He was too busy trying to figure out what had happened back there.Christina had kissed him. She'd wrapped her arms around him and laid on a real man-to-woman kiss. And, damn him to the lowest region of hell, he'd gone hard as a fence post because of it.That's why he'd thrown her over his shoulder. The last thing he'd needed at that point was for her to notice his condition. And if stirring up his body wasn't bad enough, the woman also scrambled his brain. Had he really threatened to kiss her?He cleared his throat. "Kill. I meant kill. That was a slip of the tongue."In self-defense, he then launched into a harangue hot enough to scorch her chili, but he could tell she wasn't listening to him. That didn't matter. He wasn't listening either. Instead he was gathering up every last thought about that... that... exchange and locking it permanently away in what little bit of brain he had left.Once they were beyond the plaza Cole set her on her feet. He took two deep calming breaths and tried to decide what to say to her.Before he reached any conclusions, Christina raised her chin regally and said, "I'll be going to my mother's house now.
