by Storm Savage
“Are you okay?” Gently he eased the gun from her still trembling hands.
“Yeah…sure.” She swallowed hard. “Are you? I heard some terrifying noises.”
“Poachers,” he said. “They come into the forest looking for bald eagles and other endangered animals.” He shook his head in open disdain. “Humans and their greed.”
She furrowed puzzled brows. “Humans?”
“Hunters, they don’t appreciate the beauty of this land or the animals and think they can just walk in here and take what they want. This is my territory.”
His abrupt switch in demeanor felt a bit alarming.
“What happened to them? How did you find them so quickly?”
He wrapped her in a protective embrace. “They’re gone. They won’t be back. You’re safe.”
Sasha didn’t dare question further. He’d gone from one extreme to the other at warp speed. She couldn’t discern whether her lingering shakes were from their burst of unbridled passion, the sudden fear induced by the gunshots or his peculiar reaction.
“Perhaps we should rest.” He stretched out on the bedroll and motioned for her to lie beside him.
“Yes…I’m still a little shaken up.”
“I’m sorry, babe.” Strong arms drew her into a safe embrace. “This forest can be a dangerous place at night. Stay close to me and you’ll be fine.”
She lay against his chest silently pondering his actions. His territory? She wondered why he felt so possessive over a forest that most likely belonged to the government. Something odd had surfaced about this man. Still, she found him even more alluring if that was remotely possible. His wildness intrigued her, thrilled her. The soft thumping of his heart lulled her into a state of serenity.
Ice had not been prepared for this passionate beauty or the intruders tonight. They’d snuck in under his radar while he’d been wrapped up in Sasha’s sweet essence. He deliberated over his decision to pursue her. Fortunately she hadn’t been harmed, and better still, she hadn’t bombarded him with endless questions over his dramatic reaction to poachers.
How can I tell her what I am without scaring her? He’d crossed the line of business and opened a door perhaps he should’ve left closed. If he could open his heart again, she’d be the one. But he put his heart on ice long ago and felt wary over letting anyone in again. He laid awake the rest of the night contemplating his dilemma.
At daybreak he decided to start the job she’d asked him to do. Easing himself from the bedroll, he freshened up at a nearby stream while keeping his senses on high alert. When he returned to the campsite she was wide awake.
“Are you leaving?”
“For a while,” he replied. “You came to me for help. Today I will take out target one and the others if possible.”
“May I ask who target one is?”
“I typically don’t discuss my methods with clients.” His remark came off colder than he intended. The hurt expression in those pretty eyes tugged at his heart. “I’m sorry, I—”
“Is that all I am? A client? Was last night going to be paid in full?” she shot back.
Their eyes met and he saw the fire that had kept this woman going all these years. She is so fucking real…I must find a way to make her mine. Even in her fear, she challenges me. He adored her candor and admired how she had no qualm over showing her emotions. Never had a female impressed him more.
“I’m not into one-night-stands,” he growled and turned away.
“I guess I have no choice but to wait and see.” She flopped back onto the bedroll.
“Look,” he said in a more agreeable tone while kneeling beside her. “Last night shouldn’t have happened but I wasn’t using you. I can’t explain myself to you right now.”
A mix of trepidation and anger shadowed her face. “I really don’t have a choice in the matter, right?”
“We did make a deal.” He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. “I have been alone a very long time. Like I said last night, I was not prepared for you. But now that you’re here and we already crossed the line, perhaps we can explore our options. I really can’t get into this with you until after the job is done.”
“Why?”
“I just can’t.”
“I don’t understand how you can go from sweet and passionate to cold and closed off so quickly.” She stared up with a soul-searching gaze that had already begun to melt the walls of ice from his heart. “Do you think I came into this expecting to feel anything for you? Did it ever occur to you that I might have trust issues, too? You might dominate your territory, as you called it, but that doesn’t give you the right to toy with people’s emotions.”
“Have you always been this brave?” He raised pointed brows, impressed yet again by her straightforward disposition.
“No,” she replied, turning away. “I told you my story.”
“Yes, you did.” He stood up. “And maybe one day I will tell you mine. But for now, I have to go. Stay here. Use the gun if you must, but you shouldn’t have any trouble during the daylight. I will be back before sunset, you can count on that.”
Rolling back over, she caught his eyes with hers. He saw the sting of betrayal lurking in those sultry pools—the mistrust, heartbreak, fear, and a glimmer of hope that she could count on him. He wanted more than anything to sweep her into his arms right then, wipe the hurt from her heart and never let her go. However, she didn’t know anything about him yet. He needed more time. This sweet and courageous woman had already broken through his first layer and he didn’t like feeling emotion when he had a mission at hand.
If he did let her into his guarded heart, his days as a hired killer would be over. He couldn’t balance two separate worlds. If she does turn out to be the one to fill my empty heart, I won’t place her in danger by living a double life. Too many variables, he thought.
“Stay here,” he told her again.
“I have no choice. I don’t know where I am.”
He wanted to grin but didn’t. Her feathers were already ruffled enough. He’d try to smooth them later.
