Kitabı oxu: «Men of Honour: Ready, Set, Jett / When You Dare / Trace of Fever / Savor the Danger / A Perfect Storm / What Chris Wants / Bare It All»

Men of Honour
Ready, Set, Jett
When You Dare
Trace of Fever
Savor the Danger
A Perfect Storm
What Chris Wants
Bare It All

New York Times Bestselling Author

Lori Foster

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Ready, Set, Jett

To Chris and Queen Janeen of “Married With Microphones,” WGRR radio, 103.5.

You guys keep me company every weekday morning while I write. I love the banter, the jokes and the wonderful music.

While Chris hasn’t yet appeared on any of my book covers (despite his claims otherwise), you’ve both become a big part of my creative routine.

Thanks for the great entertainment!

Lori

Praise for the authors of
The Guy Next Door

New York Times and USA TODAY

bestselling author

LORI FOSTER

“Intense, edgy and hot. Lori Foster delivers everything you’re looking for in a romance.”

—Jayne Ann Krentz,New York Times bestselling author

“Known for her funny, sexy writing.”

—Booklist

New York Times and USA TODAY

bestselling author SUSAN DONOVAN

“Sassy, smart and sensual.

Susan Donovan will steal your heart.”

—New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd on Public Displays of Affection

“A fine frappe of romantic comedy and suspense…laugh-out-loud hilarious.”

—Publishers Weekly on Ain’t Too Proud to Beg

Award-winning author VICTORIA DAHL

“Dahl delivers a fun, feisty and relentlessly sexy adventure.”

—Publishers Weekly on Talk Me Down

“A hands-down winner, a sensual story filled with memorable characters.”

—Booklist on Start Me Up

CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Dear Reader,

Many of you have asked me if I’ll have more SBC fighter stories, but for the foreseeable future, the answer is no. You see, I’ve launched into a new series of über-alpha hunks. The men are similar to private mercenaries, so they’re big, capable and oh-so-sexy. When it comes to rescuing the innocent, they do what has to be done, however it has to be done. I think of them as men who walk the edge of honor.

My novella “Ready, Set, Jett” will introduce you to the characters in the first single title, When You Dare, hitting shelves in May. That will be followed by Trace of Fever in June and Savor the Danger in July.

To learn more about the books, visit my website at www.LoriFoster.com. And feel free to chat with me on my Facebook fan page—www.facebook.coms/ Lori-Foster/233405457965.

I’m very excited about this new series, and I hope you will be, too!

CHAPTER ONE

HANDS ON HIS HIPS, impatience growing, Jett Sutter paced the length of his living room while his youngest sister, Betts, blathered on about God-knew-what. She’d been at his door when he arrived home, throwing off his intricate plans and putting a damper on his fevered expectations.

Never would he deliberately hurt his sister’s feelings, but pretending interest had become impossible half an hour ago. A glance at his wristwatch showed that he needed to shower. He needed to…prep. When he thought of what he had planned, what he would do and with whom, his breath quickened and his muscles twitched.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar reaction when dealing with his supersexy neighbor, Natalie Alexander.

Jett loved his family, he really did, but damn it, he needed privacy to deal with the blooming heat and anticipation of the next few hours. He needed…

The familiar sound of a Volkswagen Bug pulling into the apartment complex parking lot cut short his thoughts. Without caring what his sister would think, Jett took two long strides to the patio doors and parted the curtains just enough to look out.

And there she was: delectable Natalie Alexander.

Superstacked school teacher. Seduction personified. Enchanting enigma.

His lover.

Damn, she looked hot. Natalie was his most elaborate fantasy in the flesh, made up of scorching contradictions.

Long, corkscrew curls the color of dark honey danced around her face as she hurried from the minuscule cherry-red car with a bag of groceries in one arm, her requisite heavy book bag in the other, her enormous purse slung over her shoulder.

As usual when returning from work, she wore her school-teacher duds of a long dark skirt, flat shoes and a crisp blouse under a warm cardigan. For Jett, it looked like fetish wear—a modest ensemble to disguise the centerfold body.

Seldom had Natalie mentioned teaching, and that was mostly before they’d become intimate. Since then, she’d gone out of her way to keep all conversation to a minimum.

It really burned his ass the way she fought to keep him at a distance.

Not that her evasive attitude had done her any good. He knew what grade level she taught, that she enjoyed reading political dramas and true-crime novels, that she cried over commercials and laughed at birds when they visited the bird feeder off her balcony.

He also recognized the vulnerability she tried to camouflage with sexual bravado—at least, with him. Thinking of her utilizing that special brand of bravado with any other guy bothered him in ways he didn’t want to analyze too closely.

He knew that Natalie came from a background of extreme wealth and social influence, but the money and prestige hadn’t guaranteed her a warm, loving family.

Though Natalie had no inkling of his research, he’d uncovered quite a bit about her, personal and otherwise. If she did know, she probably wouldn’t like it.

Too bad.

At first he’d investigated her out of suspicion, because she’d come on so strong and had been so accommodatingly easy. As the quintessential school teacher, absolutely nothing about Natalie’s outward persona said “uncommitted sex.” Yet that’s what they had.

Wild, hot, no-boundaries sex that left him burned and wanting more. A lot more.

Later, he’d done more digging because damn it, he wasn’t used to any woman wanting only uncommitted sex with him. It didn’t make sense. Natalie never asked him anything personal, never wanted to go out to eat or to a movie. She rebuked gifts and compliments and disdained social settings of any kind.

All she wanted was him, in bed.

That should have been the perfect setup for a man intent on maintaining his bachelor status, but for whatever reason, Jett felt uneasy about it. He wanted her to want more, damn it.

Why didn’t she?

Now, as she exited her car, Jett watched her and knew by the way his muscles twitched and his skin burned that he was getting in too deep. Natalie had the most profound effect on him.

Confusion, he told himself. Curiosity and intrigue. Nothing more.

Once he knew why she’d built so many walls, he’d be able to scale them. They’d both have a good time for as long as it lasted, and neither of them would have regrets.

And with that goal in mind, Jett had a plan.

Using her hip, Natalie bumped the car door shut and, because of the brisk wind, hurried for the entrance. In late March, the weather was milder but still pretty chilly.

Along the way to the apartment entrance, she glanced up at his window.

Jett made sure she couldn’t see him; God only knew what she’d think if she caught him watching for her. He’d look like a dupe, like a lovesick fool when, despite their burning compatibility between the sheets, she’d made it clear that she didn’t want anything more.

Sex. For her it was the beginning and the end of their relationship. With every other woman he knew, he’d find that arrangement perfect.

With Natalie Alexander…no. Hell no.

Tonight, he had a plan to use her carnal nature against her. He’d keep her long enough to hash out a few things.

Thinking about his intent made him semierect and taut with urgency. He visualized her in his bed, stretched out, anxious for him—

“All right,” Betts said from behind his right shoulder. “Give. Who is she?”

Oh shit. How had he forgotten all about his sister’s presence?

Jett turned in what he hoped to be a nonchalant way. “A neighbor, that’s all.” With Natalie now home, his patience ended. He took Betts’s arm, swiped up her jacket off the back of a chair and steered her toward the door. “The visit’s been awesome, but I need to shower.”

