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Sophie ignored Hawk’s sarcasm and stole surreptitious peeks at him while he leaned against the headrest. Not handsome by most standards. Somewhat rough around the edges with a nose a bit crooked, perhaps from a long ago break. Long, dark eyelashes. Way too long for a man. Eyes the color of a good whiskey with flecks of green. After his time in the wilderness, his dark hair touched his collar, and he sported quite a beard. Looking at him made her panties wet. What was it about this man that turned her on? A man who, by his own admission, wasn’t interested in commitment in any way, shape or form. Couldn’t even commit to a movie date. And, in all honesty, her niggling doubts as to his innocence wouldn’t go away.

“I need clothes. After that, a razor.” He tugged on his beard. “This thing’s coming off.”

Sophie chewed the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. “The beard is perfect. You’ll fit right in with all the other Alaskan woodsmen.”

“I…” He paused, thinking over what she’d said. “Okay. The beard stays. I need warm clothes. I’ve been freezing my ass off every night.”

Sophie shifted into second gear to ascend the side of the mountain. “I brought appropriate clothes.”

A frown knit his brow. “Have I fallen into a rabbit hole? How’d you know my size?”

“I spent time in your closet, remember?”

Out of habit, she checked her side-view mirror and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. What in hell was Stan thinking?

As perceptive as always, Hawk straightened. “What’s wrong?” He looked over his shoulder. “We have a tail.”

Damn it. She’d kill the idiots. “I see.”

Hawk glued his gaze to his side mirror. “Pull onto the shoulder. I’ll lose myself in the woods.”

“Relax. About five miles ahead there’s a picnic area. I’ll pull in and we’ll see what happens. If they follow us…well, we’ll deal with it.”

“Deal with it? How? By shooting federal agents? Shit. I should have ridden in the camper.”

Sophie reached over and squeezed his thigh. “Relax. Don’t overreact. It’s just…”

“Just what, for God’s sake? Talk to me.”

“It’s probably an innocent salesman on his way home for the weekend.”

They traveled a few miles in silence. Hawk never took his eyes off the plain dark blue car following. “FBI is my guess.”

Sophie cringed. Why had Stan lied to her? Just you and Hawk, he’d said. Until you get to Dan and Maria’s.

The driver maintained the same distance behind for the duration. Almost impossible if you hadn’t been trained. Sophie braked, slowing for the right hand turn ahead. The car sped by.

“See?” she said. “Nothing to worry about. You’re paranoid.”

Hawk’s only answer was a grunt. Obviously, he didn’t believe her.

The truck and camper bumped its way through potholes, over rocks and tree roots. Other than a few picnic tables and a rustic outhouse, the rest area offered no amenities.

She braked at the end of the dirt path and turned the truck to face any incoming cars. Not a great location for a quick get-away, but a perfect place to make a last stand. What in the world was she thinking? “This spot’s out of sight of the Alcan. Hawk, the sooner you believe I’m on your side, the better.”

The swirling tension in the air grated on Sophie’s nerves. Joe Hawkins didn’t trust her, and she couldn’t blame him. Fortunately for her, at the moment she was his only hope.

“Now what?” he clipped.

Her passenger appeared to be losing patience. If she got lax, he’d bail. Chances of finding him a second time were small. “We wait. If no one shows up, we either stay the night or move on. Your choice.”

He leaned back. “Christ, I’m exhausted. I only managed to grab a few hours of rest a day, so I’m sleep deprived.”

“Climb in the camper and get some shut-eye. I’ll keep watch.”

Hawk laughed. “Yeah, right.” He caught hold of her chin. His piercing eyes took her prisoner. “Sweet Sophie, I don’t trust anyone. You least of all. Once I’m asleep, I suspect the FBI will bust in and haul my ass to prison.”

Stubborn man. Sophie fought the urge to slam dunk his balls in the ashtray. She inhaled deeply. “I’ll say this once more. You can trust me. Besides, do you think Rueger would let someone step a foot in the camper?” She leaned closer to his warmth and trailed a finger from his thigh to his crotch. A hot memory of their one night together flashed behind her eyes—the night he’d left her unsatisfied. His warm bulge grew beneath her hand. “Or we could find a nice cabin. You can start fulfilling your side of the bargain.”

Hawk grabbed her wrist. “Enough with the games. Clear it with killer Rueger. I’ll spend the night with him.”



Sophie’s melodic voice jarred Hawk from a restless sleep. Had his sex-starved body somehow floated to another dimension? Was he hallucinating? He almost groaned his frustration. Hell, he wanted to howl at the moon.

In the moonlight, he held his breath and waited for her next sensual move. Firm, full breasts made his mouth water as she bent forward to peel her jeans over slightly rounded hips. She lifted first one leg then the other to rid herself of the denim. God! Thoughts of those long, smooth legs had driven him crazy over the past eight months. She’d been so hot, so eager. And he’d blundered big time.

He’d never figured a down-to-earth girl like Sophie for the teasing type. Perhaps this was her way to punish him for his faux pas last Christmas.

Heat shot straight to his groin. She lowered her naked body onto the bench seat at the table and brushed her auburn curls with slow precision. In his mind’s eye, her body was perfect. He couldn’t wait to taste her breasts. With each downward movement of the brush, they teased him with a jiggle. He supposed her hips could be bigger, but he liked her just the way she was.

Electricity similar to the high voltage energy shooting straight to his balls crackled with each brush stroke. A scent that was hers alone tantalized his nose. Unable to stand the erotic torture, he rolled away.

“Bedtime, Rueger.”

His cock saluted her sweet voice.

Something cold and wet pressed against his neck. He lurched upright and banged his head on the low ceiling. “Damn it, Rueger!”

“I thought you were asleep.” The fake innocence in her voice made Hawk want to put his hands around her throat.

“I was.”

“Is that right? I could have sworn I saw flames shooting from your eyes a moment ago. And wasn’t that your tongue almost touching the floor while I undressed?”

Burning with sexual need, Hawk was beyond taking offense at her taunts. “Want to see my tongue in action, lady? I assure you it’ll make you scream for more.”