Bitter Wild Read online

  Casey felt herself beginning to tremble as Jack stroked her with his tongue before scraping her nipple with his teeth. She wanted him to continue and she wanted him to stop. She wanted more and at the same time feared what more would do to her. Then he sucked her hard at the same time that his hand slid between her thighs. He stoked her boldly and she shuddered as pleasure rippled through her body. She groaned and arched into his mouth and hand, wanting, needing more.

  Jack had known his share of lovers. He was no stranger to a woman’s body. But touching Casey was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. She wasn’t naïve, yet she was hardly so experienced that sex was automatic. She trembled at his touch, one moment seeming to urge him to give her more and a moment later almost begging him to stop. He was so hard that it hurt and he couldn’t ever remember feeling as uncertain of himself. He didn’t just want her, he wanted to please her like she’d never been pleasured before. He wanted to drive her to the brink and then tumble with her over the edge. He loved the feel of her hot body beside him. He loved the noises she made as he slowly stoked the fire within her.

  He was wondering how far to push her and driving himself insane with imagining how she’d feel as he sank into her when he had his first harsh flash of reality. His hand went still and he released the breast he’d been nipping at as it occurred to him that he had no way to protect her. He closed his eyes. What the hell was wrong with him?

  Casey opened her eyes when Jack went still. She was panting and covered with a fine sheen, on the verge of a release unlike any she’d ever known before. His eyes were closed and the look on his face was one of doubtless agony. “Jack?”

  Jack opened his eyes and focused on her uncertain gaze.

  “Oh, God, Casey. I don’t have any protection.”

  He watched as pain flashed in her eyes for a moment, then vanished as she gave him a gentle smile.

  “You don’t need to worry about me getting pregnant. I can’t.” Her gaze clouded for just a moment. “There was internal damage from the attack.”

  Jack cupped her face. “I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head. “I’m alive. That’s what matters. It’s all that matters.”

  She turned toward him then, reaching out to wrap her hand around him. Jack jerked as her fingers stroked him. “Love me, Jack. Now.”

  He couldn’t have denied her if he’d wanted to. He caught her around the waist and shifted so that he was above her. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around him as he sank into her. It took every ounce of strength he possessed not to drive into her like some raving lunatic. He went slow, for her and for himself. He wanted to savor every moment. He wanted to burn every instant into his memory.

  Casey came apart in Jack’s arms. He rocked above her, in and out, over and over until she thought she’d go mad if the tension didn’t snap. When it finally did, she screamed his name as her body clenched and shuddered. He tightened his hold on her, then jerked and spilled himself into her. At that moment, Casey knew a sense of fulfillment unlike any she’d ever experienced before. It was far more than physical pleasure. It was as if some part of her that had been empty was finally filled. A piece that she hadn’t even known was missing had been returned. She felt tears gather in her eyes. She was in love with him. God help her.

  It took Jack all of thirty seconds to realize that he’d been horribly mistaken when he’d imagined that having Casey would ease the hunger that had been plaguing him since the moment he first saw her. He still wanted her. Again and again and again until they were both so exhausted that they couldn’t move. The first time had been too rushed, too driven by raw need. He wanted to do it again, but this time he wanted to take his time to explore every inch of her beautiful body. He lifted himself off her, intending to kiss her, to silently let her know how much he still wanted her. He froze, however, when he saw the tears clinging to her lashes.

  “Casey-”

  She shook her head. “I’m fine. It’s just been a long time, that’s all. I forgot how good it can be.”

  She reached up to pull his face down to hers. Jack let her kiss him and tried to believe her explanation for the tears. Somewhere deep inside he knew she was lying to him. Coward that he was, he chose to believe the lie.

  Casey almost groaned as she stretched. All the aches in her body weren’t unfamiliar, but there were a few that she knew had only one explanation. She felt a smile touch her lips as she remembered all the ways Jack had loved her. Slow and fast, soft and hard, on the cot and even on the counter. That brought a blush to her cheeks as she remembered. They’d gotten up to stoke the fire and to finish the peaches. They’d wound up with more peach juice on their bodies than in their mouths. Casey’s smile turned to an uncomfortable frown as she realized Jack’s tongue hadn’t managed to clean all the sticky syrup up.