Laughing, Betts dug in her heels. “Get real, brother. I’m not budging an inch until you tell me every single juicy detail.”

At twenty-six, nine years his junior, his sister wasn’t old enough and, he prayed, wasn’t experienced enough to hear everything that had gone on between Natalie and him. Never mind that Betts was only a year younger than Natalie.

“Not happening, Betts, so forget it.” Knowing his sister, he added, “And don’t you dare go blabbing to the folks, either.” The last thing he wanted was his mother snooping around in his private life. His dad would shrug it off; his mother, like his sisters, would make him nuts with questions.

Being thirty-five and independent in every way didn’t matter, not to his nosy family. He was the only son, with three younger sisters. For years he’d felt protective toward them all, and now they were determined to pay him back in kind.

Somehow, he got Betts halfway to the door.

“If you’re seeing someone, I’d like to meet her.”

Annoyed, he turned to stare at his youngest sister. “No.”

“Why not?”

Because he wasn’t seeing Natalie, not in the traditional way Betts meant. They hadn’t had a single real date. The sum total of their time together had been spent either in bed or getting to the bed. Occasionally in the foyer against the wall, once on the couch, once over the back of the couch—

“Jett? Yoo-hoo.”

“You’re not meeting her, so forget it.” Even if he wanted to introduce her to his family, Natalie stayed around only until the lovemaking ended. Then she high-tailed it right back out of his life.

Hell, outside of sex talk, they’d barely even conversed. Jett told her what he wanted to do to her, with her, and Natalie always gave enthusiastic agreement. Period.

She’d made it abundantly clear that he was good only for sex.

Actually, she’d said he was great for sex; she hadn’t skimped on the compliments in that department. But she usually gave them while naked, draped over his chest, still breathing hard and rosy from a recent screaming climax.

Somehow, he had to work their combustible chemistry to his advantage so that Natalie would let him past her barriers.

“You look flushed, Jett.” Arms crossed, Betts surveyed him through narrowed eyes. “What’s wrong with you?”

Mood now soured, Jett said, “None of your business, so butt out.” He wasn’t about to explain to his youngest sis the scorching level of churning lust and…and whatever else it was that he felt.

Hell, how could he explain it to her when he didn’t quite understand it himself?

Her foot tapped the carpet. “Jett…”

Struggling for patience, he gave her a tight hug and then held her an arm’s length away. Dead serious, eyes narrowed and expression somber, he said, “If you love me, Betts, you will, just this once, let it go.” She hesitated, and he waited, staring her down.

With a huff, she gave up. “Fine.” Betts pulled free of his hold to don her jacket, jamming her arms into the sleeves with more force than necessary. “But it’s only because I do love you.”

Thanking her with great sincerity, he opened the door for her to go. Across the hall, Natalie’s door remained closed.

Betts kissed his cheek and back-stepped out, watching him with expectation the entire way. Keeping a straight face with effort, Jett waited until he saw her go through the glass doors at the complex’s entrance and until she reached her car.

Heading back inside, he stripped off his clothes along the way. In his bedroom, he turned down the blankets, leaving them at the foot of the bed. Determined on his course, he knelt near the head of the bed in the center of the mattress and wove a long specialized restraint through the headboard slats. A sliding “noose” at each end would be perfect for capturing Natalie’s delicate wrists.

His abdomen clenched and his breathing hitched; he tugged experimentally and decided it would serve the purpose.

He glanced at the footboard, considered putting the restraints there too—but no. On a purely carnal level, he loved the idea of seeing Natalie tied spread-eagle to his bed, but he didn’t want to push her so much that she felt compelled to object.

Now sporting full wood, Jett went to the shower. He had completed only the most cursory bathing when his attuned ears heard Natalie’s familiar knock at his door.

Drawing a deep breath and shutting off the water, he propped a hand flat against the tile wall, dropped his head and took a moment to regain his control.

After doing a half-assed job of drying, he wrapped the towel around his hips and strode to his apartment door to let her in.

There wasn’t anything he could do about the tenting of the towel. He wanted her, bad, more so with every minute that he knew her.

Today he’d make sure she wanted him just as much, in just as many ways.

HER HEART FLUTTERING in excitement, Natalie knocked twice on Jett’s door. Anticipation rode her hard; she felt more alive, her every sense acutely heightened, whenever she was with him.

Even before leaving school she’d thought of this, of him and what they’d do, and now fire licked along her nerve endings, leaving behind a throbbing heat that pooled between her thighs.

Before Jett, Natalie hadn’t been a sexual woman. But now, it didn’t matter how many times she had him—she wanted him as if it was the first.

Maybe that was because the first time had been so mind-blowing, like the hottest of fantasies.

Even her sister, a bestselling author, couldn’t write anything so amazing. The things Jett did, with precision and expertise and a complete lack of inhibition, were almost surreal.

The first time she’d laid eyes on him, she’d done an interested double take.

So had he.

Tall and strong with an athletic build, Jett Sutter was drop-dead gorgeous in a disheveled, comfortable, I-don’t-give-a-damn way. His attitude was a refreshing change from the tailored, GQ men in suits, the type of men who sought her out because of her father’s wealth and social standing.

She doubted Jett had any social standing; if he did, he wouldn’t be living in their moderately priced apartment complex.

His body was enough to leave a woman tongue-tied, but it was his dark glittering eyes that had the ability to arrest all thought and movement. When he looked at her, his expression was teasing, interested, but also so intent that Natalie felt it in the most intimate ways.

She, decorum personified, had surprised herself by flirting with him.

She’d been surprised even more when he dished it right back. They spoke only a little, all of it light, sexy and…fun.

That in itself, the teasing and the flirting, had been a complete aberration for her, something she enjoyed but had never really indulged before meeting Jett.

Then one day, months ago, she’d found herself alone in the hallway with Jett as they’d each started into their own units. For the longest time they’d stared at each other, no doubt thinking the same thing, wanting the same thing. The tension had built to an excruciating level.

Natalie had waited, breath held, anticipation keen.

Without a word Jett unlocked his door and pushed it open, but then walked over to her.

Her heart had tried to punch right out of her chest.

Ever so slowly, he’d moved his hand over her cheek, under her wildly curling hair to curve warmly around her nape. Little by little his eyes narrowed and darkened even more, captivating her, making her knees weak—until he leisurely bent to her mouth and brushed the lightest of kisses over her lips.

When she didn’t pull away, he lingered, teasing at first, but then she leaned into him and he’d given in with a harsh, hungry groan.

In minutes, she’d found herself in his apartment, each fumbling with the other’s clothes, arms and legs tangling while the kisses grew hotter and longer and deeper…

In mutual participation, they ended up in his bed having the hottest, most satisfying sex ever.

Other than a few moans and gasps and heartfelt expletives, neither had spoken a single word.

Afterward, as she’d tried to figure out what to do or say, he’d smiled at her, a smile of triumph, of confidence and cocky attitude.

Uncensored gratitude had left her bemused. She hadn’t known sex could be so satisfying, or so consuming, and she’d spoken without really thinking it through. “That was…” She’d had no adequate words, so she settled on, “Thank you.”

His smile slipped into a grin. “Anytime.”

She’d been surprised and inexperienced enough to say, “Really?”

“Oh, yeah.” His gaze went molten as he looked her over, making it clear that he liked what he saw. “All you gotta do is knock.”

