Reckless River: Men of Mercy, Book 3

by Cross, Lindsay

  “City boy. You wanna get her STD? Get in the trailer before you draw more attention.”

  Jared took a moment to consider the benefits of letting her continue to boss him around versus taking control now. It would be better to let this play out a while, he decided. Let her think she’d won. Jared lifted his hands in surrender and entered the trailer.

  Multiple pairs of dead eyes stared back at him from stuffed heads. Squirrel. Deer. A bear’s head? He turned and shot her a questioning look. No way she’d taken down all these animals herself. “You buy these already stuffed?”

  “Let’s get something straight. I’m not a sissy girl. And just because I’m small don’t mean I can’t do that to you.” Sparrow indicated one really screwed up deer head—evidently she’d shot that particular animal in the face instead of the body. Then she reached into a wooden chest next to the door and pulled out a rope. “Now go on through that door.”

  Sparrow indicated the only door on the right of the combined living room and kitchen area. The living room was sparse, containing a couple of wood chests, a faded blue couch, and multiple travel magazines lying around. Interesting. The hillbilly wanted to see the world. Go figure.

  Jared obliged, curious to see where she was planning to keep him, as if this cardboard box could truly contain him. He turned a loose brass knob on the hollow wooden door to reveal a tiny room that contained a bed, broken dresser and a bedside table. That was it. The bedframe, while once white, had rusted and faded in so many spots he couldn’t describe the color anymore. “If you want me to get naked all you have to do is ask.”

  “Lay down, put your arms up, and hold on to the headboard.” Sparrow prodded him with the rifle and his curiosity took a turn to irritation.

  “You wanna keep that rifle, you better get it out of my back.” He stopped in the middle of the room and waited for the pressure to be removed before continuing. Jared sat, testing the dilapidated bed to see if it would hold under his weight. When he felt sure it wouldn’t crack in two, he laid down to the tune of a loud creak and the feeling of a hundred springs stabbing him in the back.

  Sparrow pulled the rope off her arm and approached, stopping just out of his reach. “Are you going to stay still or do I have to go get one of my stepbrothers to hold you down?”

  “Yours to command. I promise I won’t bite unless you’re into that kind of thing.” Another blush stole across her cheeks and Jared found he was enjoying her discomfort immensely. Most of the women he’d dated were fake, but Sparrow wasn’t like that. Maybe she hadn’t earned her keep on her back after all.

  “Grab the headboard.”

  Jared once again obliged, curious to see what she had planned for after she tied him to her bed. He didn’t bother resisting—yet. It would be quick work for him to get out of the bonds. His Special Forces training had taught him every escape-and-evade trick in the United States government’s arsenal. He could lull the girl into false comfort, wait until night fell, and use the darkness as cover to go off in search of his brother. And he could finagle information out of the girl without her even realizing it.

  Jared was first and foremost a sniper, but he could interrogate just as well. He’d just never interrogated someone like her.

  Sparrow propped her rifle against the wall next to the bed. Her first mistake. How easy it would be for him to grab it and turn the tables. Or the ropes, so to speak. But he would let her get comfortable for now.

  It had been nearly twenty years since he’d seen her, but Jared could never forget those golden eyes. Eyes that had haunted his dreams ever since. Had she joined up with Kay? Or was she simply one of those poor souls struggling to survive?

  The thought of Sparrow slowly starving filled him with a sense of guilt. He should have made her leave with them. Even though they’d been children when she’d freed them, Jared had been big enough to drag her out, whether she’d wanted to go or not.

  She leaned over him, reaching for his hands. Her floppy hat fell down, blinding her, and she ripped it off and tossed it across the room. Long caramel-colored hair, full of sun-kissed highlights, waterfalled down the sides of her face and tickled his nose. Her scent surrounded him now, flooding his senses. Honeysuckle and wildflowers. His cock swelled in an instant. Jared gnashed his teeth together, trying to quell his intense reaction to her nearness.

