“He’s a fellow member of the team.” She pivoted and walked away.
The wind whipped at the door, nearly snatching it from her hand.
She turned up the collar of her ineffective raincoat. There was never anything friendly about a Rocky Mountain storm.
Fortunately, she didn’t have far to trudge. In less than fifteen minutes, the ground beneath her sizzling with electrical ferociousness, she saw a streak of orange.
She grinned.
Members of her team were smart. Nate had donned a reflective safety vest. That would, at least, stop friendly fire.
“Davidson!” When she got no response, she called out a second time.
He started toward her. “Come to rescue me, have you?” he shouted above the roar of the wind. “Bet Stone told you to come.”
“He sends his regards and invites you to sit next to the fire while he pours you a cognac.”
Nate laughed. “How much trouble are you in for coming after me?”
“He didn’t threaten to flay the skin from my hide.”
“Doesn’t mean he won’t.”
“Thanks. That’s a comforting thought.”
Thunder crashed.
“I ought to write both of you up.”
Wolf. Her breath threatened to choke her. How much had he overheard? It shouldn’t have surprised her that he’d followed, that he’d effortlessly covered the same ground she had in far less time. The man was in shape, and he kept himself sharp, the same way he had when he led American troops in the Middle East.
Over the lash of the summer storm, his voice laden with command, he said, “Both of you, back to the house.”
The wind snatched a few strands of hair and whipped them against cheekbones that could have been sculptured from granite. His jaw was set in an uncompromising line. Out here, in the unforgiving elements, he appeared even more formidable than he had in the house.
Nate glanced at her. “Maybe I will get a cognac after all.”
“No fucking chance,” Stone fired back.
Cheerfully, as if he couldn’t have been happier, Nate whistled and gamely started down the mountainside. No one should be happy about this kind of reception.
“Move it, Fagan,” Stone instructed, leaning forward so he could issue his command directly into her ear.
“Yes, sir.”
Steps short but sure, she followed Nate, leaving Stone to bring up the rear.
Minutes later, the mean-looking sky unleashed a torrent. Earth became mud. Rocks became as slick as ice.
She lost her balance, and Stone was there, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her up and back, flush against the solidness of his body.
The sensation zinging through her was from him, not the streak of lightning. “I’m good. Fine.”
He held her for a couple of seconds, his warm breath fanning across her ear. What would happen if she leaned back for just a bit longer and allowed herself to be protected in his strong arms? To feel his cock against her? To surrender to the fantasies that kept her awake at night and her pussy damp, even now?
And what fantasies they were.
Last night’s sight of his semierect dick had driven her mad.
After he returned to his own room, she’d thought of the crops and paddles in his downstairs room. She’d pictured him using them on her while she gasped and strained, and ultimately surrendered to the inevitable. Turned on and needy, she’d pulled up her sleep shirt and parted her labia to find her clit already hardened.
She’d come with a quiet little mew and wanted nothing more than to scream the house down as his cock pounded her.
What was wrong with her? She couldn’t afford thoughts like this with any man, particularly one she was sent to protect. Because of the risk inherent in working for Hawkeye Security, many employees were fueled by adrenaline, and affairs were common. But everyone knew the rules. No commitments. No emotions were allowed to get in the way of the job. But the way he held her was an invitation she wanted to accept.
When he released her, a chill crept under her jacket. This time, being more careful, she followed Nate’s path.
The trip up had taken maybe about fifteen minutes. Down took half an hour. And by the time they reached the home’s patio with its outdoor kitchen and oversize hot tub, the sky was spitting out pieces of ice in the form of hail.
Very polite country, this.
Minding her manners, she took off her shoes and left them on a rubber mat, then hung the slicker on a peg.
Kayla told herself two lies. First, that she wasn’t stalling. Second, that her fingers were shaking because of the cold weather.
Stone unlocked the back door and indicated she should precede both men into the kitchen.
Nate followed her, and then Stone relocked the door behind them.
“You.” Stone pointed a finger at Nate. “What the hell were you thinking?”
Nate took a step back for self-preservation.
Both men dripped water and tracked mud. Neither seemed to care. And neither seemed to notice she was even there.
“You knew I wouldn’t invite you here.”
Nate shrugged. “You don’t want anyone. Because you’re a fool.”
“A fool?”
“For always thinking you can do it alone. And you damn well know it.”
The men were a study in contrast. Fair to dark. Alpha to beta.
“Fuck your ego, Stone. There’s no place I’d rather be.” Nate’s tone was flat, as if that explained everything.
Kayla sucked in a breath when Wolf devoured the distance to pin Nate against the counter. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.
“Wolf,” she said, licking her lower lip.
“You.” He shot Kayla a frightening glance. “I will deal with you directly.”
Her stomach plummeted to her toes. She was watching two magnificent warriors spar, and if she wasn’t careful, she’d be collateral damage.
To find out more about Nate and Kayla, check out Come To Me HERE.
Other Titles By Sierra Cartwright
Titans
Sexiest Billionaire
Billionaire’s Matchmaker
Billionaire’s Christmas
Hawkeye Series
Come To Me
Trust In Me
Meant For Me
Bonds
Crave
Claim
Command
The Donovans
Bind
Brand
Boss
Mastered
With This Collar
On His Terms
Over The Line
In His Cuffs
For The Sub
In The Den
Master Class
Initiation
Enticement
Individual titles
Double Trouble
Shockwave
Bound and Determined
Three-Way Tie
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered
His to Claim
Hard Hand
His to Claim Page 18
