Intrusion by Cynthia Justlin Page B

POS
    PROTESTANT
    Of course he’d been military. It all made sense. His strict code of honor. His confidence. His methodical, economic movements. Except when she thought of military men she pictured straight-laced and rigid. The opposite of Cam.
    He blew that stereotype right out of the water. And that’s what worried her the most. She couldn’t pigeon hole him. If she could, she’d compartmentalize Cam—and forget all about him.
    She set the clothes on the counter, digging through the bag until her fingers closed around a pair of scissors. Her reflection caught her eye and she studied her pale face and straggly hair in the mirror. As long as she was on the run from the law, she might as well look the part.
    She picked up the scissors and started cutting

    ***

    He’d had Audra in his arms, her mouth on his, and he’d blown it.
    Cam dropped into the chair, putting his back to the bathroom door. He kicked the opposite chair into place so he could prop his left foot on it. His knee flexed and a hot electrical current zinged through the ligaments. It would hurt like the fires of hell come tomorrow, but the physical ache was nothing compared to the one his pride had just suffered.
    Couldn’t his knee have held long enough for him to take one taste of her? He’d barely had Audra’s lips under his before the damn thing collapsed on him.
    He dragged his laptop onto his lap and opened it, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the soft glow that penetrated the darkness. Any minute now Audra would walk out of the bathroom. He didn’t need the bright light to add insult to injury.
    He ran his fingers across his keyboard, enjoying the familiar comfort of burying them in the keys. The soft creak of the bathroom door reached his ears and he tensed.
    There she was.
    Her footsteps plodded across the carpet and then stopped. Right behind him. He wanted to ask her how she managed to make the generic motel soap smell so damn good, but he held his breath and said nothing.
    Let her make the first move.
    The light above his head flicked on and seconds later a barrage of ice cubes hit his back. The frigid squares slipped under his shirt and slid down his spine. Son of a bitch. He bolted off the chair, dumping his laptop on the table, and whipped around.
    “Now who’s cold as ice?” Audra’s warm voice did little to ease the sudden shock to his system.
    He yanked his shirt over his head. Ice cubes pelted the carpet like hail. “Why in the hell did you do that?”
    She shrugged. “I thought you needed to cool off.”
    “Yeah? Well, it’s not working.” He intended to pin her with a glare, but as soon as he looked at her—really looked—his mouth went dry and the beads of ice-cold water seemed to sizzle across his back.
    She’d cut her hair. Instead of it hanging past her shoulders, it now ended in slightly jagged layers just beneath her chin. The sweats he’d loaned her were too long and only her bare toes peeped out from beneath the hem. His faded Army t-shirt somehow accentuated her curves despite its baggy shape. And although she’d exhibited fire with her little ice cube stunt, vulnerability shone from her eyes.
    His heart took a hit. Who are you and what have you done with my kick ass scientist?
    She swallowed and reached out to graze the scratches on his bare shoulder with her fingertips, reminding him he’d almost been too late to save her.
    “I…I haven’t even thanked you yet, have I?” Her finger slid across his skin. “For saving my life.”
    Heat leapt down his body. “Oh, you haven’t even begun to thank me for that yet.”
    All his senses went on high alert as her body shifted imperceptibly closer.
    “Cam…”
    “Audra.” Her name strangled from his throat.
    He yanked her into him, and covered her lips with his before she could protest. Pain radiated around his kneecap and down his leg, but it was so damn worth it for one taste of her sweet mouth. His tongue stroked the delicate seam of her lips and she