Romance on the Edge 01 - Hooked

dance inside the abandoned building. It was quiet, when one expected whistling wind, or the scurry of rodents.
    “This place is clean for being abandoned,” he commented, taking in his surroundings.
    “The villagers use it for drying salmon. Soon it’ll be hanging with curtains of fish fillets.” Sonya turned back to the window, as though keeping watch. She kept to the shadows instead of standing directly in front of the opening for anyone to see her as they drifted by.
    “What’s up, Sonya?”
    She took off her ball cap, folded it in her hands, and turned to her side so that she could keep an eye on him and the view. “We’ve had some trouble and my crew voted that we inform you.”
    Her crew might have voted in the affirmative, but he knew she hadn’t. That shouldn’t bother him. Keeping a healthy distance from each other was a good thing, but not at the expense of her or her family’s safety.
    He took a step toward her. Who was he fooling? He wanted to be so close to her that the lines of where she started and he began blurred. “What kind of trouble?”
    She reformed the cap she’d been twisting in her hands. “Mischief stuff mostly.”
    “Mostly?” He advanced another few steps. “Spit it out, Sonya. What’s going on?”
    “Besides the hydraulics on the Double Dippin’ , someone cut one of our skiffs loose yesterday.” She took a deep breath, and he realized that she wasn’t acting apprehensive over meeting him—at least not much—she was fighting to keep her anger in check. “Now, they’ve sunk one of the skiffs.” She crumpled her hat again and he knew she wished she could tear into the vandal who was causing her trouble.
    He reached out and took the cap from her hands. “Keep this up and you’re going to need a new hat.” The scent of honeysuckle drifted to his nostrils. “Tell me everything that happened.”
    She filled him in on where they’d found the slices in the hydraulic hoses, the search for the skiff, and the cut rope, and then the reason she’d finally contacted him.
    The sunken skiff.
    “Have you looked over the skiff yet?”
    “No, it’s still on the bottom of the ocean. We’re waiting for the tide to go out, then we can get to it.”
    He nodded. “I want to be there with you. I want to see the rope and hydraulic hoses.”
    She scanned him from top to bottom. “Not dressed like that.”
    “Sonya—”
    “Nope.” She shook her head. “Don’t even attempt to argue. It’s hard enough I’m here with you now. Hanging with a fish cop isn’t going to help me. If the other fishermen see that I’ll have more trouble then I know what to do with.”
    He tightened his jaw. It was a new experience to have someone ashamed to be seen with him because of his profession. “If you didn’t want my help, why’d you call me?”
    “I don’t know.” She rubbed her hands over her face, and he wondered when she’d last slept?
    “Yes, you do.” He knew she was frustrated, angry, and worried. Her whole body relayed emotions as though they were signs of an incoming storm. He dropped the ball cap to the floor and put his hands on her shoulders, instinctively rubbing at the tight knots he found. “Sonya. Breathe.”
    She lifted her head, and their eyes met. Damn, he really should have stayed on the other side of the room. He saw her turbulent emotions change into something else.
    Something far more dangerous.
    He found it next to impossible to resist a woman who wanted him as much as he wanted her.
    One moment, they were motionless, caught up in their physical awareness of each other. The next found them catapulted into each other’s arms.
    He growled as his mouth met hers, grabbing her flush to him, he slammed their bodies against the wall of the building. His hands fought to free the tied sweatshirt around her waist, and then dove under her t-shirt to find skin.
    “No…” Her teeth nipped at his jaw. “Can’t…” Her arms tightened around his shoulders. “Do this.” Then she climbed up his body and wrapped her legs around his waist.
    “Oh, I think we damn well can.” His erection rode hard against the heat between her thighs. The seductive sound that escaped her almost had him dropping her to the floor and pounding his body into hers right then and there. Her body shuddered against his and suddenly he wanted time. Not stolen moments in some dusty, drafty, old building. An honest-to-God bed with no chance of interruptions.
    He was going to regret this