  Sparrow leaned down further and her loose tank top gaped open, treating him to a glorious view of surprisingly plump breasts cupped in a plain sports bra. His gaze locked onto her beaded nipples through the cotton. Fuck he wanted to rip that bra down and reveal what was hidden beneath. The loose manly clothes she wore made her look stick thin, but womanly curves were concealed beneath them.

  Sparrow sighed and sat up straight, leaving rope dangling uselessly on his wrists. Jared gripped the metal headboard with his hands, waiting for her next move. She stood there for a moment and studied him, trying to decide what to do. Well, he wasn’t going to help her out one little bit.

  “Keep your hands right there, got it?” Her voice was stern.

  “Yes ma’am.” He had no intention of acting up. Yet.

  She placed a knee on the mattress, and in one swift movement straddled him, settling on his belly. Jared groaned and closed his eyes thankful she hadn’t sat down lower on his body; otherwise, she would have gotten her own surprise. She leaned over him spreading her knees wider up his chest. His eyes popped open, unable to resist another view of her bare skin.

  “You can stop with the theatrics right now, I know I’m not big enough to crush you.”

  If only that were his problem. Her shirt dipped down even more and he fixated on the pale mounds of her breasts straining against the material of her sports bra. It was a crime to lock those beauties up in serviceable cotton.

  She should wear nothing but pure silk and lace, perfect for him to rip off her body.

  Her hair curtained around him again, and her soft lips parted in concentration as she worked. He was aware of every inch of exposed skin—from the graceful hollow of her neck to her supple forearms peeking out from the rolled up sleeves of her checkered work shirt. Even more aware of the intense heat radiating from her core, pressed so intimately to his chest.

  “There. All done.” She sat back, a satisfied smile on her lips.

  Jared tugged on the rope. He’d completely zoned out on anything other than her straddling him. It didn’t give an inch—the knot she’d tied was worthy of a professional. A small ounce of foreboding seeped into him. “Where did you learn to tie knots?”

  “Trapping. Working snares. Been doing it since I was a kid.” Her words were so matter-of-fact, he had no doubt she spoke the truth. Holy shit. He yanked on the ropes, but they didn’t move.

  “Impressive.” Jared wriggled his fingers and wrists, testing for any weakness. He found none.

  “Might as well stop struggling. Nobody’s ever been able to get out of one of my knots. And I used my new rope too, so it wouldn’t snap easy.” She made a snapping motion with her fingers, the emphasis driving in just how stupid his plan had been. He should have used that easy opening she’d given him with the gun.

  His foreboding turned to real worry. He had to get out of here to rescue his brother. Hoyt’s life depended on him. If he couldn’t get free… “Nice, now what?”

  “Now you tell me who you are and why you’re here.” Sparrow sat back on her heels, the curve of her ass grazing the tip of his cock. He clenched his muscles, fighting to free himself from the pull of lust.

  Remember, you’re the soldier trained in interrogation techniques. Now he just had to stop thinking with his dick for long enough to find out where Hoyt was being held. “My name is Jake.”

  She tapped her chin, staring down at him. Once again he was enthralled by the intense color of her eyes. They were golden, almost like a cat’s, with a darker brown ring around the edges. “Jake. You don’t look like a Jake.”

  He enjoyed hearing the name on her lips. Would enjoy hearing his real name
even better. Her soft accent and long vowels stretched it out slow. Sensual. “And what do I look like?”

  “I don’t know. Killer? Tiger?”

  “That’s what people name their cats.”

  “True. Why are you here?”

  “Why did you take me hostage?” he countered.

  “You were spying on my family. Only our enemies do that.” She shifted, brushing against his tip again. Fuck he wanted to rip free of these bonds and throw her down beneath him. Where was his detached logic now? Something about her was making him lose control.

  “I have no interest in you. I was looking for a family member who went missing, know anything about that?” He studied her reaction intently, watching for any flash of awareness, but she didn’t give away anything.

  “Haven’t seen anybody new around here in a long time, and I would know. Sorry, but you plopped down on the wrong piece of land.”

