Reckonings

by Cynthia Eden

  And she kissed him the same way. As if a flood of need had just erupted within her—and it had. Passion burned, and she couldn’t get close enough to him. Couldn’t touch him enough. She knew desire, she’d certainly felt it before. This was different. This was...

  Jamie kept kissing him. She stopped thinking and she just felt.

  * * *

  THE HUNT WAS OVER.

  It had been such a very long hunt. So many miles. So many years. She’d run from him. Hurt him. Lied to him.

  But he’d found her. He’d found his Jamie again. And it was finally time to claim her once more.

  He stared at her little house. So very far removed from the home where she’d lived when she was his. The stars glittered behind the house. There were no nearby neighbors. No one to watch out for Jamie.

  No one to hear her scream.

  He smiled. Would she be scared when she saw him again? Or happy? Probably both. After all, Jamie had been bad, so he’d have to punish her. At first.

  But he loved her. She loved him. That was what mattered most.

  He headed toward her door. This was the first time he’d gone so close to the house. Because it’s time to have my Jamie again.

  His gaze flickered down, and he saw the welcome mat. So warm with the spray of flowers across the top. So Jamie. His head tilted back and he gazed at the wind chime that hung near her front door. His fingers lifted and brushed against that chime, sending a light peel of music drifting in the air. Then he reached for the door. Locked, of course, because Jamie was the careful sort. Quickly, he glanced under the welcome mat, hoping she’d left a key out for him.

  Not there.

  Like that was supposed to stop him.

  He walked around her house. Found a nice, easy-to-reach window. He grabbed a rock and threw it right through that glass. The window shattered—

  And an alarm split the air.

  What the hell?

  A dog started barking, snarling from inside the house, and he saw a very sharp pair of teeth lunge toward the broken glass, as if the beast were trying to get out of that window and come after him.

  He hated dogs. Jamie knew that.

  Damn her.

  Backing away now because he knew the alarm would mean the arrival of cops, he kept his eyes on that growling animal. The alarm and the dog...they wouldn’t stop him. Nothing would stop him, not now. His plans had been put in careful motion. He’d be back. He’d get his Jamie again.

  He’d searched long and hard for her, and she would not get away from him again.

  He’d see her dead first.

  * * *

  DAVIS PUSHED JAMIE against the trunk of the nearby tree. The lights gleamed down on them, as her body responded—hell, the woman was about to drive him right out of his head.

  He couldn’t stop kissing her. Her sweet taste was making him frantic. Champagne and candy...that was what she tasted like. And she was definitely making him feel a little drunk.

  He’d wanted her since the first moment he saw her. That sun-streaked blond hair, her gleaming blue eyes...and her full, sensual lips. It was her lips that had really caught his attention. Jamie had an incredible mouth. Bow-shaped, sensual—he’d wanted her mouth under his.

  And now I have her.

  Only he hadn’t quite realized he’d go full-on nuclear once he actually got to taste her. Normally, control wasn’t an issue for him, but...

  He kissed her harder. Her curves pressed against him, and Jamie had plenty of perfect curves. Full breasts, round hips. She was—

  Ringing.

  Davis stilled. Then his head slowly lifted, mostly because Jamie was pushing against his chest. She fumbled to pull a phone from a hidden pocket in her dress—very hidden. Her fingers were trembling a bit; he could see that small shake clearly.

  Jamie had been just as affected by that kiss as he had been. Good to know.

  “I—I’m sorry,” Jamie said. “But I have to take this call. It could be an emergency.”

  He knew she handled plenty of emergency cases in her practice. Just a few months back, she’d been called out when the groom—Mark Montgomery—had discovered that his prize stallion had been poisoned. Only Jamie’s immediate response had saved that animal. Others in the area relied on her, too. Jamie was the best vet they’d seen in those parts in a very long time.

  So he backed away. He sucked in a deep breath. And he adjusted his pants because he was seriously turned on by her.

