Page 15 of The Death Dealer

She spun around and shoved his chest. His forward momentum caused her to strike harder than she normally would’ve.

His breath whooshed from his lungs.

“Fuck!”

Trevor’s curse was internal, but she heard it all the same. Taking no small satisfaction in breaking his concentration, she grinned.

“Christ, I want to kiss the hell out of your fuckable mouth.”His wicked thought stunned her.

“Oh!” The shock—and something else she wouldn’t explore at the moment—caused her face, as well as other parts of her anatomy, to tingle.

Color crept up his neck, and he gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

“No need to… um, well, yeah, I…” They probably resembled a matching pair of beefsteak tomatoes. She shook her head. “I’ve got to focus on wood, er, uh, Wood’s…uh, Cycad. Wood’s Cycad!”

A naughty smile curled his lips, and his immediate thought was filthier than the ground beneath their feet.“You can focus on my wood. Any day of the week.”

Her breasts tightened, and her embarrassed flush was a dead giveaway. He knew very well she’d heard his bawdy reference.

“Stop it, Mr. Blane,” she scolded. Presenting her back, she allowed a small smile. He was indecent to the extreme and her favorite kind of bad boy, although she’d never say it aloud.

“You don’t have to,” he replied. “You really need to learn to block your thoughts, babe.”

“If I murder you, I no longer have to worry about it,” she retorted. “Believe me, it’s definitely an idea I’m toying with.”

“Hmm, but sleeping with me is more prominent in your mind. I say we go withthataction plan.”

“I say there will be no action. Not now, not ever!”

“Spoilsport.”

“Wood’s”—she whirled and narrowed her eyes—“Cycad is too important to me. If you’re going with me, hold my hands.”

“I could find a more pleasurable place to touch you?—”

“Shut it and hold on.”

Trevor appreciatedthe becoming flush on Soleil’s cheeks and the challenging light in her dark eyes. Call him warped, but their banter was more exciting than any he’d experienced in as long as he could remember. Why she held his interest when no one else could was puzzling, yet she did.

He’d embarrassed them both with the “fuckable mouth” comment, but Goddess above, she had the sexiest one he’d ever seen. Porn star worthy. Not that he watched a lot of porn, but he’d seen a film or two in his day. Also, Trev had tasted Soleil. Twice. Mistakes both, but ones he couldn’t get out of his head.

As he held her hands, his cells amped to burning. He didn’t like not knowing where he was going, and he certainly didn’t love the idea of chasing a moody, elusive botanist, who was a time nazi. But Soleil had almost been run down, and Trevor couldn’t help but believe the two things were related. Yes, the SUV jumping the curb might’ve been accidental. Yet he had the sneaking suspicion it wasn’t. If someone had Soleil in their targets, he intended to find out exactly who and why. Then he’d use his considerable gifts to destroy them.

“You’ve been quiet since the parking lot,” Soleil murmured as they walked toward one of five enormous greenhouses belonging to the man she was to meet.

“I’m wondering why anyone would want to run you down,” he replied.

“It was probably an accident.”

Trevor scoffed. “I don’t believe in accidents or coincidences in my line of work.”

“That must be a sad way to live, always suspecting people of wrongdoing.”

“I didn’t say that,” he protested.

She simply lifted a brow.

Glancing around, he took stock of the estate. Waves crashed against the beach in the distance, and the tropical setting said they weren’t anywhere close to Massachusetts anymore. “Why did you need a taxi if you were coming to a different continent?” he asked.

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