“Here.”He shucked off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.His biceps flexed beneath his jersey shirt, shrinking the fabric.“One fire coming up.”He grabbed a few pieces of chopped wood from the stack by the fireplace, tossed them into the hearth, and added kindling from a wicker basket.
She slid her arms into the warmth of his leather and pulled the lapels tight around her.His signature scent of citrus and man enveloped her in a sensual cocoon.Even the knife and handgun holstered to his body stirred something deep in her belly.Usually, the sight of weapons repulsed her.She settled down in the plush, comfortable armchair, the fabric bluer than a rushing river, as he snatched a plastic lighter from the bowl on the coffee table.This wastoocozy, too real.She could easily imagine he really had whisked her away on a weekend vacation where his parents would walk in at any moment and welcome her with open arms.Maldita sea.What was with these foolish thoughts?She wiped at her wet cheeks, finding tears.
Heat swelled as golden light rose from the crackling logs.
Enrique stabbed a fire poker at the flaming sticks, then returned it to the rack.“Warm up.I’ll start dinner.”He wiped his hands on his jeans and strode toward the kitchen.
She toed off her shoes and cuddled deeper into his jacket.Something hard pressed against her ribs.She checked the inner pocket and swallowed her gasp.His phone!He’d taken the battery and SIM out so no one could track it.She grabbed the pieces and stuffed them into the side of the cushion.As long as she kept wearing his jacket, he wouldn’t realize she’d stolen the cell.Though who should she call if the phone even got reception in the mountains?Her father would raze the cabin to the ground and take Enrique with it.She had to leave and put several hours between them before she called Papá to come get her.
Please let the SUV key be in here,she silently prayed and turned out the rest of his pockets.No key; only his gloves, mask, and a roll of duct tape.Then she clutched two capped syringes, both empty.A spark of anger ignited in her belly, then fizzled out.If not for Enrique’s asinine plan, she and her parents would be at dinner right now, discussing last-minute wedding preparations.
“If you need the bathroom, it’s the door in the corner,” Enrique called out.
“No, I’m fine.”She quickly stashed everything back in the right pockets, except for the phone, and hurried to her feet.Ah, the bathroom—the farthermost corner of the cabin was walled in.She joined him in the tidy kitchenette where the gray-speckled counter traveled the length of the wall.The aroma of black beans filled her nostrils.Her stomach growled, suddenly ravenous.
“Hungry?”He stirred a wooden spoon in the pot of beans and corn that simmered on the island gas stove.“Feel free to wear my clothes whenever you like, though you’d look better in only my jacket.”
His innuendo shot tingles through her middle.“Thank you for letting me borrow it.I’m still kinda cold.”She tightened the garment around her and faked a shiver.
He cast his gaze down her body and smirked back at her.“Lourdes, I know you found my phone and everything else in the pockets.I didn’t forget they were there.I’m asking you to trust me as I’m trusting you.Don’t do anything rash.”
How could she respond to that?Doing something rash was the only option available to her.Mouth dry, she licked her lips.“About the bed—there’s only one.”
“We can both fit.”
“Enrique.”She stepped back and bumped against the dinette table.The blunt edge jabbed her hip.Ouch.She winced and rubbed away the sting.“I don’t feel comfortable—”
“Kidding.The bed is yours unless you invite me into it.I’ll take the sofa.”
Her cheeks heated, surely turning pink.Damn her light-skinned complexion.As much as she would enjoy casting aside her morals and living in the moment, sex would further complicate an already impossible situation.
“Burritos?”She picked up the package of corn tortilla shells from the counter.
A surplus of canned goods, sealed bags, and bottled drinks filled the cabinets.
“The ground beef is frozen, so we’ll do vegetarian tonight,” he responded.“There’s enough food to last a month.More, if we stretch it.”
“Do you always keep this place stocked?You know, in case you need a place to stash your kidnapped bride?”The words fell off her tongue sharper than intended.
He paused, then continued stirring.
Fresh tension hung over them like storm clouds.Anger and something more sliced through her heart.Her skin warmed just from being near him.Her fingers itched to touch his jaw and slide through his wayward hair.She shouldn’t feel anything but contempt.Instead, need burned within her.Desire.Excitement.Hope.
Maybe everything would work out as he claimed it would.
And yet, she couldn’t take that risk.
She stepped away, drawing in a slow breath.“I need to leave.”
His head snapped up, his gaze skewering her.
“My father will never forgive you for this, and frankly, he’ll blame me as well.He’ll say I tempted you or begged you to steal me away as if I had a means of contacting you.He won’t kill me, but he will you.I will not let you pay that price.”
“You think I care about the price?”
“I know you don’t.That’s what scares me the most.”
The muscle in his jaw twitched.Then he nodded.“You’ll find shampoo, toothpaste, everything you need in the bathroom.Clean up.Dinner will be ready soon.”
