“What else did you learn about me?”
He shrugged. “Your height, your weight, and the interesting fact that you have trouble resisting Three Musketeers bars.” He didn’t give her time to question how he could possibly know she liked a particular candy bar. He just plowed right onward. “Open the glove compartment.”
“What? Why?”
“Quinton almost forgot to give us one thing we really needed for this assignment.”
Curious, she opened the glove compartment and found two burgundy velvet ring boxes inside. Her heart did a weird little patter of unexpected excitement, then calmed to normal. Hell, she’d almost visualized Mac down on one knee with one of these boxes ready to present to her.
She blinked. I am certifiable. Her mouth popped open and the first dumb thing came out. “What are these?”
“Rings. Open them up.”
She smirked. “Probably cigar bands.”
When she opened the first box a wide, platinum-colored band with a small row of brilliant cut diamonds nestled in the white velvet interior. “Wow.”
“That’s mine.” He crossed over his body with his left arm and held his hand out. “Do me a favor and slip it on.”
The soft husky tone in his voice had her visualizing a different scene. Mac lying back on a bed, his cock hard and ready to make love. She would slide a condom on his cock—
Starting out of her fantasy, she put the jewelry on his ring finger.
He returned his grip to the steering wheel. “You look like you’ve swallowed a lemon.”
“That isn’t real platinum and diamonds, I hope?”
“Platinum-clad sterling and the finest simulated diamonds. High grade cubic zirconia. Now look at yours.”
She stared at the box like it might be a snake.
He laughed. “Come on. It’s not poison.”
With a groan she opened her box. She couldn’t resist a little feminine gasp of wonder. A gleaming, shimmering mega sparkler blinked up at her. A bezel-set radiant cut octagon of at least three carats with two rows of baguettes on either side nestled the velvet like a queen’s treasure. Beside the engagement ring was a matching eternity style wedding band with at least two carats of baguettes. She lifted the rings and felt the weight in her palm. Definitely white gold.
Again he laughed and she ignored him as she donned the rings. “These rings look like a cool twenty-five grand.”
“If they were real, probably a little closer to thirty thousand or more.”
She wiggled her fingers so the rings caught light. “Maybe I’ll ask Quinton if I can keep these after the assignment is over.” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she cringed. Did I really say that?
“Why?” he asked.
Mac’s query shouldn’t have come as a surprise. She slipped her gloves back on and stowed the boxes in the glove compartment before she spoke. “Might keep unwanted attention away.”
“I imagine you get a lot of male interest.”
“Yes.” Again, her mouth ran ahead of her good sense. “I mean, no.”
“Which is it?” he asked dryly.
Let him think what he wanted. “I get around.”
“What’s around?” His voice hardened, the quiz more personal.
Alert to the strange nuance in his voice, she decided she’d be dead honest. Sort of.
“Last date I had was a week ago.”
“Humph.”
She peered at him and caught his frown. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing, my ass.”
“Let’s not talk about your beautiful ass, please. I need to keep my attention on the road.”
She didn’t have an opportunity to retort.
A white Hummer hurled around the corner going too fast for the conditions.
Mac cursed as the other vehicle started to slide and headed towards them. “Hold on!”
Her heart slammed in her chest as she grasped the door handle. “Mac!”
The Hummer careened forward, head-on collision imminent. At the last second, the white behemoth zigged at the same time Mac zagged.
Destiny stifled a scream as they headed right toward the unforgiving side of the mountain. Her arms went up to shield her face, and they hit a small ditch. Their Expedition bucked up and out, plowing into the hillside with a horrifying crunch and shattering glass. She was yanked forward, but her seatbelt kept her from crashing through the windshield. The car bounced back with the force, then tipped to the right and started to teeter onto its right side. She didn’t have time to cry out as her head hit something and the world went black.
Chapter Three
An ache pounded in Destiny’s right temple. A strong wind blew by her face, then snowflakes touched her cheek. She thought she heard the pinging of the Expedition’s engine, but she couldn’t be sure. Her seatbelt cut into her right side, keeping her from falling all the way to the ground. She felt awkward as hell, her legs and arms hanging down slightly to the right, her head lolling. The SUV must be lying on its right side.
“Destiny?”
Groggy, she tried to open her eyes and failed. She felt too weak to answer, her senses rattled.
“Destiny. Honey, come on. Open your eyes.” Mac’s voice cut through her scattered wits, his tone harsh with worry. “Don’t do this to me.”
A grunt came from somewhere above her, the sound of someone struggling. There was a strange clicking noise, then a thud as someone dropped down nearby her. Warm fingers touched her forehead.
She struggled out of the fog, bewildered. Her eyelids fluttered open. “What? What did I do?”
A soft chuckle, somewhat relieved, rumbled out of his chest. She realized he leaned over her, one hand testing the pulse at her neck, the other brushing the hair away from her forehead.
She blinked and her vision cleared. “What a mess. Did just happen what I think just happened?”
“Yep. We hit the side of the mountain. Good thing we wore our seatbelts.”
“I always wear my seatbelt,” she grumbled.
