Rescue Me (23 page)

Down boy
. You don't rush a woman like Elena Martinez. And yet all he could think about was the possibility of ending this evening with a kiss—maybe a little something more.

Maybe a
lot
more.

"I think I'll clean up a little," she said after washing both their plates and forks and handing his back to him. "Thanks for dinner."

He watched her dig around into her backpack for soap and a wash cloth then pick up an extra water container. "My pleasure," he said quietly as she walked toward a small stand of scrub growing around a boulder. "Don't wander off too far."

He cleaned up too while she was gone. Wished he'd brought a bottle of wine. God. Listen to him.

Thirteen hours ago he'd been dreading spending time with her and now he wanted to put the moves on her.

Things change.

And things changed a lot more when she came back.

The sun set like a curtain coming down. There was light. Then there wasn't. Only a purple blue sky in a darkgray dusk playing against the craggy silhouette of the vast North Rim stretched out for miles across from them. And suddenly the evening turned as cool as the day had been warm.

Seth snagged his wind-up flashlight, turned it on and set it in the middle of their campsite for a little light.

Then he shrugged into his long-sleeved shirt. As he tugged it down over his head, he saw her. A graceful silhouette walking back to the campsite. Tall, lean, curved in all the right places.

"Thought I might have to send out a search party," he said, surprised by the gruffness in his voice.

"Sorry. Didn't realize how late it had gotten."

He watched her carefully. She seemed tense. Even a little jumpy.

"Something wrong?"

Looking preoccupied, she glanced at him. Shook her head. "No. I don't know. It's… probably nothing."

"
What's
probably nothing?"

She rubbed her arms against the sudden chill. "I've just had this creepy feeling on and off all day. Had it again just now. Like someone's watching me."

"Have I been that obvious?"

He'd wanted her to smile and she did. But it was a reluctant smile. "Someone other than you, detective.

You haven't… noticed anything?"

"I've noticed that you are an amazingly beautiful woman."

She rolled her eyes but she smiled. "Do you ever quit?"

"Quit?" He shook his head, held her gaze. "Not so much, no. Not until I'm absolutely, positively, indisputably certain that I've been beaten."

Another reluctant smile. Then she turned serious. Thoughtful. "Beaten? So what game are you playing, exactly?"

He watched her for a moment, judging her mood—assessing his own. "That's the thing," he said, surprised by his own reaction. "I'm not so sure it is a game."

And that was the God's honest truth.

Something was happening here. Something he hadn't planned, hadn't counted on and didn't quite know how to handle.

Her gaze held his for a long moment before she looked away, shaking her head. "Look. This… You and me. It's not such a good idea. You know that."

Ah. No beating around the bush. He liked that in a woman. She knew where this was headed and she'd decided to call him out. Fine. He was ready for the challenge.

"A little early in the… game… to make a decision that important, isn't it?"

"Yeah… see… there's that word again. Game. It keeps coming back to that. And
that's
the problem."

She reached up and pulled a few pins out of her hair. He held his breath and felt the impact deep in his gut as she shook her head and all that chestnut-coloredsilk untangled around her face and shoulders.

He knew she had no idea what effect letting her hair down had on him as her dark eyes met his.

"I don't play games, Seth."

And she didn't. He understood. Silent seconds ticked by before he answered, knowing he was speaking the truth and a little rattled by it. "Like I said. I'm not sure this is one."

He saw the answering spark in her eyes. Felt a sudden electricity in the moment that compelled him to close the distance between them.

He searched her face, back-shadowed by the night and the Canyon rim. Touched a hand to her hair.

Gently fisted his fingers in the thick, luxurious weight of it and drew her toward him.

"I'm not sure what
is
happening here, Elena, but whatever it is… it damn sure isn't a game."

And then he kissed her. Open mouth, seeking tongue, and a suddenly desperate need. Hadn't realized

how much need until he'd been within touching distance. Hadn't realized how much desire until she responded to his deep, throaty groan with an answering sigh and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Holy God
. The woman could kiss. The woman could reduce him to a puddle if he wasn't careful. But careful wasn't in him at the moment. He felt reckless and hungry and the way she responded to the demands of his mouth told him she felt exactly the same way.

