Page 43 of Unlawful Seduction

He certainly didn’t act like he knew what to say. Maybe being all alone for so long had stripped away his ability to deal with other humans.

At least with regard to conversation. The more personal aspects really were like riding a bike.

He’d mastered every one of them.

Touch.

Taste.

Kiss.

Passion.

I was definitely partially out of it and would be for another full day. What then? How would I feel when the reality of the situation came crashing down on me?

A warm blush immediately snapped across my skin.

“Get some sleep,” he told me. “Come on, Jax. Let the lady have some space.”

Jax whined, but finally and quite reluctantly agreed to jump off, looking over his shoulder before following Beckett from the room. My dangerous host turned and grabbed the handle of the door, closing it slowly behind him.

But I could easily read his mind, which was a direct reflection of mine.

What had occurred between us, two strangers who’d never meet again had shifted into something else entirely. The term wasn’t readily accessible and it certainly wasn’t a relationship of any kind.

One thing was perfectly clear and I was totally fine with it. Sharing even the most limited concept of intimacy could never happen again.

CHAPTER 11

Beckett

Beauty was truly in the eye of the beholder.

Not true with a woman like the good doctor. She was beautiful inside and out and anyone who came in contact with her had likely noticed. She was also frustrating as fuck. She’d plow head on into any situation no matter the level of danger. If she wasn’t careful, that would get her killed.

Granted, she had no clue just how incredibly precarious the moment in time had become. She’d yet to grasp what we were dealing with, including a storm raging outside my doors.

Mallory was sleeping peacefully, her chest rising and falling in a gentle sweep. I rose from the chair in the corner, determined to leave her for the time being. I’d found a pair of sweatpants for her that might work, some thicker socks, and a couple of sweaters that would drown her, but at least she’d have something to change into. Thankfully, the shoes she’d been wearing were decent boots, sufficient for a walk in the snow if it was necessary.

I certainly hadn’t planned on having company. I also hadn’t thought about bringing clothes with me. I’d wanted to get her to safety and warmth.

Jax lifted his head as I passed by the bed, eyeing me carefully, perhaps worried I’d shoo him away. Let him stay. He’d taken to her. How could I blame him? She’d been determined to repair his wound. She had no idea how grateful I was.

I stood in the doorway briefly, the howling wind catching my attention seconds later. A snowmobile was safely hidden away in case getting off the mountain was impossible any other way. That allowed for additional comfort that we weren’t trapped, yet right now I felt like a caged animal.

That wasn’t good for anyone to be around.

I left the door partially open for Jax to escape when he needed, trotting down the stairs and immediately grabbing my drink.

I’d grabbed the unknown assailant’s weapon, but he’d come with nothing on him indicating an identity. There’d been no time to check for a vehicle. I had taken the time to dump his body in the river behind Mallory’s house. The swift current would carry him out to the inlet and with the ice and snow, the man’s body wouldn’t be found for days if not weeks.

Fortunately, the blood had been easily contained and she’d had decent cleaning supplies. I’d even righted the chairs and done what I could to make it appear as if nothing had occurred.

I moved to the front window of the living room, staring out at the blanket of white for longer than necessary. With whiteout conditions, I had no chance of seeing anything clearly anyway. I was antsy, furious that somehow I’d managed to draw attention to myself after all my attempts at fading into the abyss.

With two men down, I couldn’t rule out the possibility there were more. At least I believed during the storm we would be protected from any additional enemy advances. I needed to determine who’d sent another death squad out. That would enable me to have a better understanding of how far they were willing to go to sign my death warrant.

After all this time, I was somewhat surprised. Unless something of even more value than human lives had been lost in the fire. That’s something I hadn’t considered.

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