Chapter 14

Stocking shelves was oddly soothing, Sarah found. She was glad, because her life at the moment needed some soothing. Taking the last spool of rope out of the box, she added it to the display and then sat back on her haunches.

“How’s it going?” asked Grady—who, it ended up, both owned the store and wore overalls every day.

“Good.” She stood, picking up the box and taking a final glance at the neat rows of various sizes and types of rope. “It’s very satisfying.”

At Grady’s silence, she glanced over to see him looking at her oddly.

“What?”

“You’re a strange one.”

“Yes.” It wasn’t the first time she’d been told that.

“Need you to watch the register for a while.”

“Okay.” She headed for the front. Ringing people up wasn’t as calming as stocking the shelves, but it was interesting. Just in the few days that she’d worked at Grady’s, Sarah felt like she’d met everyone left in town. Grady had a habit of disappearing for an hour or so in the afternoons. Grace’s theory was that he was watching Tattered Hearts. Sarah loved the idea that the crusty old guy was addicted to a soap opera.

Her first customer proved her wrong about having met everyone. The man was very nondescript-looking—average height, average weight, average brown hair and eyes—but Sarah was pretty sure that she hadn’t seen him before.

“Hi.” The bar code on the spool of wire wasn’t wanting to scan, so she entered the numbers by hand. “I’m Sarah.”

The man studied her for a long moment. “Norman Rounds.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You, too.” He was quiet while she finished scanning the rest of his items.

“That’ll be forty-four dollars and two cents.”

As he handed her the exact amount in cash, he spoke again. “Are you the Sarah staying out at the cop’s place? The one with all the animals?”

An instinctual jolt of fear shot through her, and she caught herself right before she lied and denied it. Aaron, Jeb, and Logan were all locked up. They couldn’t hurt her now. “That’s me.” She bit back the urge to clarify that she was only there temporarily. The longer she lived with Otto, the less she wanted to leave. Sarah wasn’t sure how Otto felt about her staying, though. He hadn’t kissed her since right before they’d slept—just slept—together, and she’d catch him staring at her with an odd expression. She knew she needed to talk to him, but she didn’t want to know if he was just no longer interested. That would hurt. A lot.

She handed Norman Rounds his receipt, but he didn’t leave. Instead, he asked, “Where are you from?”

“Iowa.” For some reason, she’d never picked up a Texas accent, so Mr. Espina had her pick her imaginary home state. To her, Iowa had always seemed like an ideal place to grow up. She pictured helping with the chores as part of a big farm family—kind of like a modern-day Little House on the Prairie. Now that the cops, Grace, and Jules knew her story, she supposed that she could’ve said Texas, but she liked pretending that happy farm upbringing had really happened.

“Hmm.” He studied her for so long that she shifted uncomfortably.

“Can I get you anything else?”

“No.” He picked up his bags, looking secretly amused. “I think I have everything I need for now.”

As she watched him leave the store, Sarah felt a little shiver of unease ripple through her. “Stop it,” she muttered. “You have enough real bad guys in your life. Don’t be inventing more.”

“Who are you talking to?”

Whipping her head around, she saw Otto leaning against the counter. Her heart did the usual hop, skip, and jump it always did around Otto, and she smiled. “Hey! I’m just mumbling to myself. Organizing the back room made me a little batty, I think.”

He smiled back, that slow, honestly happy smile that always dazzled her.

“Shouldn’t you be home sleeping?”

“I’m headed that way. I promised Theo I’d pick up more milk replacer for the puppies.”

“How are they doing?” she asked. Sarah realized that she was leaning forward, bracing her hands on the edge of the counter, as if her body instinctively wanted to get as close as possible to Otto.

“Good. Fat.” He rolled his eyes. “Theo and Hugh fight over them like a pair of fussy nannies.”

“Mannies?”

The breathtaking smile came again. “I like it. How’s your shift going?”

“A tiny bit boring and a whole lot satisfying.”

“You’ve been stocking shelves again.”

“Exactly.” Her own smile faded. “Has the FBI picked up Aaron and the others yet?”

“Not yet. There’s an issue with the paperwork that had to be ironed out. Lieutenant Blessard said it should just be a few more days, though.”

Her stomach churned at the thought of Aaron being in the same town as her, even though he was behind bars. Jeb had admitted under questioning that Logan had come along so that they could use his police status to more easily kidnap her. Even though Aaron had been locked up, he’d still managed to get to her. If they hadn’t been in Monroe, it probably would have worked, too.

