by Bec McMaster
Riley threw her head back as she came, a scream dying on her lips. “Luc!”
He felt every delicious little shudder of her body and drove into her harder, forcing her to ride the storm again. Skin against skin, the heels of her feet digging into his bare buttocks as he pinned her to the ground and took her.
He couldn’t stop the fury, couldn’t be gentle. He needed her. A starving man, desperate for one last taste. And she was just as eager, her hips undulating beneath his, little soft whimpers whispering in his ear. All she could do with her wrists pinned.
Or maybe not. The rasp of her teeth in the soft flesh of his earlobe drove him crazy. Her hot breath on his neck. Luc felt the flash-fire of pleasure tighten his balls, the surge of cum shooting up his cock.
“Yes… yes…” One of her hands tore free, clutching at the base of his scalp. He drove into her one last time, even as she whispered, “I love you.”
Everything in the world went silent, orgasm screaming through him. Luc’s grip on her tightened, her arms sliding around him as he collapsed with a shudder, sweat wet on his flanks. Riley’s breasts rose and fell beneath him, her free hand rubbing gently up and down his spine.
“I meant it,” she whispered. “Every word of it. I won’t pretend a part of me isn’t scared. Sometimes… sometimes, I think I’m just as afraid of this as of… the other. Afraid that you won’t feel the same way. Not that I expect you to, not yet,” she added hurriedly. “But one day, maybe.”
He couldn’t answer. Instead, his hold on her tightened, just a little. This was more than he’d ever hoped for, more than he’d ever dared consider. The tightness in his chest was unexpected, like a fist clenching. Those words changed everything.
And it scared the fuck out of him.
Because she was telling him that this was real. That she had no intentions of leaving him, no matter what he did, no matter what happened. No matter how much of a monster he was. And he actually began to believe it. For the first time in years, he felt like a human again. A man who just might have a future. Riley was hope. She was everything. And if he lost her, it would kill him.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, brushing her lips against his neck. “I know it seems crazy. Everything’s happened so fast, but it feels so real.”
Luc finally looked up, bringing his hand up to stroke the sweaty hair off her cheek. The fire crackled, its warm glow turning her skin to molten honey. Beautiful. Stubborn. Gloriously his. He withdrew from her body, but not her arms. He could stay there forever, he thought. No matter how scared he was about Lily, Riley’s presence made it somewhat bearable. As if the fear could be overcome, the same way he would overcome Cane.
“You drive me crazy,” he admitted.
A tiny smile played around her lips. “Crazy-good?”
“Crazy-good.”
Luc rolled onto his side, taking her with him. Her head rested on his upper arm and he sighed softly, pressing his lips to her temple. Her body relaxed against his, fingertips tracing small circles on his chest. Slowly, the circles died. Her breathing softened as she fell asleep.
“It feels real,” he admitted, knowing she didn’t hear him.
Seventeen
RILEY SIGHED.
Ahead of them, canyons loomed, carving huge red swathes out of the mountains. Ebenezer’s Labyrinth, they called it, after the old settler who’d gotten lost in there and died. She eyed the canyon walls as Wade steered them down the narrow track. Perfect ambush territory, and barely a few hours’ drive from the Copperplate Mine.
Tension raked through her, and she dragged a shotgun into her lap, her gaze riding high over the walls. Cool shadows washed away the blazing heat of the sun, and she slipped her hat back so her peripheral view was better.
“Can you hear that?” Wade murmured, his gaze flickering to the rearview mirror.
Riley cocked her head. Silence. “What?”
“We’ve got company,” he replied. “Behind us.”
A shot ricocheted off the canyon and Riley yelped, ducking low in the seat. She pumped the shotgun and peered over the back of the seat. A rusted-out jeep roared into view. It looked like someone had taken several cars, ransacked them, and welded bits and pieces onto the jeep. A heavy gun turret sat in the middle, with a reiver manning it, goggles in place. There were three more riding in back, and a pair in the front. Behind them, in the thick, choking dust trail, she could just make out a second vehicle.
