Wyoming Christmas Ransom. Nicole Helm

know what? I don’t care. I don’t care if I’m not your boss or in charge of you or what, you won’t dare risk your life for this again. Period. This is my thing and whoever this person is, he’s after me. You won’t be hurt in this. I won’t allow it. Go home. Get some sleep and... You’ll stay away from me until this is solved.”

      “Like hell.”

      Something inside of him snapped, that tight knot maybe. Because he stepped closer. So close their noses were almost touching and he could see the darker flecks of brown in her eyes. “Get it through your head that I cannot bear the thought of you being hurt by this.”

      She stared up at him, though something in her posture softened. Then she reached out. If he wasn’t so churned up or whatever he might have sidestepped her cool, small hand pressing against his cheek.

      It was nearly impossible to breathe through that. All those tight knots inside him loosened, but the spaces filled with something else. Something familiar and dangerous and he shoved it all away and used his good hand to pull hers off his face.