He slipped the gun out of where he had it tucked into his belt and handed it to her. “You’d think, but no.”

“You’re a sick man.” And by that she meant hot enough to have her common sense blinking out.

“Probably.” He nodded toward the cabin. “Let’s go.”

Her defenses rose. “That sounds like an order.”

He shifted his weight and leaned in closer. “You can either get in there, strip off your wet clothes and shower, or I’ll do it for you.”

Something hard clunked to a halt inside her. Her heart . . . lungs. Likely something she needed to keep moving. But she couldn’t deny the shocking cold or how her mind moved a click or two slower than usual. How instead of talking and standing around, she should be running, but her muscles betrayed her.

“And now threats.” She forced the words out over the rush of blood whooshing in her ears and the sudden shaking in her knees.

Those dark eyes gleamed. “Consider it a promise of things to come.”

For a second she thought about taking her chances in the cold and snow. Seemed safer. “Be careful what you wish for.”

That smile of his came whipping back. “Challenge accepted.”

THREE

Gabe got her back inside without strangling her. He had to win some sort of prize for that restraint. That and for not kissing her, because he sure as hell wanted to, almost did. Now came the ultimate test . . . keeping his mind on the job and off her.

He reset the trap that guaranteed he’d know if someone ventured past his outer line of defense to the porch. Then he locked the door. Spinning around, he came face-to-face with Natalie. This close, he could see shivers race through her and hear her teeth click together.

Her eyes clouded with a telltale haze and she headed for the wood-burning stove along the far wall. All that did was give him a front row seat to that ass. Not that he could take any time to enjoy the view. Not with her in this condition. She looked ten seconds away from a hypothermic coma. Which was weird since his skin was on fire. Just trying to breathe made the walls of the tiny cabin close in.

Other than a threadbare love seat to his right and a small kitchenette running along the wall to his left, there wasn’t much else in the cabin. Except her. She was right there in the middle of the room, which put her about six feet away from him. Six short fucking feet.

He drew in a deep breath and fought for the well of control he normally took for granted. “Take your clothes off.”

She turned around nice and slow. The move had her flannel shirt gaping open to show off a peek of skin and the thin white T-shirt underneath. “If that’s your line, it needs work.”

“The order has more to do with not wanting you to freeze to death.” The way her nipples pressed against the tee had his gaze bouncing up and down her impressive body, but he forced his expression to stay blank.

She scoffed. “Nice of you to care.”

“I doubt I’d get paid if you died because you got cold.” And she was not dying on his watch. He forbid it. To help make that happen, he scooped a blanket off the love seat, thinking to wrap her in it after.

“Aren’t you practical?”

“To the bone.”

She glanced at the doorway to the bathroom. Doorway, no door. Not enough room for those in the small space. The person who built the place had the good sense to tuck the toilet around the corner for at least a shred of privacy, but the shower was right there. Right in the line of sight from the doorway. No curtain. No wall. Nothing.

She looked back at him. “You can wait outside.”

Tempting. If he didn’t worry she’d pass out and drown herself, he would. Maybe the fresh air would kick-start his common sense, but that would have to wait. “I’ll stay here.”

She crossed her arms in front of her. “I’m not going to run.”

“You’re right.” He doubted she’d take that risk. They shared some skills, and she had to know running meant jumping into one of the traps he’d set for the people who might come after her. “I wouldn’t let you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Is this some sort of play for control? Like you’re trying to break me or something? Because you can’t. Others have tried and failed.”

Interesting. The assessing gaze. The stiff body stance, which said she’d closed the door on listening to reason. He suddenly knew what it must have felt like to work for her. She didn’t take any shit. A good philosophy and one he shared, but now he needed her to just obey and make his life easier. “Stop with the modesty. This is about getting you into a shower and warm again.”

She glanced over her shoulder at the open doorway then back again. “You think I’m embarrassed to get naked in front of you?”

“I don’t know why you would be.” He assumed she’d had sex before. A woman didn’t look like that, go through life with that confidence, without enjoying some pretty hot and heavy hours in the sack. At least he hoped so for her sake. She deserved good sex. Hell, everyone did as far as he was concerned.

He didn’t buy into the whole idea of a strong woman automatically being cold in bed. That struck him as television bullshit nonsense. Weak didn’t interest him. She did, and he hoped like hell she liked it dirty because he did, and they would get there . . . eventually.

Before he could say anything else, she dropped her arms. Those long fingers went to the remaining buttons on the flannel shirt. In less than a second, she had the shirt open and off her shoulders. Dropping it on the floor, she reached for the hem of the tee and that slipped over her head next.

“There.” She stood with her arms out, wearing only a bra.

Full, high breasts. A collarbone he ached to kiss. He blocked it all even as his insides started to tighten in anticipation. “Your skin is red.”

“What?” She glanced down as a shiver overtook her.

The longer she stood there, the more her words slurred. What started as a slight hesitation in her voice outside and a haze over her eyes turned scary as she grew more disoriented now. The unusually brutal temperatures for this early in the winter, dipping well below freezing, the harsh wind and the thin layer of wet clothes combined to steal her body heat.

Normally, she’d be fine. She had the training and her time in the elements had been limited. But the drugs he’d used on her turned everything upside down. Robbed her of the ability to adjust. She’d been on a downhill slide from the second she stepped outside.

He should have hustled her back inside sooner. That was on him. His fuck-up.

Enough talking. “Damn it, get in there before you pass out on me.”

Giving her a choice hadn’t worked so far, so he didn’t try now. With a hand under her elbow, he half guided and half pushed her toward the bathroom. Thanks to the homemade off-the-grid water heater in there, she had a chance. He turned the handle so the shower came on and the water started to warm.

“Everything off.” When she just stood there with a dazed look on her face, he dropped the blanket on the corner of the makeshift sink and took over. “Lean on me.”

Dropping to a knee on the floor, he got her boots untied and off. Her hand landed on his shoulder as she struggled for balance. When he felt the chill pouring off her and seeping into him, he moved even faster. His hands brushed over her and his fingers flew. Tugged on the button at the top of her jeans and skimmed the material and her practical cotton briefs down her legs, revealing inch after inch of pinkish-red flesh.

He tested the water one more time before slipping the straps of her bra off her shoulders. The fact that she didn’t fight or insist she could handle it told him how bad off she was.

She glanced up at him with eyes clouded with a deadly haze. “That won’t—”