Page 20 of Mountain Struggle

At that moment, Tess started crying.

“It hurts,” she moaned softly.

Fuck the shoulder.

Damien picked her up and carried her to the Mylar blanket he’d spread on the floor, covering her with the sleeping bag.

He quickly took off his own clothes until he was in his boxer shorts and climbed under the sleeping bag with her. He was relieved to find her cold against him—that meant he could help warm her body up.

“What are you doing?” she sniffled. “You’re cold.”

“Not as cold as you. I’m used to being out in this weather. I’m going to get closer to you now, okay? See if we can get you warmer,” he said. He waited for her soft nod of approval before moving his body right against hers, hugging her to him as if he were going to make love to her.

You bastard.

Don’t think of that.

Damien held her for several minutes until it seemed to him Tess’s shivering might be slowing down.

“I like it when you hold me,” she said quietly.

He cradled her head in his hands and kissed the top of her head softly.

I like holding you too.

He didn’t say it out loud. In fact, he had to concentrate all his energy on not thinking about her as a woman, when the feel of her, her smell, her touch, all called to him.

She raised her head, her beautiful green eyes connecting with his, and he could read her thoughts as if she were speaking them out loud, maybe because they were his thoughts as well.

“Kiss me,” she whispered, inching towards his mouth.

“We can’t do this, Tess,” he replied, gritting his teeth.

“Why not? I’m single, you’re single—”

Let me count the reasons. I’m too old for you. There’s Jamie to think about. And you’ve just had a huge shock to your system—

Then her soft lips were on his, and all other thoughts fled his mind. There was just her and him, and the softness of her lips.

He wasn’t strong enough to move away.

He gently pressed his lips against hers, returning the pressure. And when her lips opened up—hesitant but firm—he was overwhelmed by need.

Damien stopped thinking about all the reasons they shouldn’t be doing this and let his tongue trace her bottom lip, then slip inside gently. He shuddered as she in turn bit his lip gently. As they explored each other’s mouths, the world outside stopped mattering. Damien had never known lust and tenderness could coexist in this way.

Chapter 7

Damien

Damien cradled his son’s sleeping form from the car to the house. He’d had trouble letting go of him long enough to place him in the booster seat earlier, and now that the boy had fallen asleep, he wasn’t about to wake him up.

“I should go into the office,” he told Drake, even as he tightened his hold on Jamie.

“With all due respect, Commandant, spend the evening with your family. This isn’t a search and rescue operation anymore—it’s a kidnapping—and if the teams out there find any trace of the kidnapper, they’ll let us know.”

Damien nodded with his head, watching as Tess got out of the car. She closed the door quietly behind her. Though she hadn’t been asleep in the car, she looked dead on her feet.

“I’ll bring Tess and Jamie in tomorrow morning, so they can meet the sketch artist.”