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Croft walked into Jasper’s stall and examined the fecal matter. It was cold. The mule had left it a couple of hours ago. He got Sam ready and led him out of the barn. Finding Jasper’s trail leading away from the barn, he swung up into the saddle and set out to find Finn, a bit surprised she had opted to ride. Apparently, he hadn’t put enough sting in her tail to dissuade her from that choice, but he planned to remedy that as soon as he got his hands on her.
All the horses and mules Willa kept for her gourmet adventure business, which the firm used as needed, had a distinctive horseshoe that made them easy to track. Croft trailed after Finn for several hours. He had underestimated both the strength of her resolve to find her brother and her riding ability. She was making good time.
Croft was grateful for Sam’s stamina and ability to make up time and distance. They were gaining on Finn, but the sun’s crippling heat began to impede his ability to maintain the rate of speed he’d been able to use in the cooler morning. He slowed Sam to a walk to ensure his mount’s safety. His only comfort was he believed Finn was smart enough to recognize the danger and do the same for Jasper.
Finn’s progress had slowed as the sun crept higher in the sky, and the burgeoning heat had increased. The slower pace gave her time to think. So many things had changed in the past twenty-four hours. She was still frightened to think of what had happened to her brother and believed she should be in time to save him. She glanced at her watch, and as she had initially given herself time to spare, she should still be able to make the deadline given by those holding him.
She tried to banish the mental image of Christian—savagely beaten but alive. They had taken the picture with a copy of that day’s newspaper, so she prayed he still lived. His captors wanted information Christian had amassed to hand over to the government. They had his computer, but he had left a flash drive with a copy of all the information in his row house in Boston. The deal was Christian for the flash drive. Finn wasn’t so stupid to believe they would just let them walk away but hoped the safeguards she had left in place would allow her to rescue her brother.
Then there was Croft. She couldn’t even begin to explain the wild attraction she felt for him or the way she had responded to his less than gentlemanly behavior. First, he hadn’t been the most congenial companion going into the canyon, which was why she hadn’t shared her real concerns about her brother’s disappearance. Second, he’d spanked her! And not in a fun, erotic way she’d read about in some of the novels she liked to indulge in but a true punishment. His goal had been to chastise her and try to ensure she would do what he told her. She grinned. While he might have accomplished the first, the second had been an utter failure.
Why did that bother her? For the life of her, Finn couldn’t figure out why. When did doing what Croft wanted to become important to her? She wanted to believe it had happened after he had fucked her with a ferocity and skill that had exhaustedher from the number of times she climaxed, but she knew that wasn’t true. Her wanting to please him came at some point when she was facedown over his knee, getting her backside blistered. Finn wondered if he’d felt the same and at the same time. Did he care for her at all? Was she just some woman who had pissed him off royally and who he could vent his anger on before he hammered her pussy from behind? She hated to admit it, even to herself, next to her fear for Christian, what last night might have meant to Croft was quickly gaining significance in her thoughts and life.
Then there was her response to his stern correction—completely unexpected. As she’d read the novels that included spanking and rough sex, she’d reassured herself she only found them titillating in an abstract way. Finn never expected to experience arousal having anyone smack her ass—much less to the point it remained tender the next day—but she had been wrong. Even thinking about it—about Croft or what happened when he’d ordered her up on the bed on her knees—was enough to stiffen her nipples and the space between her legs to ache and grow wet at the thought of any or all of it happening again.
Jasper bobbed his head, shaking the reins, breaking her reverie. She stopped him, then loosened his rein. He inclined his head toward the river, and she nudged his sides to urge him to move in that direction, where he made his way down to the river’s edge and stretched his neck down to get a drink of water. Finn patted his spotted rump.
“Good idea,” she said, reaching back for a water in her saddlebags.
She took a long drink and was a bit surprised when the mule waded out almost belly deep into the Colorado River. Jasper reoriented himself to the direction they had been headed. As the cold water covered her feet, she felt how soothing it was. She took out the GPS device with satellite capability she hadpurchased for the trip. It indicated they were still on track and would reach their coordinates the following day. Finn’s plan was to ride on through the day, then find a place to make camp that night. She let Jasper walk in the cool water.
After the heat of the day, Jasper moved toward the bank and shallower water. As the sun began to set, and she considered finding a place to camp as he walked out of the river on his own. She patted the big mule again. He was proving to be an excellent companion on her quest. And at least he didn’t want to spank her.
Finn checked the GPS again and realized they had made excellent time. She found a sheltered spot that had been favored by others before her. It wasn’t a cave per se, but a hollow under an overhanging ledge. She was glad to see no one had graffitied the rock. The only indication others had sought shelter in the same place was someone had taken the time to build a natural-rock-lined firepit. Finn got off Jasper, unsaddled him, and got his feedbag ready. Despite what Croft might have thought, she was enough of a horseman to see Jasper was taken care of before seeing to her own comfort.
Once Jasper was settled, Finn made a fire and set up a primitive camp—including ensuring they weren’t sharing their overhang with any other critters. She hadn’t brought anything to cook but planned to make a meal out of protein bars and beef jerky. Finn leaned back against the wall of the cave and closed her eyes. She wavered between deep sleep and dozing, but the sound of Jasper braying startled her to full wakefulness. Finn picked up the rifle that had been in her saddle scabbard and stood.
“I’m armed and not in the mood for company. Whoever you are, you’d best move along.”
Croft delivered a hard swat to her backside with one hand as he easily took the gun away from her with the other. Somehow, he had circled behind her.
“I’m not in the best of moods, either. If I were you, I’d be thinking of a way to explain the level of bullshit you’ve exhibited since we met. And don’t even think about trotting out a set of fake tears again. Fool me once and all of that. Besides,” Croft said, anger and lust mingling in his voice, “you’re in enough trouble as it is.”
“Jesus, you scared me.” She turned to face him, batting him with her hand. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Me?” he answered incredulously. “I’m not the one who snuck out this morning and took off for parts unknown with no explanation whatsoever. But I got news for you, Finn. Before I get through with you tonight, I’m going to know all of it. Sit your ass down while I get Sam seen to.” He moved away from her, leading Sam over to Jasper. Once he had Sam settled, he came back to the fire and hunkered down. “You weren’t going to eat anything?”
“I’ve eaten,” she said, inching away from him.
“What? There’s nothing to cook with, and I don’t see any dirty dishes. And get your ass back over here. You were fine where you started. Sit there until I tell you differently.”
“Who do you think you are?”
“I think,”—Croft barked out a laugh—“no, scratch that, I know. I’m the guy who spanked your pretty bottom last night, but not as hard as I should have. By the way, I’ll get that corrected later. I’m also the guy who made you scream and call his name multiple times as I laid claim to you. Do you know how to cook over a campfire?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Not what I asked.”
Leaning over and pulling her to him, his mouth came down on hers in a harsh, angry kiss, which nevertheless indicated his concern for her as well as his lust. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and brought the embers of her own desire back to a bright flame. Finn found herself softening and clinging to him before he released her mouth.
“Yes or no?” he asked.
“What’s the question?”
“All of them.”
Finn couldn’t hold his gaze. She knew the unasked question of her acquiescence to his dominance was just as important as the one about her cooking abilities.
