Page 34 of Dead Man's Hand

He shook his head. “So it wasn’t my imagination? This has been building for some time?” She nodded.

“I never thought...” He didn’t have to finish. She knew what he was saying. He never thought the two of them would ever be together like this. “I did think about you and me, though. But I saw us in a fancy hotel with silken sheets and room service. Nor did I ever think it could be so amazing, not even in my wildest dreams.” He traced a finger along her cheek to her lips.

She smiled. Her gaze locked with his. “The room service here is quite good and I don’t need expensive sheets with a high thread count. Just being here with you like this...” She touched the washboard of his stomach. “I feel I’m never going to get enough of you.”

He laughed as he grabbed her and rolled her over so she was flat on the bed and he leaned above her. “Let me see what I can do about that.” He bent down to kiss her gently on the lips before he trailed kisses down her neck. She closed her eyes, remembering that his favorite song was something about a slow hand.

Chapter Fifteen

When DJ woke beside Sadie, he was afraid that earlier had been nothing more than a dream. In the corner was the small Christmas tree they’d taken a break from lovemaking to decorate together with the silly things they’d found in the cabin. It made him smile it was so ugly and yet so beautiful all at the same time. Then they’d gone back to bed to make love and had fallen asleep.

He glanced over at Sadie and wanted to pinch himself. He’d never thought he’d even get to kiss her. The woman had captivated him for so long, but it had been strictly hands-off, all business. He ran his gaze down the length of her naked body, memorizing it the way he had earlier with his fingertips, with his tongue, with his lips—as if he could ever forget.

Remembering made his heart beat faster. He’d never experienced this kind of pleasure and pain, and knew it was why he’d never put his heart in jeopardy before. The emotions he was experiencing were the most joyous he’d ever known—and the most terrifying. Yet his pulse drummed with more than desire as he realized he couldn’t bear to ever walk away from this woman. He felt as if he would die with the longing. As if he wouldn’t be able to breathe—and wouldn’t care if he did.

He’d never felt anything like this, and it scared him more than having killers after them. This woman had stolen not just his heart, but his body and soul. He’d always felt protective of her, but now—

Her brown eyes opened, her gaze on his face as if she’d felt him looking at her. He smiled, not in the least embarrassed to be caught. “I’ll never get tired of looking at you.”

He saw the heat in her eyes as she reached for him, but just as quickly, she froze. Her gaze shot over his shoulder to the front of the house. He felt himself tense and quickly estimated how long it would take him to get to the weapon behind the vase on the mantel.

“It stopped snowing,” she said in a whisper filled with regret.

He felt it, too. Being here like this, he’d forgotten the outside world for a while. Now it came rushing back in. With the storm stopped, someone could get to them. He felt both dread and regret. “We’d better get up.”

She nodded but didn’t let go of his forearm. Looking into her eyes, he knew she was afraid this might be their last time together. He bent toward her for a kiss, and she cupped the back of his head, drawing him closer.

He wanted this so badly, and not just for today but always. He knew he would do whatever it took to make sure that happened as he lost himself in her. One way or another, they would be together. Partners to the end, he thought.

BYTHETIMEthey were out of bed and dressed, the sun had come out. The sunshine lit up the freshly fallen snow. It glittered like diamonds, so bright that it was blinding. Even the pine needles under the cover of snow caught the rays and glistened.

“It’s so beautiful,” Sadie said from the window. “Like a field of diamonds.” She turned as DJ came in through the back door, reminding herself how dangerous it could be.

“I found a shovel in the shed behind the cabin,” DJ said. “I’m going to dig out the SUV and then we’re getting out of here.”

She stared at him in surprise. “What about Keira?”

He shook his head. “Hopefully she’s on her way to Alaska.”

“Are you sure about this?” She couldn’t bear the thought that he’d have regrets. That their lovemaking had been the cause of him wanting to leave.

DJ’s look was heartbreaking. “I don’t need to look her in the eye to know the answer. I just didn’t want to believe it.” He shrugged. “At some point, you have to quit trying to save a person.”

She wasn’t sure he was still talking about Keira. She quickly stepped to him and put a finger to his lips. She shook her head slowly until his gaze met hers and held. She kissed him, wanting desperately to be in his arms, to assure him that she wasn’t ever going to give up on him. But even as she had those thoughts, she realized how much she needed this man.

She’d always been independent, determinedly so. While her godfather had raised her and made sure she had anything she wanted, she’d been on her own since she was eighteen. She could take care of herself, something she prided herself on. She’d never needed a man to take care of her.

Nor had she ever wanted one badly enough to even consider giving up her independence, let alone admitting that need. Until DJ Diamond. Neither of them had relationships that had lasted. The two of them as partners had been the longest for both of them.

Her need for DJ filled her with panic that she might lose him. They’d finally admitted how they felt about each other. She’d kept it bottled up for so long. It was unbearable even letting him go down to get the SUV unstuck. That need was an excruciating ache, so physically painful that she wanted to beg him not to leave for fear of what would happen.

But as she met his eyes, she saw that they couldn’t stay up here on this mountain forever. Eventually they would have to leave and go back to the real world. If their love for each other couldn’t withstand that, then there was no future for them.

She stepped back, feeling bereft. Love hurts. The words from a song now resonated in her heart, in the pounding of her blood.

“That vehicle we heard before,” she asked. “Keira?”

He shrugged. “Could have been Grandville’s men. Could have been anyone.”

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