Page 49 of Mountain Defender

Her mind might be clipping along at a wild pace, but her body needed to catch up fast if they were going to meet forensics at the scene.

She hurried through the rest of her routine. She was too tired to apply lipstick without messing it up and looking like a toddler did it, so she settled for her go-to look.

The Founding Father.

She brushed the strands of wet hair off her face and secured the ponytail at her nape. With one last glance at her reflection, she stepped into the room.

Bryson glanced up from where she’d left him on the bed. His stare never left her as he gained his feet, stretched out to his full height of six-three—according to his file—and closed the gap between them.

Her stomach quivered and so did her pussy. Wasn’t it much too early to feel lust? Surely, there was a time cap on that.

But when he reached a hand up and stroked her cheekbone with overwhelming tenderness, a dark twist of need began low between her thighs.

Breathing fast, she studied his intense expression as he slid his hand around her neck. In one tug, he had the elastic out of her hair and the strands falling free—right into his waiting palm.

He bundled it off her face with a light yank that arched her neck.

“Bry-son,” she hiccupped, passion surging through her veins to match the pulse of desire in her core.

Deep brown eyes captured hers. “I prefer your hair down.” His rumbled words hardly registered because he scrambled her brain by kissing her.

The force of his lips had her gasping out and clutching at him. One hand twisted his shirt front and the other dug into his hair to drag him down for more.

For long minutes, he plundered her mouth, taking control of her lips and tongue until her knees threatened to buckle.

A soft moan left her, sounding like another person made the sound. Bryson answered with a low growl. She threw herself into the kiss, darting her tongue over his and tasting the coffee he’d drank himself.

His tug on her hair and the angle he forced her neck into made her pulse race faster and her panties damp. God, this man knew how to wake a woman up properly.

When they finally broke apart, he did something even more unexpected—he tenderly brushed his lips over her brow before he released her.

She backed up a step, with what she was sure was a stupid smile on her face.

“You good, Alexia?”

After that kiss, it was a wonder she still had any brainwaves.

She nodded and drew her shoulders back to collect herself. Then she realized her wet hair was brushing against her face and neck.

“I believe you have something that’s mine.” She held out a hand.

He pointedly looked down at the raging erection bulging the front of his jeans and back up at her.

“I don’t mean that.” Heat burned in her cheeks.

“Oh, this?” He dropped the elastic into her hand, and she folded her fingers around it.

When they walked out, she realized they hadn’t discussed their relationship change. They’d walked into the hotel room as separate people…but something had shifted between them.

Intimacy changed them.

No, that was crazy thinking. It was only one night and just sex. Being acquainted with Bryson’s very impressive cock did not make them close.

Tonight they’d part ways. He’d return to the MT Ops base and she’d be off on the next chase, finding a new suspect.

The world was encased in a thin layer of ice, which made walking to the Humvee tough.

“I’ll drive,” she said.