by Mary Wine
“Then why are you shaking?” he asked in a voice that was no longer a whisper.
“It’s normal.”
“You’re about as normal as a hurricane hitting Benton, Grace. You’re shivering.” He cupped her chin and raised her face. “Explain what’s happening, because I don’t want to have to go ask Jacobs when you pass out.”
Forcing her eyelids to open, Grace stared at Brice. Even in the dark, she could tell his face was set into a deep frown. “When I work, I get tired. Linking with a vision takes complete focus. It drains me.”
“You mean it sends you into shock.”
“Hmm, that’s a little dramatic. It’s not so bad tonight. No tracking this time. So…I’ll be up…tomorrow. But I can’t pay up.”
“What do you mean?”
Grace lifted her head and forced her eyes to focus. “You took my bet, but I don’t have any money. I’ve never had any money.”
She dropped her head onto his chest. Maybe she should try and tell him what she suspected about the blanket at the cabin. She should, and yet she resisted doing it because she knew it would end their time together.
Just one more night. Then she’d be able to leave him.
A tiny sigh escaped her before her respiration grew slow and even. But her body shook with increasing tremors. The skin on her back lost its heat quickly to the night air. The bedding was kicked down to the foot of the bed. He raised it over them and tucked the edges over her shoulders.
Brice used his own heat to still the tremors, securing her against his length. The shivers eased slowly until she lay sleeping contently against him.
Her scent was thick in the tent and Brice found himself breathing it deeply. He resigned himself to letting her rest. The facts of their lives sat heavily on his mind. If her focus was returning, he doubted she’d remain in Benton County much longer. The type of unit that Jacobs ran was specially trained in the art of disappearing.
Brice had no idea what to do to prevent it from happening.
Jacobs lifted his hand to rub it over his jaw. It was just after midnight and he hadn’t slept a wink. Beth was draped half over his body in nothing more than a couple of pieces of thin Victorian underwear. Jacobs smiled. She looked damn good in it too.
A frown crossed his face. She had been so cold when he’d stripped her down. It’d scared the hell out of him. He’d watched the same thing happen to Grace hundreds of times. He’d been concerned. Maybe even a little worried a time or two. Nothing like tonight with Beth. Ice-cold dread had gripped his gut until he wanted to puke with it.
The reason was clear. Grace was tough as nails. He’d long ago learned to respect the fact that she would survive at all costs. Beth was another matter. He studied her face for a moment. She was a woman, soft and curvy and full of life. She wasn’t weak by any means, but she wasn’t a trained soldier like Grace was.
Slowly running his hand along the side of her head, he smiled. She had warmed up. She was sleeping soundly now with her head pillowed right in the middle of his chest. His body was reacting all too strongly to her, and he knew he wasn’t going to get a lot of sleep tonight.
He didn’t mind.
He’d never spent the entire night with a woman before. Well, other than Grace, and that was very different. Grace sure as hell didn’t pump up his emotions.
Beth stirred and sighed as she shifted her body closer to his. He couldn’t contain a low growl as her knee nudged his erection. One of her hands brushed over his chest as she made some of the sexiest little sounds. He kept his eyes on her face. If she made the mistake of opening those beautiful blue eyes of hers, he wasn’t going to give her much of a chance to get out of his bed.
Beth sighed again and moved her hand over Jacobs’s arm. She wasn’t asleep. Hadn’t been for the last fifteen minutes or so. Lord, the man was built. She wasn’t exactly sure just how she had gotten into bed with him, but she had no intention of wasting the opportunity. Beth had never been so bold in her life. Jacobs just seemed to bring it out in her.
She just couldn’t get enough of the man. Maybe it was because he was so big. It wasn’t often she got to feel small next to a man. Beth knew it was more than that. She loved that lopsided grin he had. She also liked the way he ran his gaze over her body. It made her feel pretty.
Beth wasn’t foolish. She knew that Jacobs and Grace led a somewhat uncertain life. She also knew it was risky of her, but she couldn’t bear to not embrace every second she had with this man. If that decision meant she was headed for a broken heart tomorrow, well, she intended to enjoy today as much as possible.
Beth slowly moved her body again. This time she rubbed her breasts gently against his chest. She moved her hand back across his chest and dug into the thick muscle she found there. He suddenly slapped the cheek of her bottom and firmly gripped the flesh. Beth softly laughed and opened her eyes to stare into his hazel ones. He released her bottom and then gripped it again.
“How long have you been awake?” Jacobs softly demanded.
A naughty little smile was the only answer Beth gave him. She moved her hand down and across his tight abdomen. She started to move her leg again but the hand that gripped her bottom tightened, firmly pressing her hips to his thigh. She felt positively decadent. Yes, Jacobs brought out a level of boldness that she hadn’t known she even possessed. At the moment, it was very exciting.
Beth still had her head pillowed on his chest. His heart was beating at an accelerated pace. She wasn’t the only one that found her actions exciting. Her hand continued to roam. She felt the slightest tensing of his body before he surged up, rolling her onto her back. He accomplished it with amazing ease. Beth found herself completely trapped beneath his body. Even her roaming hand was secured to the surface of the cot.
