Reaper (Montana Bounty Hunters Book 1) Read online

  “So do you.” She flicked a speck on his shirt. “Want to help me wash it off?”

  That quick, she pulled him in. He let out a deep breath. “You sure you want to—with me? Baby, I almost got you killed,” he whispered, his voice getting rough because his throat had tightened.

  She gripped his shirt in her fist and pulled him closer. “You blaming yourself? Because I’m a grown-ass woman, and I remember insisting I go along.”

  “You should have stayed in the trees.” He lowered his forehead to rest against hers.

  “I couldn’t. Not after I heard that first shot.” Her eyes filled, but she smiled. “If I’d done nothing, I couldn’t have lived with myself.”

  “Don’t cry,” he growled and lifted a thumb to her cheek.

  She blinked and took a deep breath. “I won’t.”

  But her lower lip trembled, so he did the only thing he could think of doing to make it stop. He tipped up her chin and kissed her.

  They swayed closer, bodies pressing together as their hands roamed. He knew what she was experiencing. He had to be sure she wasn’t hurt. He skimmed her shoulders, her breasts, her back and down to that nice, round ass. When he pulled back his head, they were both breathing hard and her mouth was open, her breaths coming in short pants. “Shower,” he said, turning her with his hands on her shoulders then giving her butt a swift pat.

  Slowly, she moved toward the stairs, and then sped up them.

  He smiled, watching her run. Then he followed, taking them two at a time.

  By the time they reached the shower in the master bedroom, they were both breathless. They stripped, kicking their clothes into a corner before stepping into the stall.

  He washed her hair, standing behind her and tipping back her head to make sure the glass crystals didn’t run into her eyes. Then he knelt on one knee as she did the same for him. When they were clean, he rubbed her dry and blotted the water from his body.

  Entering the bedroom, he closed the curtains to block out the sun, turned off all the lights, except the one beside the bed. Then he cloaked himself before slipping under the covers and drawing her close.

  She curled against his side. “I can’t believe it’s all been just one day.”

  “Everything, since the minute we met, has moved at warp speed.”

  She chuckled. “Are you a Trekkie?”

  As he angled his head to look down at her, he smiled. “Used to watch re-runs with my little brother when we were kids. I wanted to be Captain Kirk. He pretended to be Mr. Spock. He was always telling me to ‘live long and prosper’. Or giving me Spock’s special nerve pinch, and I’d pretend to pass out.”

  “I’m glad you have that.” Her hand rested on his chest. “My sister was older than me. Born old, I think. She never played with me.”

  Again, he thought it strange that he could be so happy, just talking with her in the dark about silly things. Any other woman and he’d already be inside her, ready to finish and get the hell away. “What sorts of things would you have wanted her to do? Did you like Barbies?”

  “I liked He-Man,” she said. “And Thundercat. Barbie was always looking for a hero to save her ass.”

  That comment hit home. He pulled her closer. “You saved mine.”

  “We saved each other,” she whispered. Her kiss landed on his cheek then slid across to his mouth. “Almost missed your face entirely,” she said, laughter in her voice.

  He pulled her over his body, arranging her position for his satisfaction, folding her thighs beside his hips, while he cupped her breasts and molded them with his palms. “Put me inside you, Carly.”

  Without fumbling, she found his shaft and centered it, then slowly lowered herself, pulsing downward until he was buried inside. “You shouldn’t fit at all,” she grumbled, pausing her movements. “Does it squish down at the top? Because I know how long it is.”

  A grin stretched his mouth. “It doesn’t squish. Does it feel like it has an inch of give?”

  Her hands cupping the backs of his, she began to rise and fall. “You’ve probably spoiled sex for dozens of women.”

  “How’s that?” He shook off her hands then gave her nipples a twist and toggled them with a rough fingertip.

  “Because no one will else will ever feel the way you do. I can feel every inch of you inside me.”

  “You must have spoiled your dozen boyfriends, because I can swear I’ve never felt this way either.”

  “Really?”