“Shit.” She yanked off her safety belt and knelt on the seat, putting the shotgun to her shoulder. “Can you get us out of here?”
“Hold on,” Wade said, hitting the gas.
She aimed low and pulled the trigger, feeling the kick against her shoulder. Metal screamed as her pellets sprayed off the grill on the front of the jeep.
The reivers returned fire, spinning the gun turret toward them.
“Get down!” Riley yelled, throwing herself low in the seat. Bullets screamed overhead, cutting through the red rock of the canyon walls. She used the time to jack out the spent cartridges and reload.
Wade roared around a corner, flying over a rut in the road. Riley bounced, dragging herself upright with her hand on the door. She propped the shotgun on the headrest of her seat and waited for the reivers to follow.
Her first shot took out the man on the gun. He arched back into space and disappeared, another leaping forward to take his place.
“That’s one down,” she said grimly, her hands in a constant movement. Fire. Reload. Fire. Reload.
The gun on the turret spewed bullets as another reiver climbed up. Riley slid down onto the floor of the jeep as her headrest exploded in a cloud of dust and fabric.
“Think you can drive?” Wade yelled, looking at her.
“What?”
“Can you drive?” he repeated.
She nodded, her head hitting the dash as he hit a bump. “What are you going to do?”
“Take out that gun.” His mouth was a grim line. “That one was too close for comfort.”
Wade leaned back in the seat, slowing a fraction as he gestured for her to clamber between his thighs.
Riley left the shotgun on the passenger side and slid onto his lap, settling between his warm thighs. His hands slid around her, locking hers on the steering wheel.
“Be careful,” he told her, pressing a swift kiss to the side of her neck. “Keep your head down.”
His body started to slide out from behind her. Riley eased her foot onto the gas. “You too,” she said, her heart fluttering in her chest. “You’re not bulletproof.”
Then he was gone, leaping into the back of the jeep.
Riley slid fully into the seat, peering through the dusty windshield. A flicker of movement in her mirrors showed Wade crouching in the back of the jeep, his knife glinting silver in his hand. He suddenly leapt high into the air, vanishing into the dust cloud behind her.
Riley sucked in a sharp breath. He knew what he was doing; she had to trust that. But a cold hand of fear shivered down her spine.
Gunfire barked, and then someone screamed behind her. Her eyes kept jerking from the path ahead to the mirrors, and that was dangerous. The canyon twisted and turned with exhilarating speed. She had to force her eyes to the road and concentrate on driving.
The canyon suddenly widened, a panoramic vista of sky spreading out in front of her. Riley’s startled mind had a second to realize what was ahead – the old, dammed river far below – before she jerked the steering wheel hard. The canyon track hooked around a corner, running along the top of the cliffs, and the jeep teetered on two wheels as she forced it to corner hard.
Behind her, the reivers’ jeep wasn’t so lucky. She caught a glimpse of Wade, kneeling over the driver’s body and forcing the wheel to lock. He held on right to the end, the reivers’ jeep screaming through the half-rotted timber fence and out over the cliff face. Leaping high, Wade dove into a roll, coming up on the edge of the cliff.
Riley slammed on the brakes. “Get in!” she scr
eamed as the wheels locked, red sand flying around them.
Wade rolled onto his knees, his dark hair failing across his eyes. He yelled something at her, making a furious gesture with his hand. What?
Then dust sprayed around the corner. Riley’s gaze jerked to the second jeep, her eyes meeting the driver’s. He braced himself, eyes widening as his jeep drove straight at her.
The impact smashed her forward and Riley hit the steering wheel hard, something slamming into her head. The world blurred, her ears ringing as the jeep skidded to the side until it finally crashed against something. She felt whatever it was give. Pain. God... She felt it all through her ribs and face, like some giant fist had smashed into both areas. The teeth on the right side of her face throbbed dully.
