Dance Away, Danger (11 page)

No one should be alone, except by choice.

“You’ll take the bed.”

She whirled away from the window. “What about you?”

“The floor.”

“Don’t be silly. We’re both adults.” Pink tinged her cheeks. “Surely we can share a bed.”

Matt’s blood heated. Without touching? Without curling her into his arms to smooth away the worry etched across her brow whenever she was awake? “Sure.”

Business. He had to concentrate on the danger.

Thanks to his ATM withdrawal for the Dominican Republic trip he was supposed to be on, he had enough cash to take care of them for a while. “We need some food, and you need some rest. I’m going to walk to the convenience store on the corner.”

“All right. What can I do?”

“Watch TV. See if there’s any news about your brother. Find out what they’re saying about us.” He yanked one of the guns out of the duffel bag and released the clip.

“Okay.”

“And here.” He held the weapon out to her.

Tessa stared at it. “What’s that for?”

“Protect yourself.”

Her wide-eyed gaze flew up to him for a second. “I don’t...I can’t....”

“Tess, it’s a matter of life and death. Your co-worker was gunned down in front of you. Walgren aimed for your head. Take it,” he demanded.

“I don’t know how to use it.” She still hadn’t accepted the firearm.

“Your brother’s a cop. He never showed you how to shoot?”

“Weapons and danger are part of Jason’s life, not mine.”

He took hold of her wrist and placed the gun in her palm. “You won’t be able to physically fight Walgren or his buddies. This is our other option.”

“But—”

“No buts.” He gripped her tighter and wrapped her fingers around the weapon. “It’s not about Jason anymore.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. “I know you think it is, but it’s not. It’s about you and me staying alive. I need to trust you with my life.”

“You can.”

“No, I can’t, if you refuse to do whatever is necessary to keep me alive.”

She stared at the gun for several more seconds, as if waiting for it to jump up and bite her. “All right. How do I use it?”

“Don’t be scared of it.” He unloaded it and held it out to her. “Pick something in the room as your target, point, flip the safety, and then squeeze the trigger.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

She scanned the room, raised the gun, and shot at the hideous fish picture above the TV.

“Good. Do it again.”

“My arms are tired,” she said after shooting for a few more minutes. She rubbed her biceps.

“That’s normal. Keep going. The more you do it, the easier it’ll get, and pretty soon it’ll be automatic.”

She learned quickly. Each time she practiced, her movements became more fluid.

Matt allowed hope to gather inside him. Even though shooting a person was different than pretending with a target, maybe she’d have the guts to pull it off if he needed her to. If there was a God, though, she wouldn’t have to.

“This time, from where you’re standing, I want you to imagine someone other than me coming through the door. Show me how you’d react,” he instructed.

Tessa spun on her heel, raised the weapon, and squeezed the trigger.

The rush of power flooded her veins. No, she might not like it, but she could shoot if she had to.

“Great job. See? Holding the gun isn’t scary, is it?”

“No.” She lowered her arms. “The terrifying part will be if I have to pull the trigger.”

“I know it isn’t easy for you, but thanks for stepping up to the plate.” He took the weapon from her, his fingers moving over her skin like a gentle caress.

His praise and encouragement made her eager to find out what else she could accomplish. For a man who didn’t like taking care of other people, Matt was doing a great job with her.

He reloaded the pistol and dropped it on the bed. “Just remember, if you’re shooting at someone, aim for the chest. You’re more likely to hit them than if you aimed for a limb.”

“Got it.”

He studied her forehead and stroked his pinkie over her brow.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Where’d you get the scar?”

A shiver rolled down her neck and through her shoulders from his feather-light touch. Good God, if her body responded this way from such innocent contact, what could he do to the rest of her?

No! She could not go there. Losing herself in the moment was foolish, irresponsible.

“From Jason,” she answered.

Disbelief and disgust filled his expression. “No way.”

She smiled. More proof chivalry wasn’t dead. If she wasn’t careful, she could end up falling for him, and that was definitely not acceptable. “It was an accident.”

“What happened?” His big, lean body stayed right there in her space. For a moment, she felt small and vulnerable and...extremely feminine.

“Jason was angry with me one day.” She chuckled. “He got angry with me a lot of days. That particular one, he was madder than hell. He walked out the back door and slammed it so hard the glass shattered. A piece caught me.” She traced the scar she hardly ever thought of these days. “I bled everywhere, had a couple stitches.”

“How old were you?” he asked with his smooth-as-dark-chocolate voice.

“Nine. The ER doc said I was lucky. A few inches difference, and I could’ve lost my eye. Jason felt so guilty, he waited on me hand and foot until I had the stitches removed.”

“What’d you do to make him so mad?”

A giggle erupted. She could see Jason’s face, redder than a beet and ready to explode. “I ate his science project.”

Laughter rumbled through Matt’s chest and Tessa itched to feel it moving beneath her own fingers. The sound released butterflies deep within her belly.

Don’t fall under his spell
. These kinds of emotions were best locked away. That was the only way she’d be safe. Yet, with Matt, she wasn’t sure she was strong enough to protect herself.

“Jason was supposed to be making a volcano. I came in from playing, hungry. He hadn’t started building it—he’d only left the marshmallows and chocolate sauce on the kitchen table.” She shrugged. “I figured they were fair game.”

Matt laughed harder.