  The surprised note in her voice gave him courage. He reached out and pulled her down, and then rolled over her body, never breaking the connection. Next, he bracketed her face between his palms as he moved, keeping his rhythm even, his strokes flowing forward and back. “You’ve changed my mind about some things,” he whispered, leaning downward to caress her mouth with his. “I never wanted to be monogamous. Didn’t think I could want just one woman.”

  She stretched upward and bit his bottom lip. “And now you think you can?”

  He nearly groaned at the huskier inflection of her voice. “I can if it’s you.”

  Her chest pushed against his with her deep inhalation. Below, he felt her walls tighten around his cock. He slipped his hands under her bottom, cradling her as he rocked inside her slick heat. “I could stay like this forever.”

  “Please don’t,” she said in a little voice. Her fingernails dug into his ass. “Move faster.”

  He’d do her one better. He pulled free, then hooked his arms beneath her knees and raised her ass off the bed. Holding her in place, he nudged her once and thrust inside.

  Carly pulled her lower lip between her teeth and closed her eyes.

  “Baby, play with your clit.”

  Both arms reached, pressing her tits together. She pulled up the top of her folds, exposing the swollen knot and began rubbing it. As her face screwed up into an aroused grimace, Reaper was sure he’d never seen anything sexier. He hammered faster, pulling her hard against him as he stroked forward. Over and over, until she stopped rubbing and crushed the sheets at her sides in her fists.

  “Reaper!”

  Her scream sent him over the crest. Several more times, he stroked, grunting with the power of his eruption. He slowed his motions, but continued rocking because he didn’t want the connection to end—ever.

  When at last he let go of her legs and lowered himself over her heaving body, he nuzzled into the corner of her neck. “I fucking love you...”

  Her breath hitched then slowly released. “You don’t just love fucking me?” she asked, her words coming in a fast whisper. “Or do you...love me?”

  He raised his head and framed her face with both hands. “Will you stay, Carly? Here. In this house, with me?”

  She shook her head. “I want to go back to what you just said. Do you love me? Because if you do, I—”

  Oh crap, he’d blurted it too soon. He kissed her hard, halting her words. When he lifted his head, he glared. “You don’t have to say it back. Not if you’re not there yet. Just...stay.” He held still, feeling his stomach knot as she took her sweet time responding.

  “Reaper?”

  “Yes, baby.”

  “Um, how mad would you be if I told you I’m your new partner?”

  His emotions pinged between happy and pissed. He swallowed hard, and then his heartbeat pounded at his temple. “You and Fetch work this out before you came?”

  “He offered me the job. Said to think about it.” Her gaze fell to where her fingers played with the tip of his ponytail. “Said Sky was considering hiring on, and he’d like him to work with Jamie, seeing as they’ve worked so well together...before...”

  “Carly...?”

  She peeked from beneath her lashes. “Yes, Reaper?”

  “What about your writing?”

  “Well, the thing is, I can write anywhere.” A bare shoulder shrugged. “Anytime. I can work around—”

  He kissed her again. “Are you moving in with me?”

  “If you think—�
� At his glare, she gave a nod. “Yes.”

  He let out a deep breath. “Guess I’d prefer to have you where I can keep an eye on you.”

  Her smile was quick. “So, you don’t mind?”

  “I said I love you.” He narrowed his gaze.

  “Oh. You’re still waiting...” She licked her lower lip. “I think I figured out how I felt when you told me you’d dig a koi pond. Any man who’d do a crazy thing like that—”

  “Dammit,” he said softly.

  “Okay already.” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then said, “I love you, too.”

  When she looked at him again, her pretty whisky-colored eyes were filled with so much yearning his chest tightened. “Was that so hard?”

  “Since I’ve never said that to another living soul—yes.”

  He slipped his arms beneath her and cradled her against his body. Sure, he had no doubts she’d give him at least one heart attack a week, but he couldn’t imagine not riding with her beside him. “You won’t put yourself in danger ever again. You’ll be smart. Listen to what I say.”

  “Of course, I will.” Her brows wrinkled. “Unless a bride is ready to beat you with a bouquet...”