Once out of her line of vision, Ice focused on shifting into his animal form—a red-tailed hawk. Within minutes the shift began. He stretched his neck then his wings as various shades of reddish brown feathers sprung from his skin and talons replaced his feet. Seconds later, he was soaring high above the majestic redwoods while doing a visual scan of the forest. No sign of hunters so he headed east to seek out the first target.
Sasha had paid close attention to his contact and completed every detail to perfection. He wondered if she’d have more questions tonight, but decided to take this situation as it came. Typically he didn’t indulge clients in the right to inquire as to his methods or any other matters. They paid. He killed. Both parties went their separate ways with the understanding that if they ever spoke of him, they’d be next.
Spreading his wings, he called upon the spirit of the wind for supernatural speed. A forceful jet stream rushed under him from behind. He glided on the current, using his keen eyesight to search the landscape.
He’d been flying for about an hour before coming to the general location of the first subject. After hearing Sasha’s story, Ice realized that the one with the most money and years of experience under his belt had most likely been the instigator. He would be the first to go. With the visual memory in his head of her notes on each man, he began circling high above the suggested area of location. A group of fishermen were scattered in various positions around a lake. In his animal form he could swoop down and around to take a close look. Nobody would think anything of a hawk dropping in for lunch.
He cocked his head while doing laps around the lake. None of the men resembled the man in her photo. He’d hoped to catch him alone during his morning sport of fishing as relayed by Sasha’s notes. Rising above the trees again, he flapped his powerful wings to gain speed. Movement on the ground on a dirt path caught his attention.
There you are! Ice smiled inside upon recogn
izing Sasha’s ex-father-in-law. The old man was walking toward a pickup truck while carrying a string of large fish. And you brought me a nice meal. Too bad I won’t be sharing it with you. As easily as he’d taken flight, Ice landed on the cab of the truck. A surprised expression flashed across the man’s face. Quickly he tucked the fish behind his back and began waving madly at Ice.
“What the hell?” He scowled. “Get outta here, bird, these are my fish.”
Instantly Ice shifted to his human form and slid off the cab with an easy hop. “Are you Matthew Smith?” He looked like the man in the photo but Ice wanted to be positive.
“Who wants to know?” He glanced about in open shock as if searching for the bird.
Ice grabbed his arms, spun him around then slammed him into the side of the truck. Keeping him pinned with one hand, he searched for ID and found it in a pocket. He swung Matthew back around to face him. Panic filled his beady gray-blue eyes.
“Sasha sends her regards,” Ice said low and cold. He wanted this bully to experience at least some of the horror he’d inflicted upon an innocent woman.
Matthew let out an arrogant laugh. “That crazy bitch, I thought we’d heard the last of her.”
“You have.” His hand shot out, clutched the bastard’s throat and held tight.
He never broke eye contact. He watched a host of emotions shadow the man’s face as he struggled in vain. Though big and on the muscular side for a man in his senior years, his strength was no match—no match at all against the fury flowing through Ice’s veins.
He had the ability to feel the pain of those who came to him for help. This was how he distinguished the pure from the evil. But she didn’t need to know about the gifts given to him by the spirit world. Not yet anyway.
And in this case, he felt Sasha’s deep anguish over what this man had done to her. The extreme measures taken against her shocked him, to hear her story had been troubling enough, but to feel in his soul the intense suffering ignited his rage.
“Like I said,” Ice growled. “Sasha sends her regards.” In his next move, he ripped the man’s throat apart with one bare hand.
Matthew slumped to the ground with a soft thud. Blood poured from his neck. Ice stared for a moment then glanced around. Not a soul nearby. Straightening his stance with shoulders pulled back, he lifted his face toward the heavens and closed his eyes. A gusty wind swept through the trees. He lifted his arms and gave thanks to those who empowered him then instantly transformed back into a fierce hawk.
After picking meat from the fresh fish to satisfy his feathered form, he took flight and headed back to the redwood forest where he hoped Sasha still waited. His adrenaline rose just at the thought of her. He couldn’t force the kiss from his mind or the way she’d eagerly responded to him. The delicately fresh scent of her hair, her full round breasts soft and luscious in his hands, he longed to pull those nice nipples into his mouth.
The recollection of her long sexy legs wrapped around him flooded his mind. He burned to have her, to make her his in every way. The longing to finish what they’d started consumed him. But he didn’t feel confident in his ability to open his heart. He’d hidden it so long ago that at times he felt inhuman, numb—nothing more than a beast of nature, a killer. What woman could possibly accept what I’ve become? He pondered the thoughts he’d refused to entertain for decades.
Nothing inside had felt alive since the brutal murder of his friends—until now. Sasha had reawakened a part of his soul he’d deemed dead and buried. Could he really open that door again? He just didn’t know.
Chapter Four
Sasha tucked her feet under and sat back on bent knees, waiting anxiously for Ice to return. The sun had dipped low, making the forest seem darker than the actual time of day. Every snap of a twig or growl and shriek of an animal made her jump. Her nerves had been on edge all day. She wondered if Ice had successfully found her beast of an ex-law. Mixed feelings over actually hiring a man to kill the men who’d tormented her settled in the pit of her stomach. For years she’d feared them, waited for their next move and lived on the edge.
