Page 21 of Winter’s Heart (Three of Hearts #1)

In times like these, Nikki would’ve turned to Bradley for support.

But that was before she’d caught him texting some strange woman a string of soppy endearments that he’d never once uttered to her.

Bradley’s exit had been swift. The moment she’d confronted him, he hadn’t tried to hide it.

Instead, he’d packed his things and walked out, throwing the comment that she needed to stop being a doormat over his shoulder at her.

The insult had stung, probably because she knew it was true; she found it hard to stand up for herself in a relationship and ask for what she wanted.

She was always giving, but rarely taking.

Bradley had destroyed what little trust she had left in men completely when he went out her door.

Even though it’d been six months since she’d rid herself of that deceitful man—she was so much better off without him—she suddenly missed him terribly.

Missed having someone to hold her, missed that simple human contact.

“Nikki.” The softly uttered word had her swiping tears from her cheeks. Jacob was standing in the doorway.

Wearing only a pair of boxer shorts. Tight boxer shorts.

Oh, and wasn’t it a sight?

“I’m fine,” she said, hoping he believed her. But those dratted tears kept falling. “I’m fine,” she whispered again as he stalked toward her across the kitchen.

“You’re not fine.” He stopped right in front of her, gaze raking her face, a deep crease marring his high forehead.

No, she guessed she wasn’t.

He stepped closer, a question in those hazel eyes.

Without thinking, she responded by also taking a step forward, and then his arms came around her and her cheek was against his chest. The physical contact was like a bolt of lightning to her system.

Shocking, and yet exactly what she needed.

It felt safe to be sheltered in his embrace.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and drew in his strength, his solidity.

The world around her was tilting on its axis, and Jacob seemed to be the only dependable thing she could cling to.

Her traitorous body was acutely aware of how all those lean muscles of his chest were pressed up against her.

This wasn’t a scene from some steamy romance novel, she reminded herself; there were hitmen out to kill her, and Jacob was her protector.

She should ignore the fact that his proximity lit her insides up like Bradly never had.

Tilting her head up with his thumb, Jacob stared down at her. Using that same thumb, he gently wiped away more stray tears, his touch scorching her cheeks where he traced the wet trails over her skin. Her sadness evaporated. Replaced by a feeling much more basic and fervent.

On the past two occasions when she’d stared into Jacob’s eyes, she’d held back.

But not this time. She wasn’t sure who moved first, but he met her mouth with his own, pressed his lips onto hers and something exploded inside her.

Of their own accord, her arms slipped around his neck, pulling him down.

Closer, she needed him closer. His tongue brushed hers in a tangle of need.

Breaking their kiss, Jacob let his lips trail down the sensitive curve of her neck and back up again.

What he was doing felt like reverence. His beard was so deliciously rough against her cheek.

She tilted her head up and let out a small moan of pleasure as he whispered her name against her collarbone.

A thump from the living room made them both freeze.

Then Nikki scrambled backward, her butt hitting the countertop in her hurry to get away from him.

Away from what they’d just done. He also retreated, his hazel eyes that’d blazed with desire only seconds ago were now shuttered and unreadable.

But the one thing he couldn’t hide was the raging erection in his tight boxer shorts.

At the last second, Jacob turned and opened a cupboard, as if he were searching for something, effectively putting his back to the door.

“Everything okay in here?” Oleg appeared in the doorway, a wary frown dragging his thin lips down.

“Yes,” Jacob replied brusquely. “Just making Dr. Winter a cup of warm milk to help her sleep.” He continued to rake through the cupboard, pushing cups and saucers around. “No need for your assistance, Sergeant, thank you. You can go back to your post.”

Nikki had to cover her mouth and pretend to cough to stifle her sudden urge to giggle like a schoolgirl. This wasn’t funny; they’d just been almost sprung by the officious Oleg in the middle of a sizzling kiss. But the need to laugh nearly overtook her.

“Sure thing, sir.” Oleg threw her a curious look before he turned and retraced his steps down the hallway.

“Sorry,” she said, once they heard the other officer retake his seat in the lounge room, allowing her mirth to show through. She wasn’t sure if she was apologizing for kissing him, or for making light of the situation.

“I’m not,” he replied, throwing her a cheeky grin in return, and the heat in that grin hit her right in the solar plexus.

Then his face fell, and he added, “But I should go back to my room. I don’t really want to be caught like this…

” He gestured to the bulge in his boxer shorts.

Impressive. Even after he’d nearly been discovered in a very compromising position by a lower-ranking officer, Jacob’s arousal was still clear.

She must’ve had some kind of effect on him, she decided smugly.

“As long as you’re okay now,” he said, taking a quick step toward her.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she conceded. “I was sad about Tammy and Antoine. But you’ve given me something else altogether to think about.”

He gave a rueful shrug and looked as if he might say more, but Oleg coughed loudly from the main room and Jacob grimaced, covered the front of his boxer shorts and disappeared down the hallway.

Wow, that was completely unexpected. She’d just discovered that the cool, in-control man she knew Jacob to be on the surface hid a secret, much more sinful side.

There was a burning intensity inside Jacob Utsi, one that Nikki wanted to see more of, wanted him to unleash.

On her. But this wasn’t the time or the place for her salacious thoughts.

She was returning to America tomorrow. He was a Swedish cop who had a job to do here.

They led completely different lives on separate continents.

There was no way this would work, so why was she even contemplating it?

Nikki waited until the kettle boiled, then took her hot tea back to her bedroom, walking slowly past Jacob’s door.