Natalie had taken him at his word, and from there they’d fallen into an unbelievable routine that was both scintillating and simple.

The first time she’d knocked at his door, feeling very tentative, alternate excuses at the ready, he’d answered a mere second later. His look of expectation had sharpened to satisfaction then quickly turned to lust. With that dark gaze devouring her, her worry dissipated as if it had never been.

After that, it got easier. And now, when she wanted him, she had no issue at all going to his door to let him know.

No, that wasn’t entirely true, because she always wanted him. Minutes after she left him, she ached for him again.

Trying to keep her obsession with Jett under wraps wasn’t easy, so at least three times a week she went to him. The rest of the time she lectured herself on moderation, on keeping things uncomplicated. If she pressed him, if she took up too much of his time, he’d grow tired of their uncomplicated arrangement.

But Natalie relished the lack of expectations. There were no awkward dates for her to flub or conflicting opinions to put them at odds or, God forbid, any uncertainty about his intentions.

So far, Jett had been very accommodating. Of course, one of these days he’d have other plans. Or not be home when she knocked. Or… She gulped.

One day he’d find someone else, someone important to him who wouldn’t appreciate him having a no-strings affair with his neighbor across the hall.

But not yet.

Not today.

Natalie was sorting through her feelings about the indistinct future when Jett opened his door.

Her breath caught. Forget the future; she wanted to concentrate only on the here and now.

Wearing nothing more than a damp towel and his wet hair uncombed, Jett’s dark-eyed gaze burned in a look she recognized only too well. He stood with his feet apart, one hand on the doorknob, the other on the frame above his head. The towel parted over one muscular thigh, showing an old scar, almost like a gunshot wound, on his right leg.

So many times Natalie had wanted to ask him about that scar. How had he gotten it, when.

Why?

She had no idea what Jett did for a living; she didn’t know anyone who’d been shot.

It’d be so easy to ask him…but she knew she shouldn’t. If she asked questions, it left him open to do the same. Eventually he’d find out that her father was ridiculously wealthy and well respected in the business world. He’d find out that she and her sister had been effectively disowned.

And he’d find out about her mother.

Her chest tightened with the thought. No, she didn’t want that.

The effortlessness of their straightforward sexual relationship was too enjoyable to modify it with idle curiosity.

Shaking off all other concerns, Natalie stepped toward Jett. As if her movement broke a spell, Jett dropped his arms around her and drew her in close, taking her mouth in a hungry, devouring kiss. Still with his mouth on hers, he lifted her inside and kicked the door shut.

Wow. Today he rushed things, and she loved it.

In two steps Jett had her pressed to the wall in full-body contact, his big hands framing her face while he ate at her mouth with an all-consuming kiss. His tongue moved over hers as he adjusted his hold, turning his head for a better fit.

He smelled fresh and hot, felt damp and strong. Whatever his occupation might be, Jett stayed in prime physical shape with admirable stamina. In appreciation, Natalie contracted her fingers over his chest muscles. He made a sound of pleasure and ground his erection against her belly.

After her quick shower, she’d changed into a casual, oversized sweatshirt with a wide neckline, and loose drawstring leisure pants. The clothes weren’t all that complimentary, but they were easy to remove, and she knew she wouldn’t be wearing them for long.

When Jett’s hand traveled down her spine to the waistband of the pants, then slipped inside to knead her backside, he discovered her lack of panties.

“Damn, woman,” he rasped against her throat. “You know how to make me burn, don’t you?”

Natalie couldn’t reply, not with him touching her, drifting his fingers around to her belly, down between her legs. She went on tiptoe in reaction, her head back, her shoulders pressed hard to the wall.

Voice low with satisfaction, Jett said, “Ah, baby, you’re already wet for me.” While teasing her with his strong fingers, he lightly kissed her throat, behind her ear. “Been thinking of me?”

“Yes.” Always, Natalie could have said, but she held back that telling confession. Right now her involvement with Jett was uncomplicated and burning hot.

So what if she occasionally got the urge to just talk to him? Thanks to a father who didn’t care, a mother who’d left her and suitors who’d cared more about impressing her father than her, she’d learned to keep her relationships simple. If Jett got to know her, he’d get to know her family and the very misleading background of wealth.

Then how could she ever trust him again?

She’d found out the hard way that when most men looked at her, they saw only dollar signs. Never again would she put herself through that.

Near her ear, Jett whispered, “Hey, where’d you go, Natalie?”

Her heart softened; Jett was so attuned to her that he always sensed her mood, and he never failed to react to it.

She forced away the faint edge of melancholy, the niggling urge to reach for more than this, and said, “I’m here, with you, getting dangerously close to coming.”

“Not yet,” he told her. He took one step back, and when she reached for him, he caught her hands. With a level look of instruction, he kissed each palm and pressed her hands down at either side of her hips.

Breathing hard, Natalie acquiesced with understanding. Jett often liked to take control sexually, always with combustible results. He never, ever hurt her, never even caused her a twinge of discomfort. He was an openly giving partner, unselfish and talented. Regardless of any details that Natalie didn’t know about him, she knew him. She didn’t have a single doubt that anything Jett wanted to do to her was for her pleasure.

She could hardly wait.

After licking her lips, she said, “Why don’t you take off the towel?” Looking at his body always thrilled her. She loved it that he was all man, hairy in the right places, solid and hard, so much taller and stronger than her.

“You first.” He caught the hem of the sweatshirt and tugged it up. “Raise your arms.”

When she did, he lifted the sweatshirt off over her head, baring her breasts.

Cool air-conditioning drifted over her skin. Her nipples were already tight, aching.

“Stand still.” Jett lowered his head to dampen each one with his tongue, teasing, circling.

Her thigh muscles tensed, her belly hollowed. She waited for him to suck—but he didn’t. He just kept teasing, lightly kissing, licking, but stopping short at what she wanted most.

She closed her eyes on a wave of sensation that felt sharpest between her thighs. “Jett…”

“Shh.” He straightened again, cupped both her breasts in his hands and used his thumbs now to circle her wet nipples. “God, you have the most gorgeous body ever.”

Both she and her sister were large-breasted, but the rest of her? Average at best. Not that you could tell that by the way Jett reacted to her. From the beginning he’d seemed very drawn to her physically.

While working her nipples with his thumbs, Jett took her mouth again. He kissed her soft and deep, and he kept on kissing her long after she needed and wanted more.

Growing desperate, especially with the mounting sensitivity of her breasts, Natalie turned her face away to catch her breath.

He recaptured her mouth, not giving her time to think, to speak. When she moaned, he only tilted in his hips, pressing his solid erection to her so that she’d know he was in the same shape. Situated between her thighs, he stroked against her in a parody of sex but without the ultimate satisfaction.

She loved how Jett built the need until her entire body felt alive, every nerve ending sparking. Sometimes he kept it up until she couldn’t take it anymore.

She was there now, and still he seemed relentless.

When he pulled away suddenly, a haze of lust left her disconcerted. Without giving her a chance to regroup, he knelt and tugged the pants down to her ankles. “Step out.”

Using his shoulders for balance, Natalie lifted each foot free and he pushed the material and her flip-flops away from her.

She was now naked, and he was still on his knees in front of her.

