Page 29 of Thaw of Spring (Knife’s Edge, Alaska #2)

T he nightmare caught Christian deep in sleep, and he stilled, eyelids slowly opening.

Amka lay curled against him, her sweet butt against his groin.

He listened to her breathe and settled himself, sliding from the bed and making sure to keep her covered.

He snagged worn jeans from the floor and yanked them on, his skin crawling from the dream.

He had to get outside. Now.

Padding barefoot across the chilled floor, he walked outside and carefully shut the door.

Fresh air and freedom smashed into him, so he made his way across the small porch to sit, resting his feet on the bottom step.

One by one, he forced each muscle in his body to release.

Sometimes the nightmares tightened him into a raw ball of fury, but now, he could relax. Slowly.

The rain had stopped, leaving the sky a light pink and gold as dawn arrived.

Birds chirped in the distance, and water dripped from branches and eaves.

He pulled in the fresh air, watching the trees, calming himself.

Even so, he knew how fucked up he was right now.

He had a beautiful woman with a pure heart in his bed, and he was outside, by himself.

What had he been thinking taking her like that in the shower?

He scrubbed both hands down his face, his whiskers catching his palms. He’d been too rough with her last night, and that was him exhausted after fighting the river.

At full strength, or even with more than he’d had, he wasn’t gentle.

Didn’t like it gentle. She deserved better.

A lot. At least deserved a little foreplay, which normally he enjoyed. Not gentle, though. Not even close.

She deserved more than staying with a guy who had to escape outside, to get away from people, more often than not.

That bed in there had gotten more use the last week than it had the entire year before.

He usually slept outside. Even when the weather turned worse—turned freezing. No woman would want to live like that.

Not that she’d expressed any desire to stay with him. The other day, she’d been trying to piss him off with the talk about babies and homes. Been trying to get him to back off. She’d make adorable kids.

Out there, by himself, he could imagine a little girl with her eyes and sassy attitude. Maybe a boy with those same eyes and her ability to be kind. To care about people. They’d be lucky to have her.

What did he have to offer? The promise of safety and nothing else? He could provide that from afar. Make sure nobody hurt her or anyone she loved.

But could he watch her with another man? Definitely not Jarod. The woman had punched that jackass in the stomach the night before, and Christian hadn’t had a chance to figure that one out. How angry had Jarod been? Would he have cut her brakes? If not, then who?

Christian’s muscles tensed again. At least now he could be sure that the fire and then the sniper had been after her.

Why did somebody want her dead? They sure as shit didn’t care how it happened.

Fire, bullets, and now drowning. The end result was all they were going after.

Jarod Teller was the only person he could imagine wanting her dead.

But why? They weren’t even married. Yet.

No yet . He would not accept a yet . Amka might deserve better than Christian, but she deserved much better than Jarod.

Movement sounded from inside, and he remained in place, giving her some space.

No doubt she regretted the night. She was still bruised from the explosive fire, had to be injured from the car wreck, and he’d taken her up against a stone wall with all the finesse of a rutting bull.

He’d be lucky if she didn’t try to shoot him.

Minutes passed, and the door opened behind him. He steeled himself for the demand to take her home.

She padded out to hand him a steaming cup of coffee. “I borrowed more socks.”

He glanced to the side to see a dingy pair of white-ish socks with the heels up to her calves and the tops to her knees.

Her thighs were bare and sexy as any mythical siren.

She had the comforter wrapped around her shoulders, and she’d pulled on one of his shirts.

He accepted the coffee, masking his surprise. “Thanks.”

She sat next to him, placing her coffee next to her. Then she took one edge of the bedspread and stretched it across his bare back. “Help me.”

Wait—what? He obeyed, tucking them both inside the warmth.

“Thank you. It’s cold out here.” She cuddled closer to him, tucking the cover down her shoulder to secure beneath her thigh before retrieving her coffee. “It’s pretty, though.”

Most women would’ve been pissed at finding him gone after sex. This one was confusing the hell out of him. Not knowing what to say, he took a big drink of the coffee. She’d made it strong, just like he wanted. “Sorry,” he murmured.

Her bare thigh was plastered against his. “For what?”

He cut her a look from the side of his eye.

Her hair had dried around her shoulders, thick and straight.

Whisker burn covered her chin from his kisses, and the sight should’ve made him feel bad.

It didn’t. A sense of possession flowed through him, and he tried to shut it down. Somehow. “For leaving the bed.”

She shrugged, her small shoulder bumping his arm. “Why? You like it outside. It’s nice out here, although a little chilly. The coffee helps.”

Why wasn’t she mad? He scanned the forest around them, making sure she was safe.

Tika had dropped by for a scratch behind the ears before bounding into the forest again.

The wildlife made plenty of sound, so nothing was out of place there.

Except the woman sitting next to him. “I don’t like being inside for long.

” He had to get her to stop being so nice.

“I know.”

What was happening? “Doesn’t that bother you?”

“No. Why would it?”

His mouth opened and then closed. “I sleep outside all the time.”

“I figured that.”

Oh. Okay. So she wasn’t really thinking of having anything with him. Good. She didn’t care where he slept. That was good. All right. Irritation clocked through him, and he shoved it down. “How are you feeling?”

“A little sore, but my head is clear. The seatbelt bruised my ribs, but other than that, I’m good.” Her voice remained soft. Quiet. “Do you think someone cut my brakes?”

A fresh anger slapped him, and he kept his body calm. “Yeah. I called the Millers to get the rig out of the water, but it’s going to take a few days for them to get the right equipment. Why would Jarod want you dead?”