  The mention of a bride didn’t make him cringe. Not even one bit.

  Chapter 9

  Isaiah Watson was up on charges for armed robbery. His bail had been set at a $200,000. His mother secured the bond with the deed for the hair salon she’d owned and operated for twenty-five years. She’d called from the courthouse to insist that Montana Bounty Hunters find her son after he’d failed to appear for his trial. She’d even provided the names of his girlfriend, his friends, and the bar he frequented. Because Fetch had been the one to bond him out, she’d still had his card in her wallet. She wanted her asshole son found and didn’t care if he got roughed up a bit along the way back to jail.

  Isaiah wasn’t a smart man. He’d bragged to friends at the Blue Elk Tavern in Libby that he wasn’t going to jail. Instead, he would head into the mountains to live off the land, using his skills as a hunter to survive. He didn’t need no Walmart or no woman. No, he was going “off the grid.”

  Well, “off the grid” turned out to be a vacation cabin on the edge of the Koontenai National Forest he’d broken into and now currently occupied. Reaper guessed the first night Isaiah had slept in a tent on the cold hard ground, he’d probably rethought his future.

  “Yeah, he’s in there,” came Jamie’s voice in his ear. “He’s in the kitchen cooking something on the stove. Smells like Dinty Moore canned stew.”

  Reaper’s stomach rumbled. They’d been tracking Isaiah for a day and a half from the point where one of his drinking buddies dropped him on the road. Jamie’s dog, Tessa, led the team over rugged terrain—down gullies and up high ridges, finding the remains of one cold campfire and protein bar wrappers along the way. Reaper wolfed down the same brand of bar that morning for breakfast and resented the fact Isaiah was helping himself to a hot meal, thanks to the generator that rumbled on the cabin porch.

  “Don’t suppose we can finish his stew once we have him in cuffs.”

  Reaper gave his new trainee a sideways glance and shrugged. “Fetch is gonna take a couple of hours to get here with the van. I just sent him the GPS coordinates. Don’t see why not.”

  Carly smiled from her position hunkered down beside the front porch.

  “Let’s take down this knucklehead,” Sky said from his position on the far side of the cabin. “Hope he hasn’t emptied the pantry.”

  Reaper crept quietly onto the porch and tried the door handle, which twisted under his hand. “Remember, he’s armed. And he’s sworn not to be taken alive.”

  “Yeah, and he said he was going to live off the land like Jeremiah Johnson,” Jamie muttered. “I don’t think he’ll give us much of a fight.”

  Hoping that case would turn out to be true, Reaper took a deep breath. “On three, folks. One, two...three.” With his weapon raised, he pushed open the door and entered the living room, heading toward the kitchen tucked into the right side of the cabin. Carly crept right behind him.

  A crash sounded from the rear of the cabin, and Reaper almost smiled. Jamie had always insisted on using less destructive ways of getting into domiciles, but he must have rubbed off on her a bit.

  Then he heard footsteps, rushing his way from the kitchen, and he ducked to hide beside the kitchen door. Carly took the opposite side.

  When Isaiah burst through the opening, she stuck out her foot.

  Isaiah jumped over it but didn’t miss the arm Reaper shot out to catch him in the gut. Isaiah bounced back and landed on his ass, then scrambled on his hands and knees back into the kitchen, heading straight for the gun leaning against the pantry door.

  But Jamie rushed him, jumping on his back, her arm around his neck in a chokehold.

  Isaiah reared upward and stood, shaking his shoulders and backing into the counter, scraping her against its length.

  Carly pushed past Reaper and hit Isaiah and Jamie with a flying tackle, knocking both to the floor. The trio rolled side to side, grunting and groaning, Isaiah still trying to free himself, but the women held on for dear life.

  “Think we should lend a hand?” Sky drawled, stepping through the door with Tessa at his side.

  The dog growled and lunged against the lead.

  Reaper watched Carly get in a few digs against Isaiah’s ribs and nodded.

  The two men shared a glance, and then Sky reached down to release the clip on Tessa’s leash.