Her lungs struggled to get enough air. Slowly, far too slowly, Jett slipped his hands around her hips to her backside and held her secure.

Knowing what he would do, her voice quavered. “Jett?”

He leaned in, nuzzling against her, breathing deeply of her scent, and Natalie thought her knees would buckle. She wove her fingers into his cool, silky hair and inadvertently tightened them when she felt his open mouth against her. “Oh, God.”

His tongue moved over her, in her, and then suddenly he stood to take her hand in a rush. “You’re killing me, honey. Let’s go before I lose it.”

At that moment, “losing it” seemed like a pretty good idea to her. She gave him a look, letting him know that sex in his foyer worked just fine for her.

Wearing a half smile, Jett shook his head. “Sorry, honey, but tonight, that’s not part of the plan.”

“What plan?”

“Shh. Just wait.” Gently, he urged her toward his bedroom. So that he could keep his gaze on her, he back-stepped all the way, staring at her breasts, how they jiggled with each step. His gaze sharpened and his jaw firmed; he made a sound of appreciation.

Beside his already turned-down bed, his voice gravelly with need, Jett said to her, “Lie down in the middle of the bed, on your back.”

Natalie had no issue with that. Anything to hurry him along worked for her.

But the second her head rested on a pillow, Jett dropped the towel and came over her to straddle her hips. She was just reaching for him when he caught her wrists and raised them up over her head.

“Jett,” she complained. She didn’t think she could wait much longer. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to feel him alive, throbbing in her palms.

“Not yet.” Holding both her hands loosely in one of his, Jett fiddled with the headboard—and then she felt the smooth, braided rope slipping over her hands, felt it pull taut with a gentle tug from him, closing around her wrists like a noose.

Alarm slammed into her.

She jerked her arms, but they remained secured over her head. “Jett?”

He surveyed her upper body, his face taut with lust. “Relax. You’ll like this.”

“But…” Again she pulled, and accepted that there was no way for her to break the hold. Her heart began pounding for an entirely different reason.

Satisfied, Jett stretched out next to her, propped on an elbow and rested his free hand low on her belly. He looked from her bound hands down her arms, over her face and to her chest. “Even like this, all stretched out on your beautiful back, you have an impressive rack.”

Natalie tried to calm herself. She wanted Jett. But…she just didn’t know about this.

Trying to decide what to say, she whispered, “I’m not sure…”

“Trust me.” He bent and drew one nipple into his mouth, shattering her thoughts. She felt the gentle pull of his mouth everywhere: on her nipple, in her stomach, between her legs. It was a potent mix—sharp pleasure with an edge of uncertainty. Danger. Lust.

Again she tested the restraint, and this time, the feel of being powerless, at his mercy…excited her. She’d never been one to live on the edge; never, ever had she had this type of purely sexual encounter.

She remained nervous but not really afraid. However, she had to know.

“Jett?”

“Mmm?” Leaning over her, he switched to her other breast, licking, nipping with the edge of his teeth until she gasped and then enclosing her in the heat of his mouth.

Natalie moaned before managing to say, “I…I need you to tell me what you’re going to do.”

Movements unhurried, he sat up beside her and looked her over. “All right.” His dark brows puckered, and then, as if making up his mind, he parted her thighs and knelt between them.

Before Jett had accustomed her to his unique brand of earthy sexuality, she would have felt exposed. Now, she just enjoyed his attention and the fact that he took so much pleasure in looking at her—in every way.

He trailed his fingertips down her inner thighs, tickling, adding to her tension.

“You and I are going to talk.” He used his thumbs to part her, opened his big hands wide on the very top of her thighs.

The way he looked at her in such detail would have been distracting enough, but he…wanted to talk? “Jett?”

Giving up the perusal of her body, he raised his gaze to lock onto hers. “We’ll talk, and when we’re done, you’re going to come for me.”

CHAPTER TWO

NO WOMAN HAD EVER LOOKED more delectable than Natalie did right now.

Worry softened the lust in her big brown eyes. Her keen intellect cautioned her of his intent, but her sensual nature was game for some risqué play.

In the dimmer light of his bedroom, her lashes left long shadows on her velvety cheeks. From her slender throat to her soft belly, heat flushed her fair skin. Her rosy nipples were drawn tight, her thighs open to him, her pink sex already glistening and swollen.

She chewed her bottom lip even while breathing hard. She wouldn’t be able to free herself, and still she strained against the special restraints. Her legs, opened wide around his hips, flexed when her back bowed.

“It’s all right, you know.” Keeping his hands off her proved impossible, so he smoothed them down her ribs to her hipbones. Spreading his fingers wide, he used his hands to frame her sex. “Why are you worried?”

Her heavy-lidded gaze went smoky; she pulled at her restraints.

Damn, but he liked this. Too much. “You look sexy as hell like this, Natalie.” He drifted his thumbs back and forth, brushing her pubic hair.

Closing her eyes to regain her wits, she took a deep breath then asked, “What do you want to talk about?”

Watching her was a unique pleasure. As he touched his thumbs to her vulva, he whispered, “Everything.”

Breath held, she tipped her head back and concentrated on the way he made her feel. To most of the world, Natalie presented a modest sense of decorum. In bed with him, she became a complete hedonist.

Jett smiled at the sinuous movements of her perfect body.

Natalie might not realize it yet, but they were totally in sync. He was experienced enough to know it, even if she wasn’t. Sexually, they were a perfect match.

It’d be interesting to see how they matched up out of bed too, but he had to tread lightly with that idea. If he came on too strong, she might mistake his interest for a commitment.

Looking at her voluptuous body, he told himself that he should take what she so freely offered and enjoy it while it lasted.

But deep down, he knew that someone in her past had hurt her.

Whether that person was still in the picture, Jett didn’t know. He did know that Natalie wasn’t married and never had been, wasn’t engaged and wasn’t seeing anyone other than him. But maybe the guy who’d hurt her was an associate or a family friend.

Jett scowled. Eventually he’d uncover all her secrets.

One thing at a time.

As a teacher, Natalie got extended time off for spring break. That meant plenty of grown-up time away from kids and papers, without the administration keeping tabs on her. No way in hell would he let her hit the dating scene without him.

Not without a fight.

And God knew, he never fought fair. Soon enough, Natalie would know it too.

“Honey, look at me.”

Warily, she brought her gaze back to his, uncertain yet willing. “What?”

Jett kept one hand on her right leg, on her inner thigh. The other was still between her legs, playing with her ever so lightly. “I overheard you on your cell phone last week.” Beneath his palm, her thigh felt sleek and soft. “You were coming into the apartment, talking about spring break.”

She went utterly still, her eyes widening with caution. “Spring break?”

He narrowed his eyes at that evasive reply. “I know that you teach middle school, Natalie.”

She shook her head but asked, “How?”

To distract her from what he had to say, Jett draped her legs up and over his, widening her even more and scooting in closer to her body. He was so hard that he hurt, but for now he could ignore his own need.

He heard her sharp inhalation at this new position, and he said, “You told me that you teach.” Back before she’d decided she had to keep him out of her life. “Don’t you remember?”

“No.”

To keep her just as he wanted her, he put both hands on her thighs. “You didn’t give me any details, but I have ways of finding out things.”

