Chapter 2

Chapter

Two

T hey arrived at the foot of the trail, and Croft brought the mules to a halt. He dismounted, untied Jasper’s lead, and went back to assist his charge. Finn was already unbuckling the safety strap, throwing her leg over her mule’s back, and getting down. She didn’t see Croft as he came up and almost put the juncture of her legs right in his face. Certainly, he got an up-close-and-private view of her backside as she went to step off. It was every bit as nice inches from his face as it had been from several feet away.

He reached up to help her down, which seemed to put her off-balance and sent her crashing into Croft’s chest and down the front of his torso. The only thing that kept her from ending up on her butt were his strong hands catching her and setting her on her feet.

“Don’t,” she said as she pushed away from him.

“No problem,” he drawled. “Next time, I’ll let you land on your butt.”

“If you hadn’t been standing there, I wouldn’t have lost my stability and would have been fine.”

“And I wouldn’t have had such a lovely view of your ass.”

Croft couldn’t believe he’d said that out loud. It wasn’t that he didn’t think she had a very fetching behind, he’d just been taught better than to say something like that. At least, he’d caught himself before he told her what he really thought—he’d like to do a lot more than just look. If she kept pushing, he might tell her about all the things he could imagine doing to her sweet ass… some of which might shock the very properly raised Ms. Reid.

Finn ignored his comment saying, “I just wanted to get off for a minute and stretch my legs.”

“And a very nice set of legs they are.”

He shook his head and again commended himself for not saying the rest of what he was thinking, which was how very much he’d like to have them wrapped around his back as he plowed the slit between them. He shook his head to clear the picture in his head. It had really been far too long since he’d enjoyed that particular form of exercise. Maybe when he got back, he’d see if Noah wanted to out and do a little tomcatting.

Finn shrieked in outrage as she stomped off. Her exit would have been more effective if she hadn’t come back to fish a bottle of water out of her saddlebags. Croft enjoyed watching her stride away. There was no way you’d mistake the way her hips swayed when she was walking away, she was all woman. She wandered about fifty yards from him before she plopped down on an overturned log. Apparently, she disturbed the log’s current resident, a rattlesnake that had been sunning itself just out of sight.

Croft watched it detect her presence and coil itself. He heard the distinctive rattle, and as it gathered itself to strike, he unsheathed his knife from its scabbard, sending it flying to kill and pin the snake to the log. The knife landed expertly in the middle of the pit viper’s head, rendering it harmless.

Finn screamed and ran back to his side, crashing into his chest and wrapping her arms around him. Damn, she felt good with bumps and curves in all the right places. He only sort of hoped she didn’t feel the bulge growing inside the front of his jeans.

“Oh my God, that thing could have killed me,” she said, clearly frightened.

“It’s rare for a snake bite to kill you, but they’re damn painful. Do me a favor, and don’t wander off. If you’re done going for a stroll, how about you get back on Jasper while I go retrieve my knife?” He walked over to the snake and removed his knife, wiping it off on some nearby foliage before returning it to its casing.

“Shouldn’t you do a better job of cleaning your weapon before putting it in its sheath?” she asked.

Had she really just said that? Had the woman who could have gotten them both killed coming down into the canyon because she’d lied to his boss, then almost got herself snakebit, be dissing him over the way he handled a knife? Did she know he’d been a SEAL and knew more ways to kill something with a knife than she could possibly imagine?

“I’ll clean it properly later. I might point out if you hadn’t decided to take a little stroll, I wouldn’t have had to use it. Get on Jasper, or did you want to add dying of sunstroke to the ways you’ve tried to kill yourself today?”

The only sheath he was thinking of was the one she kept between her legs, the one he’d really like to make use of, but it wasn’t his knife he wanted to ram home… at least not the weapon she was referring to. He grinned—his cock had lovingly been referred to as a weapon by one of his ex-girlfriends, an admiral’s daughter who had decided a man who wasn’t going to follow his or her father’s path up the chain of command wasn’t for her.

“You’re a real prick, you know that? I haven’t exactly had the best day, and you’re certainly not doing anything to help.”

