Jill Shalvis - Instant Temptation

“In fact, we should work on that problem. I could fix it, if you’d let me.”

“Really?” she asked curiously. “How?”

He was quiet a moment. Lifting his head, he ran a finger over her shoulder. “By making a better memory.”

“Is this because I told you it was fine?”

He grimaced. “I’d like to think I’m not quite that Neanderthal.” He paused, then gave her a small smile. “But fine sucks, Harley.”

“We were teenagers.”

“Sort of my point. I do better now.”

She laughed softly and shook her head. “The Wilder ego,” she murmured. “Needing to be the biggest, the baddest, and the best in everything, especially bed. Nothing personal, TJ, but I’d rather have sweet, steady, and stable.”

“Like Nolan.”

“Like Nolan.”

“Then why did you cut him loose?”

“I told you, he-”

He just looked at her, and she let out a breath. Right. She could have turned that around-if she’d tried hard enough.

“But that’s not what I wanted to talk about,” TJ said quietly. “Can I come in?”

Had she ever been able to refuse him anything? “Yeah.”

Harley unlocked her door, went directly to the kitchen, opened her refrigerator, and frowned in disappointment.

TJ stopped at her table and looked at the maps she had spread out there. “So you’re going to fill this out?”

She went utterly still for a beat, suddenly realizing what was with the maps-the employment application. And her pro/con list of his and Nolan’s qualifications. Embarrassment and horror filled her as she whipped around and leapt toward him. “Give me that.”

Not yet having caught sight of the list, he smiled. “It’s okay. The form’s just a formality for our pesky attorney.” He stopped short and blinked as he got a good look at what he was holding. “What’s this?”

She launched herself at him. “TJ, dammit, that’s personal-”

“Qualifications. Nolan.” He paused. “Gave you a job, nice body, nice smile.”

She was practically crawling up his body, trying to grab the paper. “Give it back.”

“You’re right,” he said, nodding his head. “Nolan does have a very nice smile.” He perused some more. “‘Haven’t wanted to kiss him since I kissed TJ.’” He cut his eyes to hers. “We’ll definitely be circling back to that.”

With a miserable groan, she gave up trying to reach the list and plopped her head to his chest. Beneath the hard muscle she could feel his heartbeat, steady and sure.

Hers, on the other hand, was racing.

He stroked a hand down her hair. “My pros. Best body in Wishful, maybe the planet. Nice to know.” He shot her a look so hot it singed her every nerve ending. “Right back at you, Harley.”

She smacked him in the chest. She didn’t put a lot of heat into it because she really wanted him to lower his arm so she could grab the paper before he got any further.

“Gave you your first man-made orgasm all year,” he read. He went silent at that. She could feel him watching her but she didn’t lift her head. Instead she smacked him again.

He cuffed both her wrists in one hand and backed her into the counter, effortlessly holding her there with his body. “So what exactly is it you don’t want me to see, Harley? That I know you? More than you’d like?” She could hear the smile in his voice. And that wasn’t all. She was plastered to him and he was hard.

She thunked her head against the rock-solid muscles of his chest. “You are such an ass.”

He laughed softly as he nuzzled her neck. “What if I told you same goes, that I can’t stop thinking about you either? And that if anyone’s heart is in danger here, it’s mine.” He said this in a low, rough whisper. “As for intentions…” He tossed the list aside and pressed into her, allowing her to feel exactly what his intentions were.

Suddenly it felt as if there was a whole heck of a lot less oxygen in the room than there’d been only a moment before, which had to explain why she’d melted into him when she hadn’t meant to. She tossed back her head to say something defensive, but the look on his face stopped her.

His smile was warm, affectionate even. His eyes…smoking hot. Bending his head, he pressed his jaw to hers, then kissed her temple, her jaw, that spot beneath her ear. “You have no idea what you do to me,” he murmured, running his hands over her. “Because if you did, you’d shove me out and bolt the door.” Then he kissed her mouth, long and hard and deep, and just when she was panting for air, desperate for more, he let her go.

Legs weak, she walked into the living room and plopped onto the couch.

Silently, TJ joined her. He looked at the spot where her TV had been before she’d sold it to cover her mom’s mortgage.

“Don’t,” she said softly.

“Work for us this weekend, Harley.”

“What’s the catch?”

