Page 16

Chapter 16

By the time Brenna returned to the suite, she couldn’t feel her hands or feet, and every wet inch of her was beyond exhausted. Nick let her go first in the shower, for which she’d be eternally grateful as soon as she could think clearly.

They’d waited in the car with the heat turned up to its highest temperature. When the ambulance had arrived, they’d stood in the cold while Robin was loaded into an ambulance. Jason’s lifeless body was loaded into another ambulance, the medical technicians working to revive him as the doors closed and the vehicles headed for the hospital.

Brenna and Nick stayed to brief the police officer. All the while, Brenna had shivered, draped in the blankets given to her and Nick by the emergency medical technicians.

Now, stepping from a hot shower, she wrapped her hair in a towel and climbed into her pajamas. She almost felt normal when she emerged from the bathroom.

Nick stood in his black jeans, his shirt and shoes in a damp pile at his feet. “Did you save me any hot water?”

“Yes, sir.” She smiled, and a lingering shiver chased down her spine. Brenna couldn’t determine whether the shiver was from seeing Nick’s naked torso or from the chill she couldn’t shake since being in water cold enough to have ice floating on the top. “Hop in while I see if I can scare up a cup of hot cocoa.”

“Sounds wonderful.” He passed close by her on his way to the bathroom.

Brenna squeezed her eyes shut to keep from turning to watch him all the way.

When she opened her eyes, Nick’s face was in hers, a smile quirking the corners of his lips. “Something bothering you, Jensen?”

“You!” Her face burning, Brenna whipped the towel off her head and snapped it at his retreating figure. The guy had nerve. To think he was in her thoughts when they had a murderer still on the loose was positively ridiculous.

But when the door closed behind Nick, Brenna let the image of his naked torso hover in her mind, and her body heated, her panties suddenly damp. And not from the shower.

Would he sleep with her tonight?

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

Did she want him to?

Yes, oh yes, her wanton inner self screamed.

After they solved the case, he’d be gone. The thought pulled Brenna back to the ground with a thump. She drifted into her room and rifled through her suitcase for her stash of hot cocoa packets. The drink reminded her of the times she’d sat beside her father on the couch in their living room sipping cocoa and talking about fishing. Did Nick like to fish?

Good, thinking about her father, fish and cocoa would definitely calm her libido and shake a little reality into her system. She shouldn’t be thinking about going to bed with Nick when she didn’t even like to get naked in front of men.

But oh, she wanted to get naked with him.

The man foremost in her thoughts emerged from the bathroom in sweatpants and nothing else. His skin glistened where he’d missed a spot drying.

Fathers, fish and cocoa flew from her thoughts, and all she could think about now was licking that drop of water from his chest. A shiver shook her body from her shoulders to her toenails.

Nick’s eyes narrowed. “Are you still cold?” Before she could answer, he was striding across the room toward her, his long legs eating the short distance at an alarming pace.

What should she do? Run screaming or fall into his arms and let nature take its course? Brenna stood rooted to the spot, her options quickly running out.

When Nick stopped in front of her, she swayed forward, metal to his magnet. Who was she kidding? She couldn’t resist Nick Tarver to save her life. And after the frightening night they’d endured, all she wanted was to be held. Okay, maybe not all.

Brenna stared up into Nick's deep green eyes. "No, I'm not cold."

His hands remained at his sides. Why wasn’t he making a move? Didn’t he want her like she wanted him?

She wished he'd reach out and take her in his arms.

Nick shook his head. "That's too bad, because I'm still chilled."

So, he wanted her to make the first move? A thrill of anticipation shot through her. "I know a sure-fire cure for hypothermia."

His deep chuckle reverberated in her ears. "In this climate, I bet you do. Okay, I'll bite, what's your cure?"

Throwing inhibitions to the wind, she went after what she wanted. "First," she said as she lifted the corner of her tank top and slid it up her ribs and over her head, "you both have to get naked." She tossed her shirt onto a nearby chair and stood there, her breasts bare and ready for the next step in her lesson.

Nick's eyes narrowed, and he backed a step.

Oh no! Brenna's face burned. Had she read him wrong? Had he only wanted a blanket and a warm, but solitary bed? Shame made her shoulders droop. Maybe he didn't want to see her naked. The shock of the scars on her back might be too much. Her gaze darted to the shirt she'd so carelessly discarded. "I'm sorry, I didn't... I thought... Just let me get my shirt..."

When she tried to step around him, his hand shot out and captured her wrist.

"No, I don't want you to stop."

What had seemed like a good idea a moment ago, now loomed like the giant hand of doom. What had she been thinking? "This is a mistake. You could have any woman you want."

"I choose you."

Panic rose in her at the thought of his ultimate rejection. Better to cut her losses and run. But she didn’t want to. "Nick, you're perfect, and I'm flawed."

"There lies the error in your thinking." He pulled her closer until her body was an inch from his. “No one’s perfect. We all have our flaws.”

The warmth emanating from all that exposed skin made Brenna’s fingers ache to touch him. “How am I supposed to walk away when you’re standing there half-naked?”

“You’re not supposed to.” He pushed a damp tendril of hair behind her ear. “What are you really afraid of, Brenna?”

