She had to clear her throat as she pulled the snowmobile up in front of the barn. Damn. He hadn’t even done anything to her and she already needed a moment to calm down. A cold shower might help. Or a roll in the snow. Naked. With Mitch inside her.
Ug. She had to stop thinking about it and quit stalling. She secured the machine as Mitch hefted their two bags and waited in a ready stance. Ever the protector.
She realized once again how close he’d come to dying. And how quickly he’d bounced back. There was deep magic involved, of course, but her analytical side cautioned her to warn him.
Gina stepped close to him, taking one side of his collar in her fingers and stroking him through his jacket. The mood was intimate all of a sudden. Just them, surrounded by snow and the ticking of the engine as it cooled next to them.
“Promise me you’ll be careful. I know you feel better, but it wasn’t too long ago that you were not long for this world. It would…hurt me…if you died, Mitch.”
“Hey.” Mitch cupped her cheek in one big hand, his voice dipping into low and intimate tones. “I’m not going to die. Not today. And I have you to thank for the fact that I didn’t die from the poison. You and your amazing blood.” He stroked his thumb up and down over her cheekbone in the most tender of touches. And then he let her go and stepped back. She dropped her hand from his collar. “But if I’m going to stay alive through the challenge, I have to get back into fighting form.”
There it was. The shadow that hung over him. Over them both. The challenge.
She was quickly coming to despise the thought that he was going to have to fight Uncle Gisli. She didn’t know how it all would end, but there was every possibility that Gisli—deadly fighter that he was—would prevail. Just thinking about it broke her heart, but she couldn’t do anything about the future that had yet to form. She had to deal with the here and now.
“Just try to be careful. You won’t be able to do everything up to your usual standard right away. Be gentle with your healing body.”
“I promise, Doctor.” He smiled and winked at her, emphasizing her title. “I can’t afford to pay you for any more in-home visits. I must owe you a small fortune by now.”
“It’s okay,” she found the nerve to answer. “I don’t want your money. You can pay me in kisses.”
A spark ignited behind his golden eyes, making them flash amber at her. He liked her daring, it was plain to see.
“You don’t say.” He stepped closer to her, snaking one arm around her waist as he pulled her close. Her breath caught at his actions. This was the man she wanted. The one who reached out and took her—with her enthusiastic permission. “I’d better start paying down my debt right away,” he whispered against her lips, their breath steaming in the cold.
And then he was kissing her again. A little whirlwind of a tempest that knocked the breath from her, showered her with a dazzling magical storm of energy and left her breathless as he let her go. She wanted to follow him and beg for more, but she became aware of just why he’d stopped.
The door to the barn had opened and Paul was standing in the open doorway, frowning at her. Damn. Caught necking in the snow by her would-be older brother.
Gina brazened it out, trying her best to ignore the hard looks that passed between Mitch and Paul. She stepped away from Mitch, internally aware that her balance was off. Mitch had literally made her head spin. But she did her best not to let it show on the outside as she smiled at Paul and walked past him through the open door and into the barn.
Inside, it was set up like a dojo with an entrance area with places to stow your stuff. The central area of the big building was filled with light that filtered in through high, discreet windows placed strategically on every side of the big building for maximum effect. The middle of the floor was covered in mats with other equipment around the circumference of the room.
Gina had spent many afternoons as a youngster learning how to fight and defend herself in human form in this makeshift dojo. Even more time had been spent in her fur, out in the woods, grappling and playing with the Miller brood. A quick look around the dojo told her that all four Miller brothers had come home at their father’s call.
Gina greeted Tad, Harry and BJ with smiles and hugs as they came over to say hello. Paul and Mitch finally showed up inside and Gina introduced Mitch to the rest of the guys, silently wondering what had gone on outside after she’d left Paul and Mitch alone. She wouldn’t ask, but she knew Paul. He had to have shared some choice words with Mitch after catching them in that clinch. He was too much her big brother to let something like that pass.