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  “So your brother knew that Pike was involved and that’s why he left the evidence with you, in case anything happened to him, right?”

  “Yeah.” He drew her closer. “Now that you know, I can’t let you out of my sight. This is why I tried to protect you from too much information. These guys are bad and now I’m not the only one they’re after. Anyone connected to me is at risk because they know Ty had evidence and will stop at nothing to get their hands on it.”

  “You helped me before even knowing me. I can at least repay the favor.”

  “You already have. If not for you, Pike might still be in hiding. I don’t think he expected to find me waiting for him in this remote town. When Carter hired him to go after you, he put Draven in my crosshairs. But I won’t let you get caught in the middle…it’s too risky. It was my pleasure and an honor to help you.”

  “Still, I want to help and it looks like I’m already in the middle. Besides, you risked everything to become my getaway driver.”

  A warm smile softened the strong lines of his face and he gave a slow shake of his head. “I couldn’t resist such a sweet hitchhiker.”

  “I have no regrets. We are after the same men and can help each other. Is this why you ride alone and why you are still single?”

  “Was single,” he replied with an easy smile. “That is if I haven’t scared you away yet.”

  She reached up and touched his face, sweeping runaway hairs back from his make love to me eyes. “I’m not giving up my fast ride. We still have work to do. I didn’t tell Pike anything. I barely said a word.”

  “I trust you.” His lips brushed hers in sweet, feathery kisses. “The question is…do you trust me?”

  Their eyes met again. He had the uncanny ability to look right through her, making her shiver with a host of delightful sensations.

  “Yes,” she whispered, gazing back at him. “I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”

  “No apologies.” He pressed a tender finger to her lips. “You were amazing back there. It didn’t take you long to discern who was telling the truth in an intense situation.”

  “Is that what you call it, huh…intense?” She let out a soft laugh. “Wasn’t hard to see the truth with an AK-47 at my side so don’t give me too much credit. I saw the look of regret on your face. I wanted to believe him, that’s the sad part, just to get my family’s farm back.”

  “Don’t feel bad about it. I didn’t prepare you. Hell, I wasn’t prepared for you. I still feel guilty over not giving you fair warning about me. I knew better than to get involved with a woman before taking care of this mess.”

  “If I recall, I’m the one responsible for that. I never gave you a heads-up before robbing the bank and using you for fast ride out of town. I think we’re even.” She tilted her head and slanted him a curious look. “How did you find me? I never took you to my farm or even told you where it was. How did you know where to look? I knew we had lost you in the woods. I tried dragging my boots to leave a trail but he threw me down and threatened to kill you if I didn’t cooperate.”

  “I figured he had to have done something. You looked too calm in the barn.”

  “There was no way I’d let him use me to get to you. I was waiting for daylight and a break so I could shift. But you found me first…how did you?”

  An expression of awe swept over his handsome face as he spoke in a soft tone. “The ghost dancer…she showed up on the highway on a horse…the black steed we saw in town.”

  “Nagi came to you?” Shye blinked in surprise.

  “Yeah…it was incredible. I felt a powerful chill when her eyes pierced mine. I was just about to head north, thinking that Pike had gone away from town when Nagi appeared. She beckoned me with her dreamcatcher and I felt compelled to follow. We raced through that storm until she stopped at the drive. It was then I noticed the name on the mailbox.”

  Shye threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his hair. Tension from the past twenty-four hours came rushing in, forcing tears to her eyes. She’d never been one to easily break down and cry so she fought it back. “I should never have doubted your loyalty.”

  “Hey…” he said in almost a whisper, pulling her back so that their eyes met. Tenderly he wiped a runaway tear from her cheek. “It’s okay. There’s a lot we didn’t know about each other.” Then that wave of regret flooded his eyes again. “While I was sitting in the rain wondering which way to go, I could only think of you. I remembered how on our first day together you smelled the storm coming in. Everything about you has become painted on my heart.”

  “You’re going to make me cry.” She bit her quivering lip.

  With amazing gentleness not expected from such a muscular man, his hands framed her face. “When I told you I was going to make you mine, you didn’t object. We’ve made incredible love and given ourselves to each other many times now. But I had one major regret last night.”

  Almost afraid to ask, she drew a deep breath. “What was it?”

  “That I never came straight out and told you how I feel.” His eyes searched hers with breathtaking intensity. “I’m in love with you, Shadow…I love you.”

  No man had ever said those words with more passion than he just did. Flutters filled her stomach and her pulse quickened as a rush of emotion washed over her—through her. His lips touched hers in a sweet succession of soft kisses before strong arms swept up her back in a powerful embrace. She welcomed the taste of his tongue into her mouth as a soft moan escaped her when the kiss deepened. Tension melted away and a burning desire drove the day’s stress from her mind, her body and her world. Everything felt right in his arms.

  Without breaking the kiss, he scooped her off the couch as he pushed to his feet. Her arms curled around his neck and she eagerly returned his ardent kiss. Delicately he laid her on his bed then stood back to undress. She couldn’t look away even as her cheeks flooded with heat from looking upon him. Though she’d seen his nakedness before, it had been by a glimpse or subtle glance during their lovemaking. Watching him disrobe in the light of day ignited a fire in her soul that craved relief.