Brenna leaned her face into his hand. “I’m not afraid.” I’m petrified .

His thumb smoothed across her cheek. “Liar.”

“Okay, so I’m afraid.” She had to inject one last attempt, one last note of reason. “If anything happens tonight, it doesn’t have to mean anything.”

“Like hell it doesn’t.” His lips descended on hers, blocking out further protest.

As if the levy burst, all the pent-up emotions of the last few days poured through into that one kiss. Despite her words to the contrary, Brenna knew this kiss meant everything to her. She knew by going into Nick’s arms tonight she’d be opening herself to heartache.

No longer able to hold back, she knew she needed Nick almost more than she needed to breathe. After the chilling bath in the freezing waters of a roadside ditch, the discovery of three dead bodies and the ever-present knowledge she was a killer’s target, Brenna wanted some reassurance.

Hadn’t she given her all to the job? Didn’t she deserve a little happiness, even if only for a couple of hours in the darkness before dawn? Even if she didn’t deserve it, she damned well would take what she could.

And Nick seemed willing, if the hands skimming across her back then sliding beneath her pajama bottoms were any indication. Did he notice the different texture of her scars? Did it repulse him?

Did she care? All she wanted was to be held in his arms and have him climb between her legs and fill her with life.

She leaned against his chest, the friction of his coarse hairs against her bare breasts making her nipples tighten into hard beads. Sliding her hands up his biceps, she reveled in the smooth skin stretched over rock-hard muscles. She loved the power he held in check and wanted more.

Without turning to expose the scars on her back, Brenna backed toward her bedroom, pulling Nick along with her.

His hands skimmed over her bottom and down to cup her thighs. Lifting her off the floor, he wrapped her legs around his waist and carried her into the room, never breaking contact with her lips.

“What about protection?” she said against his mouth.

“I’ve got that covered.”

A thrill of anticipation coursed through her veins. This was no chance encounter. Nick had been thinking about this before he’d made his first move. “You’re very sure of yourself.”

His lips curved into a gentle grin. “No, just hopeful. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since last night.”

Brenna’s heart sang. Gorgeous Nick Tarver had been thinking about her.

Nick kissed the tip of her nose and eased her down onto the bed, laying her back against the bedspread. “Is it so hard to believe I could find you incredibly attractive?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, believe it.”

“I want to.” She turned her face aside, the intensity of Nick’s green gaze boring into her soul. “It’s hard when I’m not even pretty.”

“You’re beautiful.”

“Only with the lights off.” She stared at the nightstand where the light glowed as a testament to the harsh reality of the truth as she’d always known it.

“Brenna.” Nick lay down beside her on the bed and turned her face to his. “You’re beautiful where it counts.” He traced a finger over her left breast, his touch sending fire deep within.

“You say that now, but you haven’t seen me.” Brenna wanted his words to be the truth, wanted to believe him. But she knew better. How could anyone look past the horrible scars? “Will you still think the same when you see all of me?” She pushed off the bed, tears blinding her and stood with her back to Nick, fully exposing her flaws for his inspection. How could he not be horrified by the wide path of destruction from her shoulders downward?

“Do you still feel the same, Nick?” She couldn’t turn to see his face. Couldn’t bear to witness his disgust and certainly not the pity. Tears flowed freely now, blinding her, and she stumbled from the room in search of her shirt.

“Brenna!” Nick followed her and grabbed her around the waist before she reached her shirt. “Give yourself a chance.”

“I did once, and what did it buy me?” She tipped her face toward the ceiling, willing her tears to dry. “You can’t know that feeling of rejection.”

“Yes, I can.” He pulled her against him and pressed his cheek to her damp hair. “My wife rejected me by sleeping with another man.”

“That’s different.”

“Not so different.” His arms circled her, locking her into his embrace. “Trish was beautiful on the outside, but inside, she was ugly. Had I looked deeper, I’d have seen it. When I look at you, all I see is the person who cares about others and wants to make them happy. You’re loyal and protective of those you love. What’s ugly about that? It’s what’s beneath the surface that counts, not the outer package.”

“Even when the outer package is ugly?”

“I don’t think you could be ugly in any way.” His arms loosened around her, and his hands moved to her shoulders. Nick stepped away from her.

Brenna’s breath caught in her throat, and she stood still. She felt his gaze burning her back, taking in the mottled skin and thick, revolting scars. Would he rethink his position?

Then his fingers skimmed over her shoulders and down her spine, across the acres of scars. His lips soon followed, pressing little kisses to the damaged skin.

“No.” Brenna tried to pull away. The thought of Nick kissing her ugliness tore at her heart. “Please, don’t.”

“Yes.” With one hand at her hip, he stopped her from running and continued his sensual assault on the one area she hated most about herself. His hands massaged her back and shoulders; his lips teased the curve of her neck and inched downward.

The fear melted away, replaced by a tension she couldn’t deny. When he slipped her pajamas and panties down her legs, she stepped out of them and turned to face him, her skin on fire. “You make it really hard for me to resist.”

“Then don’t.” He pulled her into his arms and claimed her lips, her body and her heart.