Page 22 of Hot Soldier's Rescue

And then he registered the warm weight slithering across his chest. His fingers groped for the knife beside his sleeping bag. The weight moved slightly and he froze. Not a snake. An arm. Elise’s arm. She must’ve reached across him and that had woken him. He relaxed beneath it, grinning. That’s what he got for talking about snakes right before going to sleep.

But then another weight moved across his thighs. Crud! The nun had thrown a leg over him, too. In fact, she was all but lying on top of him. She’d be mortified if she woke up and found them sprawled together like this. In the interest of sparing her modesty, he started to ease out from beneath her. But both arm and leg tightened immediately. He moved even more slowly, but all he accomplished was making her slide her body more fully on top of his.

A soft breast pressed against his chest, its resilient texture causing all kinds of havoc with his body. A lock of her hair tickled his neck and he reached up carefully to lift it aside. Except the woman apparently had nerves in her hair and stirred at his touch.

She mumbled inarticulately and lifted her head. He turned his head to the side to gaze at her, but it was too dark to make out her features and see if she was fully awake.

As he watched, she drew closer to him. What was she doing? He froze, stunned. For all the world it looked as if she was about to—

—she kissed him!

Her mouth was soft and warm against his stunned lips. It moved lightly, butterfly delicate against his mouth. A groan rose in his throat, but he choked it off lest he wake her from whatever dream gripped her.

“Mmm,” she murmured as if he were the most delicious dessert she’d ever sampled.

Amen to that. She tasted like cream and honey. He moved his mouth ever so slightly against hers, carefully sampling the forbidden fruit. Aah, how easy the fall into temptation was. She voiced the groan of pleasure he was feeling and her entire body moved sinuously against his. Her hand slid up his chest and across his collarbone to his right ear, cupping his neck. Her fingertips teased his earlobe and urged him deeper into the kiss. He obliged, half turning beneath her, his arms coming up around her.

She felt like heaven in his arms. Woman with a capital W. Everything he’d ever dreamed of finding in a girl. She was as soft and sweet as she was strong and fierce. Her mouth opened against his and her tongue traced his lips lightly. In turn, he caught her lower lip between his teeth and scored its plump juiciness until she moaned and pressed her entire body forward against his.

The thin cotton camisole beneath his palms did nothing to protect her from his need. His fingers slipped under the edge of the garment and he inhaled in sharp pleasure at the feel of her silken skin beneath his palms. In turn, her hands crept around the back of his neck, pulling his head down more fully into their kiss.

He surged up over her, rolling her onto her back and taking command of the kiss, exploring her mouth openly now, savoring the taste of her, the way her small perfect teeth ran across his tongue, the way her clever tongue teased his, inviting him deeper into her. His hand slid around her rib cage to cup the fullness of a breast, lightly molding the flesh to his touch. His thumb rubbed once, twice, across a proud bud. She arched up into the caress, as responsive and sensual as he’d guessed she would be beneath those boring clothes.

Those religious clothes.

Nun.

Holy crap.

He froze in the act of reaching for her camisole hem to take it off. Eased his hand away from her hip by slow degrees. Withdrew his tongue carefully from her mouth. Lifted his lips—reluctantly—away from hers. He settled her bowed body back ever so gently to her sleeping bag and pushed up onto an elbow as he lifted his body off of hers.

He glanced at her face and froze in shock so profound that his mind went completely blank.

She was awake.

Her gaze, dark and unfathomable, met his.

She hadn’t been dreaming through that incendiary kiss? What did it mean? What was he supposed to do now?

Chapter Five

Okay, so that pretty much blew the whole nun cover. And the whole aversion to getting involved with a criminal thing.

Shock poured through Elise, but for the life of her, she couldn’t summon a single ounce of regret that she’d kissed him like that. That had been arguably the best kiss she’d ever experienced, and she had a feeling he’d just been getting going. What would it be like if he hadn’t stopped? If he hadn’t remembered that she was a nun and off-limits? If he’d finished weaving the magic on her body and soul that he’d started so spectacularly?

His mouth opened. No doubt he was going to apologize. Beat himself up like crazy for crossing the line with her. Regret slammed into her. But not regret that she’d kissed him. Oh, no. She only regretted making him feel bad about himself.

She pressed her fingertips against his lips to halt the apology, to halt the self-recriminations. She opened her own mouth to tell him it was all right. That it was her fault. That she’d known full well what she was doing when she’d crawled all over him like that and tempted him into kissing her.

But before the words could cross her lips, a series of metallic clicks rattled all around the tent.

Drago’s eyes popped wide open in alarm and chagrin, but she didn’t need the expression to know that they were in deep, deep trouble. She hadn’t worked the mean streets of New York’s toughest neighborhoods for nothing. Those were safeties clicking off a whole bunch of weapons.

“Let me go out first. They’re less likely to shoot me on sight,” she murmured as the tent zipper started to unzip. She reached quickly for her wimple and tucked it behind her ears. He shoved her sweater at her and she donned it quickly, her fingers fumbling frantically at the buttons. The muzzle of a double-barreled shotgun poked through the opening in the nylon fabric.

She spoke calmly, “Good evening, gentlemen. I am a nun and unarmed. I’m getting dressed as we speak and will be right out to speak with you. I’m so glad you found me.”

Drago nodded briefly beside her as he pulled a T-shirt over his head. He’d worn pants to sleep in, but she doubted he’d have time to put on his hiking boots before their visitors forced them outside. She reached into his pack without asking and snagged his sweatpants. Awkwardly, she dragged them on and headed for the tent door on her hands and knees. Heart in her throat, she crawled outside.

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