Releasing Kat’s hand and the sandpaper, Brogan wondered why the hell he waited so long to do this. She tasted of blueberries, and coffee, and was hungry. So hungry. Holding her face and neck with his free hand, he angled her mouth and deepened the kiss.

She moaned and pressed her tongue to his and snapped the last shred of his control. In a singular move, he released her breast and twisted her to face him, without ever breaking the kiss. He knew she’d taste amazing, but he hadn’t expected to feel so damn hungry, or for her to respond in kind. He couldn’t get enough. Grabbing her ass with both hands, he hoisted her up and set her on the table, praying she wouldn’t put a halt to their crazy train.

Now that he’d boarded, he wanted to ride it to the end.

As if in tune, she wrapped her legs around his hips and drew him closer, slipping her hands under his shirt to stroke his skin.

Yeah. Hell, yeah. Finally, he was the recipient of those fingers.

Tantalizing and wicked, her hands caressed his abs while her thumbs brushed behind his jeans. He thrust against her and she broke the kiss to moan.

“Damn…Brogan…”

He sucked in a breath and nodded. “I know.”

Then they were kissing again, running their hands all over each other, touching everywhere. It wasn’t enough. He gripped the hem of her shirt and drew back to lift it over her head when a ringing sound echoed through the barn.

They both stilled, panting, staring at each other. It took him a moment to realize the sound was the phone he’d set on the tool bench. Muttering a curse, he strode over and answered it.

“O’Neal.”

“Hey, it’s Hank. Everything okay? You missed your check-in.”

Brogan glanced at the time on the phone. Damn. Ten minutes late.

“Swede said you were probably near one of those dead zones,” his boss said.

“Yeah.” He latched on to the explanation, guilt filling his gut at the lie. “Everything’s good here.” But it wasn’t. Hell, he’d been so lost in Kat’s arms a whole damn army could’ve arrived in a caravan of deuce and a halves, and he wouldn’t have been aware of them.

“Roger, that.”

He needed to stay in business mode. “Any luck tracking Hector?”

“No,” Hank replied. “But we have our eye on the grid. If he comes out of his hole, we’ll know about it.”

Kat moved closer, her gaze questioning. He shook his head.

“In the meantime, keep doing what you’re doing,” Hank said. “We’ll catch up at the next check-in.”

Brogan hung up, irritation heating the back of his neck and spreading across his shoulders at his stupidity. It was on him. His fault. He knew better. “That can’t happen again.” She was his responsibility. His mark.

“I know.”

“It got way out of hand too fast, and I—what?” He frowned, trying to dissect what she’d said while he was speaking.

“I know.”

He reeled back. “You do?”

“Yeah.” She rubbed her hands up her arms. “You’re way too distracting.”

“I am?”

“Oh, yeah. Most definitely.” She nodded. “And although I’d like to do that again, now isn’t the time.”

She found him distracting?

He suddenly felt ten feet tall.

“We need our heads about us,” she said. “And I think we’ve just proved that isn’t possible when we touch.”

Damn straight. “I apologize. It’s my fault—” 

“Whoa. Hang on.” She got right in his face, hands on her hips, eyes flashing fire. “Don’t even think of trying to shoulder the blame for what happened. There were two of us in that kiss. Two of us doing the devouring. No way in hell was that one-sided. Surely you felt how out of control I was? How much I wanted you? Still do.”

He muttered a curse and clenched his fists to keep from reaching for her. “Dammit, Kat, that’s not helping.”

She drew in a breath and nodded. “Maybe this will. I’ll let you be. I need to go take a cold shower, anyway.”

As he watched her walk out of the barn, he shifted his weight and adjusted his jeans. No, that didn’t help his current situation one damn bit.

The first day she arrived, Kat had talked Brogan into letting her share kitchen duty. Today was her turn to cook breakfast, and after they finished eating their western omelets, she sat on the porch with him, watching the sun rise further in the sky.

Nothing like a new day to put everything back into perspective.

Avoid his wood shop.

That freaking hot kiss they’d shared almost led to much more. It’d been insane, and incredible how one touch had ignited something deep inside her she hadn’t known she’d possessed. Her reaction to Brogan made it clear she needed to keep her hands to herself…at least until her uncle neutralized the threat.  

“It’s truly beautiful here,” she said, after several minutes of enjoying the sound of birds chirping and light breeze whistling through the trees.

He turned to her and raised a brow. “Better than the beach?”

