Acres, Natalie - Cowboy Boots and Unsettled Debts [Cowboy Boots 3] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever)

by Natalie Acres

  She’d be there with them where she belonged.

  Brantley joined him. He stood at the window overlooking the back lawn.

  Ace watched him, curious to know what was on his mind. Brantley was a good operative, a force to be reckoned with, but he wasn’t living up to his potential as a leader yet. He wasn’t interested in the logistics, only carrying out the orders. Ace would need to push him, stand behind him and support him until he believed in his abilities to lead this group.

  “Is Fowler squared away?”

  “Yes.” Brantley moved right into briefing him. “There are two super-teams in the Underground Unit. We aren’t dubbed super-squads because of our advanced training. While we have more weapons at our disposal and we’re considered superior to other operatives because of the way we’re conditioned, there’s another reason as well. We have more manpower—shadows.”

  “How many?” Ace asked, rubbing his chin.

  “Our team has two—and you know them.”

  “Who?”

  “Judson Dalton and Kit Reeves.”

  “Son of a bitch!” Ace screamed, slamming his fist against the wooden surface. “When were you going to tell me?”

  “Ace, you weren’t supposed to know.”

  “Did you mention them to the others?” Ace asked, pointing toward the ceiling.

  “Yeah, just now. They’re as concerned as you are. Security was in place to prevent a breach. About the time Kit called to gloat about wiping the system clean, Fowler found the program needed to trigger the backup log. Kit and Judson were shown dragging Abby away.”

  “Ha! I bet that was something to watch.”

  “She put up a fight,” Brantley said proudly. “She didn’t want to go with them.”

  “I imagine not.” A beat later, he said, “Abby’s fucked three men in her lifetime. How’d we end up with two of them watching our hides?”

  Brantley looked puzzled. “How do you know about Abby’s past? Did she tell you?”

  “No. I did some legwork, a little personal research.”

  “You pried.”

  “Whatever. I had the right to know.”

  “Not really,” Brantley said.

  “The hell I didn’t. I’m the one who covers her ass ninety percent of the time. I wanted to be sure I never had to worry about an ex-lover showing up to screw things up for us in the middle of a mission.”

  “Makes sense I guess,” Brantley admitted. “Does Abby realize you know about her intimate past?”

  “Nope, but I wouldn’t mind telling her.”

  “You do that. And when you do, make sure I’m around. I’d like to watch her ream you a new one.”

  Ace laughed at that. He might tell her just to see the sparks fly.

  “So Judson and Kit are keeping Abby company, why?”

  “While we were enjoying our surroundings and taking it easy, Juraz’s men came in with the intention of kidnapping Abby. Casey was right. Abby sent Juraz away.

  “The footage Fowler recorded will show Juraz didn’t seem disturbed by the fact Abby asked him to leave. However, after he left the property, several of his guys arrived. Their orders were to retrieve Abby.”

  “He wants her out at his place for the grand opening?”

  Brantley stared straight ahead. “I believe he has more in the works for Abby. While she makes a beautiful arm ornament, I’m afraid he’s more interested in how she’ll look strapped to his bed.”

  “All right, so Kit and Judson have Abby. If you’re the command leader, you should make your demands. Tell them to bring her back.”

  “Kit assured me he will just as soon as I have a plan in place.”

  “Then take a seat,” Ace said, pointing to the chair across from him. “We need to get this worked out as quickly as possible.”

  “She’s safe, Ace.”

  “Maybe from Juraz. I’m more worried about Kit and Judson.”

  “Nothing like a little jealousy to get the ball rolling, huh?”

  “Shut up, Brantley, and listen to me. I know you’re the man for this job. Thing is, you don’t want the responsibility. You don’t believe you can lead this team. Personally, I don’t believe there’s a better man for the position.”

  Brantley frowned. “I’m perfectly capable of running this mission.”

  “I believe that, but I want you to prove it. Get Abby back here. Otherwise, she’ll end up in bed with the two Doms I don’t want touching my woman.”

