Badge of Honor (The Town of Pearl 9)

“Up,” he ordered and she jumped up along with him and they continued with him shooting, ducking, crouching down with her on him like white on rice.

By the time they came to the end, she was out of breath and so was Mace.

Orin chuckled as he called out his time.

“Fuck. I got her on me the entire way. It doesn’t count,” Mace complained.

“You drew the straw. You should have gotten through that faster,” Gus teased.

Mace complained.

“My turn now right?” she said, feeling ready to try their obstacle course of targets and surprises.

“Here.” Galvin handed her two weapons. She checked each one, placing the second one on her hip in the holster holder Orin gave her and the other one she held.

Mace was right behind her.

“I can do it. I know where to go.”

He held her gaze.

“Oh you’re going to do it with me right behind you, like you were behind me. No way am I taking a chance that you’ll get through this faster and beat me.”

She rolled her eyes.

“I don’t even know the route like you do.”

“You’re quick. Your file shows how resourceful you are. Now move,” he ordered. She glanced at the others and they watched her. Orin held the stopwatch. The second she began he started the time.

It was difficult to concentrate with Mace on her heels and his hand on her hip. Her heart was racing, her belly tight, and when she got to the part where they had to drop, she hadn’t expected Mace to cover her entire body with his own. She shot out the targets, but then she didn’t move. Neither did Mace. Slowly she rolled to the side partially, and there he was staring at her.

“Giving up?” he asked.

“Never.” She shifted up and he jumped up with her. She couldn’t help but to wonder if he was trying to slow her up so she wouldn’t time well. She didn’t really care. There were too many emotions and fe

elings happening here. She shot the next three targets and then pressed against the tree trunk. That’s when she felt the hands on her hips and his body pressed up against hers. He sniffed her hair.

“Almost done. You’re doing great.”

She swallowed hard, and then felt his hand slide along her waist to her back.

“You’re an excellent shooter. I hadn’t expected this.”

“Me being decent at shooting?” she asked, holding his gaze.

He pressed her up against the tree.

“That, and more,” he said. He stared down into her eyes. She felt the power of that stare across her needy lips and to her core and then he kissed her.

* * * *

Mace didn’t know what came over him. He hadn’t been instantly and strongly attracted like this to a woman before. Having Lauren pressed against him while he proceeded to get through the obstacle course was torture. But then doing the same to her as she went through it was wild. He wanted to touch her, feel her, and kiss her lips. And now that he was doing just that, he wanted even more.

She was kissing him back, and her acceptance to the mutual attraction made him explore her body further. His hand slid under the hem of her T-shirt. So badly he wanted to head straight for a breast. They looked so full and large in the shirt he had admired her since she came downstairs back at the house.

But this felt different. He cared about her. He wanted to know more about Lauren. To learn everything he could and that had him hesitating to cup her breast and see how far they could go right here in the woods against this tree. He would never look at this obstacle course the same way again.

He pulled from her lips at the sound of throats clearing and Lauren’s grip on his arms.