  The cot wasn’t large, but there was enough room for her to turn her head so she could look into his sleeping face. He looked utterly relaxed. She reached up to finger his hair. She loved him. Her heart was all but bursting with it. Sometime during these days alone together, she’d fallen in love with this man in spite of the fact that she knew it could never work between them. He didn’t belong in her world and she couldn’t live in his. They had nothing in common, beyond the attraction that drew them to one another. And not once during the night had he even hinted that he had any real feelings for her. Sometimes, the tenderness of his touch and the reverence in his eyes had almost convinced her that he cared for her, but in the morning light Casey had to admit that it had more likely been wishful thinking on her part. She wanted him to care. She wanted him to love her. She sighed and turned away from him. She knew better than most how rare it was to get what you wanted.

  She carefully pushed the covers aside and began to slip off the cot. She’d barely moved, however, when Jack caught hold of her arm.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  His voice was sleepy, but there was a rough note in it that Casey recognized. She turned back to him and met his kiss. By the time he let her go, she was flushed with hunger again and all the aches she’d woken with were forgotten.

  “I’m sticky. You didn’t do a very good job of cleaning me up, last night. I thought I’d take a quick shower.”

  He gave her a sleepy smile. “Okay, just hurry back.”

  She kissed him lightly. “I will.”

  Casey gathered her clothes. Chance reached the back door before she did. He was ready to get out of the cabin. Casey opened the door and he darted outside. She went straight to the shower and cleaned herself up as quickly as she could. Her teeth were chattering by the time she managed to get her clothes pulled on. She’d brought her handgun along automatically. She had it in her hand when she heard Chance’s first bark. Every hair along her nape rippled at the sound. There was no mistaking the aggression in the sound. When it was followed by a second bark Casey knew something was wrong. She took a step toward the cabin, intending to alert Jack. The shot that echoed into the valley sent a shiver of horror along her spine. Chance’s yelp sent her running around the cabin.

  Jack jerked upright when he heard the shot. He hadn’t really been sleeping. He was more dozing, dreaming of Casey coming back into the cabin and of what they’d do when she did. He shouted Casey’s name as he scrambled off the cot. He jerked on his clothes, feeling his heart stutter when she didn’t answer. It took only seconds for him to dress, though it felt like an eternity. He grabbed his weapon and moved toward the door. He pulled it open a crack and peered outside. He couldn’t see anyone or anything in front of the cabin. That didn’t mean no one was there, of course. His field of view was fairly limited. He couldn’t just stay inside, though. Casey was out there somewhere and he had to find her.

  He was just pulling the door open when he heard a second shot. This time he knew it hadn’t come from the immediate vicinity of the cabin. He heard it echo in the valley and he guessed that it must have come from farther up the ridge, toward the area where they’d foun
d Jester’s rope. Jack allowed himself an instant of self-loathing. He should have known it was too convenient. He should have guessed that Jester wouldn’t die so easily. He didn’t have time to berate his stupidity for long. He knew Casey had met up with Jester and Jack didn’t dare let himself imagine what that might mean.

  Jack ran out of the cabin, heading up the hill toward the waterfall. He hadn’t gone all that far when he caught sight of the dog lying on the ground. Jack felt his gut clench as he slowed. He was almost at the dog’s side before he finally saw the animal’s chest rise and fall. He sank to one knee, reaching out to touch the dog. Chance made a pitiful moan and tried to move. Jack held the dog down and whispered. “Easy, boy. You’re in no shape to move. I’ll find her, I swear.”