  “Doms?”

  “Hell yeah, they’re Doms.”

  “Does Abby know?”

  “Check this out…they both apparently discovered the lifestyle after they broke it off with Abby.”

  “They broke up with her?”

  Ace slowly nodded. His gaze met Brantley’s. “Now do you understand why I’m worried?”

  “Did they part amicably?”

  “Tell me why you don’t know about that for yourself? If you’re replacing Conrad, you should be well-informed about your shadows and their previous relationships with one of your operatives.”

  “Maybe I would’ve been if Abby’s father hadn’t been the leading command when she became involved with these two.”

  “Wait a second.” Ace slapped his hand against the flat surface of the table. “Now I get it. This is all starting to make sense.”

  “What?”

  “Conrad didn’t want his daughter involved with a fellow operative. Kit disappeared from her life first. He didn’t even make it to field training. She became involved with Judson, and what happens?”

  “He supposedly couldn’t get through the solo test.”

  “Exactly,” Ace said, tapping his bottom lip with his fingers. “And Judson was a hell of a fighter.”

  “According to Donovan, Kit is just plain mean.”

  “The only thing I discovered about him was that he was crazy about Abby. She was in love with him, you know.”

  Brantley’s color washed away. “No, I didn’t know.”

  “Yeah, buddy,” Ace said. “And Judson was the rebound man.”

  “And now they have her right where they probably wanted her all along.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “If you’re willing to help put together a plan of action, I think we need to do that now,” Brantley said, retrieving his cell. “I want her back here where she belongs.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “If you scream or spit when I release this cloth, I’ll slide something nice and meaty between your lips. Are we clear?” Kit asked, patting the top of her head to taunt her. Oh, how he’d missed caressing her, holding her, and yes…fucking her hot, tight lips. “And I hope you give me a good reason to slide on in there.”

  Abby’s nostrils flared. Poor thing. She had no idea what she was up against.

  Kit reached behind her head and released the gag. He took a step back. “Now then. How’s that?”

  “Let me go!” she screamed, her head shaking.

  Kit looked at Judson. “We may have to silence her after all.”

  “If you put that little weenie anywhere near my lips, I swear I’ll bite it off!”

  Judson laughed. Kit unzipped. “Ah, doll. It has been a long time. Maybe I should whip it out and remind you of shape and size.”

  “Fuck you, Kit.”

  He rolled his tongue over his lip. “I sure would like for you to do just that.”

  She grunted then turned her head toward Judson. “What are you doing here? Last I heard, you couldn’t pass the solo assessment.”

  “I passed other tests,” he said.

  “Like staying away from me?” she asked, a bitter edge in her voice.

  A look of heart-wrenching sadness washed over Judson’s face. “We all do what we’re told for the sake of the job, right, Abby?”

  “You know nothing about me.”

  “I know you’re hurting. I know the bloodlust you have for Juraz has been more than you could bear. I believe if Brantley had offered to take you off this case
—which is precisely what he should’ve done—you would’ve jumped at the chance.”

  Her eyes watered. “Like I said—”

  “He understands you better than you think,” Kit interrupted her. “I do as well. Who do you think covers your fine ass when your other fellows aren’t around?”

  “It sure isn’t you.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, doll.”

  “Untie my hands. We can have a pissing contest later.”

  “I like her secured. Don’t you, Judson?”

  “I feel safer.”

  Abby was a black belt in martial arts. While Judson and Kit could contain her, if necessary, Kit wasn’t in the mood to use force. Plus, he didn’t feel like getting his ass kicked.

  “Can I have a drink?”

  “Water all right?” Judson asked.

  “I need something stiff,” she said, her implication loaded once she stared at Kit’s cock.

  “I got that for you, doll. You just tell me when you’re ready to go again.”

  “It’s been five years,” she reminded him. “Let’s have a little foreplay first, okay?”

  “Whatever you say,” Kit muttered.

  “Untie me. I’ll work at your arousal first.”

  He chuckled. “I just bet you will.”

