Reckless
River: Men of Mercy # 3
by Lindsay Cross
They say you can’t go home again. Jared Crowe
never wanted to.
Home meant facing memories of abuse and neglect.
Of dark closets and evil nightmares.
Of his own relatives intent on killing
him. But now his brother’s kidnapping forces him to face those demons. Only
this time, Jared isn’t a scared little boy. He’s a full-grown Special Forces
operative bent on revenge.
As a little girl, Sparrow Pickney risked her
life to free two abused boys. As a grown woman Sparrow needs to earn a place in
her adopted family’s business or be forced into a life of degradation. The
chance to prove her family loyalty comes when she catches Jared spying on the
compound and captures him.
When Jared sees his captor, he realizes she’s
the girl of his dreams and vows to rescue her from a life of poverty. What
Jared doesn’t know is Sparrow may not be the savior he remembers…but the one
responsible for abducting and torturing his brother.
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Reckless River, book #3 in the Men of Mercy series is a tiny bit darker & edgier then the first two books. Not quite what I expected but, also a very good read and I enjoyed this one as well!
Jared may be a sexy alpha type guy on the outside but, he is definitely broken on the inside and it was his family that broke him. He is seeking revenge against a family member who tried to kill him and his brother when they were children. Things go wrong and Jared's brother is captured and tortured again by members of their own family. Jared thinks he knows who is behind the destruction this time and he sets out to destroy her. Sparrow was the little girl who bravely set the Crowe brothers free all those years ago. She has only known one way of life and it isn't a good one. Jared kidnaps Sparrow and is hell bent on revenge for what he thinks she did to his brother.
These two characters go back and forth between loving and hating each other.
I look forward to reading more books in this series!
It had been
nearly twenty years since he’d seen her, but Jared could never forget those
golden eyes. Eyes that had haunted his dreams ever since. Had she joined up
with Kay? Or was she simply one of those poor souls struggling to survive?
The thought
of Sparrow slowly starving filled him with a sense of guilt. He should have
made her leave with them. Even though they’d been children when she’d freed
them, Jared had been big enough to drag her out, whether she’d wanted to go or
not.
She leaned
over him, reaching for his hands. Her floppy hat fell down, blinding her, and
she ripped it off and tossed it across the room. Long caramel-colored hair,
full of sun-kissed highlights, waterfalled down the sides of her face and
tickled his nose. Her scent surrounded him now, flooding his senses.
Honeysuckle and wildflowers. His cock swelled in an instant. Jared gnashed his
teeth together, trying to quell his intense reaction to her nearness.
Sparrow
leaned down further and her loose tank top gaped open, treating him to a
glorious view of surprisingly plump breasts cupped in a plain sports bra. His
gaze locked onto her beaded nipples through the cotton. Fuck he wanted to rip
that bra down and reveal what was hidden beneath. The loose manly clothes she
wore made her look stick thin, but womanly curves were concealed beneath them.
Sparrow
sighed and sat up straight, leaving rope dangling uselessly on his wrists.
Jared gripped the metal headboard with his hands, waiting for her next move.
She stood there for a moment and studied him, trying to decide what to do.
Well, he wasn't going to help her out one little bit.
"Keep
your hands right there, got it?" Her voice was stern.
"Yes
ma'am.” He had no intention of acting up. Yet.
She placed
a knee on the mattress, and in one swift movement straddled him, settling on
his belly. Jared groaned and closed his eyes thankful she hadn’t sat down lower
on his body; otherwise, she would have gotten her own surprise. She leaned over
him spreading her knees wider up his chest. His eyes popped open, unable to
resist another view of her bare skin.
"You
can stop with the theatrics right now, I know I’m not big enough to crush
you."
If only
that were his problem. Her shirt dipped down even more and he fixated on the
pale mounds of her breasts straining against the material of her sports bra. It
was a crime to lock those beauties up in serviceable cotton.
She should
wear nothing but pure silk and lace, perfect for him to rip off her body.
Her hair
curtained around him again, and her soft lips parted in concentration as she
worked. He was aware of every inch of exposed skin—from the graceful hollow of
her neck to her supple forearms peeking out from the rolled up sleeves of her
checkered work shirt. Even more aware of the intense heat radiating from her
core, pressed so intimately to his chest.
