If she wasn't careful, she'd push herself too hard and burn out. David was going to make sure that didn't happen.

She'd proven that she trusted him and he was going to prove himself deserving of that trust. If he got her out of this mess unscathed, it would go a long way toward convincing himself that he wasn't a total fuck-up.

That would be really nice.

David tucked the blanket further under Noelle's shoulder and settled in for a few more cold hours of guard duty—as many hours as it took for her to regain her strength.

Owen leaned down and plucked the curly red hair from the twig that had snagged it from Noelle's head. He'd spent hours admiring that fiery hair, watching her lying here on the ground next to Captain Wolfe.

He had to give David credit. Even with the distraction of a lovely woman, he'd done a hell of a job keeping Noelle out of reach. It had taken Owen four stolen cars and three gallons of coffee to follow them here undetected. He'd never had to go to so much trouble before to stay hidden.

Owen smiled, causing the horrible burn scars on his cheek to pucker. He loved a challenge.

A less intelligent man than Owen might have already broken into their cozy little cabin while David slept, killed him and taken Noelle. But Owen was smarter than that. He knew the girl would work better while she was with someone she trusted. He was in this for the weapons the ciphertext would locate and the money they would bring on the black market. His boss, Mr. Lark, had been clear that securing the weapons would earn Owen a place of power in the newly restructured organization. If that meant waiting for the girl to finish her work before he abducted her, then that was what he'd do.

Besides, it was fun finding ways to evade David's security measures. The man had taken what the forest could offer and turned these things into deadly weapons meant to kill anyone who dared enter his domain. It had been a long time since Owen tested his skills against a worthy opponent, and the man guarding Noelle was as worthy as they came.

Too bad for him Owen was much better.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Noelle cleaned up the mess from dinner, helping for the first time since they arrived at the cabin. So far, David had taken care of everything mundane—the cooking and cleaning—giving her time to work. It was a luxury that she wasn't used to, but wouldn't mind trying to get that way.

Man, he'd make a great husband. Too bad he was still married to a dead woman.

He'd gone out again for about the fifth time, hauling in another armload of wood. One wall of the cabin was completely covered by the results of his chopping efforts and by her quick calculation, there was enough wood there to last them for over a month.

She dried her hands and laid the dish towel out on the counter to dry. "You expecting an early snowstorm or something?" she asked him.

David dusted off his hands, but didn't quite meet her gaze. "No sense in not being prepared. Besides, I had the time.

If we don't use the wood, Caleb will."

Noelle had to admit that the idea of being snowbound with him wasn't entirely unappealing. She'd gotten used to the rustic setting and except for missing hot showers and a real toilet, it wasn't a hardship to be here with him. Part of her even enjoyed it. She was having the first real adventure of her adult life.

Then again, he had been doing all the work. If he'd asked her to hunt or fish with him, she would have had an entirely different story to tell.

The simple fact was, she enjoyed David's company. He was courteous and left her alone to work. He only badgered her when she forgot to eat, which probably wasn't a bad thing. It had been a long time since she'd had someone around who took care of her. It felt... comforting to know he was there.

And he was certainly no hardship to look at.

David fed the potbellied stove and Noelle just watched. She loved the way his body moved—the way his muscles slid powerfully under his skin. She repeatedly had to keep herself from reaching out and laying a hand on him to feel the intriguing movement. She told herself that she was an intellectual and wanted to research everything that interested her, but deep down she knew it was more than just interest that urged her to reach out for him. She sensed that he was starved for human contact, that he had isolated himself from the world.

And even if that feeling hadn't been there, David interested her as a man. Too much for her own good.

"If you don't quit staring at me like I'm one of your indecipherable notes, I'm gonna get nervous," he said.

Noelle jerked at the sound of his voice, her face heating in a blush. "I'm sorry. I just keep wondering what it must be like to be so strong. I was always kinda puny for my age."

He stepped forward, his long stride placing him only inches from her. "'Puny' isn't the right word."

Noelle lifted a red brow. "Oh? And just what word would you use, Mr. Muscles?"

His gaze heated as it swept over her body. She was getting used to his repeated surveying of her every time he stepped into the room, but this was different. Warmer. His lids were heavy and his fists were clenched at his sides.

"Delicate," he said.

Noelle would have snorted at his ridiculous statement if it hadn't been for his serious expression. He sounded like he meant what he said. Even liked it. "Nice try soothing my ego, but it's really not necessary. I'm proud of myself—

what I've done with my life."

"You should be. But you should also be proud of the fact that you're a beautiful woman."

This time, Noelle couldn't help but laugh. She was smart, loyal, dedicated, and stuck to her morals no matter how inconvenient they became, but she was not beautiful. Until she'd met David, she'd never even really cared that she wasn't.

