Elle James - Her Christmas Hero

She was silent for a moment.

“Those are my conditions, Laurel.”

“Agreed.”

She took a seat and stared at the keyboard. She prayed her abilities wouldn’t fail her now.

* * *

A LOUD SCREAM yanked James McCallister awake. For a split second he didn’t know where he was. Then the pain overwhelmed him. He fought not to cry out.

He shifted his legs, trying to ease the tension in his shoulders. His jailer had shoved him into this dirt-walled prison, clamped a manacle over each wrist and whipped him until he lost consciousness.

James had said nothing.

Footsteps walked down the hallway. James looked up; his eyes widened with shock, and then nausea rose up his throat.

He couldn’t believe it.

And yet the proof stood before him.

“I...I wouldn’t have guessed,” he said through dry lips. “You fooled me.”

“Of course I did, but you cost me nearly a billion dollars this month, James. I’m not happy. You know I get cranky when I’m not happy.”

A knife sliced down his chest, drawing blood. He hissed, pulling away, but the movement only caused droplets to fall to the floor.

“And Garrett Galloway.”

James struggled to keep his heart from racing.

“Oh, yes. I know he’s alive. You hid him well. I just wanted you to know that I’m smarter than you are.” His captor lifted out a small device.

James nearly groaned. Impossible. No one should have discovered his secret.

“That’s right. I can track Garrett Galloway anywhere. He’s dead, James. And it’s all your fault.”

Chapter Five

Laurel leaned forward in the chair, staring at the screen. The disappointment nearly suffocated her.

“It’s okay,” Garrett said softly. His hand rubbed her back.

“I can’t find him.” She shrank away from his touch. She didn’t want comfort. She’d failed. She’d been so certain. She shoved away from the console.

“Don’t do this to yourself.” He stood beside her and turned her into his arms. He looked down at her. The expression on his face held too much sympathy.

“I failed my father. I failed Ivy. I failed you.” She tried to push away, but he refused to let her go. She shook her head. “I failed Molly.”

Laurel couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her face. She’d thought she could do this. She’d believed if she were in her element she could save them all. What a fool she’d been.

“Listen to me. These people are good. I wasn’t able to catch them. Neither was Ivy. Or your father. You didn’t let anyone down.”

He pressed her into his chest. She clung to his shirt, gripping him tight. His warmth seeped through her as the sobs racked her body.

“Shh,” he muttered. “It’s okay.”

Laurel couldn’t stop the flood of emotions: the guilt, the pain, the grief. Everything overwhelmed her. She didn’t know how long she stood in Garrett’s embrace, but when she came up for air, her body was spent.

He rubbed her back awhile longer, whispering soft words of comfort—lies, really. Because nothing would be all right. It couldn’t be.

Finally she pushed against his chest and tried to hide her face from him. He tilted her chin up. “You don’t have to hide. You just did what I wanted to do from the moment I came to Trouble.”

With a swipe of her tears, she cleared her throat. “Doesn’t do any good. Now I’m exhausted and fuzzy headed.”

“And less likely to crumble under the pressure. Molly will need that strength from you.”

“You’re going to lay down a trail of bread crumbs, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Without backup? You can’t.”

Garrett brushed aside the chopped hair that didn’t feel like hers. “I can’t let them use you and Molly as leverage. Not against James. Or me.” He closed in on her, his large frame looming. His presence sucked the air from the room. He took her hand in his. “You can trust Daniel, and he has connections. If I fail, they can give you a new life.”

She gripped his fingers. “Dad will kick my butt if I let you sacrifice yourself without a fight.”

“He’d understand,” Garrett said, his face certain, frozen like stone.

“Convince me,” Laurel said, placing her hand on his chest. “They could end up using you anyway.”

Garrett whirled away from her, stalked across the room and shoved his hands through his hair. “You are the most stubborn woman I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. And that’s saying a lot given the work I do. Why can’t you just agree?”

“Because I can’t let you go on a suicide mission.” She followed him, reaching up to his shoulders. Something more was going on with him. She could feel it.

She tugged at his arm, trying to see his face, look into his eyes. When he finally faced her, she gasped at the pain in his expression.

“Why are you doing this, really?” she whispered, leaning into him.

“It’s not important.” Garrett cleared his throat and then his hand trembled. He cupped her cheek. “You and Molly need to be safe. I can’t let anything happen to you.”

The air grew thick between them.

“Because of your loyalty to my father?”

His thumb stroked her skin. She closed her eyes. Something had been simmering between them since they’d met.

“Because I can’t let anyone else I care about get hurt.”

With a groan he lowered his mouth to hers. She clung to him, holding his face between her hands while he explored her lips.

He tasted of coffee, a hint of cinnamon and something uniquely Garrett. With each caress of his mouth, a tingle built low in her belly as if he had a direct line to her soul. A low rumble built within his chest and he scooped her against him, flattening her breasts against his chest.

This wasn’t like any first kiss she’d ever experienced. He took her mouth as if he owned her, and she met him more than halfway. When he tried to raise his head she tugged him back down.

“More,” she whispered. “Make me feel.”

She wanted to lose herself in his touch. She tugged his shirt from his pants and let her fingers explore the skin of his belly, then up to the hair on his chest.

“You’re playing with fire,” he muttered.

“Then let me burn.”

A squeaking door erupted between them. Laurel’s eyes grew wide.

“Molly.”

* * *

“AUNT LAUREL, I’M BORED. There aren’t any toys here.” Molly shoved into the office, her little arms crossed. Laurel sprang out of Garrett’s arms, her face flushed.

“What are you doing?”

Garrett cleared his throat and tried to order his body under control. He glanced down at Laurel. She didn’t appear any less flushed. Her cheeks went red and she pulled her hands from beneath his shirt. He regretted the loss, but in some ways Molly had saved them both. He smiled at the little girl. “So, sugar, it’s almost lunchtime. How would you like to go on a picnic?”

Laurel stepped back, her expression stunned. “I don’t think—”

“What about the big kitty?” Molly asked, her voice tentative.

“Well, I’ll be there, and cats usually stay away from people. We’ll be fine.”

“Absolutely not.” Laurel shook her head. “It’s December.”

“December in West Texas isn’t the same as anywhere else,” Garrett said. “All she needs is a jacket. And we both need to run off some energy, take in a bit of brisk air.” He sent her a pointed glance.

“Oh, please, Aunt Laurel,” Molly said, tugging on her shirt. “I wanna have lunch outside and go ’sploring with Sheriff Garrett.”

Laurel’s face softened, and Garrett could see her indecision. Laurel loved her niece. He liked her fierce protectiveness. Laurel McCallister had a lot of her dad in her. Courage that started with a spine of steel. Courage that made her way too attractive for his peace of mind.