Page 35 of Thaw of Spring (Knife’s Edge, Alaska #2)

A mka took a drink of water around midnight, scanning the tavern to make sure everyone was good.

She’d managed by herself the entire night and was suddenly grateful for both Daisy and Nixi.

She didn’t want to go back to doing everything herself, but she’d just mortgaged both of her assets.

Although, now that Jarod had died, she could change that and just use the insurance money and part of the equity in the tavern only… if she didn’t go to prison.

They were doing a good job keeping Jarod’s death a secret, but she didn’t know how long that would last. This was Knife’s Edge, after all.

The door opened and fresh rain blew in, followed by Christian.

His black hair curled around his ears from the rain, and his dark green T-shirt showed spots from the downpour. In the dim light, the brutally carved planes of his face made him look dangerous. Wilder than the storm outside.

Her heartbeat increased rapidly, and her lungs felt like they’d turned inside out and heated. Liquid dampened her thighs, and her nipples sharpened. Thank goodness she’d worn a bra today. Sometimes she just slapped a couple of nip covers on, but those weren’t a match for Christian Osprey.

The bar had quieted when he’d walked in. Yeah, he had presence.

Dutch pivoted off his stool, clapped Christian on the arm, and headed outside. He’d been on protective detail all night and had entertained her with stories about his time with the AWT. The door slowly swung shut.

Christian looked over at her, scanning her face. A muscle ticked in his jaw. She must appear as exhausted as she felt.

“Everybody out. Tavern’s closed.” He set his stance but didn’t raise his voice.

The people around the two remaining tables instantly stood, with the influencers downing their drinks quickly.

Amka’s mouth gaped open, and her brain scrambled. What the heck was he doing? Finally, she shook herself out of the odd daze. “Christian?—”

One look from him froze the words in her throat.

Just a flicker of that gaze with no expression on his face.

No real movement from his body. But she stopped talking and just stared.

She might’ve short-circuited a little. Her body flushed hot and not just from temper, but she watched as everyone left cash on their tables and then edged around Christian to exit.

He kept his focus on her, but she had no doubt if anybody made a wrong move, he’d see it. Take them out.

Silence fell. Somehow charged.

She cleared her throat and walked to the other side of the bar to bus the tables.

“Leave them.”

“No.” Finally, with her back turned toward him, she found her voice as she collected the empty beer mugs on her tray. She’d never leave a mess in the bar.

To her surprise, he moved to the other table and collected the various glasses to take into the kitchen.

She followed and then loaded the dishwasher as he took a dishrag and cleanser out without saying a word. What in the world was happening right now? Starting the washer, she emerged in the bar to see him finish wiping down the last table. “What are you doing?”

He returned to the bar and barely had to lean over it to drape the rag over the faucet. “Helping.”

She was almost too tired to get angry. Almost. “You can’t just come in here and order everyone to leave.”

He slowly turned to look at the quiet and vacant interior before focusing back on her. “I just did.”

“Don’t you ever do that again.”

Something broke through his impassive eyes. Something that glittered with darkness. “Then don’t drive yourself so hard you look like you’re ready to pass out.”

What a nice description of how she looked. She threw up both hands. “Just leave, okay? I don’t need you bossing me around.” Even if she kind of, very deep down, liked it. Liked the feeling of being protected. “Got it?”

“How you getting home? And if you tell me you borrowed Smitty’s piece of shit second rig that’s all of a sudden parked right outside, you’re not going to be happy with my response.”

“I’m already not happy with you,” she spat.

Her SUV was currently at the bottom of the river, so she’d borrowed the only vehicle in town she could get in trade for two bowls of soup.

She figured Dutch would follow her home, anyway.

That so wasn’t true. She knew that Christian would be covering her since Dutch had all evening.

Ace had taken his turn after lunch through dinnertime.

She probably had the best trained bodyguards in all of Alaska, and she hadn’t hired one of them.

“I know we take care of our own in Knife’s Edge, which is why I’ve not only accepted around-the-clock protection but truly appreciate it.

However, I’m drawing the line when it comes to everything else. Stop bossing me around.”

He planted both hands on the bar. “Then you’re going to hate my next statement.”

