She was small and soft against him, and his body responded the way it always did when she was close. Six years ago he hadn’t been able to resist her. Holed up in a safe house for days on end, their mutual attraction had quickly spiraled out of control—and into something magical. He knew she hadn’t forgiven him. But right or wrong, the sharp-edged attraction was still there. So was the magic.
Knowing better than to get caught up in a situation that would only end up hurting them both, he carried Leigh to the counter and let her slide to her feet. He watched her closely for a wobble, but she stood straight with her shoulders back, her chin high.
“If you’re waiting for me to collapse, it’s not going to happen,” she said.
“In that case, I’ll let you stand here while I go get the first-aid kit.”
“Jake, I’m going to be okay.”
Because the bullet wound was on the backside of her shoulder, he figured she hadn’t yet seen the amount of blood. “If you have a bullet in you, we’re going to the hospital.”
“We could just send Rasmussen an invitation to come kill us.”
“You don’t mess around with bullet wounds, Leigh. You know that.”
She turned away from him but not before he noticed that she’d once again gone pale. “Take off your jacket,” he said. “Drape it over your shoulders to conserve body heat. I’ll be right back with the kit.”
The snow was blowing sideways when Jake walked to the truck to retrieve the kit. The bad weather was a mixed blessing. While it would conceal their tire tracks and slow down Rasmussen’s men, it would also hinder his own travel if he needed to get Leigh to the hospital or leave quickly.
Jake returned with the first-aid kit, an extra blanket, the last two bottles of water and a flashlight. Leigh had just finished clearing off the counter and turned toward him when he entered.
Looking at her, it occurred to him that she was going to have to remove her shirt for him to take a look at that wound. Now that the tables were turned, and she was the injured one, he was just as uncomfortable with Leigh’s getting undressed in front of him as he’d been earlier when he’d had to do the same. He vowed not to let the sight of her pretty body get to him.
Still, he flushed as he set the kit on the counter. “Why don’t you hop up on the counter. I’ll rig the flashlight and take a look.”
She looked as if she wanted to argue. But while Leigh might be stubborn and argumentative at times, she wasn’t stupid. “All right.”
Not waiting for her to move, Jake put his hands beneath her arms. She seemed weightless as he lifted her onto the counter. Despite his vow not to let her get to him, the sweet scent of her hair titillated his senses, and his heart beat faster. Their eyes met briefly, long enough for him to feel the quick rise of heat between them.
He propped the flashlight against the shelf, rigging it so that the beam shone in the general direction of her shoulder. Once the light was in place, he turned to her. “You’re going to have to take off your shirt.”
She looked at him as if he’d asked her to stick her neck in a guillotine. Then her gaze skittered away and she looked everywhere except for into his eyes.
“I’ll turn around,” he said. “You can drape the blanket over your shoulders.”
“Okay.”
He turned away. Clothing rustled as she removed her shirt. He closed his eyes against the quick swipe of desire. In his mind’s eye he saw her the way he’d seen her six years ago. She’d been innocence and passion and heat like he’d never before known. She’d shared every inch of her body with him. There had been no hesitation, no vacillation. It was as if they’d known their time was limited.
The regrets had come later, he thought.
“Okay.”
Bracing himself, Jake turned slowly toward her. But nothing could prepare him for her beauty. She was sitting on the counter, facing him. The blanket was draped over her shoulders, the ends clutched together just above her breasts so hard her knuckles were white. His eyes were drawn to the slender angle of her throat. His imagination filled in the rest.
He went instantly hard. His vow went straight out the window. The rush of blood to his groin was so powerful that he felt dizzy and hot and for an instant he wondered if he was coming down with something. Then he remembered it had always been like this between them. Well, back when she hadn’t hated him, anyway.
Jake cleared his throat and shifted his weight from one foot to the other to accommodate his erection. “Swivel around and let me have a look at the back part of your shoulder.”
She winced when she turned, and Jake reached out to help her slide around. Once her back was to him, he took the edge of the blanket and gently lowered it.
She had a beautiful back. All golden skin and silky, slender shoulders. Then the bullet wound came into view and he went queasy.
“Aw, Leigh.” On impulse, he reached out and set his hand against her shoulder and turned her slightly so that the light illuminated the wound.
“Bad?” she asked.
“I’ll know as soon as I get it cleaned up.” Using his finger, he gently slid her bra strap from her shoulder. “This is going to sting.”
“I can take it.”