“You don’t think so? I got you off the side of the fucking canyon wall… at considerable risk to myself. I just saved you from a nasty snake bite, and now I’m trying to get you out of the sun before you give yourself sunstroke. Lady, I’m the very fucking definition of help. Now, get on the damn mule,” he growled.

Croft was trying to remind himself the woman was a paying client, probably worried about her brother, and clearly out of her league. He was just turning away from the log to apologize when he realized she had closed the distance between them—realized it as her open palm struck him across the face. Damn, the girl had some serious strength in her arm.

“You brat!” he snarled, losing sight of all the things he’d just told himself and giving in to the urge to give this East Coast princess the spanking she so obviously needed.

Grabbing her by the arm, he put his foot on the log and jerked her across his raised thigh. Without giving her time to react, he brought his hand down hard on the denim-clad rump. A very satisfying gasp—part outrage and part pain—escaped her mouth. A small part of his brain told him he needed to stop, but that part wasn’t in control. He swatted her ass again, and she yelped. That felt and sounded even better. He peppered her backside with an additional six sharp slaps, each accompanied by her crying out, increasingly loudly, until he landed the last one, which elicited a small scream. Much as he’d really like to blister her butt, he still had to get her to Phantom Ranch. As quickly as he had tugged her off her feet and over his knee, he righted her, placing her back on her feet.

“I’ve had enough. One more lie, hit, or snarky remark and I’ll tan your hide.”

“How dare you! Do you feel all big and studly because you spanked me?”

“No darlin’.” He grinned. “I’d feel all studly if I used you like a broodmare—strip off those jeans, bend you over that log, and mount you from behind. The only screams you’d be making would be the ones echoing off the canyon walls from the repeated orgasms I force from you.”

“Bastard! If you don’t think I’m going to tell your boss, you’re crazier than a shit house rat. There’s no way Willa McDaniel would condone your behavior.”

“First, my boss isn’t Willa. Willa is my boss’ wife. I’m pretty damn sure, given the hell you’ve put me through today, my boss would gladly turn a blind eye and would ensure Willa had nothing to say about it unless she wants to find herself in the same sorry state. Now, get on the damn mule, or I’ll take you to Phantom Ranch flung over the front of my saddle.”

God, his balls ached, and his cock was throbbing. Finlay Reid was the last thing he needed or wanted—needed, anyway. His dick was telling him how very much. he wanted her. No, he told himself, not her—a woman, any woman. He really needed to find intimate female company after he found out whatever he could about her brother.

She huffed at him and stalked to Jasper, put her foot in the stirrup, and seemed ready to hop up, then thought better of it. Finlay started to take her foot out and turn to him as he was moving past her. He delivered another sharp blow to her rump.

“Get mounted… now,” he ordered.

Finn shrieked, more in outrage than in pain. At least, that was his conclusion. He hadn’t really spanked her hard enough for it to have caused much pain, especially over her jeans. Not that he wouldn’t like to have her naked and over his knee as he delivered a spanking that resulted in her tears. Then he’d take her in his arms and lecture her about her foolish behavior before supplying both of them with some much-needed pleasure. He absentmindedly wondered about the color of her areolas and nipples.

He shook his head again. He needed for his mind to quit going in that direction, but damn, even in her jeans, her ass had felt good. He wondered how it would feel naked?

H is hand connecting that last time with her ass hadn’t been all that painful, but more than just uncomfortable and was completely inappropriate. Yet there was no denying it stirred something inside her—something she’d never known existed. It was too disquieting to acknowledge, much less think about. She felt her nipples bead, and moisture gathered between her thighs.

Oh, for heaven’s sake, Finn.

It had been far too long since she’d been intimate with anyone and had never, ever enjoyed anything even remotely resembling rough sex or any kind of power exchange, but it didn’t take much to imagine either with Croft. He definitely had that alpha male swagger—something she’d never been attracted to before. She smiled as she considered her use of the term ‘alpha male.’ Only recently, she’d discovered a niche of romance books that dealt with power-exchange relationships, and while they sounded sexy, Finn was quite sure she had no interest in ever being part of one, especially as the submissive partner.

