Hard to Hold by Karen Foley

fully clothed and settled beneath the blanket. It seemed she lay there for hours before the lights in the living room were finally extinguished, although she knew it was only about thirty minutes. How long would it be before the sleeping pills took effect?
    She stiffened when the door to the bedroom was silently pushed open. Forcing herself to breathe evenly, Maddie watched from beneath lowered lashes as Colton stood silhouetted in the doorway with the faint light from the fireplace behind him. He stood looking at her for several long minutes, until Maddie was certain he would hear her heart pounding. After what seemed an eternity, he quietly backed out of the room and drew the door closed behind him.
    She sat up and pushed her hair back from her face, her breathing uneven. What had he been doing, and why had he felt compelled to check on her? Was he just making sure she hadn’t escaped out the window? Or had some other reason warranted his sudden appearance? Was he feeling ill? Did he suspect her of drugging him? Or had he had a change of heart and decided he wanted to finish what they’d almost started out there on the couch?
    She knew he found her attractive; she’d seen the expression in his eyes when he’d held her. She’d even considered using sex as a way to coerce him into helping her, but had rejected the idea. Colton Black didn’t strike her as the type of man to be easily seduced, and even if he was, she didn’t know if she had the courage to go through with it. Just the thought of being with him that way caused her stomach to knot up. He’d make it good for her; she knew that instinctively. But she also knew she’d hate herself afterward. She might not have much, but she still had some self-respect.
    Maddie forced herself to lie down again. For the next hour at least, her mind raced with thoughts of what she would do once she left the cabin. She checked the luminous face on her watch. It was nearly midnight. She hadn’t heard any sounds from the other room in quite a while.
    Cautiously, she sat up and pushed the blankets aside. Her backpack was still in the cab of the truck. At least that was one less thing she had to worry about. Drawing a deep breath, she stood up and stepped cautiously to the door, treading lightly so the floorboards wouldn’t creak. Picking up her shoes in one hand, she prepared to creep through the living room in her stocking feet.
    She opened the bedroom door and peeked out. The fire was little more than embers now, and the room was in darkness except for one kerosene lamp beside the sofa, turned low. Tiptoeing silently into the room, Maddie peered over the back of the couch.
    Her breath caught.
    Colton lay sprawled on top of his sleeping bag, one muscled arm bent over his head, his other hand resting on his taut stomach. His shirt had ridden up just a bit, giving Maddie a tantalizing glimpse of burnished skin above the waistband of his boxers. Even in sleep he exuded a raw sexuality that made her mouth go dry. His face was turned to the side, and his lashes lay dark against his chiseled cheekbones. His jaw sported a faint shadow of whiskers, and Maddie had a sudden urge to know how they would feel against her skin. She swallowed hard and found it an effort to pull her thoughts back to her task.
    Creeping past the sofa, she crouched next to the duffel bag, biting her lip at the soft rasping sound the zipper made as she pulled it open. Keeping a wary eye on Colton, she rummaged through his gear until she found what she was looking for—a pair of handcuffs. As she drew them quietly from the bag, her fingers brushed against something else; something cold and hard. With her free hand, she pulled out a pistol. It was Colton’s service revolver. It felt heavy and unfamiliar in her palm, not at all like the toy gun she had handled thus far. With a grimace of distaste, she dropped it back into the duffel bag. The small noise disturbed Colton, and with a soft groan he flung an arm across