“I’m trained.” She didn’t nail him in the gut, but she thought about it.
“I’m better.”
When it came to stalking his prey, he likely was. Snipers excelled at shooting, but the real skill came with the ability to move in and around without anyone knowing where they were. Not that she was ready to concede anything to this guy. “Get off me.”
“No.”
There, under him, the bruising cold of the ground contrasted with the warmth of his body. He wore an outfit similar to hers, jeans and a flannel, but heat poured off him. Forget the dropping temperatures and never-ending fall of snow. None of it appeared to affect him.
She shifted her hips and felt his erection press against her. “Are you so hard up for sex that you tackle random women?”
“No.”
“I can feel you.”
He didn’t bother to lift up or move. “Normal reaction. No big deal.”
“Fighting with women turns you on, stud?” She started to buck her hips with the idea of knocking him off balance but changed her mind. The friction could take them in the wrong direction and she needed every ounce of concentration right now.
“Not particularly.”
The icy cold of the ground seeped into her bones. She’d start losing feeling soon. She needed to get inside and dry. But the weather appeared to have no impact on him. He stayed warm, got hard. Didn’t so much as shiver.
“I can feel your dick against my thigh.” She could feel all of him everywhere. The muscles across his chest and his flat stomach. For a big guy he didn’t have an ounce of fat on him.
“Sorry about that.” Nothing more. No apology. Didn’t shift to the side.
The whole He-man thing should have pissed her off. Instead, confusion had her brain cells sputtering. “I don’t want your protection.”
“Tough.” He sat up and moved back. Still straddling her thighs, he pulled her up and her back off the ground.
Her instincts told her to take a shot. Knock him back and run. But she didn’t. She sat there and waited to see his next move. Might have had something to do with the very real sense Gabe was not a guy many people got away from easily.
Her gaze wandered down his chest to the bulge at the front of his jeans. “You think we’re going to sit up here, have sex and wait for bad guys to come snooping around.”
The corner of his mouth kicked up, not in a full smile but close. “You seem obsessed with sex.”
“I wonder why.” She rubbed her hands over her arms as her teeth started to tap together.
His gaze fell to her lips then traveled back to her eyes. “Let’s make a deal.”
“No.” The knee-jerk response came out before she could stop it.
“I won’t touch you without your permission.” He lowered his head until he leveled that intense stare right at her eyes. “Ever.”
“You’re touching me now. You’re hard.”
He held up his hands. “My job is to protect you. Nothing else will happen.”
“Fine.”
He stood up and reached down to her. “Until you’re safe.”
The phrase tickled her curiosity. She vowed to ignore, but . . . “And then?”
“You decide.” He lowered his hand until it hovered in front of her face. “You hold the power over what happens between us.”
“I want to leave.”
He exhaled as he shot her one of those you’re-working-on-my-nerves frowns he excelled at throwing her way. “And go where?”
Seeing no reason to play the martyr, she grabbed his hand and struggled to her feet. Numbness threatened to overtake her. “Hell if I know.”
This time he did smile. Shot her a wide and sexy grin. “That’s what I like about you, Natalie.”
That look had her spinning. Whatever was dancing around in her stomach better be the flu. “What?”
“You’re not stupid.”
Smart of him to notice. It could save them a lot of wasted time verbally battling each other. “I guess that’s good.”
“And you’re sexy as hell.”
That was a problem. If she let her mind take off for one second she thought about climbing all over him. The need pounding through her could not be mutual. She could fight off her attraction, but not for both of them. Sex on the run, in the midst of gunfire and danger, sounded dumb. Like a one-way ticket to checking out of this world for good.
“Imagine me shooting you. That should kill the mood.” She glanced around, hating that she lost touch with her weapon for even a second, and that she only had one.
He slipped the gun out of where he had it tucked into his belt and handed it to her. “You’d think, but no.”
“You’re a sick man.” And by that she meant hot enough to have her common sense blinking out.
“Probably.” He nodded toward the cabin. “Let’s go.”
Her defenses rose. “That sounds like an order.”
He shifted his weight and leaned in closer. “You can either get in there, strip off your wet clothes and shower, or I’ll do it for you.”
Something hard clunked to a halt inside her. Her heart . . . lungs. Likely something she needed to keep moving.
“And now threats.” She forced the words out over the rush of blood whooshing in her ears.
Those dark eyes gleamed. “Consider it a promise of things to come.”
For a second she thought about taking her chances in the cold and snow. Seemed safer. “Be careful what you wish for.”
That smile of his came whipping back. “Challenged accepted.”
Bestselling and award-winning author HelenKay Dimon spent twelve years in the most unromantic career ever—divorce lawyer. After dedicating all that time and effort to helping people terminate relationships, she is thrilled to write romance novels full time. Her novels include Only, Mercy and the Hanover Brothers novels, No Turning Back, A Simple Twist of Fate, Long Way Home and Too Far Gone. Her books have been featured at E! Online and in the Chicago Tribune, and she has had two of her books named “Red Hot Reads” in Cosmopolitan magazine. When not writing, she teaches fiction and romance writing at MiraCosta College and UCSD and generally wastes a lot of time watching bad Syfy channel movies.
Looking for more?
Visit Penguin.com for more about this author and a complete list of their books.
Discover your next great read!
Taken Page 12