Another appreciative laugh parted his lips. “If she has a sense of humor she might be all right.”
When her eyes drifted closed again for a weary second, he cupped her face with tenderness. His voice whispered close, tinged with intense concern. “No. Open your eyes, sweetheart. Open your eyes.”
She obeyed and the dizziness lifted. “Wow. Two endearments in the space of two minutes. Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?”
“Not a scratch on me.”
She didn’t like the creases between his eyebrows, the tight frown forming on his lips. He looked extremely troubled, plain and simple. “I’m okay, Mac.”
“The hell you are. You must have cracked your head against the passenger window. I hope you haven’t got a concussion.” He looked into her eyes and continued his examination, asking her questions with a precision that showcased his EMT training. “How badly does your head hurt?”
“Not much. How long have I been out?”
“Maybe three minutes.”
Reality flooded passed her ragged sense of humor. “We could have gone off the cliff.”
Her body shuttered on a wave of mortal fear.
Anger stained his words and his eyes flashed. “When I bag the bastard who ran us off the road, I’ll gladly push him off the cliff myself.” He took in a shuddering breath. “If you’d been seriously hurt or—” He swallowed hard, then shook his head.
A strange wonder shoved aside her need to stay detached and professional. Maybe hard-ass Tudor liked her more than she thought.
A trickle of blood ran down his forehead, and she touched him near the spot. “You lied, Mac. There is a scratch on you. You’re bleeding.”
“Glass probably caught me on the forehead. It’s nothing.”
“Well, now that we’ve established we’re both tough, can we get out of here?”
When he released the seatbelt latch, his arms slipped around her so she w
ouldn’t fall onto the shattered window glass below. She sat down, squirming around to find purchase in the tight space. More wind and snow blasted through the shattered windshield.
“This is a mess,” she murmured, feeling a little shaky.
The sensation annoyed her because she’d been in weird situations and near misses on other assignments and never felt this discombobulated.
Something unusual entered his eyes.
“Why are you looking at me that way?” she asked.
“I was just thinking.”
“That’s good to know, because I’ve wondered on a few occasions—”
“For once will you just shut up?” he asked softly.
“What? Don’t you dare tell me to—”
His mouth came down on hers.
Shocked, she didn’t move as he tasted and explored with a ravenous, deep kiss. He didn’t touch her anywhere else, but it didn’t matter. Fire shot into her belly, and it also didn’t matter that they sat in a shattered vehicle with the wind howling outside and danger around the corner.
When his tongue plunged deep and stroked hers, she gasped into his mouth and responded with a passion she couldn’t resist. She wanted his kiss in the way she’d wanted it in the gym and the conference room, and yet this felt different.
Hot. Restless. Dying for more of his touch, his arms around her. His reassurance and protective embrace telling her everything would be all right. The thought brought her up short because she hated feeling needy.
More than desire shot through her, but desperation and recognition that if she’d lost him in this wreck she’d—
He drew back, his breath rasping in his throat and his eyes deep with questions.
“Good. That’s more like it.” His face creased into a smile, teasing and irreverent like the Mac Tudor she knew
Before she could berate him, he turned away. Without hesitation he kicked out the rest of the windshield and they clambered over the glass with caution. Mac used his satellite phone to report the accident to SIA. They didn’t go through regular police channels, and they couldn’t afford to wait for additional transportation to arrive. Mac assured dispatch since they wore outer gear designed to withstand forty degrees below zero, and they had maybe three miles to walk, they’d be fine. Strapping on forty-five pounds of backpack would make travel more difficult, but they’d both trained for more rigorous circumstances. In other words…piece of cake.
They left the wreck and trudged up the road. Wind rustled pine needles and created a backdrop to the winter wonderland. As her breath puffed out in front of her, a frosty tribute to winter, she matched his brisk pace. She’d be damned if later on he said she couldn’t keep up. Besides, she enjoyed physical challenges that kept her in tiptop condition.
For about a mile they stayed mum and conserved energy as wind whistled and blew snow into their eyes.
Destiny decided to broach a question spinning around in her mind for several minutes. “I’m guessing the Hummer was from the lab. I wonder why they didn’t stop and help?”
Mac shrugged, all but his eyes, nose, and mouth obscured by parka hood and knitted face mask. “If something weird is going on up there, like a serial killer, maybe the rest of the lab occupants decided it was time to cut and run.”
“Did you see how many people were in the vehicle before it ran us off the road?”
“One, I think. I was pretty busy trying to keep us from plunging into the sweet by and by.”
Again they lapsed into silence. As dry snow made a fluffy white carpet beneath her feet, she wrestled with unexpected feelings. She didn’t like this rising sense of admiration she felt for Mac. No, that wouldn’t do at all.
“I don’t suppose a rousing rendition of song would be appreciated?” she asked.
“Why? Can you sing?”
“Not worth crap.”
He chuckled. “That’s what I like. A woman who doesn’t give a rat’s butt what anyone thinks. I think you’re up for the world championship title.”
“Is that what you really think? That I’m just a big-mouthed ass?”