What will it actually feel like to not have that threat anymore? She found peace hard to imagine as the greater part of her life had been dominated by their attacks. Her thoughts drifted to the previous night. Ice had gone from cold and scary to hot and passionate then back again in a flash. His actions didn’t help ease her nervous tension. She wanted him, but did she? How she could even be attracted to a man like him baffled her. He kills people for money. I must be mad. Yet her lips still felt raw from the intense kiss-fest they’d shared and the ache between her thighs throbbed for relief. She ran one finger gingerly over her lips, bringing to mind their wild passion. I could never trust a man like him. He’s crazier than I am.
She jerked her head toward the sound of crunching leaves. “You came back.” He looked hotter than ever bared to the waist wearing skintight jeans, threadbare in all the right places.
He tilted his head as if surprised by her remark. “You’re still here.”
“Where would I go?”
“Why wouldn’t I return? Do you think I’d just leave you here to be picked clean by the wild animals?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I don’t trust men.”
“Yeah, I got that.”
“You were gone an awfully long time.”
His eyes met hers in that breathtaking stare. “Took me a while to find him and I wanted to bathe before coming back.”
“Oh.”
“Yes, you have one less motherfucker to worry about.”
Her throat felt dry. “Oh.”
“Are you hungry?”
She nodded but was momentarily at a loss for words. Her first assignment had been completed. An odd feeling besieged her as if she never thought it would actually happen. She found it more difficult to grasp than expected. No burst of joy. No rush of relief. Just an uncomfortable knowledge that she’d hired a man to kill someone—suddenly she felt no better than the darkly alluring man staring at her now.
“How do you do it?” she asked.
“I tear their throats out with my bare hands.”
Sasha gasped, clutching a hand to her chest. “That’s not what I meant.”
He walked a few feet away to start a fire in the pit. “Well now you know. Mystery solved.”
She followed him. “I meant…how do you live with killing someone?”
“It’s you or them!” He whipped around furiously. “Evil against good. When you cross the line from human to animal you don’t look back.”
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“You didn’t. I am beyond the point of being offended. I do what I do for a reason. I don’t explain myself or justify my actions. People come to me…” He turned back to tend the growing fire. “I don’t go to them.”
“I know.” She paused to find her voice. “I just never—I didn’t think it would feel like this.”
“What did you expect when you tracked me down?” He swung around with blazing eyes. “That I’d ease your guilt with a flowery speech on how they deserved to die?”
“No, I’m just having a little trouble with my conscience.”
“A little late for that now.”
“You’re a real picnic, you know that?” She huffed away.
A strong arm reached out and snaked around her waist, then pulled her against his chest. “You didn’t seem to mind my method of operation last night with your legs wrapped around me.”
In a move that stunned them both, she backhanded him across the face. She swore fire sparked in those hot black eyes as he glared down at her. For a moment that stood still, she couldn’t take a breath. The muscles in his jaw twitched. His lips drew tight together, yet still had that kissable pouty thing going on. The hold he had on her waist tightened until there was not an inch of space between their chests.
As terrified as she was, she didn’t look away from his hard stare. If this imposing male
wanted to challenge her, she’d not back down. She’d promised herself and Sienna that she’d never back down again.
Finally he spoke. When he did, his voice was barely audible yet she heard the menacing tone. “I’m not sure if I should kill you or kiss you.”
Sasha swallowed hard against the dryness of her throat. “I’d prefer the latter if I have a choice.”
He crushed his lips against hers while sweeping her into his arms at the same time. She wound her arms around his neck and welcomed his brutal passion, kissing him back with an urgency that surprised her. The softness of his long hair brushed her arms as he carried her to the bedroll. She gazed up as he stood over her. He still looked furious as ever and she wondered what his next move would be. Her breaths came short and fast when he began peeling the worn denim from his body. And as she’d suspected, this male was seriously endowed with a huge cock.
Reaching down, he tore her shirt off with both hands then shredded the denim shorts with impressive ease. She released a tiny gasp when he ripped her panties off. As he laid over her, his hot breath wisped her face while he unhooked her bra. She made no move to resist. His feral approach had her burning up inside. Never had she wanted a man to take her more than she did right now.
“You bring out feelings in me I buried years ago,” he said in a less intimidating tone. “I want to take you and take you hard. But…” He sucked in a deep breath. “If we do this, I might not let you go.”
“This is terrifying for me…I swore never to trust another man.” She stared up at him with watery eyes, completely overwhelmed by his visceral appeal. “I’m willing to take that risk with you.”
He almost smiled before kissing her again, but as before, he held back. His tongue explored her mouth with astounding aggression as if claiming her to himself. She felt his massive erection pressing at her thigh and longed to feel him inside. Gradually his lips left hers to move downward. She cried out when his warm moist mouth closed over one nipple, sucking hungrily, then kissed a wet trail to her other breast where he greedily took her in. She couldn’t withhold the moans of pleasure as his fervent sucking drew a pool of warmth from her sex.