Big Game: Hunted Love #1 (4 page)

Jakob lay awake a long time despite being exhausted. His mind refused to let go of the puzzle of Kate Holt. Everything about her intrigued him, from her innocent responses to his advances, to the way she suddenly went cold in the blink of an eye. He looked forward to the chance to observe and study her, to learn all those intricacies.

When he finally slept, dreams of a woman with long dark hair and light eyes
tormented him through endless scenes, tempting him beyond reason. Mercurial moods went from hot to cold in a flash, leaving him desperate for more. Waking in the pre-dawn with his heart pounding and a raging hard-on striving toward orgasm warned of a short temper for the day ahead. Sexual frustration was so not his best mood.

The cool hardwood floor felt good on his feet, but refused to help deflate his erection. Kate had showed him around before he crashed, so he could shower before starting the day. At the moment, a shower seemed like a great idea. As long as he could get to the bathroom without being seen with a circus tent for underwear.

He slipped into the hall quietly and headed in the right direction. A faint sound, a moan, stopped him in his tracks. A repeat, and then another, deeper, came from an open door directly across from the bathroom. Was something wrong? Worried, he rushed for the open door only to freeze in his tracks.

Kate's big four poster bed stood framed between two windows and her pale skin showed in stark relief against dark sheets. She moaned again and moved restlessly, rolling to her back. The snug tank top and white cotton panties she wore left little to the imagination, displaying the contours of muscle and feminine curve to sheer perfection.

When one hand dropped to those delicious panties, Jakob swallowed hard to keep from groaning his need aloud.
Fuck!
He clenched his eyes hard and forced himself to back slowly away from her door before his hard-on could lead him into that bed with her. Dear God in Heaven, he would never be the same again.

The bathroom door stopped his flight and he managed to get himself together enough to open it and go inside. What the hell was wrong with him? It wasn't like he was a rank virgin, to react to a woman that way. He hadn't even been forever without a woman. An old girlfriend had been happy to welcome him home.

Erection throbbing in desperation, he managed to get the water started and climb into the shower. The blast of ice shards should have eliminated the issue, but if anything, he only became harder and more needy. Stubborn, he forced himself to lather up despite the bone chilling effect, and thereby discovered an entirely new form of torture. And still his hips arched reflexively.

Biting his lip to contain yet another groan he finally allowed his fingers to circle the base of his shaft. No sense fighting the inevitable. In just a few strokes he found the right rhythm and let his forehead rest against the shower wall while his harsh breathing filled the small space. His orgasm blasted forth on one final thrust with a groan that started in the depths of his soul. He sagged against the shower wall, the image of Kate pinned under him etched on his brain forever.

A sharp rap at the bathroom door jolted his heart to a standstill. "Jakob? Are you okay?"

Fuck,
that voice sent heat pooling into his groin once more.

She knocked again. "Jakob?"

"Uh, sorry. I'm okay, be out in a minute." Good God.

A moment of warmer water to rinse, and he started to feel like something that almost resembled human once more. Though he was pretty sure the next few days were going to be among the longest of his life, and the nights even longer.

He felt a whole lot safer once his jeans were over his hips, and headed for the guest room while trying to keep his mind on the morning ahead.

Ten feet ahead, Kate rounded a corner, still wearing her skimpy little tank and white panties, all that dark hair still tousled from sleep. The way her eyes widened with surprise tempted him to say
boo
or do something to make her repeat it.

Kate tried really hard. She did. Really. But it too much to ask. She simply could not just sit there on her horse and
not
glare hatefully at Jakob's back where he rode just ahead, with the pack animals and dogs strung out between them. Even with the noise created by the other animals, she still heard it clearly.

Snorting and blowing with every breath, the big black horse he'd called Ajax pranced along with exaggerated movements, big head impossibly high. Despite Jakob's assurance to the contrary, she was certain the animal would be exhausted in the first mile, useless by the end of the second. If not for the waste of time, she wouldn't give a damn, but they'd lose most, or even all, of a day just going back to get suitable horses for him. And it increased the likelihood of the lion killing another of her horses.

She had no patience for stubborn pride any time, but even less when insistence on that pride endangered her horses. Damn it, for all she cared, he could walk. She wasn't turning around to get him fresh stock when his fidgety animals were too exhausted to go, with all the energy they wasted tossing heads and high stepping. Her own pride swelled as she watched her horses proceed calmly, with an all-business attitude. They were there to do a job, not take a romp in the park.

The annoyance with Jakob had absolutely nothing to do with his expression when he spotted her scars. Really, she expected that every time someone saw her leg. It didn't matter that his shock and disgust crushed any half-formed sort of interest she might have in him. It wasn't like anything with him would ever be more than very short and light flirtation. That look just saved her the heartache of getting attached and let down. She didn't need that in her life.

