by Barb Han
He dipped down and retrieved a condom. And then he walked her over to the bed, ripped the package open with his teeth and handed the contents over to her. “You want to help?”
Kinsley took the offering and positioned it around his tip. She rolled it down his shaft, using just enough pressure with her fingers positioned around his length for him to release a guttural groan.
And then she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He positioned his hands on her bottom, giving enough support for her to wrap her legs around his midsection. She was ready for him as he teased her with the tip of his length.
Kinsley bucked her hips, causing him to quicken the pace as he drove his tongue inside her mouth.
Her breathing came out in jags and she was at the edge far too soon. His body was taut and trembling and she could sense that he was close to losing it, too. She didn’t want this to moment to end and he didn’t seem to either when he said, “Damn, you feel amazing. But I don’t want this over before it gets good, so we better slow down.”
“I was just thinking the same thing.” She nipped his bottom lip.
“That’s not helping,” he teased. He moved onto the bed and eased his weight on top of her, balancing his weight on his hands so he didn’t crush her.
He brought his mouth down on hers in the kind of kiss that had been missing in all the kisses she’d had for the past fourteen years. What was it about first loves that made the connection so deep?
Believing a first love would last was naïve. Statistics proved they rarely withstood the test of time. Although some did, a little voice in the back of her mind reminded.
Kinsley looked at Gabriel. Really looked at him. He was glorious. He’d be embarrassed if he heard her describe him that way but the man was perfection. She loved the feel of him on top of her, pushing her deeper into the mattress as he drove himself deep insider her. She matched his rhythm, stride for stride, noticing just how well the two of them fit together.
Her breath came out in ragged gasps as she climbed to the top of the mountain and then careened over it.
And then Gabriel detonated with her. She matched him stroke-for-stroke, breath-for-breath as her body exploded with sweet release.
Gabriel collapsed next to her, his skin paled and she realized he’d started bleeding again.
Chapter 12
“We made your injury worse.” Kinsley sat ramrod straight, catching Gabriel off guard.
“What just happened could never be considered a bad thing to me.” Gabriel meant every word of that statement. He checked his bandage and saw that it was soaked. He’d been too into Kinsley to notice or care.
What happened between them changed things for him. But right now his wound needed attention. His brain was a mix of lightheadedness and tired that even a strong cup of black coffee couldn’t fix.
Gabriel’s cell buzzed. He shook off the fogginess and moved to the chair where he’d set his cell phone on the floor.
He checked the screen. “It’s from Jaden.”
Kinsley’s forehead creased with concern as she studied him. “What does it say?”
Encryption hacked. Location compromised.
Those four words were the last he wanted to read about now.
“We have to get out of here.” He bent over to pick up his clothes and was hit with a bout of lightheadedness. Damn.
“You’ve lost too much blood. You can’t go anywhere like this. What’s Plan B?” She was by his side in a beat.
“I’ll be fine,” he said.
“Remember when you got frustrated with me earlier for not telling you about not having on shoes? Well, cowboy, that goes both ways.” Damn, she was sexy when she put her foot down.
“I lost a little blood. I just had the best sex of my life. I could use a nap. But these guys won’t allow that, so I have to push through.”
“That’s fair,” she said. She threw on clothes quicker than he could. “Do we have time to redress that?” She motioned toward his injury.
“We probably need to make times because I can’t afford to keep losing blood,” he admitted. He knew exactly how far he could push his body and he had a little juice left. But that was only if he could keep them out of a fight. An encounter with anyone else right now could prove deadly.
“Okay. What do I need to do to help?” Kinsley asked with resolve.
“Do you remember how to shoot a gun?” He knew she’d shot one in high school because he’d taken her out with her father’s shotgun to teach her how to handle it.
“I haven’t touched one since…” she looked to be trying to pull out the information. “No since you took me.”
Gabriel located his spare weapon in his rucksack and held it out on his palm, barrel facing opposite them both. “This is smaller than my primary gun. It’s a Sig Sauer and will fit better in your hand than my Glock.”
“Okay.” Her fingers trembled as he positioned them around the butt of the gun.
“If the time comes, aim and shoot. Just don’t do either at me.” The last line was a joke, meant to ease some of her tension. A nervous person jumped the gun, made a move before he or she had a clear shot. That could be disastrous.
“I’m not going to shoot my best chance at staying alive,” she quipped. Her nerves were evident in her tone.
Gabriel put his arm around her. She leaned her head against his shoulder.
“Sorry I snapped. You were kidding, weren’t you?” she asked.
“Believe it or not, you’re doing great. This is a lot to take in for someone with training let alone a person who normally keeps her nose in books. Your hand will be steady if and when you need it to be. I have no doubts about it,” he said.
She blinked up at him. “Thanks.”
One look from Kinsley could get so many of his systems going. Systems that had no business getting riled up under present circumstances.
“I have enough supplies to get us through a couple of days. After that, we’re on our own,” he said.
“Can’t Jaden send another helicopter?” She checked the safety of the gun and he was relieved that she knew how to.