His glance zipped from her head to her butt and held there. “Well, your butt is world class, and your mouth is warm and—”
“Stuff it, Mac. That’s not what I meant and you know it. Don’t try to get out of answering the question.”
“Okay, okay. Yes, I think you can be pushier than you need to. I hear people making comments, especially men who don’t always want to be around you because you’re almost too assertive.”
She absorbed the words and tried not to react. It didn’t work. “Too assertive how?”
“Men rarely hit on you right?”
How did he know that?
“Not lately, but they used to when I first joined the Agency.”
“Why do you suppose that is?”
“Because I kick male chauvinist ass and they don’t like it?”
“Partially. But there’s more to it. Many men want a woman who can stand up for herself, but not one with a cast-iron bitch façade plastered on their face three hundred and sixty-five days a year. You never let up. It’s always work, work, work and no relationships allowed to form.”
Shocked to the core by the brusqueness of his evaluation, she almost struck back with a snappy comment. Instead, she stewed.
He spoke before she could. “This isn’t just a case of some men saying that if you’re assertive you are a bitch. Those men aren’t worth your time, Tremayne. They aren’t looking for the real woman inside. But what about the men who would love to get to know you, but they can’t make it past the message in your eyes that says ‘don’t bother’?”
Destiny let the silence stretch as she absorbed what he’d said. “So you’ve been gossiping about me?”
“No, but I hear rumors just the same. And I overheard two guys last week in the gym talking about wanting to get up your skirt.”
“Ha!”
“I’m not saying you should let those two particular guys get up your shirt.”
“Who are they?”
“Uh…”
“Right, right. Sure. You’re making up this crap, Mac.”
“I am not.”
“You are, too.”
“Bullshit, Tremayne.”
“Exactly.”
He veered towards her and stopped in front of Destiny.
“What are you doing?” she asked. “We haven’t got all day to get to the complex.”
“Not until we have this out. Right now. I heard those two Neanderthals say that about you and it sickened me. Not because I thought it was disgusting they wanted you, but because they would talk about you like a piece of meat right there where everyone else could hear them. That’s what pissed me off. And because…”
“Yes?”
He shook his head and surveyed the forest surrounding them. “Because they’re cowards with no balls. They wouldn’t know a good woman if she sat on their face.”
“And you’re not that kind of man?”
Anger tightened his mouth. “I’m no coward.”
“Of course you’re not.” She spoke hastily, worried their partnership could be shot to hell if she didn’t explain. “You’re a great agent, Mac.” She smiled a little. “Even if you are a Grade-A pain on some days.”
Mac seemed to relax, and although the face mask obscured his expression a little, she could see the softening in his eyes. “You just need to ease up a little so a man can get through. You might be missing out.”
“I’m not giving up who I am to assure some man might want to date me.”
“What I’m saying is you shouldn’t be surprised by men’s reactions when you come on like queen bitch of the universe.”
“Queen bitch—I ought to—you—”
“Spit it out, Tremayne.” He turned away and started walking.
“Who are you to give me advice?”
“A fellow agent who would like to be your friend, if you’d let me.”
Within her an echo rang. He
wanted to be her friend?
Part of what he said made sense. Other than Mac, she couldn’t recall the last time a man attempted to strike up a conversation that showed he wanted to know her either mentally or physically.
As she followed along beside him, she glanced at Mac through the blowing snow. “Why do you want to be my friend?”
“Because you’re extremely intelligent, a crack agent, and tough.”
She snuffled a laugh. “Sounds like a resume for a guard dog.”
He shifted the big pack with a shrug of his shoulders. “You have some of those qualities, too.”
“Wonderful. Now you’re calling me a mutt,” she said in half seriousness.
“No way, Tremayne. You’re a babe.”
Heat filled her face at his blunt compliment.
“You’re a gorgeous woman who drives me beyond crazy,” he said. “I want to strangle you sometimes as much as I want to fuck you.”
To her mortification, a shocked gasp slipped out of her mouth. “Mac!”
He laughed. “Come on, if you don’t know I want to get inside of you by now—”
“All right, I get the picture.”
Her entire body reacted to his no-holds-barred statements. Warmth spread into her abdomen and down to the sensitive folds between her legs. Her breathing quickened and her heart followed the pace. Whether Destiny liked it or not, his admission turned her on, and the power it gave her added to the aphrodisiac. She wanted to challenge him, to play a game to prove she didn’t want him.
“We’ve already crossed a line, Mac. If Quinton found out anything was going on between us…” She faded out, afraid to say it.
“At least you’re admitting there’s something between us. And it’s pretty damn powerful.”
Overwhelmed by confusion, she didn’t know how to respond and didn’t wish to confess. Instead she went silent.
The memory of Destiny’s pale face and closed eyes right after the accident kept repeating in Mac’s mind like a nightmare. Right after the Expedition stopped groaning from the final impact, he’d queried immediately if she was all right. When he realized she was unconscious his heart about stopped. Gut-wrenching fear had hit him like a sucker punch; for a fleeting, agonizing second, he thought she might be dead.
Winter Warriors Page 4
