Chapter 5 #2
The other men ran out to it, but Kat planted her feet and shot me a horrified look, her eyes huge and betrayed. The chopper’s wind coming through the open door made her hair swirl and snap around her face.
“I saved your sorry ass up there today, Ethan Masters,” she yelled. “You’d be stone dead or duct-taped to a chair if it wasn’t for me! And this is how you repay me?”
“Yeah, that’s right. I won’t let you get killed for your trouble. Call me selfish.”
I pulled her toward the door again—and pain exploded in my jaw, rocking my head back.
She’d sucker punched me. A swift, vicious uppercut beneath the chin.
With that, we were at it again, full on. I was blocking blows that came thick and fast. Fuck. Bad conditions for fighting. The woman had just saved my life. I’d be damned if I’d hurt her, in any way. Not a fucking hair on her head.
But I wasn’t letting her go, either. So it was tricky.
My guys were already strapped into the chopper and leaning forward to enjoy the show through the open door by the time I finally wrestled her down onto the cold concrete floor.
I was using my body weight to pin her down, and blocking her arms. She was still arching and heaving under me.
Damn, she was strong. My nose was streaming with blood from that punch.
I made a few adjustments and rolled us around, keeping her clamped between my legs, her back to my front, my legs wound tightly around hers, her arms wrapped around her waist, wrists immobilized by my hands.
I held her tense, straining body, tasting my own blood, and tried not to imagine how it would feel to have that lithe, graceful body writhing beneath me in bed. That was a sleazy thought to entertain while a woman was screaming obscenities at me.
I could have held her like that forever.
Tired as I was, touching her made primitive show-her-who’s-boss hormones flood my system.
Some instinct that impelled me. Strength was imperative.
Not to hurt or control her, but just to reassure her that she was safe inside the circle of my arms. That it was worth her while to stay there.
Shit, what was I thinking? Sexual fantasies, while swallowing blood and trying to keep my balls from getting crushed by the violently athletic warrior maiden.
I must have a secret kinky side that I’d never known about.
She was trembling violently. Maybe a panic attack. God knows, she was entitled to one, after what just happened. Or maybe she hated flying. My best guess was that she simply hated being pushed around. I got it. We had that in common.
Her blouse was gaping again. I tried not to peek as I situated my mouth right at her ear. “Relax, Kat.”
That set her off again. We were both soaked with sweat. My heart was going at a pounding gallop and not just from the effort of immobilizing her. My post-combat hard-on was prodding her ass. Nothing I could do about that, under the circumstances.
“I hate doing this to you,” I said into her ear. “But if you want to be treated like a human being and not an unbroken horse, then take a deep breath and chill.”
A fresh, racking shudder went through her.
“Listen to me.” I put my lips right against the glowing pink warmth of her ear again.
“You saved my life and I’m grateful. I’m in awe of you.
I worship at your goddamn shrine. I would never hurt you.
Not in a million years. I’m taking you someplace safe.
You have nothing to fear from me. I swear to God. Please, Kat.”
Her head turned away, and I realized, alarmed, that the shuddering was tears.
She was crying. I was holding down a traumatized, crying girl. Fuck.
I pulled her closer into the strange, tense embrace, touching my lips to the salty, damp tang of her neck. Velvety soft. I wanted to taste more of it.
“This is why I said no to the coffee,” I told her.
“I’m not married or engaged. I just have some bad shit going down in my life right now and it was wrong to get a woman mixed up in it, so I tried to be good.
It almost killed me to say no. And then you got mixed up in it anyway.
Please don’t cry. I can’t deal with that right now. ”
“I’m not crying, you shitty bastard. Let go of me.”
“That’s better,” I said, encouraged. “That’s the spirit.”
“Don’t you dare talk down to me,” she warned. “Arrogant prick.”
I could breathe easier now that she was pissed at me again and not weeping.
In fact, her tension seemed to have eased, ever so slightly. I felt so minutely tuned to her, feeling every move, every breath, every heartbeat.
Her pulse had been frantic and stuttering before, but now it was just steady and quick and strong. She was breathing deeper and slower. Good.
“Please, go out to the helicopter with me,” I said. Not that she had any choice.
She twisted, peeked up from under her lashes. Gestured with her chin for me to lower my ear, so she could speak into it over the huge noise of the helicopter. I did so.
Ouch! Fuck! She had nipped my earlobe, hard enough to make me yell.
Then she stayed still, her teeth laid against my flesh, her breath hot and moist against my ear. Her lips still touching me. Teeth still digging in, just hard enough to show me that she could have taken my earlobe off if she wanted to.
I didn’t dare move, but a surge of hot lust went straight to my cock.
She let go of my earlobe, and murmured into my ear. “First chance I get, Ethan Masters? I am gonna kick your ass so hard.”
Smiling was a kamikaze move, but a stupid grin still hijacked my face as I grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. My nose was swelling, and my chin was covered with blood and my earlobe stung and throbbed, but damn. I felt almost…high.
“I can hardly wait,” I said.
We sprinted toward the waiting helicopter, holding hands.