CHAPTER FOUR
Jonah
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Angel spits out.
Outside, thunder rolls, wind howls, and snow’s coming down. But I’m more worried about the storm inside.
We rise from the table, and she skewers me with a furious gaze. She’s got a temper and I’ve tripped it. I don’t give a fuck. She can be as mad as she wants, as long as she’s safe.
I fill a pan with water and set it to heat on the stovetop, then add a log to the wood burner.
She steps into my space and jabs a finger at my chest. “I’ve got plenty of overbearing brothers, thank you very much.
” Her finger drills in for emphasis. “I don’t need another over-protective male thinking it’s his job to watch out for me.
How do you think I made it through four years of college and two years of grad school without you?
You weren’t there to tell me to look both ways before crossing the street, but still I managed to do that. Every single time.”
I don’t think it’s a good time to remind her that I did show up at her college and it was because she was having a rough time. But she’s not done.
“And you want to know what else? I’ve worked successfully at my profession without you holding my hand. I’ve earned full marks on all my evaluations, yet you think I can’t stand near a stove without getting burned. Whatever burr is up your butt, it’s about you, not me.”
I lean down so we’re nose to nose. “You were being shot at, Angel. You never should’ve been up there. You’re a wildlife biologist, not law enforcement.”
Her eyes spark fire. “Dooley told me he’d seen the trap. What was I supposed to do? Leave it so those assholes can torture and kill a bear?”
“You should have reported it to me. I’m senior Forest Service law enforcement and this is my jurisdiction. You never should’ve gone off on your own with a storm coming. And Jesus Christ, what made you think it was a good idea to engage with the poachers? You could have been killed.”
“I know you’re a LEO. I called your office and reported what Dooley told me. I didn’t think anyone would respond today. It was a cable trap, Jonah. I had to do something.”
The rawness of her voice guts me but I hold on to my conviction. She sighs, and her attitude evens out. “I made a calculated decision that I could document the site, disable the trap, and get out before the worst of the storm hit. If I got caught in the storm, I planned on coming here.”
I grab her hand before she can poke me again. “You miscalculated, because they were shooting at you.” I lower my voice to keep from shouting. “Nothing makes that okay.”
“The poachers showed up sooner than I anticipated.” She shrugs like it was no big deal.
Something loosens in my brain and I snap. I grab the lapels of her jacket and yank her to her toes. The flare of awareness in her eyes, the scent of peaches swirling in my head, the fact that I’ve kissed her before and it’s ruined me for anyone else all come to a head.
I pull her up by her elbows and lock my lips on hers.
For a moment, I think I’ve shocked her into immobility. But that doesn’t stop me from running my tongue over her bottom lip. Then she grabs a handful of my shirt, pulls me closer, and her lips open for me. Steel restraints couldn’t have kept me from diving in.
With her head cradled in my hands, I kiss her like I’ve wanted to every time we’ve crossed paths since her junior year of college.
Lips, tongue, teeth clash like we’re at war. And swirling through it all is the wonder that finally, finally, I’m holding Angel in my arms.
A moment later she’s pushing me back and I’m struggling to catch my breath. She stares, eyes wide, her fingers loosening their hold. She rubs her lips together and I nearly lose it all over again. She backs away like I’m feral.
“What the hell, Jonah? You don’t even like me, but you kiss me like that?”
I tip back my head, staring at the ceiling, breathing deep and struggling for control. “Sorry. I should’ve given you a chance to say no. Sorry.”
Then her words catch up to me and I look at her. “What do you mean I don’t like you? Of course I like you. I’ve always liked you.”
“Right,” she scoffs. Using the folded towel, she moves the pan of hot water to the table and squirts in dish soap. “You like me so much that after we kissed that first time you couldn’t get away from me fast enough.
“And don’t torture yourself over the consent issue. If I hadn’t wanted you to kiss me just now, I’d have dropped you with a knee to the balls.”
She wanted to be kissed? The knowledge pinballs through my brain. It’s a dangerous admission, one I’ll circle back to when we don’t have other, more pressing shit to deal with.
I fill another basin with cold water and hand her a towel, nudging her aside so I can wash. I do better with something to occupy my hands.
Brows lowered, she gazes at me thoughtfully. “Did your office call you about my report? They told me it was your day off.”
I shake my head and dunk a bowl in the soapy water, scrubbing it with a sponge. Standing at my elbow, Angel rinses and dries.
“If they didn’t call you, how did you know I was up here?” She pauses. “Oh.” Disappointment dims her expression. “Brooks called you. Or Hayes.”
I nod slowly. “Hayes. He said Dooley called to report that you were heading into the mountains.”
She’s angry, but those silver-gray eyes reflect hurt too. And that doesn’t sit right.
“And since my brothers are at the Cattlemen’s Association meeting, Hayes called you to chase after his irresponsible sister. Were you asked to check on the twins too, to make sure they aren’t running with scissors? You know, because we’re girls and can’t be trusted to have fucking common sense.”
“They’re protective of you, Angel, and you’re damned lucky I showed up when I did.”
She stows the dishes in a bin. “I had it under control. I shot Abel’s rifle out of his hands, didn’t I?”
I drop the sponge in the water and turn to face her. Fury I’ve barely succeeded in tamping down comes roaring back. “Are you telling me you aimed for his rifle? That you weren’t sighting center mass on the man who was shooting at you?”
“Well, yeah. I didn’t want to kill anyone. I only wanted to disarm him.”
My expression must signal I’m about to lose it for the second time.
Her eyes light up. “Are you going to kiss me again? Because I kinda liked it.”
Turned on and insanely furious, I snarl, “I’ll get around to it. But first? I want your promise that if you’re ever in that position again, getting shot at, that you will shoot to kill the bastard with the gun.”
“Every situation is different.” She cocks her head. “What if…I don’t know, someone’s shooting in my general direction but doesn’t really mean to hurt me? Like it’s more of a warning?”
She looks at me questioningly before reaching up to touch a fingertip to my jaw. “Did you know there’s a tic right here when you clench your teeth?”
I put my hands up, then drop them. I don’t trust myself to touch her. “Promise me, Angel.”
She sighs. “Is it really that important to you?”
“Yes.”
“Okay then. I promise.”
She flashes me a grin.
“Dibs on the bed, by the way.”