Lies That Bind (9 page)

“They sure as shit didn’t stick around.” Tyler yanked off his shirt for a compress and draped it over Nate’s shoulder. The gaping wound made it impossible to stop the blood flow. “It took a chunk out of your shoulder.”

“I’m lucky to be alive. If I hadn’t ducked to miss a low branch, I’d be dead.”

“We’ve got to get you out of here.” He fumbled for his cell phone.

“No shit. Help me mount.” He stuffed his .32 into a shin holster and tried to stand.

Tyler caught his fall and eased him back to the ground. “If you don’t let go of that damn arrow, you’re going to get hurt again.”

“It’s evidence.” His grip tightened on the shaft. “I’ll be damned—”

“You’ll be dead.”

Nate’s eyes narrowed. Tyler couldn’t tell if it was from anger or shock getting the better of him. He’d gone pale and clammy. But Nate did have a point. The arrow was evidence.

Tyler retrieved his cell phone and punched in Rex’s number. “We’ll put it in my quiver.”

Heaving breaths, Nate hooked the hole in his T-shirt and ripped it in two, then wrapped it around the arrow and knotted the ends closed. “Who you calling?”

“Rex. I want him to have the Suburban ready to go. It’d take forever for a rescue crew to get out here.” He punched End and tried again. “He’s not picking up.”

Nate snickered and sagged against the tree. “No shit. If you were with Tessa, would you pick up?”

Valid point. He disconnected.

“Try her cell,” Nate said.

Tyler scrolled down to her number, punched it to dial, and got a no-service signal. “I lost the fucking connection.”

“I’ll try mine.” Nate fumbled for his phone tucked in his right pocket with his left hand and succeeded in toppling over onto his wounded shoulder. Tyler saw him grind his teeth against a cry of pain. He felt Nate’s agony in his own bones.

“Here. Let me.” He braced Nate upright, repositioning the makeshift compress—worthless at this point but better than nothing. “I’ll call her.” Tyler reached for the phone in Nate’s pocket.

“Don’t get too personal with me.”

At least Nate’s humor was still intact. “You wish.” Tyler passed the cell to him. Like his attempts, the call to Tessa went unanswered.

“Okay, we’ve got to get you out of here while you can still move. I’m only wasting time, trying to find someone. All the hands are out with the tour group. We’d make better time heading back.”

“Leave me here.”

“For the pigs? You’re losing blood quicker than I’d like. All the ammo in the world isn’t going to do you a lick of good once you pass out.” Tyler stuffed both phones into his jeans pockets. “You’re coming with me.” Tyler drew Nate’s good arm over his shoulder, grabbed him around the waist, and helped him stand on wobbly legs. In spite of all the shuffling, Nate had still managed to grab the arrow. Tyler didn’t have a free hand to argue the point.

“Hang in there. I’ll get you back.”

“Dead or alive?”

Something like that
. “Let’s shoot for alive, okay?”

“I’d rather shoot for the guy who did this. Before he tries again.”

And they’d be sitting ducks on those horses. “Then we’ll aim for the middle of the clearing and pray.”

“Like Derek did?”

Too much so
. Tyler prayed they didn’t end up the same way.

Chapter Seven

Tessa woke to a hard, hot body wrapped around hers and a promising erection wedged against her lower back. Rex’s calloused fingers cupped her breast. His thumb traced circles around the peaked nipple that told him she was awake and alert. If he cared to explore lower, Rex would find other places ready and willing.

“How long was I asleep?” She reached around and glided her fingers over his hip until she could grab a handful of tight ass. The muscles clenched under her grip, pushing his cock persistently into her back. Right now, she didn’t care that this could only lead to broken hearts for all of them. She wanted, needed, and she was going to have. Damn the consequences.

“About an hour.”

The backs of his fingers swept down to her belly. Fire licked a column deep inside. She tried for a better hold on his backside but couldn’t quite reach the cleft.

“Tyler and Nate back?” she asked.

“No.” He combed through the small patch of hair right above her clit, promising a firm touch but not delivering it. Tessa ordered her thighs to remain closed. She’d win this particular power struggle and enjoy every second of battle.

“They call?”

“I turned off all the phones. I didn’t want us disturbed.” He kneaded his lips over that extrasensitive spot along her neck. Instinctively, she arched into the caress, cursing the soft moan that escaped and tattled how much she wanted him.

