Radclyffe - Oath of Honor

“Better?” Evyn backpedaled until her ass hit the wall. She couldn’t read much in Wes’s face, but she bet hers was easy to decipher. She’d had more control when she was fifteen than she did now.

“Yes,” Wes said. “How is it outside?”

“Snowing pretty heavy.” Evyn couldn’t move. Couldn’t take her eyes from Wes’s face.

“Your hair is wet.” Wes took a step closer, ran her fingers through the hair at Evyn’s temples. “You should’ve put the hood up.”

Evyn laughed shakily and rubbed her hair with a hand. “I thought I could outrun the snowflakes.”

Wes laughed. “Why does that not surprise me? Do all federal agents think they’re capable of superhuman feats?”

“Only the ones who are, like me.” Evyn grinned, watching the smile reach Wes’s eyes. She loved making her smile. Still, she looked strained, as if she’d been pulling doubles for a week. “How are you really feeling?”

Wes shrugged. “Like I had a really long day. Nothing some sleep won’t cure. I’m not that out of practice working twenty-four on—I still cover the ER pretty regularly.”

“Yeah, but you aren’t usually physically accosted in the ER.”

“I wasn’t today either,” Wes said gently. “I took a header off the boat—none too proud of that actually. I should have ducked. I saw it coming.”

“For how long—a second?” Evyn shook her head. “You never had a chance.”

“And neither did you.” Wes brushed a loose curl away from the corner of Evyn’s mouth. “You must have hit the water pretty hard to bruise your face.”

“You hit a lot harder.” A pulse beat rapidly in Wes’s throat, matching the crazy rhythm of Evyn’s heart. Evyn started to sweat. Wes was inches away. She wanted to touch her. “You should get dressed before you get chilled again.”

“You should get undressed before you end up the same way.” Wes reached out and unzipped the windbreaker. “I left a little hot water. You need it?”

“I’m good,” Evyn said, never having made a less true statement in her life. She didn’t know what she was, but it wasn’t good. Turned on, desperate to ease the shadows Wes couldn’t quite hide, aching to hold her. “Wes, I—”

“I want to get one thing clear,” Wes said.

Evyn drew up short. Here it came. The no-fraternization-at-work speech. Her own rule, the one she should have been remembering, and the one she forgot every time Wes was within a mile of her. “You don’t need to say anything. I agree with you.”

Wes’s eyebrows shot up. The corner of her mouth lifted. “Do you? I didn’t realize you were psychic as well as superhuman.”

“Another big bad federal agent skill,” Evyn said as nonchalantly as she could manage. “Always a bad idea to complicate a working relationship. No need to go there.”

“You’re right, we do agree.” Wes’s tone was soft and serious, but her eyes were partly amused. “Although I was going to say that what happened out there this afternoon was an accident. No one could have predicted it. No matter who set up the exercise, no one was at fault for that cable snapping and me going overboard.”

A hot surge of embarrassment flooded Evyn’s belly. Hell, she couldn’t have been more wrong about what Wes had intended to say, and now she’d tipped her hand and probably made a fool of herself. “I won’t argue. Obviously I can’t win.”

“It’s not about winning.” Wes stroked the backs of her fingers over Evyn’s cheek, just beneath the bruise. “How about just believing it?”

Wes’s mouth was so close, all Evyn could do was watch her lips move and struggle to make sense of what she was saying. Her mind heard the words but her body translated them into something else. Want, desire, an unfamiliar need. “Wes. I’m a little off balance here.”

“I know.” Wes’s voice was barely above a whisper. “So am I.”

Evyn went completely still.

“You saved my life today and I’m grateful. I know you were doing your job, and I would’ve done the same.” Wes watched the muscles along Evyn’s jaw tighten. Evyn didn’t like being thanked for doing what came naturally—and for what she saw as her responsibility. Wes got that—she felt the same. But she was grateful—not for being saved from drowning, but for a warm sure hand in the cold dark night, anchoring her when she’d thought she might lose her way. For the silent assurance that she would conquer her demons and come out the other side of the tunnel whole. Evyn had faith in her—and had offered her a shoulder when she’d needed to lean without once making her feel weak. She was much more than grateful—she was soothed in a place she’d never known she was hurt. “And just so you know, this isn’t about that.”

“What?” Evyn’s eyes were huge blue lakes filled with questions.

Wes had only one answer. She leaned forward and kissed her.

Chapter Twenty-one

Evyn didn’t know what to do with her hands. Wes had just kissed her, and now Wes was inches away, covered in nothing but a towel. She could easily pluck the cotton aside and pull Wes’s hot naked body in tight against her. With a little subtle dip and turn, she’d have Wes against the door and she’d be back in control again. She’d made that move a time or two—Seduction 101.

She didn’t do anything, not even breathe. She just stood there with their lips softly touching, her head whirling, her heart threatening to explode inside her rib cage. Whatever this was, she didn’t want to change a thing. She’d been kissed before, but this wasn’t like any kiss she’d ever experienced. She knew about kisses—she was usually the one doing the kissing. Sometimes kisses were an exploration, feelers sent out to judge the wind direction, the water temperature, the chances for more than just a kiss. Sometimes they were a warm-up for the real contest—a stretch of muscles, a quick glance around the field, a mental review of the game plan. A kiss was never just a kiss but always a step toward something more. A brief stop on the way to the ultimate goal. Everything in her life was a goal to be achieved, a game to be won—even sex. Always, she needed to be the best. She took the lead whenever she could; she was a front-runner. The fastest way to come out on top was to always be on top—metaphorically or otherwise.

Tonight, she was totally without game. She couldn’t see the playing field through a fog of desire more heady than any she’d ever experienced. She’d given up the lead without even knowing she had entered the race. Wes was in total control, something she’d never allowed since she was old enough to get around on her own two feet. In her home, in her world, competition was king. Everything from dinner-table conversation to backyard catch was a challenge. She’d been team captain on just about every sport she’d ever played, was at the top of every class, and only took orders on the job because she knew it was the quickest way to achieve a position to give the orders herself. Whatever game she played, she played to win. And here she was, following, without a plan, with no freaking idea what she was doing.

Wes’s mouth moved away and she wanted to whimper. Hell, she did whimper.

“Now would be a good time to breathe,” Wes murmured, her lips skimming Evyn’s as she spoke.

“I don’t think I need to,” Evyn whispered. “I think your kiss might be all that’s required.”

Wes laughed and kissed her again. A little bit firmer this time. More certain. Wes’s confidence grew and Evyn lost her grip. Still their bodies remained separated. The few inches of air between them vibrated through Evyn’s clothes and into the heart of her. Wes’s lips were smooth and hot, lush and full. Evyn eased the tip of her tongue forward, seeking just a tiny taste. When she did, Wes moaned deep in her throat and Evyn’s muscles turned to jelly. She sagged against the wall, a groan unlike any she’d ever made escaping her throat. Then Wes’s hands were on her shoulders, pinning her in place.