She smiled. “Some, but not all. This one time, I was tracking a person of interest across the Pacific, and ended up on Bora Bora.” Closing her eyes, she recalled the stilted bungalow with a glass floor showcasing the bright blue waters below. “Paradise.” She could still feel the warmth of the sun kissing her skin as the ocean lapped around her. “Water so clear you could see your soul.”

“Must be great for snorkeling,” he said, causing her to reopen her eyes.

It was her turn to raise a brow. “You’ve never been?”

He shook his head and returned his gaze to studying the vista in front of them. The forest gave way to a rolling hill that opened into a wide expanse of fields. A stark contrast to the rock mountain blocking out half the sky behind the house.

Was it bad she suddenly envisioned them frolicking in those Tahitian waters and in the privacy of one of the bungalows?

“You up for a hard ride?”

His question sent her pulse to the top of the pines, and her body gave him a resounding hell yeah. Good thing she had control of her mouth. She clamped it shut and blinked at him.

“I want to set up a few more sensors and expand our scope,” he explained, oblivious to the heated frenzy he caused inside her.

“Sure.” She rose to her feet, applauding her steady tone. “I just need to put on some boots and grab my backpack.”

And stuff her desire in the damn closet. Dammit. She wasn’t used to losing control of her actions and feelings, as she so readily did around the man.

“Why do you need the pack?” he asked, following her inside to place his empty cup in the sink.

She rinsed hers out and set it next to his. “My godfather taught me to never go unprepared.”

“Knight.” He grinned. “He instilled it in his SEALs, too. Used to piss off my ex-wife when I’d show up at a fancy restaurant with one on my back.”

Ex-wife?

“You were married?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. And she could’ve kicked herself when the light dimmed in his eyes.

“A lifetime ago.” He walked away from her, effectively ending the conversation. “I’ll saddle the horses.” He grabbed a backpack she hadn’t noticed sitting by the door, then turned to her and held it up. “Got mine. Meet me outside when you’re ready.”

Not wanting to keep him waiting, or let her mind dwell on the bombshell he’d just dropped, she rushed to her room for the boots Sadie had insisted on shoving in the suitcase. “Can’t traipse around Montana without these,” the woman had stated. Kat shoved her feet into the tan and black Justins, grabbed her pack off the dresser, then headed outside to meet Brogan.

His marriage, and the woman who’d captured his heart, were none of her business. Besides, he said it was a lifetime ago, and it was obvious he wanted to leave it in the past.

Sitting atop the bigger chestnut mare, holding the reins of the other, Brogan O’Neal appeared more rancher than SEAL—and still managed to steal her breath.

The man was too damn compelling, no matter what he did.

Walked. Talked. Ate. Sat on a horse. Sanded wood. Kissed the strength from her legs.

His strong jaw, mesmerizing eyes, broad shoulders, posture relaxed, yet sure—he captured her attention without trying. The reason, no doubt, for her sketching obsession. He graced several pages.

So far.

“Ready?” he asked, bending over to hand her the reins.

“Yes.” Not wanting to keep him waiting, she took them, grasped the horn and shoved her boot in the stirrup, then quickly swung herself into the saddle. “Let’s go.”

For over an hour, they rode in a comfortable silence across rolling hills and a small ravine where he stopped long enough to set up a sensor. After he finished, he led the way over more fields, past a large lake—they even crossed a shallow creek—and galloped another twenty minutes before he slowed down near a cropping of trees and small stream.

“I want to set one up here.” He dismounted, then led his horse to the stream for a drink. “I’ll be right back.”

She got down and walked her horse to the stream near Brogan’s mare. The soft sound of running water was nearly as peaceful as the light breeze slowly pushing a patch of clouds around in the blue sky.

With a contented sigh, she let the horses drink while she sat on a rock and removed a water bottle from her pack. It was so tranquil there. She sipped her water and watched the horses’ tails swish back and forth.

“All good?”

Kat jumped at his voice, and had to plant her feet on the shore to keep from falling on her ass. “Holy Montana, you’re quiet.”

So much for her training. She used to pride herself on being alert and aware of her surroundings. Either she was slipping, or he was just that good.

Both, she decided.

“I’ve been off active duty too long.” She took another swig and shook her head.

He settled on a rock next to her and withdrew a bottle from his pack. “When did you leave?”

“Fifteen months ago,” she replied, watching his throat work as he tipped his head back and downed his water. “You?”

Straightening, he lowered the bottle and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “About a year ago.” He crushed the empty bottle, then capped the small hunk of plastic and stored it back in his pack. “At times, it seems longer,” he admitted. “Then there are days it seems like I’d only just left the teams.”

“You miss it?”

