Page 64 of Some Like It Hot

He made to step away from her, but she grabbed his hands. Softened her voice. “I see a warrior. A man who has battle scars. The man who will stand in front of a gun to protect me. I see exactly the kind of hero I want.”

His gaze softened on her, and finally, he pulled her close against him, wrapping his arms around her. “Skye,” he said softly. “I don’t know what happens from here.”

“I do.” She pressed her lips to his neck. Salty, but the smell of his soap fragranced his skin. “You’re going to tell the FBI that you’re done being their prisoner.”

“I am?” He caught her face in his hands, ran his thumbs along her cheekbones.

Those amber eyes filled with the finest tenor of heat.

“Yep. See, you took me hostage in the mountains, and now it’s my turn.”

“To do what?” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her neck, then her forehead.

“To hold you hostage.”

He leaned back, met her eyes, something dangerous and delicious sparking in them. It ignited the heat in her, stirred the deep truths.

“We don’t have to have all the answers, Rio. But God does, and that’s enough, right?”

He blinked, and then, finally, “Yes. Yes, it is.”

Then he kissed her lips. Sweetly, taking his time. As if he had nowhere else to be in the world.

Music filtered out from the saloon. Hall and Oates, one of her father’s favorite groups.What I want you’ve got… Like the flame that burns the candle, The candle feeds the flame…

Rio smiled under her kiss, leaned back. “Okay, I surrender.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“To being your hostage.”

She took his hand and threaded her fingers between his. “Stay with me. Nothing will happen to you as long as you’re with me.”

* * *

Tucker spottedthe brunette the moment she walked in the door. Shapely, dressed in a pair of jeans, a fire-red T-shirt, and a look of trouble in her pale green eyes.

The kind of trouble he’d chase down, follow anywhere. She came up to the bar stool and slid onto the place he’d been saving for her.

Finally.

“How’s your dad?”

“He’s okay. Healing. The DA is taking my testimony into account, that he’d been trying to work with me to apprehend March, so I don’t think they’ll tack on more time for the escape attempt. These for me?”

She indicated a basket of ribs and a tall, frothy root beer.

“I got your back,” Tucker said, winking.

“I’m counting on it.” She gave him a smile, added a waggle of her eyebrows.

Oh. He hadn’t a clue how he was supposed to leave her tomorrow. But one fugitive from the prison break remained on the lam, and she had a job to do.

And he had fires in Montana to put out.

He’d sort of wanted to leave this one aflame.

She dug into the ribs, the barbeque sauce tingeing the corner of her mouth. He suppressed the urge to wipe it off.