Perfect Victim, The (26 page)

The snow was coming down sideways when Randall clambered out of the ravine. It had started as an occasional flake halfway through the climb. Now, a rise of alarm slid through him at the sight of the thickening white blanket already covering the road.

Addison stood a few feet away, bent at the hip with her hands on her knees. Her breath puffed out in a white cloud with each exhalation. Her hair hung across her face in a brown, unruly mass. A small branch jutted out from behind her right ear like a crooked antenna.

"I knew there was a reason I never took up rock climbing," she panted.

"Stop complaining and I won't tell you I told you so." He still couldn't quite believe she'd followed him into the ravine without a thought as to her own safety. Talk about foolhardy. She could have dislocated her shoulder instead of merely bruising it.

But he had to admire her guts. She'd climbed back up the steep incline without so much as a single complaint. The problem was, it had taken them twice as long. Now they had the damn weather to contend with.

"Shit," he muttered, tramping through the driving snow toward the Jeep. "Let's get out of here."

Addison rushed up beside him, oblivious to the weather or the dangerous drive ahead. This is why I live in Colorado."

"You recovered quickly." A fact that made him wonder about his own physical conditioning. He was going to have
to get back into shape when he got back to D.C.

"I love snow. Isn't it beautiful?"

She looked wholesome and lovely as she lifted her arms skyward. Watching her
,
Randall felt a sudden
,
acute longing
for something he couldn't put a name to. It stirred deep inside him, like the anticipation of coming home after a long
,
lonely trip.

"Just don't ask me to help you build a snowman," he growled.

"Don't worry, Talbot, I wouldn't want to send you into a state of panic
.
God forbid
,
you might have some fun.
"

"I hate to rain on your parade, Ace, but in case you haven
'
t noticed, the weather's not getting any better
.
" He glanced up at the treetops where the snow rushed between the branches like a white-water rapid.

A snowball hit him squarely in the back
.

Surprised, and a little annoyed, he turned
.
Addison stood next to the truck with a silly grin on her face.

The logical side of him knew they should get going before the roads got hazardous. But the competitive little boy lurking inside him couldn't resist the opportunity to teach her a lesson.

"Ah, hell," he murmured and scooped up a handful of snow.

Another snowball whizzed by his left ear as he spr
i
nted toward her
.
Realizing he was retaliating, Addison yelped and sprinted in the opposite direction
.
But she was no match for him
.
He caught up with her in a few yards. She spun at the last minute, threw up her hands, and shouted something ridiculous about her bruised shoulder.

Ignoring her protests, Randall threw caution aside and wrapped his arms around her. Their legs tangled. He spun in midair, then brought her down on top of him in an almost gentle tackle
.
She fell against him, uttering a v
e
ry unladylike curse
.
Her laughter rose over the wind
,
filling the air around them with th
e
sound of simple human joy. H
e
r hair cascaded
onto his face, tickling his nose and momentarily blinding him. She stared down at him and giggled.

"Didn't anybody ever tell you throwing snowballs is dangerous business?" he growled.

"You're just jealous because you got your butt kicked."

He was keenly aware of her body against his. His response was instinctive, spontaneous, and swift. Cupping the back of her head, he pulled her down to him and crushed her mouth to his.

Pleasure crashed through him at the initial taste of her. Soft. Sweet. Forbidden. Her scent surrounded him like a dizzying fog. Stark need pierced him, consuming him, blocking out the wind and the snow so that the only thing he was aware of was the woman he held in his arms.

She stiffened slightly, but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. She was everything he'd imagined, only better. She smelled like heaven and tasted like a dream. Deepening the kiss, he parted her lips and explored with his tongue in an erotic dance that made his blood boil. Her hesitation stirred him. The sweetness of her kiss devastated him. He drank it in until his body was aching for more.

As quickly as the insanity descended, it lifted. Addison broke the kiss with a clever turn of her head. Disappointment speared through him. He blinked, stunned by the power of the sensations coursing through him.

Abruptly, she drew back so that she was sitting on top of him, and stared down at him as if suddenly realizing what had happened. "Pretty silly of us to be rolling around on the ground with a dangerous snowstorm moving in," she said breathlessly.

"That'll teach you to throw snowballs."

"Maybe you should duck next time." She tried to rise, but Randall stopped her.

"Is there going to be a next time?"

Her gaze skittered away, and he released her. Slowly, she got to her feet. "I don't know," she said. "You keep surprising me."

F
r
o
m
her gua
r
ded exp
r
ess
i
on
,
he couldn
'
t tell whe
r
e he stood
w
ith her
.
C
hri
st, he wasn
'
t
e
ve
n su
r
e why he
'
d
l
et tha
t
happen. A
ll
he did kno
w
was that
i
n th
ir
t
y-
eight ye
ars,
no other woman had ever moved him t
h
e way Addison did. Th
e
k
i
ss had
r
ea
c
hed
i
nto h
i
m a
n
d tou
c
hed someth
i
ng vital dee
p
in
s
ide h
i
m
.
Someth
i
ng he
'
d
th
ought was long dead
.
Someth
i
ng he wasn
'
t s
ur
e he wanted resu
rr
ected
.

S
tr
uggling to his feet, Randal
l
b
r
ushed the snow from his parka
,
keenly aware that he was ful
l
y aroused
.
His pulse pounded,
a
nd he tasted frustration at the b
a
ck of his throat
.
Out of the comer of his eye, he watched Addison shake the snow from her coat
.

"I'm not sure why
I
let you kiss me
,
"
she sa
i
d.

"I didn't exactly ask for permission
.
"

Her cheeks were flushed with color when she looked at him. Her damp hair fell in wisps around her face. He'd neve
r
seen a woman look so beautiful
—
or seem so far out of
r
each.

"Maybe a snowball fight wasn't such a good idea
,
" she said when they reached the truck
.

"Fun
,
though
.
"

"
I don't want it to
.
.
.
change anything
."

"We've got a more pressing issue to deal with.
"
He nearly smiled when her eyes widened. Damn
,
she was refreshing
. ''
The weather
,"
he cl
ar
ified.

"
Oh
.
Right
.
"

Snow covered the windshield
.
Randall felt a quiver of alarm go through him as he opened the driver
'
s-side door and ushered her
i
nside
.
"
If the wind picks up, we may no
t
have visibility at all in another hour.
"

Casting him a startled look over her shoulder, she slid across the seat to the passenger side. "We've got to get back to Denver
.
"