“Ohmygod," Jade whispered, panicked. She grabbed my arm and yanked, almost knocking me off balance. "Something moved in those bushes."I shoved her off, pointed to the ground, and smiled. From under the bush, long ears attached to a tiny brown speckles head peeked out. "Yeah. That bunny is a Denazen suit in disguise. Where do you suppose he's hiding his gun? Or maybe he doesn't need one. Maybe he's a martial arts master trained in the art of kickassery.”

“Rosie, it's okay, it's me."She knew that voice. She pulled the hand off her mouth."Pip?"He let her go and she spun around.He smiled, blue eyes glinting. "Surprise."For a second she was too stunned to move, then she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight, almost knocking him off balance.”

“Owen stepped into the saddle and reached a hand down as he took his foot out of the stirrup, so Bay could mount behind him. Once she was settled, he said, “Hang on. And don’t be wiggling around. We can’t afford any more accidents.”Bay glowered at him. She clamped her hands on either side of his waist at his beltline, but his Colt .45 was holstered on one side, which kept her from getting a comfortable hold. She put her right hand above the gun, but that meant it was practically under his armpit. Then she moved it below the gun, but that put her hand low on hips close to his crotch.“Sonofabitch.” He grabbed her hands and pulled them around his midriff. “Now hang on.”Bay kept her breasts rigidly distanced from Owen’s back, but her nipples puckered anyway. It was that damned washboard of male abdominal muscle under her hands. The man could do commercials for those workout machines they advertised on TV.The horseflies were a surprise. Where had they come from? She let go with one hand and swatted at one that seemed determined to bite her on the nose.And knocked Owen’s hat askew.“That does it. Off.”“It wasn’t my fault,” Bay said. “I was getting bitten.”“Off.” He grabbed her arm and levered her out from behind him and onto the ground.”

“Smiling, she went for his throat and almost had him, when—using a move that was all sorts of illegal—he flipped her again so her front pressed into the leaf-laden ground, her wrists still locked in his iron grip and pinned above her head. “Cheater.” “So says the woman who tried to kick my balls into my throat,” he pointed out, even as he licked the salt off the skin of her neck in a lazy and highly provocative move.”

“Stay away from me, Nick." She held out a hand to hold him off. He grabbed her arm and pulled her against his chest. "I can't," he said softly.”

“Ben reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me back to him. His lips tickled against my ear as he whispered, "I will do anything to save you, Eloh. Anything. Don't mistake this for something else.”