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No matter how hard she tried, Ellie couldn’t stop seeing images of Cindi being shot. Sometimes, in her dreams, it wasn’t Cindi who was falling into the hole…it was Ellie.
“It’s five. You want me to lock the door? And hey, is something burning?”
Startled out of her thoughts, Ellie shoved her hand into an oven mitt and grabbed the tray of cookies. “Shoot!”
“You alright?”
“Everything’s fine! Lock the door.” She turned off the oven, set down the tray and flipped over a couple of cookies with a spatula. They were slightly burned. Too much to put in the case to sell. However, the human food vacuum, named Colt Garrett, would scoff them down. So, despite her need to avoid him at all costs, she picked up the tray and walked out into the shop.
“Would you like a maple pecan cookie?”
Colt gave her a big grin. “Why, yes, I would. Thank you for asking.”
Ellie was about to toss the tray onto the counter and tell Colt to help himself, when a loud boom sounded from outside.
The tray she was holding flew through the air.
Cookies bounced across the floor.
Ellie threw herself to the ground, curled up into a ball and covered her head. She pressed a hand over her mouth, to keep from screaming. The Barracudas were here. They were going to kill her. In a minute, her life was going to end. There would be no chance at dreams. No more fun with Lizzie. No kissing Colt. With the pull of a trigger, it would all be over.
A large, warm hand rested across the middle of her back. Warm breath fanned across her ear. “Angel, everything’s okay. That sound was the backfire from a car exhaust. You’re safe.”
His calm voice soothed her, but it didn’t stop her hands from shaking or her breathing to slow down.
“I will not let anyone hurt you, angel. Ever. You have my word. You are safe.”
Crying was the last thing she wanted to do in front of Colt, but the tears fell, despite what she wanted. His hand did a slow circle on her back.
“Sshhh…”. He whispered.
That’s when she realized she was sobbing. Not crying, but sobbing from the pit of her stomach. As the cries ripped from her gut, Colt stayed right with her. His hand, anchoring her to reality, his voice, a constant reassurance that she was not alone.
When there were no tears left to cry, she wiped her face and let him help her to her feet.
“I’m sorry.” She stared at her shoes.
He lifted her chin with a finger. “You have nothing to apologize for. You unwittingly witnessed a murder. Ran for your life. And now you have no idea if the police and the FBI are going to find these bastards. You are a survivor, Ellie McMahon. A goddamn warrior. There is nothing for you to apologize for.”
The sincerity of his words, the gentleness in his eyes had Ellie keenly aware that she was alive. She was safe. And she had dreams to fulfill.
To stop herself from overthinking the moment, she fisted her hands in Colt’s shirt, dragging him down close, until their lips touched. The kiss was not soft. It was deliciously hard and full of fire. The heat of his mouth had her breasts arching forward, pressing into his chest. Her hands roamed the tight contours of his hips and back.
“Naked.” She breathed against his mouth. “I want to be naked.”
Colt pulled back and stroked the side of her face. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Ellie’s hands glided across his hard erection. “Naked. Now.”
He licked his lips, scooped her into his arms and headed for the stairs. “Last chance, angel.”
With her heart pounding like mad, her body desperate to have him inside of her, she grabbed onto the back of his neck and kissed him with everything she had.
“Naked. Now.”
“What the lady wants, the lady is going to have.” The huskiness in his voice had her nipples turning into stones.
When Ellie opened her eyes and stared into Colt’s, she knew two things. The first, she was about to have the greatest sex of her life.