She had a responsibility to Christian, she reminded herself. If his kidnappers didn’t have the flash drive, she had stashed down her bra, at the designated area by the appointed time, Christian would die. The man on the other end of the phone had made that very clear.

She lifted her leg to put her foot up in the stirrup, stretching the denim across her buttocks. Involuntarily, she winced and moaned. Finn glanced at Croft to see if he’d seen, and the slow grin that spread across his chiseled features said he had.

“Think you can handle the flat land, or do you want me to lead Jasper?” he asked solicitously.

“I am perfectly capable of riding this mule,” she said, settling herself gingerly in the saddle before heading west.

“Ms. Reid?” Croft called; she looked over her shoulder. “You’re heading the wrong way.”

She was forced to turn Jasper around and head back the way she’d just come.

As she rode up beside him, he said in a soft but very authoritative voice, “I lead, you follow.”

Finn couldn’t help but shiver as his words sent delicious tingles up and down her spine until they settle in her lower pelvic region. He clucked to his mount and headed east.

“Last time I followed you, you tried to get me killed,” she muttered.

“No,” he said in a reasonable tone of voice, his anger having been apparently abated by spanking her, “I tried to take a shorter, more direct trail down from the rim because you lied to the firm about your riding abilities. I would also like to point out the last time you wandered off on your own, you almost got snakebit,” he drawled laconically. “In case you missed it, this isn’t a drawing room in Boston. You need to watch where you’re going and know what you’re doing.”

“I no longer live in Boston. Besides, what would you know about drawing rooms in Boston, and what makes you think I know anything about them?”

He snorted. “I know plenty about Boston and its old-money neighborhoods. As for you, that’s obvious. Everything about you screams more money than sense. Do you even have a job? Won’t they miss you? Why don’t you go home and let us find your brother?”

“Because he’s my brother, and I’m the paying client. Last time I checked, that put me in charge.”

This time, Croft laughed out loud. “Then you’d best check again. Out here, money doesn’t buy you squat except a nice helicopter ride back to the top.” He nudged Sam to a trot. “Let’s go.”

He really was the most exasperating man. If she thought she had any other hope of finding her brother, she’d use language that would make a sailor blush. While he certainly didn’t know the events that surrounded her search for her brother, he had nailed her background. She and Christian had grown up in Beacon Hill, the children of wealthy parents. Her father’s family had been bankers for international concerns for as long as anyone could remember. Christian had been expected to go into the family business, which he had.

Her mother came from a long line of physicians with one notable, embarrassing exception. Her several-times-removed uncle had been the third son who had left his family at the beginning of the nineteenth century to become a mountain man and never been heard from again. Finn, who was her uncle’s namesake, had defied all expectations and become a highly respected photojournalist.

Finn fell in behind Croft, and they traveled for another couple of hours before reaching Phantom Ranch, the famous trail stop in the Grand Canyon. They rode up to what she assumed was some kind of reservation center, and Croft dismounted, handing her the reins to his mule. She watched him go inside, only to re-emerge a few minutes later.

“All right, they have room for you in one of the cabins. Let’s go get you set up in there. The helicopter will be here tomorrow at eleven to pick you up. While you get settled, I’ll get the mules seen to, then we can have dinner.”

“I’m not having dinner with you, and I’m not leaving. I’m going with you. I was very specific about that in my dealings with Marshal McDaniel.”

“Mac isn’t here, but he was very clear with me keeping you safe was our number one priority. He specifically told me if I thought you were in over your head, I was to call for the chopper. I guess you weren’t as convincing as you thought.” He led her up to the cabin and offered to help her down.

Finn swatted his hand away. “If you’re going to stop for the day, I suppose I have to be all right with that, but you aren’t going anywhere without me.”

“You tell yourself that if you want, but I’m heading out in the morning. Your choice is to stay here or get on the helicopter. They have a lovely breakfast up at the canteen, and after that, you can go back to your room or wait for your ride.”

He reached up and pulled her off Jasper. She struggled, and instead of putting any kind of distance between them, she somehow managed to fall into him… again.

“Let go of me,” she said angrily.

“Let go of you? You’re the one who keeps falling into my arms. I’m done being nice…”

“If this is your idea of nice, I’d hate to see you being nasty.”

