“Nope, not a negotiation. More like either this or that.”

“All right, I’ll play.”

“You need to get that through your head—I’m not playing. Not now, not ever.” He looked at her sternly and was relieved when he saw her body lose the tension it had been holding, and her eyes softened.

“I hear you,” she said quietly. “What’s the condition?”

“Either you acknowledge once and for all you belong to me,” he said, shaking his head to silence her protest before she made it, “and I belong to you.”

She smiled seductively as she ran her finger down the middle of his torso.

“What’s the ‘or’ side of that statement?”

“Or,” he said, wrapping her in his arms, “I’ll beat your ass until you do.”

She laughed. “You’re such a jackass.” She held up her finger and placed it against his lips. “But you’re my jackass.”

“Yes, I am.” He grinned. “Now, Ms. Reid, I believe I told you I preferred seeing you naked.”

“First, help me with these wet boots, then I’ll get completely naked, and you can have your way with me.”

She sat on the flat rock by the campfire, and Croft bent down and pulled her wet boots and socks off, then laid the socks onthe rocks that formed the campfire ring and set up the two sticks close to it, upending her boots onto them. By the time he finished, Finn was, as promised, completely nude.

He knew his smile had to be predatory in the extreme. That was how he felt—as though he was the predator, and she was his prey. Only the screams he intended to elicit from her wouldn’t be of fear or pain but of repeated ecstasy as he took her long and hard. He wanted to ensure she forgot, at least for a while, her fear and concern for her brother and thought only of the amazing future they would create together.

Croft had long ago given up believing he’d ever find a woman he could share a life with. Seeing Mac and Willa and the other relationships of the men he worked with had given him a glimmer of hope. Finding Finn had been nothing short of a miracle. He had yet to determine whether he was going to beat Reid to a pulp for putting her in this position or express his undying gratitude to him for being so stupid to have gotten her involved.

He only prayed he could give Finn her happily ever after.

Chapter

Six

Finn watched Croft as he worked. There was an efficiency about the way he moved, combined with a sensual grace. He reminded her of a large predator stalking its prey. She had to stifle a nervous giggle—she had no doubt what he was after. He pulled off his boots and all of his clothing and stood—the firelight dancing all over his body.

He was glorious in his nudity—proud, strong, fierce—and his cock was a marvel. A broad, strong chest topped sculpted abs that tapered to a lean waist. A muscular V focused a woman’s attention on what he had to offer, and he had considerable skill in using it. Croft wasn’t a man who expected his size to do all the work. He knew just which buttons to push and the order to ensure her maximum pleasure. She wondered if he had any idea what just being in his presence did to her—her nipples got hard, her clit engorged, her pussy got wet, and her libido went into overdrive.

As Croft approached, she turned back the blanket in an unspoken invitation. A slow smile spread across his face as he joined her on the makeshift bed she’d made for them. She knew he could see how her nipples responded to his frank appraisal. Stretching out, he traced one with his callused fingers.Her body shivered as Croft lowered his head and enveloped her entire areola, sucking it deeply while gently nibbling on its center. Without lifting his head, he pushed forward, encouraging her onto her back. She sighed, complying with his unspoken command, then inhaled sharply as he nipped her peak before swirling his tongue around it. He kissed his way from one breast to the other before drawing her deep into his mouth to enjoy suckling her.

Croft’s hand skimmed down her rib cage and easily parted her legs. His thumb found her swollen clit as his fingers played with the rest of her vulva, causing her hips to undulate in rhythm to his fondling. Sliding his hand lower still, he reached back to play with her bottom hole.

“No, Croft.”

“Shh, Finn. You belong to me—all of you. I will take and give you pleasure when, where, and how I see fit. I told you I’m going to fuck your ass—not tonight but not in the too distant future. Get used to the idea.”

He caught her mouth with his in a possessive, disarming kiss that left her breathless, incredibly aroused, and willing to do whatever he wanted. He played with her labia, stroking her, getting her even wetter. Dipping his finger into her opening, he gently stroked the ceiling of her core.

Finn couldn’t remember ever coming for a man as easily or as quickly as she did for Croft. As each orgasm began to subside, there seemed to be another one right behind it, as though she was water, and he was the tide and current that ruled where she went. He fingered her, paying particular attention to her nipples, triggering an intense climax, stroking her gently as her body spasmed in response to him.

Croft rolled on top of her, using his muscular thighs to part her own. Lowering his pelvis so it rested on hers, his hard cock lined up to breach her wet heat. He leaned on his forearms,watching her face. Instead of shoving his cock in her pussy, he slowly sank into her, allowing her to feel him glide inch-by-inch, filling her to capacity. Even before he reached her cervix, she came again, reaching up to cling to him and calling his name.

“Good girl,” he whispered.

This was not the frenzied fucking of the night before, not his body demanding hers submit to him. This was his body, his soul, calling to hers, commanding it relinquish its care and control to the one who possessed it. She felt her entire being capitulate to his mastery.

Croft reached down and encouraged her legs to spread wider and wrap around him, clinging to him as she did so. His hands trailed down her back to cup the globes of her ass, steadying her and fucking her with long, deep, arduous strokes. Finn called to him again as she ascended to the pinnacle of desire and gloried in his skillful joining of his body to hers.

“Croft, please,” she cried as Croft reveled in her yielding.