allowed the words to trail off, a gut-wrenching feeling in my stomach. After a few seconds, I exhaled, prepared to pull my hand away.
When he intertwined my fingers in his, there wasn’t a part of my body that wasn’t shaking. Very slowly he rose to his feet, towering over me as he inched closer.
“You don’t know what you’re asking, sunshine.”
“I think I do.” I could stare into the man’s dark eyes for days. While I wanted to ignore the electricity surging between us, I was left breathless with anticipation for nothing more than to curl into his arms. The only sounds the crackling of the fire and the howling wind outside, I longed to hear his heartbeat as I went to sleep on his chest. Maybe that was far too romantic for a man like Mustang.
The slight smile he gave me was enough to risk facing his demons. I led him up the stairs, the dogs slowly following. As I moved into the bedroom, I hesitated, trying to catch my breath. There was nothing like the feel of his strong hands as he eased them around me, untying the sash of my robe then tugging the silky material over my shoulders. I closed my eyes as he danced his fingers down my arms. The sound of his weapon being placed on the nightstand was somehow comforting. No one was getting into the house, not unless they wanted to face a giant, angry man.
Only when I heard him removing his clothes did I tug the covers back and crawl into bed.
Within seconds, both Rattler and Zorro had secured their places on the bottom of the bed, giving me a smile as they curled up together. While I remained concerned about both, my professional instinct told me they were going to be just fine. Or so I hoped. I thought about Mustang’s story regarding the dog in Afghanistan, very glad I’d pushed him into keeping Rattler.
A fitting name for a rugged Marine papa.
I watched as he slowly unzipped his jeans and could swear his hands were shaking. He was so terrified that his nightmares would return, potentially placing me in harm’s way of the demon that had wrapped a noose around his neck. While I had no reason for my thoughts, I knew in my heart that he’d never hurt me for any reason.
When he finally crawled into bed, I didn’t need to see a smile crossing his face from hearing the thump of both dogs’ tails. I simply knew it existed. His grip firm, he yanked me into his arms, cradling me against his chest. His body was so warm, the touch of his skin against mine scintillating. The wind continued to howl, limbs from the closest trees hitting just above one of the windows. I hadn’t realized how cold I was until I was snuggled in his arms. My fingers had difficulty bending, the chill enough to increase my pulse.
Sighing, I concentrated on the subtle yet powerful sounds of the two dogs falling asleep, their light snores so damn satisfying. Yet, I couldn’t take my eyes off the ominous shadows as the limbs pitched and reared back before thumping against the pane of glass.
Mustang seemed to sense my apprehension, nuzzling his head against the top of mine.
“Just the snow and ice. It’ll blow over tomorrow. Missoula usually doesn’t get but a couple large storms a year.” He half whispered the words, as if trying to convince himself.
“I love the snow. Just tonight’s storm is entirely different.”
“You’re safe with me.”
I caressed his bare chest, realizing I’d never felt safer in my life. “I know. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Did those men say anything to you when they were here?” he asked after a few seconds.
I lifted my head, uncertain any answer I gave him was going to be acceptable. “Not really. They just warned me to keep my nose out of where it doesn’t belong. I pushed them, trying to get additional information, but they did nothing but laugh.”
“And you don’t remember anything else? No names?”
“No, I…” I struggled to remember the entire conversation, another wave of aggravation as well as fear sliding back into my system. “Nothing substantial. I think they were intoxicated.”
“Yeah, I could tell,” Mustang growled. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow might be a long day.”
As I closed my eyes, I couldn’t help but think about the assholes who’d kicked Zorro. “What are you going to do?”
His entire body tensed as he crowded me even closer. “I’ll deal with them