  “He told me he was coming here.” Not really, but Jared knew without the slightest shred of doubt that Hoyt had been taken by the Crowes. Miss Kay wanted to finish what she had started all those years ago, even if Jared didn’t know why. It was bad enough his parents had died when Jared was only nine, Hoyt six, but to have his aunt try to murder them….

  Jared yanked on the bonds again, testing the bed frame. It screeched but held firm. Shit.

  “What does he look like?” Every time Sparrow moved or shifted he felt her. Desire was holding him hostage as much as the damn ropes. Got to get free. Got to find Hoyt.

  “What do I get if I tell you?”

  “What do you get? You get to live.” Her brows shot down as if confused.

  “You won’t kill me.”

  “Try me.”

  “How about we make a little trade—you give me something, I give you something.”

  “Give? What do you want?” She laid her palms on her thighs, kneeling over his body, the position incredibly erotic.

  Blushing aside, maybe she wasn’t so innocent after all. He had a plan and she was part of it. He knew he could get more information out of Sparrow than her giant ass brother. And he’d find it a hell of a lot more enjoyable too. “Kiss me.”

  She stopped moving all together and her eyes narrowed in on his mouth.

  “Give me a kiss and I’ll sing like a bird.”

  3

  Sparrow stared down at him in shock. He wanted a kiss? From her? Power emanated from the man’s body, and she’d actually worried he would bend the bed frame by yanking on the rope. Even though his features were masked by the paint, there was no denying his strong square jaw or full lips. He was gorgeous. Gorgeous men never asked for kisses from Sparrow.

  And she had no intention of giving away her first kiss to a man covered in war paint.

  “No. No kisses.” Why wasn’t she moving? She should be interrogating him, threatening him with sharp knives and other wicked devices she wouldn’t ever really use on another human being. But a delicious tingle had started down low her belly, something she’d never really felt before, and she wanted to feel it more.

  “No kiss?” The first flicker of real emotion in his eyes, and it was disappointment.

  He was disappointed she wouldn’t kiss him? She chanced a quick peek down at herself. Still the same Sparrow—all bones and no curves. He was playing with her, teasing her. Anger built up inside her. He was doing it again. Even though he was the one tied to the bed, he was taking control.

  She wracked her mind, trying to come up with a way to wrest it back from him. Sparrow had a feeling holding a knife to the man’s throat would be useless. Pressing her gun into his belly hadn’t even made him blink.

  Then she noticed that his crystal-hard gaze was locked on her chest. “Then take off that overshirt,” he said, his voice husky.

  Undress? The most she’d ever undressed was to go swimming, and even then she wore a T-shirt and shorts. Unbidden, her mama’s voice whispered through her mind. “All men can be controlled. Show him a little skin, give him a slap and tickle, and he’s putty in your hands.”

  Sparrow hadn’t understood back then, but as she got older and listened to the other girls around camp she came to realize exactly what her mama had been talking about. And she vowed to stay completely clear of men. That trap was way too easy to fall into. One time was all it took to get pregnant and end up shackled to some cabin in the woods, popping out babies every year. No life, no money, no future. Just a broodmare. The other path—the one her mother had taken—was even worse.

  But until now, it had been easy to stay away from men. None of the others had made her feel this way. Hell, she hadn’t even known men like this one existed. He lifted his hips, pressing against the growing ache between her legs, and she found herself caving. Just a little skin wouldn’t hurt anything…

  Besides, if she didn’t fully interrogate him, Sparrow would lose all the gains she’d made with the Crowe family. She was so close to being moved up in the chain of command. If she sealed this deal, she was as good as promoted. No more worrying about where her next meal would come from. No more worrying about her best friend, Squirrel. No more worrying about being forced to whore. Sparrow would run her own section of the county, collecting the money from the girls and making sure to keep them in line.

  She knew the price of failure all too well. She would be demoted, and in the Crowe camp that meant one thing for a woman—she’d find herself on her back or on her knees. Just like Tootsie, her mother.

