in the day knows anything about this website and who might be behind it. I got a call back, and when there wasn’t any movement, not so much as a flinch from the other bed, I got up to check it out. The bed was ice cold, and there were pillows under the sheets. I don’t know if Bauer left before or after I got in last night. I was too tired to check things out. He left this.” Webb handed me my cell phone. “Bet he was smart enough to know we could track him if he held onto it.”

  I took the phone and felt my heart sink to my toes. I was right when I told Lane my heart was already broken for Bauer. What I didn’t know was that all those shattered pieces were going to throb so painfully, amplifying how badly the teenager’s disappearance hurt. The ache ricocheted through my body, leaving no place untouched.

  “I can’t believe he left.” I rested my forehead on the edge of the door and held my phone in a death grip. “He isn’t going to make it out there on his own. He’s not thinking straight. His brother’s disappearance has him reacting instead of evaluating all his options.”

  “That kid isn’t used to having options, Rosy.” I was never sure where the nickname came from that he’d started using once Cy hired him to help out on the ranch. I thought it was cute, and I’d never had a nickname before so I always let it slide. “All he knows is acting on his instinct, and right now they’re screaming for him to do something, to do anything. He thinks those dudes who snatched him killed his brother, and now all he wants is revenge.” He pushed off the door and gave me a knowing look. “I’ve been in his shoes.”

  When Webb first came around, he was lying about who he was. His brother was missing and presumed dead in an undercover drug bust that went horribly wrong. Webb convinced his brother’s partner at the DEA to come with him to the ranch after signing both of them up for a week-long wilderness retreat. He was bound and determined to find his brother’s body and the people who he thought had killed him. Webb was going to take every bad guy on that mountain out as payback. He was living and breathing revenge; it was the only thing keeping him going when he thought Wyatt was dead. Luckily Wyatt hadn’t been harmed, and Webb’s grand revenge scheme hadn’t been necessary. Not so lucky, Webb was shot and nearly died on that mountain for his efforts. So really, he did understand where Bauer’s head was at.

  “How would he even know where to find those people? They sent someone to him. They recruited him off the streets and then abducted him in broad daylight.” I thumped my fist on the door and turned my head as a rustling sound came from where the beds were. Lane was sitting up, watching us with narrowed eyes, his arms crossed over his wide chest. Ten had the covers pulled up over her head, but I could tell she was awake by the way she kept shifting under the cotton.

  “Check your phone. Look at whatever website he last visited. I bet you he used the same one he filled out the application for to get in touch with them.” Lane’s voice was rough with sleep and residual sexiness.

  I scrolled through my browser, and sure enough, the website that had gotten the kid into so much trouble in the first place was the last one that someone visited. I poked at the different icons and tabs until I got a page for contacting the company. The box was blank, but it would take absolutely no effort to fill it in and fire off a message to the people Bauer believed were behind his brother's demise. He wasn’t only walking into the lion’s den, he was doing it waving a big, fat juicy steak and taunting the monster to come and get him.

  “We have to do something.” I pushed my hair off my face and started to pace back and forth in front of the bed where Lane was struggling to wake up. Still holding my toothbrush in my hand, I waved it around like a wand. “We can’t let him go out there and wage war on these people all by himself. He’s a baby, for Christ’s sake.”

  I was tapping my phone on my hand when I noticed there was a notification on the text message icon. Pausing mid-step, I clicked it open and looked at a mile-long string of words that had been typed in the ongoing conversation thread I had with Lane. Clearly, Bauer had something to say before he bounced and left his goodbye in the one place he knew I was bound to look.

  Thank you for all that you did for me.

  I’m so sorry I’m leaving without telling you in person how much your help meant to me.

  I told you that I didn’t deserve someone good like you or a hero like Lane.

  I’ll never forget everything you did for me. You made me believe that there really ARE

  decent people in the world. People who care about strangers, and about doing the right thing.

  Since you’ll never see me again, I want to tell you the name of the man who bought me from the creeps running the website. I know I said you would never believe me, but I think you will, and I don’t want him to have the chance to buy or sell anyone else. I’m tired of kids like me getting used and thrown away like we’re garbage. I’m not trash. I’m just a kid who wanted to be loved by his family. I don’t want to be punished for loving who I want to love.

  Look into a man named Jonathan Goddard.

  He’s a big deal back where I come from. He’s rich and powerful, so be careful. Rumor has it he’s going to be the president one day. It’s a terribly kept secret that he likes little girls, but apparently, he doesn't mind a pretty boy when he’s been bought and paid for. He liked
that he was bringing me back to the place I tried so hard to run away from. The guy in the RV told me his boss charged extra for finding a kid from the Point for Goddard.

  You and Lane take care of each other. You both deserve to be happy.

  All my best…Cameron Bauer

  I was openly crying by the time I got to the end of the note. I collapsed at the end of the bed and let Lane fold me in his arms. I put my face on his shoulder and let the tears fall as he read the note out loud. By the time he got to the end, he sounded as emotional as I was and I could feel the way his big frame stiffened.

  “Goddard? Why does that name sound familiar?” Lane asked the question while he was stroking a hand over my hair and doing his best to comfort me, but all I could do was picture skinny, battered Bauer back on the streets, outnumbered and seriously outgunned.

  “Bigwig politician out on the West Coast. Guy has more money than God. He made the news a few weeks ago because his stepdaughter came up missing. There have been rumblings about corruption in his camp and all kinds of underhanded dealings for years, but he’s tough on crime and comes from a long-standing political family and old money, so people tend to look the other way. He’s got the job of cleaning up one of the dirtiest cities in America, so the press and media tend to give him a pass. I’m not surprised the guy is dirty, or that the kid didn’t think anyone would listen to him.” Webb’s tone was dry, but I could see that this new development bothered him quite a lot.