  Jamie put the phone to her ear. “This is Jamie Myers—” She broke off, her breath stuttering out a bit. “No, no, I’m not home.” She surged away from the tree. “Yes, please, send the cops over. I’m on my way now.”

  He tensed. “Jamie?” Davis didn’t like the sharp edge of fear that he’d heard in her voice.

  She shoved her phone back into that hidden pocket and hurriedly scooped up her shoes. She didn’t even pause to put them on before rushing toward the line of parked cars up on the crest.

  “Jamie, wait!” He ran after her. Caught her arm and spun her around to face him. “What’s happening?”

  “The alarm went off at my place. It could be a break-in.” She pushed his hand away. “I have to go. I’m sorry, I—”

  Davis swore. “Don’t be sorry. But let me come with you.” A break-in...and she thought he was just going to stand back while she raced home? That wasn’t his style, not at all.

  “No, no, you don’t have to—”

  He caught her hand in his. “I want to. You take your car, and I’ll follow behind you, okay? But when we get to your house, don’t even think of going inside without me.” Because he’d witnessed too many bad scenes before. “I need to make sure you’re safe.”

  “Why?”

  He just stared at her.

  “Why does it matter to you that I’m safe?” She seemed legitimately confused about that point.

  “Because you matter.”

  She laughed. “No, I don’t.” Jamie pulled away from him. “The kiss was great, amazing really.”

  Yes, it had been.

  “But I have to go. Good night, Davis.” She was running away from him. Literally.

  He shook his head. She really thought he was going to let her walk—run—into danger?

  Not this time.

  He started jogging after her. And his brother stepped into his path.

  “Whoa, whoa, slow down man,” Brodie said. Brodie was Davis’s twin...and folks often mistakenly thought Brodie was the more easygoing of the two. Those people were wrong. Davis knew that neither of them had the word “easy” in their vocabulary. “Where’s the fire?” Brodie wanted to know.

  Davis elbowed him out of the way. “At the doc’s place.” He pointed after Jamie. The woman had moved fast. She was already at her car. “She just got a call from her alarm company. Something set off the system. I’m going over with her.”

  “You need me?” Brodie shouted after him.

  Because that was the way it was with his twin. Brodie had his back, always.

  “Not this time,” Davis called. “I’ll check in when I know she’s clear.” He gave a quick wave over his shoulder. “It was one hell of a wedding!” And I still can’t believe our baby sister is married. Sweet Ava...she’d finally found happiness. He’d worried about her for so many years. The pain in her eyes had torn at him. But that pain was gone now. Ava was happy. The demons of her past had been put to rest.

  He knew Mark Montgomery would do everything possible to make sure that Ava never had another moment of fear or pain in her life. Mark loved Ava. She was his number one priority. A good thing...because if she hadn’t been, then Davis would’ve needed to knock some sense into the guy—friend or no friend.

  Davis reached his truck. He jumped inside and caught the flash of Jamie’
s taillights. The woman was driving hell-fast. She needed to slow down. “Be safe, sweetheart,” he muttered as he cranked up his ride. Jamie didn’t realize how serious the situation could be.

  He knew that danger waited, though. Even in the so-called safe places, like in the home where you let down your guard, danger could be hidden.

  Once upon a time, he’d thought his ranch was the safest place on earth. He’d left the ranch, gone all over the world to fight and taken on so many dangerous missions...

  Then he’d gotten the worst news of his life. His parents had been murdered in their own home. Ava had been the only witness, and she’d been shattered.

  He drove away from the ranch, following behind Jamie.

  Jamie. Now, that woman was a mystery to him. Beautiful, smart...

  And...sometimes, I can see pain in her eyes. Pain and fear.

  The same stark expression that he’d caught in his own sister’s eyes. Jamie had a dark past, one that she hadn’t shared with anyone. He knew the signs.

  He also knew... I don’t want anyone to hurt her again.