His hazel gaze settled on her. “Sometimes.”

“Is that why you joined Brotherhood Protectors?”

He nodded. “Hoping to have the best of both worlds.”

She smiled. “Well, I’m sorry your first case is a bit boring. All you’ve gotten to do is set up some cameras and sensors, and let me invade your home.”

“I’m not complaining,” he said with a sexy grin that kicked up her pulse. “The alternative doesn’t sit well with me where you’re concerned.”

Kat had been doing really good. Ever since the barn incident yesterday, she’d kept her hands and lips to herself. Even managed to keep her thoughts on an appropriate level, but dammit, he was staring at her with interest in his eyes, and she was just too weak to resist. Her body mutinied, swaying forward.

Brogan lifted a hand toward her face, but stopped midway in the air between them, then closed his hand into a fist and lowered it back to his side. “When this is over, would you like to go out for dinner before you head back to Virginia?”

God, there were so many great things about that question, and some not so great.

In truth, she hadn’t thought that far ahead. Hadn’t thought about leaving. But now that he brought it up, she realized she wasn’t all that found of the idea. Dinner with him, on the other hand, that was a different story.

“Yes, I’d like that. I—”

The sudden ringing of her phone startled her silent.

“Jesus.” His brows slammed together. “You have your phone on?”

Frowning, Kat fished the cell from her pack. “Not my personal one.” She’d removed the battery before leaving Hank’s the other day. “This is from my godfather. It belongs to his agency.” She hoped he was calling to tell her they were done. Glancing at the number, she didn’t think twice about not recognizing it. Her godfather could be using a burner phone. She accepted the call, then put it on speaker.

“Hello?” Anxiety tightened her chest. She met Brogan’s gaze when no one answered back.

Alarm darkened his eyes to a deep green.

“Hello?” she repeated.

Still no answer.

He reached out and ended the call. “Drop the phone,” he ordered, reaching for his gun.

“No. Wait!” She flipped it over and removed the battery. “Don’t destroy it. Hank probably has someone who can back-trace a call.”

He shook his head. “If they turn it on again, it’ll give away your position.”

“That might have already happened.” She waved the phone in the air. Even though the call had been brief, she knew new technology existed capable of capturing locations in under a few seconds. “Or it could’ve been a wrong number.”

His head reeled back. “Do you really believe that?”

“No.” She blew out a breath. “It was Hector. I could feel it.”

Dread had crept down her spine, spreading a deep chill through her body during the silence of the call.

He nodded, and thrust a hand through his hair. “You’ve been compromised. I need to call Hank and get you off the ranch.”

“Hang on.” She grasped his hand as he reached for his pocket. “We don’t know that, yet. Why don’t we see what Hank can find out about the caller, first?”

“Hell, no.” He tugged free. “The longer we wait the more danger you’re in.”

“I’m already in this knee-deep,” she said. “I don’t mind going up to my shoulders to catch this guy.”

He muttered a curse and grasped her arms. “Maybe I do. Surely you realize you’re more than a job to me, Kat?”

“I—I am?” A rush of warmth flooded her body, removing the chill the call had induced.

“Yes.” Brogan loosened his grip to slide is hands up to her shoulders, and the tightness around his eyes and mouth softened with his tone. “I know we technically only met four days ago, but I’ve known you almost as long as your uncle.”

“But…how?”

“I watched you grow up on his credenza. Got to know you through your uncle’s praise.” Color rose into his face, but he never dropped her gaze. “Hearing that out loud…it sounds a little creepy.”

She shook her head and lifted her hand to stroke his cheek. “No, I think it sounds sweet. But the way I used to sneak into my uncle’s office and watch you train in the yard, now that’s a bit creepy.”

His brows shot up. “You did? When?” Then crashed down to form a deep V. “I don’t remember seeing you.”

“Exactly.” She laughed. “That was the idea. No one knew.”

He chuckled, but the amusement disappeared a second later. “This changes things, Kat. I can’t…I won’t take the chance with your life.” He released her, dug out his phone, and called Hank.

Dammit.

Although it thrilled her to discover she wasn’t alone in her obsession, she was worried Brogan was like other men she’d dated. They made the mistake of putting her on pedestal. She didn’t do pedestals. Her feet were planted firmly on the ground, shoulder width apart, ready to initiate a roundhouse, or back kick. It was the core reason her relationships never worked out.

If they were to pursue this—whatever this was between them—Brogan needed to prove the exception and relish that she didn’t sit on the sidelines.

This new situation would serve as the perfect test.

God, she hoped he passed.