Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 107096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 535(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 535(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
5
COLTON
As soon as I saw the gun in her hands, I raised my shotgun on instinct. But as Tanya turned towards us, my finger froze on the trigger.
JD stared at me. “SHOOT!”
Tanya was bringing her gun up, about to fire. I dropped the shotgun and sprang at her, ramming my shoulder into her chest. There was a deafening boom next to my ear as the gun went off. Then I was riding her down to the floor. The gun sailed out of her hand and she oofed as my full weight came down on top of her.
I looked over my shoulder, terrified. “Everybody okay?”
The team all looked at each other, everyone white-faced and shaky. For a second, it wasn’t clear where the bullet went. Then we all registered that Gabriel had his hand clamped to the side of his head. He took it away and his fingers were bloody. The bullet had clipped the very top of his ear. A few inches to the right and he’d be dead.
JD marched over to me. “What was that?”
I swallowed and looked up at him, feeling ill. I had no answer.
“Next time I tell you to shoot,” he snapped, “you shoot!”
I nodded quickly, chastened. He was mad at me and he had every right to be. But I could hear disappointment in his voice, too, and that was way, way worse.
And even worse than that was that, despite everything, part of me was thinking just how good Tanya’s body felt under mine. I was full length on top of her, my legs were between hers and I had her wrists pinned to the floor above her head. Every time she breathed, her chest swelled and her breasts pushed up against me in a way that made my cock twitch.
She stared up at me, and those cold blue eyes seemed to flicker again. Weakening and showing me the heat beneath? Or tricking me, just like she had Danny?
I rolled her face-down and finished cuffing her wrists together, then hauled her to her feet. All of us gave a sigh of relief: finally, she was secure.
But she had one last weapon none of us had thought of. She took an enormous gulp of air—
I realized she was going to scream. A real long, shake-the-walls, bloodcurdling scream, one that would bring her neighbors running.
Before I even knew what I was doing, I hooked an arm around her waist, pulled her back against me and clamped my hand across her mouth. She screamed but I’ve got big hands and not much sound escaped. JD caught my eye and gave me a grudging nod: well done. That made me feel a little better. And it helped to distract from how amazing Tanya’s lips felt against my palm.
As the scream ended, I put my mouth next to her ear and spoke, quiet but firm. “You try that again and I’ll gag you, and you can stay silent for the entire journey. Understand?”
She huffed angrily against my palm and the sensation made me close my eyes for a second as I fought to keep myself under control. God, I was dangerously smitten with this woman.
When I opened my eyes, I looked across the room to a mirror on the wall. I could see her reflection glaring back at me. Her blue eyes were furious, sullen...but resigned. She understood.
I slowly lifted my palm from her lips and she didn’t scream. I exchanged relieved looks with the rest of the team. Then I put my hands on her shoulders and turned her to face me. “I gotta search you,” I told her.
She gave me a glare that could have frozen lava. Then she lifted her chin and stood there like a statue, waiting.
I could feel the tension in her body as I felt around her ankles and calves, then made my way up her thighs. She was expecting me to grope her. But even though her legs felt fucking amazing through those tight jeans, there was no way I was going to take advantage. I kept it clean and clinical, sweeping up over her hips and waist, where I found two nasty-looking knives hidden in her belt. I checked her back, then under her arms. My wrists brushed the sides of her breasts and I forced myself not to react but the soft, weighty feel of them burned itself into my mind. I checked along the length of her arms, then leaned in close to feel around her neck and under her hair. As I ran my fingers through the silky waves, we stared at each other, our faces six inches apart. She was still glaring at me but, beneath all the coldness, there was something else: a hint of confusion and surprise.
JD keyed his radio. “Cal, package is secure. We’re coming out.” He looked at Danny. “Get the car ready.”