Page 71 of A Rebel's Shot

He set his boots aside and closed the space between them in a breath, as if reading her mind. His fingers plunged into her messy hair, holding her captive.

Merritt’s heart thundered in her chest, a wild rhythm that matched the rushing of the nearby river. Time seemed to slow as Tiikâan’s face drew closer, his warm breath mingling with hers.

When their lips met, it was like coming home.

Soft and gentle at first, then deepening with a passion that made her toes curl inside her socks. The world faded away, leaving only the two of them in that moment. His beard tickled her chin, a reminder of his rugged strength that made her feel utterly safe and cherished.

Merritt melted into the kiss, her hands finding their way to his shoulders, feeling the solid warmth beneath his shirt. A tiny sigh escaped her, half contentment, half longing for more. This was what she’d been missing her whole life—this connection, this feeling of belonging.

As they parted, she kept her eyes closed for a moment, savoring the lingering sensation. When she finally looked up at him, she saw her own emotions reflected in his eyes—wonder, affection, and an abundance of protective fierceness that made her heart skip a beat.

“Come on, Skeet.” His growly voice sent a delicious shiver down her back. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

But before Merritt could respond, Tiikâan’s lips found hers again, stealing her breath and her thoughts in one swift motion.

This kiss was different—playful, almost teasing.

His mouth left hers, trailing a path of featherlight kisses along her jawline toward her ear. Each touch sent sparks dancing across her skin, and she couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled up from her chest as his beard tickled her sensitive neck.

The sound of her own laughter surprised her.

How long had it been since she’d felt this light, this carefree?

In the midst of danger and uncertainty, Tiikâan had given her a moment of pure joy. Her heart swelled with affection for this man who could make her forget their perilous situation, even if just for a moment.

As his lips reached her ear, Merritt’s giggles subsided into a contented sigh. He wasn’t doing a very good job getting ready for their long day of surviving the Alaskan wilderness. But there was no way on God’s green earth that she would stop him.

Instead, she simply leaned in, savoring the feeling of being cherished, protected, and completely understood without a single word being spoken. His lips found hers again, unrelenting in their claim of her.

With a groan, he leaned his forehead to hers. They both sucked air like they’d just almost drowned, and his heart battered against her hand.

“You’re dangerous.” His breath blew across her tingling lips, enticing her to lean forward and forget about ever leaving their makeshift shelter, but his words made her cringe.

Being with her almost got him killed. Because of her and her messed-up family, there was a possibility of him dying in the mountains, his body never found. If anything, she was more a danger to him than anything Alaska had to offer.

She schooled her expression and pushed him away. “What’s the plan, mountain man?”

With one last peck, he sat next to her and pulled hisboot on. “We eat, pack up camp, then head up and over the mountain.”

“Why not follow the river to civilization?” Not that she questioned his plan, but didn’t Bear Grylls say to follow water? “Or backtrack up the river to the plane?”

“There’s no telling how far we were swept downstream, and we won’t be able to make it back to the plane in time for rescue anyway. With the storm past, I would be surprised if the search party hasn’t already arrived.”

“Too bad the only one being saved is the murderer.” Merritt pushed aside the horrible words about her uncle that wanted to spew from her lips and focused on their own survival. “So, we’re going into the mountains instead of following the river?”

“We’ll most likely follow the river, kind of.” He handed her boots to her, then dug in his pack. “I want to get to higher ground. The overgrowth along the water would be a nightmare to traverse, plus make being spotted by search parties near impossible.”

He tossed her a protein bar, then pulled his map out.

“From higher ground, we can see if there are any landmarks that will tell us where we are exactly. Just sucks that the glacier sits in a pretty isolated bowl surrounded to the west by sheer cliffs. Getting back to it might be next to impossible.”

Tapping a spot on the paper, he traced his finger along a river. “But if we follow the river up on the ridgeline, we’ll make better time, be more visible, and all water leads to civilization, right?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

But it wasn’t.

Not even close.

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