Coveted by Stacey Brutger

couldn’t tolerate her touch another
second.
    Fine.
    Let him fall flat on
face.
    As if tempting fate, the
water swelled and surged toward her in a giant wave. She braced for the impact
and a frigid dunking. Only to have warm fingers wrap around her arms in support.
    Instead of the biting
cold of the sea, she landed against her nemesis. Heat blazed off him, and she
couldn’t stop herself from snuggling closer.
    And felt his blatant
arousal pressed against her hip.
    They both froze.
    Before either of them
could break the awkward silence, the raucous sound of dogs barking erupted
behind them.
    Too close.
    “Damn it. I was
hoping for more time.”
    Her heart pumping
painfully, Shayla scanned the shoreline. “The bluffs go on for miles. They’ll
be on us before we’re halfway there.”
    Her rescuer tipped his
head back and smiled in a way that had her backing away. “Not if we travel up.”
    “You’ve got to be
shitting me.”
    Bright teeth flashed
as he smiled, tugging her out of the water. “Think of it as an adventure.”
    “And that’s the only
way to avoid becoming kibble?”
    “Unless you want me
to fight them.” He paused, looking serious, as if it was an option. “They’re
not going to give up. They’re going to search every inch of the shoreline until
they uncover either a trail or our bodies. They’re fresher. Stronger. They will
eventually find us unless we alter course.”
    “You’re right.” Shayla
flexed her fingers, wondering if she could get enough circulation in them to
hold her weight. “I’ve never been rock climbing.”
    She felt stupid for
voicing her fears. What choice did they have?
    “You’ll do fine.”
    Her stride hitched at
his comment, as if he had every confidence in her ability. She watched him
close the distance to the cliff with those long strides of his, intent on the
finding the clearest path.
    Shayla blinked as she
drew closer to the giant wall, watching it loomed larger and larger with each
step. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re fit. Even malnourished, you’re all
muscle. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m packing a few extra pounds.”
    When he turned, she almost
swallowed her tongue. His detached expression grew into a blaze as he scanned
her from head to toe and every inch in between. “You’re just a little bit of a
thing, but you pack a wallop. You’ll go up first. I’ll follow and guide you the
best I can.” He tipped his head from side to side, the bones in his neck
cracking. “I won’t let you fall.”
    The intimate way he
spoke those last words made her breath catch. Shayla shook her head in denial,
but there was a softness in his eyes that made her pulse flutter.
    The hounds chose that
moment to renew their racket, and his face closed down, brutally cutting the tentative
connection.
    “Give me your bag.” He
slung it over his back and seized her arm, hustling her toward the wall. He followed
closely, bumping into her with each step, almost as if he needed the touch as
much as she did. Knowing she wasn’t alone bolstered her courage.
    “They caught our scent.
We have to move. Now.”
    He grasped her hips
and heaved her three feet in the air. She gave an embarrassingly girly squeal,
and flailed like a ninny.
    “Grab the wall. There
is a handhold a foot above your head. Use it to pull yourself up.”
    She did as told,
clutching the wall like a fabled superhero…only without the cool powers that
kept them from falling and breaking their necks. When she turned her head to
watch his progress, she saw three dogs race toward them.
    “Climb.” Hands landed
on her ass, boosting her another two feet.
    Those large hands prodded
her so intimately she shivered, relishing the way his touch lingered a little
too long on her butt. Then cursed herself for a nitwit. This was not the time
or the place. Needing a distraction, Shayla blurted out the first thought that
popped in her head.
    “If you’re going to grab
second base, at least tell me your