Hot As Sin by Debra Dixon Read Free Book Online Page A

huge sigh of relief than a polite response. Something was wrong. Rising up quietly on his elbow, Gabe noticed that not only did she turn on the bathroom light, she carefully closed the closet door and began checking the windows by the bed. If she could have gotten to the door downstairs without risking his attention, Gabe was sure she would have checked it too.
    When she paused at the second window, he eased himself to a sitting position, clasping his arms around his drawn-up knees. “Something wrong, Emma?”
    She jumped with a startled exclamation and whirled toward him. “No. No, everything’s fine.”
    “The windows are locked, Emma. And so are the doors. I checked ’em twice.”
    “Oh, I wasn’t worried about that,” she lied. “I was just noticing how dark it is away from the city.”
    “What city is that?”
    “Any city.” She dragged her shirt down in the back as if he could not only see in the dark but behind her as well.
    “Let’s see. No specific city. No specific convent. No specific past. I’ll bet you even have generic fingerprints.”
    Emma didn’t rise to the bait. She crawled back intothe bed and scooted under the covers. “I’ve already explained everything I can, Gabe.”
    “Funny. I don’t recall any explanations.” Gabe lay back down and stared at the ceiling. “And so far I haven’t seen any sign of trust.”
    A long time later, so softly he could barely hear her, Emma whispered, “I’m not really a nun.”
    “I know.” Gabe closed his eyes and said, “Now go to sleep.”
    Instinct woke him.
    Gabe opened his eyes to blackness and waited for his senses to talk to him. A second later they did. The rustle of sheets betrayed Emma as she wrestled with the night.
    Part of him wanted to pretend he had never heard the troubled sound and go back to sleep. But another part of him was drawn to Emma by the need to reassure her. By the time Gabe shook his legs free of the blanket, Emma’s first soft moan reached his ears.
    He swore silently at the way he kept jumping right back into all the old habits tonight. Well, he scoffed as he maneuvered quietly around the couch, why the hell should he change now?
    Most of his life had been spent rushing in where angels feared to tread. His career as a troublemaker at the orphanage had been long and distinguished. Being a Navy SEAL had simply been a more mature way of saying “Hey, look at me. I’m clever. I deserve your attention.”
    As he approached the bed, Gabe felt the quickening of his pulse. His instincts told him that Emma and dangerwere a package deal. Despite all his talk of being retired, Gabe was hooked on the rush he got from teetering on the edge, pushing his ability to control a bad situation. He liked taking the point, being responsible. It was the one troublesome character flaw he’d picked up at the orphanage and that the navy had encouraged.
    You’re a fool
, Gabe told himself, looking down at Emma. She’d gone quiet for a moment.
You were a fool at eighteen and you’re a fool now. Always wanting what you can’t have
.
    At eighteen he’d fooled himself into thinking he could make a place for himself in the navy. He’d fought and clawed his way into officer country, only to find out he didn’t have the secret decoder ring, the one given to every graduate of the Naval Academy. Without that class ring he would always be an “untouchable,” an expendable junior officer.
    Christian Gabriel was very good at killing terrorists, but not flagship material. He was a SEAL, a snake-eater. Therefore, no Pentagon staff assignment. No war college. No stars in his future.
    So he took their early-out money and walked away. He swore that the world would have to get along without him. Swore he was through jumping through hoops for crumbs. And then Patrick sent Emma, who needed a hero, even in her sleep.
    She was growing restless again. Even in the scant light provided by the bathroom, he could see worry furrowing her brow as she battled