Page 15 of Twister

“I’m sorry for the way I acted,” he whispered, feeling the strength and warmth of her body so close to him, but not close enough, not yet. It had been so long since he’d had anyone of his own…maybe never, and he didn’t want to die, or have her die, before he offered her that small, simple apology. It meant everything to him.

5

“Don’t worryabout that right now. You were having a bad day.”

“No excuse,” he rasped out. “I embarrassed you for no reason.”

She shrugged, keeping her voice light. “Everyone has a crappy day sometimes. Even badasses.” He chuckled, and his breathing got a little bit better. She gave him a half-smile, liking him more and more as each minute passed. “Doesn’t make you an ogre. Tell me what’s happening. I want to help you.”

“Can’t breathe,” he whispered. His jaw clenched in a flare of anger, and his eyes flashed with the same spark of fury. “Worthless to you.”

“Am I too heavy?” He shook his head with an are-you-kidding look. She was breathing just fine, so it wasn’t the physical space that was hampering him. Fresh air was coming through the stair slats, along with all the terrible noise that indicated the bomb had injured many people. She had the uncontrollable urge to be out there to assist. She hoped his team was all right. There was also plenty of ambient light to see his face, and he was in crisis. She was highly tuned to facial expressions, eyes especially. When diving with a partnerhundreds of miles below the surface of the ocean, they had to be in perfect sync and read every nuance. Twister was caught in something he couldn’t seem to shake.

She studied him for a moment, from the tension radiating off his body to the self-reproach in his gaze. He made it seem as though he was responsible somehow, and that was so far from the truth. “What? That’s complete bullshit.” His mouth curved. God, he was so attractive when he did that. “You risked your life to get me to safety. We’re safe right now, Twister, thanks to your quick thinking.” She moved closer, wanting him to know how much that meant to her. “I’ve never been the center of anyone’s existence. It seems like I’ve always been the one taking care of everyone else. I needed you, and you were there for me, and I’m so glad that I’m here for you now, and you aren’t alone.”

His sensual lips tightened. “You fill up every space,” he managed around his ragged breathing.

His voice was soft, sincere, and almost awed, and she didn’t want to read anything into those words, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. No one had ever said anything so sweet, so deep, so body- and mind-hugging as those words. After years of being strong and holding herself together, she was conditioned to keep her emotions locked away tightly.

So, she went all soft and liquid. Her pulse tripped all over itself, and she was suddenly much too aware how close their bodies were as she lay on top of him, his body as hard all over as he looked.

He closed his eyes, and his breathing ramped up again. She felt his fear as if she was experiencing it, his body trembling, his breathing fast. “Hold on to me,” she whispered. He squeezed her, then suddenly grabbed her close, almost painfully, and Sadie simply held on. He breathed hard into the curve of her neck, his fingers digging into her skin as he fought the scream she felt boiling up in him.

She blinked, feeling helpless, and angrily clenched her jaw. What could she do to help? They were wedged in here, the remnants of a wall blocking the opening, and this strong, magnificent warrior was having a terrible panic attack…flashbacks…something that was breaking him down, and she could barely stand it. Her heart ached for his pain. He and his team hunted the worst criminals who possessed no conscience, no moral center. They faced monsters with unparalleled courage and determination, and it took something awful to get one of these men to unravel.

He released her enough that she could look into his face. There was that strength in his features, along with the chiseled jaw and sharp cheekbones. Something so intriguing, something that moved her in the most profound way—a depth of character, an inner strength, but also revealing an imperviousness that had been carved by sheer and unwavering determination. It was the face of a man who had forged on with everything he possessed, a man whose sensuous mouth had been hardened by grim hardship.

Sadie felt an immediate kinship with him that she had never felt for another human being. Her keen awareness of him as a man had a disabling effect on her, and she was conscious of nothing except him.

Without realizing it, she reached out, pushing strands off his forehead, the dim light shining on hair so black. His eyes opened slowly, and he held her gaze for a long moment. Damn, the man was so freaking intense, but she loved that about him. His gaze was, as always, penetrating, but there was something…almost desperate in his eyes, something that he begged her for that she was more than willing to give. Connection. It sizzled in her nerve endings, causing her heart to beat that much faster, that much harder, her breath to come to an abrupt stop as if she didn’t wantto miss one moment of looking into his eyes and be distracted by something so mundane as breathing.

She was utterly suspended as she met his steady gaze. There was a compelling attractiveness about him, an attractiveness that was unfeigned and indestructible. At first glance, it was easy to say his eyes were brown, but as she looked deeper, she could see they were more a bronze color like a burnished weapon, but instead of cold like metal, they were more velvety, luxurious, and shot with flecks of gold. His long, thick lashes accentuated their hypnotic intensity.

The dim light illuminated him like a dark, fallen angel. Suddenly, she could feel every part of him, his corded arms around her like bands of steel, his hard chest beneath her breasts, his taut, rigid belly, and lower to his groin, and everything that made him so heart-stoppingly male.

Her mouth went dry, and she swallowed hard as she tried to get back to thinking of him as her protector. But she couldn’t get that image of his well-built body out of her mind, making her feel delicate and feminine. He had a light stubble on his jaw, and Twister, during a panic attack, seduced her without even trying. What could he do when he was fully committed? That question sent a wave of desire over her.

“Can’t stop thinking about how fucked up this is,” he rasped, his rough tone telling her that he was still in the danger zone.

And it dawned on her how to distract him, telling herself this was all about him. Yeah, right…. “Maybe then I can give you something else to think about.”

Her lashes fell to half-mast as she skimmed the pad of her thumb across his full bottom lip, aching to kiss him.

He jolted beneath her, and she realized this was the last thing he’d expected. His breathing changed rhythm, and that was just as sexy as his reaction to her. The rumbling of pleasure instead of fear vibrated against her mouth. Oh, the promise of thosesliding, soft lips on a hard man. She pressed down, wanting all his raw, powerful masculinity. She got so much more than she bargained for. What she thought was a way to distract him backfired on her. He cupped the back of her head in that big, powerful hand, returning her kiss with a hot, hard demand.

There was no teasing or sweetness. There wasn’t any room for any of that innocent shit. He took her somewhere she’d never been before, discovering for the first time in her adult life true passion. This is what it meant towant,as all she could absorb was searing heat, ravenous hunger, and insatiable lust.

He turned so that she slipped off his body, then he pushed her against the back wall, the hand at the nape of her neck tightening, trapping her there with the insistent press of his thighs and hips against hers. The solid length of a growing erection branded her with a need so primal, she ached to feel every inch of him inside her.

With her now effectively pinned, he slanted his mouth across hers and deepened the kiss further. His tongue stroked across hers. One palm glided down over the curve of her waist and around to her bottom. He cupped her, dragging her hips harder against his.

She moaned against his mouth, and arousal, liquid and warm, spiraled its way down to her belly, then between her thighs. She automatically arched into him.

She couldn’t stop her own hands, wanting to feel his burning skin against her, increasing that intoxicating sensation through him as well. As she smoothed both of her hands down his chest to his abdomen, then teased her fingers along the waistband of his pants, his big body shuddered. Before she had a chance to go any further and get to that tantalizing, jutting erection, he abruptly ended the kiss. He jerked back, his breathing ragged.

“Yes,” he said. “A few cuts and bruises, but we’re unharmed.”

Then she realized he was talking to one of his teammates…sounded like Dagger. “Are you safely away from this area?”

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