Ghostwalker 06 - Predatory Game

at the wall of his chest with her small hands, her strength easily overcome, but he obediently straightened, leaning back against the solid tree trunk. She sat up hastily, scrambled what she thought was a safe distance away, and kneeling, faced him.
    “Lord, Jesse.” She breathed his name in awe. “We can never do that again. We don’t dare. We nearly set the world on fire.”
    A slow smile curved his mouth. “Personally, I was thinking it would be a good idea to repeat the experience. Often.”
    She touched her full lower lip with a cautious fingertip. “You should be outlawed, a woman isn’t safe around you.”

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    He resisted the urge to caress her face with his hand, not wanting to destroy her illusion of safety. “It wasn’t just me, angel face.”
    She shook her head in adamant denial. Jess ignored the gesture, intrigued by the play of light in her shining hair. God, he wanted her. It was far more than a relentless physical craving. It was everything wrapped into one. He’d had beautiful women and flash affairs, but he’d never felt like this. Not where love and lust met, intertwined, and became so tightly woven together they were one and the same.
    “This can’t be,” Saber said. “I have to go, Jess. Things are getting out of hand and I can’t control them. I don’t want to control them.”
    As she started her retreating move, Jess’s hand snaked out with lightening speed and shackled her wrist.
    “Oh, no you don’t, baby, you’re not getting away from me.” His grip was immensely strong, but he didn’t hurt her—he never did.
    Blue eyes flew, startled, to his dark ones. Dragon king, she always called him. He was wreaking havoc on all her senses. “Jesse,” she made a breathless little protest, already feeling lost.
    “It’s too late, Saber. You’re in love with me, you’re just too damned stubborn to admit it to yourself.”
    “No, no, Jesse, I’m not.” She sounded more frightened than convinced.
    “Sure you are.” Relentlessly, he drew her back to him until she was so close the heat between them threatened to erupt into flames. Beneath his hands he could feel her trembling. “Think about it, honey.
    Who makes you laugh? Who makes you happy? Who do you run to when you have a problem?” His fingers found the nape of her neck, sending little tongues of fire licking along her spine.
    She took a deep steadying breath. “It doesn’t matter. Even if you’re right, which you’re not, it wouldn’t matter. I have to leave.”
    His fingers curled over her shoulders, gave her the gentlest of exasperated shakes. “Stop saying that. I don’t want to hear it again. Don’t you think I’m aware you have some deep, dark secret in your past?
    Somebody you’re running from? That’s what doesn’t matter. You belong here, Saber. In Sheridan, Wyoming, with me, in my home, right by my side.”
    She went pale. “You don’t know what you’re saying. Jesse, I don’t have any deep, dark secrets, I just like to travel. I can’t help myself. I just get restless and pick up and go.” He knew. He knew about her.
    How? Or maybe he didn’t. Maybe she was panicking and he really thought she had a creep for an ex-husband and she was hiding from him. Let it be that. Please, please, let it be that.
    He released her with a smile. “You can’t lie worth a damn, Saber.”
    “Really?” She stuck her chin out at him. “Well neither can you. You have a few deep dark secrets of your own.”
    He nodded. “I’ll admit it. I have a high security clearance and can’t talk about my work much, but that shouldn’t affect the two of us or our relationship.”
    He was admitting it. Her heart went into overdrive, pounding so hard she pressed a hand to her chest to alleviate the ache. He was a GhostWalker, highly trained in dealing death. And he was skilled in psychic Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    abilities. Wheelchair or not, she wasn’t safe with him. Pressing her lips together, she ducked her head.
    She didn’t want to pursue the matter any further. Not now. Not today. Most of her life was pretense.
    This was her one chance at a day with Jess. The only one she might ever have.
    Jess could sense the panic in her, the confusion and reluctance. He sighed and let it go. “We’ll drop it for now. Just make me a promise; give me your word of honor you won’t ever try to