Unbreakable Bond by Rita Herron Page A

and she threaded them in his hair, urging him closer, and another groan ripped from his gut.
    Aching with the need to have her, he deepened the kiss, savoring the scent of her sweet body as she moved against him. Her lips tasted like berries and hunger, her kiss so erotic that flames of desire shot through him.
    She moaned softly, her breasts brushing his chest in an erotic tease, and his hands slid downward to pull her hips deeper into the V between his thighs. He sucked her tongue into his mouth, greedy for more, and she trailed her hands down his arms to his back again, then slid one over his hip.
    He wanted her to move that hand lower.
    Then she pressed her lips over the scar on his cheek, and something moved inside him.
    â€œWhat happened?” she whispered.
    The images of his dying men flashed in his head. “Iraq.”
    â€œI’m sorry,” she said, then traced her finger over the puckered skin.
    Dammit. What the hell was he doing?
    He tore himself away from her, well aware that they were both breathing heavily, on the verge of doing something each of them would regret.
    â€œThis is insane,” he said, then forced himself to look away from the stormy heat in her eyes. If he didn’t, he’d haul her back into his arms and this time he wouldn’t stop. He’d carry her up the stairs, throw her down on the bed and make love to her until neither one of them could remember their names.
    â€œWhy is it insane?” Nina asked in such a sultry voice that he had to close his eyes to regain control.
    â€œIt just is.”
    â€œWhy?” she asked again, this time hurt lacing her tone. “Because you think I’m unstable?”
    God, he couldn’t let her think that. “No. Because I’m working for you. This is a job, Nina. It can’t be anything more.”
    Disappointment darkened her eyes, but he steeled himself and shut down.
    He couldn’t allow himself to care. Couldn’t give her false promises or the impression that he’d stick around, that he was any kind of family man.
    He didn’t deserve a family, not after all the people he’d failed.
    Â 
    N INA SWALLOWED BACK her hurt. Slade was right.
    They were working together, and she’d been frightened and had forgotten her senses for a moment.
    It couldn’t happen again.
    Still, need and desire heated her blood, and she wished for once that she could feel something besides anguish and worry and the never-ending pit of emptiness inside her.
    That she could feel loved.
    But loving was dangerous. And the only person she had room for in her heart was Peyton. If—no when —she found her, her daughter would need all of her attention and time.
    But what if she’s happy with a loving family? Can you tear her away from a good home?
    Her chest clenched, but she pushed away the thoughts. She’d face that decision if it came down to it.
    But the sound of Peyton’s little voice taunted her. She wouldn’t be able to hear that voice if Peyton wasn’t calling out to her….
    â€œWhere did the baby blanket come from?” Slade asked, jarring her back to the present.
    â€œI crocheted it for Peyton before she was born,” Nina said. “But I packed it away in the storage closet in the guest room. That’s where I stored all the baby things.”
    He narrowed his eyes. “So the intruder was in that room, and dug through your closet. I’ll look for prints in there, too.”
    She nodded, then shivered at the thought of someone pawing through her precious baby items.
    â€œWas there something special about that blanket?” Slade asked.
    Nina pressed a hand to her mouth. “I was going to bring Peyton home in it.”
    A troubled look passed across his face. “Who knew about it?”
    Nina frowned, trying to think back. “No one. At least I don’t think anyone did. I made it when I lived alone here in Sanctuary.”
    â€œHow about the