“Not without giving the enemy our exact location,” he said. He didn’t want that to be the case, but it was. He also didn’t want to deliver that reality to her, but he refused to sugar-coat the situation. The men bearing weapons wouldn’t give her an inch this time. She’d gotten out of their grasps before.
And if this was a case of the men who were after Gabriel, they’d kill both of them. He had to consider for a split-second whether she would be better off away from him.
“I’m sorry about this.” He motioned toward his side. “This puts your life in more danger.”
Gabriel ground his back teeth.
“Are you blaming yourself for getting hurt while saving me?” she shot back. “Well, forget it. As far as I’m concerned, I still owe you my life.”
“Before we head outside, I want you to know something.” Gabriel looked Kinsley in the eyes. Beautiful, intelligent Kinsley. He couldn’t believe she was in his life again. “I never stopped loving you.”
“Are you warning me that’s about to change?” Kinsley didn’t like the sound of those words. Don’t get her wrong, she loved the idea of Gabriel saying he still loved her. She still loved him more than he could know. This sounded like he was saying goodbye. That was the part she couldn’t accept.
“No.”
“Good. Then hold that thought because I love you, too,” she said. Admitting that she loved him was the most natural thing to her in that moment. Where the relationship would go was another story altogether. They had different lives and she couldn’t imagine living this cloak and dagger lifestyle.
Being with Gabriel made Kinsley actually begin to believe that she might want a family. She could see herself with a husband and a child for the first time in her life. Was it the near-death experience that was changing her outlook? Maybe. But the easy way she had with Gabriel caused her to realize what she’d been mis
sing by closing her life off to others.
Kinsley was beginning to think it might be nice to come home to someone she loved at night. Someone who understood her. Someone she couldn’t wait to get home to talk to at night. Someone to share a meal with. A reason to leave her office at a decent hour.
Living for work had lost its appeal a few years ago but she’d been comfortable in her routine.
She helped bury their trash, so they didn’t leave a trail.
Going back outside in the middle of the night considering what might be out there waiting tied a knot in her stomach. Strangely, she was less worried about herself than she was about Gabriel.
He was injured. Granted, he was being brave. She couldn’t imagine how much pain he was in or how tired he must be.
He finished packing up and then wiped the place down.
“Should you take something for pain before we head out?” she asked.
“No. I need to keep a clear head and my pain will tell me how far I can push myself.”
Kinsley didn’t want to consider the reasons he knew how far he could go while bleeding and hurt. His life had been stark contrast to hers where her biggest dangers were things like driving on snow and watching out for other drivers. She didn’t try to outrun bullets or take down bad guys.
Granted, there was something sexy about Gabriel being able to handle himself under any circumstance. The way he’d taken down the masked guy who’d tried to kill her was every shade of hot and dangerous.
But in real life, she had to consider whether or not she could handle the possibility of him not coming home from an assignment. And that’s where her internal conversation stopped.
Kinsley told herself to get a grip. She’d laugh out loud if it was funny. She was thinking serious and long-term but all they’d really had was an amazing round of sex and a sweet sentiment afterward.
Gabriel might not even love her in the same romantic way. He’d said that he still loved her and that could mean the way they’d loved each other in high school. Childish love—which could be categorized more as a crush—was a far cry from love in adult life.
“At least let me carry that.” She motioned toward the backpack.
He quirked a smile before he started to protest.
“It’s just being smart,” she argued. “I can handle the weight and if anything happens to you we’re sunk.”
Gabriel looked like he was at least considering the idea.
“Think about it, Gabriel. We don’t know how long we’ll be walking out there or how many people might be tracking us. There are too many unknowns and I don’t want to risk your health over a backpack. If I don’t carry it, we shouldn’t take it,” she continued.
“Okay, but if it gets too heavy you have to promise you’ll tell me,” he conceded. It was a big concession for a man like Gabriel who was used to doing everything for himself. He was the one who carried the bags and handled everything that came his way.
He positioned the backpack on her back and snapped the front snaps. “It’s not that heavy.”
“It helps that our weapons aren’t in there to weigh it down.” He cut the lights and then they exited the cabin.
Outside was pitch black and all manner of insects made noises. Whoever said living in the country was the quiet life hadn’t been outside at night. Kinsley had grown up in a small suburb, which wasn’t the same as the woods. Her father had taken the family to a high-priced lodge that offered hunting, fishing and all manner of outdoor activities.
He’d made his disappointment clear when he’d found her inside glued to a book instead of at the archery lesson he’d signed her up for. She hadn’t meant to miss the lesson, she’d just gotten distracted.
And then she’d heard him yelling at her mother after lights out, saying that she coddled Kinsley too much. Her mother’s response had stayed with Kinsley to this day. You think I turned her into what she is to spite you? I have news for you, Herold. I don’t like her any more than you do.
As an adult, Kinsley realized that her mother was lashing out in anger at being accused of ‘ruining’ Kinsley like there was some kind of scorecard and she’d come up short. Kinsley probably wasn’t the ideal child. She’d made good grades and followed most of the rules. But she’d always marched to her own drum beat and searched for truth in every situation.
