Page 9 of Trapped

“It’s none of my business.”Rueful to have identified the wound, I slid my hand south, but his wrist rose to gently capture it.

“Ask.”His fingers relaxed at my wrist, allaying some of my concerns, and my eyes fluttered closed at his insistence.

“It’s just, this looks as though it might be…” I could hardly bring myself to say it.

“What?”he goaded.

“A gunshot wound.”Naturally, I had no way of knowing, having never encountered anything so horrific in real life, but something about its size and shape seemed ominous.Could the potential spy truly have survived a gunshot?

“You’re so smart.”Laughing lightly, he lifted my hand to his lips and brushed a kiss over my skin.

“So, itisa scar from a bullet?”The idea knotted fresh anxiety inside me.

“It is.”He swallowed.“This isn’t my first scrape with danger, little girl.”

“I’m sorry.”My pulse sped up as his words settled over me.

Someone shot him.

I couldn’t even contemplate anything so awful happening.

“It’s okay.”He placed my palm back on his chest.“But it means I understand hazards, Erin, and I will take action when you endanger yourself.You were going to leave earlier and I had to stop you.”

“I only wanted to leave because you wouldn’t let me go.”

Though, holding onto him, I could hardly recall why I’d been so hellbent on stalking out into the elements without him.

He was both my captor and savior, holding me back and protecting me all at the same time.

“It’s not safe for us out there.”He exhaled, as though the answer should have been obvious.Perhaps it should have been.“And I promise you one thing, little girl.I am going to keep you—”

I shifted before he could finish his sentence, rising to capture his lips.Of course, I knew what he was going to say.He’d given me the same message on multiple occasions—he would keep me safe, but in that moment, I didn’t want safety or comfort.

I wanted something else, something more.Wild abandonment, to feel his skin on mine and know I was alive for more than only fear and monotony.

Closing my eyes, I blocked out his shocked expression and lost myself to the burgeoning intimacy.That was what I needed; the heat of his body and the softness of his lips melding with my own mushrooming need.

It didn’t make any sense to want him—especially when we’d only recently fucked—but I couldn’t ignore the desire.Eli might have been completely maddening with his old-fashioned misogyny, but something about him set me on fire.Dark, strong, and passionate, he was unlike any man I’d ever met before, and in the stark suffocation of the abandoned cabin, he offered me more than only carnality.He was my refuge in the very tangible storm, something real I could rest my head on while I rode out the trauma.

He responded immediately, his hand splaying at my back as I yielded to his exploring tongue.The moan that escaped my throat was possibly the most guttural noise I’d ever heard, but the sound only spurred me on, insisting my legs straddle him as one of his hands rose to cradle the back of my head.

I had no idea if instigating another sensual marathon was the right thing to do, but there was little doubt in that moment; I had no regrets.I needed Eli to make me feel like a woman and remind me why it was worth having survived the sudden snowfall.My life had to be about more than only work and sleep.I needed meaning, and in the absence of certainty, that meant the thrill of his touch.

“Well…” Pulling away, his gaze scanned my face.“I must admit, I didn’t see that coming.”

“I’m sorry.”Why was I apologizing?There wasn’t a single part of me that was remorseful to have kissed him.

“Don’t be.”His smile was relaxed, quite in contrast to his stiffening fingers in my hair.“I might be a take-charge kind of guy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love a woman on top from time to time.”

My eyes flitted closed, responding to the fire his digits were inspiring at my scalp.Who knew how insanely sexy it would be to have my hair pulled?Before Eli, I’d have dismissed the idea as fanciful, yet when he tugged at my tresses, I sensed myself surrendering.Despite every bullish deed I’d countered him with, every bold statement I’d made, in the end, all I wanted was for him to take control.

Chapter Three

Body Heat

Eli

“I’m going to need you out of those clothes.”Guiding her feet back to the floor, I eyed her hungrily as she shrugged out of her jacket.

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