She blinked. “Huh?”
“Yeah. I can’t leave you here without protection, and it doesn’t suit my purposes to take you back to your hotel with the cops there. We need to keep going until I can get you somewhere safe, and I plan on driving like a bat out of hell. To do so, and to keep my concentration where it should be, on the icy road, I need your seat belt on.” He had spoken clearly but with a definite threat of tension through every word.
“So?” She tried to keep his gaze, but her eyes almost stung from the effort.
“So I’d rather not put my hands on you at the moment. Period.”
Fire lashed through her. “Seriously? Try it. Definitely try it.” Her voice had gone hoarse.
His lips compressed. “Life isn’t always a clear path.”
She pointed back the way they’d come, her hand shaking, she was so furious. “The police were coming. Sirens are good. Why would you run from them?”
“Because not all cops are good.” His voice deepened and smoothed out, causing the hair to rise on the back of her neck. His eyes glittered an angry green/brown flecked with gold, and tension roiled in him like a steam engine bottled up. “Now put your damn belt on.”
“Or what?” she challenged, more than ready to smack him in the face.
He turned back to her, and in the darkening vehicle, his face was all strong lines and dangerous shadows. “I’ll put it on you.”
Okay. Why did that intrigue her? Seriously. How could anger and attraction be melding inside her? The way he’d fought to protect her from the guy in the hotel room was frightening . . . and intriguing. Maybe even sexy. “Who is Sheriff Cobb?” she snapped.
“None of your business,” he retorted quickly. “Anya—”
“I don’t like being threatened,” she burst out.
“I’m sorry.” He reached out and ran a gentle knuckle down her cheek.
Yet he didn’t back down. The simple touch heated her throughout, and she shifted in her seat. “If we’re going to work together, I need the full truth.”
He studied her. “No.”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I said no.” He rolled his broad shoulders. “That guy and my wanting to avoid the police all deal with a case that has nothing to do with you and never will.”
The words kinda cut a little. She clenched her teeth. “I’m going back.”
He sighed. “Fine. It’ll be about a twenty-minute walk. Stick to the road.”
Her jaw dropped. “What?”
He glanced at the clock on the dash. “This undercover op was your idea, and you dragged me into it without even asking.”
“So?” she challenged.
“So?” Heat flared in his eyes. “You take your fake fiancé as you find him. We do this my way or no way.”
She lost her voice but shook her head.
His chin lowered just enough to give him a predatory look, which appeared perfectly natural on him. “Yes. If you want to run back to the cops, feel free.” His tone turned gravelly.
“You’re not giving me a choice here.”
He lifted an eyebrow. Intensity swelled from him. “All right, sweetheart. I’ll give you a choice if you choose to stay in my vehicle.” His smile was wolfish. “Either put on your belt or prepare to be pushed up against the door with my mouth on yours. I’ve had enough of being reasonable.”
The words filtered through her anger to land hard in her abdomen. Tempting. Definitely tempting. The entire situation had leaped right out of her control. Oh, she’d wanted to challenge him and had wondered how long he’d let her. Now she knew.
Sirens echoed again.
