LITMIR.BIZ

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And thank you.”

11

      BLAKE LISTENED to Alexia’s breathing. As if he could coax her into relaxing, he breathed along with her, slowing, soothing. After a few minutes, he knew she was asleep.

      That’s when he let himself relax.

      He should sleep. The perimeter alarms were on. If anything heavier than snow crossed them, he’d know. Still, he hesitated. He didn’t trust Alexia’s safety to machines.

      For just a second, he let his frustration at being on this side, tucked away from the action, pound through him. He wasn’t made for sitting it out. Not even with a beautiful woman.

      His watch set to ping him in thirty minutes, he forced himself to sink into the cot. Eyes closed, he tried to put everything—especially the woman sleeping three feet away—out of his mind. If he wanted to keep her safe, he had to be in top form. To be in top form, he needed sleep. He wouldn’t sleep if he was imagining her naked except for those leather combat boots.

      It was the boots that did it. He focused all his attention on those, and slowly felt himself sinking into a doze. He was a breath away from sleep when he heard something.

      He jackknifed up and flew from his cot. He pulled a sobbing Alexia into his arms.

      “Baby, it’s okay,” he soothed, brushing the damp tendrils of hair off her face. By the lights of the monitors, he could see the terror in her eyes. “There’s nothing to worry about anymore. I’m here. I’ve got you.”

      “Hold me,” she begged, wrapping her arms so tightly around his waist, his breath shortened. “Don’t let me go. Don’t let anything happen.”

      “I’m holding you.” To back up his claim, he ran his hands up and down the back of her thick sweater.

      “Hold me tighter. I’ve never been so scared, Blake. I close my eyes and I can see him again. See the glee in his nasty rat face as he threatened me. He promised to let his men do horrible things to me.”

      Fury pounded through him, racing past frustration and damn near knocking out his control.

      “You’re safe,” he told her again, brushing a kiss against the silkiness of her hair.

      He didn’t know if it was because she needed the assurance of seeing his expression, or if it was a reaction to that kiss. But Alexia peeled her cheek off his chest and leaned back. Just far enough that they could look into each other’s eyes. Feel each other’s breath on their faces. Blake knew he should get up. He was on duty. He was sworn to protect her. Hell, her father had handpicked him to keep her safe.

      Every reason—and there were a lot—that he should get the hell up and away from her crossed his mind.

      He looked into her eyes, the dark heat there calling to him, touching something in his heart that he couldn’t resist.

      “Just letting you know ahead of time, this is a huge mistake and I’m sorry,” he said.

      Her brow furrowed, but before she could ask what he meant, he kissed her.

      * * *

      IT WAS LIKE WAKING from a nightmare and finding herself safe, cocooned in pleasure. Like coming home. As Blake’s lips sank into hers, Alexia felt right for the first time in months. His mouth was so soft, so sweet. His body so warm and hard as his arms enfolded her and held her close.

      She wanted more. Needed him with a desperate, clawing need. With him, she was safe. With him, she was whole.

      Her mouth moved under his, their lips sliding together then slipping apart. At his touch, the tension and terror that had gripped her fell away. At his kiss, the horrified images of the last four days dissipated, like smoke.

      He was heaven, pure and simple. It was as if nothing could scare her, nothing could hurt her as long as he was close.

      Slowly, he released her lips and pulled away. Her fingers clutched his shoulders, trying to keep him from moving, from leaving.

      “You were crying,” he said, his fingers gently wiping dampness she hadn’t even realized was streaked over her cheeks before sliding along her hair to cup the back of her head.

      Well, that was hot. Nothing sexier than sobbing in your sleep. Alexia frowned, her shoulders drooping, right along with her sexual bubble.

      “That’s why you kissed me? Because I was crying?”

      He hesitated. She could tell he was debating. The easy way, or the truth. She should make it simpler for him. After all, the man had rescued her from a stinking lunatic. But she wanted more, she wanted...well, hard. Him hard. Better yet, him hard inside her.

      “I kissed you because I couldn’t resist,” he said, his fingers now sliding into the braid at the back of her head, loosening her hair, massaging her scalp in a way that made her want to purr. “I shouldn’t have, though.”

      The tension that had been building again started to fade. Joy bubbled up, filling her smile with a little extra sparkle. Excitement started growing again as the hope of sex, and yes, those incredible fingers, worked their magic.

      “Why not?” she whispered, her hands roaming his back, delighting in the play of strong muscles beneath his shirt. Her reasons why not were a mile long.

      Better to focus on his reasons instead. That way she could brush them aside and get on to the good stuff.

      “Because you’re you and I’m me.”

      “Ah.” Alexia couldn’t help it. She laughed. “That’s succinct.”

      His lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. He gave her a serious, peering-all-the-way-into-her-soul kind of look instead.

      “You’re the admiral’s daughter. I’m a SEAL. You’re looking for a transparent, open relationship. I live in the shadows. You’re the victim under my protection. I’m charged with the mission of getting you home safe.”

      As if his words had flipped open the tent flap, the chill of reality crept over her. Alexia’s fingers stopped caressing his back, then slowly fell away.

      Looked as if their lists were pretty similar after all.

      “Well, those are some solid reasons,” she acknowledged quietly. How could she argue with her own justifications? If they both had them, they were even more rational than just her making them up in her own head, right?

      Alexia sighed, wishing she could go back to believing that she was overreacting.

      On his face she saw the same frustration, the same reluctance that she felt. He eased away.

      She shivered, her body instantly missing his warmth. She wanted to pull the blankets around her, but doing so would mean he had to move. And sex or no sex, she wanted—needed—him close for as long as she could keep him.

      “Yeah. Good solid reasons why we should keep things smart,” he said, sitting upright. He shoved one hand through his hair, making it stand up in short spikes, and gave Alexia a stiff smile. The only reason she was able to smile back was because she could see that stiffness echoed in his tented fatigues.

      Her breath caught in her chest, adding to the surreal buzzing she heard in her head. It was like standing, starving, outside a bakery, staring at a window display of her very favorite, most decadently delicious pastries. Or in this case, cannoli. Her eyes traced the ridge of his pants and she corrected that to jumbo cannoli.

      “Smart is good,” she agreed absently.

      “Smart is necessary,” he told her, his words a little more clipped than usual. He was only saying them because it was the right thing to do, she realized.

      “We’re two intelligent, mature adults who know how to control our urges.” Her fingers traced a design on his thigh, reveling in the corded muscles she

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