She jolted slightly against him. “He doesn’t.”

“I can’t think of anybody else,” Christian said. If she tried to defend that jerk, he might lose his mind. “Why did you punch him last night?”

She shifted against him, both of her hands cupping the mug. “That’s, ah, personal.” At the statement, she ducked her head, as if she knew how stupid that sounded.

“I was inside you just a few hours ago, and you slept in my arms all night. We’ve gone way beyond personal.”

She sighed and took another sip. “I know, and last night doesn’t change anything. But I don’t regret a second.”

“Neither do I,” he growled before he could stop himself. “I know we can’t be, can’t have anything permanent, but no way am I allowing you to marry that jackass.”

“Allowing?” Her voice rose. “Sorry, buddy. One night of sex doesn’t give you a say in my life.”

Why not? Amka wasn’t a woman who slept with a guy and then moved on. She sure wasn’t someone who cheated on a man she loved. “You were tight as hell last night, and no way have you been sleeping with Jarod.”

She swallowed. “That’s inappropriate, so watch yourself. And again, that’s personal.”

“Tell me something’s personal one more time, and you’re going over my knee.” He would love to see his palm print on her ass. The mental image almost had him reaching for her.

She plunked her mug down on the rough wooden porch. “I’ve had enough of this. It’s time for me to go home.”

That was it. Just it. He gently put his mug next to him and hefted her onto his lap, cradling her.

Twisting one hand in her hair, he pulled back her head until she had no choice but to meet his gaze.

Oh, she fought him, but she didn’t have a chance.

He let her struggle as long as she wanted, holding her there until she finally relented. “You done?”

The look she gave him might’ve shriveled another man’s balls. It just aroused him. Again. She then rolled her eyes. “Knock it off.” Yeah, she sounded a bit breathless, and it wasn’t just from the struggle.

He liked to explain things clearly when he could. “Here’s the deal. We’re not moving until you tell me what’s going on with Jarod. You don’t love him. I don’t even think you like him. There’s no way you want to marry him, which leads me to a couple of conclusions.”

Her jaw clenched and her chin firmed in a way that tempted him to take a bite right out of it. “Which are?” Now she sounded haughty.

Amusement mixed with the irritation inside him. “Either you’re afraid of him, or he has something on you. Either way, I’m going to handle it.” Yeah. Last night gave him that right. The least he could do was free her from Jarod.

“You’re wrong.” Her voice quivered just slightly, and her gaze dropped.

He tightened his hold on her hair and pulled. She gasped and those eyelids flew wide open. Damn, she had pretty eyes. Nearly black with depth and intrigue. “We’re not moving. Can stay here all day and into the night. At some point, you’re gonna want to go inside. We’re not.”

Pink spiraled through her cheekbones, and pure stubborn lit her expression.

Ah. All right. So it was a contest of wills. Apparently it was a lesson she needed to learn.

He kept her in place and continued scanning the area for threats.

She lasted an entire hour. Truth to shit, she impressed him. That was a stubborn to the soul woman. He liked that. After an outraged huff, she spoke. “Fine, but you have to promise not to do anything.”

“Nope.”

She gave a half-hearted struggle, no surprise flashing across her face when he didn’t let her move an inch. “You’re such a jerk.”

“Yep.”

Her sigh held a nice amount of feminine frustration. No doubt she was planning his demise. “Let me go. I need to use the bathroom.”

“Nope.”

She swung and slapped his chest but couldn’t get much momentum from her position.

“Careful, cutie. I hit back.”

She shifted her weight, her butt tightening as if she knew just what he meant.

Good. It was nice being on the same page.

“Fine,” she exploded. “I steadied Flossy while she shot Hank, and Jarod videoed the entire thing. He’s been blackmailing me.

Said we just had to be engaged to give him respectability, but now he wants all of my money.

And he says he wants to get married for real. ”

Shock careened through Christian. Not in centuries would he have figured this one out.

“You helped Flossy?” Flossy and Hank had been in love, and when the cancer became too painful, Hank had asked her to help him find relief.

Christian had thought one of his brothers had helped and had been relieved when Flossy wasn’t charged.

Hank had been a good guardian and a strong man.

He wouldn’t have asked for help unless he really needed it.

“Yeah,” Amka whispered. “I’m sorry, Christian.”

He placed a kiss on her upturned nose. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Finally, something made sense. “I’ll take care of Jarod.”

“You can’t.” Tears filled her eyes, nearly throwing him into a rage. He kept his expression calm. “Jarod made copies, and if anything happens to him, he has a friend who’ll send the video to the authorities. I don’t much care about me, but I can’t let Flossy go to prison at her age.”

Of course she was worried about Flossy and not herself.

“Don’t worry. This is now my problem.” By the time he was done with Jarod, Christian would have all copies of the video.

His phone buzzed from inside the cabin, so he stood with her in his arms and strode inside, placing her gently on her feet before grabbing the phone off the table.

She stretched her neck.

He lifted an eyebrow. “Thought you needed to use the bathroom.”

She shrugged. “Nope. I lied.”

Yeah, he had figured. He lifted the phone, finally relaxing now that he knew what the problem was that he needed to fix. Jarod Teller. Easy enough. “What?”

“Are you at your place?” Brock asked.

Brock didn’t sound right. “Yeah. Why?” Christian tensed.

“Tell me Amka is with you.”

How did Brock know that? Why did it matter? “Affirmative. Why?” Christian stressed the word this time.

“Because Jarod Teller’s body was just found in his truck. In Amka’s driveway. You both need to come in. Now.”