Though he didn’t look at her face, he felt her new nervousness, the burgeoning suspicion. Any second now, she’d demand that he let her go.

And of course he would. She needed to know that she could always trust him, and that for him, no meant no, period.

To keep her from calling it quits, he cupped his hand over her mound again. “You are so hot.”

She hesitated, just as he’d known she would. It had been that way from the beginning with Natalie. They were so sexually suited that a mere touch could ignite them both.

But despite Natalie’s deliberate avoidance of emotional ties, he sensed that what she shared with him was more than sexual.

She definitely loved having sex with him, but sometimes she used sex as an excuse to seek him out for other reasons. After weeks of the most detailed physical exploration imaginable, he could easily read her frame of mind. Within minutes of Natalie knocking on his door, Jett knew if she was upset with someone, if she needed comfort, or distraction.

If she needed reassurance.

He always gauged her mood and then adjusted the lovemaking to reflect it. That meant sometimes things were fast and frenetic, sometimes slow and easy, and at times, even sweet and…loving.

Tonight she was worried. About what, he didn’t yet know, but he hoped before the night ended, she’d tell him.

Natalie didn’t recognize it, but an emotional connection played a large role in making the sex so damn good. She was too naive to realize that the thrill of a purely physical encounter quickly dimmed, that just sex, cold and detached, could never be as intense as the involvement they shared.

For a while now they’d been going strong. Neither of them had tired of the other, and neither of them sought companionship elsewhere.

At least, that better be the case, because the idea of her doing this with anyone else felt like acid in his gut.

There were days when he knew she was in her apartment alone, and it kept him on edge wondering why she didn’t come over. The urge to go to her, to change the dynamics of their relationship, prodded him more times than he cared to remember.

It wasn’t until he’d heard her talking about taking off for vacation that he’d decided to push her for more than sex.

“I like you like this, Natalie.” As Jett teased his fingers along her stomach, she shivered. “I like knowing that you’re here and that you’re not going anywhere.”

Her lips parted, and then she dropped her head back to stare at the ceiling. After releasing a long, shuddering breath, she said with confidence, “You would never hurt me.”

“I’d die first.” He saw the tension leave her shoulders, and he smiled slightly. “What were you thinking?”

She squirmed in indecision.

“Natalie.” He put his hands by her hips and leaned over her. “You can ask me anything.”

“All right.” Her gaze dropped to his thigh but then flickered away. “That scar on your leg…”

Though it still ached at times, Jett rarely paid it any mind these days. “An old bullet wound. What about it?”

Her eyes flared wide. Hesitant, she licked her lips.

Damn, but he felt that lick everywhere. “You are so fucking beautiful.” He had to hurry this along so he could get inside her. “Now tell me, what about the scar?”

“I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Jett had to shake his head at her indecision. She was so damn vulnerable and so defensive of her privacy. She shared her body without reserve but feared sharing anything more. “But you did, so tell me, does it bother you?”

“No!”

He looked at the scar and shrugged. “I’m used to it. To me it’s just a mark, but I suppose it’s ugly.”

“Oh no, Jett.” Pure reaction tightened her thighs around him. “Nothing about your body is ugly. I didn’t mean anything like that.”

“Then what?”

She gave another small tug on her restraints. “This hardly seems the time to chitchat.”

It was exactly the time to chitchat. “Why not now? We’re neither one going anywhere, so we have plenty of time on our hands.”

After a few seconds more, she got her backbone and met his gaze with an exasperated expression of daring. “It looked like a bullet wound to me, so I’ve sometimes wondered what type of dangerous man you might be.”

His mouth twitched. She thought him dangerous? Perceptive of her.

“Is that funny?”

Given his background and his capability, it really wasn’t much of a stretch. When necessary he could be deadly. “I guess not.” He hoped she wouldn’t be too put off by the life he’d led.

“So why are you smiling?”

Jett tried to look more serious. “I’m only a little dangerous, I promise.” Encouraging her toward more conversation, he explained, “I do security work now, mostly domestic investigation.”

“Security work?” Her expression sharpened. “What does that mean?”

“Means I’m a private eye.” Jett watched her and saw her eyes widen with understanding. “It makes it pretty easy for me to uncover secrets.” Your secrets.

Aghast, her brows came down and her mouth firmed. “Have you been snooping into my life?”

He gave a noncommittal roll of one shoulder. “Can’t help myself. I’m the cautious type. See, I’m also ex-military and ex-FBI. Being well-informed is the name of the game, and I’m afraid old habits die hard.”

She absorbed all that with a frown. “So that bullet wound…?”

“Is why I’m not still FBI. Other injuries I could brush off, but that one caused more damage and got me grounded, stuck on desk duty.”

“You don’t have the body of a desk jockey.”

One brow lifted. “I guess not. That’s because shuffling papers is not my thing, which is why I became a P.I. At least having my own setup, I can pick and choose the cases I want to take.”

“Is it physically challenging?”

“It can be. I stay in shape because I need to.” In an effort at full disclosure with her, Jett admitted, “I get most of my business from a surveillance firm that deals with divorce.”

Even more aghast, Natalie said, “You spy on people having marital problems?”

He didn’t like her tone. “It’s not that simple, but if you want to go bare-bones, then yeah.” To make sure she got a clear picture, he shared details. “A few months ago, some bozo who’d been cheating on his wife and got busted for it decided he didn’t want a divorce. He wanted her to give him another chance, and it didn’t matter to him that she preferred to move on. Thing is, he was acting so weird, she didn’t trust him, so she hired me to keep an eye on him.”

Natalie frowned, but it seemed more out of concern than censure.

“I started checking up on him, learning his routine, his habits. A week later when the asshole bought a gun, I knew he had something planned.”

Her lips parted. “A gun?”

Jett nodded. “That same day, he checked out an old barn at an abandoned farm out in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t like it, so I followed him the rest of the day.”

As if forgetting her naked pose beneath him, Natalie shifted then asked, almost breathless, “What happened?”

“He pulled the gun on his wife.” Remembering it made Jett tense all over again. Abuse of any kind sickened him, but abuse against a woman, a wife, left him rigid with fury. “His plan was to force her into the car and take her to the barn.”

Attention rapt, Natalie whispered, “Why?”

“He said he was going to do a murder-suicide.”

“Oh my God. You heard all that?”

“And recorded it.”

Her entire countenance softened. “What did you do, Jett?”

“I stopped him.” Jett took great pleasure in giving her that truth. It had been ugly, and he’d definitely lost control when the guy tried to stave him off by pointing the gun at his wife. More than anything, Jett had wanted to tear that guy apart. As it was, he’d done more than enough damage.

He waited for Natalie to ask him how he’d stopped the jerk and wondered just how much he ought to tell her.

Instead, she said, “You could have been killed.”

She surprised him with that observation. “Maybe.” Shots were fired that day. Luckily they’d only struck a tree, a car and the side of the house. “But I wasn’t. Instead, the guy is now in jail on a string of charges, and the woman is free to live without always looking over her shoulder.”

“I’m glad you were there to help her.”

Jett felt compelled to tell her, “I’m damn good at any job I do.”

She accepted that without comment then looked down at his thigh, currently under hers, keeping her legs apart. “Does it ever pain you?”

“Not often.” He ran a hand up her leg to her hip. “For this, for you, I promise it’s not a problem.”

