Her teeth would graze the head and… Damn it. If he didn’t stop this, he’d have another hard-on to deal with.
“Which trail are we going to?” Grayson asked, trying to change the subject.
“I was thinking Grotto Falls.”
Grayson nodded. “Are we taking guns?”
Parker frowned. “Yeah.”
“If we get caught inside the national park with our guns—”
“We have our badges,” Parker said with a look that clearly said he wouldn’t argue the point any further.
“Then you’ll be the one to handle it,” Grayson replied.
Parker sighed. “Fair enough.”
Grayson agreed they should never take Cheyenne anywhere without some sort of protection. Sometimes, even with badges, it was more trouble than it was worth. Grayson tended to err on the side of caution. Parker sometimes flat-out didn’t give a shit.
Today was going to be one of those days.
* * * *
“Before we head out, I have something for Cheyenne.”
Cheyenne shut the car door and stared in stunned silence at Grayson as he walked past her to the back of the SUV.
“I’m sorry. What?” she asked.
Grayson raised an eyebrow. “Do you half listen to your patients like that?”
She could tell by the playful grin on his face and the teasing light in his eyes he was only poking fun at her. Unfortunately, she really wasn’t in the mood.
“Sorry,” she said with a dismissive shrug and more snark in her voice than she’d really intended. “I didn’t realize we were discussing medical history.”
Grayson opened the back and pulled out a bag. “Perhaps this will put you in a better mood.”
She eyed the bag almost warily. She imagined him pulling out a vibrator or an anal plug he expected her to wear during the entire hike. That thought made her go warm between her legs. When he pulled out a box with a picture of a very expensive camera on it, all thoughts went from sex to excitement of a different kind.
She pointed at the box, her heart racing like crazy. “Oh my God. Is that what’s in there?”
Parker joined them and stared at the box in surprise as well.
“It is,” Grayson said with a nod. “I saw it when I went to get some groceries. I don’t know if it’s what you use or even if it’s good enough, but—”
His next words were cut off as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close, causing him to almost drop the box. He passed it to Parker, who murmured, “Suck-up.”
Cheyenne giggled as Grayson wrapped his arms around the small of her back and held her close. His body was hard, his arms strong and firm. She could feel his heat, smell his woodsy scent. It settled around her like a blanket and made her whole body tingle in ways it shouldn’t.
Let go, idiot. Move away before you start grinding against him or trying to climb him like a damn tree. A very hard, sexy tree.
“Thank you,” she said as she pulled away and grabbed the box from Parker. “You really shouldn’t have, Grayson. These things aren’t cheap.”
He shrugged. “It came out of the expense account.”
She smiled at him slightly and tugged at the lid. As she opened it and held the camera in her hand, a sense of normalcy flooded over her. She loved taking pictures. If she hadn’t become a doctor, she would’ve been a photographer. She had several of her pictures framed and mounted on her office walls. She received compliments on them all the time. One man even tried to convince her she should open a shop on Etsy and sell them, but she never did. She wasn’t in it to make money. It was her stress relief, her way to forget the troubles of the day and lose herself.
Grayson had no idea how much this meant to her.
“Doesn’t that thing need a battery?” Parker asked.
Cheyenne sighed in disappointment. “Yeah, it does.”
“You mean this battery?” Grayson asked as he reached into the back of the car and unplugged the battery from the inverter.
“Oh my God,” Cheyenne said with a smile.
“Yep. Definitely a suck-up,” Parker grumbled.
Cheyenne laughed and glanced at him over her shoulder.
“Not a suck-up,” Grayson replied. “I thought you might like something familiar to help get you through this.”
She smiled at him gratefully. “It’s perfect. Thank you.” But as she slid the battery into place and turned the camera on, sadness began to once again fill her heart. “Do you think I’ll ever see any of my own stuff again? All the pictures I’ve taken before? All my mementos from trips and college?”
“Some of that stuff we can get you, but you will probably never be able to go back.” Parker brushed away a curl that had blown across her eyes. “You can’t take anything that could possibly allow them to trace you.”
Cheyenne nodded sadly. With a stubborn shake of her head, she shoved those dark thoughts aside. “Let’s forget all that right now. Let’s just go enjoy the trail.”
Grayson shut the back of the SUV. The loud bang of the door was like the final nail in the coffin for her moodiness. “Sounds good to me,” he said.
It did to her too. She wanted to forget. Needed to, really. Today would be just a normal day. Three friends out to have a good time.
Chapter Eleven
“Nice move,” Parker said softly as he passed Grayson on the trail.
Grayson smiled. Parker may have complimented him, but he was also kicking himself for not thinking of it. But then that’s the way they were. Grayson was the thoughtful one. Parker, the stern one.
His cousin could be thoughtful as well, but Parker had learned to rely on Grayson for that sort of stuff. Grayson would remember birthdays, flowers, the little things. Parker was the one who would check the oil in her car, her tire pressure, make sure her cell phone was charged.
They were both so different, yet the same. They were like two halves of one whole.
At first, their bond had freaked them out. Over the years, they’d learned to live with, even rely on it at times. It had become a part of them. Their mothers believed there was a woman out there for them, a woman who would love them both equally for who they were individually. Grayson held on to that hope. Parker, not so much.
