Page 8 of Found By the Surly Ranger

"Would Brad really spend the money on a helicopter to go after you?" I can feel her shoulders heaving as she tries to hold back her sobs.

"I didn't tell you everything," she whispers. "Some of the art galleries Brad was setting up deals with... They're involved with money laundering. One of his cousins has gotten in with the mafia, and they were all excited about a new method of cleaning their money. Apparently it's one of the easiest ways to do it."

Well, shit. Holding her tightly against me, I stroke her back gently. The chopper gets louder, then the noise fades away to nothing. "Hear that? A search plane would go in circles. They went straight across."

Kara dabs at her eyes with her sleeve, then looks up at me sheepishly. "I'm sorry. You must think I'm completely paranoid."

I tip up her chin with my finger. "Not at all. I swore that I would keep you safe, and part of that includes making you feel comfortable any time something startles you. Okay?" The soft smile that blooms across her lips almost makes me feel dizzy. Damn, she's so beautiful it's hard to think straight.

"You ducked under the trees even though you knew the helicopter had nothing to do with me? You're a really decent guy, Jace."

My head shakes automatically. "Ask anyone in town, beautiful. I'm a grumpy loner who grumbles every time I find clueless idiots on the trails, and doesn't keep in touch with his family enough."

"Well, you're a really decent guy to me."

My head is already dipping lower. "Does a decent guy steal a kiss from a gorgeous girl who is terrified and rattled?"

My heart stops until she nods. "I think so. Distraction technique, right?"

I don't even care if she's teasing. Her gorgeously curvaceous body fits against me perfectly as I hold her closer, her firm round breasts pressed against my chest. Our lips meet softly, and she lets out a tiny sigh. As we melt together, the kiss takes on a life of its own.

The taste of her lush lips fills me with raw, unbridled lust. It tears through me, sending sharp images into my mind. Images of Kara's legs spread as I lick her softest skin, watching her fall apart. Of her eyes wide as she comes for me. Of her soft body covered by my large frame as I take her slowly and gently.

I feel transported. Squeezing her close, our kiss deepens even more, her mouth opening for mine as I explore her softness. Every little gasp, every slight moan, makes my entire body feel harder. Stronger. I'm determined to use this newfound strength to protect this lovely girl in any way I can.

And somehow, I'm going to convince her that here with me on my mountain is the safest place for her.

Permanently.

5

KARA

I’ve only been kissed a handful of times, and never like this. It's like the difference between glancing at a hasty doodle on a crinkled scrap of paper, and walking into a gallery and being completely overcome by a twenty-foot painting created by a master.

Jace kisses like a master.

His mouth molds to mine as he searches, explores, devours. His huge, rough hands clutch at me firmly, one of them running down around my hip, then wandering across my ass. From the way his fingers dig into me, I'm pretty sure he likes my curves, thank goodness.

The kiss grows wilder, leaving me boneless and breathless as I feel his hunger, mixed with a feral, possessive energy that feels completely right. There's a faint growl in the back of his throat, as if just kissing isn't enough for him. Or is he as overwhelmed by this moment as I am?

"So hot…" he murmurs against my lips.

Really? I've never once in my life thought of myself as hot. Yet as my fingers spear through his thick hair, and my body squirms between the rock wall and the wall of muscle in front of me, that's exactly how I feel. Hot. Sexy. And very curious about what will happen next.

Jace grips the back of my hair, tilting my head back so he can trail kisses down the side of my throat. Then he growls again and straightens up. "A nasty part of me wants to tell you that I hear another helicopter, so that you'll stay hidden in here with me all day." He flashes me a wink. "But we're actually going to need dinner at some point." His hand slides gently down my spine. "I won't let you get cold or hungry ever again."

He takes my hand and leads me back to the trail as my mind reels. Ever? As in… He's hoping that I might stick around?

Back in Kingsville, the harsh reality is I don't have much of a life. A couple of friends, of course. A tiny apartment. I did a lot of research at art galleries, but that's not something I need to do every month. Most of my work was always done from the couch on my laptop.

"Hey." Jace gives my hand a bit of a shake. "You okay? You seem a million miles away, and you're missing one heck of a view."

My head swivels to the left as we stop walking. Through a handful of older trees, the view of the valley and the rolling green hills is indeed breathtaking. The rocky spikes of the mountaintop seem so close that I can almost imagine I see the texture of the stone.

"Sorry. I just realized how lost I am without my job. Phone. Laptop. Anything."

His thick arm wraps around me as I'm snuggled against his chest again. "As soon as the bridge reopens, we can take my laptop to the library and use the Wi-Fi there to email people and let them know you're okay. How does that sound?"

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