Undercover in Conard County Read online

  His traced a path to her neck with his tongue and her fingers gripped his back almost painfully. Murmurs escaped her, soft ones. Delighted ones. No protest.

  He knew that for all intents and purposes he was making love to a virgin. Her rape didn’t count as a sexual experience, but rather one of violence and abuse. This time had to be different. All he wanted was for her to move forward without fearing all men’s sexuality. If he could manage that...

  But she distracted him from the thoughts he was trying to hang on to in order to keep himself under control. His brain didn’t want to think logically about anything, not when she pulled at his sweatshirt as if she wanted it gone.

  He was happy to oblige, to become her plaything if it helped her or even just because that was what she wanted right now.

  He helped her pull the shirt over his head, then drew her in for another kiss as her hands began to wander over his bare flesh. Need began to consume him. His loins ached. Desire pounded in his blood, nearly deafening him.

  Control, he reminded himself, fearing he was losing the battle.

  Her hands, at first tentative, grew bolder when she realized he wasn’t pulling away, that he clearly enjoyed her touches. He hated the moment when she started to move back, sure he had somehow put her off, or that her fears were taking charge, but then her hands began to caress his chest. They wandered over him curiously, eagerly, and discovered how sensitive his nipples were.

  “Like mine,” she breathed.

  If he hadn’t been so gripped by pounding need, he might have laughed as she turned into an imp, teasing him until he could have lost his mind. When he gave in and shuddered with pleasure, she sighed and teased him more.

  She liked having power over him, and he was only too willing to grant it. In conquering her past, she was quickly turning into an active lover and he adored it.

  But soon having his shirt off wasn’t enough. She started to tug at her own and he caught her hands. With huge effort, pushing back his hunger, he asked huskily, “Are you sure?”

  Her eyes looked sleepy and her mouth, the mouth he had so gently plundered, curved into a faint smile. “Absolutely,” she murmured. “Absolutely.”

  * * *

  Desi wondered if ever in her life had she been as certain of what she wanted as now. The thought barely ruffled the surface of her excitement and longing for more. A gentle man, one who was giving her control, demanding not a thing from her. She wouldn’t have believed a man like Kel could have existed. He looked so powerful, so in charge, yet had never tried to control her in the least way, not even at the outset. A man so comfortable in himself that he seemed to have nothing to prove.

  A man who made her feel safe enough to take a risk. As he helped her pull off her sweater and the turtleneck beneath it, she shivered in anticipation. She hovered on the cusp of discovery, at a place far beyond any she had ever visited before. Joe had terrified her and hurt her. This man was helping her make the climb in her own way, in her own time.

  A sense of amazing freedom filled her even as passion carried her ever deeper into its grip. Her whole body seemed alight with need, the throbbing at her center at once delightful and consuming. She felt an emptiness there, a need for something to answer that ache.

  But Kel didn’t give it to her. Not just then. He reached for the clasp of her bra, asking, “Okay?”

  “Yes.” The word came out tight as excitement hammered her even more strongly. When she felt the clasp release and her breasts spill free, she gasped, acutely aware of the air touching her skin, of a man’s gaze, then his hands, then his mouth.

  He leaned in and kissed her again, but as he did so he cupped her breasts, squeezing just a little, running his thumbs over her hardening nipples, a sensation so powerful that a moan escaped her. As if wires reached from her nipples to her core, everything inside her tightened then began to throb hungrily in time with the light brushes of his thumb. Instinctively, her tongue reacted with the same rhythm, echoing her need.

  Her entire body demanded satisfaction, her thoughts flew away and she became mindless with hunger. Then, he startled her. He leaned back on the couch and drew her over him, so that she looked down at him.

  “Your way,” he said, a raspy murmur.

  Her way? She didn’t have a way. She’d never...but the instant of fear flew away as he lifted one of her breasts until he could pull her nipple into his mouth. The strong sucking ignited her. Every concern or hesitation vanished.

  He was hers, for tonight anyway. Here and now, he had given himself to her.

  Power filled her. Doubts fled. She might not know much, but she grasped what she needed.

  Rearing up, she reached for his belt. A sound escaped him and soon he was helping her. With his thumbs and a wiggle he pushed his clothes below his hips. Letting her see him, revealing how much he wanted her.

  No secrets. Curious, driven by feelings she barely understood, she closed her hand around his erection and felt his entire body jerk. When she started to withdraw her hand, afraid she had hurt him, he closed his own around it, holding her to himself. Then, carefully, he showed her how to stroke him.

  The moans that escaped him then delighted her, but deepened her need to feel the same way. He felt so smooth, so strong...

  Unable to stand another minute, she wiggled off him and stripped away the last of her clothes. As she did so, he pulled a condom from the pants that still tangled his legs and rolled it on. She was past noticing, past feeling the chilliness of the air, and she had only a vague understanding of what she needed but when he tugged her hand and drew her over him, he showed her.

  He guided her until she straddled him, then drew her down until his erection pierced her. The feeling was so exquisite she lost her breath. The emptiness was gone, in its place came instincts as old as time.