Otto interrupted her gloomy thoughts. “I’m hoping they get them out of here before the snow hits.”

Peering out the front windows into the gray parking lot, Sarah snorted. “If it ever snows. It keeps threatening, but I haven’t seen a single flake.”

“Be glad.” Reaching over, he gave her a teasing poke in the ribs. “Once it snows here, it never seems to stop until June.”

With a laughing yelp, she twisted away. When he dropped his hand, disappointment filled her, and she resolved to talk to him the next morning. She wanted—no, needed—more kissing.

Pushing that thought to the back of her mind, she glanced through the window again. Her view of the parking lot was narrow, but she could see a sedan parked in front of the store. The engine was running, judging from the stream of exhaust drifting from the tailpipe into the cold air, and someone sat in the driver’s seat. Her mind immediately went to Aaron, and she stiffened. Could he have called in someone else? Even with him, Logan, and Jeb locked up, she still didn’t feel completely safe.

“What’s wrong?” Otto moved around so he was between her and the window.

“I’m just being paranoid.” Despite her effort to make her voice casual, her words had a tremor. “Who’s in that car out there?”

Otto moved closer to the window, and Sarah’s throat tightened. What if it was one of Aaron’s lackeys, and he had a gun? Her stomach clamped as she imagined the bullet shattering the window and burying itself in Otto’s massive chest.

“Wait…” she said, going after him.

“Huh.” He sounded curious and much too casual for the driver to be a bad guy. Sarah’s knees wobbled with relief, and she moved back to the register so she could lean back against the wall behind it. “I haven’t seen him in a few months.”

“Who?”

“Norman Rounds.”

“Oh!” She instantly felt silly. Of course it was Norman. He’d just been shopping, so he’d gone out to warm up his car before driving away. Her paranoia was getting the best of her. “He was just in here.”

“Was he?” Otto turned back to face her. “Did he say anything to you?”

“Just introduced himself. Oh, and he asked if I was the Sarah living with you.” Heat crept into her cheeks. “I mean, staying with you.”

“Hmm…” His face was serious, making her wonder if she should worry. “Did he say anything else?”

Sarah mentally ran through their conversation. “Not really. Why? What’s his story?”

“He’s involved with the local militia leader, Gordon Schwartz. For a while, Rounds was a suspect in an explosion that destroyed Jules’s barn.”

“Oh!” Her eyes rounded as she thought of the innocuous man who she’d just introduced herself to, and his purchases—wire and batteries and motor oil and wool socks—became much more sinister. Except maybe the socks. It was hard to think of any nefarious use for socks, unless he put a bunch of nickels in one or something. “He’s a bad guy, then?”

“No, not a bad guy. He was cleared of the barn explosion, plus he almost died saving Jules’s life. When we tried to question him about it, he denied all knowledge and then disappeared.”

“So mostly good with a side of shady?”

Otto grinned. “I like how you put things.”

A pleased flush heated her cheeks as she smiled back at him. They were quiet, just looking at each other for a long moment until Otto cleared his throat.

“I should get that milk replacer.” His voice had a little more growl in it than usual.

“Right.” Sarah shook her head to clear it. More and more lately, she’d been caught in an Otto-related daze. Once again, she resolved to talk to him about where they were headed. “You need to get home and get some sleep. When are the chief and the rest of the officers back from training?”

“Four days—well, nights.” He yawned, covering his mouth with his hand, as if her mention of sleep had triggered it. “Then I get a week off. Can’t wait.”

“Me, either.” Her own sleep was still sketchy, even in the bunker with a full squadron of animals. The house felt so isolated and empty at night without any other humans in it.

Nan, the kennel owner, approached the register with a couple heated water bowls, and Otto backed away. “I’ll be right back.” He paused, as if he was about to say something else, but then turned and walked away.

With a small smile, Nan looked back and forth between Otto’s back and Sarah. “You and Otto, huh?”

Forcing a noncommittal smile, Sarah scanned the tags on the water bowls. She was hoping for a her-and-Otto, but they weren’t there yet.

“That’s great,” Nan said, obviously misinterpreting Sarah’s silence. “He has a huge heart. It’s about time he fit a person in there along with all those animals.”

Sarah’s smile became more genuine. She liked the image of her squeezed into Otto’s heart, surrounded by Xena and Mort and Bob and Bean and Hortense. What a wonderful place to be.

