His eyes shoot to me for the briefest of moments before nodding. “Okay then. Hang tight, darlin’.”
As he gets closer with the stick, my body locks up and chills run through me. I squeeze my eyes shut, unable to watch. There’s a thud some distance from me.
“It’s gone.”
At his announcement, my breath leaves on a huge exhale I didn’t realize I was holding, muscles going lax, and my legs give out. Before I hit the ground, brawny arms wrap around me, keeping me from crumpling into a pile.
“I gotcha, darlin’,” his steadfast voice whispers across my skin.
A shudder runs through me from both the predicament I was just in and the current one I now find myself entrenched. I turn my face into his neck, inhaling deeply in an attempt to calm myself. I get a lungful of cedar and male musk that is uniquely Clancy. One of his hands runs soothingly down my back, leaving tingles in its wake.
Ensconced in his protective embrace, my nervous system settles, even if my pulse thunders at being so close to this rugged man. Feeling steadier, I push back, but he doesn’t drop his arms. Instead, he keeps me in his hold as his eyes rove over me.
“Easy, you almost just hit the ground.”
I give a shake of my head. “Sorry, I don’t do snakes. I think I’m good now.”
His intense gaze drills into me as his thumb brushes across my cheek. I instinctively lean into the caress.
“Scared the shit out of me,” he rumbles.
“Sorry?” I squeak. My tongue swipes across my bottom lip as he stares intently down at me. The lingering traces of fear are rapidly replaced with desire, which is reflected back at me from his honey eyes.
“Fuck it,” he mutters just before his lips capture mine.
My muscles seize up in shock for only a second before I melt against him, completely caught up in the feel of his mouth on mine. His kiss chases away any residual anxiety. My hands fist in his shirt at his hips, needing to anchor myself to keep from floating away.
His touch scorches my skin through the fabric of my clothing, igniting a blazing inferno inside me. Desire pools in my core. My entire world is narrowed down to where we’re connected.
My head begins to spin as I become oxygen-deprived. When he pulls back with a groan, we’re both panting. My eyes bat open to see not only heat and lust reflected back but wonder and disbelief as well.
It’s comforting to know I’m not the only one who’s been knocked off kilter by the unexpected kiss. But all too quickly his face shutters and the stoic bodyguard returns as he hastily steps away from me, putting distance between us.
“That shouldn’t have happened,” he proclaims, his voice rough as he scrubs his large hand across his jaw. “We should get going. Given all that’s happened, it’s probably best if we head back for the day. It’s getting late with the stops we’ve made, and it would be smarter to head to your target location from a different direction. I don’t want to drive through where those guys wereleaving a trail. But that means we’ll need to camp out with having to go the long way around.”
I absently twirl the ring on my thumb as I consider his suggestion. “Is that really necessary? I would prefer not to have to sleep on the ground with the snakes.” A shudder contorts by body thinking about the possibility.
“We can pick up my truck back in Valor Springs before heading out tomorrow. I have a rooftop tent mounted over the bed.” He sighs as he shakes his head, with furrowed eyebrows and down turned lips clearly not happy with the solution.
My body, on the other hand, is sitting up and cheering at the thought of snuggling up in a tent with this man who turned me to putty with a kiss alone. My pussy clenches at the thought of the hard planes of muscles pressed against my much softer curves. But I’m positive, given the way he promptly put distance between us, he’ll never cross that line.
I too sigh as we load back into the SUV, resigned my dry spell is bound to continue. Probably for the best given the circumstances. There are just too many reasons this shouldn’t happen—I’m his job, he’s my best friend’s brother, I’m too old for him. The list goes on, but it’s too depressing to think about.
Besides,Icame here for a job. One I desperately need to keep, so it’s for the best.
At least that’s what I’m trying to convince myself.
If only my body would get on board.
Chapter Eight
Clancy
Kissing Emerson was the biggest fucking mistake I could’ve made. The sheer stupidity of it has me wanting to kick my own ass. Now I know how she tastes—like the sweetest treat on earth, and feels against me—like home, I can’t get her out of my head.
She’s completely taken over every thought in my mind, which is saying a lot because it was Grand Central Station to begin with. This is a disaster because she’s not only my sister’s best friend, she’s also an asset, making her completely off limits.
I shouldn’t have kissed her, but the relief she was okay completely overwhelmed me. And then she was in my arms and for a moment my world felt right. The shitshow that is my mind quieted and she soothed me. Resisting her pull was akin to keeping the sun from rising. As in there was no fucking way to stop it. It happens whether we want it to or not.