As they climbed the hill, he stared a few feet ahead at Cheyenne. She’d stopped at the top of the hill and taken a picture of the mountain range that could be seen through a gap in the trees. He caught up to her and studied the scenery over her shoulder.
The sky was a beautiful shade of blue. Big white puffy clouds floated over the tops of the mountain, breaking up the color and sunshine and casting shadows over the green hillside.
A breeze flowed, ruffling her hair and wrapping her scent around him. She smelled like flowers, and he inhaled, bringing her into him, hoping to hold on to it.
She lowered the camera and stared out over the view. “It’s so pretty here.”
“You should see it in the fall,” Grayson replied.
Parker came up to join them. He rested his hand on her back between her shoulder blades. Grayson had been careful not to touch her, not to tempt himself any more than necessary. He didn’t have to. When Parker touched her, Grayson could feel her body heat in his fingertips.
It was one of the odd side effects of their bond. It didn’t happen all the time, but this time was stronger than others. This time felt different, and that worried him. It complicated things way too much.
“Have you guys been here before?” she asked.
“We used to come here a lot with our families for vacation. Our mothers love it here. They get a cabin and spend a couple of weeks exploring the trails. They still come up, and we join them when we can,” Grayson replied.
“What do your mothers think of…?” Cheyenne began, but then stopped as though not sure how to continue.
“Our jobs?” Parker asked with amusement.
She turned and pursed her lips as she stared at them. “No. The girlfriend thing.”
&nbs
p; “The sharing?” Grayson asked.
She nodded.
“They were surprised at first.”
“I’ll bet,” she replied. “Do you guys really do that, or are you just pulling my leg?”
“Why would you think we were pulling your leg?” Parker asked.
“It just…” She gestured with her hand. “It just seems so off the wall. Two guys. One girl. How does she walk once the two of you are done with her?”
Parker and Grayson busted out laughing. Cheyenne wasn’t amused. “I’m being serious here, guys.”
“Sorry,” Parker said as he ushered her forward, continuing on the trail. “I assure you, she can still walk.”
As they walked the downside of the trail, she continued to ask questions. “So is it the two of you all the time? Or do you take turns?”
“Wow,” Grayson said. “Interesting questions.”
“It’s an interesting situation. I mean, you have to admit. It’s not something you hear about, unless you read erotic romance novels.”
She tripped over an exposed root, and Grayson quickly grabbed her arm to keep her from falling. She glanced up at him and smiled that smile that made him weak in the damn knees.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“Anytime,” he replied.
She continued on and so did her questions. “So…you never answered me.”
“It’s a mixture,” Parker replied. “Sometimes together. Sometimes separate. I think, truthfully, it would depend on the woman and the relationship. And then there’s Grayson, who sometimes just likes to watch.”
She came to a dead stop and glanced at Grayson over her shoulder. The eyebrow over her left eye rose, and Grayson scowled at Parker. “Really?” he snapped.
Parker shrugged. “She’s curious. What’s the harm in being honest?”
“So you’re a voyeur, huh?” she drawled.
Grayson didn’t miss the amusement in her voice. With a sigh, Grayson grumbled, “On occasion.”
She snickered as she continued down the path. “Don’t feel bad, Grayson. To me, having someone watch is kind of sexy.”
Grayson’s lips twitched as Parker nudged him in the side. Cheyenne could certainly surprise him. So she liked being watched, huh? That knowledge opened up a butt-load of possibilities.
“So what else do you think is sexy?” Parker asked.
From behind her, Grayson watched her shoulders lift in a shrug. “Different stuff.”
He couldn’t see her face, but with her hair in a ponytail, he could see the red tips of her ears. She’d apparently spoken without thinking, and now that Parker was continuing the line of conversation, she was embarrassed by what she’d said. Grayson wasn’t sure if he should laugh or change the subject and stop what she probably saw as her torture.
He chose to continue. After all, she’d brought all this up by asking her questions. Right?
“Like what?” Parker coaxed. “Come on, Doc. If you can ask us about our sex lives, then we should be able to ask you.”
She stopped and mumbled something under her breath before replying. “Fine. I concede your point.” She turned and scowled at him. “I find a lot of different things sexy. A strong, alpha man. A slow kiss. Sometimes, a hard kiss.” There was a pause before she spoke again, this time a little lower as though loathe to admit it. “Talking dirty.”
“The man or you?” Parker asked.
She reached a small stream that crossed the trail and stopped, studying the best way to cross without getting her shoes wet. She took a wide step to a flat rock above the waterline, then jumped from that to the dry path on the other side. She still hadn’t answered his question, but so far, Parker hadn’t pushed. Grayson was curious to hear her answer because one thing he really enjoyed doing was talking dirty, especially when giving a woman instruction on how to please Parker.
Grayson and Parker followed her trek across the stream. “Which is it, Cheyenne?” Grayson asked.
She stopped and growled toward the sky. Grayson and Parker glanced at each other and grinned.
“God, you guys are like a dog with a bone.” She opened her mouth to say something, but a young couple rounded the corner, coming into view. She smiled and murmured, “Saved by the yuppies.”