* * *

When Sarah got home that afternoon, she expected that Otto would be sleeping. Instead, he was waiting on the porch, Mort and Xena next to him. Her heart skipped when she saw him. That was the hardest part of her job—she didn’t get to spend as much time with Otto. She parked next to Otto’s truck, and then climbed out. The wind cut through her jacket and shirt, and she shivered. Mort trotted over to greet her, but Xena was more tentative, slipping around behind Sarah to poke her cold nose into her palm.

As Sarah headed toward the porch, she had to fight to keep from jogging toward Otto. It was hard. Otto seemed to have a strong magnetic pull that reeled her in whenever she was close to him.

“Hi,” she said as she climbed the steps, the dogs close behind her. “I thought you’d be sleeping. Did you manage to get tonight off?”

He grimaced slightly. “No break for me until the other officers get back from training. I slept earlier.”

“Oh.” She took another step toward him and then paused. Any closer, and she’d be in his personal bubble. It wasn’t that she would mind, but she wasn’t sure how he’d feel about that. “Where are you headed?”

“I’m going to work with Bean. Want to help?”

“Yes.” The word popped out quickly, but a sharp gust of wind reminded her of the cold. “Let me get a few more layers on, and I’ll join you. I can meet you at the barn.”

“I’ll wait.” He moved to the porch support and leaned against it. “Do you have enough warm clothes? I have a stack of things in the bunker. You could take some of those.”

“I’m good.” She smiled at him as she lingered by the door, taking him in. It was silly, since she’d just seen him earlier that afternoon, but she’d missed him. “Besides, your clothes would be huge on me. Remember the T-shirt I borrowed?”

“I remember.” The blue flame in his eyes smoldered.

Her gaze was caught by the heat in his until another cold blast of wind hit her, and she was able look away. “I’ll be right back.” She slipped into the house before she could do something silly like hurl herself into his arms. For some reason, she was as breathless as if she’d sprinted around the house a few times. For some reason, the voice in her head mocked, and Sarah couldn’t blame it. She knew perfectly well what—or who—had stolen her breath. It happened every time she got near Otto.

She hurried to her room and pulled on some layers. When Grace and Jules had encouraged her to buy long underwear and fleece-lined sweatshirts and thick wool socks the first time she’d visited Grady’s, Sarah had thought they were exaggerating what she’d need. It hadn’t been an exaggeration, though. She’d worn every piece of her new wardrobe, especially now that she was at Otto’s, where buildings didn’t block the worst of the wind like they did in town. If it was this cold already, then winter was going to be brutal. With a shiver at the thought, she zipped her jacket over her multiple layers and grabbed her hat before running back down the stairs.

As promised, Otto was waiting for her on the porch. His gaze ran over her in a way that overheated her, making her warm clothes unnecessary. He didn’t say anything, just held out his hand.

She gripped it, loving the gesture, even if it was glove to glove rather than skin to skin. When they reached the barn, he released her in order to open the door, and Sarah felt instantly and illogically colder. As they cut through the barn, Otto grabbed a halter and lead rope off a hook next to the single, oversized stall.

“That’s a huge stall,” Sarah said as she followed him toward the paddock gate.

He gave her a slightly sheepish look over his shoulder. “It used to be two, but Bean and Hortense like to room together.”

“Makes sense.” It was hard to keep her tone even when her heart was squeezed so tightly. The idea that this burly man took out the connecting stall wall so that Bean wouldn’t be as scared was so sweet that tears burned Sarah’s eyes. She quickly blinked them back. “Was Hortense a rescue, too?”

“A couple of years ago, I went on a call for a stolen vehicle case we’d been working on with the sheriff’s department. We found the stolen cars in the barn, and Hortense was in there, too. She was pretty much a mess—wormy, mangy, and so skinny you could see every one of her ribs, but she wasn’t skittish or scared at all.” He smiled as he held the gate for her. “She walked right up to me and started chewing on my jacket sleeve. Her owner was going to jail, and he said he didn’t care if I took her. I just had a squad car there, though, so I convinced the deputy to let me load Hortense into the back of her SUV. Even now, when I see that deputy, she tells me that her squad car still smells like goat poop.”

Sarah laughed at the image, feeling a surge of compassion toward the goat that was now trotting toward them. “You sure have a soft spot for animals in need.” And people. She pushed away the thought that he might just be interested in her because of her situation. If that were true, though, he’d have gone after Jules or Grace. Her sad story paled in comparison to theirs.

He shrugged slightly as he dug in his pocket for a treat. “I think every animal deserves to feel safe.”