He brought his knee up and gently pressed it into the soft flesh between her thighs. Her breath caught before her eyes fused with his.
“If you want to leave, Beth, this is your chance.”
He whispered that in a deep tone. She shivered as passion started to burn along her body.
“Right here suits me perfectly.”
And she didn’t want to think about the consequences.
She tried to pull her hand free and he released it. She gripped the side of his head, pulling him down as she raised her own head off the pillow to bring their mouths together.
Beth found herself pressed back onto the pillow as Jacobs opened her mouth, demanding complete possession. With shocking clarity, Beth realized just how controlled he had been the other night when he had kissed her. He wasn’t hurtful, but he was fierce. He sought to master her completely. Beth was fierce in return. She had never felt like this before and she threw herself into the tide of emotions.
Tomorrow was an eternity away.
Grace awoke just before dawn. Her mind was clear. So was her memory. Brice was curled up along her back. The most amazing emotion hit her. She felt cherished.
That tender emotion disturbed her. Yet pleased her. She’d known it would happen, but she didn’t realize quite how strong it would be—and she wasn’t sorry.
No, he hadn’t given the pleasure to her. He had shared it with her. Maybe she was physically new to this emotion, but the idea of binding affection was very familiar to Grace. She had felt it while searching for people for years. It was, however, the first time she had felt it within herself.
The disturbing thought of being parted from Brice reminded Grace of the conclusions she had come to the evening before. She needed to fill Jacobs in on the facts. It was very possible that he would decide to pull out of the county. As much as that pained her, Grace had to be logical. If someone had gone to this much trouble to keep her busy, then they would not be above hurting anyone who got in their way.
Grace felt a twist of fear. Brice was the sheriff of Benton County. Any kind of disturbance would see him in the middle of it. She was not willing to risk his life.
“Grace, has anyone ever told you that you think too much?”
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br /> Grace found herself turned onto her back with a very naked, very handsome man pinning her to the bed beneath him. The first faint rays of light were just beginning to fall on the front of the tent as she looked at the face of the man above her. Yes, she did care for this man. She must never let him know it. Grace slowly slid a wall up to keep him from reading her eyes.
“Too late, sweetheart.”
Brice held her steady as she tried to break out of his embrace. Her eyes flashed at him but he simply gave her a steady look back. She twisted again and he pinned her down by rolling between her legs. Pushing his staff into her, Brice watched her eyes register his possession. He gripped her head, refusing to allow her to break the eye contact.
“You came to me, Grace. It’s not a two-way door.”
He stopped moving and held her impaled on his staff. It tortured her with prolonged sensation that wouldn’t be satisfied. Instead, all Grace felt was the throbbing of his cock hard and deep inside her body.
“We are finished fighting, Grace.” He moved his hips and thrust into her. Grace moaned with rapture and pushed her hips up for his possession. But he stopped again and she groaned with frustration.
“Tell me to finish.”
It was an arrogant command. Grace glared into his hard eyes and struggled against her pride. He thrust again and held her down while the demand sat between them. But he was right. There wasn’t any place for fighting between them. So she forced her body to relax and let her face soften as the feel of his cock captured her complete attention.
“I want you, Brice.” And she did.
Any concession was enough. Brice thrust his hips with growing speed as she kept time with him.
“Slow down, Brice, if you can that is.” She gripped him with her thighs as her voice turned softly mocking. Sweat beaded on his brow as she neatly turned the tables on him. She set the rhythm and kept it slow as she watched his jaw clench tighter and tighter.
“If you want to play lover, I’m going to kick your ass.” She bucked under him and took his length all the way to the root. Her passage clenched as she climaxed and his cock exploded into her depths.
Grace balanced on the edge of sanity as the vortex engulfed them both. It was searing and draining and she rode out the tide of feeling.
When it was over, Brice gently lifted her face. She looked back at him and let him see the uncertainty she was feeling. But what they had shared went beyond passion or sex. It entered into that world where soul mates met and merged for life. Having found each other, the void would never be filled but by each other.
“I don’t want to leave.” It was the truth, as desolate and trapped as it made her feel. Precious minutes remained, and Grace turned to Brice, wanting to make them last long enough to fill a lifetime.
The sun had been up a good hour before Beth forced herself to get up. She got to her feet, groaning slightly.
“Sore?”
Beth couldn’t meet his eyes. By the feel of her face, it had to be beet red. She had no clue what had gotten into her last night but she had never been such a brazen hussy before in her life.
A large hand gripped hers and turned Beth around. She ran her gaze over the slight grin that was sitting on Jacobs’s face and knew exactly what had gotten into her. Love. She was in deep this time. Beth lifted her chin and gave Jacobs a smile. She was twenty-eight years old. If she wanted to spend the night with a man, well, she guessed she was old enough to make the choice. While the bright light of day might be making her blush, she couldn’t say that she regretted her decision.
Beth gave Jacobs another smile before she set about finding her clothes. She found her shirt. Memory was returning and she had a dim one of Jacobs undressing her. She had been freezing for some reason.
He sat up, stretched and smiled as her gaze returned to his body.
“Sure you want to get up?”
