“Well, because…because…” Truth was, she was having a hard time remembering. With him so close, touching her, her brain had turned to mush. So she fell back on that ol’ tried-and-truism. “This isn’t the time. And this isn’t the place.” Now drive it home, sister. “And there’s a battle ragin’—”
“The raging part of the fight is long over,” he interrupted. “Now it’s just cleanup, which my boys are pretty good at.” She could see the certainty in his eyes, hear the confidence in his tone. He truly believed they were safe here, and that it was simply a matter of sit and wait. “I’d say we have a good hour left before we’re sprung from this lockup,” he continued. “So that takes care of your time issue. And as for this not being the place?” He glanced over his shoulder, surveying the table…the cots…the chairs. “Looks pretty suitable to me.”
Save yourse—
That little voice was cut clean off when he turned back to her and lifted a hand, gently cupping her jaw and rubbing a callused thumb against her bottom lip. Her mouth opened over a catching breath. Inside the vacuum-silence of the safe room, the sound seemed to echo.
His beard stretched over a smile that was undeniably male and blatantly triumphant, as if she had unwittingly answered a question she hadn’t even known he’d asked. He bent close then, his hot breath whispering against her lips. “Harper?”
Okay, and this time she recognized his inquiry for exactly what it was. And despite all reason, despite all rationale, despite the fact that she knew this was a bad idea, she couldn’t bring herself to deny him. Because he stood there towering above her, a warrior, a real-life hero, and she wanted nothing more than to be his spoils, her body the reward for the battle he’d fought and won today. Which was why the words that tumbled from her lips were, “Yes, Michael. Please.”
CHAPTER 3
If it wouldn’t have ruined the mood, Michael would have busted out his happy dance. Because not only did Harper’s quick acquiescence tell him he’d been right all along—they had made a connection—but it also gave him free rein to continue to hold her in his arms.
Which, if you asked him, was exactly where she belonged.
In the time he’d known her, he’d come to like her like no other. I mean, seriously? What red-blooded male wouldn’t? Her appeal was so damned endearingly obvious that a man would have to be blind and deaf not to appreciate her sass, her loyalty and integrity, and her particular brand of homespun Southern wit. And then, as if all that weren’t enough, there’d been the night of the party, when she’d dealt him the mother of all winning hands and blown his freakin’ mind in the sack.
Truly, he’d never met a woman so abandoned, so willing to take pleasure and give it with equal fervor, equal relish. And when he woke up beside her the morning after—before she hustled him out the door to catch his transport plane and before she started dancing around his repeated calls—he’d begun to believe that perhaps like was far too tepid a word for the feelings she fired in him. Which had both terrified and intrigued him in equal parts.
And speaking of terrified…
Even though command had assured him she’d made it into the safe room before the TTP could catch her—something about heat sensors and an indication that the door had been locked from within; unfortunately, there were no cameras in the room to make absolutely sure—he hadn’t been able to draw a full breath until right this second. When he could feel her against him and know she was safe and whole. That she was…his?
Fuckin’ A. Is that what I want?
He looked inside himself, searched through his feelings one-by-one like a dealer counting suits, and decided, yeah. That’s exactly what he wanted. She was exactly what he wanted and—
“Michael?” She tilted her head, her auburn brows pinching together over her deep blue eyes. Gorgeous eyes…that matched the rest of her. And if he’d stop with the introspection, he’d probably get a chance to appreciate the rest of her just like the python in his pants—Bran…that guy sure had a way with words—was oh-so-blatantly insisting he do.
“Sorry.” He shook his head. “My mind drifted there for a bit. But it’s back on track now.”
And to prove his point, he dipped his chin, pressing his lips to hers and drinking in her sweet exhalation. He loved how she did that. How every time he kissed her it was like she’d been holding her breath since the last time.
With his heart thudding in his chest, sending all his blood south, he opened his mouth, flicking out his tongue to taste her.
Wild cherry Tic Tacs and Harper…
“Mmm,” she hummed, sliding her tongue out to meet his, eager to explore the inside of his mouth, burying her hands in his hair to angle his head and more fully align their lips.