That simple statement hit Sarah hard. Until she’d run to Monroe—no, until she’d moved in with Otto—she had never felt safe. Now that she’d gotten a taste of it, she knew that she would fight with everything she had to keep that feeling—for her, and for everyone she was coming to love. She couldn’t think of how to respond to him, how to express her thoughts, so she stayed quiet. As she watched him feed Hortense, she leaned against his other side, wanting that contact, that connection. He put his arm around her, drawing her closer, and she wallowed in his touch, in his kind and protective nature. At that moment, she decided that she was going to enjoy every second she was given with him. Even if she was forced to run, if she was ripped away from the first place that had offered her security and friends and freedom, she didn’t want to leave with regrets.

“I want to…” She trailed off, distracted by what she saw in his hand. “What on earth are you feeding Hortense?”

“Cheetos.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “They’re her favorite treat.”

“Of course they are.” Now that the mood had changed, she decided to keep her revelation to herself. “No one can resist that orange fake-cheese stuff. Wouldn’t, I don’t know, some kind of vegetable be healthier?”

“Probably. I figure a few won’t hurt.”

“That’s true.” A movement caught her eye. “Bean is very sneakily headed this way. Does he get Cheetos, too?”

“Carrots,” he said without looking at the horse standing just six feet away from them. As Bean sidled a little closer, Otto put a chunk of carrot on his palm and extended his flat hand toward the horse. Stretching his neck so he could reach without stepping closer, Bean took the piece of carrot and then retreated several feet to chew it as he watched them warily.

“Is he rideable?” Sarah asked, leaning more heavily against Otto.

“Yes, but we’re taking it slow. I want him to enjoy work, not to fear it. No reason to rush things. We’ve got time.”

For some reason, that made her want to cry. Otto and Bean had time, but did she? Did they? Blinking, she focused on Bean, who’d started his sneaky sidle toward them again. Otto, occupied with giving Hortense a Cheeto, didn’t have a carrot waiting, but Bean still stretched his neck out…and snatched Otto’s hat. The horse, his prize dangling from his mouth, took off for the other side of the pasture.

“What?” Otto reached toward his now-bare head, looking startled. Sarah began to laugh. Still holding on to the hat, Bean trotted along the fence, head and tail up.

Sarah laughed harder until she had to bend over and hold her stomach. “Sorry!” she gasped between breaths. “He just looks so…proud.” That set her off again.

“He does, doesn’t he?” Otto didn’t sound annoyed. He sounded…bemused. When she looked up at him, wiping tears of laughter from her face, she saw he was watching her with banked heat and something else in his gaze—something that looked a lot like affection.

* * *

By the time they got back inside, Sarah’s nose was numb from the cold. She didn’t care, though. She would’ve stayed outside all night if it meant she could keep Otto company. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. He had to head in to work, and she had to quit clinging to him.

He walked out the door and then stuck his head back inside. “Lock the door after me.”

“I will.” The commanding tone made her shiver in a good way. Whether Otto was being sweet or bossy, she liked him. She more than liked him. Even though she knew she’d probably have to leave him, it was too late to protect her heart. It was already his.

She turned the dead bolt and then stayed there, staring at the closed door, long after the sound of Otto’s truck engine faded. Her plan of playing it safe and guarding her emotions had failed. It was time for a new strategy. Now that Aaron, Jeb, and Logan were all in jail, she could move back in with Grace, Jules, and the kids, but the idea didn’t have any appeal. As much as she was learning to love her new friends, everything inside her wanted to stay close to Otto.

Why did she have to run away from this? The thought sent a rush of terrified delight through her. She’d fallen for Otto. It was too late to stop it, so why not enjoy the time she had with him?

As the word enjoy echoed through her mind, she shivered in anticipation.

She’d do it. If she was forced to leave Monroe, then she would deal with it, but now… Now, she was going to soak up every single drop of joy she could. She started to smile. Otto was going to have a surprise waiting for him when he finished work the next morning. With a whoop that made Xena jump, she ran for the stairs. Her clothing options were limited, but she was going to find something that could pass as seduction-worthy.

* * *

Sarah lasted until almost midnight before an especially terrifying creaking sound sent her scrambling for the bunker, two dogs and one cat right behind her. She climbed into the bunk she’d been using, pulling the sheet and draped sleeping bag up to her chin. After reviewing her clothing options, she’d realized that nothing had been even close to sexy, so she’d grabbed an oversized T-shirt from Otto’s room. He’d seemed to like seeing her in that when they’d slept next to each other.

