Page 65 of Saint

While he gently nuzzled his cold nose against the curve of her neck, Mia looked up to see the man with the gray eyes watching them closely. But now the lower half of his face wasn’t covered, and she had to admit, it was a very handsome face. But far too clean-cut for her.

His mouth edged up just the slightest. “I’m Braxton.”

“Mia,” she said.

“I figured.” His lips twitched and he offered Nik a chin tilt.

It was insanely loud and Nik helped her put a headset on. Her attention moved to their pilot, expecting to see Hunter, but it was a man with sandy brown hair, devil-may-care stubble and sporting mirrored aviators. He lifted a hand in greeting.

“Greetings and salutations. Glad I was able to swoop in and save the day. If you look to the left, you can see what’s left ofa former Soviet bunker, now reduced to a mass of rubble and crevasses by a massive series of avalanches.”

With a gasp, Mia realized the entire middle section had collapsed. If they hadn’t gotten out when they did, they’d be dead. Nik’s arms tightened around her and she held onto him fiercely.

“Expect a bumpy ride due to snowstorms, not due to my lack of skill. So buckle up and prepare to be dazzled by this former Night Stalker’s impressive flying. Tips gratefully accepted upon our imminent successful landing.”

Mia choked back a laugh. “Who is this guy?”

“Eric Finn, sweetheart. Your pilot extraordinaire,” he responded with a sexy grin.

Nik growled, his hold tightening, and Braxton rolled his eyes.

“He’s Dash Slater’s pilot,” Nik finally said. “Just ignore him and he’ll eventually stop talking.”

Finn burst out laughing. “Let your girl breathe, Lennie. Before she suffocates.”

Braxton chuckled and Nik lifted his middle finger in response. “I forgot how funny you think you are, Finn,” Nik said in a flat voice. “You’re lucky Ivy puts up with you.”

“My wife adores me,” he said easily, tossing them another bright-white smile.

As entertaining and distracting as Finn was, Mia turned her full attention on Nik, guilt washing through her. What happened was her fault and she had to tell him. He cupped her face and brushed his lips against hers. So soft and gentle. Sheremembered back when he’d claimed he didn’t do either. Sweet lies. Her man could be more gentle than he realized and he was nothing like the character fromOf Mice and Menlike Finn had suggested.

“I need to tell you something,” she whispered. He pulled back, still holding her face, and nodded. “Back at the cabin, I called my dad while you were asleep. I was trying to be objective and I wanted to hear his side of the story. I didn’t think he could track us down. I’m so sorry, Nik. I put everyone in danger and—”

“I understand why you did it.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “We always hope to find redemption in the people who hurt us most, huh?”

She nodded, covering his hands with hers, and felt dried, crusty blood. “Oh, my God.” Pulling back, she saw his broken fingernails and the dark red stains covering his skin. “What happened?”

“I couldn’t get out of the box,” he said simply, softly, meeting her eyes.

“Oh, my love,” she whispered and kissed him. “We need to take care of this.”

Braxton found the First Aid kit and Mia carefully began to clean his fingers. She hated knowing how he’d been trapped, alone and battling his claustrophobia, but he’d fought hard and made it through. They both had, and she couldn’t have been more grateful.

“Who’s Jade?” he asked quietly while she carefully bandaged each one of his fingers.

“My mom,” she revealed. He gave a small nod, but didn’t ask more.

After she was done, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her into the warmth of his embrace.

???

After landing safely, Mia felt like she could finally breathe. They’d made it and she was elated and beyond thankful. Once her feet were on solid ground, she hugged each member of Nik’s team, Finn included.

“I can’t thank you enough,” she murmured.

“We’re just glad you’re both okay,” Inda said.

Beside her, Ryland grinned. “Yeah, and did you think we’d miss seeing this big bastard find his match? No fucking way.”

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