Read Online Operation: Midnight Guardian by Linda Castillo - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Linda Castillo
Tags: Suspense
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on the mattress. Looking around, hespotted a tattered blanket draped over the back of a chair. Cutter opened the blanket and covered her with it. It would have to be enough until he could get a fire started.
His head spun when he rose, and he fought to maintain his balance. He needed wood for the fire. His limbs felt as if they were made of lead as he crossed to the table and chairs. Awkwardly, he lifted one of the chairs to shoulder height, and brought it down on the table. Once. Twice. The table broke into two pieces on the third try. Another blow and two of the chair’s legs clattered to the floor.
Cutter gathered the wood and stacked it neatly in the hearth. He found several pages of an ancient newspaper someone had used to line the cupboards, wadded it up and placed it beneath the wood. A curse broke from his lips when he pulled the matchbox from his pocket and found most of the matches damp. Picking through, he finally found one that was dry, struck it against the stone. It lit. Carefully he set the flame beneath the wood and watched the paper ignite.
Once the wood was burning, he turned back to Mattie. She looked incredibly small and vulnerable lying curled on her side beneath the oldblanket. He had to get those wet clothes off her. Cutter didn’t want to do it—he wasn’t at all comfortable with the way he was responding to her—but he knew enough about hypothermia to know nothing zapped body heat more effectively than water.
Kneeling next to her, he set his hand on her shoulder. “Mattie?”
“Tired…” she muttered, but she didn’t open her eyes.
“We did it,” he said. “We’re in the cabin. I made a fire. See? You need to get out of those wet clothes so you can get warm.”
Her eyes fluttered open. She didn’t seem to recognize him. Worry descended at the sight of her dilated pupils. Her core body temperature was dangerously low. She was in no condition to undress. If her heart rate and oxygen intake slowed…
“I’m going to get you out of those clothes, okay?”
“Gotta…sleep.” Her words slurred.
“Not right now.” Reaching behind her, he lifted her to a sitting position and glanced down at her clothes. She was still wearing the tattered black wool suit jacket and slacks. A white blouse. She was soaked to the skin.
Propping her against his right arm and shoulder, he used his left to unbutton the jacket. Mattie was like a rag doll in his arms as he worked the jacket from her body and tossed it to the floor. The blouse clung to her like skin. Beneath it, he discerned the lace of her bra and the swell of her breasts. His fingers shook as he began unbuttoning the blouse.
“Wha’r you doing?” Mattie thrashed and brushed at his hands.
Cutter didn’t stop. “You’ve got hypothermia,” he said firmly. “These wet clothes need to go so your body can warm up.”
He tried not to look when her blouse fell open. But his gaze was irresistibly drawn to the swell of her generous breasts encased in lace and cotton, a flat belly and the kind of curves a man liked to sink his hands into.
She slapped at his hand. “Please. Don’t.”
Cutter caught her wrist. “Easy,” he said. “I have to do this. Then we’ll put you next to the fire, okay?”
The mention of the fire seemed to calm her. Cutter quickly removed her blouse. He tried not to touch her skin as he undid her slacks. Tried even harder not to look as he peeled the materialdown her long, shapely legs. But while Sean Cutter was a MIDNIGHT agent first and foremost, he was also a man.
The memory of the way her body had felt against his assailed him. The softness of her mouth. The warmth of her breath against his cheek. Not even hypothermia could keep the blood from rushing hotly to his groin….
How could he be so damn attracted to the woman he’d been hired to take back? A woman who’d betrayed her country?
Annoyed with himself, Cutter ground his teeth. Quickly, and as impersonally as possible, he removed her shoes,
His head spun when he rose, and he fought to maintain his balance. He needed wood for the fire. His limbs felt as if they were made of lead as he crossed to the table and chairs. Awkwardly, he lifted one of the chairs to shoulder height, and brought it down on the table. Once. Twice. The table broke into two pieces on the third try. Another blow and two of the chair’s legs clattered to the floor.
Cutter gathered the wood and stacked it neatly in the hearth. He found several pages of an ancient newspaper someone had used to line the cupboards, wadded it up and placed it beneath the wood. A curse broke from his lips when he pulled the matchbox from his pocket and found most of the matches damp. Picking through, he finally found one that was dry, struck it against the stone. It lit. Carefully he set the flame beneath the wood and watched the paper ignite.
Once the wood was burning, he turned back to Mattie. She looked incredibly small and vulnerable lying curled on her side beneath the oldblanket. He had to get those wet clothes off her. Cutter didn’t want to do it—he wasn’t at all comfortable with the way he was responding to her—but he knew enough about hypothermia to know nothing zapped body heat more effectively than water.
Kneeling next to her, he set his hand on her shoulder. “Mattie?”
“Tired…” she muttered, but she didn’t open her eyes.
“We did it,” he said. “We’re in the cabin. I made a fire. See? You need to get out of those wet clothes so you can get warm.”
Her eyes fluttered open. She didn’t seem to recognize him. Worry descended at the sight of her dilated pupils. Her core body temperature was dangerously low. She was in no condition to undress. If her heart rate and oxygen intake slowed…
“I’m going to get you out of those clothes, okay?”
“Gotta…sleep.” Her words slurred.
“Not right now.” Reaching behind her, he lifted her to a sitting position and glanced down at her clothes. She was still wearing the tattered black wool suit jacket and slacks. A white blouse. She was soaked to the skin.
Propping her against his right arm and shoulder, he used his left to unbutton the jacket. Mattie was like a rag doll in his arms as he worked the jacket from her body and tossed it to the floor. The blouse clung to her like skin. Beneath it, he discerned the lace of her bra and the swell of her breasts. His fingers shook as he began unbuttoning the blouse.
“Wha’r you doing?” Mattie thrashed and brushed at his hands.
Cutter didn’t stop. “You’ve got hypothermia,” he said firmly. “These wet clothes need to go so your body can warm up.”
He tried not to look when her blouse fell open. But his gaze was irresistibly drawn to the swell of her generous breasts encased in lace and cotton, a flat belly and the kind of curves a man liked to sink his hands into.
She slapped at his hand. “Please. Don’t.”
Cutter caught her wrist. “Easy,” he said. “I have to do this. Then we’ll put you next to the fire, okay?”
The mention of the fire seemed to calm her. Cutter quickly removed her blouse. He tried not to touch her skin as he undid her slacks. Tried even harder not to look as he peeled the materialdown her long, shapely legs. But while Sean Cutter was a MIDNIGHT agent first and foremost, he was also a man.
The memory of the way her body had felt against his assailed him. The softness of her mouth. The warmth of her breath against his cheek. Not even hypothermia could keep the blood from rushing hotly to his groin….
How could he be so damn attracted to the woman he’d been hired to take back? A woman who’d betrayed her country?
Annoyed with himself, Cutter ground his teeth. Quickly, and as impersonally as possible, he removed her shoes,
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