“You want breakfast?” she countered.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Beth had gotten her clothes back on and started to leave but stopped herself. She needed to thank him for taking care of her yesterday. She hadn’t been the most agreeable of patients. Beth realized that if Jacobs had let her leave she could have collapsed and ended up in the hospital or worse, been alone when it happened. She knew he couldn’t discuss what had really happened between her and Grace, but it didn’t change the fact that he had taken care of her when he could have left her in someone else’s care.
Turning around, Beth gave Jacobs a smile. He was still sitting on the cot watching her with that lopsided grin of his.
“I’m sorry I was such a handful.”
Jacobs regarded her for a moment.
“Just a little heat stroke. You should take it easy today.”
Anger started to boil inside Beth. She knew that whatever he and Grace did, it was classified. She had been raised on an army base and knew enough to keep her mouth shut. Her temper got the better of her and she gave into it because she was certain that they were alone.
“I did not faint from the heat. I am not asking just what it was, but I do not appreciate you assuming that I am stupid enough to buy that line, Major.”
Beth intended to leave the tent on that note, but Jason jumped to his feet and caught her up against his body. She pushed and twisted a moment, but where most men would have found it difficult to hold her, Jason didn’t budge an inch. Beth finally resigned herself to his hold.
“I’m sorry, honey. It’s just a conditioned response. I know you aren’t the same as any other woman I’ve ever met, but I just don’t know what I can do about it right now.”
Beth watched his hazel eyes for a moment. It was much more than she had been expecting. The warmth that was reflected back at her was heart stopping. She was content to wait. Stretching up, she pressed her mouth to his. Jacobs let her lead for a short time but then took control, and it was another hour before she was thinking about cooking.
Cole nickered in greeting when Grace pulled herself up onto the top of the corral fence. The sun was fully up and it was maybe 0900 hours. A slight smile crossed her lips. It would appear she was the first one to emerge this morning.
Pulling her hair around in front of her, Grace began to brush it out. It was full of tangles. She slowly worked a brush through it. Grace began the task of braiding her hair up and around her head. She was skilled enough at the task that she didn’t need a mirror.
Her hair once again coiled and pinned down, Grace simply waited. Cole nudged her for attention and she ran her hand over the stallion’s neck. If they stayed in Benton, Grace was going to ask Brice to take her for another ride on the creature.
They wouldn’t be staying.
She needed to accept that fact. Maybe she already had and that was the true reason she was avoiding waking her C.O.
Jacobs finally emerged, wearing nothing but his pants. He stopped to sit in the chair in front of his tent to pull his boots on. He shrugged into his shirt as he walked over to where Grace sat, giving her a sheepish smile as he realized that she had been waiting there for him.
Grace watched his hazel eyes for a time. He was tired also, but very much at ease. She wasn’t judgmental. Never had been. Their relationship was built on trust and truth. Jacobs was a male, and Grace simply accepted that he would have sexual needs. Those eyes of his were assessing her in return today.
“Do me a favor, and stop inspecting me like some experiment. I get a little too much of that from your superiors.”
“Brice is bringing out your opinions.”
And Jacobs wasn’t too sure if he liked that or not. Grace could see that written clearly across his face. “You didn’t seem to care for me keeping it to myself either. Make up your mind, Jacobs.”
“Point taken.”
“Things are becoming clearer.”
“What did you find yesterday?”
“My blanket child,” she offered. “That blanket was a piece of bait. For me. I’m sure of it now.”
“How can you be?�
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“It wasn’t at the cabin the first time, I didn’t miss it. Someone planted it after I recovered Paige. Someone who left a lot of anger on it and the cabin. That same person was creeping around the woods outside Brice’s house too. I recognize the scent now.”
Jacobs face went hard. “That means we have a leak.”
“Or a rat,” Brice confirmed as he joined the conversation. “And whoever this is wants you here. That’s why they dropped you last month.”
“I think so,” Grace agreed. “I believe Paige was just bait as well.”
“That would explain the mystery of the kidnapping case,” Brice spoke softly. “No ransom demand, no vendettas, no marital issues, no sexual assault. She was just swiped.”
“And held in a remote location,” Jacobs finished. “One you wouldn’t have an issue reaching. In fact, you enjoy the forest.”
“That narrows the field of suspects,” Brice decided. “How many men know her abilities and habits?”
“We’ve got plenty of people who have seen her at work. It’s not going to be that simple to narrow the field. Anyone who has been in contact with us could have set this up. You’re on the top of the list because you shook the bushes to get us out here,” Jacobs said.
Brice shot him a hard look. Jacobs only shrugged. “It’s logical and you know it.”
“Fine. And logic says you can either pull out or try and trap your perpetrator here.”
Grace tuned out the men’s conversation for a moment. Something was nagging her. The morning battle was going on. It had in fact started some twenty minutes ago. The noise from the black-powder guns was very loud here. People had been moving around for the last forty-five minutes. Grace looked at Jacobs’s tent. She had a clear view of the front of it and was certain that Beth hadn’t left it after Jacobs had. The sun was lighting it up now, while there were shadows cast from the furniture of the tent. Grace was almost positive no one was standing inside.