She brought her hand to his cheek and deepened the kiss.A deep groan sounded from his throat, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, fusing their bodies together.She licked into his mouth then took his bottom lip in between hers and sucked.
His hands roamed over her back.He broke his lips away from hers and brought them to the column of her throat.Her body sang with need.She dropped her head back and her gaze fell on the window behind Jaxon.A tall dark shadow stood in the center of the vortex of snow.
A man.
A scream ripped from her lungs.
CHAPTER 7
McKenna’s scream splithis eardrums.He clamped his hands on her arms and followed her gaze to the window, twisting on the table.
“What the hell?”he barked.The room was empty—no intruder.He swiveled back to face her.Her plump, pink lips quivered.Moisture had collected on her top lip from their kiss, and he ached to pull her back into his arms and pick up where they’d left off.
“A man was outside.”
His muscles sprang into action.Any calm energy that had lingered after the acupuncture session vanished.He rounded the table and went to the window.“Where?What did he look like?”
Her feet whispered up behind him and she crowded his side.“Right there,” she said, pointing to the backyard.“He was just standing there.Not far from the porch.He saw us...uh, kissing.He was watching.”Her voice trembled on the last word.
Anger mounted in Jaxon’s chest and pressure built between his eyes.He’d kill the sonofabitch.Someone was tormenting her—good god, what would’ve happened had he not stumbled to her porch last night?He pushed away from the window then grabbed his shirt from the armchair and yanked it down over his head.
“W-What are you doing?”McKenna trailed behind him as he stormed toward his coat and boots at the back door.
“I’m going to find the cocksucker, that’s what.”
She snatched his coat out of his hands before he could fit his arm into the sleeve.Worry made the delicate lines of her face rigid.“No.Please don’t.He could be armed.”
Jaxon pointed at the gun leaning against the wall.“So am I.”He reached for his coat but she molded it to her chest.
“Jaxon, it’s not worth getting killed—”
He dropped his head back to stare at the ceiling then returned his attention to her round eyes.“Someone’s trying to scare or hurt you...probably both.I’m sure as shit not going to sit here and watch.”
He picked up the gun and jammed his feet into his boots.If she wasn’t going to hand over his coat, he’d make do without.If he didn’t hurry, he wouldn’t be able to follow the voyeur’s tracks.
McKenna slid her body in front of the door.
He scowled.
She lifted her chin.Her eyes blazed indigo fire.“I refuse to let you outside, Jaxon.”Her face softened, and she pressed her hand to his chest.“I don’t want you to get hurt.Please stay.”
He caught her arm.The smooth skin that peeked out from her sleeve made his fingers twitch.Every male urge screamed at him to say forget the creep outside, pin her to the wall, and get back to what he wanted to do with her.
His gaze shifted to the fluttering snowflakes.Though they’d slowed, they were still coming down heavy.Nope.He had to go now.Placing the gun against the wall, he seized her beneath her arms.Her slim frame dangled in his hold.Moving her was laughably easy.
“Jaxon!”she yelped.She grabbed at his arms.“Put me down.”
He stood her on her feet far away from the door and out of his way.“Sorry, hon.”He grabbed the handle and ripped open the door.He snagged the gun before shutting the old wood behind him, closing off McKenna’s verbal assault.
The wind howled in the open space, its snowy breath biting through his skin.His long-sleeved shirt did very little to lock in his body heat.He leaped off the porch—trying to find the buried steps would surely cause a tumble—and landed cock-deep in the snow.
“Ah, Christ.”He dragged his legs through the drifts until he reached the creep’s tracks.The guy had snowshoes.Snow was quickly covering the marks across the powdered landscape.
If he’d used his head and hadn’t had to wrestle past McKenna to get to the door, he’d have thought to borrow her snowshoes.As it stood, he had little chance of catching the guy.The weight of the gun pulled at his forearm, reminding him that he didn’t need to catch the intruder.All he needed was to spot him and get off a clean shot.
For a second, the thought of McKenna’s blazing eyes almost made him retract his plan.But ensuring her safety was worth facing her wrath.He ducked under the long arms of the pine trees that met him at the threshold of the woods.Snow clung to his legs, growing heavier by the second.Each step pulled on his quadriceps, making the muscles burn.Sweat dampened his chest.His frozen shirt clung to his skin.
He stopped and scanned the mosaic of bark, pine needles, and white.“Where are you, you coward?”he bellowed.Cold air rushed into his lungs with the effort, and he coughed.The pain in his chest expanded, and his chest begged for the milder temperature of the cabin.
