didn’t want to run, but couldn’t remain still. Her eyes fluttered closed. Her heart was thumping, which energized her. She could almost feel the tiny organisms that kept her limbs working rushing through her blood faster and faster.
Electricity shot through her. Jasper caught her moan and gave it back to her with the slide of his tongue into her mouth. Wet and deep. The pleasure was a hot wind that swept her up.
He made a sound low in his throat and pulled back, but quickly bent again and dropped another kiss on her lips. And another. Short, hard ones as if he hated the moment to end as much as she did.
She braced her open palm against his chest and blinked, taking deep breaths. A flickering movement caught her eye and she glanced over Jasper’s shoulder. She couldn’t see anything and thought maybe it had just been her imagination, until a reflection of the sunlight bounced off metal.
An earsplitting crack burst into the late-morning air just as Callie threw herself at Jasper and tumbled them both to the ground. He let out a muffled grunt as she landed on top of him.
Something smacked into the juniper beside them and sharp wood fragments flew over their heads in every direction. Jasper quickly twisted in a smooth move that reversed their positions so she was beneath him, completely covered by him. Cold snow immediately found its way beneath the collar of her coat and trickled down her neck, but she paid it no heed. Her heart was pounding so hard she swore she could hear it in the short moments before screams rang out around them as other patrons of the park scrambled to find shelter.
“That was a damned shot.” He swore and looked up, first at the tree the bullet had crashed into, and then scanning the park. His mouth compressed into a hard slash. He gazed back down at her. “How did you know? What did you see?”
“I saw movement. Something. I…I just…reacted. I don’t know.” She shook her head, not even sure what she’d seen or why she’d reacted the way she had. She didn’t like the fact that they remained unprotected, and tried to push him off her. “Jasper, we have to get out of—”
He must have seen something, because his gaze narrowed and he got to his feet and pulled her up with him. From inside his coat, he pulled out a weapon of his own. Small and compact, but it had a wide round barrel and she imagined the bullets that came from it would do as much damage as any other.
He shoved her backward a few more steps into the shade of the trees. “Here. Stay out of the open until I come back for you.”
Jasper wasn’t actually going to leave her here and try to catch the shooter?
Oh, bloody hell, he was.
He took off at a run toward the same small copse of evergreens where she had seen the flash of a reflection, taking care to remain covered in a line of tall cedars along the way. Callie looked ahead of him, searching the area, aware that her mechanical eye was taking in more detail than she would have been able to see without it. Whoever had been standing behind those bushes was already gone.
She chased after Jasper, feeling surprisingly calm considering there was no doubt in her mind that whoever had taken that shot had meant the bullet for either one, or both, of them.
“Bloody hell, Callie. I told you to stay put.”
Stopping just behind him, she said, “And you thought I would listen to you because…?”
His angry breaths puffed into the air and he glared at her, but held his tongue. Instead, he replaced the pistol in the holster at his back and pulled her into his side before crouching low to the ground. He dragged his finger through a patch of snow that had been speckled with black dust.
“What is that?” she asked.
“The faint smell of cigar smoke still lingers in the air. The shooter must have been smoking while he waited here to take his shot, but he was smart enough to remove the evidence with him, except for this bit of ash.”
“But why would he bother to take a
Electricity shot through her. Jasper caught her moan and gave it back to her with the slide of his tongue into her mouth. Wet and deep. The pleasure was a hot wind that swept her up.
He made a sound low in his throat and pulled back, but quickly bent again and dropped another kiss on her lips. And another. Short, hard ones as if he hated the moment to end as much as she did.
She braced her open palm against his chest and blinked, taking deep breaths. A flickering movement caught her eye and she glanced over Jasper’s shoulder. She couldn’t see anything and thought maybe it had just been her imagination, until a reflection of the sunlight bounced off metal.
An earsplitting crack burst into the late-morning air just as Callie threw herself at Jasper and tumbled them both to the ground. He let out a muffled grunt as she landed on top of him.
Something smacked into the juniper beside them and sharp wood fragments flew over their heads in every direction. Jasper quickly twisted in a smooth move that reversed their positions so she was beneath him, completely covered by him. Cold snow immediately found its way beneath the collar of her coat and trickled down her neck, but she paid it no heed. Her heart was pounding so hard she swore she could hear it in the short moments before screams rang out around them as other patrons of the park scrambled to find shelter.
“That was a damned shot.” He swore and looked up, first at the tree the bullet had crashed into, and then scanning the park. His mouth compressed into a hard slash. He gazed back down at her. “How did you know? What did you see?”
“I saw movement. Something. I…I just…reacted. I don’t know.” She shook her head, not even sure what she’d seen or why she’d reacted the way she had. She didn’t like the fact that they remained unprotected, and tried to push him off her. “Jasper, we have to get out of—”
He must have seen something, because his gaze narrowed and he got to his feet and pulled her up with him. From inside his coat, he pulled out a weapon of his own. Small and compact, but it had a wide round barrel and she imagined the bullets that came from it would do as much damage as any other.
He shoved her backward a few more steps into the shade of the trees. “Here. Stay out of the open until I come back for you.”
Jasper wasn’t actually going to leave her here and try to catch the shooter?
Oh, bloody hell, he was.
He took off at a run toward the same small copse of evergreens where she had seen the flash of a reflection, taking care to remain covered in a line of tall cedars along the way. Callie looked ahead of him, searching the area, aware that her mechanical eye was taking in more detail than she would have been able to see without it. Whoever had been standing behind those bushes was already gone.
She chased after Jasper, feeling surprisingly calm considering there was no doubt in her mind that whoever had taken that shot had meant the bullet for either one, or both, of them.
“Bloody hell, Callie. I told you to stay put.”
Stopping just behind him, she said, “And you thought I would listen to you because…?”
His angry breaths puffed into the air and he glared at her, but held his tongue. Instead, he replaced the pistol in the holster at his back and pulled her into his side before crouching low to the ground. He dragged his finger through a patch of snow that had been speckled with black dust.
“What is that?” she asked.
“The faint smell of cigar smoke still lingers in the air. The shooter must have been smoking while he waited here to take his shot, but he was smart enough to remove the evidence with him, except for this bit of ash.”
“But why would he bother to take a
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