Xena and Mort jumped onto the cot, settling into their usual spots behind her knees and against her waist. Although she knew the dogs would annoy her all night with their poky feet and poorly placed bodies, it was reassuring to feel them curl up against her, their warmth and size comforting. Bob tucked himself in the curve at the back of her neck, purring almost silently. He was the quietest cat Sarah had ever known—not that she’d known a lot of cats, but she’d never heard Bob meow or make any noise, except for the one time she’d been rushing to get into the bunker and had accidentally stepped on him. He’d yowled then, and who could blame him? She still felt terrible about doing that.

She snuggled into her warm nest, deciding to wake up early so she could go upstairs and be waiting for Otto in his bed like she’d planned. That was her last thought until she woke up to a tickling sensation on her right cheek. Without opening her eyes, she brushed at it, grumbling wordlessly. She was so warm and still tired, and she didn’t want to wake yet.

A male chuckle woke her completely, and she lifted her eyelids to see Otto bent over the cot, his fingers lightly brushing her cheek and a sweetly smoldering look in his eyes.

“Hi,” she said groggily, lifting her hand to return the gesture, stroking her fingers across his stubbly face. He smiled at her, and it was impossible not to smile back. “I meant to be waiting for you upstairs.”

His smile disappeared, and he looked startled. “Upstairs?”

“Yes.” She’d been nervous about this moment, but now that it was happening, she wasn’t hesitant at all. This felt right. “In your bed.”

He swallowed, and she watched his throat, loving that she could affect him so strongly. Instead of saying anything else, she slid her fingers to his jaw and down his neck. Once she got to his shirt collar, she paused, self-consciousness finally kicking in.

“Unless you don’t want to?” Her hand dropped away from him at the thought. If he rejected her, or laughed, or did anything except grab on to her suggestion with both hands, she knew she would be completely mortified.

“I do.” His firm words pulled her out of her panicky thoughts, and she relaxed. “If you’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” Ever since she’d decided to do this, she hadn’t had a moment of doubt.

His smile was back, wider and brighter than before. “Let’s go upstairs, then. If I try to join you here, the whole cot will collapse.”

Pushing herself up onto her elbows, Sarah looked at the dogs and cat heaped on top of her. There wasn’t a single inch of clear space on the cot. She laughed. “Good idea.”

Her chuckle turned into a surprised squeak when Otto caught her under the arms and lifted her out from the heap of animals. Mort made a grumbly sound but didn’t open his eyes. Xena jumped down and slunk under the cot, the sudden movement obviously too much for her. Bob gave them both a condemning look, but he didn’t move except to twitch his tail in an annoyed fashion.

Placing Sarah on her feet, Otto pulled her against him. Immediately, her body temperature shot up as her muscles relaxed. It was a strange feeling to have two such opposite reactions simultaneously, but that was the Otto effect. He made her feel extremely safe and like she was about to jump off a cliff at the same time.

Leaning down, he kissed her, and Sarah quit thinking about dichotomies. Her lips parted and he accepted the invitation, deepening the embrace, using his lips and tongue and even his teeth to make her crazy with need. The world around them disappeared, and all she knew was Otto. When he withdrew, she made a sound of disappointment as she tried to follow his mouth.

“Upstairs.” If his raspy voice was any indication, he was just as affected as she was. “This floor will not be comfortable.”

“No,” she said absently, worried less about comfort and more about touching him. She flattened her hands over his chest, marveling at the strength living underneath the layers of clothing and skin. Once her fingers landed, she didn’t want to move them. He was so solid. Suddenly, she was desperate to see him naked—or at least shirtless. Her face heated again. Sarah had never considered herself so…lustful before.

“What?” he asked, walking her backward toward the stairs.

“What?” she echoed, dazed and overwhelmed by everything she was feeling, by the amazingness that was Otto.

He smiled his usual slow smile, although it had a wicked edge she’d never seen before. Sarah was pretty sure she loved it. “You’re blushing.”

“Oh.” She smiled back, and his eyes blazed with hunger. “I was thinking naughty thoughts.” Her heels bumped the first step, and she turned around to climb up the stairs.

Crowding close behind her, so close that it felt like he surrounded her, Otto asked, “You going to share them?”

Having him so close should’ve made her feel claustrophobic. Back in her old life, if her guards got within four feet of her, she felt crowded and desperate for space. Having Otto against her back didn’t bother her, though. In fact, it made her feel safe, because he was Otto, and he’d protect her. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

She loved his teasing, husky tone. He was usually so serious, and each smile or laugh felt like she was receiving a gift. “Maybe. Depends on how good you are at convincing me.”

