A Kiss to Kill by Nina Bruhns Read Free Book Online Page A

clothes, then took off running toward her at full tilt.
    Broad, tall, golden, and beautiful as an avenging Viking warrior-god.
    “Angel! Talk to me!”
    Lord help her.
    It was Alex Zane.
    Before she knew what was happening, he swept her off her feet, cradling her body to his chest as he did a running U-turn and sprinted back toward the stretcher.
    She finally found her tongue. “Alex, I’m fine! Put me down!”
    He skidded and swept a glance at her clothes with a doubtful frown. “You’re soaked in blood.”
    “Ensign Sampson’s.” She flung a hand back at the wounded man. “The stretcher is for him. You need to—”
    Alex came to a halt, blinked down at her, and finally seemed to realize what he was doing. For a split second he hesitated. Then in a single motion, he cursed and dropped her feet to the deck. But instead of releasing her, he cursed again, pulled her into a bruising embrace, and crushed his lips to hers.
    Rebel’s world stopped dead in its tracks.
    Her breath stalled in her lungs. Her heart ceased to beat. Instantly her mind emptied of all thought.
    There was only Alex. Alex kissing her. Finally, finally, finally kissing her!
    How long had she waited for this exact moment? A lifetime . . .
    Her soul leapt for joy, her legs turned to liquid. She gasped, and for a heartbeat he paused to look down at her, his shocked expression that of a man who hadn’t expected this reaction from her. Or himself.
    “Oh, Alex,” she breathed.
    That was all it took. His mouth swooped down to cover hers again. His tongue pushed demandingly between her lips and the taste of him burst through her senses. Senses that had wondered a thousand, no, a million, times what Alex Zane’s kiss would taste like. What Alex Zane would taste like.
    She surrendered completely to the wonderful, amazing moment. She couldn’t begin to process the myriad emotions and sensations exploding through her as he murmured, “Thank God, you’re okay,” whispering it over and over into her mouth as he kissed her greedily.
    She was dimly aware that she should stop this. Stop him . But there wasn’t a prayer that she would. That she could . After waiting for so long, for so many lonely, frustrated, wishful years for this very moment to happen, nothing short of death could make her pull away. And probably not even that.
    So she let him kiss her, and let the incredible kiss go on and on and on. Nothing else mattered. Nothing was more important than this stunning turn of—
    Someone cleared his throat loudly behind her.
    Very loudly.
    Which was at least enough to make Alex come to his senses. His lips jerked away from hers and his gaze skittered over her shoulder.
    A wry smile then creased his beautiful mouth, a mouth reddened and wet from kisses. Her kisses. “Sorry, sir. We’re, um”—an indulgently masculine expression crossed his face—“friends.”
    Friends?
    Okay . . .
    She followed his gaze to the last vestiges of the burning Allah’s Paradise as it sank below the surface of the bay, then moved back to Captain Montgomery, who must be standing right behind her. She attempted to ease away from Alex, but he wouldn’t loosen his grip on her. It was like trying to pry herself away from the Terminator.
    “Glad to see everyone made it,” Alex said. He continued glancing at the crew but held on to her like he’d never let her go. Her heart did a funny little dance. She was so confused! Last time they talked—and she used the term loosely—he’d made it clear he didn’t even want to be friends anymore. And now this . . .
    He looked over at Sampson, who was being strapped into the mummy basket by the frogmen. “How’s the injured man?”
    “He’ll be fine,” Montgomery said. “Thanks to your . . . friend . Special Agent Haywood, thank you,” he added from behind her with such sincerity that finally she came to her senses.
    She muscled out of Alex’s arms and turned to the Coastie commander with a blush. “Trust me, my pleasure,