  Chance relaxed and Jack marveled at the dog’s apparent understanding. Sometimes he wondered if the dog was really a dog at all. He heard a shout that he recognized as Casey and got to his feet. She was still alive. That was something. Jack was getting ready to move on when he heard the sound of galloping hooves behind him. He spun around, gun drawn. The relief that hit him when he saw the sheriff and Casey’s boyfriend was unspeakable. They slid down off their mounts as Jack motioned for them to be silent.

  He saw both men’s eyes go to the dog. Jack nodded as he moved closer to them. He kept his voice barely above a whisper. “Chance is shot, but he’s still alive. Jester has Casey, though.”

  Jack couldn’t have missed the fear that filled her boyfriend’s eyes. It was very similar to what he felt, though he sincerely hoped that his feelings weren’t as evident. The other man shot him a glare. “What the hell happened?”

  Jack shook his head. “There’s no time for that, now. We’ve got to get up that hill and get her away from him.”

  The sheriff nodded. “Any ideas about how?”

  Jack glanced over his shoulder before turning back to them and giving the sheriff a nod. “Yeah, I’m going up the hill out in the open. He doesn’t know you’re here. I’ll keep him distracted while you two work your way through the trees so you can flank him.”

  The sheriff arched a brow. “Doesn’t sound like much of a plan. Seems more like suicide for you. What’s to keep him from putting a bullet in your head the minute he sees you?”

  Jack shrugged. “Nothing, but I don’t think he’ll be in that much of a hurry. He’s an arrogant bastard. I’m betting that he’ll want to gloat a little before he kills me.”

  The sheriff’s expression was grim. “That’s a risky bet, son. It could get you killed.”

  Jack nodded. “It might. But either way, it’ll give the two of you time to get to him before he hurts Casey. Right now, that’s what worries me the most.”

  The sheriff finally nodded his acceptance of Jack’s plan. They didn’t really have any other choice. Jack turned around and began to climb the hill. Casey was up there. Jack didn’t imagine that Jester would be raping her, yet. He’d want to deal with Jack first. There was no telling what Jester might do to her in the meantime, though. He liked hurting women. Jack felt his gut clench and his blood run cold as he imagined Casey being hurt by the bastard. Maybe he was committing suicide by putting himself in Jester’s sights. If that’s what it took to save Casey, then it was a price he was willing to pay. He loved her that much.

  It was a hell of a time to realize he was in love with her. Truth was, he’d been feeling it coming on for a while. He just hadn’t been willing to admit it to himself and certainly not to her. He was an idiot, that’s what he was. A stubborn idiot and the sorriest excuse for a federal agent that had ever had the misfortune to wear the badge. This was his fault, all of it, and he was probably going to pay for his colossal mistake with his life.

  Casey barely allowed herself to breathe. Jester had a knife to her throat that had already nicked her more than once. She could feel the sting of the cuts and the blood running down her throat. He had the knife in his left hand and a gun in his right. His face was right next to hers and he’d been gleefully recounting how easily he’d misled them. The bastard had never let himself believe he’d gotten rid of them. He was paranoid enough to always assume they were right on his heels. He had been shocked to find himself trapped on the ridge, but he’d figured it would work to his advantage if he could fool them into believing he was dead. He killed a deer and collected the blood to spill onto the rocks below, then tossed the carcass over the edge of the falls. Then he hid in the one place they hadn’t dreamed of looking. The water tank. The tank was filled from the stream up the ridge and had an overflow drain that kept the water level constant. He used the running water of the drain to wash away his scent on his way to the tank, then washed the ladder down with more water. It was no wonder Chance hadn’t picked up his scent.

  Casey felt tears gather in her eyes. He’d shot Chance. She clenched her hands into fists. She wanted to kill him for that alone. But she no longer had a gun or a knife or any other weapon. Jester had rid her of them right after he winged her arm with his second shot. The wound burned, but it wasn’t bad. She could still move the arm and she’d gotten a good enough look at it to know it was little more than a scratch. He’d drug her up the hill, laughing all the way and congratulating her on her skill as a lover as well. She felt her skin crawl as she imagined him peering through the cabin window at her and Jack the night before. He’d watched them, and he made no secret of the fact that he meant to personally pick up where Jack had left off. Over her dead body. Whatever it took, she would not allow this monster to abuse her like that.