  A shudder worked through her. No matter how scared she was to bare her body for Jared, she didn’t have much of a choice. She could play with him, hopefully enjoy it a little, and get his information, or she could play the whore for the rest of her life.

  But she didn’t have a choice. She’d never make it off the mountain, no matter how much she dreamed of exploring the world outside these hills. She had no education. No job skills outside of collecting money for Miss Kay. And she couldn’t leave Squirrel behind. The old man was even less likely to survive in the real world. He’d been born and bred here, lived and trapped his whole life in the woods. Even if Sparrow had a shot at making it out there, she couldn’t leave him behind. Jimbo had already told her what he’d do to Squirrel if she left…

  No. No way she could turn him over to that fate, no matter how much she wanted to leave.

  Besides, she sensed the man tied to her bed knew exactly what was going on with her brothers and if Sparrow’s instincts were right, if they were planning to take their mother down and take over the mountain, the whole community was at stake. No matter how deadly Miss Kay was, her brothers were worse. So much worse.

  Sparrow had never used her body as a weapon. But if that’s what it took, she’d do it.

  She swallowed down the knot of fear blocking her throat. You’re not like your mother. This is your choice. Besides, he was gorgeous, and he was trussed up to the bed, unable to do anything. She would be in control. She would take and he would give. Those were odds she could handle.

  “All right, Rambo. I’ll play.” She worked hard to keep her voice steely and commanding, praying with each second that he wouldn’t see the fear lurking inside of her. She lifted shaking hands to the top button of her loose cotton overshirt. They were pearl snap, and like all of her clothes, the shirt had come secondhand—heck, maybe third-hand—from the thrift store. She popped the first one loose, the sound exploding in the room.

  His eyes stayed fixated on her fingers. Maybe he really did want her. If he wasn’t interested, he sure wouldn’t be staring this hard at her chest. The next button came undone a little bit easier and by the time she hit the bottom button, she felt like a pro.

  She shrugged the shirt off her shoulders, letting it slide down her arms real slow before tossing it on the floor. Something wanton overtook her—that was her only excuse. She shifted her fingers through her hair and tilted her head provocatively, letting her hair slide down around her shoulder on one side.

  “All right, why are you really here?” she asked. />
  He took a deep breath and the movement expanding his chest so much that her knees almost lifted off the bed. “I told you. I’m looking for someone. A relative.

  “And?” she demanded, frustration tingeing her words.

  “Now the other shirt.” His voice turned husky and deep. Sensual. Chills raced down her arms and she shifted, trying to ease some of the tension building down below. His stomach muscles flexed, which made the burning in her belly turn up a notch instead.

  “You still haven’t told me why you’re here.” She crossed her arms, pushing her breasts up a little higher. But her movements felt awkward and disjointed. She’d never given much thought to men and seduction.

  “I told you, I’m looking for a relative.”

  “You know I’m asking more than that,” she said.

  His eyes finally lifted from her chest, only they weren’t dead and cold anymore, they were full of heat. For her. Sparrow licked her suddenly dry lips and he fixated there next. Should she kiss him? How could she be this attracted to a man she’d never seen before? Let alone a man who could be here to do her family harm.

  Miss Kay’s words drifted through her mind, “How far are you willing to go for your family?”

  Her stomach tightened.

  “Maybe you should work on being more specific with your questions. I’ve already answered that one. If you want more, you’ve got to give more.” His voice rasped across her sensitive skin, yet it carried the hint of a command.

  Anticipation and anxiety warred within her. Undressing in front of him felt so…naughty. But this might be her only chance to experiment with a real man. Explore at her own pace.

  And no one would ever have to know.

  “I’ve only got so many articles of clothing left.”

  His smile was full of enjoyment. “I know.”

  What did she need to ask? Smart questions, she reminded herself.

  “You’re thinking awfully hard,” Jared said, throwing down the challenge. Sparrow had never been one to back down from a dare.