What if he said she was staying with him? She didn’t want him taking over her life. Her body desperately wanted to stay with him. “What’s your statement?”

“I want you to go out and stay at EVE until we figure out who’s after you and why.”

If he had said he wanted her to grow tusks and become an elephant, she would’ve been less surprised.

Knife’s Edge and the EVE facility existed peacefully with very little interaction.

Once in a while, the people who worked and lived there came into town, but it didn’t happen that often.

Nobody from town, as far as she knew, had ever stayed the night out there.

“Are you insane?” It’d take hours to drive into work every day.

“No. Damian has already okayed it. Your pass will cover your living quarters and the cafeteria, but you won’t have access to the facility.”

Part of her was intrigued by the idea of staying at EVE, but not within those parameters. “So what exactly am I supposed to do all day hiding out there?”

“I don’t know. Knit?” Whatever flared in her eyes must’ve given him a warning. “Or plan your world domination with Ace? You must have a lot to do to prepare for your businesses. I’m sure the internet connectivity is phenomenal out there.”

She didn’t want to run and hide. Sure, she understood that Christian and everyone protecting her were well-trained and had skills she probably couldn’t imagine.

She always thought she was a practical woman, and the rational avenue to take would be to hide out.

But for how long? “If I leave, we’ll never find this guy.

You know that.” She couldn’t think of one person who wanted her dead—especially since Jarod was now gone.

Not that she had truly believed he wanted her dead.

It didn’t make sense. “We can’t let him go into hiding, too. ”

“Are you saying you want to be bait?” How could Christian sound so threatening without the inflection changing in his deep tone?

A shocking desire to appease him rocked through her. What the heck? She was learning all sorts of unimpressive characteristics about herself tonight. “I’m the guy’s target. We all agree on that at this point. So why go into hiding? So will he until I return.”

“We’ll find him first.” Christian turned toward the doorway, revealing the weapon tucked into the back of his waist. “Our best theory is that Jarod got into something dangerous, resulting in attacks on you before his death. The shooter might be done, or he might think you have information from Jarod. Either way, we’re conducting a deep dive on Jarod’s life.

Did you know he flew to Anchorage at least once a week last year when the planes were operating? He’s done the same this spring.”

“No. I didn’t pay any attention to him last year, and this spring, I was just happy when he was gone.” She hadn’t cared one whit what he was doing outside of town.

Christian’s eyelids dropped to half-mast. “Why didn’t you come to me?”

Why would she have? “Jarod has an accomplice, and there wasn’t anything you could do about that.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I would’ve taken care of it.”

She shivered. “Nobody can fix that situation.” Especially when there was no solution, no matter what Christian said.

Plus, what if he had just gone and tortured Jarod to get her off the hook?

She wouldn’t have wanted that on his shoulders when he was still dealing with his time in the service.

“I try not to burden my friends with my problems.”

“Is that what we are? Friends ?” That half-mast look made him appear like a full-bred wolf contemplating dinner.

“How would you define us, Christian?” she snapped.

He inhaled slowly as if trying to check his own temper. “At the moment? You as a brat and me as a man losing his patience. Fast.”

“You are in a rotten mood.”

He nodded. Once. Shortly. “I’m in a horrendous mood.”

Now he was agreeing with her? “Why?”

His chin lifted. “Why? Well, how about this. There’s some psycho killer out there ripping out the eyes of victims, and the wife of one of those poor saps identified his body earlier and was too upset to talk to me about it.

That’s professionally. Personally? The best scenario for the woman I’m fucking is that someone we don’t know uploads a video that’ll put you and Flossy in prison.

The worst scenario is that someone keeps trying to kill you, and I’m not fast enough next time to protect you. That’d make a guy a might cranky.”

“The woman you’re fucking?” Her voice shook as fire blew through her.

“Yes.”

Oh, he wanted to get shot. “You mean fucked. The woman you fucked . Once. For two seconds in the shower.” All right. It had been a lot longer than two seconds. “Past tense. Over. Not ongoing.” She’d never sworn this much in her life. “You used the wrong damn word.”

Now those lids flicked open. Green and black eyes narrowing, he turned and reached for her. “Let’s remedy that then.”

His hands were firm on her biceps as he lifted her. She yelped and bent her knees, raising her legs to keep from hitting the counter. He planted her ass on the bar, none too gently, stepped between her thighs, and kissed her.