  Jamie wasn’t like other women. There was something different about her. Something that pulled at him. Something that called to him. Not just desire, though he sure felt plenty of lust for her.

  The woman had made him laugh that night. Since his parents’ death, he hadn’t exactly had a whole lot to laugh about. Jamie—she was just different.

  He sped up a bit as he headed toward her place.

  Whatever was waiting for Jamie, he wanted to be there with her. She might not be used to threats, but he was.

  His truck ate up the miles. Her home was a little cottage nestled on two acres, a place that gave her plenty of privacy. When he pulled onto her lane, he didn’t see the flash of police lights, and he knew they’d beat the cops there.

  Jamie was already exiting her vehicle. Hurrying to the house.

  Dammit. Davis jumped out. “Jamie, stop!” The burglar could still be inside the place.

  Jamie whirled toward him. He stalked toward her. As he approached, he could easily hear the blare of her alarm and the frantic barking of a dog.

  “You should wait for the cops.”

  Jamie looked over her shoulder. “I have to make sure it’s not him.”

  Him? “Jamie?”

  She pulled away. “You didn’t need to come. I—I’ve got this.”

  Then she was rushing toward her house again. This time, he ran right with her. She unlocked her front door. Stopped that blaring alarm. A big brown dog ran forward, and when the dog saw Jamie, its loud barks gave way to softer cries as the animal pushed his head against her.

  “It’s okay, Jinx, I’m here.”

  Davis eased deeper into the house. He made sure to keep Jamie within his line of sight. Nothing looked disturbed. No furniture overturned. Nothing smashed. Nothing—

  He saw the shattered glass on the floor. “The window.” Davis headed toward it. “The guy probably thought he’d break the glass and unlock it. Then your alarm went off.” He slanted a quick glance at Jinx. “And so did your dog.”

  Jamie had bent near the dog. She was stroking the animal’s broad head. “Jinx is a great watchdog,” she said. “He’s—”

  Jinx snarled and lunged away from her. He raced right out of the front door and into the night.

  “Jinx!”

  Davis was already running after him. “That great watchdog has a scent,” Davis said. And that meant...Is the burglar still here? Now, that didn’t make sense. The guy should have fled the scene as soon as the alarm went off.

  But...

  Davis ran toward the woods on the right of Jamie’s property. The dog was bounding up ahead, and Davis heard the growl of an engine in the air. A rumble... The distinct rumble of a motorcycle.

  He is still here.

  The burglar had been hiding in the dark...waiting for Jamie to return?

  Davis lunged forward, following that sound because his instincts had just shot into overdrive. If the guy had been hanging around, then he’d had other plans—plans that involved Jamie. He’d nearly reached the trees when the light from the motorcycle flashed into him, momentarily blinding Davis.

  He heard Jamie scream as that motorcycle came right at him. Davis lunged to the side, and the bike missed him by inches as it shot past him. He jumped right back to his feet, his eyes on that motorcycle. The rider wore a dark helmet, so he couldn’t see the guy’s face. The dog was running after the bike, but there was no way Jinx was going to catch him.

  “Davis!” Jamie grabbed his arm. “Are you hurt? I’m so sorry!” Her hands flew over him. “I didn’t mean to drag you into this! I’d never want for anyone else to be hurt, I—”

  He caught her hands. The tumble of her words stopped. The growl of the motorcycle was a distant sound now. “What’s going on, Jamie?”

  “B-burglar.”

  He didn’t buy that. Especially because that hitch in her voice had been a telling sign of a lie. “Want to try again?”

  “Are you hurt?”

  He shook his head. “Didn’t even scratch me.” The guy had been too intent on fleeing. His goal hadn’t been to attack Davis. So just what did the guy want? “You said you didn’t mean to drag me into this... What is this, Jamie? Tell me what’s happening.”

  But she pulled away from him. Her arms wrapped around her stomach even as her shoulders hunched. Her dog rushed back to her side and pressed against her legs.