An hour at a steady jog later, her horses' hides glistened with sweat. Jakob's horses had settled a little, no longer snorting and prancing, but still very animated with their heads up and necks arched. Even though they sweated, they showed no signs of slowing down, surprisingly. She might need to reassess her opinion of the breed, because they were certainly holding up better than she'd expected.

No matter what she might want to think of Jakob, she had to admit, he and that horse of his were a striking pair. Big and broad shouldered, Jakob sat low and back in the saddle with the loose-jointed ease of one born to it. Ajax, head up and eyes rolling, gave the impression of allowing Jakob only scant control, while responding to the slightest command. He was slightly taller than her horses, but his way of going made him seem far larger, looming over them.

Kate sighed. If only that drunk driver hadn't hit their car, her life would have been vastly different. Experience told her to get that thought out of her head, immediately. It could lead only to places best left closed up. A quick glance around at the landmarks reminded her of their location.

Sunny responded easily to her urge for a quicker pace, and they quickly moved around the rest of the stock and up beside Ajax and Jakob. "There's a stock tank about a half mile away. We should stop and let them drink and rest a bit for midday. It's the last reliable water until this evening."

The grin he gave her did something funny to her stomach, despite her determination not to be drawn into the fascination of him. "Sounds good to me. One step closer to you admitting my horses are better suited for this work and getting to have dinner with you and listen to Metallica."

Kate forcibly contained the little thrill that wanted to send her pulse rate skyward. "Not at all. Just being practical. It's hot, and all the animals need water. Stopping at the tank will conserve what we're carrying for later when they need it."

They rode on in silence, veering slightly from their planned route in order to reach the tank. The horses smelled the fresh water and quickened their pace in eagerness. The tops of the willow trees that had taken root next to the tank came into view, and soon, the tank itself, and the solar powered pump that kept it filled from the well.

"The dogs will drink first, then the horses can have a small drink. We'll stop long enough to let them cool down a bit and have another drink."

Kate had to admire the precision of the operation. The dogs reacted to a whistled command and drank until another signal sent them to lie under the willows to rest, and the horses moved forward for a small drink.

Sunny and Kate's other horses had their drink when Jakob led his animals over to the willows. Kate monitored their intake carefully, as too much water could result in a crippling illness or death for a hot horse, and moved them away to cool off. Handfuls of grass rubbed some of the sweat off their hides and relieved some of the heat.

Finished tending her horses' needs, Kate dropped reins to allow them to rest, and went to sit on the ground not far away. Jakob bent over his dogs, one by one, inspecting footpads and toenails for injury, and slipped each a small treat before moving to the next.

Finally, he came and dropped down beside Kate and rolled onto his back. "It's been a minute since I put more than an hour at a time in the saddle. I almost forgot how painful it can be after a while."

His groan of misery drew a smile from Kate even if she would have preferred to be annoyed with him. "It is unique, for certain."

"The closest I've come to it since leaving home is a few endless hours crossing rough so-called plains in the back of a beat-up old pickup."

"What were you doing?"

Her question immediately changed his face from smiling and almost relaxed to tense and closed-off. "I was working for a defense contractor at the time. The Taliban decided they really wanted to ask me some questions I preferred not to answer."

"Taliban? Why were you in Afghanistan?"

Green eyes, gone almost gray in the softened light under the willows, watched her through a fringe of dark lashes, as if he were deciding how much he could trust her. "I was investigating claims locals had made regarding a group of this contractor's operators. Uncle Sam prefers his employees not be in league with the opposition. Someone blew my cover and I had to get out fast." He closed his eyes, like slamming the door on a nightmare, and slowly reopened them. "Your turn. What happened?" He gestured toward the general vicinity of her left leg.

Kate's chest froze up, just like it always did when anyone asked. How much of it could she trust him with, if any? But he'd answered her, given at least a sanitized version of the events. Could she do any less? "Our car was hit by a drunk driver when I was a baby. My mom was killed. By the time I was eighteen, I had more than three dozen surgical procedures, and almost two dozen actual open surgeries, on my hip and leg. They wanted to do more but I refused. Haven't gone to a doctor since. They predicted I would never walk independently, and I'm not supposed to do anything that will stress the old breaks and surgical sites."

"Yet you're out here? Doing all this?"

"That I am." Kate let her head fall back, prepared for the coming lecture.

"Cool."

She waited for him to say more. And waited.
Cool?
That was it? "What do you mean, cool?"

He looked at her from under that fringe of lashes again. "I mean it's cool you don't let anyone else set your limits."

Well, that was a first. And it left her at a loss for how to react. Instead, she changed the subject. "So, I take it you haven't hunted for a while?"

"A little while. I enlisted right out of school, and turns out, I have a knack for languages and I'm good at improvising. I got tapped for a special mission, and more followed. Next thing I know, I'm right in the middle of it, hot on the tail of a high-value target. But lately I've been homesick a lot, and my tour is up. I was taking leave to decide whether to re-up or not, but Uncle Frank died before I got home. Your call caught me trying to figure out what do with his animals." He fell silent and closed his eyes, leaving her to wonder if he'd fallen asleep.