“I wouldn’t have eaten it if I’d known. He chased me all through the house, threatening to kill me. I was faster than him in those days, so he didn’t catch me, but my mom did. He was sure I’d get in trouble, but she yelled at him for waiting until the day before the project was due to start it.”

Matt wrapped his arms around his midsection. Moisture trickled out of the corner of his eye.

Before she knew what she was doing, she reached up and swiped the warm liquid from his skin.

His laughter disappeared. His body stilled.

She sucked in a breath as she pressed her palm against his chest. The raw hunger she witnessed in him gave her power, confidence, and goose bumps.

Matt sank his fingers into the hair at the nape of her neck.

She shuddered. Desire flooded her limbs as coherent thought disappeared from her brain. His touch was like a drug and she, an addict. She swayed toward him.

He leaned down and covered her mouth with his. His lips tasted of hunger, need, and a desperate loneliness that mirrored her own. She melted into his hard body and reveled in his masculine angles and planes caressing her.

His heartbeat quickened and invited hers on the same journey. He wrapped his arms around her. His hot kisses enslaved her so when his tongue pushed the seam of her lips, she eagerly granted him access.

Bolts of pleasure rippled through her as his tongue stroked hers. She shifted her hips to feel more of him cradled between her thighs, against her womanhood. She slid her hands down his chest, up under his sweater. When she grazed her nails across the muscles of his abs, his low groan fueled her exploration.

When Matt’s fingertips drifted around the curve of one breast, her nipple tightened. And he hadn’t even touched her skin yet.

Tessa gasped. What the hell was she doing?

Matt released her. “We can’t do this, Tess.”

Good. At least they agreed.

Steel laced his voice as he continued. “I can’t concentrate with you in my arms.” Gently, he moved her away and walked to the other side of the room.

Heat burned her cheeks. She knew she should say something, but at the moment she didn’t trust her voice. Being at the mercy of his lips and his hard body made her forget the horror of the day.

Made her almost forget about Jason.

She folded her arms across her chest. Sure she’d had relationships since Gavin, but she always controlled her emotions. Stable, sensible, sexual relationships worked best for her. But with Matt, her emotions ran wild. The last time she’d allowed herself to get completely lost in a guy, she’d almost died. If she couldn’t control herself, Jason might be the casualty. “You’re right. It was stupid. I’m sor—”

“Don’t. You have nothing to be sorry for. It was my fault.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. It takes two people to get....” Hot and bothered? “Involved.”

“But I know better. I need to be professional. I promise it won’t ever happen again.”

What if she wanted it to?

She lowered her head and massaged her temples. No, she couldn’t act on her body’s response to him. Sex might make her feel better, for a while, but in the end it would waste precious time they needed to solve the crimes erupting all around them. She had to rein in her hormones or she’d be no good to Jason or Matt. She couldn’t let either of them down.

“I’ve got to get to the store. The longer I wait, the more likely someone will recognize me.” He grabbed a second gun from one of their bags and tucked it into his waistband where his coat would hide it. “I’ll be back as soon as I can and I’ll take the key. Don’t open the door, no matter what.”

“Got it.”

The click of the metal door closing behind him rattled her nerves. Silence seeped through her skin. What a mess. Her brother running for his life, Matt believed to be a criminal and, of course her being attracted to a man like never before at the worst possible time in her life. What else could go wrong?

Tessa picked up the remote and stretched out on the bed to watch the news.

Matt was sexy as hell, but Tessa Gage was not in the market for a man. Not when her brother’s life depended on her ability to step outside her comfort zone. She’d need all her strength, all her courage, all her brainpower to make sure Jason got home safely. That was scary enough without the sensations Matt stirred within her.

****

Brenna Dalton studied the injured man sprawled on her couch. A cop, he claimed to be. A cop with a bulls-eye on his butt. She fiddled with the badge he’d left on her coffee table. Could be a fake.

She returned her attention to the rugged face and tortured body. He had fallen asleep after her crude attempt at applying nursing skills. Had her leftover antibiotics from her lung infection eased the fever beginning to rage through his body? She’d tried to convince him to let her drop him at the hospital, but he’d brought out his vicious gun again, and she’d brought him home instead.

She should take the chance to escape. He’d wake up to the cops handcuffing him for kidnapping her.

Yet, what if he told the truth?

She knew all too well what it was like to have no one believe her.

The news station flashed a picture of him, younger and in his patrolman uniform.

Brenna grabbed the remote and increased the volume.

“…is still missing, as is his sister, Tessa Gage. Police suspect Matthew Rylan, of kidnapping the woman. There has been no official statement, but a source within the department claims Rylan and Officer Gage were partners in an extortion scheme involving local prostitutes. No more details have been released. If you see any of these people, do not attempt to apprehend them. Both men are former military and are considered armed and dangerous. Call 911 immediately. Channel Three will keep you up to date.

“In other news....”

Brenna lowered the sound and returned her attention to Officer Gage. Indecision warred within her. Technically, he hadn’t kidnapped her. No threats had been issued. The barrel of his weapon had never faced her.

The cops wanted him, one of their own. At the moment, she could be classified a victim. If she offered him a place to hide and kept her mouth shut, she’d slide into the role of accessory. No one would listen to her explanations then.

There was no guarantee they’d believe her anyway. Which was the lesser of two evils? Either way, cops were involved. Either way, she’d get hurt. Again.

She pushed off the loveseat and tiptoed to the kitchen. Her shoes scuffed against the linoleum.