"There.
All done." She sat back, a satisfied smile on her lips.
Jared
tugged on the rope. He’d completely zoned out on anything other than her
straddling him. It didn't give an inch—the knot she’d tied was worthy of a
professional. A small ounce of foreboding seeped into him. “Where did you learn
to tie knots?"
"Trapping.
Working snares. Been doing it since I was a kid." Her words were so
matter-of-fact, he had no doubt she spoke the truth. Holy shit. He yanked on
the ropes, but they didn’t move.
“Impressive.”
Jared wriggled his fingers and wrists, testing for any weakness. He found none.
“Might as
well stop struggling. Nobody’s ever been able to get out of one of my knots.
And I used my new rope too, so it wouldn’t snap easy.” She made a snapping
motion with her fingers, the emphasis driving in just how stupid his plan had
been. He should have used that easy opening she’d given him with the gun.
His
foreboding turned to real worry. He had to get out of here to rescue his
brother. Hoyt’s life depended on him. If he couldn’t get free… “Nice, now
what?”
“Now you
tell me who you are and why you’re here.” Sparrow sat back on her heels, the
curve of her ass grazing the tip of his cock. He clenched his muscles, fighting
to free himself from the pull of lust.
Remember,
you’re the soldier trained in interrogation techniques. Now he just had to stop
thinking with his dick for long enough to find out where Hoyt was being held.
"My name is Jake."
She tapped
her chin, staring down at him. Once
again he was enthralled by the intense color of her eyes. They were golden,
almost like a cat’s, with a darker brown ring around the edges. “Jake. You
don't look like a Jake."
He enjoyed
hearing the name on her lips. Would enjoy hearing his real name even better.
Her soft accent and long vowels stretched it out slow. Sensual. "And what
do I look like?"
"I
don't know. Killer? Tiger?"
"That's
what people name their cats.”
"True.
Why are you here?"
"Why did you take me hostage?" he countered.
“You were
spying on my family. Only our enemies do that.” She shifted, brushing against
his tip again. Fuck he wanted to rip free of these bonds and throw her down
beneath him. Where was his detached logic now? Something about her was making
him lose control.
“I have no
interest in you. I was looking for a family member who went missing, know
anything about that?” He studied her reaction intently, watching for any flash
of awareness, but she didn’t give away anything.
“Haven’t
seen anybody new around here in a long time, and I would know. Sorry, but you
plopped down on the wrong piece of land.”
“He told me
he was coming here.” Not really, but Jared knew without the slightest shred of
doubt that Hoyt had been taken by the Crowes. Miss Kay wanted to finish what
she had started all those years ago, even if Jared didn’t know why. It was bad
enough his parents had died when Jared was only nine, Hoyt six, but to have his
aunt try to murder them....
Jared
yanked on the bonds again, testing the bed frame. It screeched but held firm.
Shit.
“What does
he look like?” Every time Sparrow moved or shifted he felt her. Desire was
holding him hostage as much as the damn ropes. Got to get free. Got to find
Hoyt.
“What do I
get if I tell you?”
“What do
you get? You get to live.” Her brows shot down as if confused.
“You won’t
kill me.”
“Try me.”
“How about
we make a little trade—you give me something, I give you something.”
"Give?
What do you want?" She laid her palms on her thighs, kneeling over his
body, the position incredibly erotic.
Blushing
aside, maybe she wasn’t so innocent after all. He had a plan and she was part
of it. He knew he could get more information out of Sparrow than her giant ass
brother. And he’d find it a hell of a lot more enjoyable too. "Kiss
me."
She stopped
moving all together and her eyes narrowed in on his mouth.
"Give
me a kiss and I'll sing like a bird."
Author Info:
Lindsay Cross is the award-winning author of the Men of Mercy series. She is the fun loving mom of two beautiful daughters and one precocious Great Dane. Lindsay is happily married to the man of her dreams – a soldier and veteran. During one of her husband’s deployments from home, writing became her escape and motivation.
An avid reader since childhood, reading and writing is in her blood. After years of reading, she discovered her true passion – writing. Her alpha military men are damaged, drop-dead gorgeous and determined to win the heart of the woman of their dreams.
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