  Tessa shot forward, entering the only space on Isaiah’s body not covered by determined women. She opened her jaws and clamped down on his crotch.

  Isaiah screamed like a little girl—high-pitched and piercing—and stopped moving.

  The women moved back and stood, both looking disheveled but grinning.

  Jamie dropped to a knee beside Tessa. “Good girl, aus!”

  Tessa released Isaiah then moved backward, her gaze never leaving the trembling, whimpering man.

  Ready to finalize the capture, Reaper slipped his handcuffs from his back pocket and stepped forward, “Isaiah Watson, we’re Fugitive Recovery Agents. Roll onto your stomach and put your hands behind your back.”

  Isaiah eyed the dog, who issued a low rumbling growl, and quickly rolled.

  Reaper secured him, and then helped him up and into a chair.

  “Anyone gonna look at my balls?” he whined. “Fuckin’ dog bit me.”

  Jamie frowned and bent toward the skinny man. “I don’t see any holes in your jeans. She did not bite.”

  “Well, she crushed ’em.” He rocked back and forth in the chair. “You have to get me to a doctor.”

  Reaper sighed. “Stand up.”

  Isaiah slid forward then stood. Reaper unbuckled the bail-jumper’s belt and shoved down his pants.

  The women whipped around, giving the men their backs. “Not something I need to see,” muttered Carly.

  Reaper grimaced and pushed down the other man’s tighty-whities.

  Sky and Reaper stared downward.

  “Look good to me.” Sky pressed his mouth into a straight line.

  “You have to look under ’em,” Isaiah said. “It’s where it hurts.”

  “I am not picking up your balls,” Reaper bit out, giving the man a scowl.

  Jamie sputtered, and her shoulders shook. Carly leaned against her side, her entire body quivering.

  Sky blew out a breath and rifled through the kitchen drawers. He handed Reaper a spatula.

  This task was what he got for being team leader. Reaper blew out a breath between pursed lips, then caught Carly glancing over her shoulders, her eyes dancing with merriment. He gave a little shake of his head, warning her of dire consequences if she laughed aloud.

  But that only managed to make her silent laughter shake her body harder.

  Reaper tucked the spatula under the man’s balls and lifted them. “You have a look, Sky.”

  Shaking his head,
Sky held up his hands. “Hey, I found the tool. It’s all on you, now.”

  Cussing under his breath, Reaper took a knee and peered, not too closely, at the man’s balls. “Don’t see any injury. I think you’ll be fine.”

  “But they’re swollen, man.”

  Reaper gave him a cold glare. “Ask for an icepack when you get to jail.” He tossed away the spatula and pulled up the guy’s underwear and pants. “Now, sit.”

  His teammates applauded.

  Jamie and Carly got busy in the kitchen, heating up cans of stew and chili on the stove.

  Sky found some rope in a shed and tied Isaiah’s feet and one hand, leaving a hand free for him to join their impromptu meal.

  As they ate, the women chattered.

  “Let me see that rock, again.” Carly waited as Jamie held out her hand to show off her engagement ring.

  Reaper shot a glance toward Sky and cocked an eyebrow.

  Sky leaned close and whispered, “I’ll send you the address of the jeweler.”

  Reaper nodded, waiting for a second to see whether his balls shriveled or his stomach knotted, but all he felt was a sweet resolve.

  Carly caught his stare and gave him a wink.

  Was she expecting him to propose? They’d only known each other a month. Yes, they’d been living together for all that time, but still...

  He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze, not blushing when Sky and Jamie shared knowing smiles.

  “So,” Jamie said, looking at Carly with a grin. “You’re coming to the wedding, right?”

  That night, after they’d showered and made love, Reaper joined her beside the pond he’d dug in the front yard. The only forest-free space in the yard.

  Carly bent to the silver trashcan beside the pond and scooped out the fish meal, replenishing the automatic pagoda-style feeder above the pond. Then holding pellets in her hand, she knelt beside the water to hold out her hand to the fish.

  Just as the breeder promised them, the mature fish, familiar with hand-feeding set the example for the younger fish, who nibbled just as eagerly.