  “You son of a bitch,” she whispered. “You’ve been a part of this team since day one, haven’t you?”

  “Yes. Conrad thought I was a perfect candidate for the job.”

  “I bet he did,” she said quietly. “Does Brantley know?”

  “He does now,” Kit replied.

  “How about Ace?”

  Kit felt the wind leave his chest. Ace pissed him off, and he wasn’t in the dark about why he infuriated him. Ace had been digging around in Abby’s past. He did things the normal man wouldn’t do unless he was either an obsessed lunatic or a man in love. As much as Kit would like to credit him with the first, Ace wasn’t crazy. He was one of the best in the Underground Unit.

  Fact was, if he’d been in Abby’s bed first, Conrad would’ve sent him packing, too. Instead, he and Judson were the two chosen. They should’ve kept their dicks out of Abby’s pussy.

  “You didn’t answer me,” Abby said, a flash of hurt in her eyes. “Does Ace know about you?”

  “Relax,” Judson said, helping her take a sip of water from a plastic bottle. “Your little boyfriend didn’t know about us until a few minutes ago.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I’m listening in on them now. Wanna hear the conversation?”

  She shook her head. “And he’s not my boyfriend.” She stretched her neck and took another drink.

  Kit stared at her breasts. Good Lord, he hoped they could kiss and make up soon. He’d missed those sweet tits rubbing against his lips. “You don’t know how glad I am to hear you say that, Abby.”

  “Why would you care?”

  Kit and Judson locked gazes. Finally, Judson said, “It’s a long story.”

  “I didn’t ask you, Judson.”

  “I think she’s still a little bitter at you, man,” Kit said, sitting on the edge of the bed. He patted her knee. Then he caressed her, his fingers walking higher before he could control them.

  “Stop,” she ordered, practically glaring through him.

  “Neither one of us wanted to leave you.”

  She shrugged. “You left.” Then she looked at Judson. “You were right behind him.” A beat later, she added, “As you can see, I didn’t fall apart. I’m still with the Unit, and I’ve done well for myself.”

  “Ah, Abby, you’re still as hard on the outside as you are soft on the in.”

  She grunted at that. “Kit, remove your hand from my leg.”

  He managed to pull himself away from her. “Abby, there’s a lot you don’t know.”

  “Hmm, I guess showing up here would’ve been my first clue there, right?”

  “Would you like to hear the story, or do you prefer to be a smart-ass?” Kit asked, thinking he’d love to taste some of her rage. His cock was hard in an instant. He’d watched her with Casey earlier. If Judson hadn’t been viewing the footage with him, he would’ve taken his cock out of his pants and yanked like hell for the freedom he needed—a stout release, potent enough to make him remember why he accepted this job in the first place.

  He’d wanted to protect his woman, and so far, so good. Only, he’d missed her more than he’d thought he might. Seeing her every day was a far cry short of holding her in his arms.

  “I see you haven’t changed any,” she said, her eyes still moist.

  “Don’t do that,” he said firmly.

  She looked away.

  Judson narrowed his gaze and studied Kit. He probably thought this was one of Abby’s stunts, but Kit knew her better than Judson. He understood her so well he recognized her pain. Oh no, her show of emotion was no game. She’d agonized over their breakup.

  “Untie her,” Kit said, his eyes fixated on the little beauty he’d desperately longed to touch again.

  “Are you crazy?”

  “Maybe,” he admitted. “I still want her free to move about the suite.”

  Judson shook his head. “You’re a sucker. That’s all I can say.”

  “Abby, if you leave this room,” Kit said in a firm voice, “you will die. Juraz’s men are looking for you, and your new boss doesn’t have a plan in place to…”

  A large wallop knocked him for a loop. As soon as she was free, her leg propelled high above her head, and the battle had begun.

  “Damn it, Abby!” Kit screamed, rebounding quickly then dashing across the room in an effort to detain her.

  “I fucking told ya!” Judson yelled, moaning as she brought him to the floor as well.

