Rule Breaker. Joanne Rock
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side.
Facing her.
She swallowed. Tried to focus on his words and not his nearness as she burrowed deeper into her sleeping bag while attempting not to move too much. She lay on her back, wary of getting any closer to him when she felt vulnerable and, yes, a little scared of what the weather might bring tomorrow. The snowstorm had kicked up into a major event so quickly that it had seriously rattled her confidence on the mountain.
“Yet climbing up here, in the dark, to make sure I got out of there safely? That was above and beyond. I didn’t mean for you to take a risk in these deteriorating weather conditions.”
Guilt bubbled up in her. She should have tracked the weather more carefully, but the storm had arrived much faster than the forecasters had predicted.
The deep timbre of his voice rumbled through her. “It was better for me to make the climb to help you in person. Not knowing you that well, I didn’t want to send you a text that could potentially scare you and have you scrambling around on dangerous terrain.”
He’d said as much before, but it didn’t make her feel any better about him risking his neck for her sake. What if he’d been injured in the attempt to help her? A whirl of what-ifs spun through her brain. She knew how seemingly innocuous events could lead to major consequences. She remembered all too well the chain of events that had brought her mother to her current state.
“I do have GPS equipment. I could have followed directions,” she insisted, not wanting to be the cause of anyone else’s trouble. She preferred to be self-sufficient after the years of relying on her mother for care that she’d been incapable of giving. Looking for strength within was her go-to coping mechanism. Besides, the part that really bugged her was that she’d messaged him tonight to find common ground with him for the sake of her investigation.
She’d been fishing for answers, and he’d been completely selfless. The disparity didn’t sit well with her.
“With the storm coming in, I knew conditions could change from moment to moment, and that really impacts which way out of the ravine is safest. It was easier to check out the snow and the wind for myself than to give you instructions from my living room.” He said it matter-of-factly, like it was an obvious solution.
She bit her tongue for a moment to keep herself from arguing with him since, bottom line, she was grateful. She’d had no idea she’d put herself in such danger tonight.
“Thank you,” she said, her gaze wandering over the shape of his shoulder in the darkness as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. “I feel even worse about you being here, though, considering the way we last parted. I know I’m not high on your list of favorite people.”
In the quiet moment that followed, she heard nothing but the wind and the soft plunk of fat snowflakes on the tent roof.
“Your job puts us at odds,” he said finally, his words sounding carefully chosen. “And, until tonight, I haven’t gotten the chance to know you outside your investigation.”
She couldn’t help a wry laugh, caused by the guilt and vulnerability of her position. “I don’t think tonight is going to raise your opinion of me now that I’m the hapless ranch guest you had to rescue in a snowstorm.”
“We’re going to be fine, you know,” he reassured her, his tone gentle.
Through her sleeping bag, she felt his hand cover her forearm, giving it a comforting squeeze.
Everything inside her went perfectly still. Unbidden, memories of seeing him in the stables with the horses came back to her. She’d observed him unaware before she cornered him in his office to question him. He’d been a wizard with a skittish gelding, calming the animal’s restless movements with his steady presence until the horse rested its muzzle on his shoulder and let out a soft sigh.
She’d been mesmerized by Weston then. Just like now.
“You’re not worried about how much snow we’re getting?” The climb down could be difficult.
“No. And you shouldn’t be, either.” His hand didn’t move away from her forearm.
She felt her heartbeat there, as if her blood pulsed harder through her veins in the place where he touched her. So weird. So...intriguing.
A wave of warmth stole over her, sweet and pleasurable. Tempting and oh, so dangerous. She couldn’t afford to let herself be charmed by him. Not when she still had a job to do.
“In that case, I’ll try not to think about the storm.” What she needed was a distraction. A way to take her mind off the snow. Off the sexy and disarming man lying beside her in the dark. “We could talk about the job I have to do, instead. As long as we’re both here.”
Still, he didn’t move his hand away. That surprised her a little, since she guessed the topic would insert some much-needed frosty distance between them again.
“We could,” he said easily, as if he’d really thought it over. “But since you’re sharing my roof tonight, and I climbed all this way to save your lovely hide, I think the information is going to cost you.”
“Is that so?” She turned her head toward him to see if she could discern his expression. Read his mood. But his face was still in shadow, even if she could see the outline of his broad shoulders.
“Definitely.” His voice took on a silky note as he skimmed a touch up her arm to her shoulder.
Her heart rate doubled.
“What are you suggesting?” she asked, with a hint more breathlessness than she would have liked.
“I think a kiss per question would be fair,” he told her evenly.
So much for frosty distance. She felt a wave of heat as surely as if someone switched off the snow and turned on a fireplace, and that was the last thing she needed.
“I don’t think anyone has tried coercing me into kissing since junior high,” she told him drily.
He had the good grace to chuckle. “No coercion intended. Are you sure you can say the same for yourself? Because I won’t feel as good about the rescue attempt if you were only hoping to ask me questions about Alonzo Salazar again.”
Guilt pinched at her conscience again.
“Fair enough.” She turned over in her sleeping bag to face him, realizing she needed to be on her toes with this man. “Although I’m not sure it speaks well of your kissing skill that you leverage it to discourage me from talking about my c-case.”
A shiver rolled through her.
“Are you warm enough?” He slid his coat off his bag and laid it over hers. “This will help.”
“Thank you.” She fidgeted more in an effort to get comfortable and warm.
“And I have total faith in my kissing skills, for what it’s worth. But I took a gamble you were one of those women who won’t mix business with pleasure.” The last word sounded oddly erotic in the dark. He paused a moment, and then added, “Would you like some help with your bag?”
Weston had thought maybe acknowledging the attraction between them would reroute that busy mind of hers, since she’d been worrying about the weather and feeling guilty for getting them snowed in together.
So his intentions for the flirtatious direction of their conversation had been mostly good. But he had been unable to distract her, and now she sounded chilled.
“I’m trying to find the drawstring so I c-can pull the fabric around my face,” she admitted, her shivering more obvious now.
Concerned, he reached for his flashlight.
“Let me,” he insisted, clicking the torch on to the lower setting and pointing it away from them so as not to blind her.