To Hiss or to Kiss Read Online Free Page B

whumpf of pain from him.
    “That’s it.” He drops me to the ground on my back and then repositions himself over me, re-covering my mouth with one hand while trapping my legs with his before I can even think about screaming.
    When I recover from the shock, I’m in for a new one. My eyes widen as I make contact with emerald green eyes that are startlingly familiar.
     
    * * *
     
     
    I start to put this man’s whispered voice together with the slightly accented one I heard in my head at the shelter. His accent wasn’t very apparent in whisper form. Knowing, at least sort of, who this man is doesn’t make me feel better about being held down against my will. Well, maybe it does a little. And it explains my out-of-control libido.
    Since my legs are pinned by his, my arms held over my head by one of his, and his other hand over my mouth, my options are limited. It flits through my mind that this guy is oddly coordinated as I choose the only option I can see and take the moment of slightly less pressure on my face to shift my mouth and bite down on the palm of his hand.
    He, of course, draws it back quickly, and I’m pretty sure he growls at me, just like Sashi does when she’s pissed at me. Well, I can do some growling of my own.
    “I don’t take kindly to being held against my will, no matter what you profess about your intentions,” I hiss. There’s a little of his blood in my mouth and I want to vomit, but anger is pretty good for the stomach. I turn my head to the side and spit, which is pretty ineffective and merely makes my face a mess. I’m sure that’s sexy.
    “We don’t have time for this.” He still sounds growly as he stands and whips me over one shoulder with strikingly easy grace and sets off at a pretty quick pace, considering we’re traipsing through the dark.
    I already somewhat miss his weight over me.
    I want to whack his back with my arms, but reason wriggles into my brain. I am, after all, snooping on dangerous property and making noise isn’t the best way to go. And he smells really good, like a really fine Scotch—peaty and floral and fresh Highland breeze. Maybe it wasn’t jasmine I smelled before but heather. As if that’s what’s important right now . Maybe I should just hit myself over the head to get this awkward encounter over with. But I think better of it and instead use my remaining mental powers to decide if I should try to hear his thoughts again, even though it might expose mine.
    Before I make any decisions, he unceremoniously dumps me in a pile of pine needles. We’re in a stand of trees west of the house. My ire begins to rise again, but he cuts me off. “May I take you back to your car?” He’s still whispering as he offers me a hand to stand.
    I don’t take it, but I do stand on my own.
    I start brushing off pine needles, still hissing to keep my voice low. “Seriously, you want to escort me to my car after hauling me away from trying to help those poor dogs? You pin me down, throw me over your shoulder caveman-style, and now you suddenly want to be polite?” I wish we had better light here so I could see his face to know if his silence is because he feels chagrined or annoyed. I risk opening up my mind and start picking him up right away. “…quite bungling this. Idiot. Calm down and explain.”
    Chagrined, definitely chagrined. That makes me grin, and I snap my mind shut quickly before I give myself away.
    “I’m sorry. I’m not accustomed to doing this type of thing.” Frustration laces his voice as he backs away from me a bit.
    I start to fear he’s actually going to just leave me here, and I rather irrationally don’t want that. My desperate libido and my scared shitless “I almost got myself caught trespassing on tape” self both agree on this—vehemently.
    “You mean following a woman at night and hauling her away from assholes she’s spying on?” I roll my eyes at him, but he probably can’t see that.
    “That’s a way to put it.” He