A Silverhill Christmas

by Carol Ericson

Tori screamed and scrambled after him, following the trail of his discarded clothing. By the time she reached the shower, Rio had cranked on the water and steam wafted across his naked body as the hot water collided with the cooler air.

  Her fingers trembled as she unbuttoned her jeans and peeled the rest of her clothes from her body. Rio sluiced back his long hair, and Tori’s gaze followed the rivulets of water running across the flat planes and hard muscles of his body.

  He extended his hand. “Come in. The water’s fine.”

  She laced her fingers with his and, on tiptoes, joined him on the rough slab of cement. Rio pulled her flush against his wet body as the warm water from the showerhead cascaded down her back.

  His heartbeat thundered through her frame, and she clung to him, resting her cheek on his chest. The warmth of his body melted away the tension of walking on eggshells with her own son and telling lipstick lies to her deadly ex-husband.

  If the rescue tonight didn’t work out the way they planned, at least she’d have this moment of solitude with Rio in the glory of the breaking dawn. If she had to go back to Glazkova with Alexi, she’d have the memory of Rio’s touch to heat her blood in the dead of the chilly Glazkovian winter.

  Rio wedged a finger beneath her chin, tilting back her head. “I promise.”

  He kissed her eyelid and the curve of her jaw. As he brushed his lips against hers, the sweet kiss sent ripples of desire along her spine. His hands followed, his rough palms sweeping down her back, resting on the curve of her hips. He hitched her closer and deepened his kiss.

  His potent desire stabbed her belly, and she dug her fingernails into the hard muscles of his buttocks to keep from slithering down the drain with the water.

  He reached over her shoulder to grab a small bottle of shampoo from the shower caddy, precariously swinging from the showerhead. He squeezed a puddle in his palm and said, “Turn around.”

  She peeled her body from his and shuddered as she presented her back to him. He worked the shampoo into her hair with strong fingers, massaging her scalp and showering kisses on the back of her neck.

  She closed her eyes as he tilted her head under the spray of water. “Mmm, I don’t think the hotel offers this service.”

  “They’d better not.” He squeezed her hair, tugging slightly. “How about that other place?”

  “The other place?” She turned in his arms, grabbing the sliver of soap and lathering his chest.

  “The compound.” He clasped her wrists in midswirl. “Did that ex-husband of yours offer to…lather you up? Is that part of his package deal to Glazkova?”

  She slid out of his grip. Did Rio really believe she’d make that deal with Alexi? “Alexi just wants to exert his control over me again. He’s not interested in anything more intimate.”

  He took a step back, his gaze sweeping down her naked body like a featherlight brush on her skin. “Yeah, right. I find that hard to believe.”

  “Really?” Her soapy hands continued their path across his chiseled chest and outlined his six-pack. “And why is that?” she purred in a husky voice as her fingertips teased his tight, silky erection.

  Squeezing his eyes shut, Rio drew a breath between clenched teeth. “Fishing for compliments, princess?”

  She trailed her fingernails along the insides of his thighs. “Fishing for something.”

  She had no intention of allowing Rio McClintock to slip from her grasp this time.

  He cinched her wrists and pulled her close for a soapy kiss. “I don’t mind showering in the great outdoors, but I draw the line at…other activities.”

  Twisting the handle, he turned off the water and Tori shivered. “You’re not really going to send me inside to get the towels, are you?”

  He draped an arm across her shoulders and molded the side of her body against his. “Who needs a towel when we have body heat?”

  Her curves fitted snugly against his hard planes. Arms twined around each other, they strolled back to the house. Tori didn’t even notice the cool morning air raising goose bumps on her flesh. Once inside the house, Rio snagged two towels from the cupboard and rubbed Tori’s back with one of them. She returned the favor, making sure some parts of his body were drier than others.

  With a grunt, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the claustrophobic bedroom. She didn’t mind the size of the room because it felt like they were the only two people in the world—far from the compound, far from Glazkova, far from the tension that gnawed at her gut every time she thought of Max.

