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Seal of Honor(40)

By:Tonya Burrows


“How?”

“I’m going to kill one of their cows.”

Audrey sat up, an automatic objection jumping to her lips. But when she saw the hard, determined line of his jaw and the flatness in his golden eyes, she knew protesting would be a useless endeavor. Still, she had to try. “Do you have to kill it?”

“It’s the cow’s life or ours, Audrey,” he said without remorse. Those flat eyes met hers, and she wondered at the sudden stranger lying beside her. How could this be the same man who had been so tender with her only moments ago? “Livestock are like currency around here, and the last thing Cocodrilo wants is to piss off the local farmers. It’ll cause chaos, and that’s what we need to escape.”

He was right. She knew it, but God, she hated the thought of some poor animal dying to save her. “Will you be kind to it, at least?”

His features softened a fraction and he caught a strand of her hair between his fingers. He wound it around his hand, studied it like the color and texture fascinated him.

“Gabe?”

“Yeah.” He abruptly dropped the strand. “The animal won’t feel a thing. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Thank you.” After a moment, she settled beside him again, but her heart stayed lodged in her throat. “I’m really scared.”

Gabe’s arm tightened around her shoulders. “Yeah, I know. But I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. Trust me.”

Trust. Funny thing, that. Since her parents’ deaths, she’d never trusted anyone to take care of her but herself. Not even her brother. But, as she tumbled into the oblivion of sleep tucked safely in Gabe’s embrace, she realized she completely trusted him to do as he promised.





Chapter Eleven

It had been a long, long time since Gabe woke up with the warm sweetness of a woman curled beside him. In fact, had he ever? Most of his past lovers, those that he’d stayed with longer than a weekend fling, had always elected not to spend the night, either because of their own busy schedules or his.

But this…

This felt good. This felt right. He could learn to love this.

Still half asleep, marveling at the sensation of Audrey’s small breasts flattened against his arm, he slid his free hand over her curves. She wasn’t voluptuous, not like the women Quinn liked and therefore usually found for the both of them. Actually, now that he thought of it, he liked the full-figured ladies okay, but slim women with just a handful of breasts were what really cranked his engine. Almost every woman he’d ever had over the last twelve years was one Quinn hooked him up with. Well past time for him to start thinking with his own dick—and his dick wanted willowy Audrey Van Amee so badly it ached.

He wanted to slip his fingers under the waistband of her jeans and feel her. So hot and slick and ready for him. He’d start with one finger, curling it inside just enough that her hips would surge against his hand, begging for more. He’d give her another finger, and then a third, stretching her until…

She gasped his name.

Gabe came fully awake and, holy shit, he wasn’t just fantasizing. He had two fingers buried deep inside her slick heat as she clung to his shoulder and writhed against him, on the verge of climax.

“Jesus.” He started to withdraw his hand, but she caught his wrist and squeezed so hard he actually felt his bones shift. The look she gave him was so fierce, feral, and utterly feminine that his cock leapt with excitement.

“Don’t you dare stop, Gabriel.” She guided his hand between her legs and pressed her hips upward, taking his fingers in. “I need this. Please.”

Fascinated, Gabe propped himself on one elbow and watched her face. She’d been so flippant about everything the day before that he should’ve recognized her attitude as a defense mechanism. Wound as tight as she was, she was bound for trouble if she didn’t release some of that tension. And he wanted to do that for her, just this once. It wasn’t exactly unprofessional. She had to be clear-headed, because when the opportunity presented itself, he’d need her help to get them out of here. An orgasm was just the quickest way to get her to relax.

Yup. This would be strictly a tactical move. Nothing more.

Gabe found her clit with his thumb and smiled when she hummed with pleasure. Head back, eyes squeezed shut, mouth opening into a little O, she was so open and unpretentious, so sensual without even trying to be.

He took her mouth in a deep, hard kiss, swallowing her moan as she came. Goddamn, but he wanted her, wanted to be inside her when she did that again. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed not to roll over, free his straining erection, and drill into her until they were both too weak to move.