He deepened the kiss, tasting, exploring, welcoming her lush responses and inviting more. He filled his hands with her hair, tilting her head to change the alignment of their mouths and experience another amazing angle of Elena.

With a groan, he let his hands wander down her slim back, cupped her hips with splayed fingers and drew her against him. She gasped when she felt his erection pressing against her belly, did an amazing little shiver thing that ground her even closer and forked her fingers into his short hair.

He could have stood there, kissing her like that forever. Feeling all of her pressed against all of him.

Learning her curves, the satin feel of her skin as hetunneled a hand up under her shirt. Fire. She was on fire and he wanted to bring her from a blaze to a raging inferno.

He cupped her breast and she moaned. Flicked his thumb over the peak of her erect nipple and she cried out. Then stiffened. Broke the kiss.

He didn't fight her. Hell. He had to catch his breath. Clear his head.

"Wow." Breathless, he cupped her head in his hands and pressed his forehead to hers.

She pushed out a tight laugh, gripped his biceps and hung on like she needed his strength to steady her.

"In a word."

He struggled for a deep breath, still holding her that way, forehead to forehead, his hands in her hair, her fingers wrapped around his biceps—like she couldn't decide whether to push him away or pull him back against her.

"That was… um… that was intense," he whispered, both of them struggling for a steady breath.

She pushed out a tense laugh. "There's another word."

He grinned then pulled back so he could see her face. Her eyes were heavy-lidded; her lips plump and pink from his mouth plundering hers.

"One word that doesn't fit is
game
. No question in my mind, Elena. That was definitely no game. I don't honestly know how long I've been wanting to do that, but from the way my knees feel, it must have been ahelluva long time."

She looked sober and stunned and confused. "I… I, ah, guess I didn't know it was what I wanted either."

His heart slammed like a brick against his ribs at her admission. "So. What do we do about it?"

She shook her head. Breathed deep. "Taking a step back and thinking it over might be the wisest move."

"Yeah," he agreed with a slow, reluctant nod. "You're probably right. Is that what you want to do?"

She finally met his eyes, sighed in defeat and moved into him again. "Hell, no."

Then she kissed him. On the attack this time, nothing tentative, nothing shy and nothing held back. It damn near knocked him on his ass.

"Elena," he whispered, hearing the urgency in his voice as her busy, busy mouth drove him out of his mind. "If we don't take this horizontal soon, one of us is going to get hurt."

"Oh, you'regonna get hurt all right, lovebirds," a gruff voice growled behind them.

Reflexes honed by muscle memory and practice, triggered by threat, had Seth shoving Elena behind him, automatically reach for his S & W. Which, of course wasn't there.

Ten feet away, two hard-faced men stood in the darkening night. One pointed aGlock deadcenter at Seth's chest. The other aimed the silver barrel of aRuger revolver at his head.

"You'regonna get hurt real bad."

Chapter Four

"Got yourself a real sweet little piece there don'tya , pig?"

Seth sized up the two men, assessed the threat. They were big. Out of shape, beat up by the trail and mad as hell. Trigger fingers as itchy as dogs with fleas.

He didn't think he knew either one of them. Yet they seemed to know him. Or at least they knew he was a cop.

Axe to grind. That was the obvious call. Big axe to have tracked him all the way down here. The question then was, could he convince them they had more to lose if they shot him than they did if they just walked away? And the bigger question, how the hell did he keep Elena from getting caught in the crossfire?

"Don't know what your beef is,fellas , but I'm sure we can settle it without the guns, okay? Why don't you just put 'emdown before someone gets hurt?" he suggested in a calm, evenly modulated voice. "You look thirsty and beat. We've got water. Food. You're welcome to both."

"Well, that's real generous of you—considering we'recallin ' the shots.

