The music roared around them, and the heat intensified, as Snake and Sarah sat together at the bar, their legs slowly getting closer together and their body language becoming more and more in tune with one another.

Sarah felt tipsy and relaxed, and Snake had completely changed from the man who had made her feel so stupid only the day before. It was still a complete mystery to her how she had not realized that he was Ranger’s childhood friend. But he did look so very different.

Each time she locked eyes with his, she saw a bit more familiarity, and each time he spoke to her, she felt as if they were bonding quickly and strong. She listened to him tell her all about the past few years in Slate Springs, and why the town had been on a decline.

And Sarah couldn’t believe her ears.

“Russians?” she asked, her mouth agape.

Snake nodded his head and sipped his drink, before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He clamped one between his teeth and lit it, and then he instantly frowned and tried to waft the smoke away.

“I’m trying to quit,” he said as a way of explanation. “But the second anyone mentions those fucking Russians, I can’t help but need one. You know?”

“The stress?” Sarah asked with concern.

Snake nodded his head.

“This town is in all sorts of trouble, as I’m sure you’ve noticed,” he said in a hushed voice so that only the two of them could hear. “I don’t know if I should be telling you this or not, but it explains why your brother and I were so twisted up about you just landing in Tanner’s yesterday. Things aren’t going too well for us, and we don’t know when or how things may unravel.”

Sarah felt a chill roll over her. So she had been right when she had a feeling about some kind of gang war.

“But enough about that,” he said as he waved it away. “The club is in trouble, blah, blah, blah. I didn’t come sit here to talk about work, I came to talk to you…”

He had a softer edge to him now, one that had been firmly hidden before, and it made Sarah’s heart race a little faster.

“Well, talk to me then…” she said as she stared into his eyes.

She couldn’t explain what was happening between them, because it had been such a long time since she had looked at a man in any other way but a friend, but the feeling she was experiencing at that very moment with Snake, was more than exciting.

He was making her feel alive. He was awaking her desire, and stirring emotions deep within her that she had long forgotten existed.

“Did you only come back to town for the wedding?” he asked her tentatively.

Sarah thought on the question for a moment, and then she slowly nodded her head.

“Yes,” she said. “If Nicole hadn’t called me and filled me in, then I would probably still be back in the city.”

“And does the city beckon again once all this is over?” he asked her as he took a drag on his cigarette.

“Maybe,” she said with a shrug.

It was the first time she hadn’t known that the answer was categorically yes. But, she had to remember, this was her first couple of days back in town, and she was sure the novelty would wear off soon enough.

“I guess, once you’ve gotten out, it must be hard to think about having a life back here again,” he said as he looked off into the crowd.

“Well, my brother did it,” she said with a shrug. “So who knows…?”

She felt herself grin a little. She was being drunk and flirty, and she was enjoying herself a lot more than she had bargained for.

The crowd in the bar had increased, and they were moving closer and closer together to accommodate the customers who were pushing their way up to the counter to try and get served by Mona.

Sarah felt Snake’s knee brush against hers and it made her nipples twinge. Her whole body was reacting to him and it was making the heat under her skin burn and rage.

She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and then looked up at him, into his amazing eyes. She was sure she saw passion in them, and she was sure she wasn’t imagining that he wanted her too.

She smiled at him and bit her bottom lip.

There was something deep inside of her that wanted to kiss him, and she was sure he was wanting it too.

“Sarah,” he whispered as he traced a finger down the side of her face. He went to open his mouth as if he were going to speak again, and then suddenly, his eyes darted toward the back of the room, and he took a step away from her as if he had been startled.

She looked up at him with hurt and a look of confusion, and the way he stared back at her showed his frustration and yearning.

He let his hands find hers through the swarm of people, and when she felt his fingers lock in with hers, she smiled as he pulled her forward. He turned his back on her, but held her hand tightly, and pulled her through the dancing, sweating bodies that were gyrating their way around the bar. The deeper into the crowd they went, the thicker the smoke and atmosphere became, and Sarah could barely see anything around her. When Snake stopped and she slammed up against his chest, he wrapped his arms around the base of her back, and suddenly, his face came into view.

He was holding her there, right in the middle of the smoke, hidden from wandering eyes.

