Page 12 of Going Rogue
Crane surprised her by reaching over to clasp her hand. “You won’t.”
Tingles of warmth radiated up her arm as she stared down at his large palm engulfing hers. He couldn’t promise her that, but his voice had sounded so sure the words soothed some of the panic clawing at her.
In the light of the cab, she could see the skin around her wrists no longer looked so irritated. She preferred not to have them bound in rope again. When he squeezed her hand, the sweet gesture tempted her to turn her palm up and grasp his . . . but she didn’t. Partly because she feared what it would mean and partly because they still had to work together.
When he didn’t remove his hand, she looked up to find him watching her. Anemotion swirled in his caramel eyes, which she didn’t know how to interpret. Determination fired his gaze, but something else burned along with it—something softer, warmer.
Warm enough to make her insides jumpy.
Rogue jerked her head and her hand away. “What’s our Plan B now?” The question came out breathy, making her frown. Since when did her lungs stop functioning correctly?
When he answered her, the rasp in Crane’s voice sounded more pronounced. “Keep heading north. On foot.”
This meant, in addition to worrying about the militants catching up with them, they’d also have to worry about poisonous snakes and scorpions as they walked across the desert.Super.
And only if they didn’t run out of water first. They’d refilled the reservoir in Crane’s vest before they’d left the militants’ compound, but they hadn’t expected to need it to last for days.
An overwhelming desire to scream at the top of her lungs pierced her chest, but theydidn’t have time for her to freak out. She had to remember the important things—she’d made it off the compound, and she wasn’t alone.
Before she had time to think about it, she blurted, “Thank you for coming back for me.” She didn’t know where she’d be if he hadn’t, and she’d never properly thanked him.
As if her statement had been a spark, the tension in the Humvee skyrocketed. She felt his eyes on her but refused to meet his gaze. “Rogue . . .”
When she didn’t look at him, he sighed. “I’ll always come back for you.”
The soft statement punched through her defenses with the ease of an armor-piercing round. Off-kilter, her gaze jerked to his. But then the vehicle slowed to a halt, cutting off the charged moment.
“Fuck!” Crane slammed his hands on the wheel, making her jump.
Instinct had her reach for his arm, but then she thought better of it. Touching him wouldn’t help her keep her distance, especially when electric heat seemed to rush through her body whenever they did. Softly,she said, “Time for a hike.”
When Crane turned his head, the tortured expression on his face made her gasp out a breath. He shifted toward her. In the space of a blink, he had her head in his big hands, one of them tangling in the hair at the base of her neck. Then he lowered his forehead to hers.
She wasn’t sure what happened, but his breathing was erratic, so she lifted a hand to his chest. “Are you okay?” she whispered. Under her fingers, his heart pounded like a drum tattoo.
His eyes were shut, and she tried desperately not to focus on how good his hands felt holding her. With his lips so close, the desire to kiss him made her own breathing shallow as she wondered what a real one with him would be like.
In response to her question, he gave a slight shake of his head but didn’t release her. Not until his breathing slowed to its normal rhythm.
When he leaned back, his eyes held her still as his palms moved to cup her face. One thumb gently trailed across her cheek to hermouth. Then he ran the pad of his finger along her bottom lip.
Holy hell.
A bullet shot straight to her core and melted into liquid heat. She’d never wanted to be kissed so badly. Her hand on his chest squeezed the thin, wicking material of his shirt into a ball as her gaze fell to his mouth.
When Crane leaned in for the kiss this time, she didn’t stop him. His mouth on hers pressed as gently as before, but she wanted more.
She must’ve made some sound in her throat because Crane’s tongue traced the seam of her lips and then dipped inside. He tasted like salt, dust, and something all male. His musky flavor lit up her tastebuds, and her body responded in a way it never had before. Every cell came alive, vibrating with an intensity she didn’t understand. Then, her pulse began to throb at the apex of her thighs.
She’d never been so turned on by a kiss.
Not that she had a wealth of experience, but this was usually the point where she’d get disappointed and pull away. Next, theexcuses came. She happened to be busy studying, working, or walking her cat, even though she’d never owned a cat. All so she didn’t have to go on another date and face the possibility of liking someone enough for them to hurt her.
But with Crane, she didn’t want to pull away. She felt no disappointment with his lips moving against hers, only desire and a craving she didn’t know how to satiate.
His tongue caressed hers while the warmth of his hands sent shivers down her neck. The pulsing in her core matched the beat of her heart until she became desperate to feel more of him. She shifted, tugging at his arms with the need to have his hands on her body, but at her movement, Crane broke the kiss.
“Baby, I don’t want to hurt you.” His palms still gripped her head as his thumb grazed her swollen lip.
