Unbelievable. His hand had never shaken while handling a woman.

But he wanted to touch Abbie everywhere. Slide his fingers down between her legs and brush over the tender skin, tease her until she moaned his name.

She’d have let him on the mountain, before he practically stroked her, then walked away.

He peeled the towel all the way off her backside, sure he was opening a door he couldn’t slam shut again.

She flexed her legs that had small scrapes.

After drawing a deep breath of resolution, he reloaded cream on each palm and walked to the end of the bed. Leaning over, he started at the back of her calves, rubbing up and down.

Moving higher to reach the top of her thighs, he massaged her muscles with his thumbs all the way back down.

He paused. Had she moaned? He kept massaging her thighs and unintentionally brushed the juncture between her legs when he stretched forward.

A shiver raced along her lower body.

The beads of sweat on his neck joined forces and trickled down his back.

He couldn’t do this.

He could do this, but it would end with him turning her over to spread her legs and start kissing there.

If her earlier response was any indication, she had a hair trigger. He’d love to see her face when his finger brushed over and over and over that trigger until she exploded.

The only thing stopping him?

He couldn’t seduce her the way he would another woman.

Because she wasn’t like any of the others.

Abbie’s emotions made her vulnerable. She cared too deeply. She wasn’t like the ice maidens he’d taken to bed who burned off pent-up energy the same as him, then forgot the encounter a day later.

Lifting the edge of the towel, he wiped his hands until he felt certain no cream was left and put the cap back on the tube.

“You done?” she asked.

“Yes.” Stick a fork in me. He started for the door.

“Hunter?”

When he turned back, she’d leaned up on one elbow and had a fisted handful of the towel in front of her breasts.

“What?”

“You are so cranky.” She studied him, her eyes taking his full measure from top to bottom, pausing at the bulge in his jeans.

“Anything else?” He was snarling like a wounded beast, but goddammit, did the woman have to drag this out any longer?

“Just one thing.” She pushed hair off her face, but the more her thick curls dried the less direction they accepted. “I’m not sure I can still reach all the spots that need… attention.”

He told his feet not to take a step forward and informed his dick she did not mean that the way it sounded. She was exhausted and hurting. She was shy. She probably wanted him to massage her legs some more, or her back.

She was too damned nice to be lying there in his bed with no clothes on.

“Do the best you can.” Now his feet had to move. Walk out.

“You mean handle this myself.” A shapely eyebrow quirked.

No, she was not inviting him to climb into bed with her. He had to keep telling himself that even though he’d dearly love to have this one time with her.

Especially since the plan he just gave Joe had so many holes he expected to fall through one and never be found again.

“Do I have to spell it out for you?” she asked, getting a bit cranky herself.

Dick to brain: She does want what we thought.

“Well, hell.” She slapped her hand on the bed and flipped over on her side. “Guess I just made a fool of myself yet again. What’s that, like… three times? You’re clearly not interested.”

“Abbie-”

“Go away.”

He wished he could. But she’d been under his skin for six years and if he didn’t scratch that itch soon his skin was going to burst from stretching too tight.

“Thought you’d at least wonder what we would have been like.”

He smiled at her snippy tone, and damn his unsupportive feet, they took a step toward the bed. And another, until he stood beside the bed.

“Next time I go looking for a man-”

That did it. She was not going looking for a man. He straddled her legs. He slipped his hands under her middle, lifting her up and back against his chest, silencing her.

He cupped her breasts, using the tips of his fingers to lightly scrape her nipples, which immediately peaked.

She rewarded him with a gasp of pleasure. He kissed her neck, her skin was warm and smelled of peaches. She arched her head back. His conscience reminded him she’d been hurt once already.

“Abbie, I’m not-”

She growled at him. “Let me guess. You have no idea what’s going to happen and may not be around after this. I get it. I’m not really naïve.”

He smiled and whispered, “You’re really something, sweetheart.” He moved a hand down her stomach, slowly, lightly touching her.

“Oh, yes. That’s… nice.” Her body shook.

His muscles tightened with the effort of waiting to get inside her. He nuzzled her throat and raised his hand up, rubbing his open palm across her beaded nipples.

She gasped again and whimpered, her hips moving. Her soft bottom brushed against the front of his jeans. Electricity bolted through him.

He took a breath and filled his hand with her breast. Heaven. Lifting a finger, he traced the outline of her nipple, then skipped back and forth across the tip.

Her fingers gripped his thighs. She trembled, holding tight until he moved his fingers down to the juncture of her legs and slipped inside.

One touch and a hard shudder ran through her. The woman was amazing. He flipped her around, unwilling to have this over so quickly. The minute she faced him, her hands clasped his cheeks and she kissed him with lips made of fire and honey. He ran his fingers into her gossamer curls and let his tongue meet hers in playful battle. Fingers scrambled down his chest to his pants… unzipped… then dove inside to curl around him.

He sucked in a sharp breath at the contact and growled into the next kiss, the need to feel himself inside her roaring through his veins. She kissed his neck and stroked him.

The world would disintegrate before his eyes if she did that one more time. He lifted her until her legs went around him and reached beneath her to finger the damp folds.

The high-pitched noise that escaped her sounded strangled.

Stroking his middle finger slowly in and out, he brushed his thumb over her tender skin in sync. She dug her nails into his back, shaking with strain.

Whispering to her what he wanted to do to her, he changed the rhythm of his fingers, moving faster.

She bowed up and back, muscles taut. “Don’t… don’t… stop.”

Mesmerized watching her, he didn’t stop. She cried out, panting, then fell against him in a boneless heap. Tears hung on her lashes. He kissed the mouth that had started this brushfire. Her hands cupped his face in so tender a gesture he kissed her deeper.

When he lifted his head to look at her she smiled at him.

God, what a gift.

Her eyes fluttered shut. He reached for her breast.

A high beeping alarm went off, freezing his hand.

His pulse jumped, but not to high alert. That alarm was just a warning someone had crossed the first line of defense half a mile down the mountain.

Borys would check it and notify him immediately of any-

A second alarm sounded, bells chiming throughout the house.

Abbie’s eyes flew open. She grabbed him. “What’s that?”

“Trouble. Get dressed.”