Her heart was fluttering in her chest, and when he reached up and traced his thumb across her lip, she had no idea what they were getting themselves into, but she knew she wanted to dive in as deep as she could.

Snake leaned forward and kissed her hard on the mouth. His lips were strong and powerful, and as he slipped his tongue in against hers, she gasped as he took her breath away.

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, and she felt so tiny as he pulled her even closer against him. They were just like the other couples in there, and yet, Sarah knew they were different. There was something very real about this unexpected connection, and with their kiss sealing their bond, she was going weak at the knees.

When they finally broke their lips apart, Snake looked into her eyes and smiled at her, before she rested her head on his chest and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

“We can’t stay here like this,” he whispered in her ear.

The dense smoke and the crowd was still heavy around them, but he gripped her hand again and started to pull her further into the depths of the bar, toward the other side of the room.

He stopped when they reached the farthest wall, and then he let go of her hand. And began to look around.

“We really shouldn’t have done that,” he whispered as he looked down at her. But the expression in his eyes was telling her a completely different story.

She smiled at him and bit her lip, and she saw the look of lust take him over once more, before he grabbed her hand and started to lead her toward a door at the back of the room.

“Get in there,” he said sternly as he kicked the door open and nudged her inside.

She was in an actual frenzy as he ordered her around, and she was so aroused she could barely keep her composure. She looked at this incredible man, and her heart raced. He was so strong and dangerous, and not only that, but he was her brother’s best friend.

It was no wonder he seemed to be worried about them being seen.

Ranger would kill them both.

The room he had pulled her into was dark and cold, and it took her a few moments for her eyes to adjust to where they were, before she realized it was a store cupboard.

“Where are we?” she giggled.

He took hold of her hand and led her further into the room, past all the old boxes and shelves full of dusty beers and old bottles of rum.

“An old storage closet,” he said in a hushed voice, as he walked with her toward the back, so they were fully out of sight.

Her heart was racing, and she leaned against the wall so she could look at him. His eyes were glinting in the dark, and he took hold of both her hands and knotted them up with his.

“We really shouldn’t be doing this,” he whispered as he came even closer, pressing his rock hard abs against her.

She gasped.

Having such an incredible man so close to her was almost too much to take. He was so handsome, and so strong, she barely dared imagine the things he could do to her if she let him.

“Why?” she whispered, trying not to sound as if she were pleading with him. But, in reality, she was. She wanted to beg for him to kiss her again.

“Because your brother…” he started as he dropped his grip on her and then cupped her face in his hands. “He’ll kill me.”

“No he won’t,” she said as she moved her face closer to his. “He can’t say anything, he’s with my best friend.”

Snake smiled and kissed her once on the lips before he forced himself away.

Sarah reached out and wrapped her arms around him again, she wasn’t going to roll over on this one. This was the first time, in a long time, that she knew exactly what she wanted. And she was determined to take it.

“It works differently the other way around,” Snake whispered as his lips grazed hers.

“Maybe we can be the exception to that particular rule,” she said as she bit her lip and grinned.

He reached up and ran his fingers through her hair before he kissed her deeply again. She groaned as he pushed her back into the wall and pressed his body up against hers, as his hands gripped the side of her throat and held her there gently, almost as if he were scared to break her.

They were drawn to each other, and now there was no stopping them.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled at his belt as he moved closer to her again. His kisses were becoming deeper and more frenzied by the second, and she could feel his desire thundering through him.

“Then go for it,” she gasped.

Snake kissed her again, and then he broke their lips apart as he kissed her on the forehead.

“I wish I could,” he whispered sadly as he held her there.

Sarah felt her whole body sag with disappointment. He had taken her right to the edge, and now he was denying her because of the loyalty he had to her brother. She didn’t know whether to kiss him again for being so admirable, or to punch him for being so frustrating.

She kicked at the ground with her feet and looked up into his eyes again.

“We better get out of here then,” she whispered. “Before somebody wanders in and sees us.”

He nodded his head, but leaned forward and stole one more kiss.

When he slipped his hand into hers and started to lead her back toward the doorway, her head was spinning.

What the hell had just happened?

It had all come so quickly, and now it felt like it was ending before they had even had a chance to explore it.

She was disappointed, and yet she was also excited.

Because deep down inside of her, Sarah knew this wasn’t the end…