“Glad you said it, not me.” Her shoulders drop as if I passed some test.
While I understand her frustration, she’s going to need them. “Hey, if they hadn’t insisted on a search team, you might still be out there.”
Her bold gaze glued to mine, she clutches both my hands. “I never said thank you for saving me.”
“You’re welcome. I guess that makes us even.” The feelings churning in my chest are nothing I’ve ever wanted. On my own for years, a complex woman will mess up my simple life. And yet here I stand in the forest, holding hands with a suspected murderer.
Well, if I’m going to drown, I might as well enjoy it. I lean over to brush my lips across hers. It’s an experiment of sorts, to see if I imagined the first kiss. If my arousal was a result of her being handcuffed or drugged, I may be more fucked up than I thought.
Her palms slip from my grasp and slide under my ear, her fingers pressing an erotic zone at the top of my spine.
The nerve lightning strikes my cock which jumps to life. I cup her behind, pressing her tight to me. Wrong time, wrong place, baby. Nothing could be worse, but my libido doesn’t care one bit.
Our tongues tangle. I take the lead. She’s right there with me, every step of the way.
Once we come up for air, I simply stare, my heart thumping like I ran a mile. What just happened? Is it possible the drugs in her system entered mine via saliva?
I reject the thought, no way.
Her pupils have been normal since late last night. Whatever is going on cannot be blamed on anything but fucking pheromones.
Literally.
I need to slow things down. This should not be happening. No way, no how.
Shifting my pack onto my shoulders, I point down the path. “Time to go. Stay close and keep up.”
Chapter 14
Briana
Some women might take offense at the sheriff’s emotional one-eighty. I don’t. With a murderer nearby, a kiss could be a deadly distraction, the last thing we ever do.
That’s why I shut up and follow him, matching his pace as best I can. I’ve kept in excellent shape since leaving the Navy, but his legs are longer. The man moves like he’s trying to out-hike his thoughts.
His silence gives my brain too much room to wander. My breath hitches when I picture those long, sexy limbs braced on either side of me, his hips driving home.
“Hold on a sec.” I stop, pressing my hand to my sternum. Yeah, I need water or maybe a hard slap. If not, Dr. Herman might be willing to set me straight.
Summoned by my spiraling hormones, Becca appears, trotting up beside the lawman. Her tail wags once, she gives me a knowing glance, and she’s off again, a blur of fur.
Back against a tree, Kade’s neck muscles pulse as he yanks out his ringing SAT phone. “… Uh-huh. Be there in five… No, nothing… Yes… What? … Crap … Yeah, I’ll let her know. Griffin? … Figures… Mmm, see ya in a few. Thanks.”
I cross my arms. “What did he say?”
Ignoring my question, he drops his pack, then hands me his collapsible bottle. “Drink. It’s warm out there.”
Narrowing my eyes, I take a long pull and wipe my mouth. “Whatever was said, it involved me. Out with it.”
He still doesn’t face me as he digs through his gear. The most fascinating thing in his world is the zipper on his backpack.
“The call? Tell me, dammit.” I can’t believe I’m shouting. “Unless you plan to carry me out of these woods over your shoulder, you can damn well talk to me.”
His jaw ticks.
“Fine. Fuck the kiss, alright? It won’t happen again. I promise.”
“That’s not it,” he says softly, finally meeting my gaze.
