Yeah, she mused, pulling on the socks she had jammed into the boots, she had to be careful, on her guard, against herself as well as him. The two of them were going to be spending a lot of time together, closely together, in the mountains.
She had been hurt badly before and was determined she wouldn’t be again. She couldn’t emotionally afford to get involved with Tanner Wolfe, bounty hunter.
Groaning softly at the very idea, she yanked on the boots, grabbed her shoulder bag and stepped out of the SUV.
Drawing a deep breath, she strode out, determined to put off her ruminations until later. But her stride soon turned into a meandering stroll, while her mind raced ahead with what-ifs.
Bri knew full well the possibilities, knew they narrowed down to one. Her imagination drew a vivid picture of herself and Tanner, their limbs entwined, their mouths fused, his body—
Hold it right there, she told herself, blinking to erase the too-explicit scene from her mind. She was breathing hard and fast. Suddenly aware, she glanced around her to see if anyone had noticed her flushed cheeks, her forehead damp with perspiration. If anyone did, she’d blame it on the noonday sun directly overhead. In her jacket, no wonder she was so uncomfortably warm.
Her breathing slowing but still uneven, Bri turned on her heel to practically run back to where Tanner had parked the SUV in front of the café.
Pulling herself together and shrugging out of her jacket, Bri entered the café, her throat parched. Whether her thirst came from the heat or from her thoughts, she didn’t know; all she knew was she needed a cold drink to cool down her fevered mind.
She was seated in a booth, a large glass of ice water set next to a steaming cup of coffee in front of her, working at appearing cool, comfortable and slightly bored, when Tanner entered the café. His sharp gaze locating her at once, he strode to the booth and slid onto the bench across from her. Removing his hat, he set it on the bench next to him. “Hi.”
His soft, almost intimate voice sent tingles dancing along her spine.
“Hi, yourself.” How Bri had found her impersonal yet friendly tone she hadn’t a clue.
“The coffee looks good,” he said, indicating her cup with a swift movement of his head. “It’s warming up outside.”
“I noticed.” Bri immediately decided that had to be the biggest understatement of her life. “That’s why I asked for the ice water.”
“Hmm…and I’m parched.”
You’re telling me? she thought, taking a quick sip to cool her drying throat.
“Hungry?” she asked, not able to think of anything else to say.
Tanner didn’t respond for a few tense seconds, during which he slid a slow, intense look from her face to her waist. “Er, yeah.”
He didn’t have to say any more; Bri felt his exact meaning in every cell in her body. Oh, boy, she thought, watching his eyes darken as she thoughtlessly wet her dry lips with a glide of her tongue. Oh, yes, indeedy, she was in deep trouble.
“You?”
“What?” Try as she would, Bri couldn’t control the slight tremor in her voice.
“I asked if you were hungry. Are you?”
“Yes.” There was no way in hell she was going to run her gaze over him, no matter how much she wanted to do so. “And, as you said, we may as well eat now. I have menus.” She handed one to him.
“Thanks.” He smiled.
Damn him. Keeping the thought firmly inside her mind, where it belonged, she opened the menu and pretended to peruse the lunch specials even though she had already made her selection.
They didn’t talk much or tarry during the meal, and within forty-five minutes of Bri having entered the café, they were back in the SUV and on the road.
Bri contained her patience until they were at last heading for the mountains.
“So what did you learn from your informant?” she asked when he remained silent.
He slanted a grin at her. “I thought you’d never ask. You surprised me by holding out for as long as you have.”
“You have no idea how long I can hold out,” she shot back at him, leaving it up to him to decide whether her response contained a double meaning.
He slanted a sideways, contemplative look at her, his eyes alight with devilment. “Is that a challenge?”
Bri raised her eyes and fluttered her eyelashes, her expression one of pure innocence. “Why, Mr. Wolfe,” she said, her voice as close to a purr as she could make it, “a woman would have to be very brave to challenge you.”
He gave a short bark of laughter. “Yeah, that’s what I meant.”
“You think I’m a brave woman?” Bri felt inordinately flattered even though she knew she was a brave woman. Her father had tested her, and she had passed his test of bravery and endurance. She had aced it, actually.
“Oh, yeah, you’re brave,” he said, sparing another glance at her. “You’re brave and a bit reckless and, I’m afraid, very, very dangerous.”
That last stopped her cold. She stared at him in astonishment. Her…dangerous? In what way? She had never deliberately harmed or intimidated anyone in her entire life.
“Dangerous to whom?” she asked, too bewildered by his remark to feel anything but puzzled.
Tanner sliced a smile at her that made her tingle all over. “I’d say you’re dangerous to every male between the ages of fifteen and a hundred and fifteen.”
Bri just couldn’t hold back; she laughed.
“You don’t think so, huh?”
“Of course I do,” she said as her laughter subsided. “I’m sure every male out there between those ages is just trembling in fear of running into me. Get real, Wolfe,” she said drolly. “I’m far from being dangerous to anyone of any age.”
He slowed down a bit to give her a dry look. “Does that include the man we’re on the hunt for?”
Bri stiffened. “That’s different.”
“In what way?”
“In the obvious way,” she retorted, getting really rattled. “He’s different. He’s a killer.”
“Yeah, he’s a killer and a rapist,” he agreed in an annoyingly reasonable tone. “But there are a lot of killers and rapists out there, and you’re not on the hunt, packing heat, for them.”
“No, I’m not,” she snapped, getting seriously angry. “And that’s because I’m not a hunter or a killer. But if we catch up to this…this monster, I will not hesitate a moment to use my weapon.”
“Wait a minute.” In an instant, Tanner practically stood on the brake, bringing the vehicle to a squealing, jarring stop. “You, me, neither one of us is going to shoot to kill him. Is that understood?” He didn’t wait for a response. “I’m warning you, Brianna, if you don’t give me your word on this, I’ll turn around, drive back to Durango and drop you at the Strater like you were on fire. I have never killed a man in my life and I’m not about to start now, and neither are you—not as long as you’re with me. Have you got that?”
Bri didn’t know whether to laugh or weep. She did neither; instead she calmly faced him. “I never so much as entertained the idea of killing the man, Tanner. I only meant I’d use my weapon to wing him, enough to bring him down. I don’t want him dead. That’s too easy.”
He frowned. “Then what do you want?”
She hoped Tanner could actually see the icy determination on her tight lips. “I want to see him rot in prison for