Under Threat by B.J. Daniels (reading the story of the .TXT) 📕

He swallowed, because his first instinct was to pull her into a hug. Quite honestly, even if he wasn’t attracted to her, that would be his instinct. As a police officer, he knew how powerful it could be to simply offer someone a shoulder or a brief, simple embrace. It could give them the courage to make it through a really tragic situation.

Which meant he had to swallow that attraction, and act as though she were anyone else. Anyone else he would offer this to. So he stood and thrust his gun to his hip holster, where it would remain in easy reach. He took the gun she’d been carrying all this time from her shaking fingers and set it behind them. If they showed up, the shooters from the cabin would be unable to sneak around them, and the weapon would be within easy reach.

He steeled himself for what he knew would be a shock of arousal and need, and drew her into the circle of his arms.

She shook there, and he thought she might have cried. Just a little bit of a sob. Against his shoulder. It was strange to feel capable in that moment. To feel like the Ranger he’d been trained to be.

But for the first time in a long time, with Natalie in his arms, he felt in control of the situation. Because he would do anything in his power to protect her.

And that was going to be everything.

Natalie didn’t love that she was crying, but it couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t like she was going to get any privacy to do it any time soon.

Might as well get it out now while there weren’t people directly after them. Just indirectly, at some point, in the future. Probably. Did they have another few days? Or were they going have to camp in the mountains for weeks?

She couldn’t bring herself to ask Vaughn any of those questions because he always answered them either far too truthfully, or not at all. So she focused on evening her breathing and getting rid of the tears, and finding that inner strength that had gotten her this far.

As she slowly calmed herself, she realized that Vaughn was rubbing his hand up and down her back. It reminded her of the night of the fire, the way he’d put that competent, strong hand on her back and it had been an odd comfort. But it hadn’t been personal.

This felt personal. Intimate.

She wasn’t crying anymore. No, she was absorbing. The strength and warmth of Vaughn, his arms around her, and the gentle, soothing motion of his hand up and down her spine.

It didn’t make camping in a cave any more appealing, but it made it a little less daunting. Vaughn would keep her safe. That she knew.

She sighed, and relaxed. Into him, into the embrace. He didn’t stiffen against it. Instead, he softened. Vaughn Cooper softening against her. She smiled and burrowed in deeper. Holding him closer.

“I’m going to get you out of this in one piece,” he said, his voice a fierce whisper. “One way or another.”

“Are you supposed to make impossible promises like that?” she asked, listening to the steady, reassuring beat of his heart.

“I shouldn’t,” he said, sounding a little disgusted with himself. “But you should know that I’m going to do whatever it takes. I know I can’t tell you not to worry, but I can try to give you some comfort.”

She looked up at him, still in the warm embrace of his arms. She smiled, and it was odd that she could do that in this situation, but something about his fervent need to make her feel safe, made her feel just that. Maybe safe was an exaggeration, but she felt like there was a chance they’d survive this. A good one. Because she trusted Vaughn to do exactly as he said.

“How much distraction would it be if you kissed me?”

Some of that softness left him, a tension creeping into the set of his body. “Natalie...”

She wouldn’t be so easily deterred. “I’m just saying that if you want me to feel safe, that would probably do it.”

He exhaled something like a laugh.

Then he did the strangest, most unexpected thing. He actually kissed her. Lowering his mouth to hers, something gentle and sweet. The antithesis of the hot and wild thing that had passed between them earlier. This was a comfort, and that made her heart shudder with things she had no business feeling. And yet, she didn’t want to stop feeling them.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss, pressing herself more firmly against him.

His arm pulled her tighter to him, and one hand came up to cup her neck. The warmth of his hand there, the pressure of it, the heat of his mouth and the way his tongue traced her lips and then entered. It was soft and comforting, but it was also more. It was hot and searing. It was a revelation, because she’d never had anything like this. It was fire and sweetness, it was passion and comfort. It was everything she wanted, and all she’d had to do was ask.

She stroked her fingers over his short hair and then down his neck. She wanted to somehow know him. The shape of him. The feel of him. She wanted to understand the texture of his hair, the path of his skin. She wanted more.

That hit her. She wanted more. She wanted it all. She didn’t care that they were in a cave somewhere. She didn’t care that horrible people were after her. Because everything had been going wrong for so long that she just wanted more of this thing that didn’t feel wrong.

She wanted good. She wanted Vaughn.

She trailed her hands down his chest. The soft cotton of the T-shirt he wore did nothing to hide what compact, lean muscle he was. Everything about him was hard. Strong. But she thought maybe,