Free Guardian by Heather Burch

loose hold caused her to press against him. Very nice. Why hadn’t he done this before?
    “Uh-oh, not sure I can hold on.” He loosened his grip marginally, causing her to squeal again and sort of climb a few steps up his legs. Even better. The motion left her partially on one side of him so that her arm could drape around his neck for a perfect grip.
    “Stop it,” she said, but it was mostly a throaty laugh.
    “Sorry. Did you want me to let go?” For an instant, he dropped his hands from her.
    Her arms tightened around his neck again, pulling their faces close. “No!” She glanced down at the water some twenty feet below.
    There was no danger, of course. This was a game—and she seemed happy to play it. That fact alone sent Mace’s heart into a tailspin. Homecoming night she’d told him she didn’t love him. Clearly, Nikki was a liar, only trying to protect him. Admirable. But futile. He carried her a little higher as the sea air worked its magic to adhere their touch. What was slick became glue. Mace concentrated on pumping his wings softly to raise her above the tallest point of the ship. He was giving her a bird’s-eye view, but her eyes never left his profile, as if it were completely different this near. Her gaze, like hot coals, scorched his skin. He didn’t make eye contact for fear of breaking the spell, but in his mind he pictured her sharp concentration, studying every line and angle and curve that encompassed him above the throat, dissecting each with her artist’s eyes.
    “I wish I could draw you right now,” she said on a long, slow exhale. “Will made me promise not to draw anything without his supervision.”
    He couldn’t stop his eyes from trailing to her.
    But she didn’t notice. Her attention was on his jawline; eyes slightly narrowed, mouth barely open, head tilted.
    She shifted and then her fingertip ran the plane of his jaw. The tiniest frown creased her forehead as her finger tracked his features.
    Did she have any idea what that did to him? Probably not. She was too busy analyzing her subject matter. That was the thing about Nikki: she was fully devoted to whatever drew her attention as if it was the only thing on earth. She was a 100 percent kind of girl. Except where he and Raven were concerned. And eternal punishment aside, that reason alone told Mace she didn’t belong with Raven. Sure, he piqued her interest. And on some levels, Nikki might be a little like Raven right now. But that was due to circumstances, not due to who she was on the inside. Nikki was a warrior, not a rebel. She was a leader, not a dissenter.
    Her palm flattened against his throat. Mace’s body responded by tilting his head to give her more access. “I can feel your pulse.”
    Ya think? Nothing more came to mind, so he swallowed instead.
    “It’s racing,” she said.
    Are you trying to kill me? “Yeah, um, exertion, I guess.”
    “Exertion? What, am I getting fat or something?”
    He gripped her small waist, drawing her even closer to his side. “No, Nikki. You’re not fat.”
    “Zero says I’m a little thick.”
    “What? Nikki, if anything you’re too skinny. If it wasn’t for the muscle you’ve built doing karate, you’d blow away in a strong wind. And why would you listen to Zero about anything? Other than the best antivirus software.” He tilted his head side to side. “And maybe the best juice boxes.”
    She laughed. “I think all this girl time is having an ill effect on me.”
    He nodded and hoped she’d keep her hand against his throat. “Uh, yeah. If you’re starting to worry about your weight and clothes, I’d have to agree. Those females are trouble.”
    Her hand remained, but its pressure changed. What had been an exploration became a caress. “And what about you boys? Are you safe?”
    Mace’s wings stopped for a moment. “No,” he said, and even he could hear the sadness in his voice. “I wouldn’t say that.”
    Her fingers slipped away slowly. But instead of