Crime & Punishment 3: Theirs to Share

by Trista Ann Michaels

  He oozed sex. Both of them did. Not for the first time today, she found herself watching the agents and wondering what they were like outside the job and inside a bedroom. She frowned at her train of thought. She was running from the mob; why on earth would she be thinking about sex? Not to mention she’d just met the two agents protecting her.

  But looking at them, how could she not think about it? They were gorgeous, and she was stuck with them for heaven only knew how long. Unfortunately, looks didn’t mean they were great in bed. Would they really be any better than the bumbling idiots from her past? Would either of them be able to make her orgasm? God knows, none of the others had.

  “Knock it off, Shy. They’re here to protect you, not to have sex with you,” she mumbled to herself.

  Yeah, but it’s been so long since I’ve had sex. Would it be such a bad thing?

  “Yes,” she hissed softly. “Yes, it would.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  Cheyenne jumped at the sound of Parker’s voice so close to her shoulder. She jerked around, and her hand flew to her chest, covering her rapidly beating heart.

  “I’m sorry,” Parker said. He grinned in such a way that Cheyenne knew he was lying. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Talk to yourself often?”

  She snorted. “All the time.”

  Her nerves began to settle. At least some of them. At the proximity of such a gorgeous man, new ones began to flare to life, especially in her lower stomach and pussy region.

  “I often talk to myself while I’m in surgery. I think my nurses and PAs have all decided I’m a little off in the head, but interestingly enough, they’ve learned to tell when I’m talking to them and when I’m working things out to myself.”

  Parker chuckled. “Sign of a close-knit team.”

  She tilted her head and studied him. “Are you and Grayson related? The two of you look so much alike.”

  “We’re cousins.” Parker put his hand at the small of her back and escorted her toward the cabin. The touch of his fingers against her skin, even with her shirt between them, sent a flare of heat up her spine. “Our mothers are identical twins, and we both take after our mothers, so we look a lot alike.”

  “No kidding,” she replied. “You guys could easily pass for brothers. How did you both end up in the FBI?”

  “Dumb luck,” Parker replied.

  Cheyenne giggled as they climbed the steps to the porch. “It has to be more than that.”

  “We both worked for the local police force as detectives. We were paired up with a special task force the FBI put together to track down a serial killer who was working in our area. When the job was over, they offered us positions. We said we would only go if we could stay together. We’re very good at watching each other’s backs. The FBI saw a little of that when we were working the case, and I guess they agreed, so…the rest, as they say, is history.”

  Parker opened the front door and held it for her to walk through. The inside of the cabin was as rustic and homey as the outside. Lots of wood, earth-tone colors, and leather furniture filled the room. A huge rock fireplace with large-pane windows on either side of it took up one wall and afforded an amazing view of Gatlinburg below.

  “Wow,” she breathed as she walked toward the window and looked out. “I bet that is amazing at night. I would love to see the town. Do you think there’s any—”

  “No,” Grayson said as he walked into the room from the bedroom to the right.

  She frowned at him. “Don’t you even want a minute or two to think about it?”

  “Don’t need to,” he replied as he strolled into the kitchen.

  Despite her best efforts not to, her gaze wandered over his firm behind. He looked good in those jeans. When he turned to face her, she quickly averted her gaze.

  “You’re in hiding, Cheyenne. Walking around Gatlinburg isn’t hiding.”

  She lifted her face to his, ready to argue her point. “We’re several states away. How would they even find me here?”

  Parker dropped onto the couch. “The mob has eyes everywhere, sweetheart. You do not want to take that chance.”

  “Well, with that line of thinking, should I just accept the fact that my life is over? I mean, if the mob is that big, what’re they going to do when I take the stand? We’re only going to take out four of them. What about the others?” Parker and Grayson shared a look that made Cheyenne incredibly nervous. “Out with it, guys. What are you not telling me?”

  “Most likely you’ll have to get a new identity,” Grayson said softly. “I know that you’re close with Steve, but since you’re not married, it’s not guaranteed that the agency will put you together.”

  Her eyes widened as a vise wrapped around her heart so tight she could hardly breathe. Would she really have to go the rest of her life without seeing Steve? And at this point, considering how angry he was with her, would he even care? The idea that he wouldn’t made tears burn the backs of her eyes.

  “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 g
iggled. “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 cou
ld 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.