The Eligible Suspect. Jennifer Morey

      But he sensed she’d rather share it with someone. “Do you ever plan to have kids or are you too much of one yourself?”

      “I’m too much of a kid myself,” she said. “I make a better aunt than I would a mom.”

      He could see that about her. “I feel the same way, except I’m an only child.”

      Sharing the growing connection between them, the moment heated up. Her eyes batted and lowered and she clasped her hands in front of her.

      With the choo-choo of the train, Korbin stepped closer. Something deep in him warned to resist this, but desire overruled. Reaching out, he took her hands, coaxing her to unclasp them and then pulling her slowly to him. One step. Two. And then she was against him. She put her hands on his chest and looked up, in a spell that had fallen over them both.

      He didn’t give her time to react. Didn’t give himself time to think. Just kissed her. Soft at first. Gentle. Warm. And then the very thing that had him in awe over her rolled into a ball of flames.

      She made a groaning sound and the next thing he felt was her fingers raking through his short hair. He gave her more, and the fevered kiss compelled him to wrap both his arms around her, hands gliding down her slender back to her rear and pressing her against his growing hardness. She had to feel it through those thin pants.

      This wasn’t supposed to happen. More than the reason that had brought him here, he still felt beholden to someone else.

      Slowly, with unease building, he pulled back. She looked up at him through half-opened eyes, luscious mouth plump and wanton. She’d felt exactly the way he’d imagined. And more. So much more that foreboding crept into his unease. He felt as though he would betray Niya if he allowed this to go any further.

      The smoke began to clear. Her eyes grew more aware. Abruptly she stepped back.

      “I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know what made me do that.” Angelina Jolie lips...tight pants...braless breasts...

      “Uh...how about a movie?”

      “Sure.” A really loud, action-packed movie with no sex in it.

      * * *

      The next morning, Savanna stretched with a languorous moan. She’d just had the most wonderful dream.

      Korbin’s big, strong body on top of hers...a big, hard erection igniting her flesh...

      Her eyes popped open. Springing to sitting position, she cursed and wiped the hair off her flushed face. She was ready for him and he wasn’t even in here! Would she fall so easily for yet another man, only to lose him later?

      Appalled, Savanna flung the covers off her, took a long shower and stayed in her room for a little longer. All the while, his kiss kept taunting her. So did the way he looked at her after the action thriller they’d watched. They’d walked upstairs and at his bedroom door, temptation to stay in her bed had begun to burn in his eyes.

      She could have stripped naked for him right then. Hell, she could have stripped naked and pushed him into his room. Instead, she’d forced her feet to back up until she was able to turn and go to her room, where she’d looked at him as she closed the door.

      Sleep had come much later. Now it was coming to 10:00 a.m.

      Dressed in jeans and a gray wool sweater, she finally went downstairs.

      Korbin was in the kitchen with a cup of coffee, reading one of her books. The television was on in the living room, tuned in to a weather channel that was talking about the blizzard on the way for tonight.

      He looked up when he heard her. His eyes flared with heat before he stopped the reaction. Shutters came down and emotion vanished. He was guarded, cold. Stopping his attraction. Where had that come from? Did he regret kissing her last night?

      That part of his past he couldn’t talk about must be why. Instead of thinking twice about entertaining any romantic possibilities with him, she should take his lead and put a stop to this right now. Going into another high-risk relationship wasn’t on her adventure radar. High-risk because there was too much uncertainty. The next man she got involved with, she’d get to know very well first. As in, it would be months before she slept with him, not weeks as she’d done before.

      The sound of a passing snowmobile had both of them looking outside. The sky was overcast, but it had stopped snowing.

      Hurley rented snowmobiles, but his property was far enough away that no one ever rode this close. The trails were several miles away.

      Savanna went to the back patio door. She saw nothing, and the sound faded.

      “I hope they aren’t lost,” she said.

      When Korbin didn’t respond, she looked at him. He stared at the window, brow low and creased. It bothered him that a snowmobile had driven so close to her house.

      “What’s the matter?” Once again she felt a strange sense of foreboding come over her. Something about him caused it. Why?

      “Nothing.” He stood up and went to the front door, opening it and searching outside. Then he closed and locked the door and went to the garage. When he made sure that was locked tight, he returned to the living room.

      He was acting weird.

      A sound from the sunroom stiffened Savanna. She remembered that she’d left the door unlocked in there. Looking at Korbin, she saw he’d realized that along with her.

      An instant later, a man wearing a black ski mask and winter outerwear appeared with a pistol. The shock of the sight rendered Savanna frozen. He fired the pistol at the same time Korbin pushed her into the kitchen, putting her behind him just as the man rushed in after them.

      Savanna stepped backward as Korbin grabbed an island stool and threw it at the man. While the man stumbled, Savanna ran out of the kitchen through the other entrance. She flattened her back against the wall, breathing hard, looking around for a weapon. She spotted the phone on the side table. Hearing Korbin fighting the stranger, she ran to the phone and then back to the wall for cover, ducking as the man fired again. Bullets struck her cabinetry and Korbin leaped into the living room, taking cover with her.

      They had to get out of here.

      “This way!” Savanna ran for the front entry.

      She stopped short when the man in black emerged from the other kitchen opening, aiming his weapon and blocking their escape. She waited in horror for him to shoot.

      Korbin moved so that she was behind him. “Don’t shoot.”

      Savanna wasn’t going to wait for the man to start firing his gun. Picking up a bottle of wine from the buffet and wine cabinet, she hurled it at the man. He ducked and the bottle shattered against the wall.

      Korbin charged forward and punched the stranger hard enough to knock him down. He fell to the side, partially in the kitchen.

      Savanna ran to the front entry and took cover there, lifting the phone. There was no signal. The line was dead. Not that calling the police would do much good. How would they reach them in time with all the snow on the ground?

      Oh, God. What were they going to do?

      Dropping the phone, she heard Korbin fighting the man again. Peeking around the corner, she didn’t see them. They were in the kitchen. A loud crash told her something had just gone through her patio door. Another gunshot rang out, followed by a few smacking punches, and then the two men crashed to the floor in the kitchen entry. Korbin had the intruder’s wrist in his grip, keeping the gun aimed upward. The intruder twisted free but Korbin hit his face and then kicked the gun from his grasp. It clattered to the floor. Savanna ran to pick it up just as the man pulled a knife from a holder on his boot. He lunged at Korbin, who jumped back to avoid being cut.

      Savanna moved to stay out of his way and saw the other man run for the broken door. Korbin didn’t chase after him.

      “Let’s