Rocky Mountain Rescue, Elle James [rooftoppers .TXT] 📗

She nodded. “I’ll think about it.” She entered her room and turned in the threshold before she closed the door, “Max?”

“Yes, JoJo?”

She came back out of the room, leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you for saving me today.”

He raised a hand to cup her cheek. “It was my pleasure.” He bent to press his lips to her forehead, only JoJo moved, tipping her head back to capture his mouth with hers.

His lips were soft but firm against hers and every bit as wonderful as she’d imagined. Her pulse quickened, but not out of fear. She stepped closer until her body touched his.

Max gently cupped the back of her head and deepened the kiss.

When she opened to him, he swept in, sliding his tongue along hers.

Max broke the kiss first, stepped back and let his hands fall to his sides. “I am almost certain kissing the client is not part of the job.” His lips twisted. “Go to bed, JoJo.” He reached around her and pushed her door open.

She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Her cheeks were hot, and her lips tingled. Hell, her entire body tingled. Not only had Max given her hope for a future relationship, but he’d also given her desire.

Chapter 12

Max waited to hear the click of the lock on JoJo’s door before he turned to enter his own room. He paced the short length of the floor from the door to the window several times, too anxious to sleep.

The gas leak in JoJo’s apartment had been no accident. It had to have been arranged. Set up by somebody. Probably the one who had been lurking around her apartment the night before and had tried to get in. He wished he had confronted the man when he’d had a chance instead of just intimidating him into leaving.

At least she was under the same roof as he was, which gave him a better chance of keeping an eye on her. And now that she was his responsibility, his job, his assignment, her safety was his number one priority, and he shouldn’t be kissing her. Not when she was now his client.

Max almost wished that Hank hadn’t assigned him to her, because he sure wanted to kiss her again. He kicked off his shoes, slipped out of his jeans and tossed his T-shirt over the back of a chair. Though he wasn’t sleepy, he lay down on top of the covers in his boxer shorts. Cocking his head toward the adjoining room, he strained to hear any sounds of movement, hoping to hear the sound of the lock turning in the connecting door between the two rooms. Either it was a very silent lock, or JoJo hadn’t unlocked it. He laid with his hands laced behind his neck, staring up at the ceiling and the starlight coming through the window.

Kissing JoJo had been as natural as breathing, only a heck of a lot more exciting. He wanted to do it again. He was surprised that she had initiated it, as skittish as she’d been. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew he heard someone calling out. It jerked him awake, and he sat up.

A muffled scream had him leaping out of bed and racing for the connecting door between his room and JoJo’s. He prayed she had unlocked it. When he tried the door handle, it opened. He pushed it inward and called out softly, “JoJo?” He heard her moaning and sobbing. The sound was so heart wrenching, it made his chest tighten. He hurried toward her.

She lay in her bed writhing in the sheets. The comforter had fallen to the ground. The sheet had twisted around her body, keeping her from moving freely.

“No,” she murmured. “No. Please, someone help me.”

After having been tossed in the barn, Max was hesitant to touch her. JoJo’s defensive reflex was in good order when she was awake. He wasn’t sure how she’d react in her sleep.

“JoJo,” he called out, “wake up.”

Her head twisted back and forth, and she fought to free her arms from the sheet. “Can’t…breathe,” she said.

“JoJo, sweetheart, please wake up.” He reached out, daring to touch her in her sleep, moving the hair back from her forehead. “JoJo, it’s Max. I’ll help you. But you have to wake up.”

Tears drenched her face. She looked terrified and so small against the big bed. Unable to stand her tears and sobs a moment longer, Max gathered her into his arms and held her close. If she had struggled, he would have quickly let go. He didn’t want his arms to feel like constraints. He worked the sheets loose, allowing her legs and arms free movement. “Breathe,” he whispered. “You can breathe now.”

JoJo drew in a shuddering breath, and when she let it out, it was as if she released the tension with it. She turned her cheek into his chest and wrapped her arm around his middle. For a long time, he sat on the edge of her bed holding her. His heart hurt for her. Whatever she had endured had been indelibly etched into her memories. As her struggles ceased, her breathing smoothed and her sobs subsided.

“You’re going to be okay, JoJo,” he said. “I’m going to make sure you’re taken care of.” He smiled down at her even though her eyes were closed. “After all, you’re my fiancée. You promised to marry me.”

An image of her sitting in the ER on the hospital bed filled his memories. She had been smiling, enjoying his discomfort. He’d do it all again just to see her smile. Her eyes lit up when she did. The entire room lit up when JoJo smiled. She needed more reasons to be happy. He hoped that somewhere along the way he could make her smile again. In the meantime, he was just happy he could hold her through her nightmare. As her breathing deepened, he