If only … No, there was no place for if only in her life right now.

Her job was to survive long enough to see that Tammy and Antoine’s research was used to stop that greedy Chinese corporation in its tracks. She owed them that much.

There was no chance she was going to get any more sleep in the few hours left until morning.

Accepting her fate, she dragged her computer from the backpack on the floor and got into bed with it open on her lap.

She may as well take advantage of this time and familiarize herself with the reams of data Tammy and Antoine had collected.

Try to corral it all into some form that might make sense to her.

And to a jury. From experience, she knew all her written documentation and evidence needed to be submitted to the prosecuting lawyers at least a week before the actual trial.

And if she were to become the specialist up on the stand in front of the Supreme Court in Oslo, she’d better learn her stuff.

But there was a lot of information to wade through.

Her boss, Russell, might help her decipher the more technical material.

She’d already sent him the link to all the information, but had he had an opportunity to look at any of it yet?

Time to find out. She opened an email and addressed it to him, her fingers flying over the keyboard.

* * *

“You’re going to do what?” Nikki wasn’t sure she’d understood Jacob correctly.

They were standing on the tarmac of the military air base on the outskirts of Lule?, and she had to shout to be heard.

A squat, dark-gray aircraft stood ready a few hundred yards away, engines rumbling as it waited for her to board, the noise almost overwhelming.

It was now mid-morning, and there was a howling wind sending ribbons of snow swirling around her ankles as she pulled her knit hat as far down as it would go.

Oleg and Nils remained on guard beside the dark SUV, thirty feet or so behind Jacob, waiting for him to say his goodbyes.

“I’m coming with you on the plane. I have an American passport, so I can enter your country freely,” Jacob shouted back.

Nikki was struggling to comprehend his words, and she was getting colder by the second standing out in the below zero temperatures, even though she was dressed in warm clothing and a nice thick winter jacket courtesy of the deputy commissioner, who’d had a bag of clothes delivered for her and Jacob to the safe house.

“Why?” she shouted. Why had he suddenly thrown her this curveball?

All last night, after they’d been to see the deputy commissioner, she’d been telling herself that she was resigned to the fact she wouldn’t be seeing Jacob anymore.

She’d almost convinced herself that they’d only known each other for less than twenty-four hours and they couldn’t possibly have forged a connection in that short a time.

Then there was that scorching kiss in the kitchen that’d changed everything.

She could’ve taken the next step; if she’d followed her burning desire and knocked on Jacob’s door last night, she knew he would’ve let her in.

But again, she decided there was no future for them, so she chose to put that kiss behind her and walk on past. But her stupid heart still wanted more.

And here he was offering her more. At what cost, though?

“Because I made a promise that I would protect you, no matter what.”

Her blood pounded hot and heavy through her veins. What she wouldn’t give to explore another kiss with Jacob. To explore more than that. But, no. What she wanted was impossible. What he was about to do was impossible. He wasn’t thinking logically. She had to convince him to stay.

“Yes, I realize you made me a promise. But, Jacob, this is going way beyond the scope of your duties. Way beyond anything a sane person would do. I commend your dedication, but you can’t do this.” A sudden thought occurred to her. “Wait. Does your boss know you’re here?”

Jacob shook his head grimly.

“So you could lose your job?” Her teeth were chattering in the intense cold, and she could see Oleg and Nils becoming impatient behind Jacob. They wouldn’t be able to hear what was being said, but they wouldn’t be happy with the delay.

Jacob merely met her gaze, his tawny eyes giving nothing away. She could feel a sense of calm surrounding him. Could also sense his steely resolve. And she knew that nothing she could say was going to sway him from this crazy course.

“Like I said, I keep my promises.” His lips turned up in a cocky half-grin that ignited the dimple in his cheek, and her chest expanded with hope, even while she let out a frustrated grunt of disapproval.

This was so unbelievable; she wasn’t sure if she wanted to smack that grin off his face, or reach up and kiss him till they both couldn’t breathe. He was infuriating.

“You’re going to do this whether or not I want you to, aren’t you?”

That dimpled grin grew a little wider.

She sighed and shook her head. “Alright. But I don’t reckon these air force guys will let you on the plane,” she added grumpily, rubbing her gloved hands together to get some warmth into them.

Jacob had warned her that her fingers and toes would still be sensitive to the cold, and he was right.

Her fingers were stinging, and her feet were aching. She needed to escape this weather.

“Don’t worry about that; I’ve got a plan.” He gave her that devastating smile again, the one that made her want to run her hands through his hair and pull his mouth down to hers for another of his ravishing kisses.

Nikki couldn’t wait to see Jacob try to sweet-talk his passage onto a military transport.

Part of her hoped they refused him and turned his ass right back around.

There was no way he should put his job on the line for her.

No way in hell. But then again… Gosh, she was so confused.

A large chunk of her was furious he was doing this.

But a smaller, admittedly more insistent voice, was secretly happy he would be on that flight.

Jacob had raced to tell Oleg and Nils to leave without him, but Nikki wasn’t waiting.

She stomped toward the behemoth standing on the tarmac, heading for a set of stairs where two men in khaki stood at attention.

It was bizarre to think that big airplane was here for little ol’ her.

And that FBI agents would be there to meet her when she landed in Seattle was also freaking her out.

She guessed she had the deputy commissioner to thank for all this; he must have friends in high places.

At least it meant her government was taking her situation seriously.

But what would they do when they found out Jacob had accompanied her? He might regret his decision very soon.