“No catch. We get the help we need. You get a sizeable chunk of cash.”

Ah, there it was. “So it’s a pity job.”

“Harley, there are pity dates and pity fucks, but there are no pity jobs. You’re going to work your ass off, trust me. Not to mention get some of that great escape we both find out there on the mountain that we can’t seem to find anywhere else.”

She turned her head toward him and had to admit he was right on that score. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he repeated, relieved.

She leaned back and rested her head. “So what did you want to talk to me about?”

“How’s your research going?” he asked instead of answering.

“Good. Except the second battery pack on that third camera failed, too. I knew I should have replaced it while I was out there. Also, two of the coyotes are no longer transmitting. I need to get back out there.”

“Yeah.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “That’s why I came looking for you. We got a call from the forest station out there.” Regret and unease flashed across his face and she braced herself. “They found two coyotes, shot and deserted.”

She stood back up and walked to her table. She shoved aside the bills and the stupid list and spread out the map of the entire Desolation Wilderness. Staring down at it, vision burring, legs quaking, heart aching, she drew a breath. “Where exactly?”

“Harley-”

“Show me.”

He looked at her for a long beat, then moved close, leaning across her, his long finger going to a spot on the map where two of her red data group had stopped transmitting.

Nodding, she put her finger on the spot where she and TJ had camped, then looked at the proximity of their fingers.

“Waaaay too close,” he murmured softly, and set a warm hand low on her spine. “They were yours?”

She swallowed convulsively. “I think so, yes.” She felt the intensity of his eyes on her, but she didn’t look at him. She was too busy locking her knees at the wave of pain.

“They’re not issuing any more permits for Desolation until they catch whoever’s out there with a shotgun,” he said.

There was that, at least.

“Harley? You okay?”

She nodded, then slowly shook her head. She’d been holding her breath, but the grief was catching up with her. “I don’t get the hunting thing. I mean if it’s for food, that’s one thing, but this isn’t. It’s not to protect a farm or ranch, either. It’s for sport, for cruel sport-” Her voice caught, and she stopped talking to breathe instead.

His hand was still on her back, rubbing soft, soothing circles, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world when he pulled her into his arms. Just like that she slid into his comforting embrace, and though she told herself she was strong and tough, that she didn’t cry, she felt the scalding rush of tears.

Murmuring to her softly, he tightened his arms around her and was nice enough to not mention the fact that she was making his shirt wet. They stood like that, her pretending not to cry, him letting her have the pretense, until the pain in her chest eased. She could feel the steady, calm beat of his heart beneath her ear. Her hand was over a pec, gripping his shirt, and without thinking, she smoothed the material, then let her fingers trail down, over his stomach.

His muscles leapt beneath her touch.

She looked up at him. Lifting a hand, he rubbed his thumb over her cheek, catching a stray tear.

She took a step back, and his hands fell from her.

“I can’t help but think this is somehow because of the study,” she said.

“I think it’s more likely that you’ve stumbled by accident into an area where a group of hunters have sort of staked their claim.”

“But it’s illegal to hunt in Desolation Wilderness.”

“It’s also illegal to leave your kill. Or to be out there without a permit. I doubt they’re concerned about any of it. It’s not called Desolation for nothing. The place is a graveyard this time of year.”

“What if someone went out there and scared them off?”

He stared at her. “Someone?”

“Yeah. Maybe if I made more of a presence out there-”

“No,” he said, watching her face. “Hell, no.”

“I’m going t-”

“Stay the hell away from those hunters,” he finished for her.

“Well, of course. But since I have to go back out there anyway-”

“Jesus.” He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. “I’m already hating this conversation.”

“I’m not going to do anything stupid, but those coyotes are vulnerable.”

He blew out a breath and nodded. He knew that.

“I’ll help you guys this weekend,” she said. “Then I’ll go back to Desolation.”

“By that time, I’ll be in Alaska. Yeah,” he said at her start of surprise. “I caught a trip. Harley, tell me you won’t go alone.”

“Don’t worry,” she said, distracted by the fact that he’d be leaving again, and so soon. “I won’t be the stupid girl in the horror flick.”

“Promise me, Harley.”

“An easy promise to make,” she said softly, meeting his gaze, letting him see she meant it. “I promise I won’t go alone.” She opened her freezer and reached for her long-lost lover, a quart of double fudge ice cream.