by Cynthia Eden
“Harper stays with me.” Roman’s immediate response.
“Yeah, okay. I am going to try and be tactful here. I don’t bother being tactful very often, so I might screw up the attempt.”
Roman waited.
“You were betrayed before by a woman close to you.”
“I was never romantically involved with Heather. She was my bodyguard. I thought—”
“Are you certain you’re not being set up again?” Dex cut through Roman’s words.
His heartbeat was suddenly far too loud as it echoed in Roman’s ears. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means…” A sigh. “Have you considered that Harper might have been in on this abduction? That it wasn’t an abduction at all? There are no bruises on her. No scratches. The docs said she was perfect. No drugs in her system, but she claims not to have remembered anything—”
“I thought chloroform was found behind the cabin.”
“A little bit. And doesn’t that seem too convenient? Like, here you go. Ta-da. Some proof that she’s a victim.”
Tension knotted at the base of Roman’s skull. “She is a victim.”
“Antony says there is a very high price on your head. Do you think Harper would enjoy sudden wealth? I suspect she would. When I dug into her background, I discovered that she grew up in the foster care system. Bouncing around. She was almost adopted twice, but those adoptions fell through. When she was eighteen, she took off on her own. Went to Europe. Hopped around over there for a while. Even spent some time in your neck of the woods.”
Roman stiffened.
“She worked all kinds of jobs during that time,” Dex continued. “She was a chauffeur, an artist’s model, a street performer—”
“What does this matter?” Roman wanted to know.
“Money always matters. People will do anything for money. Or for revenge.” His gaze had gone hooded. “I told you that already.”
“Yes, you’re telling me shit I know.” Roman jerked a hand through his hair. “Harper went to Europe when she was eighteen. Big deal. Lots of people do that. People backpack around. They take odd jobs. They explore. I don’t see anything wrong with that. Eric has checked her out. You checked her, obviously. If there is something that is a giant red flag, then tell me. Spit it out.” His words were coming too fast. “Otherwise, back the hell off Harper.”
Dex studied him.
Roman waited. He found himself leaning forward onto the balls of his feet, like a boxer getting ready to go in swinging.
“You’re very protective of her,” Dex finally said.
“You’re stating the obvious.”
“If she’d been dead when you went in that cabin, what would you have done?”
He blanched.
Dex swore.
Roman schooled his expression. “You’re asking if I would have left a bloodbath in my wake? Become a whole lot like my old man?” A rough laugh. “If you want the truth, I still intend to be like him. I will track down the people who took her, and I will make them pay.”
“Then you’ll vanish from her life?”
He didn’t want to talk about leaving her. He’d just gotten her.
Gotten her. She wasn’t a freaking prize. And she didn’t belong to him. Why was he thinking that way?
“This is going to end badly, Roman. Mark my words. I tell you not to get emotionally involved and you tell me to screw myself. You know what? I think I’m going to send Antony in so he can work more with your crazy ass. I’ll take a bit of a backseat. Give you some space.”
Bullshit. Dex was just doing his usual routine of being the puppet master. He wanted to be behind the scenes, pulling the strings. “Just keep my sister safe, got it?”
“You are always giving orders. Doing it like you’re some big, bad crime boss, and I have to jump to do your bidding. That’s not who you are anymore.” A deliberate pause. “Is it?”
“Of course, not.”
But Dex kept staring at him.
Roman spun away. “I want to go search the cabin they held her in. If there’s any kind of trail there, I’ll follow it. Otherwise, Harper and I will be heading back home.”
“And why go back? Why not just vanish now? You could, you know. Just go…poof.”
Poof, my ass. He reached for the doorknob. “You know why.” Roman spared a brief glance over his shoulder. “Harper was taken at her place in Atlanta. Our partnership started there. Obviously, I was being watched in that area—or she was. I need to retrace our steps. Something started this mess. A match to the flame. I’ll find out what it was, then I will put out that fucking fire.”
One way or another.
***
They’d left tracks in the snow. They’d circled the cabin multiple times, gone inside the cabin, trekked to the woods…and still found nothing.
Harper shoved her gloved hands into the deep pockets of her coat. The coat and gloves had both come courtesy of Eric. Some Wilde agents were still scouting out the scene. But everyone seemed to be turning up the same results.
Nothing.
“It’s weird,” Harper finally said. She wanted to break the silence. Silence had never been her friend. As a kid, she’d been a chatterbox. Or at least, that was what one foster mom had told her. The truth was…when she talked, Harper just didn’t feel so alone. “It’s like they just abandoned me here. Why go to all the trouble of taking me…only to disappear? When I woke up, I was alone. It seems as if they dumped me here and vanished.”
Roman’s stare was directed toward the distance. On the slopes of the mountains. “They didn’t vanish. They were watching.”
“There aren’t any security cameras in the cabin. Not inside or out. The place has been thoroughly swept—”
He waved toward the slopes. “Probably had someone stationed right there. He saw me rush in for you and reported back.”
She squinted into the distance. “So…what? They just let you take me? Didn’t care about ransom? Didn’t care about anything?”
“They got what they wanted.”
