“Do you think that matters, Briony? No one could be more beautiful to me. Swollen eye, bruises-it would never matter. You’re a fighter, babe, and you make me proud of you.”

He pushed her shirt further up her body, until the underside of her br**sts were exposed, fingers stroking soft skin. “When I touch you, I swear, Briony, each time is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I feel like a fool trying to tell you what you mean to me, but I don’t want you to ever think you weren’t worth the effort for me to try to put the way I feel about you into words.”

Jack feathered kisses over her gently rounded belly. Strands of his hair brushed against her br**sts, sending shivers of awareness down her spine. Briony didn’t know why she found it so erotic to be outside with him, danger surrounding them, and watching his eyes darken with desire and his body grow hard in anticipation. “You’ll have to be on top so we don’t take any chances hurting you or the babies.” He lifted his head to look at her, his gray eyes nearly charcoal. “I’ll be so gentle you won’t even know it’s me.”

She couldn’t believe how wet and hot she already was just looking at him. His hands cupped her br**sts, kneading with exquisite care, rolling her nipple until she gasped, her vision hazing over. Briony’s clothes felt too tight, the material scraping against her sensitive skin and impeding his roaming hands. She hastily opened her jeans and sat up to remove her clothes, glancing around to make certain they were concealed by the shrubbery and thick canopy. The angle of the canyon walls helped, and she could see why Jack had picked such a spot to hide while they waited for dark.

Jack had divested himself of clothing as well and reached up and tugged at her wrist until she was sitting on his lap, straddling him. He fisted his hands in her hair to drag her head back, wanting to devour her, his tongue sweeping into her mouth, teeth tugging at her lips, and all the while he deliberately pressed his hard c**k against her wet channel. For a moment he sat still, absorbing the feel of her, the scent of her, the miracle of her being with him. He buried his face against her neck to hide the sudden overwhelming emotion he knew was na**d on his face.

“Jack?”

He pulled her arms around his neck until her fingers dug into his muscle as he positioned her legs around his waist. She locked her ankles behind his back, opening her body even more to him, and he rocked her back, rubbing his c**k deeper into her feminine heat. He could hear his name on her lips forever, that breathy little hesitation, the way love poured through her voice. He deliberately moved again to draw a little moan from her.

Briony gripped his shoulders hard and made a small keening sound, a soft wail of pleasure adding hot flames of excitement licking through his surging blood. Jack kissed her over and over, drowning in her taste, loving the way she responded, giving up her mouth the way she did her body-wholly-unconditionally. He kissed his way down her throat and shoulders, until he found the hot little points of her br**sts, already stiff for him. She was so hot and wet already, rocking against him, letting him know how much she wanted him. That alone was an aphrodisiac.

Jack took her breast in his mouth, felt the unbelievable softness, tugged her nipple with his teeth, rolled it with his mouth, and when she cried out, went back to suckling. With each strong pull, he felt her grow hotter and wetter for him. He loved her body’s reaction, and his hands began to stroke and caress her shoulders, down her back, to her bu**ocks, his mouth all the while lavishing attention on her br**sts.

Briony flung back her head, arching into the heat of his mouth, nails digging into his shoulders. His slow hands and ravaging mouth sent her body pulsing with such aching need she tried to squirm onto him.

“Stop that,” he said sharply and brought his hand down on her bottom, sending an unexpected flare of heat spiraling through her body. “We’re taking this slow and easy, remember? Let it build.” Because he wanted to stay inside her forever. Jack wanted to hold her to him any way that he could. He had no idea how she’d managed to invade his heart and soul-but she had-and he needed her as surely as he needed the sun to come up in the morning. He wanted forever-and he had only a short time-but every moment was going to count.

The terrible aching need was already built-already raging out of control. Briony felt the tension in her rising, the pressure tightening deep inside, until her body clenched and wept in need. “Jack. We don’t have time.”

“For this-for us-we have time.” He kissed her neck, bit gently at her chin, found her breast again, and sent another shaft of desire curling through her with a strong pull of his hot mouth. Her body rubbing over him-pleading, demanding-hardened his c**k into a thick instrument of flesh-and-blood steel.

Briony’s hands gripped him harder as he lifted her up and positioned her over his lap. He lowered her until the broad head of his shaft began to force entry, invading her body inch by slow inch. She was soft-so soft it felt like a silken glove gripping him-and hot-so hot he groaned and let gravity help seat her, needing him to be as deep as possible. Her body wrapped him up in silk and velvet, squeezing and clenching so that he gasped with the sheer pleasure of it. He caught her h*ps and began to move her in a slow, sultry rhythm. “That’s it, baby. Just take a nice easy ride.”

Straddling his thighs, Jack buried himself deep in her body. Briony wiggled, a small movement, but it pushed him even deeper, pressing him tightly against her clit, so each stroke sent an electrical current racing through her body, straight up to her ni**les. A hot streak of excitement filled her as she felt her building cl**ax. She arched back further, lifting her h*ps to his slow, easy rhythm, but adding a circular motion, watching his eyes, his face, reveling in the mixture of lust and love she saw there.