“It’s only a temporary reprieve,” Grayson said with a chuckle as he nodded a greeting to the young couple.
They pushed on up the trail but didn’t press Cheyenne any further. At least for now. It was fun to tease her, though. She might blurt stuff out, but she embarrassed easily, and it was that adorable trait that had Grayson thinking of even more ways to get the blush in her cheeks.
CHEYENNE WAS GRATEFUL the questions had stopped. She should’ve never probed them about their sex life. It wasn’t any of her business anyway, but the idea of sharing definitely turned her on. She was as horny now as she had been last night. She thought about jumping into the cold stream she could see a few feet below to cool herself off, but then her clothes would be wet. She would have to change them.
Would one of them give her his shirt to wear? Would they play with her pussy beneath the hem? Drive her crazy with their long, thick fingers?
She stopped to take a picture of the stream. If she concentrated on the picture, of getting the right angle or watching the light, then maybe she could lessen the ache between her legs.
She had never imagined being aroused could be almost painful, but that’s what it was. She wanted sex so badly, she physically hurt. That was insane, wasn’t it?
Lowering the camera, she inhaled the damp air. Ahead was a smaller waterfall. She tried to focus on the soothing sound. Even the temperature was cooler here. She wished hers was.
It was all their fault. Asking those questions about what she found sexy. It had been on the tip of her tongue to say she found them sexy, but that would’ve been a stupid thing to say. She wasn’t able to curb her responses sometimes, so she was grateful she hadn’t blurted that out. God help her if she had.
“Earth to Doc,” Parker sang.
Warmth flooded through her at the nickname. She liked that he called her Doc. It was cute.
“I was just admiring the view,” she replied over her shoulder.
The two agents came to join her, standing on either side of her.
“Wouldn’t it be incredibly cool to have something like this in your backyard?” she asked.
“Wow, she sounds like Mom,” Grayson murmured.
She glanced at him. “Is that a bad thing?”
Grayson pursed his lips and with a shake of his head replied, “No. She loves waterfalls so much she actually had one put in her backyard. It took Dad, me, and Parker all summer to get it done, but it turned out really nice. She sits out there all the time.”
Cheyenne was intrigued. “An actual waterfall?”
“There’s a big embankment that faces the rear of the house. We dug into the hillside, brought in rock and plants. It was a lot of work, but it definitely spruced up the backyard and gave a purpose to that awkward hill. It’s probably what, Parker? About ten feet tall or so?”
“Close to that. Did you see that last set of pics your mom sent once she got the rest of the hill landscaped?”
“Yeah, I did. We’ll have to show those to Cheyenne.”
“I would like that,” she said with a smile. “Let’s keep going.”
Without waiting for a response, she resumed her hike. They were close. She could hear it. So far they hadn’t seen many people along the trail, so it didn’t surprise her to finally see the falls but no tourists. The three of them were alone.
It brought to mind images of the Playboy mansion and Hugh Hefner’s grotto. Had sexy, naughty things taken place at this one? Had any other visitors done what was currently going through her mind?
With a dismissive shiver, she walked toward the falls. The water fell over the rocks and into a circular pool before funneling between two large boulders and creating another, smaller waterfall before flowing farther down the mountain. The
circular pool created the perfect swimming hole.
Sweat dotted her brow and made her shirt feel sticky. She was tempted to jump in, but she would have to walk back to the car in wet jeans, which would be incredibly uncomfortable. She didn’t dare swim nude because as soon as she stripped, someone would top the hill and see her. So it looked like swimming was out.
The closer she got to the falls, the lower the temperature seemed to go. The breeze created by the falling water ruffled her hair and felt so good. She sighed and stopped, letting her eyes close and her body absorb the cool mist. She loved waterfalls. Especially in the summer.
The temperature helped to slow down her ardor as well, which was something she silently gave thanks for.
“This is gorgeous,” she said as she raised the camera to snap off a couple of pictures.
“You should walk behind it,” Parker suggested.
She lowered the camera and to her surprise realized the path did go behind the falls and circle around the other side of the swimming hole.
“Oh, that’s cool,” she said and headed toward the grotto created by the falling water.
As she stepped behind the falls, she smiled at how the light sparkled like diamonds against the curtain of falling water. She lifted the camera and got off a couple of shots before the guys joined her. The temperature inside the grotto seemed to rise several degrees as the men joined her.
“Interesting angle, huh?” Grayson murmured close to her ear.
A slight tremor slid down her spine at the feel of his breath against her ear.
She tried to ignore it and replied, “It would be neat to have chairs back here. I could sit and watch the light play on the falling water all day.”
In an effort to put some distance between them, she stepped forward, held the camera behind her back, and reached out her free hand to feel the water.
It was cold—ice-cold—and she smiled as it slid over her hand and wrist. Her shoes and shins were getting wet from the splash of the water as it hit the pool below, but she didn’t care. This spot was gorgeous.
She started to edge closer, but a tug on the belt loop of her jeans held her back. She looked questioningly over her shoulder at Parker.
Crime & Punishment 3: Theirs to Share Page 7