Tempted Read Free Page B

winding over his right shoulder. Sharp points crisscrossed to form a fierce bird rising from fire. A phoenix? Those shoulders could shield a village. Then the breath stopped in her throat at the myriad of scars lining his lower back. Raised and white, they screamed old pain. “Are you one of the good guys, Max?”
    “Stop stalling, darlin’. I’m not a patient man.” Soft, even kind, his voice nonetheless held a firm note of warning.
    Not exactly an answer. She clutched the blanket with shaking hands. “Why do you care if I catch cold?”
    “Sarah.” One word, yet clipped.
    “Fine.” Slow motions had her shoes toed off. Her jeans clung to her wet legs, and she had to shove them down with icy fingers. She pulled her socks off and kicked the mess to the side.
    “Underwear, too.”
    “No way.” Her T-shirt followed the rest and she wrapped the blanket around her shivering body with a small sigh of relief. She paused, waiting. Nope. No vibrations. The blanket hadn’t been used by anyone before.
    He exhaled, muscles rippling in his broad back. “I know this is scary. But hypothermia or pneumonia really suck. I won’t look at you. I won’t touch you. While you have no reason to trust me, I swear on the head of my stubborn, don’t-give-a-crap about his own safety, too proud commander ... I will not hurt you. Now take off your damn underwear and warm the hell up.”
    She had no choice. Exhausted, freezing, she was no match for the giant. Yet something in her eased at his words. He had a commander he obviously cared for. Figured he was a soldier. She shimmied out of the plain cotton briefs, wrapping the blanket tighter. “What’s your tattoo of?”
    His shoulders shrugged. “The mythical Russian firebird—a predator on a quest. I was Russian, a long time ago.”
    “You don’t sound Russian.” Gravity pulled her down to sit on the cot.
    The tattoo rippled when he moved. “I’ve been in the States for years.” Economical movements had him grabbing her clothing to hang on large hooks on the wall. Thunder growled outside. “These might dry some tonight—I have friends picking us up tomorrow morning when the storm blows over.”
    “Picking us up?”
    “Helicopter.” He yanked a cell phone out of his pocket. “I texted them before coming inside.” He kicked off his boots. Quick motions had his jeans off and hanging with her clothes.
    Talk about male. Real male. Muscled and hard. God . She gulped. “So. You work out.”
    His bark of laughter eased the rest of her tension. “Yes. I train with the soldiers and often hit my good friend, Connlan. We box.” Max reached for ropes to tug the shutters closed on three sides of the tower. “The wind is going the other way. We’ll leave the west side open to keep an eye on the storm.” He turned toward her, that dark gaze searching as he twisted the light off. “Try to sleep, Sarah. I’ll keep watch.”
    Darkness descended. “You’re a soldier.”
    “Yes.” He moved like a soldier—graceful and fast.
    The night lent an intimacy to the room she’d like to avoid, though she understood the need for darkness. While she craved the light, it made them too easy to spot. “You think the Kurjans are coming?”
    “Not tonight.” Two loud steps and he gently pushed her shoulder so she’d lie down. The second blanket dropped on her, and he moved away.
    She’d allow her body to rest. No way in hell would she sleep. “How did you kill four of them, Max?” Her teeth chattered between each word. Cold. Her feet actually stung they were so cold.
    “I cut off their heads.”
    Nausea swirled in her stomach at his casual tone. “That’s not what I meant.” Certainly not what she wanted to know.
    “Oh. Well, I guess my training was better than theirs.”
    The guy was a politician at not answering a question. “Are you some genetically enhanced human soldier?” Her grasp on reality had been shattered the day she saw a Kurjan kill a woman. Anything seemed possible