The jeep finally slid to a halt, rocking onto its side. The world stopped moving. She was breathing hard, each breath rasping over the side of her mouth and stinging. As her vision started to focus, she caught sight of the glass in front of her, a spider web of cracks snaking through it. She’d hit the front window.
The ringing in her ears began to dull. Through it, she should could hear someone screaming her name, a distorted sound as though it came from deep underwater.
“Urfm.” She tried to lift her head, and realized the steering wheel was jammed under her ribs. Hand crunching on glass shards, she pushed away from the dash, trying to see what was happening.
The world shifted with a metal screech. Riley’s hand clutched for the steering wheel, her eyes shooting wide open. And that was when the distorted voice finally began to make sense, “...n’t move! Riley, don’t fucking move!”
Blue and red met her startled gaze as she glanced over her shoulder. So much blue, light shimmering off it, glittering. Her mind finally made sense of the sight, and she froze, whimpering in her throat.
The river. She was staring at it far below. Or not so far, really. Just far enough that the fall would probably kill her.
Slowly, she looked around, not daring to move her body. She’d hit the fence that ran along the edge of the cliff, and the back half of the jeep was hanging over the edge, tilting toward the water below. Something lurched, and Riley screamed as the jeep slid another half-inch, dangling from whatever it was caught on. The remains of the fence, she suspected.
“Luc!” she screamed. He’d get her out. She knew he would.
“Hold on!” He roared back. “Don’t move!”
A shotgun coughed, and she flinched. Turning her head and torso slowly, she wet her lips as the jeep quivered like a metal beast beneath her, threatening to throw her if she shifted so much as an inch.
Wade grappled with a reiver, wrenching the shotgun off the man. He smashed it across the reiver’s face, then discarded it as the man fell, his hot gaze cutting to hers. In it, she saw anguish and desperation as he raced toward her. The certainty that he could get her out of this stuttered like a candle.
“Luc,” she whispered.
“Don’t move,” he repeated tersely, sliding to a halt at the front of the jeep. The entire thing had slid around, the back end hanging remorselessly out over the cliff face. Gravity seemed to suck at her, as if it were slowly reeling her in.
Behind him, the second jeep was flipped over, the grill completely crumpled, its scattered reivers groaning on the sand. Or some not moving at all.
“Didn’t think... it hit that hard,” she murmured, a smile lighting over her lips then fading. Heat sprang up behind her eyes. Her left one was hot and puffy.
“I flipped it,” he said, edging closer, as if he didn’t quite trust his footing. “You’re on loose sand.” Frustration crawled over his face. “If you weren’t, I could probably drag the jeep back in.”
“But you can’t get a grip,” she replied soberly. “It’s okay.” A whisper. “We’ll work it out.”
“Why the hell did you stop?” Finally, he gave vent to some of his frustration, sneaking a little closer, his fingertips straining as he reached for the jeep.
“I was worried about you.”
Their eyes met.
“I’m not human, darlin’.” He frowned. “Next time, when I tell you to drive, you drive.”
“Definitely.” Next time.
“Are you hurt?”
Riley stroked a tongue over her teeth. They felt a little numb, but the pain wasn’t quite as bad as she’d first thought. The shock of it, most like. “Nothing broken, I don’t think.”
“You’ve got one hell of a shiner.”
The conversational tone almost made her smile. Almost.
“Luc, what are we going to do?”
He considered it, his fingers touching the edge of the jeep, as if to anchor it. As if he didn’t dare put any firmer pressure on it. Slowly, he bent, peering under the hood before coming back up. “You’re caught on the fence post.” He frowned. “It’s half-wrenched out of the ground, but it's holding. Just.”
As if to taunt his words, something groaned.
Luc reached out. “I want you to move slowly. You’re going to have to climb out over the front of the jeep.”
His fingers seemed a mile away. She glanced back at the beckoning blue.
“Don’t look at the water,” he snapped. “Look at me. At my hand. As soon as you’re close enough to reach, I can drag you to safety.”
Riley’s gaze locked on his fingers. “I’m scared.”
“I know,” he said. “But you’ve been scared before. Of the dark, remember? I got you out of there.”