  They fell across the double bed, which occupied most of the space in the room. Rio sealed his body to hers for warmth and she melted against him, soaking up his strength and fortitude. After thoroughly kissing her mouth, he ducked beneath the covers and brought the pleasure of his lips to other areas of her anatomy.

  Her limbs trembled as another type of strength surged through her body. Giving in and letting go to this man, Tori had never felt more in control because she sensed his surrender to her, too.

  When he entered her, their bodies moved in a natural rhythm. Everything that had happened in her life brought her to this moment with this man…and Tori didn’t regret one minute of any of it.

  Her climax rushed through her, and Rio’s warm breath caressed her cheek. “Open your eyes.”

  Her lashes fluttered open and her passion intensified as she met Rio’s dark gaze. A light flared in his eyes, and he drove into her, claiming her as his own.

  They collapsed in a tangle of sheets, and Tori rolled onto her side, resting her head on Rio’s shoulder. Her fingers skimmed along his mocha skin, unable to resist the lure of his perfect form.

  He weaved his fingers through hers and kissed her knuckles. “We need to get some sleep to be sharp and well rested for tonight.”

  She yawned and nibbled on his salty earlobe. “As long as you sleep right by my side.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, princess.”

  “And after the rescue? Will you stay with me…with us then?” Tori bit her lip, afraid to meet his eyes.

  The hand he’d been rubbing in circles on her lower back stilled. “You want me to stay with you?”

  “J-just until we’re safe. You do work as a bodyguard sometimes, don’t you? I could pay you.”

  He drew in a sharp breath, his body stiffening. “You don’t have to pay me. I’ll see you safely wherever you want to go.”

  “I didn’t mean to offend you, Rio. I just want you to know that this,” she gestured at their tangled limbs, “is separate from Max’s rescue. That’s a job, your job. This is pure pleasure.”

  He let out a long breath and tugged at the back of her hair to turn her head toward him. The corner of his mouth lifted as he gazed at her through half-closed eyes. “This is pure pleasure.”

  She grinned and kissed the edge of his smile. “Then let me pay you for your services…I mean your bodyguarding services. It’s more for my benefit than yours.”

  “The CIA is still paying me well for this job and you’re part of the job.” He plowed his fingers through her tangled, damp locks. “Once we rescue Max, where to?”

  “I can go anywhere I want, right?”

  “Anywhere the private jet can fly. Anywhere you think you and Max can hide out from your ex.”

  Tori swallowed and rested her chin on his chest. “I want to go home, back to where I grew up, back to where I feel safe.”

  “And where is home, Tori Scott? Where do you feel safe?”

  Maybe she should give him the first answer that popped into her head at that question—right here in his arms. She squeezed her eyes shut and draped her arm around his body to soften the blow.

  “Silverhill, Colorado.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Rio blinked, the haze of sex and desire evaporating, leaving a chill on his sweat-moistened skin. Did Tori just say Silverhill, Colorado, his own private version of hell on earth?

  “Huh?” He shifted beneath her, propping up his back against the wicker
headboard. The point of her chin slid down to his belly, and her hair created a veil across her face.

  “Silverhill, Colorado.” She repeated the words, muffled against his stomach, but he heard them as if she’d shouted them in his ear.

  “Are you telling me you grew up in Silverhill?” He grabbed fistfuls of sheet and held on.

  “Yes.” She rolled her head to the side, finally meeting his gaze, her eyes open and clear—maybe for the first time since he’d met her.

  Tori’s long hair trailed between his legs, tickling him, arousing him once again despite the chasm of foreboding widening in his gut. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and planted his feet firmly on the floor—maybe since the first time he’d met her.

  “You know my…my half brothers.” He’d uttered a statement, not a question. Of course she knew the almighty McClintocks of Silverhill. So the question remained, since she knew the indispensable McClintock brothers, why in the hell had she tracked him down?

  And why had she seduced him?

  “I do know your brothers. Rafe’s wife, Dana, was one of my closest friends growing up.” She yanked the covers up to her chin, leaving him in the cold.

  He grabbed the edge of the bed, digging his fingers into the mattress. “Why’d you lie?”

