Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents #2)(31)

Then when he’d grown older, he’d discovered there were other kinds of hells, especially on the battlefield.

Her fingers curled around the blanket. “Th-thank you.”

He ran a hand through his damp hair. The cabin seemed to shake around them with the force of the rattling thunder. “We aren’t getting back to the main house tonight.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to try and drive through this.”

He didn’t want to push her right into one of her nightmares. He reached for his phone, called the sheriff. “It’s Jasper.” The sheriff immediately started asking questions, all about Veronica. Back off, man. Yeah, it was pretty obvious the guy was sweet on Veronica.

Jasper glanced over at her.

So am I. A complication he sure hadn’t counted on when he’d signed up for the mission.

“We’re staying at the cabin on the north end of the property. No, no,” Jasper said, when the sheriff tried to interrupt, “we aren’t coming back tonight. We’ll check in tomorrow, once the storm has blown past us.” He ended the call over the sheriff’s objections.

Jasper stared at Veronica a moment, then asked, “Is he always like that?”

She looked over her shoulder at him. Her wet hair was a dark mass around her neck. “Like what?”

“He doesn’t want you out of his sight.”

I understand how that feels.

Veronica shrugged. “He’s protective of everyone in Whiskey Ridge.”

What? Of all two hundred folks scattered around?

Jasper began to stalk toward her. His fingers were itching to touch the softness of her skin. No, he just wanted to touch her. “It’s different,” he said. “I can see it in his eyes.” And it made him...jealous. He knew the bitter taste—he’d felt it before. Too often.

Jealous of the kids with real homes, real families.

“He wants you,” Jasper said flatly.

Her lashes lifted and she met his gaze.

“The question is...” Don’t touch her, not yet. The rain pounded down outside, tapping hard against the old tin roof. “Do you want him?” If she did, he’d back off. Because he wasn’t going to—

“Are you really that blind?” she asked him with a shake of her head and a faint smile. “Can’t you tell that you’re the one I want?”

She was the one he was desperate to have.

They were alone. Sheltered from the storm. No interruptions. No danger.

Just...

Them.

His fingers rose, traced the soft curve of her cheek. Slid down, down, and then he was cupping her chin, tilting her head back. He tasted the lingering raindrops on her lips.

Just the touch of her lips against his sent a powerful wave of desire pulsing through his body. The kiss started gentle. She deserved gentle. She was delicate and warm and everything he wanted.

But it was hard to stay gentle when he wanted her so badly that his hands were starting to shake. His arousal pressed against the front of his jeans. Heavy, hard, aching—for her.

“Don’t be a tease this time,” she whispered. “If you want me, it’s just about me. Not about owing anyone anything. Just me. Just you.” The blanket fell from her shoulders. Veronica’s arms rose and wrapped around him. She pulled him closer, and closer was exactly where he wanted to be.

Just me. Just you.

The kiss became deeper. Hotter. He forgot about the chill from the rain, because the woman was burning him up. Her soft fingers pushed up his shirt.

Jasper was only too eager to toss that shirt across the room. Then his hands went to her shirt.

Go easy. Go easy. The mantra was repeating in his head.

“You don’t have to,” she whispered.

He frowned at her. What was she saying?

“I like you anyway—you don’t have to be easy for me.”

The mantra hadn’t just been in his head, and the woman was about to shred his control.

He lifted her shirt, carefully, then tossed it to the floor. She wore a black bra, one that wasn’t covered in lace, but was just as incredibly sexy as it pushed up her beautiful breasts.

He stared at her a moment, savoring the view, and then he had to touch that tempting flesh.

Her bra hit the floor.

His fingers curled around her breasts. Veronica gasped and arched toward him. Her nails bit into his arms. He liked that bite.

A lot.

He lifted her into the air, carrying her easily.

“Jasper?”

Five steps, and he had her at the bed. He lowered her onto the covers. The mattress squeaked beneath them. The rain kept falling. The thunder echoed across the sky.

He pressed a kiss to her breast. Stroked her with his hands and he loved the way that she arched into his touch. Her breasts were so sensitive, and they tasted so damn sweet.

While he kissed her flesh, his hand slid down between their bodies. Her shoes were gone, kicked away, and he wanted her jeans gone, too. He’d fantasized about having her naked beneath him, and that fantasy was about to become all too real.

As long as his control would last.

He wanted to devour her. Jasper couldn’t ever remember wanting a woman so badly. His heart raced, a drumbeat that shook his chest and echoed in his ears.

His fingers pulled down her zipper, yanked open the snap. Then his fingers were pushing inside that opening, and caressing her through the thin silk of her panties. His eyes locked on her face, on the pleasure that whispered over her beautiful features. Her eyes had gone even brighter with that pleasure.