  “Ride me,” he said gruffly. Gripping her hips, he showed her, and soon her body took over, driving her toward the answer she wanted beyond everything now.

  She rode him. Higher and higher she rose, the pounding ache in her loins driving her like a whip, harder and harder and...

  She shattered into a million flaming pieces, the world disappearing in a supernova of suns, only dimly aware that Kel thrust one last time. Her cry joined his moan, then she seemed to faint.

  * * *

  When she returned, once again aware of something besides her own pleasure, her insides still warm, clenching in a slower rhythm, she was aware of Kel beneath her. He moved her a little, withdrawing himself from her, and as she felt him slip out she wanted to stop him.

  But she didn’t have the energy to protest, and when his powerful arms surrounded her, holding her close, she never wanted to move again. The aftermath was almost as beautiful as the event itself.

  Eons later, or perhaps only a few minutes, Kel stirred again. “I need to take care of business. Want a robe?”

  She hated the idea of him letting go of her, leaving her for even a short time, but reality was returning and couldn’t be denied. The sweat drying on her skin was chilling her. “Thanks,” she said thickly. “Back of my bedroom door.”

  “I’ll be right back,” he promised, giving her a quick kiss as he sat up. With evident reluctance, he placed her on the couch beside him.

  Now she was getting really cold, but he returned swiftly, giving her her robe before heading back to the bathroom. Standing, she pulled it on and for the first time realized he had left her with a pleasant ache between her legs.

  She had made love with a man. All of a sudden it hit her, and she sat down as if her strings had been cut. She’d done it! She’d gotten past her fears, past Joe. Not only that, but it had been wonderful. Astonishment and exhilaration filled her. Her heart felt light enough to float.

  When Kel returned a few minutes later, he wore only his jeans. Her eyes immediately latched on to the unfa
stened button. So sexy, she thought.

  “It’s late,” he said. “Do you want some coffee anyway? Or something else?”

  She glanced toward the digital clock on her microwave and was astonished to see it was after one. How had that happened? Hadn’t they left Mahoney’s shortly after eleven?

  Meeting in the morning at nine. Her work mind popped up the alert as surely as a tickler on her computer. The thing was, she wanted to investigate Thunder Mountain, too, tomorrow.

  Then she looked at Kel, felt everything inside her melt, and thought, what the hell. A man like this and a night like this were rarer than diamonds in her life.

  “Coffee,” she said, and smiled. “I’m not in any hurry to go to sleep.”

  His answering smile warmed her. “Me neither.”

  * * *

  Randy sat alone in the camp on the side of Thunder Mountain, watching snowflakes begin to fall. The night sky had clouded over, and he had a well-shielded camp lantern lit. No fire, just cold fluorescent light.

  The snow would help with concealment. Not that he cared at that moment. He’d been sent out here to prep for the next group of hunters, and to take out that new outfitter down below. The one whose license had been rejected but was still talking about taking some people out next week. People. Clients most likely. Why else go into outfitting except to make money? Randy had even managed to get a look at the guy at Mahoney’s before racing back here. Target identified.

  Now his bosses were furious with him for shooting that hunter. Sitting there in the cold, alone, he was equally furious at the bosses. The only thing he regretted was that both those men hadn’t died. He’d recognized them. Sooner or later they might have remembered him.

  He couldn’t chance that. While his bosses remained safely ensconced on their large spreads or in their offices, he and other guides were the tip of their spear. They got paid well enough to lead these hunts, but they took a huge risk doing it.

  The guides and their bosses, if caught, could face heavy fines and jail time. If one of their customers got charged with knowingly using an unlicensed outfitter, then the whole damn business would go up in smoke even if the members of the operation got away.

  In short, one bit of finger-pointing at Randy could cost him everything, even if he never told them who he worked for.

  Get rid of the competition in the form of that Westin guy? Absolutely. No problem with that. But risk someone identifying him, bringing the law’s attention his way because he’d been leading horses and a pack of dogs up the mountain? Especially the dogs?

  No. He might have to protect the operation, but he also had to cover his own butt. So he had. Or at least he’d tried to. He’d also been careful not to shoot at those guys for more than an hour after he had passed them. Even if they did remember him, there ought to be no connection in anyone’s mind.

  Maybe.

  He swore, not caring that he disturbed the night. Nothing right around here anyway that he was worried about. Anybody who happened across this camp would know that it was not on a migration path. That choice had been deliberate. The horses would get them to the good spots, well away from here.

  All right, maybe shooting those guys had been a mistake. But they weren’t going to find any evidence against him unless someone identified him.

  Now he wanted to know what was going on with that Westin guy. Come all the way to a place he didn’t know to become a guide? And now, he was joined at the hip with the senior warden.

  Westin was either very stupid or very smart. As far as Randy knew, the warden didn’t like men. He figured her for liking women, but now this?

  So maybe Westin had successfully dazzled her. He was new, no way to link him to any past poaching, and he probably seemed aboveboard. Honest enough to get himself in with her, anyway.

  Women could be so stupid sometimes.