Her gaze went from his leg to his boner. “I’m glad.”

Jett watched the rise and fall of her breasts as she rested there. He didn’t want to push her, but… “Your turn, Natalie.”

Her gaze shot up to his. “For what?”

“Share something with me. Something that I don’t already know.”

Her gaze immediately skirted away. “I don’t think so.”

“Why not?” He brushed a few of those honey-colored curls away from her face.

She turned her cheek into his palm. Sounding almost desperate, she said, “Because I like things how they are.”

“What if I don’t?”

Something close to panic darkened her eyes. Again she struggled against the restraint before giving up to say, “Try to understand, Jett.” She took a shuddering breath, licked her lips. “Sharing is…difficult for me.”

Because she didn’t trust him—but he wasn’t giving up. Not yet. “I’ll make it easier for you.” Leaning down, Jett kissed her lightly on her lips, then her throat and then each breast.

She held her breath as he sat up again, stroking his hands along her sweet, taut body, over her ribs, her hipbones, and coming to rest on her inner thighs.

Her breathing accelerated. “I don’t see how—”

“I know what you want, honey. I know what you need.” He eased a finger inside her, touching her carefully with slow, precise care. “Just relax now.”

Her lids sank down over dazed eyes.

“I’ll ask questions,” Jett quietly told her, “and you can just answer.”

He knew she was confused but also aroused, and he hoped that might help weaken her resistance. “Where are you going for spring break?”

She clenched, and he felt it on his finger. It was his turn to close his eyes as he struggled for control.

Voice very small and shaky, she whispered, “Jett… I’m not sure—”

“I know.” But he couldn’t let her uncertainty matter anymore. “Do you want me, Natalie?”

No hesitation. “Yes.”

Coaxing, he said, “You’re on the pill, and neither of us has been with anyone else since we started seeing each other.”

He waited, and when she didn’t deny that, a strangling tightness loosened in his chest.

It felt like relief.

With that confirmed, he made up his mind.

For the first time in over a decade, he wanted to skip the precautions to build on his special closeness with Natalie. It wasn’t something he’d do with a casual date, and neither would she.

“I don’t want to wear a rubber.” Jett met her surprised gaze. “I want to feel you, Natalie. All of you.” He eased his finger out then pressed in again. “And I want you to feel only me.”

Her chest labored and, voice lower still, filled with heat, she said again, “Yes.”

Damn. Maybe he’d overestimated his control. He took a second to regroup then took his fingers from her. Bracing on one arm beside her, he wrapped a hand around his erection and used it to tease her. Up and down, over her turgid clitoris—but he didn’t enter her. Not yet.

She lifted up, trying to encourage him, but he held off. It sure as hell wasn’t easy when every muscle in his body urged him to bury himself deep inside her. He had to remember his plan.

Locking his jaw, Jett pushed just the head of his cock inside her.

Slippery wet, silky hot and almost irresistible.

If he wanted only this, he’d be a goner. But he wanted more.

When Natalie squirmed, tightening her legs around him, he damn near lost it. Giving her his weight to keep her still, Jett cupped her face, brushed his mouth lightly over hers and asked again, “Where are you going for spring break?”

She kissed him—until he leaned out of reach. “I need you, Jett.”

“I know you do.” Not as much as he needed her, though. “Tell me where you’re going.”

She paused in her fevered attempt to connect with him. “I don’t understand you.”

Closing his eyes, Jett stroked into her, filled her and relished her ragged moan of pleasure.

Then he pulled almost all the way out again.

“We both need this, honey.” Talking wasn’t easy, but he figured Natalie was worth the effort. “There’s nothing I enjoy more than being inside you.”

She stared at him with wanton concentration. “Then take me.”

He touched his mouth to her jaw, her temple, in light, soft kisses. “Let’s go one better, okay?”

“How?”

“We can start right here, right now.”

She couldn’t hide her skepticism. “What is it you want?”

A little trust. “Tell me where you’re going.”

She drew a deep breath—and relented. “To a vacation lake in Tennessee.”

It was still chilly for that. He’d expected her to say somewhere farther south, maybe in Florida since that’s where most people went on spring break.

His thoughts scrambled, but he couldn’t think of a good reason for her choice. “Why there?”

“It’s peaceful.”

Okay. He got that. Peace and quiet sounded fine. But why go all the way to Tennessee for it?

Jett cupped her jaw. “What will you do there?”

Almost desperate, Natalie pleaded, “Make love to me, damn you.”

He kissed her, longer and hotter this time, his tongue slipping over hers, twining. And because he couldn’t stop himself, he stroked into her. Deep.

Immediately, she tightened around him, her heels digging into the small of his back as if to keep him there, a part of her.

Hell, he didn’t want to move. Not yet.

He caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. “What’s at the lake, Natalie?” Lust made his tone more urgent. “Tell me.”

She struggled with herself but finally gave in. “Anonymity.”

Jett froze. A hell of a lot of people headed south for spring break. She could run into a student or one of the faculty members. But so what? Seeing someone she knew would matter only if…

He stiffened, raising himself up the length of his arms. That position pressed their lower bodies closer together in exquisite contact.

They stared at each other, him hot and irate, her soft and susceptible, both turned on.

After a few seconds, her eyes closed and she shifted against him. “You’re filling me, Jett, and it’s so damn good. But God, I need you to move.”

Instead, he pressed a hand down between their bodies until he could touch her. She jerked in reaction, clenching around him so tightly that he shuddered.

He wanted her. Bad.

But a horrible suspicion overrode other sensations, gnawing at him, as sharp as a blade. As his fingertips played over her, he asked silkily, “You planning to do this with someone else, baby, is that it?”

Her eyes flashed open and she gasped.

“S’that why you want anonymity?” He searched her face, turbulent with dark emotions. “So you can carry on another no-strings affair while you’re away?”

“You’re serious?”

Pressing deeper into her, until he felt her womb, Jett staked a claim even while asking, “Is it?”

Rigid indignation replaced the soft voluptuousness of her body. “Jerk!”

Now furious, she pulled viciously at the restraints. He rested between her legs—was still inside her—but she tried to kick at him. The frenetic movements only managed to push him closer to the edge, making him groan.

She twisted beneath him. “Get off!”

Taken aback by her reaction, Jett gave her all his weight, pinning her down. He held her arms near the elbows, not wanting her to hurt herself. “If that’s not it, then why?”

Rancor had replaced the sexual haze. “You’re the hotshot private eye. You tell me.”

Usually, even under the worst circumstances, Jett could think fast, piecing together clues to come up with a viable answer to just about any problem. With Natalie, he stayed so damned confused, thrown off by overwhelming sentiment that half the time he didn’t know if he was coming or going.

Taking a guess, he said, “Not to have a fling, then?”

Her head lifted off the pillow so she could say right into his face, “I’m already having a fling, you ass!”

With him. But damn it, he wanted to move beyond that now. There wasn’t a single good reason for them not to be more social. He enjoyed dating. He wanted to take her to movies, to dinner…maybe to meet his family.

Shit.

He wasn’t seeing anyone else, and she claimed that she wasn’t either.

So why not?

Jett felt raw. “So this—” he pressed deep into her “—is enough for you?”

