Read Online Off the Map (Winter Rescue #2) by Tamara Morgan - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Tamara Morgan
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heated the entire block with the brimstone of his gaze, he’d made every effort not to touch her. It was if he knew even the whisper of his finger on her skin would unravel everything.
And it would. It did. It was .
“Why is it so hard for you to hold a conversation like a normal human being?” He managed to get them both inside with the door shut, but his hand was still on her arm, ruining her ability to come up with a clever and timely retort. Those five fingers pressed hard enough to make an impression but not cause pain. Those five fingers touched so much more than just her skin. “It’s like you’re trying to cause me the most embarrassment possible.”
“That’s because I am.”
“But I came here to apologize.”
“You came to apologize for yelling at me last night—not for the way you ended things between us. That gives me the right to retain my anger, should I so choose.” She glared. “I choose.”
He grabbed her other arm and pulled her close, his eyes still brimstone, his body warm enough to support an entire solar system of its own. Even though he’d come in from the cold, he only had on a long-sleeved flannel that he’d pushed up to his elbows, his jeans worn and faded in all the right places. How nice it must be to hold so much anger you walked around with a space heater in your pants.
“I’m sorry, okay? I was upset last night, and I said things I shouldn’t have. I was upset the day we broke up, and I said things I shouldn’t have then, too. I’m an asshole. You didn’t deserve to be treated like that, and I didn’t deserve you. Happy now?”
She should have been. This was the moment she’d been waiting for, the epic grovel, the man of her dreams holding her so tightly she couldn’t escape even if she wanted to. But this wasn’t real. It was a result of the voodoo magic—it had to be. She’d never seen a man less excited about either apologizing or holding her in his arms.
“I’ve been better,” she said. “I heard you apologize, but I didn’t really feel it, you know?”
He groaned and tipped his head back. “Do you want me on my knees? Is that it? Would that help speed things along?”
She pretended to consider it. “I do like you on your knees, but speed isn’t exactly the goal there.”
He dropped her arms and stepped back, a man walking away from a bomb. “Oh, no you don’t. Don’t you dare try to seduce me right now.”
“Relax, Scott. It was a joke.”
“If it was a joke, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because that’s the normal position my eyeballs take when I’m in the same room as another human being.”
“It is not. I’ve seen your eyes around other people. You bat them and look adorable and do whatever you can to get your way—but you don’t look at them with that gleam.”
She had a gleam? Unable to help herself, she batted her eyes at him, basking in the idea that he found her adorable. She was adorable, but that was hardly the point. “I can’t help that I’m naturally alluring.”
“You’re naturally annoying—that’s what you are. Would you please let me finish apologizing now?”
“Oh, you weren’t done? By all means, don’t let me stop you. I’ve got no plans this evening. Take all the time you need.”
He glowered and tensed up even more, looking less and less sorry by the minute. “You could gloat a little bit less, you know.”
“I could, but I’m not going to.”
“This isn’t an easy thing for me to do.”
Nor was he particularly good at it. But all she said was, “If you wanted easy, Scott, you chose the wrong woman.”
“Don’t I fucking know it,” he said, and she was back in his arms. This time, he wasn’t pushing her inside the apartment—he was just pushing, period. Against her, against the foyer wall, his lips crashing into hers with the searing heat he carried inside him.
If she’d been prepared for the embrace, she might have had a fighting chance at stopping him. Not only
And it would. It did. It was .
“Why is it so hard for you to hold a conversation like a normal human being?” He managed to get them both inside with the door shut, but his hand was still on her arm, ruining her ability to come up with a clever and timely retort. Those five fingers pressed hard enough to make an impression but not cause pain. Those five fingers touched so much more than just her skin. “It’s like you’re trying to cause me the most embarrassment possible.”
“That’s because I am.”
“But I came here to apologize.”
“You came to apologize for yelling at me last night—not for the way you ended things between us. That gives me the right to retain my anger, should I so choose.” She glared. “I choose.”
He grabbed her other arm and pulled her close, his eyes still brimstone, his body warm enough to support an entire solar system of its own. Even though he’d come in from the cold, he only had on a long-sleeved flannel that he’d pushed up to his elbows, his jeans worn and faded in all the right places. How nice it must be to hold so much anger you walked around with a space heater in your pants.
“I’m sorry, okay? I was upset last night, and I said things I shouldn’t have. I was upset the day we broke up, and I said things I shouldn’t have then, too. I’m an asshole. You didn’t deserve to be treated like that, and I didn’t deserve you. Happy now?”
She should have been. This was the moment she’d been waiting for, the epic grovel, the man of her dreams holding her so tightly she couldn’t escape even if she wanted to. But this wasn’t real. It was a result of the voodoo magic—it had to be. She’d never seen a man less excited about either apologizing or holding her in his arms.
“I’ve been better,” she said. “I heard you apologize, but I didn’t really feel it, you know?”
He groaned and tipped his head back. “Do you want me on my knees? Is that it? Would that help speed things along?”
She pretended to consider it. “I do like you on your knees, but speed isn’t exactly the goal there.”
He dropped her arms and stepped back, a man walking away from a bomb. “Oh, no you don’t. Don’t you dare try to seduce me right now.”
“Relax, Scott. It was a joke.”
“If it was a joke, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because that’s the normal position my eyeballs take when I’m in the same room as another human being.”
“It is not. I’ve seen your eyes around other people. You bat them and look adorable and do whatever you can to get your way—but you don’t look at them with that gleam.”
She had a gleam? Unable to help herself, she batted her eyes at him, basking in the idea that he found her adorable. She was adorable, but that was hardly the point. “I can’t help that I’m naturally alluring.”
“You’re naturally annoying—that’s what you are. Would you please let me finish apologizing now?”
“Oh, you weren’t done? By all means, don’t let me stop you. I’ve got no plans this evening. Take all the time you need.”
He glowered and tensed up even more, looking less and less sorry by the minute. “You could gloat a little bit less, you know.”
“I could, but I’m not going to.”
“This isn’t an easy thing for me to do.”
Nor was he particularly good at it. But all she said was, “If you wanted easy, Scott, you chose the wrong woman.”
“Don’t I fucking know it,” he said, and she was back in his arms. This time, he wasn’t pushing her inside the apartment—he was just pushing, period. Against her, against the foyer wall, his lips crashing into hers with the searing heat he carried inside him.
If she’d been prepared for the embrace, she might have had a fighting chance at stopping him. Not only