“Oh, I’ll convince you.”

With a giggle, she slipped away and ducked through the closet, leaving the bunker door open so the animals could get out. He followed her across the living room, up the other flight of stairs, and into his bedroom. His silent, steady progress as he stayed just a step or two behind her made her heart quicken. It felt like she was being stalked, but there was no fear involved—just a thrilling anticipation.

“Your bed really is huge.” It was the biggest bed she’d ever seen.

“So am I,” he said with a shrug. Then he went still, and he gave her a sheepish look.

Sarah burst out laughing. “Thank you for the warning.”

“I didn’t mean…” He trailed off, waving it away. “You know what I meant.”

“I do.” Now that she wasn’t being held against him, Sarah’s insecurities were returning. “I’m…ah, I’m not that experienced.”

“We’ll take it slow.” Reaching out, he took her hand and tugged her toward him.

She knew she needed to get it out before he kissed her, and her brain evaporated again. “I’m really not experienced.” He studied her thoughtfully, and she kept talking, worried about the silence that might fall if she stopped. “Having full-time bodyguards around kind of killed my social life. I mean, I dated a little in high school, but there was no one… There was really no one.”

There was another pause, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable. Sarah got the impression that Otto was just taking his time, making sure that he chose the right words. “Thank you,” he finally said, before pulling her toward him and kissing her.

It was hard, but so, so sweet. Kind of like Otto is right now, she thought, giggling against his mouth. His lips tilted up in response, and all of her nerves disappeared, brushed away by desire and Otto’s smile and the complete perfection of the moment. This was right. She’d never been surer about anything.

It was all so natural. There was no awkwardness, no fumbling. Otto pulled off his shirt and eased her top over her head, and then they were kissing again. His hands on her breasts made her gasp against his mouth with wonder and delight.

He didn’t stop kissing her as they toppled down onto that huge bed, didn’t stop until he left a trail of kisses down her front. He slid her panties down her legs, leaving her naked and breathing hard and wanting more of him.

She couldn’t stop touching him, amazed at the smoothness of his skin over all of that muscle—muscle that twitched and flexed under her fingers and mouth. He was huge and strong, but she could make him groan with a single light scratch of her fingernail. It was incredible and so very arousing.

He left her for a few moments to shuck his pants and don a condom. When he returned, Otto rolled them over so she was on top, and that was a whole amusement park of joys to explore. Sarah touched him everywhere with her fingers and lips and even her tongue, until he was slick with sweat and groaning with need.

Even then, he didn’t push into her. Instead, he flipped them back over and did the same thing to her as she’d done to him—tortured her in the very best way until she was desperate. He kissed and lightly nipped her skin, his mouth and fingers discovering sensitive spots that she didn’t even know she had.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said as his lips and the air from his breath brushed against her bottom rib. “I couldn’t even talk the first time I met you. All the words were knocked right out of me.”

Her breath caught as he lightly scored her belly with his teeth. “I thought you looked like a Viking lumberjack.”

His chuckle made her insides twist and swoop. “Can’t decide if that’s better or worse than Hugh’s ninja-Paul-Bunyan comparison.”

“Both are good—and accurate.” She couldn’t stop touching him. Her fingers ran over the back of his head and neck, scratching lightly at his scalp. He shifted so they were face-to-face, his body caging hers. It should’ve felt claustrophobic, but she felt free and safe at the same time. She reached up as she pulled his head down, and their mouths met in a kiss that was wild and almost savage—and so, so sweet.

Finally, he entered her, and it was heaven.

As he moved in her, Otto watched her face, holding her gaze, giving her that complete attention that was almost as addicting as his hands on her bare skin. She kept her eyes open as long as she could, until the pleasure built too high and she had to close her eyes and let go, let everything go except for the beautiful, beautiful man connected to her.

He came right after she did, and she was entranced. It was just like when he made a joke or laughed, only even more so. She was witnessing something that very few people got to see—the secret and best parts of Otto Gunnersen.

Afterward, they lay on their sides, gazing at each other. Sarah memorized what he looked like, the angles of his cheek and jaw, his full mouth, his gentle expression and warm eyes. If she had to leave, at least she’d have this amazing memory of him. He studied her just as intently, and she wondered if he was also taking a mental picture of her.

She liked the thought of that, and she smiled. In response, his lips tilted up at the corners until it grew into a grin. There. She took another imaginary photograph, wanting to remember him just like this—gorgeous and so, so happy.