Free Protector (Copper Mesa Eagles Book 3) by Roxie Noir, Amelie Hunt

really well ,” Garrett said. “And we’re rushing things a little right now, remember?”
    He could have sworn that she blushed, her face lit only by the dashboard lights of his car.
    There’s no one here , he thought. We could pull over and turn out the lights, and we’d never get caught.
    Even just driving she was sexy, in the t-shirt and jeans she’d changed into at her apartment, and Garrett let his eyes linger until he started to get hard, then tore his eyes away.
    Come on , he thought. Wait until this case is over. She made that pretty clear.
    Now I just have to survive being close to her for that long, and I’ll be fine .

    * * *

    The house he’d rented was on the side of a mountain, looking over the valley below. It had a wall that was almost completely windows and a wraparound balcony on three sides.
    “You didn’t tell me you rented a romantic vacation house,” Ellie said when she saw it in her headlights.
    “It’s just a house,” Garrett said. “I thought it looked nice.”
    “We could be a little more inconspicuous,” she said.
    Garrett just shrugged.
    “Any other swanky rented houses you forgot to mention?” Ellie asked.
    “Just one in the Rockies,” he said. “In case we needed to go that way for some reason.”
    “You know that’s not normal, right?” Ellie asked.  
    Garrett just shrugged.
    “If I want to, can’t I spend my fortune renting houses in every state?” he asked.
    “Seems like there’s better ways,” Ellie said.
    “There’s a huge fireplace. The master bedroom’s shower has a waterfall in it.”
    Ellie glanced up at the house.
    “That’s ridiculous,” she said.
    “But cool, right?” Garrett asked, grinning.
    “It’s kind of cool,” Ellie admitted.
    “Yeah it is,” Garrett said. “The key’s in that lockbox. Keep the headlights on.”

Chapter Eight

    Ellie
    Fine, Ellie thought, carrying her backpack through the front door.
    This is a really nice house.
    The car was securely in the garage, and for the first time in hours, Ellie relaxed a little. She still had the sensation of constant danger, but it felt further away.
    Even if they know we’re heading to Utah, they won’t look in this house , she thought. Even if they go to Blanding, they can go to every motel and not find us.
    Garrett opened a cabinet and pulled out two glasses, then poured water for both of them without asking.
    “Thanks,” Ellie said.
    “Bedrooms are upstairs,” Garrett said. “Don’t worry, there’s two,” he teased.
    Ellie was a tiny bit disappointed. It wouldn’t have been terrible if she’d had no choice but to share a bed with Garrett.
    “Good,” she said. “It’s one-thirty in the morning. We should get some sleep.”
    “Probably,” said Garrett.
    They both took a long drink of water, and then Garrett glanced down at her.
    “You tired?”
    “No,” Ellie admitted. “I’m wired as hell, after today”.
    “Me too,” Garrett said.
    He finished his water, set the glass on a table, and walked to the balcony. Ellie followed behind, and they stood there, looking down on the valley in the moonlight.
    “You never did tell me what your genetic anomaly is,” she said.
    “Nope,” Garrett said.
    Ellie made a face and nudged him in the ribs.
    “That was your opening,” she said.
    He looked over at her and grinned.
    “I can’t tell you,” he said. “You’re not going to believe it until you see it in action.”
    “Try me,” she said.
    “Nope.”
    “I have to guess?” she asked, putting her chin in one hand.
    “Go for it,” Garrett said. “You’re not gonna get it.”
    Ellie narrowed her eyes and slowly took all of Garrett in. She could feel his eyes on her, and she tried to ignore the way his gaze made her body respond , made her heat up like she was water on a slow boil.
    Besides, she’d take any excuse to really check him out.
    It figures, though, she thought. One of the sexiest men I’ve ever seen is interested, and not only is he a client, but