  “I didn’t lie.” She scrambled to sit next to him, pressing her thigh against his. “I just didn’t think it would be wise to give you all the details—too much of a distraction.”

  “You figured your connections to Silverhill and my so-called family would jeopardize your chances of getting me to help you.” He inched away from her warmth and the sweet hibiscus scent in her hair.

  “Okay. I admit once I found out…”

  Her words trailed off as he twisted his head to the side and skewered her with a sharp gaze through narrowed eyes. “You thought you’d find another McClintock on that hillside watching your ex-husband?”

  Biting her lower lip, she nodded. “My conversation with Dana was breaking up. When she mentioned the CIA was in Maui tracking Alexi, I figured she meant Ryder. When I hiked out to the backcountry that day, I expected to find Ryder McClintock…your brother.”

  “Half brother.” He pushed off the bed and grabbed one of the damp towels they’d used less than an hour ago to dry each other’s bodies, hands and mouths exploring, caressing, bringing pleasure. He wrapped the towel around his waist firmly, tucking in the end at his hip.

  “Why’d you stick around once you realized you had the wrong McClintock? Why didn’t you go running back to your childhood friends for help?”

  “You were here. They weren’t.” She lifted a smooth shoulder, and the sheet slid down on one side, half exposing the curve of her breast. “What does it matter, Rio?”

  He paced to the window, a muscle ticking in his tight jaw like a time bomb. He couldn’t give voice to his fear—a fear born of childhood insecurities. His half brothers had known Tori first, had grown up with her. Hell, maybe even one of them had dated her, bedded her. They were there first and he was second best…like always.

  “You should’ve gone back to your precious Silverhill.” He smacked the wall with his fist, and the little room almost trembled with his fury. Those old feelings could wash over him so quickly, unwanted and unbidden. “You should’ve asked one of the real McClintocks to help you instead of settling for the next best thing.”

  Her wide green eyes softened, and she clambered out of the covers twisted around her body. “I didn’t need their help. I needed your help. I need you.”

  She stood before him naked, her lush body his for the taking. Desire burned hot in his belly while arousal mixed with a fierce possessiveness pounded in his veins. He hooked an arm around her waist, cupping one perfectly rounded breast in his hand. The pad of his thumb skidded across her nipple, and then he froze in midcaress.

  His hands flew to her shoulders and his fingers bit into the soft flesh. He shoved her to her knees and growled, “Get under the bed.”

  TORI’S KNEES BANGED AGAINST the hardwood floor, and her hands followed as Rio shoved her toward the bed. Was this some kind of weird punishment for lying to him?

  “Someone’s outside.” His whisper sent a cascade of chills along her spine, and she scrambled across the floor and scooted under the bed, grabbing a damp towel on her way. Flattening her body against the floor, she tucked the towel around her and pulled the bedclothes across the gap.

  Rio’s bare feet padded into the other room, the distinctive sound of a safety being released from a gun resounding through the little house.

  Tori swallowed, her dry mouth causing her to choke. If one of Alexi’s men found her here, Alexi would know the police had released her…and the only reason the cops would do that is if she’d been part of the setup.

  She held her breath as rustling noises came from the other room. Resting her forehead on the cold floor, she tensed her muscles. The front door creaked and Tori clenched her hands, digging half moons into her palms. Please be careful, Rio.

  Several seconds ticked by, and then the bedroom window slid open. Adrenaline pumped through Tori’s still form, and she panted with the effort to regulate her breathing. Was Rio at the window?

  No, not Rio. Rio wouldn’t climb through the window of his own house. As the intruder dropped to the floor with a thud, Tori clenched her teeth against the scream gathering in her lungs. Stealthy footsteps circled the bed. Tori squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe she should warn Rio. If this person creeping around the room had a weapon, Rio could stumble right into a trap.

  Cool air brushed the bottoms of her feet, and she emitted an involuntary gasp. Then calloused fingers cinched her right ankle. Tori screamed as her attacker yanked her leg, dragging her from beneath the bed as her fingernails clawed at the smooth wood, desperate for purchase.