  But having the two of them together would make his job more difficult. He’d heard they’d teamed up when they’d responded to the shooting earlier that day. Was Westin riding shotgun with her? How the hell was Randy supposed to take him out and make it look like a hunting accident if that was the case?

  This whole thing was screwed up. No reason to take the guy out. Just report him. Sure, maybe one time he could get away with convincing everyone that he hadn’t been paid by these two clients. But what about the next one?

  He sat up a little straighter as a thought occurred to him. What if Westin wasn’t what he seemed? What if he was really looking for someone like Randy, so he could get to the whole ring?

  Suddenly the picture seemed clear, his bosses didn’t seem so stupid and he suspected they’d gotten intel from inside Game and Fish.

  He tried to shake off the thought but couldn’t. It helped him understand why they wanted Westin dead, not simply turned in. Why they’d even hinted he should take out Desi Jenks if he had a good opportunity.

  Well, if that was what they wanted, he’d damn well give it to them. He didn’t care if he had to take out that trouble-making warden. Randy liked his life just the way it was, and nobody was going to screw it up.

  He hoped the hunter they were bringing up overnight would steer clear of everything except the game he wanted, because the hunter could face an accident, too.

  Randy liked his life, all right, and he wasn’t about to give it up either.

  Chapter 13

  Morning dawned gray, the wind still blowing hard enough to make the double-paned windows rattle. Yet it was a beautiful morning. Desi awoke surrounded by Kel’s arms, by his heat and his strength, and she felt wonderful. She didn’t want to move even a little bit, for fear of breaking the magic of the moment. She kept her eyes closed and relived the night before, all of it. Detail by detail, especially when they made love the second time and she hadn’t feared giving him some control.

  But finally she couldn’t ignore the present any longer. She pried one eye open and peered at the clock. Seven fifteen. Time to rise and get ready for the meeting at nine with her fellow wardens and a couple of deputies. Time to leave magic behind and move back into harsh reality.

  She sighed.

  “Good morning,” Kel rumbled in her ear. “Wonderful morning, in fact.”

  A smile creased her face and she twisted her head to see him. He pushed himself up on an elbow and sprinkled kisses on her face. “I’d eat you up right now, but I think that sigh meant you were thinking about business.”

  “Mostly I was thinking about you,” she admitted, feeling not the least bit shy, “but there is that meeting here at nine. I’ve got to get ready, and have the coffee downstairs going by eight thirty because some of the guys will be early.”

  He smiled and gave her one more long, deep kiss. “Then let’s get going.”

  There hadn’t been much sleep last night, she thought as she rubbed her eyes. She’d gone on short sleep before when working a case, but she didn’t like it. Slips of judgment were too easy to make.

  Kel left the bed first, walking naked around the room without the least show of self-consciousness, to bring her her robe and slippers. “I’ll go start breakfast.”

  Wrapped up against the chilly morning air, thinking about whether she should turn up the thermostat, instead of heading straight for the bathroom she went to look out the front window. It had snowed in the mountains last night, but not a light powdering. Solid white cloaked them.

  Kel came to stand beside her. “Doesn’t look like we’re going up there today.”

  “Not likely,” she agreed. “Probably just as well. Somehow I missed a lot of sleep last night, so I’d be accident-prone.”

  He laughed. “Go take your shower. I’ll take care of everything else.”

  She half wished he’d follow her into the shower, but practicality reared its head. She’d scheduled a meeting. Her doing. She’d better be there.<
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  The thought struck her as almost ridiculous. Never before had she wished she could avoid a meeting, nor had to scold herself to go. Happiness stayed with her, however, a precious flower that had blossomed inside her. She mostly enjoyed her life, but happiness like this? Very rare.

  She was still smiling when she went out to breakfast wearing her flannel red shirt and jeans. Kel greeted her with a kiss and passed her a plate loaded with eggs, sausage and toast and a mug of coffee. “Eat up,” he said. “Today could turn out to be long.”

  She looked at him and caught his wink. “Long in what sense?” she asked.

  He laughed and joined her at the bar with his own plate. “I guess we’ll see.”

  She ate, savoring the closeness she felt with Kel. Remembering how lovely it was to lie in his arms. Delighted that his size and strength no longer worried her even the least bit. She had broken the chains.

  Kel spoke absently, reminiscing about a dog he’d had when he was still in school, and remarking that he’d like to have another one someday. “But dogs don’t do well if they’re left alone too long, so I’d need to be more settled.”

  “I always wanted a dog,” Desi remarked. “A big one.”

  For some reason, that made him chuckle.

  After breakfast, she glanced at her watch and said, “I need to get downstairs. Come when you’re ready.”

  He hesitated. “Are you sure you want me to show up?”

  “You were with me yesterday when we went to the shooting scene. If Jos knows it, the rest know it.” She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. By now we’re probably the subject of talk among any who care.”

  “I didn’t mean to cause you problems, Desi.”

  She laughed. “I was the one who suggested you stay here. From that instant, despite having a bunkhouse, the talk became inevitable. Don’t worry about it. They won’t give me a scarlet letter.”