Only one way to find out. "So why are you here?"

His mouth curved up in a slight smile. "Taking advantage of time alone to think. Back home there are constant reminders of what I left, and why. On post there are all the reminders and responsibilities of my duty. I needed to be away from both, and anyone or anything else."

"And I invited myself along and put a real cramp in your plans." No need to make it a question. There was no doubt.

He quirked one shoulder in a half-shrug. "That might not be a bad thing." He patted the ground at his side. "Kick back and rest a few. Once we close on that cat, there won't be time to relax."

True. And the thick cushion of grass did look comfortable. Kate scooted around to the spot he'd indicated, and lay back. Only once she was actually lying down, did she stop to consider why she might have followed his direction so closely. The grass where she'd been sitting was equally thick and comfortable, and she could see the animals clearly. It made no sense, since normally she would have just lain back where she sat. Well, she was there now, no sense moving just to prove a point.

"How long do you plan on resting?"
Stupid question, Kate.
Since when did silence bother her? Ridiculous. Studiously staring directly up into the tree to avoid looking in his direction was probably something like ridiculous too, but she wasn't sure quite what.

"I don't know, maybe an hour. Long enough to let the horses cool down and graze a little, and drink their fill. I'm not sure what the graze and water situations will be over the next few days." His voice held a drowsy note and tempted her to at least glance in his direction.

When she did, the first thing to impact her was the unique leaf green shade his eyes had gone. He'd turned to his side, facing her, and wore a smile that made her heart do some kind of fluttery gymnastics. She should probably say something, but for the life of her, couldn't think of anything that made sense.

"You're used to this? Spending days on the trail?" Jakob plucked a slim blade of grass and spun it in his fingers, fascinating her.

"Somewhat. We still do a lot of things the old-fashioned way. Someone rides line once a month to check all the water and make sure the pumps are working right. Someone else drifts along the edges of the property every few weeks, making sure the fences are holding and watching for trouble. We do roundup in the fall and move the horses to winter pasture, closer to the main ranch." Talking about the operations of the ranch was easy, and didn't require much in the way of thinking. Which freed her mind up to wander a little more about Jakob, mostly things best left un-wandered.

The blade of grass twirled in his fingers for a moment before he brought it to trail along her forearm, tickling briefly and withdrawing. "Tell me more. The mare you're riding. She's way more than run of the mill cowhorse."

Kate smiled. At least he knew quality horseflesh when he saw it. "Southern Sunrise. Sunny. World Champion Cutting Mare, three years in a row. Then a torn tendon took her out of the arena. These days she's chilling and putting on a little weight to get ready to be a momma."

"You got the lucky fella picked out already?" The blade of grass made another trip across her forearm, long enough to tempt her into a half-assed grab for it before he chuckled and withdrew it.

"Narrowed down to two candidates." Another transgression from the blade of grass. Another grab, a bit more serious. "My neighbor owns one of them, but the stud fee is too high, so I'll probably go with the other." Yet another lick of the grass pushed her for a real grab, which Jakob easily avoided.

"What's too high for a future champion?"

"A wedding ring." Kate turned to face him. "The asshole is demanding I marry his son."

The blade of grass returned, this time to play along her cheekbone. "Would that be so bad?"

The grass wasn't easy to ignore, but she managed it. "It would. The son is a troll, some sort of lawyer, full of plans to develop all the ranches here. Mini-estates, he calls them. Where the well-to-do can own a part of the heritage of the Old West." Annoyance got the better of her suddenly and she made an aggressive grab for the grass.

Only to find her wrist pinned in that iron grip again. Jakob's eyes had gone dark with some emotion she didn't recognize. Whatever it was made her heart pound in a mixture of fear and anticipation. He stared at her mouth with intense focus.

"Kate?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to kiss you now."

Before she could think he leaned forward and over her, pausing with his lips just a hairsbreadth from hers, as if offering her a chance to refuse him. She waited, silent, watching him close the distance.

The first brush of his lips across hers sent an explosion of sensation rocketing through her. Seemingly encouraged by her lack of resistance, he increased the pressure and brought his hand to the back of her head to lace through her hair.

Her eyes refused to stay open, despite her wish to watch him and record every detail. He sighed a little and flicked his tongue across her lower lip and startled a gasp from her. Mind-bending tension swept over her as he leaned further in, bearing her shoulders to the ground and tasted her lip again.

Gentle teeth pulled at her lip and he slid closer to bring his body half over her. "Beautiful Kate, I wanted to taste you the moment I saw you." Taking advantage of her surprise again, he slid his tongue across the delicate flesh inside her lower lip, and then against her teeth until she parted for him.