She shivered. “What was that?”
“Proof I’d do anything for you.” He turned away.
Her gloved hand flew out and curled around his arm. “Whoa. Whoa, hold up. You don’t get to say something dramatic like that and then just turn away.”
He looked down at her hand.
She didn’t move her hand. She kept holding on. Tightly. “You and I haven’t been together very long. You wouldn’t do anything—”
He faced her. His eyes seemed to blaze as he said, “Be assured, I would. I don’t take very kindly to someone wanting to hurt my partner.”
She shifted closer to him. “Did I say thank you?”
His brows rose.
“When you rushed in to save me?” A wince. “Before I tried to hit you with that wooden post? Or maybe after? Did I thank you for working so hard to find me?”
“You don’t need to thank me. Not when it’s—”
“It’s not your fault, so don’t say that it is. You didn’t take me. You’re not responsible for what other people do.” She stared into his eyes. “Thank you.”
“Harper…”
She rose onto her toes and brushed a kiss over his lips. “No one has ever been willing to risk so much for me.” He overwhelmed her. He made her start to hope. “I would do the same for you,” she vowed.
“Harper…” He growled her name, and she loved that growl.
Another quick kiss, one that had her heart racing far too fast. She pushed against him, eased back a little, and flattened her hand over his chest. “When we’re alone, I can’t wait to—”
She stopped. Stared at her hand.
At the red dot in the middle of her hand.
“Harper?”
She didn’t hesitate. Harper shoved against him as hard as she could. He slipped on the snow and fell back, right before a bullet slammed into the side of the cabin—inches away from where he’d been.
Chapter Nine
The snow cushioned his fall. One moment, Harper had been kissing him, then she’d pulled away. She’d been in the process of making him what sounded like a very awesome promise—
Then she’d shoved at him with surprising force. He’d slipped on the snow and fallen on his ass.
He saw the wood explode near the side of the cabin even as he heard Harper suddenly scream, “Shooter!”
Then she was scrambling down and diving over him. Wait, hold the hell up. Over him? She thought she was going to use her sexy body as some kind of shield for him?
Fuck, no, she wasn’t. His arms locked around her, and he rolled, fast. Snow kicked up around them as he got her under his body.
“What are you doing?” she snapped. “You need to—”
“Don’t even think about it, sweetheart. You stay down. You stay covered.”
“You’re giving orders.” A hiss. “You know that’s one of our issues.”
“Yes, and it’s not changing.” He could hear voices. The other agents were springing into action and giving chase. “Stay down.” He looked at the damaged side of the cabin. Then turned his head toward the north. Shooter. “You need more shelter,” he told her.
“Uh, we need more shelter. Technically, maybe even you, not me. Because the red dot was on your chest, not mine.”
He blinked at her. “Did you just save my life?”
“That’s what partners are for.”
“You could have been shot.” His voice had turned guttural. He’d also pulled out his weapon. He was crouched, staying low, and finally off her body, but he was still shielding her. They were near the edge of the cabin, and part of another agent’s vehicle was in front of them. Not the perfect cover, and that was why he was waiting for the moment when he could get Harper to a more secure spot.
“I work for Wilde. Getting shot is a risk of the job.”
She didn’t even sound mildly worried. She should be. “You shouldn’t risk anything for me.”
“Agree to disagree.” She had her own weapon at the ready as she sidled closer to him. “Are we going to sit here all day or are we planning to join the hunt for the shooter?”
“You need to stay down. Stay safe. Stay covered.”
“It’s like you’ve never met me.” She brushed a quick kiss over his cheek. “This bastard kidnapped me and just took a shot at you. Hell, no, I’m not staying down. But you stay here. You stay safe. You stay covered.”
Even with the cold surrounding him, he felt the warmth of her brief kiss slide all the way through his body. And then he realized—
Shit. She was running away. Staying covered. Staying alert. But heading for the shooter.
Without him?
No way. He rushed after her. “Harper.”
***
The shooter had gotten away. They’d found his tracks. Both footprints and tire tracks from an ATV. But by the time they’d gotten up to the ridge where he’d taken the shot, the perp had been long gone.
Roman had been less than thrilled. And that was a severe understatement.
They’d finished searching the area. Turned up nothing useful. With every moment that passed, Roman had grown even more grim. A darkness clung to him. A tension and rage that vibrated just beneath the surface. By the time they returned to their “secure” cabin—the one Eric had acquired for them—Harper was pretty sure that Roman was about to explode.
The door shut behind them when they entered the cabin. The other Wilde agents remained outside. Only she and Roman were in the home. They’d rest for a while. Eric had a private plane scheduled to come and pick them up. Soon, they’d be out of that place and back in Atlanta.
Roman didn’t say a word as they both stripped out of their coats and boots. Harper pulled off her socks, and her cold toes curled against the wooden floor.
Carefully, Roman put down his weapon. He stared at the gun as it rested on the table. Harper had already set her own weapon there when she’d slipped inside. She waited for him to speak, then realized…nope. This was Roman. He’d be silent for hours.
“Want to tell me who is gunning for you?” Harper asked. A shiver slid over her. She reached for the remote and turned on the gas fireplace.
