His mouth went dry. All of his blood rushed to his groin so fast he got dizzy.
“Please, Hawk,” she murmured, unhooking her bra and letting it drop, standing before him, gloriously nude. “Love me.”
The kicker? He already did. So goddamn much he could hardly breathe. Gently pulling her in against him, he slowly backed her to the bed, following her down, down…ah, yeah, ending up right where he wanted to be, between her legs.
Her lips were soft, receptive and made for his, and kissing her was like heaven on earth. So was touching her. Never in a million years had he expected her to offer this again, to want him in the way he wanted her, and it hit like a freight train. “Abby.”
She was busy, her mouth spreading hot, sweet kisses down his throat, her hands shoving his jeans down at the same time so that she could wrap a leg around him, opening herself up so he could sink inside her.
Yeah, he might have spent six months fantasizing about her, but those dreams had nothing, nothing at all, on the reality of being with her, feeling her body move with his, hearing her pant out his name as if there was no one else on earth who could do her right. The only sound in the room now was their harsh breathing as they struggled to keep their wordless pleas and moans from being overheard. Being with her like this was beyond his dreams, so sensual, so earthy and erotic as hell. It was also oddly unnerving because he knew…
She was it for him.
Her breasts were cushioned against his chest, her belly to his, her body soft against his hard, ungiving one. He had his hands on her ass, with each thrust driving them higher and higher, and he looked into her face, watching her go over for him, shatter with his name on her lips. Lost in her shudders, so sweetly encased in her body, he came right along with her, with only one thought in his brain.
Oh, yeah, he’d fallen. He’d fallen good and hard, and couldn’t get up.
THE PLAN WAS SIMPLE, BUT STILL struck terror into Abby’s heart. She’d described the lay of the ranch for Hawk and Logan. They’d wait until they were nearly there to call Tibbs and give him directions. That way he would be too late to stop them, but not too late to help.
Hopefully.
The possibility made Abby sick to her stomach. So many things could go wrong. Gaines could kill Logan and Hawk or her before admitting anything. Tibbs could not show up in time, or worse, show up too soon and take Hawk into custody.
The whole thing was one big crap shoot, and Abby hated gambling.
Logan, changed out of his maternal wear, got into the passenger seat of the SUV, looking far too weak for Abby’s peace of mind, but there was no stopping this. He leaned out the window and gave Callen a kiss good-bye. “I’ll never forget you,” he said more solemnly than Abby had ever seen him.
Callen shook her head, eyes fierce. “Oh, no. Hell, no. Don’t you dare say good-bye to me like you’re not coming back.”
Logan didn’t smile, or try to reassure her. “Callen-”
“You know what? Forget this bullshit.” And she climbed into the backseat. “I’m in as much danger if I stay behind. I gave Gaines my name when I thought he was your boss, and by now they’ve probably noticed you disappeared just before I left the hospital.”
Hawk looked at Abby. “This is crazy.”
Callen lifted a small tape recorder. “Not crazy. I can help. Hey, I might get something useful for you all to use later, right?”
“Absolutely crazy,” Hawk repeated.
“There’s no doubt of that.” Abby gestured to the wheel. “You driving, or am I?”
“Shit.” But he opened the backseat for her, and then got behind the wheel.
The plan was in motion now, and nothing could stop it. Abby met Hawk’s gaze in the mirror and realized one thing she’d forgotten to do, one thing that was going to haunt her if things went bad.
She’d forgotten to tell him she loved him.
GAINES’S RANCH WAS HIGH IN the hills, in rough terrain, and extremely remote. Hawk didn’t take the turn into its long dirt driveway. Instead, he took them on a four-wheel tour through the woods, entering onto the property from the back.
At the edge of a clearing, he stopped the vehicle. Down a ravine, about a half mile ahead, sat the ranch house, completely isolated. It was surrounded on two sides by running streams, and a third side by a rocky, sheer cliff.
Terrific.
“We’re going to have to hike in,” he told Logan.
They all looked at Logan’s cast.
“No problem,” Logan said confidently, and lifted his cane. “I’m feeling no pain.”
Hawk doubted that but he knew he couldn’t keep Logan from going-he’d follow him anyway. Abby was another story. He got out of the car and stopped her from doing the same. Leaning in, he put his hands on her face just to touch her, waiting until she slayed him with those eyes. “Someone needs to stay behind and protect Callen. I’ll leave you the rifle. If we don’t come back, get behind the wheel and drive the hell out of here.”
“Hawk-”
“Go directly to Regional. Plant yourself there to protect yourself from Gaines’s revenge, tell Tibbs I kidnapped you against your will, if necessary-”
“I am not going to put that nail in your coffin-”
“Abby, listen to me. If I don’t come back, you won’t need the nails. Show him your cuts, your bruises, the rifle, okay? Go back to Selena’s and get my cuffs. The truck. With all the evidence they’ll believe you.”
Her eyes filled. “If you don’t get out of that ranch house, I’ll kill you myself.”
He smiled, though he knew his eyes were shiny, too. “That’s a deal.” Hawk smoothed back her hair, and kissed her once because he couldn’t resist, letting their lips cling for a beat. “See you on the other side, Ab.” He wanted to drop to his knees, take her hand and ask her to love him forever. Yeah, he really wanted to do that. But he had to survive the next hour before he asked her for her heart and soul, that seemed only fair. So he turned, and with Logan, walked away.
But he left his heart with her.
FIFTEEN SWEATY MINUTES LATER, Hawk and Logan came to one of the streams.
“Oh, boy.” Logan weaved unsteadily.
Hawk reached out to grab him. “You okay?”
“Ask him.”
Hawk followed Logan’s gaze to a big-ass moose, who stood twenty-five yards away, watching them balefully. Between his huge palmated antlers, his elongated snout wriggled as he took in their scent.
“Just keep moving,” Hawk said. “I’ve got your back.”
“Why do I have to go first?”
“Because you’re the injured one. The one most likely to get eaten. Jesus. Just go!”
The moose wriggled his nose again but was too lazy to chase them. It took another fifteen minutes to get down to Gaines’s house. Gaines’s deserted ranch house.
“Think the bastard already took off?” Not looking so hot, Logan sank to the porch swing.
“No.” But it was so still as to be eerie. “He’s here, somewhere.”
Any minute, Tibbs and company were going to burst in with a blaze of glory, and damn it, having Gaines here would be ever so helpful. Hawk stepped into the yard and turned in a slow circle. “He’s probably watching us.”
“If that was true, we’d already be dead.”
“Then he’s watching something else.” Narrowing his gaze, he turned again, stopping short at the sight of a surveillance camera mounted in the tree off the right side of the porch. A matching camera was on the left. And he’d bet every last cent he had, there were many, many more.
“What?”
“This place is surrounded by cameras. He’s been onto us since we first arrived. He’s probably already at the