"You. Lawyer bitch." The guy with theGlock motioned at Elena with his gun. "Get us some water."

Every cell in Seth's body screamed to red alert. Whatever this was about, they knew who Elena was, too.

Fuck.

"Look, guys, whatever your problem is with me, leave her out of it."

"Shut the fuck up, hero!"Glock guy exploded with rage. "And let's get something straight. If it was up to me, both of you would be dead or dying right now, got it? So don't push me."

"What's this about?" Elena asked.

"I think my old man already told you, bitch."

Elena's fingers clutched Seth's arm like a vice. "Oh, God. You're… you're Jake Devine. Joey's brother."

Oh, Christ.

"That's right. You and this asshole cop are responsible for putting my little brother in prison. Which means you're responsible for him being dead."

Worse and worse.

Riled to the point of losing control, Devine closed the distance in three long, angry strides. Got right in Seth's face as Seth shoved Elena further behind him.

"And I'd like nothing better than to waste you both right here and now, but the old man wants to save that pleasure for himself. He wants to kill you slow like. Wants you to know the pain he's going through.

Wants you to feel it over and over again."

Jake shoved the pistol hard and deep into Seth's gut. "So don't push me or I might just forget my old man called dibs and start working you over myself."

Eyes still locked with loathing on Seth's face, Devine yelled at Elena. "Now get us some water! And get some goddamn food while you're at it—"

It was now or never. Taking advantage of Devine's attention on Elena, Seth chopped the gun to the side and down before Devine ever knew what hit him. The pistol went off, fired harmlessly into the dirt as Seth wrestled Jake to the ground.

"Elena, run!" he yelled as the two of them rolled over the ground, hitting rocks and brush and sending camping gear flying.

Seth ended up on top, drew his arm back to land a right hook and heard the unmistakable sound of a hammer being cocked. The business end of theRuger revolver pressed into his spine, directly between his shoulder blades.

"Back off," the other guy said. "Raise your hands now, cop, or you're dead right here."

On a controlled breath, Seth unclenched his fist and raised both hands beside his head in a show of submission.

Then an explosive of pain stole his breath and his consciousness as something slammed into the back of his head.

"You run and I'll kill him," Jake Devine threatened, rising to his feet. "Then I'll hunt you down and kill you too."

Elena hadn't planned on running. She wasn't leaving Seth.

"Tie 'emup, Benny," Jake ordered the other man.

Elena didn't fight him as the man Jake had called Benny jerked her arms roughly behind her back, pushed her down to a sitting position, then tied her ankles. He made quick work of tying Seth the same way. Then the two men tore into their food supply and gorged themselves.

Seth lay as still as stone beside her, his face ashen where it pressed into the rock and grit of the campsite floor. The blood that soaked the back of his head oozed black in the night. She was close enough that she could feel his breath penetrate her shorts and warm her hip so she knew he was still alive. What she didn't know was how bad he was hurt. Bad, she suspected, for him to be out this long.

"He needs medical attention."

Neither man acknowledged her.

Seth stirred slightly.

"Lay still," she whispered, darting a glance across the shadows, hoping Jake and Benny couldn't hear her. "Just lay still. You could have a concussion."

"Jesus." Seth's voice slogged out, weak and strained. "What… happened?"

"He hit you with the butt of his gun. You're bleeding pretty badly."

"Head wounds," Seth slurred. "Always… bleed like a… bitch."

Elena glanced at the men again. Decided to chance lying down. She rolled to her hip, eased down so she could see Seth's face in the dark.

"How bad?"

He blinked. Tried to focus. "Picked a… good place to… nail me. Come from… a long line… of hard heads. I'm… fine."

"Yeah," she said, her chest tight with fear. "I can see that, tough guy."

Leave it to him, Elena thought. He could hardly talk, had to be hurting like blazes, and he insisted he was fine.

"What are… they doing?"

She glanced toward the sound of gluttony. "Eating. Drinking. Bitching about no service messages on their cells phones, sore feet and blisters and complaining about the old man and his bright idea to track us out

here."