Passing His Guard

“I’m . . . just cold, that’s all,” she murmured, finally finding her voice.

He hesitated a moment, his all-too-perceptive eyes taking her in, missing nothing. She felt the heat of his gaze every place they landed, now searing her mouth as it stalled on her lips. Nervously, she wet them with the tip of her tongue. Her pulse beat faster. She swallowed against the lump in her throat, which drew his eyes to the small divot at the base of her neck. Something in the air electrified between them. His expression darkened, and the concern that had been there seconds ago was replaced with another emotion she didn’t dare try to name. Whatever it was made him look hungry—predatory.

If Rya

The memories returned, swift and unbidden—the feel of his barely controlled restraint as he pi

His thumb brushed over her bottom lip, ripping her back into the here and now. Oh, Lord, he was going to kiss her. The rough, callused hands of this fighter lit her nerve endings on fire. Her reaction to him was fierce and irrational—a dangerous combination. A strangled moan escaped her throat as she forced her mind to shut down the memory of his last touch. This was not happening. He wasn’t for her. This man was a paycheck, nothing more and nothing less, and she must remember that—before she got hurt.

Clearing her throat to cover the escaped whimpering sound, she pulled away from Aiden’s touch and hugged her arms across her chest as if she could somehow contain the desire thrumming through her veins. She rubbed her biceps furiously in an attempt to scrub away the goose bumps prickling her flesh.

“It’s freezing in here. Will you please start the car?”

Aiden paused a moment, still watching her, then grunted his consent, tearing his gaze away and turning his attention to the task of getting them the hell out of there.

What the hell was he thinking? Had he really almost kissed Rya

And just maybe that was the crux of it. She intrigued him like no other. Obviously, his protective instincts were still ru

Aiden stood beneath the motel’s hot shower spray, mentally berating himself for softening toward the woman who sat no more than twenty feet from him. There was only one wall separating them, and it wasn’t nearly thick enough, as far as he was concerned. This was a mistake—sharing a room with her—but she’d refused his offer to book two rooms, leaving them to share the single-occupancy suite with the queen bed.

She wasn’t letting him out of her sight, which wouldn’t be such a big deal if he didn’t want to fuck her blind. Now that was a problem. She still wasn’t convinced he wouldn’t bolt on her, and to be honest, he vacillated on the idea himself. Hell, he’d be lucky if she didn’t cuff him to the bed tonight. Just thinking about it sent a wicked visual flashing through his mind. In response, his cock began to swell with eager anticipation. Growling a ripe curse, he swore at the stiff member and cranked the cold water, letting the tepid spray beat his erection into submission.

This was a mistake—spending any amount of time horizontal with that woman was a really bad idea. Apparently, saving her life hadn’t won him enough points in the trust department—or maybe it’d won him too many, if she thought he was going to be able to share a bed with her and keep it platonic.

If all that wasn’t bad enough, the shower still smelled like her. The light, feminine scent of her lavender soap tormented his senses. Anxious for this to be over, he grabbed the courtesy bar of soap and did a quick lather. Rya

After rinsing off the filmy bubbles, Aiden cut the shower’s spray and stepped out of the tub. Grabbing the towel from the rack, he dried off before sliding on his underwear. As he prepared to enter the main room, he sent up a silent prayer Rya

CHAPTER

13

What are you doing?”

Rya

His arms were up, displaying a roadmap of muscled abs and sculpted obliques. Not a spare ounce of flesh adorned this man’s body, a body he clearly had no shame in putting on display. Then again, why should he?—he was absolutely gorgeous.

Aiden froze at her alarmed outburst and canted his head, looking at her from beneath the towel. “What’s it look like I’m doing? I’m getting ready for bed.”

“Wearing that?”

His brows rose, more in amusement than in question she suspected. “What do you propose I wear, Rya

No. No, she had not.

“I didn’t think so,” he grumbled, tossing the damp towel on the chair as he walked past her side of the bed. Unable to tear her eyes from his incredibly hard body, she watched as he ambled to his side of the bed and flopped down, hands laced behind his head, long legs crossed at the ankle. The unforgiving mattress bounced like a trampoline, throwing Rya