Rescue Me by Allie Adams Page B

ribcage as if she'd just run a mile
uphill.
    Not once did his gaze stray from her as she
continued to close the distance, and his unmoving stare warmed her
entire body. Too warm. If possible he was even sexier than her
memory allowed. He shrugged, moving those immense muscles, and Kat
opened her mouth to release a sigh.
    How could a simple gesture like a shrug
excite her? When he coupled it with that gleam of obstinate hunger
in his eyes, she shifted, feeling dirty as she mentally undressed
him, and too damn horny to ignore her reaction to him. If he met
her half way to capture her mouth with his, to plunge his tongue
deep into her mouth, she wouldn't even hint at a protest.
    His features held an inherent strength that
she wished she shared right now. She could use a little boost. His
jaw tensed visibly once she stopped in front of him, and his
shoulders seemed to square, always ready for the next attack.
    Kat fought off the urge to tear into him like
a worried spouse. From the way he stood, his stance solid, he
expected her to do just that.
    So, instead she flashed the friendliest smile
she could muster up on such short notice. “Hi there.”
    He answered with an impersonal nod and
narrowed his gaze, clearly suspicious of her sudden change in
attitude.
    “What are you doing?”
    He shrugged. She watched as his gaze traced
the Black Hills surrounding them.
    “It sure is beautiful out here,” she offered
when he didn't speak.
    Near the southern end of Puget Sound, the
Black Hills rose over half a mile high. The conifers blanketing the
hills offered shelter from the capricious elements. She loved it up
here, just not when she had to find a subject lost in the midst of
it all. And when the fog set in, a regular occurrence in western
Washington, she'd be lucky if she'd be able to see her hand in
front of her face, let alone navigate the land. A six-year-old
little boy didn't stand a chance out here alone.
    She studied Spencer, wondering what he had
going on in that handsome head of his that had him so distracted.
Looking at him now, how the lines on his face deepened with each
passing moment, she saw for the first time how much of a toll their
breakup took on him. She folded her arms in front of her to stop
herself from reaching out to him.
    As his stormy eyes searched hers, he asked,
“How's our progress?”
    “Slow. But if you'd just talk to me and tell
me what you know, I could direct my teams better.”
    Spencer shook his head, straightened and
leaned closer to her. The warmth of his breath tickled across her
lips and it made hers catch in response. Standing like this, she
could easily lean in and kiss him. Licking her lips, Kat sucked her
lower lip between her teeth to stop herself from doing exactly
that.
    “Don't rely on what I know. You're the
expert, Kathryn. There's a reason why TREX called you in on this.
You're the best SAR coordinator out there.”
    She lowered her eyes and pulled back. Her
arousal settled down as she focused on the search and not on her
need for him. “I used to be.”
    “Your instincts have never been wrong.”
    “Sure they have. The last time we were
together, the search—”
    “Wasn't your fault,” he cut her off, his
voice low and thick with sincerity.
    There it was, the one thing she'd been
waiting a year to hear from him. Harsh reality twisted in her
heart. It didn't fix anything like she thought it would. She knew
the truth. That search was her fault. A rescue turned
recovery. Nothing he could say would change that. She realized that
now.
    Spencer sighed hard before adjusting his
earpiece. He then switched off the mic against his neck. “There.
Now we can actually talk.”
    “Were we being monitored?”
    He nodded. “I'll get my ass chewed for
turning off my radio, but there are some things Weber doesn't need
to know. I need to talk to you without worrying about whether I'm
going to end up in front of the board at TREX again.”
    She sucked in a breath, hating that his