Page 29 of Cowboy Under Siege

Trinny couldn’t shake the urge to steal the keys to the truck and make a break for it. The open road had become a haven over the past month, and right this second, she wanted to bolt like a wild horse.

Now she wasn’t only stuck here, she was stuck with Jaren.

Fighting off a scream and some stinging tears, she watched him punching in a code to arm the security system.

She raked her fingers through her hair. “Is that necessary? We’re in the middle of nowhere in a house that belongs to not one but two members of the WEST Protection team. That driveway must be a mile long. Through the woods. And halfway up the mountain.”

“Not quite half.” He turned from the number pad on the wall with a smile.

She didn’t want to look at him and feel these sparks—or be reminded of the concern on his face after the explosion either.

Unable to meet his gaze for more than a few heartbeats, she walked over to a leather chair and sank to the edge. Her knees tried to bounce with nerves, but years of her mother’s nagging forced her to hold still.

Even though she wasn’t born to the life of a country girl, she missed the rodeo right now. It was so simple. No playacting needed. No lies. Just one guy telling another how bad he sucked that night and both of them laughing it off while cracking open some beers and toasting to better luck next time.

Only a day ago, she was beginning to feel real in a way she never had. All that was cut short and now she didn’t know where she was meant to be.

Her gaze fell on the coffee table. In the back of her mind, she registered the small stack of books and a candle in a rustic wood holder, though her mind was seeking out some path that would remove her from this entire situation.

When a pair of long, denim-clad legs appeared in front of her, she looked up at Jaren.

He held out a hand. “I need to see your phone.”

Recoiling, she searched his face. “Why?”

He looked a little sheepish. “I should have done it first thing. I made a mistake, but I have to make sure nobody followed you here.”

She stiffened. “Nobody’s had access to my phone.” All she had left in her possession this minute was the contents of her purse and her phone. She wasn’t about to let him go through either.

He dropped to a crouch in front of her, putting their eyes on the same level. His thick, muscled thighs stretched the worn denim. She resisted running her tongue over her bottom lip out of pure lust. Why did she have to be so acutely aware of how close his big body was to hers…and how she could open her legs and draw him between them?

“Please, Trinny. Everything I do is for your safety.” His deep voice pitched low.

The deep rumble made her want to drag her fingers over his beard and plant her lips over his.

Since their one-night stand, she couldn’t quit having fantasies about him. His lips, his tongue, his fingers…his cock.

It was one night. It’s not going to happen again.

Really? You already want him. And you’re alone with him.

A groan burned at the base of her throat, but she didn’t issue the noise. With a resigned sigh, she fished her phone out of her back pocket. He held out a hand, and she reluctantly handed over the device.

“Thank you. I know that was difficult for you.”

She heaved another sigh and let her head fall back against the plush leather chair. Closing her eyes, she resigned herself to the violation of privacy. Not that she had anything to hide—it was just that she’d spent her entire life trying to retain some modicum of privacy. Early on, she learned not many could be trusted. More recently, she learnednobodycould be.

“Do you need my passcode?” she asked without opening her eyes.

“Nope. Already in.”

Her eyes popped open, and she jolted forward. “What? How did you know my passcode?”

He leveled a look at her. “It’s part of my job.”

“Breaking into people’s phones is part of your job,” she said flatly.

“When the situation calls for it.” He ran his long thumb down the screen, stirring the memory of that callused stroke against her wrist.

---