combat with, men who have had my back and saved my life. Some of them have families.”
She recognized that he was a man of few words, that he rarely explained himself, but that he was going out of his way to do so for her. I don’t want to do this the hard way. Her heart jumped, but she kept her face composed.
“Were you given orders to bring me back?” Men like Kadan Montague carried out their missions no matter the cost to them—or to anyone else. She waited. Holding her breath.
“Yes.”
“Whether I agree or not.” She made it a statement, but there was a breathless plea in her voice she couldn’t stop.
CHAPTER 3
Kadan sighed. “Let’s just take one thing at a time. What do you have for dinner? I’m a fairly good cook.”
Tansy’s mouth went dry. She couldn’t sit still with the rush of adrenaline. He was going to force her to go back with him. Tansy leapt from her chair and paced across the ground to where she kept her food supplies, needing the action to hide her thoughts. There had to be a way to escape. She knew the mountain like the back of her hand. If she got out of his sight, she could get away and hide. If he really had a tight timetable, he wouldn’t have the time to look for her. But she had to keep it together and not panic.
She turned from the crisp cooler and found him inches from her body. He was so silent she hadn’t heard him approach. Worse, she hadn’t sensed him either. She was used to feeling the energy that radiated from people, but with him, there was nothing at all to warn her he was close. She realized she was holding her breath. She inhaled and took the scent of him into her lungs. Deep inside, her body sizzled and burned in an unfamiliar way. Fear shimmered through her, not at the prospect of this man attempting to force her compliance, but because as rough and scarred as he was, he filled her senses and mind with a sensual heat she couldn’t ignore.
Tansy pushed the vegetables into his hands. His thumb brushed the sensitive skin of her forearm, a long stroke that had to be deliberate. Her gaze jumped to his. “I don’t like to be touched.”
“You shouldn’t have such beautiful skin then,” he answered, sounding completely unrepentant and not in the least perturbed by her reprimand, when, truthfully, he was shocked that he’d let his guard down so far with her that he was acting out of character.
Tansy shook her head. “Don’t try to flirt with me, not when you’ve come up here determined to drag me back down into evil.”
A slow smile changed his entire face, softened every hard line, lit up the blue of his eyes, and changed his mouth from that hint of cruelty to pure sensuality. “Honey, if I was going to flirt with you, you’d know it. That was the pure truth, whether you want to hear it or not.” And touching her had shocked the hell out of him.
It wasn’t a few butterflies reacting; an entire forest of them took flight in her stomach. “You were flirting,” she said accusingly, frowning at him.
His smile widened as he turned away to the small table where he took the chopping board from her along with the knife. “Maybe. A little. But you do have beautiful skin.”
“Thank you.” Tansy fired up the gas stove and put on water for rice. “I have to work tonight. And you can’t come. You’ll scare my cougar away.”
“She follows you. I found her tracking you through the trees down to the waterfall. She’s dangerous, Tansy.”
“The whole world is dangerous.”
“Say my name.”
She touched her teeth to her lower lip and shrugged. “Kadan, then. Why does it matter?”
His blue-black eyes flicked over her. “I matter, that’s why.”
The way he handled the knife with efficiency, chopping vegetables for stir-fry while she pulled her frying pan out of the locked chest where she kept her cooking pots, seemed to fascinate her. He noticed she couldn’t stop watching the movements of his hands, so fast they nearly blurred, each stroke
She recognized that he was a man of few words, that he rarely explained himself, but that he was going out of his way to do so for her. I don’t want to do this the hard way. Her heart jumped, but she kept her face composed.
“Were you given orders to bring me back?” Men like Kadan Montague carried out their missions no matter the cost to them—or to anyone else. She waited. Holding her breath.
“Yes.”
“Whether I agree or not.” She made it a statement, but there was a breathless plea in her voice she couldn’t stop.
CHAPTER 3
Kadan sighed. “Let’s just take one thing at a time. What do you have for dinner? I’m a fairly good cook.”
Tansy’s mouth went dry. She couldn’t sit still with the rush of adrenaline. He was going to force her to go back with him. Tansy leapt from her chair and paced across the ground to where she kept her food supplies, needing the action to hide her thoughts. There had to be a way to escape. She knew the mountain like the back of her hand. If she got out of his sight, she could get away and hide. If he really had a tight timetable, he wouldn’t have the time to look for her. But she had to keep it together and not panic.
She turned from the crisp cooler and found him inches from her body. He was so silent she hadn’t heard him approach. Worse, she hadn’t sensed him either. She was used to feeling the energy that radiated from people, but with him, there was nothing at all to warn her he was close. She realized she was holding her breath. She inhaled and took the scent of him into her lungs. Deep inside, her body sizzled and burned in an unfamiliar way. Fear shimmered through her, not at the prospect of this man attempting to force her compliance, but because as rough and scarred as he was, he filled her senses and mind with a sensual heat she couldn’t ignore.
Tansy pushed the vegetables into his hands. His thumb brushed the sensitive skin of her forearm, a long stroke that had to be deliberate. Her gaze jumped to his. “I don’t like to be touched.”
“You shouldn’t have such beautiful skin then,” he answered, sounding completely unrepentant and not in the least perturbed by her reprimand, when, truthfully, he was shocked that he’d let his guard down so far with her that he was acting out of character.
Tansy shook her head. “Don’t try to flirt with me, not when you’ve come up here determined to drag me back down into evil.”
A slow smile changed his entire face, softened every hard line, lit up the blue of his eyes, and changed his mouth from that hint of cruelty to pure sensuality. “Honey, if I was going to flirt with you, you’d know it. That was the pure truth, whether you want to hear it or not.” And touching her had shocked the hell out of him.
It wasn’t a few butterflies reacting; an entire forest of them took flight in her stomach. “You were flirting,” she said accusingly, frowning at him.
His smile widened as he turned away to the small table where he took the chopping board from her along with the knife. “Maybe. A little. But you do have beautiful skin.”
“Thank you.” Tansy fired up the gas stove and put on water for rice. “I have to work tonight. And you can’t come. You’ll scare my cougar away.”
“She follows you. I found her tracking you through the trees down to the waterfall. She’s dangerous, Tansy.”
“The whole world is dangerous.”
“Say my name.”
She touched her teeth to her lower lip and shrugged. “Kadan, then. Why does it matter?”
His blue-black eyes flicked over her. “I matter, that’s why.”
The way he handled the knife with efficiency, chopping vegetables for stir-fry while she pulled her frying pan out of the locked chest where she kept her cooking pots, seemed to fascinate her. He noticed she couldn’t stop watching the movements of his hands, so fast they nearly blurred, each stroke
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