“Yeah, you would.” Croft turned her toward the door of the cabin and slapped her ass.

“That hurt, you bastard.”

“Not as much as I would have liked it to…” He seemed to stop himself short, gathering his thoughts. “You’re out of your league here, Ms. Reid. If something happened to your brother, and that’s a big if , we’ll find him. For all you know, he met somebody and is shacked up, having the time of his life screwing her brains out. Let me put the mules up, then I’ll come back for you. I’ll show you where everything is, then you can turn in for the night. Give me about half an hour.”

She whirled around and instead of heading for her cabin, headed instead to the canteen. At the door, she watched as he took the mules into the barn, then headed toward her cabin with her saddlebags. He didn’t stay long and was soon back outside and headed for the men’s dormitory.

The nerve of the man. Who did he think he was, telling her what she would or wouldn’t do? He didn’t know the first thing about her.

She grinned. He obviously didn’t know anything about her reputation. Professionally, she was known for her tenacity and unwillingness to take no for an answer. She had covered some of the most war-torn areas in recent global conflicts, primarily focusing on the female point of view, and had been nominated twice for Pulitzer prizes. She had lost the first time but hoped this second time, she might win the coveted prize.

Finn had given up answering to anybody somewhere in her distant past, so if he thought she’d just follow his orders, he’d better have another thought. However, she reasoned, the best way to handle Croft was to let him think he’d laid down the law, and she would obey. She was ready and properly contrite when he finally joined her at the communal dining hall.

Dinner was served mess-hall style at long tables. Not many guests were at the lodge as it was mid-week, and the tourist season was only just gearing up. Finn sat down with a couple of avid campers who were frequent guests. While observing and documenting was her normal MO, she’d worked with an investigative journalist often enough to have picked up tricks of the trade to get people to open up and volunteer information, most of the time without their even knowing it. She asked them questions about their lives and their experiences in the Grand Canyon, specifically about the location where she was heading. Finn didn’t have long before Croft joined them. She hoped she had camouflaged her pointed interest with enough fluff, he wouldn’t be able to figure out her real goal or what she was planning. What she didn’t ask was if they, or anyone else, had seen Christian.

Croft walked her back to her cabin.

“I’m not sure what all that was about in there, but whatever you think you’re planning, don’t do it. Stay in this cabin until breakfast, enjoy yourself with your new hippy-dippy friends, and wait for the helicopter. Then go home to Boston or wherever the hell it is you live. We’ll find your brother.”

“Exactly who died and appointed you God? Somehow, I missed that memo. I’m not sure where you get off giving me orders, but you can take them and shove them up a hole where the sun doesn’t shine.”

She closed and locked the door before he could respond, then waited until she heard him leave the porch. Finn would give him a half-hour. He had mentioned he would be sleeping in one of the men’s dormitories. Her “hippy-dippy friends,” as Croft had named them, had explained how to get from where the mules would be kept overnight down to the Colorado River. From there, she knew to turn west and follow the river for the next few days. Even though it was a clear night with a full moon, she had made sure to ascertain the trail along the bank was easily traversed.

Finn gave Croft an additional hour to check on the mules and get settled before picking up her saddlebags and tossing them over her shoulder, then quietly made her way to the stables. There were several mules there, so she was glad Jasper’s appaloosa coat pattern made him easy to distinguish from the others. As she brought him out of the stall, she became aware Croft had entered the barn and was standing on the mule’s other side.

“And where the hell do you think you’re going by yourself… on a stolen mule… in the middle of the night?” Croft asked, clearly angry.

“That’s none of your business.”

“It’s my mule. You’re my responsibility. That makes it my business. Take your saddlebags and get back to your cabin.”

“Fuck you,” she said, throwing the saddle up on Jasper’s back.

Croft removed it before it had a chance to settle, and Finn watched as he hoisted it over his shoulder, untied the mule, then put Jasper back in the stall and the saddle back on the stand. Without saying another word, he grasped her upper arm in a vice-like hold and began walking back in the direction of her cabin, dragging her behind him.

