Knowing they would soon be in full view of the gunner, Cutter scooped her into his arms and struggled to his feet. He looked over his shoulder, spotted the chopper hovering a hundred yards away. Wind and snow pelted him. He could practically feel the crosshairs burning into his back…
Her body was warm and soft against his as he scrambled toward the tree line twenty yards away. He was midway there when the second rocket exploded. The concussion slapped him in the back like a giant hand. Snow and debris bombarded him. He did his best to protect Mattie, but his main concern was getting them to cover. More than likely the next missile would not miss its mark.
A bullet ricocheted off the trunk of an aspen. The sound of automatic rifle fire exploded all around. A second bullet whizzed past his right ear, close enough for him to hear its deadly zing.
He heard the thwack! thwack! thwack! as bullets penetrated trees and the earth. He ran until his legs gave out. At the bottom of a ravine where a frozen stream wound through boulders the size of pickup trucks, he fell to his knees. His chest heaved. Gently he set Mattie on the ground and concentrated on getting oxygen into his lungs.
“Cutter?”
His heart skipped when he looked down at her and found her eyes on him. Relief and another emotion he didn’t want to identify jammed his throat as she struggled to a sitting position and looked around.
“What happened?”
“Just take it easy,” he heard himself say.
“My head.” She reached up and touched the back of her head. “Ouch.”
He scooted over to her and for a moment all he could do was stare. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“I haven’t decided.” Her brows knitted in pain and she focused on him. “What happened?”
“They hit the cabin with a rocket.”
“A rocket? Seems like overkill, don’t you think?”
“Guess they wanted to be thorough.” Cutter grimaced. “They waited until we were out. They want you alive, Mattie.”
Her eyes were large and frightened when they met his. Cutter stared at her, emotions he had no business feeling churning in his gut. “Let me take a look at your head.”
She pulled the ponytail holder from her hair. “I don’t think it’s cut.”
“Whatever hit you knocked you out cold.” He set his hand against her scalp. The bump was the size of a hen’s egg. “No cut,” he said, but didn’t remove his hand.
“Feels like my head exploded.”
Her hair was like silk beneath his fingertips. Unable to stop himself, he ran his fingers through it. But suddenly a chaste touch wasn’t enough.
“I’m glad you’re all right,” he said thickly.
“‘All right’ being a relative state at this point.” She shot him a questioning look when he cupped the side of her face.
Cutter knew he was about to make a mistake. He knew by kissing her he would be taking a very big step over a line he swore he would never cross. Once he got a taste of her mouth, he would only want more. But with the remnants of fear and adrenaline running hot in his veins, it was a risk he found himself willing to take.
Leaning close, he set his mouth against hers. Her quick intake of breath told him he’d surprised her, but he didn’t stop, and she didn’t pull away. He ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, seeking entry. His heart beat hard against his ribs. Blood rushed hotly to his groin. He wanted to put his arms around her. He wanted her body against his. Wanted his body inside hers…
The sound of rotors whipping the air jerked him back to reality. He pulled away. Her expression was startled. He wanted to say something, or maybe apologize for crossing a line he shouldn’t have. He figured they both knew there was no time.
“Come on.” Taking her hand, he pulled her to her feet.
“Where are we going?”
“Someplace where the sniper in that chopper can’t pick us off.”
MATTIE DIDN’T KNOW if she was dizzy from the blow to her head or the kiss that had hit her every bit as hard. But her head was spinning as Cutter took her down the snow-covered trail. She couldn’t believe The Jaguar had found them, that they’d come within inches of being blown to smithereens. She couldn’t believe hard-nosed Sean Cutter had kissed her senseless. It was the last thing she’d expected him to do. But then, in the last thirty-six hours, she’d come to expect the unexpected.
She could hear the chopper. The roar of the engines. The rotors cutting through the air. The occasional rapid fire of an automatic weapon.
“This way!”
Cutter shouted the words an instant before he went off the trail. The trees they’d been using for cover melted away and they found themselves in a wide, open meadow. The scene might have been beautiful if there hadn’t been a madman bent on killing them in hot pursuit. Mattie suddenly felt dangerously exposed. What was Cutter thinking?
“Are you trying to get us killed?” she shouted. “We’re sitting ducks here!”
“Trust me.”