  She gasped as the knife came tighter to her throat. Her gaze lifted and she felt her stomach clench as she saw Jack walk into view. He had his gun aimed directly at her. Jester was using her as a shield and she knew Jack wouldn’t risk a shot as long as she was in the way. There wasn’t anything she could do about it at the moment, though, so she waited.

  “Let her go!”

  Jester snickered. “Arrogant SOB, aren’t you? How about you drop that weapon before I slit her pretty little throat from ear to ear?”

  “She knew the risks when she agreed to be our guide. You better believe, though, that the second you kill her, I’ll put a bullet in your brain.”

  Jack bluffed very convincingly. Casey could almost believe he didn’t care if she lived or died.

  Jester wasn’t buying it, however. “Oh, come on. You expect me to believe you’ll let your bedmate die? I don’t think so. Not after what I saw last night.”

  Jack would have cursed if it would have helped. Jester knew they were lovers. He’d watched them. Jack hated to think about how that must make Casey feel, but he didn’t dare shift his gaze to her. He had to keep all his focus on Jester. He had to give the sheriff and John enough time to get in position.

  “Hey, it’s been a long few days. She’s hot and she was convenient, but I’m hardly in love with her.”

  Jack’s words hit Casey like physical blows. Was that all she was to him? She didn’t want to believe it. She’d known all along that it was different for her than it was for him, though. She’d known and she’d chosen to become his lover anyway. She couldn’t hate him for being who he was.

  Jack thought for a minute that Jester might believe him. He saw the uncertainty in the man’s eyes. But Jester was nothing if not defiant. He jerked the knife tighter to Casey’s throat, causing her to cry out as the blade sliced into her skin. “Let’s see how little she means to you.”

  Casey braced herself, expecting to feel the blade dig into her. Jack shouted for Jester to stop, though.

  “Wait!”

  Casey opened her eyes. Jack had taken one hand off his gun and was holding it up. “Just wait a minute.”

  Jester laughed again. “That’s what I thought.”

  Jack was out of options. Jester would kill her, even if it meant killing himself. He had nothing to lose and he knew it. Jack sincerely hoped that Stan and John had gotten close enough to take the bastard out. He’d hate to die for nothing.

  “Okay, I’ll put my we
apon down.”

  Casey would have shaken her head if she could. The knife at her throat prevented any such movement. So she called out to Jack instead.

  “No, Jack! He’ll kill you!”

  Jack ignored her. He slowly lowered the gun, then tossed it aside, well out of his reach. Jester waved his gun at Jack.

  “On your knees.”

  Jack obeyed. Casey was crying. He could hear her sobs and they broke his heart. He wished he could tell her it would be okay. He wished there was some way he could let her know that they had help. He didn’t dare risk alerting Jester, so he ignored her, keeping his eyes on the maniac with the gun.

  “You thought you were so smart. Well, I outsmarted both of you, didn’t I? And now I’ve got myself a guide and a toy. Don’t worry, I’ll take real good care of her.”

  He laughed again and Casey’s skin crawled.

  “You won’t get away, Jester. Sooner or later, someone will put you down like the rabid dog you are.”

  Jester’s laughter stopped. “Maybe, but you and this sweet thing will both be dead long before that happens.”

  Casey felt him tense, felt him steady his gun arm. He was going to shoot Jack. She felt a moment of panic before her instincts took over. She’d been guiding people into these woods most of her life. She’d lost the man she loved here and she’d sworn that she would never lose anyone else under her protection. She didn’t know why Jack would sacrifice himself. He had to know it wouldn’t do any good; Jester would kill her, too. But there was one thing she could do to make a difference. Jester had wanted to make sure no one could sneak up behind him. He’d backed them up almost to the edge of the cliff just below the falls. The water was roaring behind them and she was damp from the spray billowing up from below. Jack might not be able to save her, but she could save him.