“I think I’m going to add a new phobia to my growing list. I feel like I’m getting a serious fear of heights.” She tried to smile again and saw the faint echo on his own lips, trying to give her hope.
“Can you grab the frame of the window? Try and ease yourself up.”
Getting over the half-smashed window was going to be a problem. She eyed the frame, then the side mirror. “Might be better to go to the side, I’m thinking.”
“Just move slowly.” He began to drag his shirt over his head. “I’m going to hold this out for you to grab.” Twirling it into a semblance of a rope, Luc flipped the end toward her. It fluttered in the breeze, temptingly close.
Riley eased her foot up onto the seat of the jeep. Somehow, her body had draped itself over the steering wheel.
She put a little more pressure onto her foot and reached up, grabbing hold of the side mirror. Each move was infinitely slow. She could feel the wind plucking at her shirt, dancing over her skin. Like it wanted her to come play with it.
Her attention scattered at the thought, cold sweat springing up along her spine.
“Riley,” Wade said calmly. “Riley, look at me.” He stared at her as if the strength of his gaze alone could drag her to safety. “I am not going to let you die.” He swallowed hard. “No matter what I have to do. Now, bring your hand up slowly, and reach for the top of the windshield.”
It was a nerve-shattering reach, her fingers gripping the metal edge of the windshield. Glass pebbled under her fingers, hitting her jeans before flinging back into space. She didn’t look. She couldn’t. All she could do was stare into Wade’s eyes and listen to that soothing voice, trust he would grab her.
Her toe edged onto the side of the jeep and she eased upward, balancing her weight on it. The shirt was barely inches away now.
“Nearly there, darlin’.” He stretched out further, as if the extra inch could help. “I want you to reach—”
An ominous cracking sound shattered the silence. Riley froze as the jeep shifted.
“Oh, Jesus,” she whispered, her heart thundering in her ears as she balanced precariously on the edge of the jeep. Her gaze cut to Wade’s.
He’d frozen too, his lips thin and white. “Don’t move,” he whispered.
Sand trickled into space. Riley’s fingers clutched around the thin metal ridging of the windshield, the glass cutting into her bare flesh. Another faint shift, with a low, creaking groan. Like the cracking of an arthritic man’s fingers.
“It’s moving
,” she blurted. “I can feel the whole thing shifting.”
“You’re almost there. Just don’t move, let it settle—”
Riley screamed a little as the jeep slid. The entire vehicle teetered backward, as if balanced on the edge of the cliff face. A child’s seesaw, the weight slowing tipping in one sure direction.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered, sucking in a sharp breath and looking back. “Oh, my God, oh, my God—”
“Riley! Look at me! You’re going to have to jump.”
“I can’t.” Riley clenched her eyes shut, paralyzed.
“You have to! Open your bloody eyes and look at me!”
“I can’t.”
“You can!”
Slowly, she looked at him. Wade seemed further away now, fear carving stark lines in his face. In his expression, she saw the hopeless truth.
“It’ll tip if I jump,” she whispered.
He looked her in the eyes. “It’s going to tip anyway. You need to trust me. I won’t let you die.” His nostrils flared, his chest heaving. Slowly, he dropped the shirt. “You need to jump. Trust me, Riley.”
“I won’t make it. You're too far away.”
He shook his head. “I know.” A faint, sad smile slid over his mouth. “Can you swim?”
The jeep slowly tilted back, her weight pulling on the windshield. Tears sprang into her eyes. Her thoughts raced, the words coming a mile a minute. “It’s too far. The impact will kill me.”
“Riley,” he barked. Again, the sound drew her attention back to him. “It won’t kill me. Trust me. Jump. You need to angle away from the jeep so we don’t land on it.”
“We?” she babbled. She could feel it going. It was only a matter of seconds. A scream caught in her throat. All she could see were Wade’s devilishly blue eyes as he crouched low, the muscles in his thighs bunching.
“Jump!” he yelled, and launched himself at her.