  Standing over them after a few seconds of wrestling, Abby rested her foot on Kit’s chest. “Now, let’s get one thing straight. I’m in charge now. Conrad wasn’t just my boss. He was my father. I don’t know what you’ve seen, what you’ve overheard, or what you’re doing to gather and maintain intel on me or the rest of our unit, but you can’t read my mind.

  “I have a plan for Juraz. It’s my plan. My mission is to take out a target. My father would expect his daughter to pull the trigger. He’d want me to settle this, and you both know it.” She took a deep, ragged breath.

  Her lapse in speech forced Kit to see the truth. Abby didn’t want to be the one to deal with Juraz, but she was driven, certain Conrad would expect her to avenge his death.

  “Either you work with me or you work against me. I could give three shits about what you do, but I plan to see this task through with you or without you.”

  Kit saw an opportunity and took it. He grabbed her ankle and caught her as her knees buckled, forcing her to land atop him. Quickly, he rolled his body over hers, tucking her underneath him. “Well, doll. It looks like you’re stuck with me. Consider the mission ahead a joint venture.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “You should’ve saved your energy,” Kit said. “You may need it.”

  She couldn’t agree more. An hour later and she was exhausted. She and Kit rolled around on the floor until Judson intervened, and then she’d matched wits with him. Now she wasn’t sure if she was downright enraged or turned on, damp from sweat or drenched in arousal.

  “Got ya all worked up, didn’t I?” Kit asked.

  She grated back fighting words. She just didn’t have it in her to keep the battle engaged.

  Kit was a beast of a man. With chiseled cheeks, an angular nose, and a case of abs, the man looked like the kind of brute another fellow wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley and a woman couldn’t wait to fuck if she happened to find him there.

  His coal-black hair was longer than she remembered, hanging slightly beyond his shoulders. Unfortunately, she still itched to weave her fingers through the strands.

  This was crazy. Even after five years he could get to her, make her wild to touch him.

  Judson, on the other hand, was thinner.
He’d changed considerably. Still built for a woman’s pleasure, he stood about three inches shy of Kit’s six-foot-five frame. His fire-red hair was shag-style, and his bangs hung low over those mesmerizing green eyes.

  Judson wasn’t pretty-boy handsome. He was manly and sexy, and had once been more man than she could handle in the sack given his enormous dick size—thick, long, wide, and meaty.

  She smacked her lips.

  “Somebody is most definitely bent out of shape,” Judson said, bringing her attention back to the job at hand.

  “So what if I am?” she snapped, deciding honesty was the best policy given the fact she’d been without sex for over a year now, something they probably both knew.

  “We could help you out if you need a couple of willing men at your disposal,” Judson suggested.

  “I can make do without your assistance.”

  Kit chuckled. “Have it your way. You won’t pass up the dessert table for long, lover.”

  “Quit calling me pet names,” she grumbled. “If I remember correctly, you dumped my ass and skipped town within an hour of breaking my heart.”

  He jerked. She saw a flash of pain in his eyes right before he looked away. When he strolled to the wet bar in the corner of the hotel room, she knew she’d hit a nerve.

  “Abby, we don’t have time to rehash the past,” Judson said. “We need to know what happened with Juraz.”

  “You tell me. You’re the one who seems to know everything about this mission. Why don’t you start at the beginning and I’ll fill in where you’re lacking information.”

  “The beginning starts at his club,” Kit said, pouring a straight shot of bourbon. “We were privy to intel there. Why don’t you tell us what happened on the plane.”

  Immediately, she felt her skin heat.

  “You didn’t fuck him,” Kit stated flatly.

  Their eyes met. “You aren’t so sure about that, are you?”

  “I’m sure,” he said, gulping his liquor.

  “The hell you are, Kit.” She fluffed up a pillow from the bed and leapt to the center of the mattress, positioning herself squarely in the middle. Crossing her ankles, she folded her hands in her lap. “Thing is, big boy, you couldn’t handle the truth if I gave it straight to you.”