“No.” He stopped staring at his gun and moved his focus to his hands.
Her eyes narrowed. “We’re past this. Way past it.” She tossed down the remote. The flames had flared all nice and bright. Harper stalked toward him. “We don’t do one-word answers. Especially not when your life is on the line.” She caught his hands. “Who is after you?”
He swallowed. Lifted his head. “You don’t have time for that list.” His eyes burned. Rage. Fear?
Her hold tightened on him. “You’ve got that many enemies?”
“You shouldn’t be near me.”
She inched closer. “Why not?”
“Because when you’re close to me, you become the target. That bullet could have hit you.”
“The shooter wasn’t aiming for me.” She’d thought about this plenty. “I’m just the tool that was used.”
His brow furrowed.
“You already know this.” She was sure of it. “I’m what they used to draw you out. They took me and they left me in the cabin to see if you’d come for your partner. You did, and now they have you out here. Isolated. Vulnerable. Or at least, that’s what they think. They’re idiots because I doubt that you’re ever vulnerable.” She was rambling. “Eric knows having you here is dangerous, too. That’s why he’s getting that plane ready for us. The sooner we’re out of here, the sooner we can get back in a controlled environment. This whole town could be a trap and we don’t want to play into their hands any longer than necessary—”
“You’re wrong.” Low. Deep. Rough.
She was still holding onto his hands. Or rather, onto his wrists. Thick, strong wrists. “What am I wrong about?” She couldn’t look away from his eyes. His gaze still burned with a dark fire, but the fear and rage were gone. Something else stared back at her from his eyes.
Need. Lust.
“They didn’t want to see if I’d come after my partner. They wanted to see if I would come running after you.”
“Uh, yes.” Wasn’t that what she’d just said?
“You.”
He seemed to be stuck on that part. “Roman—”
“How the hell did you do it?” Angry.
“Excuse me?”
“It hasn’t been long at all. No one else has gotten close.”
“Close to what?”
His head lowered. “Close to making me lose my mind.”
“That…that wasn’t my intention.” She let go of his wrists.
But he grabbed her. Curled his hands around her hips and yanked her against him. “I knew you were trouble the first time I saw you. Fucking Eric telling me that I was going to love you even before we met. Then I walked into the office. Saw you. Have barely been able to see anything else.”
Her heart slammed into her chest.
“I didn’t just come after my partner. I came after you. The woman I can’t get out of my head. The woman who obsesses me. The woman I need way too much.” Each word seemed torn from him.
She stared into his eyes. Waited for more.
He didn’t say another word.
Harper found herself starting to smile at him. For Roman, he’d sure as hell just said plenty.
“No.” A snarl from him. “Don’t you do it. You don’t get how close to the edge I am right now. I’m barely holding onto my control. That bullet was too close. You were taken. Don’t you smile at me. Don’t give me the dimples because I will be—”
Too late. She’d smiled fully at him. It wasn’t something she’d intended to do, but Roman had said that he needed her, and she needed him and her smile had just appeared.
“Lost,” Roman rasped. “That’s what I am. That’s what I think we both are, now.”
“Then be lost with me.” She tipped back her head. Wanted his mouth. Waited for it. “Be with me
.”
His lips locked onto hers. There was need in his kiss. Passion. A lust that burned soul deep. There was anger. Fear. So many things.
But the lust—the desire? That was the strongest.
Her hands curled around his neck as she pulled him even closer. He was kissing her with a wild, reckless fury, and she loved it. She wasn’t holding back. For the first time in a very, very long while, Harper was letting go completely.
They could crash and burn. But, oh, she had a feeling the ride would be worth it.
His mouth was desperate on hers. His tongue thrust past her lips, tasted her, and had a moan pulling from her throat. She rubbed her body against his. He was hard and strong and warm. The flames were dancing in the fireplace near her, but all of the heat in the room seemed to be coming from him. Harper rubbed against him. The clothes were in the way. They needed to go.
Her hands trailed down his body. Went to the waistband of his jeans. Fumbled with the belt and the snap.
His mouth tore from hers. “You’re sure?”
“I want you.” She could hear the hunger in her own voice. “Right now.” She’d never felt this way about someone before. Maybe it was the adrenaline. Maybe it wouldn’t last. She didn’t care. She was grabbing tight—enjoying the ride. There weren’t second chances. She knew that. The red dot on Roman’s chest had proven that to her today.
Take what you want.
Hold tight while you can.
He lifted her into his arms. The move was sudden and fast, and it distracted Harper from her attempt to get Roman out of his jeans. He kissed her as he carried her, and in a flash of time, Harper found herself back in the bedroom. He lowered her onto the floor near the bed.
And he started stripping.
She should probably have stripped, too. But Harper just took a moment to enjoy the view. Making a memory, that was what she was doing. Memorizing every single inch of him. She didn’t want to forget this moment. Not ever.
Wide shoulders. Tanned chest. Abs forever. He’d already taken off his belt. Now his hands were at the snap of his jeans. But he’d stopped. Why had he stopped?
“You still have all of your clothes on, Harper,” he rumbled.