  From the glistening long black hair to his lean powerfully built legs he was a superior example of pure male potency. Her gaze drifted over him, beginning at his seductive charcoal eyes set perfectly above a straight nose, then lingering on sensual lips that made her mouth water to taste them again. He possessed magnificent bone structure, fiercely masculine but not overly pretty. Her intense visual wandered lower. Every muscle in those long tanned arms flexed with the slightest movement. Rippling abs touched with the sheen of light sweat beckoned for her touch.

  An ache welled between her thighs as her gaze dropped below the soft trail of hair descending from his sexy navel. The sudden urge to feel him inside again deluged her.

  Once his clothes lay in a pile on the floor he moved toward her. His eyes never left hers as he eased her cutoff shorts down her thighs, caressing her ankles as he did so. Those long fingers glided up her legs, over her midriff then beneath her black half top. She released a quivering breath as he lovingly fondled her bare breasts.

  “Shadow…” he murmured. “You are so very beautiful, my love.”

  He bared her soul with his eyes just as easily as he’d removed her clothes. Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes when he laid over her, bracing his weight on bent elbows. Overcome by emotion, she didn’t speak but responded with touch. He watched her with half closed eyes and sensually parted lips in the most sexual expression she’d ever seen as her hands moved over his hard body. Long lashes fringed the smoldering gaze that made love to her before their bodies even joined.

  Nudging her thighs apart with one knee, he lowered his body to hers and his mouth dipped to the soft swell of her bosom. A gasp escaped her as his hard length pushed into the depths of her womanly heat and warm moist lips closed over one tingling peak of her breast then the other as he began to thrust inside.

  She moved easily with him. No awkwardness, just smooth rhythm
as they settled into a steady pace. Loving arms slid beneath her back, crushing her to his chest as his lips found hers again. They merged into a heady kiss laden with tongue. He tasted amazing and she hungered to taste every inch of him as she’d done before. And she knew that his ravenous tongue would pleasure her in a way only he could do—something they would indulge in later, she had no doubt.

  Blissful tightening welled in her core. His pace increased. Rapt in passion, they entwined about one another, rising higher and higher. Soft groaning mixed with heavy breathing floated over her as he filled her with his love. His sex swelled inside, stretching and stroking every inch of her core, relieving the ache of desire.

  They couldn’t seem to get close enough. His hands went to her hair as he kissed her hard. She felt his fingers tangle in the strands and take a tight hold as his body tensed.

  Her nails raked up his back with her ankles locked behind his thighs. She wanted to scream, cry out or shout her pleasure to the heavens but his mouth held hers captive in a blaze of passionate heat. He drove into her repeatedly until her entire body felt ready to explode. Soaked in sweat, they slid skin-on-skin against each other until his body jerked with force.

  “Mm…baby…” His lips bathed her face in affection, trailing sensually over every inch even kissing her softly closed eyes.

  She cried out his name as she crested the wave of ecstasy with him.

  They panted and gasped. Their bodies shook in wild release as a flood of heat surged into her most intimate depths. The spasms didn’t ease up for at least several minutes and he continued moving gently inside until they were spent. Gradually he slowed until coming to rest atop her.

  A euphoric smile touched his kissable lips. “You don’t mind if we lay like this forever, do you?”

  “No, not at all,” she managed to reply in an airy voice. “I love the way you feel inside me. Never have I felt this with anyone.”

  “Neither have I,” he confessed. “You are an amazing woman. I fall deeper in love with you every minute of the day.”

  “I’m in love with you too,” she finally professed.

  He smiled and touched his lips to hers three times before burying his face against her neck. “Don’t break my heart, Shadow.”

  She petted his damp hair. “Never.”

  * * * *

  Trip watched her sleep peacefully in his arms. The most passionate and gorgeous woman he’d ever known. There had been something freeing about professing his love for her. Only one woman had drawn those words from his lips before but she’d betrayed him in a way he could never forgive or forget.

  “I trust you, Shadow…my precious, Shye. I know you are the one for me…the only one,” he whispered, gently brushing her long, black wild hair from her lovely face.

  He loved observing her in sleep where he could gaze upon her beauty without making her blush. Though he adored her sweet blush, he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable by staring at her naked form while she was aware. His gaze roamed over her naturally tan colored skin, soft and blemish free. From her beautifully shaped breasts, her flat tummy, and long killer legs she was indeed a vixen.

  One look from those sultry black doe-eyes or a pout of her full sexy lips sparked him to life and made him putty in her hands. He wondered if she knew the power she held over him. If so, she had enough class not to use it. Her modesty and bravery made him love her all the more.

  Making love to her felt like the purest act he’d ever experienced. Everything she did came from her heart. Each move she made was genuine, never put on and she didn’t fake emotion—something he treasured in her.