“Let go of me, you thug,” she said through gritted teeth, trying to pull away. Her efforts seemed to have little to no effect. “Let go!”

“No.” Not breaking stride, he made a beeline for her cabin, opened it, and pulled her through the door. She expected him to leave and head back to the dormitory. Instead, he closed and locked the door with him still inside.

“Get out,” she seethed.

Finn wasn’t sure why her breathing was erratic, or she felt the tendrils of desire infusing every inch of her body. She could actually feel her nipples and clit stiffening and her pussy pulsing in response to his presence. She was having a difficult time guarding her reaction.

“I need to know you’re going to stay put and get on the helicopter in the morning,” he informed her.

“Would you believe me if I told you I would?”

“Probably not. I’m trying hard to make allowances for your recklessness, but if your brother is in trouble, and we don’t know that he is…”

“I do know…”

“How do you know?” he asked skeptically.

“He’s my brother… I just do,” she answered lamely.

“Why is it, Ms. Reid, I have a sneaking suspicion you’re riding experience isn’t the only thing you haven’t been completely honest about?”

“I can promise you I have never once lied to you.”

“Not buying it. If you lied to us, to begin with, you’d lie to me now about having lied. Give me a better reason to believe you.”

Finn had dealt with men like Croft. They could be hard and tough, but at their core, they were decent and honorable. They believed keeping women safe was their personal responsibility. Given that she was a paying client, she was fairly sure he felt that way about her. She decided to fall back on the oldest and best trick of the trade to put a man like Croft out of his comfort zone—she burst into tears.

“I just know. He missed my birthday,” she cried, making her body lose all of its defensive posturing.

As expected, Croft stepped forward and hugged her.

“Maybe he just forgot…”

“He would never forget. We’re very close, and it’s my thirtieth.”

Finn wrapped her arms around his muscular body and allowed herself the luxury of leaning on him. Granted, she was lying through her teeth, but it felt good to be in the embrace of someone strong and capable. If she told him the truth, she knew, especially given his boss’ background, he would insist on contacting the authorities. She had been assured doing so would result in her brother’s immediate death.

“It’s all right, Finlay,” he said, calling her by her given name for the first time. “Don’t cry. We’ll find him. Several of our guys came with Mac from the US Marshals. Those guys are notorious for never stopping until they get their man, and we’re all specials ops—we never leave a man behind.”

Finn leaned her head back to look up at him, batting lashes wet from tears.

“You promise?” she asked quietly.

Strong hands reached up to gently cup her face as he used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. In the instant before he lowered his head, Finn knew he meant to kiss her. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to feel his full lips against hers. She offered no resistance as his mouth captured hers in a sensuous exploration. As he moved his hands, so one cupped her head and the other her ass, as it entered her mouth, his tongue was neither tentative nor invasive, more of an assessment and invitation of what could come.

Everything in Finn wanted to yield, to let him sweep her up in his arms, take her to bed, and make her forget why she was here. Her brother’s bruised face in the picture reminded her to do so could well cost Christian his life. No, she needed to reassure Croft she planned to do as he told her, then get on with her plan. She needed to be away from here tonight.

He lifted his head, and she took a small step back.

“I c-can’t,” she stammered.

“It’s all right, babe, I understand. I probably should apologize for kissing you, but I’m not sorry, and I don’t want lies to come between us. You’ve had a long day. Why don’t you get undressed and crawl into bed? I’ll tuck you in and turn out the light. I can delay my start long enough in the morning to have breakfast and make sure you’re okay.”

“But you said…”

“A couple of hours shouldn’t make any difference, and I think your brother would want me to make sure his little sister is okay before I do anything else, don’t you?”

She nodded. She started to unbutton her blouse, and Croft turned his back to give her some privacy. God, he really was a good man. She stripped down to her bra and panties, placed her clothes on the chair beside the bed, and got under the covers.

He came over and kissed her forehead, lifting her bangs in order to do so.

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Thanks, Croft,” she said softly.

He stopped at the door and turned as he switched off the light.

“Try not to worry, Finlay. I’ll find him. I promise.”

As the door clicked shut, Finn felt a smidgeon of guilt but brushed it aside. She had to get to Christian.