Page 53 of Russian Rescue

Wes and I watched them climb into the plane, and we waved as they flew off.

“You guys were amazing,” Wes said. “Thank you so much for doing that.”

“Now we need to find out who’s behind this,” I added.

“Now that Amanda is safe, and I’ve got my new look they won’t recognize, let’s get me back to civilization so I can get on some computers and find these motherfuckers.” Wes started toward the car and stopped to look over his shoulder. “You coming, or what?”

I liked all versions of Wes, but this badass Wes was impressive, I thought as I walked toward him. I liked this version of Wes a lot more than I wanted to admit to myself.

When I climbed into the car and looked over at him, and those blue eyes locked with mine, I saw the hint of desire flickering inside them... promises of more passion awaiting me tonight. My stomach somersaulted at the thought of our naked, sweaty bodies sliding against each other again, and I swallowed my internal groan.

“Thank you for doing what you did tonight for Amanda. For me.”

Wes leaned over and slid his hand under my chin. As he pulled me in for a kiss, my body leaned toward him even though my mind screamed at me to stop. When his mouth found mine, I closed my eyes tight and savored the taste of his lips for the last time.

When we broke apart, I exhaled a pained breath. “Wes. We can’t do this anymore. Last night was great, but seriously. We have to stop.”

“You’re really going to try to end this thing between us before we even get started?” he asked, his playful smile starting on those perfect lips. “Because I had a lot of ideas for ways we could celebrate tonight. And spoiler alert... we get naked.”

My body vibrated at the thought of his hands all over me again, but after seeing firsthand tonight what happened when you let people you love into your life, I was more determined than ever to keep up my guard that had kept me safe for my entire existence.

“I can’t,” I forced out. “It’s too complicated.”

“It’s not complicated, Piper.” He reached over and grabbed my hand. I tried to pull it away, but he tightened his grip. “It’s not complicated at all. I’m crazy about you, and you’re crazy about me. Even if you don’t realize you’re crazy about me,” he said, then cupped his hand against his mouth and whispered, “but news flash, you are.”

The simple joke made me chuckle. Just one of the many things I adored about Wes. No matter what, he always made me smile.

“Stop overthinking this, Piper. Just get out of your head for once and follow that thing in your chest that I know is a warm and wonderful heart.”

I chuckled again. “It’s cold and black, Wes.”

He reached up and slid a hand across my cheek. “No, it’s not. You may not want to admit it, but I know the sort of woman you are behind this badass exterior. You’re kind and amazing.”

With a snort, I shook my head. “I don’t think I’ve ever been called ‘kind’ in my life. You do remember that I used to, and still, kill people, right?”

“But for good reasons. Kind reasons. The types of reasons that save innocent people. Ergo, you have a kind heart.”

And it could get broken if I keep doing this with you.

“Stop thinking of all the bad things that could happen for once in your life, and just think of all the good things that could happen if we try to do this thing. Make the glass half full instead of half empty. Get out of your head and stop preparing for the worst.”

I didn’t even know how to do that. Every second of my life was planning, strategizing, and literally preparing for the worst. It was how I had stayed alive through my teenage years, bouncing from foster home to foster home and then surviving on the streets. And it was how I’d made it out alive from one of the most lethal careers on the planet. I always thought everything through, calculated every possibility, and always, always, prepared for the worst-case scenario. I didn’t even know what it meant to prepare for the best case scenario like Wes always did.

“I don’t think I can do that, Wes,” I answered.

His grip on my hand tightened. “You’re Piper. You can do anything. And I literally mean anything. So, tell me. Right now, not thinking about the future or the past or anything else, just right now, in this moment... what do you want to do?”

I wedged my lip between my teeth then answered, “I want to kiss you.”

“Then kiss me, Piper.” He reached up and slid his hand across my cheek. “Don’t overthink it. Just kiss me.”

I knew the risk I took as I leaned toward him, but I muzzled the voice in my mind telling me this was a bad idea and listing all the reasons why. In this moment, all I wanted to do was feel his lips on mine. So, I kissed him. Long and hard, a kiss filled with so much passion and promise, I tingled straight down to my toes.

When we finally came up for air, he smiled softly at me. “See? Was that so hard?”

I shook my head. “It’s not hard now, but I’m going to seriously regret it later.”

“I will never regret a single moment spent kissing those lips of yours. And stop planning to regret it. Plan on giving this thing between us a chance being the best damn decision you’ve ever made.”