  “Jamie?”

  She looked toward her house. The lights blazed inside. The growl of the motorcycle was gone. And there was still no sign of the cops.

  She’s too isolated out here. What if she’d come back alone and that jerk had been waiting? His hands clenched as he thought of just what sick things the guy might have planned.

  “You were nearly run down. That’s what I meant.” She backed up a step. “I shouldn’t have let you play Good Samaritan tonight. I shouldn’t—”

  He reached out. Touched her arm. Felt the tremble that shook through her. “Sweetheart, sometimes, I can almost feel your secrets between us.” Did she think he hadn’t noticed them?

  She became very, very still. “You don’t want to know my secrets.”

  Yes, I do. And I’m not going to stop digging until I uncover every single one of them.

  “I don’t even want to know them.” She turned from him and headed toward her house with slow, certain steps. “That’s why I spend most days pretending they don’t exist.”

  She kept walking toward her house. Jinx looked at Davis, whined, then hurried after Jamie. Davis’s gaze swept the scene once more. Danger was out there, waiting to close in on Jamie. And whatever trouble the woman had stalking her...he wasn’t going to leave her to face it on her own.

  * * *

  NOT ALONE. NOT ALONE. Not alone!

  His gloved fingers tightened around the motorcycle’s handlebars. Jamie should have returned to that little house by herself. Some hick in a pickup truck shouldn’t have followed her. He shouldn’t have touched her.

  He shouldn’t have been with my Jamie!

  When he heard the shriek of police sirens, he killed the lights on his motorcycle and took the ride off the road. He hid beneath some trees, watching as two cruisers rushed by. Those cars were heading to Jamie’s place. Her house was the only one out on that long road.

  He glanced at his watch. Hit the button for fast illumination. And he smiled when he saw the time. It had certainly taken the cops a long time to respond to that alarm. If Jamie had been alone, he would have been able to spend plenty of quality time with her before the police showed up. So much time. Time to catch up.

  Time to punish.

  He’d remember that for his next little visit to Jamie’s place. Because he would be heading back th
ere. Jamie wasn’t slipping through his fingers. He’d found her, and he would never let her go again.

  Chapter Two

  “You don’t have to stay here by yourself.”

  The cops had just left. They’d talked to Jamie. Searched her house and the edge of her property. They’d jotted down notes, and they hadn’t seemed overly optimistic that her unwanted visitor would ever be identified.

  “Just some kid...probably thinking he’d make an easy score.” Those had been the words from one of the cops. He’d shrugged. Just shrugged while she stared at him in growing terror. She wanted the break-in to be some fluke. But...

  I’m scared it isn’t.

  “Jamie, why don’t you come out and stay at the ranch tonight?”

  Her gaze jerked toward Davis. He’d stayed with her, all during the interview with the cops. He’d altered between anger and frustration, especially when the fresh-faced cops hadn’t immediately phoned in the news about the guy on the motorcycle.

  “There are plenty of rooms at the place,” he said, voice low, easy. “I’m not asking you to share my bed.”

  She could feel her cheeks burn.

  “I’m just offering you a safe place for the night. You can get the window repaired tomorrow, and then everything can return to normal for you.”

  Normal. What a fun word. “That’s really not necessary.” She tried to sound unruffled—as if she totally had this situation in hand. “I can board up the window tonight. I’ll be fine here.”

  His green eyes seemed to darken a bit. “What if he comes back?”

  “I have a gun.” Okay, she’d blurted that bit. But it was Texas... Heck, most people had guns. She’d never used a gun in her life until she came down here, but...she’d just started feeling nervous in the past few weeks. Having bad dreams. So she’d gone to the shooting range. She’d learned to shoot pretty dang well during those visits.

  His eyelids flickered. “Would you use it on someone?”

  She didn’t know. She hoped she’d never have to find out. Jinx padded into the den. The dog glanced at her, then Davis, then he just sort of flopped down.