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He studied that singular point of contact, taking in every detail. Her hand was warm and so much smaller than his, but he knew size was no indicator of her real strength.
“One condition.”
“Don’t tease me.” He couldn’t have stopped his body’s response to her husky voice if he’d been dead. He kept his mouth shut, all too ready to promise her anything—everything—for the chance to hold her. Just until the fear subsided.
Another step brought her too close. Her legs brushed the inside of his thighs and her hands cradled his jaw, before drifting lightly to rest on his shoulders. Her eyes held him captive as she slowly leaned in until her lips met his in a feather-light kiss.
It wasn’t much more than friendly. Might even have stayed that way. But her fingers flexed on his shoulders and her tongue darted across her lower lip.
Gun forgotten, he reached out and gripped her hips, pulling her snug against him. Her dark eyes flashed as he speared a hand into her hair and brought her mouth down to his.
She opened to him with all the heat and passion she applied to everything else. Greedy, he took the kiss deeper, losing himself in her sweet taste.
“Whoa.”
Eva tried to leap away, but he held her in place. “Go away, Wade.”
“Get a room, dude. Oh wait you’ve got one.”
“Is the door done?” In his arms, Eva trembled with suppressed laughter. He should let her move, but Wade didn’t deserve the satisfaction of seeing him rattled.
“Yeah. The sheriff arrived with a couple of the crime scene techs. Didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye. He put out a call for you on the radio, but I guess you were too busy to hear it.”
“I’d gladly beat him senseless,” he whispered to Eva, “but he’s dog-sitting for me.”
Eva twisted within his embrace until she was settled on his thigh. He barely resisted the urge to run his hands over the warm, firm curves of her backside. Desire was something he understood and recognized. But Eva redefined the word, turning it into an intense awareness. He wondered how much of her response to him was simply a result of convenience. Or worse, an infatuation with her bodyguard. The uncomfortable thoughts cooled his ardor a bit.
“How is Sheldon?”
Carson watched Wade’s appreciation for Eva ratchet up another notch, matching his growing annoyance with his brother.
“Doing fine.” Wade leaned against the door jamb and smiled broadly as if he didn’t have anything better to do with his day than talk dog care with Eva.
The radio crackled again, and the sheriff’s voice simultaneously carried through the device and up the stairs.
“Up here, Sheriff,” Wade called out.
Eva scooted out of his embrace and reached for the gun. “This’ll do,” she said a bit louder than necessary. “Thanks.”
“What are y’all doing in here?” Sheriff Cochran’s scowl slid back and forth between them.
Carson stood up and gave a nod to the gun in Eva’s hand. “I wanted her to be armed.”
“Smart. It’s a good gun. The forensic team is doing their thing, J.C.” He shifted his gaze to Eva. “Did I miss Ross?”
“He just left,” she replied. “What’s the word on the downed guard?”
“We found him under a pile of leaves. Drugged, but otherwise uninjured.”
“Good.”
Carson urged everyone out of the bedroom and back to the relatively neutral territory of the kitchen. When Wade had left, Eva asked the sheriff for an update on Matheson.
“Haven’t heard a thing. Take that as a good sign though.”
“I will,” she said.
“Did your new client give you anything helpful?”