Tessa shook away the spiraling want and rolled toward him. “Well, aren’t you the clever one?”

She dived her fingers between his legs and cupped his sac. His eyes glazed over before his long-lashed lids shuttered her view.

“Ready for action too, so I see.” She draped her calf over his hip. “Good thing.” One push had Rex on his back. “I’m disappointed, cowboy. You could at least put up some sort of fight.”

His eyelids slowly lifted, revealing a glint of devilment from within. His grin spread, and big hands clamped over her ass. One yank up poised her at the tip of his erection.

“Maybe I have you right where I want you.”

Tessa pressed her palms against his chest, intent on pushing away. Instead, the motion edged her closer to what she wanted—him. Rex’s hands tensed, but his hold didn’t tighten. A lesser man would have seated himself to glory. This one had control. She admired it, even while she wanted to break it, absorb it, make it her own.

The choice, it seemed, was hers. She slid onto him by slow degrees, each centimeter spreading her wide, reminding Tessa she had hold of a
big
man. Neither broke eye contact, neither consciously gave themselves away. Subconsciously, however…

She allowed herself an inward grin at the throb in their groins, the catch in their breaths, the sweat that glistened over their skin despite the air-conditioned room. Then he moved. One hand stayed clamped on her backside. The other glided up her back, silently urging her to close that small gap between them.

Tessa relented, her lips parted to meet his. They froze a whisper away from kissing, like time had taken a snapshot of this moment. Then they moved. She gasped a little at the tiny spark when their lips touched. Melted when his tongue slid over hers. His fingers crawled into her hair. His hand cradled her head as he deepened the kiss on a groan that rumbled from his chest into hers.

God, how she’d missed him.

His other hand brushed over her buttocks in time with his tongue, harder and harder, bringing up the heat. Her heart raced with the thrum building in her clit. Her pelvis moved. His responded, pushing deep. He kneaded her ass, one cheek and then the other. Her pussy clenched, breath caught. He was going to…

Tessa jerked away from the kiss. “Don’t.”

“Why not?”

To his credit, Rex didn’t feign innocence. It made her want what he was about to do even more.

“You like it.”

She couldn’t manage a comeback. Truth be told, a part of her wanted Rex to take charge and give her a paddling that would make her pussy weep and her clit ripen. Her heartbeat sped up. Tessa knew Rex could feel it. He said nothing.

“It’s been a long time,” she managed to say. “I’d rather get reacquainted first.” There were some barriers she had to keep in place. This was one of them. Perhaps the only one left.

Rex gave her a small smile. “By all means.” Arms anchoring her to him, he rolled, reversing their positions. It put him deeper inside her, triggering waves of sensation that demanded more. Her vaginal muscles clamped around his cock, rippling over it in invitation. All of it subconscious reaction while she lay there, basking in the feel of his body pressed to hers. Safe. Protected.

“You feel good inside me. On me.” Tessa slid her arms over his broad shoulders.

He brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek. His gaze caressed her face, then met hers.

“Soft, yet strong. I swear, I feel like my dick is locked in a furnace. It’s all I can do not to come.”

“You could always retreat.” They nudged noses, nipped at each other’s lips.

“One move, sweetheart. That’s all it’s going to take.”

“Then kiss me,” she whispered and pressed her mouth to his.

His deep-throated groan crawled into her soul when his tongue curled around hers. Rex kissed like Tessa knew he’d be fucking her, slow and sweet, teasing her nerves to the breaking point, then bringing her down only to build her up again, locked together, and hot. So. Damn. Hot.

Tessa broke the kiss on a gasp. Her pelvis rocked into his of its own volition, tearing moans from both of them. She felt a shudder run down Rex’s back, more heat pouring into his cock. The battle to hang on twisted his features. He never looked more handsome than at that moment. That she’d done this to him… That he still wanted her…

She shoved her hand between them, wrapped her fist around the base of Rex’s cock, and squeezed hard.

He cried out, grimaced from the pain of a choked-off orgasm, then butted his forehead to hers once the moment had passed. Their breaths mixed. Slowly she extricated her hand. Rex’s replaced it. He flicked his thumb over her slickened clitoris. Tessa closed her eyes and lost herself in the rising climax, the feel of him plunging in and out, harder, deeper, faster.

