Page 36 of Stalked at Rescue Ridge

“Wasn’t he rescued during a World War by an American soldier?” Kade asked.

“That’s the one,” Bree said. “Then, he became famous in the movies.”

“Rinty.” Kade let the name sit on his tongue. He rocked his head. “It’s a good name with an even better history.”

“I thought so, too,” she said with a satisfied smile that brightened the damn room.

Slowly, purposely, Kade leaned back on his heels as Rinty inched forward toward the bowl. “That’s right, Rinty. Come on and eat. No one’s going to hurt you here.”

Rinty kept his gaze on Kade, who slowly backed away to give the dog space. Returning to the kitchen, he joined Bree. “I’d planned on making burgers with that meat.”

“I’m not hungry. I saw yogurt in the bag. I’ll probably just grab some of that.”

Kade crossed the kitchen until he was standing in front of Bree. Her hip was leaning against the counter, her hand planted behind her. And when her gaze locked onto his, all rational thought flew out the window. He brought the back of his hand up to her cheekbone. “I should’ve told you this before, but I couldn’t stand it if something worse had happened to you.”

She stared up at him with those beautiful dark roast-colored eyes that he wanted to get lost in. “I’m here now because you saved me.”

He ran his finger along her jawline, noticing how husky his own voice had just become. He’d thought of her too many times since that weekend. He’d wanted to be here, holding her, lying in bed in a tangle of sheets instead of in the desert. The only thing that had stopped him from contacting her had been the fact he’d known on a bone-deep level he would end up hurting her. She deserved better.

He could feel her rapid pulse as he traced his finger along her jawline and then down the tender skin of her throat. He cupped the nape of her neck and rubbed circles with the pad of his thumb. “I think about you, about us—”

A mix of emotions played out behind those brown eyes. Frustration? Sadness? “You were pretty clear about what you wanted, Kade. Or should I say what you didn’t want—me.”

“I never said I didn’t want you.” Only that he didn’t “do” more than a weekend here and there. Only that she deserved better.

Bree’s full pink lips parted. Her tongue darted across her bottom lip, her nervous tell. And her eyes blinked up at him. “Kiss me, Kade.”

He shouldn’t. All rationale for why this would be a bad idea went up in smoke the minute his hungry lips touched hers. He pressed his mouth to hers, gently at first, afraid he’d hurt her. But then her hands came up to his chest, and she grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, pulling him closer to her soft, curvy body.

His muscles strung so taut he thought they might snap from contact. Breathing in her clean, flowery scent caused his body to ache for her. When she deepened the kiss, teasing his tongue inside her mouth, Kade’s self-control detonated. He pulled her to him, remembering how sweet her creamy skin felt under his rough hands. How much he wanted to drive himself deep inside her and forget the world around him. How much he wanted to go back in time and act differently after the weekend they’d shared. He’d tell her he could change if it meant hearing her voice next to him when he went to sleep at night.

It might be a lie, but it felt so true, so real when he got lost in that sweet kiss and her flower bouquet scent. He brought his hands up to her face to position her mouth for better access. How many times had he thought about doing this very thing in the past few months?Too many?

A lightning bolt of guilt slammed into him for what was happening between them, for what he was helpless to fight. This tide, this current was too damn strong.

Guilt fought and won.

Kade took a step back. He could think more clearly when he wasn’t breathing in the woman he loved.

Loved?

Shit. He needed to erase that word from his vocabulary when it came to Bree. Her heart still belonged to Zeke, and Kade was being the worst possible friend right now. Selfish.

“Not a good idea,” he said, forcing his gaze away from the hurt and confusion in Bree’s eyes. “I just can’t.”

11

Embarrassed, Bree took a step back and brought the back of her hand up to her lips. It was too easy to get lost in Kade, to get lost in feelings that threatened to overwhelm good judgment. How could being with the man she loved be wrong? This little one growing inside her picked that moment to execute a kick that knocked the wind out of her. She bent forward, grabbed her stomach, and bit down on her bottom lip.Point taken.Her life was no longer about what she wanted. She had a child to consider, a child who deserved a full-time dad.Those were the exact words Zeke used.

Kade made a quick move toward her, and a low growl came from the corner of the room.Rinty.Was he being protective? As much as Bree appreciated the gesture, and she did, hurting Kade would only aid a killer. An involuntary shiver rocked her at the last word.

“It’s okay, Rinty,” she soothed as Kade froze mid-step. “He’s not going to hurt me.”

“This is a good sign,” Kade admitted. The man was an expert at not giving away his emotions. In this case, a hint of admiration mixed with a healthy dose of fear laced his tone.

“That he sees me as weak and needing protection?” Bree asked.

“In your current condition, it would be very difficult to outrun a killer and he didn’t like me moving too fast,” he said. His honesty hit her square in the chest. “And you’re not weak; you’re vulnerable right now. There’s a difference.”

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