WILD MEN OF ALASKA

chapter TWO

Sergei ducked and dived for Kate just as she fired. The bullet whizzed by the side of his head. He swiped the gun out of her hand before she could get off another shot and took her down hard to the frozen ground. He had to have knocked the air of her, but damn if she didn’t still fight him. She was everywhere, hands, arms, limbs, and feet, getting all nasty with how they pummeled him.

You’d think the woman held no appreciation for him. Not that he blamed her. He’d never treated a woman worse than the one currently under him.

And how he regretted it. Not just because she was here to kill him, but because he hadn’t been able to stop thinking of her since he’d last had her beneath him.

“Oomph.” His hold slipped as she got in a lucky punch to his kidneys. “Derr’mo!”

She scrambled for her gun. He grabbed her feet before she could reach it, and yanked her back to the ground.

She pulled a foot free and kicked him in the chest. This time he was the one fighting for breath. She’d gotten better at hand-to-hand combat.

He was pissed. And impressed as hell.

His hand clamped around her calves, and he crawled up her back, locking her legs down with his and pushing her face into the snow.

“Cool off.”

“Go to hell, you bastard,” came her muffled reply.

“Already been there, Katja.” He flipped her over, grabbing both of her hands and anchoring them down on the sides of her head.

Bozhe moi, she was beautiful. His memory hadn’t exaggerated her sexiness. Her hood had come off in the struggle, and dark auburn hair splayed over the white snow beneath her. Her jade green eyes flashed daggers at him. Hate and something else shined in their depths. Rosy, plump lips tempted him to nibble.

He’d better not.

There was only so much of living on the edge he was willing to risk. If he kissed her, she’d kill him for sure. He saw it in her eyes. It was in the lines of her tense body, the anger and hurt infused in her flushed skin.

“Settle down,” he said.

She head-butted him.

He saw stars. It was close, she almost knocked him out, but he had one thing going for him that she didn’t. Not only was his head harder, he weighed twice what she did. He slumped over her, letting his weight smother her into compliance as he compartmentalized this new bout of pain she’d inflicted on him. He bit down on his tongue, not wanting to say something in the heat of anger that would make the situation worse.

Worse?

She wanted to kill him.

She struggled under him, muttered words that burned his ears with their intent, and then she must have realized she wasn’t going anywhere and suddenly became calm. A little too calm. More like she lay in wait for an opening. He gave her a few minutes for the gravity of her situation to sink in. Not that it seemed to do any good.

Somehow he needed to neutralize her without hurting her. The way she was going, they would both end up dead. He’d kill her on accident, and he’d be dead on purpose. There was too much that needed to happen between them before either of them stood before the Pearly Gates. If they’d even make it that far with all their sins.

He let up some pressure, and she inhaled a deep breath, and started all over with her struggling.

“Hvatit, Katja.”

“F*ck you.”

“Keep it up and I vill.”

The threat had her swallowing, but she didn’t seem as put off by the idea as tempted. Could she still desire him after all he’d done to her? Now that he had her on The Edge, he wouldn’t rest until he found out.

Flipping her onto her stomach, he adjusted the contact of his body against her so she didn’t feel his sudden hard-on. He needed things back down to size and the thoughts of stripping her bare and taking her from behind out of his head. He kept a hold of her hands and pulled them behind her back, wishing he had something to secure her with. She thrashed in his grip and his hold slipped. Damn, but she was tenacious...and talented. Either he was rusty or she’d been working hard-on her self-defense skills. She hadn’t been a slacker in the department to begin with. It had been a while since he’d grappled like this. Well, never like this. He’d never been sexually turned on while fighting for his life before.

“Ve’re going to stand up and go into the lodge and...talk,” he growled in her ear.

She shivered under him.

“Got it?”

She gave a shaky nod.

Slowly, he got to his feet, keeping his hold on her hands, yanking them high up her back, increasing the strain on her shoulders. “To your knees.”

She brought her knees up under her. The action raised up her ass. Damn, but she had a nice ass. Even covered in the white snowsuit, it was a shapely ass.

“Let go,” she muttered through her teeth. “I’m not going to try anything.”

He scoffed. “I don’t believe you.” Keeping her hands locked behind her, he allowed her to stand. “Take it slow. No sudden moves.”

And then he was flat on the ground.

She’d swept her foot behind her, tripped him onto his backside. Tearing free of his hold, she swiveled and kicked him square in the groin.

Son of a f*cking bitch. He grabbed his balls.

She gave him a smug smile before twisting around for her gun.

All right, that was it.

He was done playing nice.

Fighting through the fog of pain from where she’d kicked him, Sergei lunged for Kate just as she reached for her weapon. Wrapping his arm around her neck in a rear naked hold, he cut off her oxygen. Her nails scraped his forearms, drawing blood. She sank to her knees, and he went with her, not letting up the pressure of the choke. Frantically she struggled in his grasp, unable to breathe. He held her that way until she slumped and passed out in his arms, her head rolling back against his shoulder. He checked for her pulse, and then cursed with relief and frustration.

Damn, this woman. Would he ever get back in her good graces?