  His gaze lingered on the sweetness below her adorable navel. The urge to taste her became strong and he grew excited for her to wake. He’d walk her down to the spring-fed pond and take a romantic swim then lay in the cool grass while savoring the taste of her feminine attributes—all of them from her sweet lips to the essence of her womanhood. And he knew she’d indulge in him too. Their bond had strengthened and a new level of trust had been reached.

  Long dark lashes fluttered against her high cheekbones. She looked up and flashed a dazzling smile. “Hi, baby,” she purred. “Didn’t you sleep?”

  “No, angel, I was too caught up in the stunning view.”

  And there it was—the adorable wash of pink that flooded her sweet cheeks.

  “How do you feel about a swim and dessert?” He winked playfully. “Then I’ll cook us something over the fire.”

  “Ooo…dessert before dinner. I love the way you think.”

  “C’mon then, babe, let’s get to it.” He swept her into his arms and headed toward the front door. A sudden movement caught his eye, then a shadow slid across the wall. Gently he set Shye on her feet. “We best get dressed, babe.”

  “What is it?” she whispered with panic in her eyes.

  “Uninvited company.” He grabbed her waist and guided her back to the bedroom where they hurriedly donned their clothes.

  Her demeanor instantly switched from kitten to lioness as she grabbed her backpack and reloaded her shotgun. He grinned slightly while looking her way and she offered him a guarded smile in return. After gathering all his ammunition and personal effects he checked on her.

  “Do you have all your belongings? We can buy more food once we find a new place to hide out.”

  She nodded but didn’t speak, making him even more aware of what an astute woman he’d taken up with. He crept around the cabin, keeping her safely behind him.

  “Give it up, Viper! We’ve come for Shye!” shouted Carter. “We don’t have any trouble with you but if you don’t give her up, you’ll be harboring a wanted woman.”

  Trip peeked out the window and saw the greasy banker, Pike and some unknown thugs covering the front yard. He turned toward Shye. “I’m not giving you up.”

  “You’ll be a wanted man.” She stared up with expressive eyes filled with concern.

  “Only until I nail Draven.”

  “I’m mucking up your plan. You don’t need trouble tagging along.”

  Laying one hand alongside her face, he smiled. “I live for trouble.”

  She half smiled and a daring sparkle flickered in her eyes. “Do you have a plan on how to get our asses out of here?”

  “I’m working on it.”

  “I have one!” she said in an excited whisper. “Can you hold them off for a few minutes?”

  “Probably. What are you going to do?”

  “Shift. They can’t kill a shadow. I’ll draw them on a chase so you can get to the bike and escape.”

  “I’m not leaving here without you.”

  Her eyes glistened with tears. “You have to. There’s only one road out and we can’t shoot our way this time. I have this gift…please let me help.”

  He thought for a split second and failed to find a better way. “Okay…go. I’ll grab our gear, you take your gun. We’ll meet on the road.”

  “I don’t want to lose you.” She sounded worried, not about herself but something deeper.

  “You won’t. I love you. I’ll never let you go now that you’re mine.”

  “Promise you’ll find me on the road somehow?” Her concern became evident.

  “Promise you’ll watch for me?”

  “I swear I will.” With one hand, she made a cross over her heart. “I love you, too.”

  He pulled her to his chest, using one finger to lift her chin. “On my brother’s grave…I swear I will ride until we find each other. She gave him a sweet kiss, then slipped out the back door.

  “Hold your fire!” Trip called out. “Shye is coming out. If anyone shoots I’ll drop them quick.” He held his breath and waited. They needed to get into hiding before sunset so she could shift back into her human form. He was glad they’d shared more details about each other but extremely distraught over splitting up even for a short while. He had to trust her and Nagi that her instinct and courageous plan would work.

  Nagi, please help her.

  �
��Where is she?” Carter bellowed. “On the count of ten we’re coming in.”

  “Give her time to get dressed, you old badger.”

  About a minute later Shye appeared behind the small posse. “I’m right here, boys.” She smirked with shimmering eyes, then took off running into the woods.

  “After her!” Carter ordered. He waddled after his men as fast as he could go.

  Trip understood why the man needed thugs, he couldn’t run worth shit. Gunfire erupted. He prayed Shye knew what she was doing as he raced to his bike. His heart already ached over riding off without her. After slinging their packs on back, he keyed the engine, throttled it and took off up the drive. She’d already led them deep within the trees, giving him a clean getaway.

  Carter, Pike, and the others had also disappeared into the woods chasing—a shadow.

  About the Author

  Austina Love is a multi-published author with various pen names in many different genres with Extasy and Divine Destinies Books. Currently she resides with her husband and two sweet Maltese dogs.

  In addition to writing romantic fiction, her passions include music, dance, culture, and creating new recipes in the kitchen. Always the dreamer, never the realist, Austina takes life one day at a time while battling the daily challenge of Meniere’s Disease.

  She has a deep love for animals and nature, believes strongly in the spirit world and values loyalty most of all in people. Her dream is to visit the ocean many times, preferably on a Harley. The love of her life was a very special Bichon Frise and not a day goes by that she doesn’t think of him since his premature passing.

  Ambitious and quirky, she loves to laugh. She feels that passion is everything and without passion one is not truly living but merely existing.