Crime & Punishment 3: Theirs to Share

by Trista Ann Michaels

  “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 f
ight.

  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.

  “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 bedro
om 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.