Hard.

His mouth crushed hers like he meant to rewrite the conversation in tongue.

She tasted frustration, fury, and that feral edge that had always made Christian dangerous in all the right ways.

Her hands came up to push, but she didn’t.

Couldn’t. His grip was iron, but the heat beneath it was the real trap.

“You don’t get to ignore reality,” she breathed when he broke away, their foreheads nearly touching. “We’re not ending this argument with more sex.”

“No,” he growled, voice low and gravel-thick. “There’s no argument.” He slipped his hands under her thighs and yanked her closer, sliding her butt to the end of the bar, where her legs hung over. Then he flattened one palm over her chest and pushed.

She fell back onto the heavy wood. Her breath caught; his didn’t. He leaned over her, his cock hard beneath his jeans and against her core. Demanding. She might’ve whimpered.

He dipped his head, kissed her throat and then went lower, ripping open the buttons of her flannel. He tore her bra in two, and his heated mouth found her breasts. First one and then the other, his tongue lashed. “Tell me to stop.”

She didn’t. Couldn’t.

Fire zinged through her too delicious to ignore. She didn’t know her body could do this. That she could feel like this.

He licked down her abdomen and then nipped her hipbone.

Then he hooked his fingers in the edge of her jeans and panties and dragged them down with the precision of a strategic battle plan.

“You were right about one thing,” he muttered against the inside of her thigh, breath hot, voice deadly sure.

“Our time in the shower was way too short. I didn’t nearly get to indulge myself enough. ”

Her fingers threaded into his hair just as his mouth found her, and the words she meant to say came out as a whimper swallowed by a moan.

This couldn’t be happening. Christian Osprey had his mouth on her clit. His tongue. His fingers. He gave a soft hum of pure male satisfaction that nearly shot her right off the bar. In response, he clamped both hands on her thighs, holding her open for him.

She gasped, hips jerking. He didn’t ease up. Just flicked his tongue, slow and devastating, then pressed in deep enough to have her crying out, just once, sharp and breathless.

Then he stopped.

Not all the way. Just backed off, let her hover on the edge while his breath ghosted over her soaked skin.

“No,” she choked, half a plea, half a curse.

He chuckled darkly against her. “Not yet.”

And then he was back—tongue stroking, curling, relentless. Her vision blurred. She braced on her elbows, every nerve a live wire. Heat coiled low, tight, unbearable?—

And again, he pulled back.

“Christian,” she snapped, furious, desperate.

“You’ll come,” he murmured, kissing her inner thigh like he hadn’t just tortured her within an inch of her sanity. “When I say.”

She would’ve cursed him, but he was already on her again, tongue rougher now, purposeful. Her orgasm built too fast, too strong, and just as it crested?—

Gone.

He licked a lazy path lower, ignoring the way she trembled, ruined and wild.

Her head fell back with a thud. “You bastard.”

He grinned against tender flesh. “Say it again.” Then he latched on—mouth hot, tongue firm, sucking her clit like he meant to leave a mark.

She lost it.

The orgasm hit fast and mean, yanking her under before she had a chance to brace.

Her thighs trembled and tried to clamp around his head, but he held her still.

Her hips bucked, wild and unforgiving, not caring that she probably caused bruises on her butt.

She couldn’t get a breath in and just gasped as a noise tore out of her throat, rough and real and helpless.

Her back arched. Then she fell flat against the bar, one arm flailing out for balance she didn’t have, the other gripping his hair like a lifeline.

And still, he didn’t stop.

“Christian.” It came out wrecked. Barely a whisper.

He held her there, mouth dragging every last aftershock out of her, lips relentless, tongue merciless. It was too much. Way too much. Her muscles spasmed again, her legs twitching, and all she could do was take it. Shake through it. Pray he’d stop before she blacked out.

When he finally pulled back, her body was drenched, twitching, useless.

Christian rose slowly, licking his bottom lip like he’d just finished dessert and was considering seconds. One strong hand banded across the front of her throat and pulled her into a seated position.

Her hair flew around her face and sparks spiraled throughout her abdomen.

He stepped back, his gaze on fire, and slowly removed his belt.