“Oh God.” She clutched his shoulders and rocked her hips in time with his. When that wasn’t enough, she locked her ankles around his waist and thrust harder.

Orgasm hit them simultaneously. A million stars slammed into her.

The bedroom door slammed open, shattering the sweetness. Tessa and Rex jerked apart in the tangle of sheets to face a bloodied Tyler.

“What the fuck happened?” Rex vaulted from the bed.

Tyler snapped his arm toward them. “While you two were in here fucking your brains out, someone shot an arrow through Nate! Why the hell didn’t you answer your goddamn phones?”

“Where is he?” Rex stabbed his legs into his jeans.

Tessa rolled from bed, taking the sheet with her in her stumble toward the dresser where Rex had neatly folded her clothes. She dressed in less time than it took to think about it.

“Sitting on Annabelle, though God knows how he can manage to stay in the saddle. Get your ass in gear and help me get him into the Suburban. He needed a doctor an hour ago.” Tyler stomped away.

Tessa had never moved so fast in her life. After stuffing her cell phone into her jeans pocket, she wadded the bedsheet in her arms and hauled ass to the kitchen for the first-aid kit. She reached the vehicle just as Rex and Tyler were easing Nate into the back, waited until he was settled, then crawled in with him.

Nate was a bloody mess, barely conscious. Tessa wrapped the sheet under and around his shoulders, then bound the ends around his chest.

“Ow, Tess. Too tight.” Nate plucked at the knot.

“Sorry.” She worked it loose and retied. “Better?”

“Not until I find the son of a bitch who did this,” he mumbled.

Tessa cradled his shoulders on her lap, hoping being higher would ease the blood flow. Nate winced, then a sigh settled him deeply. He fumbled for her hand. Once secure in its grip, he wrapped his fingers around hers.

“Drive fast,” she told Rex. Useless words. Road dust filtered in through the back of the vehicle. They stopped long enough to pick up Tyler after he released the horses into the corral, then were off again.

She kept her attention on Nate, bracing him against impact, the conversation in the front seat nothing more than white noise.

“Stay with me.”

Tessa read his lips. The words were below a whisper. His hold slackened. She wrapped his hand in both of hers, keeping him grounded to this world, silently urging him to hold on. She didn’t let go until the ER staff swept him away. That was when she whirled around on Rex and Tyler.

“I want to know
exactly
what happened,” she said as she strode toward a nest of chairs that would give them some measure of privacy while it still allowed her a view of the swinging doors where they’d taken Nate.

* * * *

Rex had never seen anyone put up their shields with more efficiency than Tessa. He’d forgotten this about her, how stubborn she could be, how determined.

She paced their corner of the waiting room, arms locked over her chest, making eye contact with no one. A clear hands-off, stay-away, violators-will-be-dealt-with-harshly signal even a fool would recognize. It hurt. Nothing had changed. Great sex didn’t mean reconciliation.

Still, it was hard as hell, giving her the space she demanded while she processed Tyler’s report. For all the tough-chick vibes, unshed tears glistened in her eyes. Blood soaked her pretty blue T-shirt. Her jeans were soaked too. Rex wanted to wrap her in his arms and shield her. Wanted to rush to the closest store and buy her a change of clothes, take her to the nearest family restroom, and wash away the horror of the afternoon. He would have if he didn’t think it’d result in an all-out battle of wills. It pissed him off, made him want to scream at the world, pound his fist into something. Speaking of which…

Tyler sat with forearms braced on jiggling knees, staring at the white linoleum floor. Three empty water bottles stood under his seat awaiting the recycling bin. He was working on a fourth, and if he didn’t take a piss soon, Rex was going to haul his ass up to the ER desk. It was a stupid greenhorn move to go out without water. No one lectured about that more than Tyler.

“You sure you’re not hurt?” Blood swatches mottled Tyler’s shirt—nothing compared to Nate’s—but it gave Rex the opening he needed to pry into Tyler’s physical well-being. It also halted Tessa’s relentless tread. She paused, waiting for a response.

“I’m fine.” Tyler’s head drooped a little more. “And for the life of me, I don’t understand why. We were sitting ducks. Whoever took that shot could have picked us off, and no one would be the wiser. I don’t understand why he didn’t finish Nate off.”

Tessa’s chin came up. “He had a gun.”