  She twisted in the man’s grasp, rolling onto her back and desperately clutching the towel around her body. Kicking out with her free leg, she smacked against a booted ankle. She tried to sit up, but the man jerked her leg higher and she fell back, her shoulder blades slamming against the floor.

  Gasping in pain, she renewed her assault with her left foot, driving her heel against the man’s kneecap. He grunted and aimed the butt of his gun at her head.

  “Keep still, Princess Victoria, or I’ll deliver you to your husband unconscious, as well as naked.”

  She raised her head, pushing the hair out of her face. Her jaw fell open as Ivan smirked. She fell back against the floor and spread the towel across her body to protect herself from Ivan’s leering grin.

  A shadow moved beyond the door.

  “Let go.” She jiggled her leg. “Alexi might kill you for your impure thoughts alone.”

  Fear darkened the man’s eyes as he uncurled his blunt fingers from around her ankle. She whipped to her side, kicking at the weapon in Ivan’s hand. He cursed and swung his arm back toward her, but the menacing figure be hind him snatched his arm and bent it behind Ivan’s back.

  Tori heard a snap and Ivan screamed in agony, dropping to his knees. Rio loomed above him and cracked the butt of his gun on the back of Ivan’s head. Ivan collapsed face-forward onto the floor, a trickle of blood oozing from his wound.

  Tori jumped up and yanked a T-shirt from a hanger in Rio’s open closet just as the towel around Rio’s waist dropped to the floor. She slipped the T-shirt over her head, a grin forming on her trembling lips. “Do you think one of us might stay clothed?”

  Rio snorted as he scooped up Ivan’s gun lying uselessly next to him. “Throw me some shorts. “I’d rather not be buck naked while cuffing another man. That’d be so wrong on so many levels.”

  A giddy giggle escaped her lips as she reached for a pair of Rio’s shorts hanging over the single chair in the room.

  Rio stepped into the shorts and then trained his gun on Ivan’s inert form. “Tori, there’s a pair of handcuffs in my black backpack by the front door.”

  She sailed into the other room, found the cuffs and handed them t
o Rio. “How did he find you here?”

  Rio shrugged as he dragged Ivan’s body toward the radiator and cuffed his wrist to it. “Nothing is foolproof, but I’m not firing on all cylinders. He used one of the oldest tricks in the book on me tonight. He hung some wooden wind chimes on a branch away from the house, and I followed the noise, leaving you unprotected.”

  Was he blaming her for distracting him or blaming himself for being distracted? Either way the grim set of his jaw signaled regret. She hugged herself in the baggy T-shirt, and Rio’s scent, which clung to its folds, engulfed her. “What now?”

  “I’m going to call my contacts at the Agency to pick him up and warn them not to put him back in the general jail population with the others. The men we arrested could still contact Alexi. As long as we keep Ivan isolated, he won’t be giving away our little secret.”

  Tori blew out a breath and sank onto the edge of the bed. “At least we’ll have one less security person to deal with, and Ivan was the one keeping an eye on Max.”

  “Let’s have some breakfast and then get some rest after the CIA picks up this guy.” He aimed a foot at Ivan’s broad back.

  “Rio, about Silverhill…”

  “Save it.” He sliced his hand through the air, cutting off her explanation.

  Tori gnawed on her bottom lip. Would he still accompany her and Max to Colorado? Or would he allow his pride and insecurities to stand in the way of what they felt for each other?

  She narrowed her eyes as she watched Rio on the phone to his CIA buddies. Because Rio McClintock could push her away as much as he wanted, but she knew how he felt about her.

  Nobody had ever kissed and touched her the way Rio McClintock just had. And that meant something.

  RIO BRUSHED A LOCK OF hair from Tori’s face, the silken strands sliding through his fingers. He hated waking her for the task ahead. What if they failed to rescue her son? What if he failed?

  And what if they succeeded? Could he really just put her on a plane to Colorado and walk out of her life? Of course, she’d have the mighty McClintocks to keep her safe.