Her br**sts swayed erotically with every thrust of his hips; her ni**les brushed Jack’s chest to send hot sparks raining over her skin. She began to assert herself as her body wound tighter and tighter, lifting higher, grinding harder, riding him with a faster rhythm. His breath caught in his chest and she took him deeper, increasing the friction, deliberately contracting her muscles around him, drawing a harsh groan from him.

“Son of a bitch, Briony, you’re going to kill me before we’re through.”

She wanted to drive him to swearing. With anyone else it wouldn’t have seemed right-or sexy-but with Jack she knew she was pushing his limits and he was letting her. He didn’t like giving up control-not even sexually-but he let her set the pace, do what she wanted-maybe needed-to do.

She looked him straight in the eye and smiled, a sultry, sexy smile of sheer bliss. “You know what, Jack? This is me-loving you.”

His heart jumped in his chest. His c**k thickened and jerked in answer.

Her fingertips slid over his face, traced every beloved line. When had he become so necessary to her? She felt love mingling with the terrible cravings of her body, and if it was possible, love for him increased her pleasure even more. She rocked forward and took his mouth, tongue sliding over his lips, teeth teasing and nibbling. His mouth opened, hot and hard and tasting so good. She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, all the while rocking and writhing and keeping a steady rhythm designed to drive him as crazy as she could manage.

And then his mouth moved against hers, and he was all at once dominant, hands tightening on her hips, forcing her body into a different, much harder and faster rhythm. She felt the instant flare of excitement-the heat rushing like a fireball through her body to tighten every muscle and heighten her pleasure even more. She tipped her head back in invitation as his mouth wandered down her throat to her br**sts, teasing and nipping and driving her insane. She could feel her cl**ax building and building, his mouth and hands and body pushing her closer and closer to the edge. He filled and stretched her, their combined bodies hotter than she’d imagined possible, as he picked up the pace and deliberately pressed into the bundle of sensitive nerves.

Briony bit back a scream and let herself go, muscles clamping down tightly, taking him with her, milking him dry, while her body rippled and quaked with a shocking orgasm. Jack gave a husky groan, as he emptied himself into her and dragged her against his chest to hold her in his arms, while they rocked together, clinging, his face buried in her hair, hers in his shoulder. They stayed that way a long time, just holding each other, while their hearts stopped racing, bodies still one-both feeling at peace.

“We have to get some rest,” Jack prompted finally, reluctantly letting his arms slip away. “We have a long night in front of us.” He poured water onto a small towel. “Lie back and I’ll clean us up. You’ll have to get dressed and sleep in your clothes. We’ll need to be ready to move.”

Briony should have felt embarrassed to have him gently wipe her thighs, but she felt loved and cared for. His eyes remained dark with emotion as they dressed and she lay down beside him, his arm tucking her close to his body, the cover pulled up over them. “Thank you, Jack. I needed to be with you.”

His kiss was gentle. “We’re going to get out of this. All of us will.”

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep-reassured by the confidence in his voice and the warmth of his arms.

Jack. Ken resisted touching his brother’s shoulder, knowing Jack would wake up brandishing a weapon and probably slit his throat. He stayed out of range, crouching low, as his twin sat up, already tracking with a gun. Ken waved the muzzle away from his body. We’re in trouble, bro. I climbed up the pass…

“You did what?” Jack hissed. “Damn it, Ken. That was dangerous.”

Immediately Briony stirred and sat up as well, looking from one brother to the other. “What’s wrong?”

Ken sank down beside them, rifle cradled in his arms. “Sorry we woke you, Bri, but we’re going to have company soon.”

“What’s going on, Ken?” Jack demanded.

“I got suspicious when the damned helicopter never made any sweeps. Why would they do that? I didn’t put it out of commission. They may have wanted me to think I did, but I knew better. So while I was sitting up in the rocks, cooling my heels, I got this idea about Dr. Whitney and his files. Just suppose he managed to find a map of our property and he studied it and knew if we went for this canyon that we had a way up through the pass.”

“Son of a bitch,” Jack grated.

“So I took a little trip up, and sure enough, we’ve got company waiting.” Ken flipped open his canteen and drank, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Can we take them?”

“They have the better position and a helicopter, Jack.” Ken glanced at Briony, went to speak, and closed his mouth. They’d kill us for certain.

“Don’t do that,” Briony said sharply. “I’m not a child and I don’t wilt because it gets rough. I want to know what’s wrong.” She captured Jack’s hard gaze with her own. “Am I a part of this family or not?”

“You know damn well what you are to me,” Jack snapped. “The only real way out of the canyon is the pass. We didn’t think anyone knew there was a way up. The canyon is a box, and essentially we’re trapped here. There wasn’t a pass at all until we made one.”

“So how did they know?” Ken asked. “No one’s been here.”

“He guessed. The bastard guessed,” Jack said. “He’s a f**king genius, and he looked at the map and figured out exactly how we think. The canyon’s a natural trap. He knew we’d lead them here, and he put his men up above to sit and wait. We make the climb-it’s steep and dangerous and will sap our strength, and they’ll shoot us like ducks in a pond.”

Briony took a deep breath, inhaling to try to catch the scent of danger. She smelled pine and fir and night air, but not soldiers. The temperature was falling rapidly, as it often did up high in the mountains. She shivered and reached for Jack’s pack, pulling out a jacket to wrap around her.