Case in point, her relationship with Gabriel.
While many in town had written him off as lost, Kinsley had seen the real him. He might put up a tough front but, on the inside, he cared more about what people thought than he’d ever admit. He was loyal to a fault. How many times had he ended up in the principal’s office for doing something she knew full well he hadn’t? Half a dozen? He got into many fights but never started one.
Middle class and wealthy boys in Evansville had targeted Gabriel and his friends. Teachers always believed the boys from the so-called right side of the tracks. The injustice had burned Kinsley up to the point that she took it upon herself to come to their defense. That move had brought even more heat onto the boys from the Foster Farm.
Gabriel hadn’t seemed to care. He’d sought her out in order to thank her. She’s burst into tears saying that she’d only made the situation worse. Boys teased him and his ‘brothers’ even more and worked even harder to get them into trouble with teachers and school administrators. Gabriel had quieted her with a hug, kissed her and told her that she was the first person who’d put themselves on the line for him.
She’d pressed up on her tiptoes and kissed him back. And from that day forward they’d been a couple.
Kinsley had noticed that teachers treated her differently once they saw her and Gabriel holding hands in the hallway. She’d received her fair share of dirty looks from classmates. Her best friend, Lainey, had threatened to stop hanging around with Kinsley if she didn’t break off the relationship with the ‘scrub’ boy.
None of those protests or threats mattered to her. She saw so much good in Gabriel that it drowned out everyone else’s opinions.
As for her parents she wished they would’ve approved of the relationship, that they could’ve truly seen Gabriel for the person he was instead of a reputation that was blurred.
But then Kinsley’s mother was borderline depressed on a good day. It was so obvious now that her mother fought hard against the role of wife and mother. Even though she would never consider getting divorced for fear of what everyone would think her circumstances had made her feel entombed.
Marriage and taking care of children had been a trap that Kinsley’s mother had been unhappily snared in. Would Kinsley feel the same about a child of her own?
She didn’t think so but there was no amount of books that could tell her what her individual reaction to becoming a parent would be. From everything she’d read and seen, she surmised that some people took to parenting while others didn’t.
Following behind Gabriel, watching him sacrifice his own health and well-being to make sure she was okay the thought struck that he’d make an amazing Dad. His kid would be protected, that was for sure.
Three times in an hour, Gabriel had to stop to catch his breath. He was weak and walking wasn’t good for him.
“You should call your friends and have them split us up,” Kinsley finally said.
Gabriel leaned against the tree trunk of a sturdy oak. He reached for her hand and put it in his.
“It’s selfish of me but I have to know that you’re all right. I need to see it with my own eyes. I know you better than anyone else. I can protect you the best. But I won’t force you to stay with me, Kinsley.”
Her heart squeezed. Did he think she was rejecting him? Pulling back? Trying to protect her heart? Because it was too late for every single one of those things.
She brushed a kiss on his lips. “There’s nowhere I want to be right now than with you, Gabriel. I want you healthy. I don’t want to be the reason something bad happens to you. I wouldn’t recover.”
“You couldn’t be.” He smirked. “
Believe it or not, I’m damn good at what I do. The mind is powerful, Kinsley. I made mine up a long time ago.”
“So I’ve noticed,” she said with admiration.
But he was hurt and the men who were after them wouldn’t exactly take it easy on either of them because he was injured.
And then there was the matter of her heart.
When this was all over, would it recover from losing Gabriel the second time?
Chapter 13
A tree branch broke to their left about three yards due east. A shot of adrenaline boosted Gabriel’s energy level. A much-needed increase of power surged through him.
He put his index finger up to indicate they couldn’t afford to make a sound. A realistic self-check said he was running at about sixty percent power at best physically. He had enough strength to take down one person in a brief fight but more than one or if the tussle lasted longer than a few minutes Gabriel was screwed.
He and Kinsley could stay on the move but that could prove deadly if they walked into a trap. He was also losing precious energy by trying to press on.
He could set up a camp and hunker down for the night, give himself a chance to rest and reboot after a couple of hours.
Based on his energy level and the fact that there was an unknown number of threats out there, he settled on door number two.
From a few yards away he heard a cell phone’s ring tones. His eyes had long ago adjusted to the dark and he could clearly see the panic in Kinsley’s features. He squeezed her hand to offer some measure of reassurance.
He’d seen a small mound near a creek about twenty yards in the direction from which they came. That would be the best place to seek cover if they could make it back unnoticed.
Gabriel took two steps and Kinsley snapped a twig. Damn. He was used to moving around in the woods unseen. This was her first rodeo. He could carry her if he was in better shape, but he’d lost too much blood and he needed to conserve what was left of his energy.
He needed to regroup. There was another spot about twenty-five feet back that had a broken tree trunk. He could make do with that until he could get his strength up. A thirty-minute power nap could do wonders. He could rally with that kind of a break.
