Read Tempted by a Dangerous Man for Free Online

up my coat and went outside with him.
    We went down a curved path, and Corbin pointed. “I almost scared her off.”
    I stared. Ahead of us was a small shed, the door ajar. Inside the shed there seemed to be enough chopped firewood to heat a city. No woman, though.
    “Who?”
    He slanted a look my way, his dark eyebrows rising. “I can’t tell if you’re joking.”
    “Who? Scared who ?”  
    Corbin was trying not to laugh. And then I saw her—a beautiful owl perched regally in a tree next to the shed. She was mostly gray and dark brown, with orange plumage woven through. A white patch almost shimmered on her chest.
    Her head twisted, then she shook herself, stretched out one of her wings. The whole time, her huge yellow eyes watched us.  
    “How do you know it’s female?”
    “Other than the red lipstick?” Corbin pulled me in front of him and hugged me close. Warmth rolled over me. “Size. The female is larger.”  
    We stood there a long time, watching the owl, our bodies pressed together. I loved feeling the rise and fall of his chest behind me. I could have stayed like that forever.  
    “Thank you,” I said. “For helping me. I’m sorry I was so—”
    “It’s ok. And you’re welcome. I’m sorry that you have to go through this. I wish I could be with you every night, keep the nightmares away.” He nuzzled the side of my neck, and I melted.  
    The owl abruptly spread her wings and took flight. She flapped over our heads, so close that I felt her pushing the air, saw that thick feathers covered her feet.
    Corbin kissed my head—or my hat, rather—and then released me. “Go warm up.” He headed toward the shed.
    I started to follow, but he waved me away.
    “Might as well,” I insisted. “I’m out here.”
    “I need to check the wood. There’s a leak in the back.”
    “Let me check the wood,” I said in my sluttiest voice.
    No response. Grinning, I bent and scooped up a handful of snow. I quickly formed it into a fairly lethal snowball—Rob and I hadn’t gone easy on each other as kids. When Corbin stepped out of the shed to squint at a log in the daylight, I let the snowball fly.
    It slammed into his shoulder with a satisfying thump.  
    “Oops,” I said, barely containing my laughter.  
    Corbin froze.  
    With his back to me, I couldn’t guess what he was thinking.
    “Sorry!” I called out. Nervousness made me sound insincere. Or maybe it was the fact that snowballs didn’t form themselves and magically launch at people that made me sound like I was teasing him.
    He slowly turned, raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you’re sorry,” he said. But then he slowly packed a tight snowball and carefully set it next to the shed.
    “I am.”
    “Just don’t let it happen again.” His voice was thick with promises that prompted vivid fantasies about dragging him into the shed and ripping off his clothes.
    He went back into the shed, and I found myself rolling another snowball between my gloved palms while I snickered in anticipation. I missed his back but caught his forearm.  
    Corbin didn’t look at me, just rolled another snowball and placed it next to the first one.  
    What was wrong with me that his silent little threats got me so hot?
    My next throw thudded into his chest and dissolved on impact.
    He shot me a peeved look. “Really?” He dropped the wood, gathered up the snowballs, and stalked toward me, his movements slow but very focused, his face an expressionless mask. I retreated, grabbed up another snowball, threw it. He ignored me, kept coming, crouched, grabbed a handful of snow in the blink of an eye.
    Damn. The man was fast.  
    My breath caught. At that moment, I knew exactly how that owl’s prey felt. My galloping pulse was ready to carry me into the next state.
    But instead I made another snowball. Threw it. Corbin stopped. He squatted and quickly rolled a half dozen more snowballs. I kept pummeling him, and his hair and coat were covered in powdery white.
    Then