Hidden Away (KGI #3)(52)

“Sarah,” he said in a low voice.

She looked up, her eyes raw, exhaustion practically screaming back at him.

“I don’t expect you to fully trust me yet, but right now you don’t have a hell of a lot of choices. Until I know what the threat to you is and eliminate it, you’re stuck with me. That has nothing to do with your brother or anyone else. It has to do with you being safe, and I’ll do whatever I have to in order to make that happen.”

“Why? Why would you care?”

He stared back at her for a long time. “I care. Let’s just leave it at that.”

CHAPTER 19

SARAH gawked back at Garrett, still trying to process the fact that he was standing in her house. In Mexico. She wanted to be furious—she was furious—but she was too damn tired and befuddled to do anything but stare like an idiot as she tried to take it all in.

Then she shook her head. Why the hell were they standing there talking about kissing?

He reached out and cupped his hand over her cheek. The touch was a jolt to her system and sent a flicker of awareness down her spine. He rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone, the pad rasping over her skin until a shiver crept up her nape.

“You need to sleep, Sarah. I’ll watch over you. No one will hurt you. I need you at your best and then we need to get the hell out of here.”

She swayed, hypnotized by the deep timbre of his voice. How easy he made it to fall under his spell.

“What’s in this for you?” Then as if she remembered, “Besides the money,” she said with a hint of bitterness.

His hand stilled on her face, and a slight current of tension raced through his fingertips. He seemed to struggle with the question, and she wondered if he’d bother answering. Then he dropped his thumb until it rubbed over her lips. “You. You’re what’s in it for me.”

She took a step back, disconcerted by the utter seriousness she heard in his voice. He followed. She retreated until her back bumped against the wall and then he bumped into her, his body pressing against hers until his heat invaded her limbs.

She raised her hands, fully intent on shoving him back, but they stilled when they came into contact with his chest.

“I’m going to kiss you again, Sarah.”

“No, you’re not.”

“The hell I’m not,” he growled just as his lips melted over hers.

This was stupid. They were kissing. She’d just threatened him with a gun. He’d just called her an idiot who was trying to get herself killed. He’d purposely positioned himself on the island to get close to her. Their meeting hadn’t been happenstance. He’d lied.

But he hadn’t. Not really. She’d been an idiot for not being more careful. He hadn’t had to lie to her because she’d never pressed him for information. He’d been there, a strong, steady presence and she’d latched on like some pathetic moron. Much like she was doing now.

She stood still, determined not to respond. Determined that she could show indifference. That she was still angry over his deception. But he was patient. Oh, the man was patient. And lethal. He wooed her with his mouth, tasting, kissing each part of her lips before he gently teased her mouth open so his tongue gained entrance.

He savored her like she was something decadent and delicious, his tongue dancing lightly over hers and then stroking, warm and soft. She closed her eyes and swayed into him, her fingers digging into the hardness of his chest. She froze when her belly pressed into his groin and she felt the evidence of his arousal, hard and hot against her softness.

He cursed softly and pulled his mouth away, leaving only an inch between them. “Ignore that,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She laughed. She couldn’t help it. Her shoulders shook and she looked down and laughed all over again.

“What the hell is so funny?” he demanded. “Definitely not good for a man’s ego when a woman looks at his dick and laughs.”

This time her laughter came out in breathless wheezes. She laughed so hard, tears gathered in the corners of her eyes and then streamed down her cheeks. He glared at her, his scowl growing more ferocious with every burst of laughter.

“On the contrary,” she managed to get out. “You tell me to forget something that obvious?”

“I was trying not to be an ass**le,” he grumbled.

For some reason she found that even funnier. “You break into my house. You take my gun away from me. Informed me you lied about pretty much everything when we were on the island. Then tell me I’m an idiot who’s trying to get herself killed. And you’re worried about being an ass**le?”

He opened his mouth then promptly shut it. Then he backed away and picked up her gun from the table he’d laid it on. He turned it over in his hand then looked back up at her. “Not a bad choice, but it’s too big for you. You weren’t holding it tight enough for it not to kick back and probably knock you on your ass. You need something smaller that fits your hand better. A .38 would be a good choice.”

She frowned. “I was holding it tight enough to shoot you.”

“You were aiming at my balls,” he said in a disgruntled voice.

“Oh.”

“And if you start laughing again, I’m going to kick your little ass.”

She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle that threatened to pop out.