Dropping back again, she gave a broken laugh devoid of any humor. “It would be, if only you’d quit playing this stupid game and give me what I need.”

Ah, hell. Even furious, her voice shook with desire. They were both in a bad way. “I guess that’s my answer.”

She turned her face to glare at him. “Don’t you dare leave me like this.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He couldn’t, even if he wanted to. Going back up on stiffened arms, he let his gaze wander over her. Fury pulsed through his blood.

Fury…and something more.

“Look at you. You think I could give this up? Not a chance.” He didn’t give her an opportunity to reply. “I love fucking you.”

She gasped at the harsh words, and that gasp brought him a measure of sanity. He felt abusive and mean. Damn it, he knew Natalie held him at bay for a reason. Wasn’t that why he’d started the whole bondage thing to begin with?

Well, that, and the fact that he enjoyed having her sweet body to play with.

Taking several calming breaths that didn’t help one bit, Jett said carefully, “You’re afraid of something, aren’t you, honey?”

That did it. She went pale, rigid. “Untie me, Jett.” Her eyes glistened. She sniffed. “Right now.”

He would. Of course he would.

But those unshed tears wrenched his heart, even as his body throbbed.

He couldn’t leave her like this. “If I untie you now, you’ll storm out of here, mad and hurt.”

Unsatisfied.

She blinked away the tears. “And if I stay, it’ll be any different?”

Her breasts heaved in her ire, he was still inside her and they were both primed. It wouldn’t take much to give her full relief.

That is, if he could change her mind about leaving.

Jett looked at her breasts, at her tightened nipples. “Yeah, it will.” He lowered his head.

NATALIE SAW HIS INTENT, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to resist him if he put his hot mouth on her again. Hoping to forestall him, to salvage her pride, she blurted, “I’ve been used before, damn you, so don’t you dare.”

He paused, then his piercing gaze flashed up to clash with hers. “By who?”

Memories, dark and filled with humiliation, brought a smirk of disgust to her mouth. “Men who thought my father’s money was my own.”

He was quick to say, “Bastards.” And then, with his hands cupping her face and his expression filled with tenderness, he added, “But, honey, that’s not me. That could never be me.”

Despite being restrained, she put up her chin. “That’s what they all say.” She wanted to believe him, but she wasn’t a fool. Not anymore. “I’d rather not take that chance.”

Jett flinched but rallied. “For just a moment, I’m going to forget you said that. Because, Natalie, when I look at you, I sure as hell don’t see any family affiliations or connected wealth. I see you, only you, and that’s enough for me.”

He sounded and looked sincere, so maybe it warranted some discussion. But now that the sexual encounter had soured, Natalie couldn’t bear the submissive position. “Untie me.”

Seconds ticked by. “You enjoyed it.”

“At first.” Being tied to Jett’s bed had been unbelievably exciting. “Until you ruined it.”

“Right.” His mouth tightened, his eyes narrowed. He looked at her breasts. “I could still—”

“No, you can’t.” Natalie didn’t look away from his obvious regret. “Once you brought up fear, being restrained took on a whole new meaning.”

His frustration wore on her until he finally reached beyond her to the headboard. She felt a tug on the restraint, it loosened and then she was free.

Jett didn’t move away from her. Holding a wrist in each of his big hands, he lowered her arms. His thumbs moved over her skin as if to soothe, when that wasn’t necessary. He hadn’t hurt her.

But she was insane with unfulfilled need. The skin of her wrists felt too sensitive beneath his thumbs. His scent, heightened by arousal, surrounded her. His thick erection filled her. And the heat of their bodies mingled together.

No other man had ever made her feel this way.

Even now, hurt by his accusation, angry at being manipulated, she trembled with wanting him.

She’d accepted her response to him as a chemical phenomenon; whatever Jett had, it worked for her. In a thousand different ways.

But this…this attempt to change things…

Did she dare even consider it?

No. If she tried it, he’d see her for a fraud. He’d know that her daring in bed was all an act. She wasn’t brave, or sensual or…free. She was a remote woman, socially inept, especially when it came to anything serious—like relationships.

Other than the kids she taught, and her sister, she felt out of place with most people.

Once again Jett seemed to read her thoughts. “Natalie.” He lifted her hands to his hard, sleek shoulders and, curving his hands around her head, held her as a lover would. “Stop looking like that. I’m not trying to drag you off to the gallows.”

“What are you trying to do?”

His long fingers kneaded her skull. “Just talk, honey, that’s all.”

“About personal things.” And at an inappropriate time, not that she ever afforded him a better opportunity.

“About you.”

“Why?” Men wanted sex. She gave him sex. God, sometimes she practically molested him. Why muddle things with conversation?

“It’s a good start. A natural progression.”

For what? Her brows furrowed. They’d talked before, of course, but not like this. Not about anything important.

Certainly not about her fear of commitment.

The fear remained a part of her, but now an aberrant optimism stirred inside her, filling her with warmth.

Knowing how easy it’d be for her to fall hopelessly in love with Jett, Natalie had set up deliberate barriers to keep her from getting too attached. Not that the barriers had worked.

She was already half in love with him.

Which was unacceptable, of course; she didn’t want to be hurt again. Going away on spring break so she wouldn’t be tempted to try to deepen their association had been her only solution.

But here they were, still in bed, still joined, still aroused. And Jett was full of insistence.

Natalie asked warily, “Progress toward what, exactly?”

His sexy smile melted her heart. “The thing is, I don’t want to say something that’ll maybe spook you.”

Seeing the irony of that, Natalie shook her head. “If tying me to your bed didn’t do it, I think you’re safe enough.”

The smile turned into a low growl. “You’re probably right.” He gathered her under him, his mouth to her temple, his strong arms around her. “Admit it, Natalie. You liked being tied to my bed, didn’t you?”

“Maybe.” This game was new to her and she wasn’t certain how to play. “I’ll enjoy a payback, too.”

He went still before pushing back to see her face. His eyes narrowed. “You want to tie me down?”

She hadn’t really thought about it, but now she did, and it stirred her. An image of Jett held captive, his strong body stretched out, at her mercy—she’d be free to touch him, taste him.

Ride him.

Her breathing quickened. She felt a rush of dampness and knew he’d felt it too. “Turnabout is fair play, right?”

“I can tell you like the idea.” His jaw tightened. “You’re so damn wet.”

When he moved inside her, she made a sound of pleasure.

“You look so fucking sexy right now.”

She felt sexy. “Mmm. How so?”

He continued the slow, easy thrusts, even as he whispered, “Your eyes are darker, your face flushed.” He leaned closer, his mouth just barely touching hers. “You look just like you do when you come for me.”

That should have embarrassed her, but it didn’t. “I wonder how I’ll look when I have you tied down.”

Expression arrested, Jett went still over her. “I don’t know if that scares me or turns me on even more.” He kissed her hard and fast and then grew serious again. “I’m working on a hair trigger here, so before I lose it, I want to make a suggestion.”

Would he switch positions with her right now? “I’m listening.”

“Let me make love to you, because God knows, we both need it.”

She couldn’t agree more.

“But stay afterward.”

Her heart tripped. Oh God, so many times she’d thought about how nice it would be to cuddle with him afterward, to just be with him. She dampened her lips. “For…what?”

“I like you, honey. I love having sex with you.”

