Page 20 of Snowed in with the Bodyguard

“Did you reach your friend?” I ask, taking a bite of one of the crackers.

“Yeah. Gabriel has a safe house ready for us,” he replies, keeping his voice low as he scans the window like he expects trouble toburst through it any second. “It’ll take a couple of hours and it won’t be an easy journey.”

“Gabriel?” I ask, my curiosity piqued by the name and the way Jack says it, like it carries weight.

“Gabriel Burns,” he explains, returning his gaze to me. “We served together in the SEALs. Brilliant man. He owns Burns SafeGuard out in Washington. They handle high-profile security contracts for the government. Politicians, foreign dignitaries, people who need to stay alive when others don’t want them to.”

I tilt my head, absorbing the information. “And you trust him?”

“With my life,” Jack says without hesitation, his tone so firm it leaves no room for doubt. “He’s one of the few people I know who’s as stubborn about keeping people safe as I am. He’s got resources, connections—everything we need to lie low until we figure out our next move.”

Something flickers in his eyes as he speaks—relief. And resolve. “Gabriel’s the kind of guy you call when you need a fortress, not just a hiding place. And the good thing about him? He won’t ask questions unless I want him to. He’ll help because it’s me. No strings attached.”

I nod, the tension in my chest easing a fraction. “It sounds like we’re in good hands.”

Jack leans back slightly, his posture loosening a little. “We will be once we get there. He’s got a property way off the grid, somewhere no one would think to look for us. It’s set up for situations like this.”

“Situations like this?” I repeat, my brows lifting. “You mean two fugitives running from armed men, one of whom happens to be a mob boss’s daughter?”

Jack’s lips twitch into a small, wry smile. “Gabriel’s seen worse. And believe it or not, so have I.”

That confession hangs in the air between us, a reminder of the life Jack has led, one filled with dangers I can only imagine. But beneath that is something else—a quiet reassurance. He’s been here before, in the fire, in the chaos, and he’s come out alive. If anyone can get us through this, it’s him.

The cold bites at my skin as we step outside, but I barely notice as Jack leads me to the shed where the motorcycle is stored. My heart pounds as anticipation and unease courses through me

When he first mentioned using it to reach Gabriel’s safe house, I thought he was crazy. But Jack assured me that, while not ideal in the snow, the bike is our best shot. Old enough to avoid modern tracking and small enough to get us through places a car can’t. It’ll make us harder to follow, especially in this weather.

Jack opens a small storage closet by the door and pulls out two thick jackets, gloves, and helmets. “We’ll need these,” he says, handing me a jacket and a helmet.

I raise an eyebrow, running my fingers over the smooth surface. “Two of everything. Did you expect company when you planned your great escape?”

Jack chuckles, a low sound that sends a shiver down my spine. “You know me—plan for everything. But I certainly didn’t planfor a gorgeous blonde with curves that drive me wild and a smile that turns me inside out.”

His words hit me like a warm wave, stealing the breath from my lungs. My heart thuds in my chest as I step closer, cupping his face. “Just to be clear, the blonde is me, right?”

He smirks. “Well, there was this one blonde?—”

I cut him off by smacking my lips to his. He responds instantly, his hands settling on my hips.

“Like I could ever want any other woman when I’m holding perfection,” he says roughly when he finally breaks the kiss.

Ah, be still my beating heart and throbbing vagina.

He tucks a stray lock of hair behind my ear, his touch gentle despite the hunger in his gaze. “Ready to ride?”

I grin, my confidence bolstered by the way his eyes darken as they rake over me. “Born ready.”

Jack slants his mouth over mine again, this kiss deeper, hungrier, his tongue sweeping past my lips until I’m trembling, my body responding to him in ways I can’t control. The cold air is a sharp contrast to the heat building between us.

“Later—” he nips at my bottom lip as he pulls back, his voice like rough velvet “—I want to watch you ride my cock again, Hollyberry.”

Heat pools low in my belly at the image he’s painted so easily in my mind. My thighs clench, and I fight the urge to drag him back inside and forget about everything else.

Jack’s smirk tells me he knows exactly what he’s done. “Let’s go before I change my mind and keep you here for another kind of ride.”

I grab the gloves and jacket, my cheeks flushed but my resolve firm. “You’d better deliver on that promise, Jack,” I huff, battling with sexual frustration for the first time in my life.

His laugh is low and full of wicked intent. “Oh, I plan to.”

---