Page 37 of Second Chance Savior

And suddenly, his hands wereeverywhere. Tracing the shape of my body along the sides of my gown.

He dipped his head to whisper in my ear. “It would help if you look like you’re enjoying this.”

“Um…” Any coherent response was lost between my synapses, which seemed to be misfiring all over the place.

The headlights were getting closer. I dug my fingers into River’s hair, mussing it even more than it already was. Our eyes met.

And wow, was he playing his part. He looked like he wanted to devour me.

He glanced at my mouth. Leaned in.

He was going to kiss me.

But his lips pressed to the skin just below my mouth instead. A soft touch, cherishing, even though I felt the tension in his muscles as the car neared us. I squeezed my eyes shut and held onto him.

The fear and urgency of the moment competed with a hundred memories. Times in my distant past, long before I’d even considered dating his brother, that I’d imagined falling into River’s arms. But I never had. He had never touched methis way. Even now, this wasn’t really a kiss. Yet I felt it throughout my entire body.

The car drove past without slowing.

When River pulled back, his expression was back to normal. Like that display hadn’t affected him in the slightest.

“Come on.” He pulled me into the shelter of the alley, fixing the earpiece back in place. “We need to hurry.”

CHAPTER TEN

River

We ran down the alley.All my senses were tuned to our surroundings. Under no circumstances could I dwell on what had just happened.

How Charlie had felt under my hands, my lips…

Nope. None of that.

During high-stress situations, I was able to turn off certain parts of my brain. Including emotions and my body’s reaction to them. It could mean the difference between life and death.

Icould notlet my feelings for Charlie distract me from my mission.

Yet those same feelings made me abetterprotector. Because I’d do anything if it meant keeping her safe. That contradiction was enough to drive a man crazy if he dwelled on it too long.

We reached the end of the alley where it opened onto the next boulevard. This one was busy, with cars passing by, bright lights and noise from nearby bars and restaurants. I stopped before we left the shadows of the alley. Stripped off my jacket and dress shirt, leaving my undershirt. I felt Charlie’s eyes lingering on me.

“Here.” I held out my button-down. “Put this on. It’ll cover your dress.”

A dress she looked really good in. And those combat boots? Damn. If I hadn’t been guarding her tonight, my eyes still would’ve been glued to her.

I tried to help her slip her arms into the sleeves, but she snatched the shirt away. “I’ve got it,” she snapped, working the buttons quickly through the holes.

Was she pissed off about the almost-kiss? Or still mad because she thought I’d left her for a while at the fundraiser?

Even when Charlie hadn’t seen me, I’d been close. All night, I hadn’t strayed far from her.

I certainly didn’t intend to now.

We rounded the corner, passing a small group of men smoking outside a nightclub, and kept going until we met a residential side street.

“My car is parked down here.” I’d chosen a spot beneath a broken streetlight. No nearby cameras. As soon as I got there, I popped the trunk and took out my duffel. Glancing around to make sure we were unobserved, I said, “Get in.”

She blanched. “You mean thetrunk?”

---