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“Not true,” Reese said calmly. “Anna always carries pepper spray for her protection. And no one is going to recognize me. Hannah is going to change my appearance completely before we go. Even Ralph approved it. It’s not like Burke Kline is going to be hanging out in Billings on the off chance that I might show up there. The main worry was someone recognizing me as that woman involved in that shooting in Spokane. That’s not going to happen.”

Hell, I still wasn’t even used to the idea that Reese was from Spokane and not Salt Lake City.

Turns out, she’d never even been to Salt Lake City.

It was all part of her cover.

During the last week, I’d discovered that Reese was still…Reese.

Her occupation was different, and some of the facts I’d thought I’d known about her history were different, but she was still the same woman.

Unfortunately, she was also still just as stubborn as she’d been under her fake identity.

“If I tell you that you’re not going, are you still going to do it?” I asked gruffly.

“Yes,” she said in a truthful tone. “I care about your opinion, but I’ve run my own life for a long time, and I like it that way. I’ve already agreed not to ride alone until this is over. I’ve made some compromises. But you have no idea what it’s been like for me to be confined to Crystal Fork. Not to be able to do anything isn’t normal for me. I’m tired of being afraid, hopeless, and helpless. I want a little freedom for one damn day.”

“I get that,” I said irritably. “You want me to compromise this time. That’s hard for me to do, especially when every instinct I have is telling me to protect your beautiful ass and not take any risks. I’m also not used to compromising when I want something.”

She lifted a brow. “Do you always get your way?”

“Always, except when it comes to family.”

“Then pretend that I’m the sister you never had,” she said, sounding equally annoyed.

I crowded her against the counter and put one hand on each side of her so she couldn’t escape. “That’s pretty hard to do when all I can think about is getting you naked and fucking you until you can’t think about anything else but me,” I said huskily.

Christ!This woman was making me into a lunatic.

I wasn’t entirely in control of my emotions when she was with me, and I fucking hated it. But I obviously didn’t hate it enough to want her to be somewhere else.

Her annoyance seemed to disappear as our eyes locked, and the needy look in those gorgeous eyes made my control snap.

She needed me as much as I needed her, and that knowledge completely gutted me.

I speared my hand into her hair and jerked her mouth to mine.

The kiss wasn’t gentle and coaxing.

It was full-on lust and carnality, but it was exactly what we both needed.

Reese Monroe was mine, and I wanted her to be aware of that fact in a way that was beyond just some kind of compulsion.

I felt her body yield.

I knew exactly when she stopped thinking about anything else but me and the heat that flowed between the two of us.

She wrapped her arms possessively around my neck and her short nails dug into my nape.

I welcomed the twinge of pain because I wanted her to be greedy.

I felt exactly the same way.

I shoved my hands under the oversized shirt she was wearing and stroked my hand over her soft skin.

I’d already discovered that Reese had a habit of not wearing a bra when she was at home, and I was damn glad there was nothing in the way of me being able to touch all of that soft, warm skin.

I let her come up for air, and I buried my face in her neck, tasting every inch of skin I could get my mouth on.