Page 9 of Kane's Kind of Trouble

The next ground zero.

Fuck. Fucking. Fuck. I laugh darkly, then choke on the sound before the wind snatches the echo out the window. I don’t know exactly how this will play out. Eagle’s a wildcard, but I spent enough time as a SEAL to know that something’s about to blow up.

“Oh. Shit!” Slamming my foot on the brake pedal, the Rover shudders to a stop, skidding sideways, my exploding heart throwing itself into my mouth.

No. No!

My truck is upside down, the taillights flashing, blinding red beacons in the eerie stillness.

I’m sprinting before my brain even registers I’m out of the SUV. “Eagle!”

Sliding in, rocky earth collides with my knees as I skid to a stop next to the truck.

“Eagle!” Reaching blindly through the broken window, I raggedly shout, “Can you hear me?”

When I grab air instead of her, I shudder in relief, but then realize she might have been thrown free from the car.

Where is she? The driver’s seat is empty, the belt dangling, ghostly-white, deflated airbags fill the cabin.

Jesus. Jesus.

“Eagle, if you can hear me, cry out. I’ll turn this car over with my bare hands.”

“I’m right here.” A soft touch lands on my shoulder and I nearly collapse onto the dirt, my vision wavering, my throat spasming with overwhelming relief.

She’s a mess, dirty, scraped up. But alive.

“Thank you. Thank you, God.” Before she can react, I’m dragging her down, folding her into the cavern of my body, rasping her name against her temple. “Eagle. Fuck, baby.”

“I’m okay, I just hurt your truck. I’m sorry…” She shivers in my arms, her pale eyes widening as she looks up at me. “I ruined your truck, I know you’re furious.”

“I’m only worried about you.” My gravelly words claw out around the lump in my throat.

“It was really scary. I’m so glad you are here.”

My Eagle was scared.

If a goddamned deer caused this, I’m going to hunt that fucker down and murder it, shredding it into ribbons with my teeth like a rabid wolf. It could have killed Eagle.

“Are you hurt, sweetheart?”

Shaky, my hands fly over her—over those curves that have taunted and teased, and made me insane every single day for six long months. When she groans, the knot in the bottom of my stomach twists inside out, slicing me from groin to throat.

“What’s wrong? Tell me!” I bark.

“Your hands are so warm. They just feel good. I’ve been outside for a long time. I didn’t bring the right kind of coat.”

God.

“Tuck into me, baby.” I nuzzle her close and stand up, compressing her tightly in my arms. “I’ll get you warm. You promise you’re not injured?”

“Nothing hurts,” she whispers against my neck as I double-time to the Rover, jerk open the back seat and climb in with her in my lap. Her plump, sweet ass cheeks nest in, right where they fucking belong.

FOUR

Eagle

He’s not mad.

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