Sweeter Than Sin by Andrea Pickens Page A

shrouding the depths of the wreckage.
    Just a little farther , he calculated, making his way by touch rather than sight to the spot where the animal was trapped. Slowly, slowly. The mud was chill, the splinters sharp against his fingertips, but he dared not rush.
    At last, his hand brushed up against a coarse curling of fur. He felt the dog stir and as a wet warmth licked against his skin, he chuffed a sigh of relief.
    " Si, si, amigo , I am happy to meet you, too. But let us leave off formal introductions until I have you safely out of here." Rafael felt around and found where the dog's paw had become trapped within a crack in the floorboard. "Try to stay still."
    The dog whined but ceased its struggling.
    Splinter by splinter, he gingerly pried away at the half-rotten wood, slowly widened the opening just enough to release the prisoner. The dog scrabbled forward and nuzzled Rafael's cheek, and despite his bleeding palms and bruised shoulders, he couldn't repress a grin.
    "I've got him—all is well," he called to Kyra. Which was, he admitted wryly, a bit of an exaggeration. To retreat without bringing the heavy timbers crashing down on their heads would be no easy feat.
    "Oh, please be very careful," she whispered softly, as if afraid the merest breath would cause the wreckage to collapse.
    "I—" One of the beams shivered at the touch of his boot, and emitted an ominous groan. "I assure you, I have no intention of sticking my spoon into the wall just yet."
    Holding the dog tight to his chest, Rafael backtracked with painstaking precision through the maze of debris. His shirt suffered several rips, his trousers were caked in mud, and his cravat caught on a loose nail and was lost along away. But somehow he emerged unscathed.
    "You had better keep your distance until my amigo and I have had a bath," he said dryly as he levered to his feet. "Or maybe two. Dios mio , it will likely take a hogshead of soap to scrub the stench—"
    Ignoring his warning, Kyra flung her arms around his shoulders. "Oh, sir, you are a true hero! You deserve a medal for valor!"
    A muffled bark seemed to second the accolade.
    Her smudged smile was reward enough. Rafael knew what an odd picture they must present, standing there spattered with grime, hugging a half-starved stray. Still, he couldn't help feeling absurdly proud of himself.
    "Hardly." Mindful of ruining her clothing, Rafael tried to gently fend her away. "There is nothing heroic about crawling around in the muck."
    Her eyes flared open at the sight his scraped and bleeding hand. "Dear Lord, you're hurt!"
    "Just a few scratches. It's nothing—"
    A strange heat suddenly thrummed against his skin as Kyra pressed her palm to his cheek. It was as if some powerful magnetic force was holding them flesh to flesh.
    He couldn't move. He couldn't speak...
    * * *
    "Y-Your face is cut, too." Kyra had only meant to brush a bit of dirt from the nick on his cheekbone. But an elemental current seemed to take hold of her, and before she could think, before she could react, it drew her closer, closer...
    Close enough to see the subtle play of hues swirling in the depths of his sapphire blue eyes. Close enough to be mesmerized by the sweetly sinuous shape of his mouth.
    Close enough to find her lips hovering just a hairsbreadth from his. "I've never seen anything more heroic in my life than what you just did. It was... quite wonderful."
    You are quite wonderful .
    Kyra wasn't sure whether it was Rafael or she who moved—or whether some invisible magic brought them together in a gossamer kiss. For one exquisite instant, she simply savored the sculpted contours of his mouth, strong yet velvet-soft, and the sense of gentle warmth that suffused her senses.
    Then, thank heavens, reason reasserted itself in the form of the squirming dog.
    Shame made the wondrous warmth turn in a flash to a wicked burn. Ducking her head to hide her flaming face, Kyra fumbled with freeing the rescued stray from the tangled folds of