But now, with him looking at her with those hot, blue eyes, his muscles taut, his luscious body only mere inches from hers, she wanted nothing more than to be a temptress. She wanted to drive him to his knees with her beauty. She wanted him to take her in his arms and show her just how beautiful he thought she was using only his tongue. "You're the one who is beautiful. All that strength makes me want to touch you just to see how it feels."

She was so swept away by the mental image that created that she didn't even realize she'd said those words aloud.

Until she saw his expression change and become more guarded.

Fire bloomed in her cheeks and she wanted to crawl under a rock until she died of old age.

Her chin dipped and she pulled in a breath to help herself recover from humiliation.

David's fingers lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. They were nearly black, his cheeks slashed with color, his nostrils flared as if in anger. But it wasn't anger, it was something else. Something she'd never thought to see on his face.

Desire.

He bent down to kiss her, giving her no time to escape. His arm was an iron brace at the small of her back, holding her still. She couldn't pull away. She wasn't sure if she even wanted to.

David kissed her, hard and demanding. His tongue teased her lips, coaxing her to accept him into her mouth. He tasted like the coffee they'd shared after dinner. He smelled like the forest at sunset.

Noelle had kissed before, but never like this. Her experience was lukewarm compared to the fiery passion that now swept through her system.

Her hands slid up his arms, clutching his hard shoulders to steady herself. Her body sang with excitement, making her head spin and her knees weak.

She should have been marveling at the way her body reacted on an intellectual level. She should have been analyzing how hormones triggered her blood to pump faster, her eyes to dilate, her skin to heat to the point of meltdown. But all she could think about was how good his tongue felt sliding over her own, how her nipples had hardened to sensitive points that rubbed against the muscled wall of his chest. Her head was filled with his masculine scent, driving awareness of everything else out of her mind.

For the first time in her life, her brain was turned off and her body turned on.

It was as wonderful as it was frightening.

And then he broke the kiss and she was left alone, clutching at his shirt, panting as if she'd just run a mile uphill.

David looked down at her, his eyes fixed on her parted lips. She could feel how hot and swollen they were from his less-than-gentle kiss. She wondered if his felt the same way.

Noelle lifted a shaking finger to his mouth and just barely touched him, wanting to feel with her hand what her lips had already felt. David jerked at her touch, cursing low and vile.

"This was a mistake " he said.

The cold air filling the cabin swept away any remaining feelings of contentment and wonder Noelle might have had.

A mistake? The best thing she'd ever felt in her life was a mistake? She couldn't draw enough breath to speak, even if she had been courageous enough to refute his claim.

"We can't do this," he said, as if trying to convince himself. "It's wrong."

Noelle found the strength to let go of his shirt and stand on her own two feet. She put a good yard between them before she was able to speak. The distance left her feeling cold and bereft, but not as much as the harsh glint of shame in David's eyes.

She was completely aware of her own sex appeal, or lack thereof. She wasn't about to force a man to kiss her if he didn't want to. She had more self-respect than that. Still, she couldn't stand the thought of staying in the small space with him for even one more minute. She had to get away and cool off and remember her priorities.

She grabbed her coat on the way out of the cabin. Before shutting the door, she said, "It felt pretty damn right to me."

David couldn't have followed her out of the cabin if he'd wanted. His dick was too hard, making his gut ache and his brain sputter in an effort to function in spite of a blood deficit.

What the hell was wrong with him? He knew better than to let something like that happen. He just hadn't been smart enough to care.

Even now, standing alone in the chilly cabin, his blood was pumping hot, his skin putting off wave after wave of frustrated heat. He'd been a fool to kiss her, but man oh, man, it had felt good. She was right about that part.

She tasted like liquid fire and her body fitted so perfectly against his that it was hard to imagine she hadn't been made just for him. It was a ridiculous notion that an educated, brilliant woman like her would want anything to do with a Neanderthal like him. What could he possibly have to offer her but a few steamy hours of mind-blowing sex? His career was over. He wasn't a pauper, but he lived frugally on what he'd managed to save over the past dozen years or so. He wasn't a kind, gentle man who would sweep her off her feet into some romantic fantasy world. He was just a guy—a former soldier who hadn't even been able to keep his own wife safe.

He didn't deserve a second chance at happily ever after. Obviously, he hadn't even deserved the first one.

The image of Mary's body flooded his mind. Bloody, tortured and lifeless.

David slammed his fist into the neat stack of firewood, sending logs flying across the cabin. He hated it that every lime he thought about Mary, he only saw her death. He couldn't even remember the good times they'd had together anymore. He knew they were there, in his memory, but he just couldn't see them. All he saw was her battered corpse, reminding him just what would happen if he let himself be selfish enough to bring another woman into his life.

Noelle had enough problems without his adding to them. He had to keep his distance. He had to be professional.