Natalie wasn’t sure what to make of that.

“But sometimes I’d like to get out, too. Dinner, a show, whatever. Only I don’t want to go with anyone else.”

Her breath caught. “You don’t?”

He shook his head. “And I don’t want you with anyone else, either.”

That wasn’t a problem. She didn’t date. Ever. “I don’t—”

He didn’t let her finish. “Since we’re compatible, is it really such a big deal?”

“I don’t know.”

“You could try trusting me a little.” He touched the corner of her mouth with his thumb. “Can you do that?”

She wanted to tell him that it wasn’t about trust. But more than that, she wanted him. Right now.

Could it really hurt to stay, to talk?

Possibly. But at this particular moment, she just didn’t care.

CHAPTER THREE

THREADING HER FINGERS into Jett’s silky black hair to keep him close, Natalie sought his mouth with her own.

With a ragged groan, he kissed her back, voracious and hungry and out of control.

As his tongue stroked hers he flexed his hips, withdrawing, entering her again, over and over in a driving rhythm that she knew would quickly take her to a climax. She suspected her agreement accounted for his enthusiasm as much as his heightened state of arousal.

She wrapped her legs around him again and wrung another groan from him. Each hard thrust rocked the bed and escalated the heat building inside her.

And wow, the man knew how to kiss.

He knew how to make love, too.

Natalie gave up trying to think; with Jett inside her, loving her, it was pointless to do anything but feel.

With one hand under her, he tilted up her hips so he could go even deeper, and with the other he cupped her breast, using his thumb to stroke her nipple. His mouth ate at hers, his tongue mimicking the movements of his body.

She breathed in his rich scent, felt the strength in his big body—and a climax shuddered through her, stiffening her legs, making her pulse and throb with the unbearable pleasure of it.

Just as her orgasm began to recede, Jett lifted his mouth away. He put his head back, fisted his hands in the sheet at each side of her and came with a deep groan of release.

Watching him through dazed eyes, Natalie admired his broad shoulders, his solid chest, the way his jaw locked as he spent. A light sprinkling of dark hair covered his chest, trailed down his abdomen in a thin line then spread out again at his groin. His bones were large, his body unyielding.

He had such striking good looks.

But he was so much more than a gorgeous body and face.

By small degrees, Jett lowered himself back down over her, balancing on his forearms to keep his weight off her. With his dark-eyed gaze now mellow and replete, he looked sexier than ever. They both breathed heavily for several minutes.

Natalie recovered first. Now with the gripping need temporarily eased, talking might actually be possible. Not that she looked forward to it, but she knew she couldn’t dodge Jett without looking ridiculous. “Mmm. Much better.”

Expression warm, his touch light and easy, he bent to kiss her mouth. “God,” he whispered, “you’re beautiful.”

Natalie smiled. “I was about to say the same.”

Eyes so dark they looked black in the dim light of his bedroom glittered with amusement. On other men, such long, black lashes might look effeminate; on Jett, they only emphasized his rugged masculinity.

He put his forehead to hers. “If you think I’m beautiful, then you must have come harder than I thought.”

She chuckled. Now this talk she was used to; they often indulged in silly sexual banter before she slipped away from his apartment.

Natalie looped her arms around his neck. “You are beautiful, Jett Sutter. All over.” She touched his jaw and realized she hadn’t given him time to shave before coming over to knock. “It’s a rugged beauty made up of oh-so-sexy eyes, a rock-solid bod and tons of irresistible charm.”

“Irresistible, huh? I like the sound of that.” He lowered himself down against her, and that sort of squished her boobs, leaving them plumped up high on her chest. He bent to kiss the top of each one. “Trust me, honey, I have no complaints about your body, either.”

A safe enough topic. Being philosophical, she said, “Most men like big boobs.”

He didn’t smile when he looked into her eyes. “I like you, so your bra size wouldn’t matter.”

“I see. So…” Natalie tried not to grin at him as she shimmied her shoulders, making her breasts jiggle. “These aren’t something you noticed right off?”

Still too serious, he said, “I did, sure. You, Natalie Alexander, are extraordinarily stacked.” He toyed with her hair, letting one long ringlet twine around his finger. “But I also noticed your reserve and the way your incredible hair sort of dances when you walk.”

Her hair was like dandelion fluff on humid days, but she enjoyed the compliment all the same.

“I noticed your smile and your pretty brown eyes that are always so sincere. How you greet every neighbor in the building and how you talk to yourself when you’re trying to remember things.”

Wow, that sounded as though he’d been plenty observant. “I talk to myself?”

He traced her lips with a fingertip. “You do, usually when you first get home. You come across the parking lot, arms loaded down with books and bags, and you say things to yourself, like Check the mail, get the chicken out of the freezer, call Molly, sort the tests.” As if he couldn’t resist, he bent to her mouth for a soft but sensual kiss. “Things like that. Mental note-taking, I guess.”

“I had no idea.” But it sounded like the things she worked to remember each and every day.

“Molly is your sister, right?”

He’d admitted to snooping into her background, and now she knew he’d listened to her inane mumblings. Her defensiveness came crawling back in on her, but she tried to sound playful rather than offended. “You mean a supersleuth like you doesn’t already know the answer to that?”

Sighing, he eased away from her and sat up.

Natalie realized that, without the use of a condom, she was on the…messy side. It was a novel thing for her. She’d never had sex without a rubber. She’d never before wanted to.

Being a sensible woman, she took responsibility seriously, and from the day she’d wanted to become sexually active, she’d been very cautious.

It went beyond that, though.

Jett was the first man she’d been with long enough, and trusted enough, to want to forgo condoms. Other men had asked, but her answer was always a resounding “no.” Without the use of a condom, she didn’t have sex.

Until now. Until Jett.

With his back to her, Jett asked, “Are you going to keep taking jabs at my profession?”

“What? No!” She hadn’t meant it that way at all. “I wasn’t ridiculing your work.”

“Yeah, you were.”

That annoyed her. “Wrong, Sherlock.”

He eyed her.

“Sorry. Figure of speech.” Natalie sighed. “I just don’t like having anyone snoop into my business without permission.” She looked beyond him to the open bathroom door. This was going to be tricky.

Why had no one ever told her about cleanup?

His gaze turned speculative, intent. “Hang around awhile and I’ll explain about that.”

Hang around—to be with Jett, to just talk, to learn more about him.

Oh, she wanted to, she really did.

But before she could even think about that… “Jett, I, ah…need to make a dash into the bathroom.”

As her meaning sank in, his expression lightened. He smiled at her. “Stay put, honey. I’ll take care of it.”

Appalled, Natalie watched as he went into the bathroom. Through the open door she saw him dampen a washcloth under running water.

No way.

When he came back to her side of the bed, Natalie snatched up the sheet to cover herself. “What do you think you’re going to do?”

“Clean you.”

“Oh no, you are not.”

As if she hadn’t spoken at all he sat beside her, one hand on her thigh, his demeanor one of pure masculine possession. “I don’t skip condoms, Natalie. Ever.”

They had that in common. “Me, either.”

He coasted his hand up and down her thigh. “Even though you’re on the pill?”

With the washcloth held in his free hand, concentrating on the conversation took effort. “Doubling up is safer, and besides, pregnancy is only one concern these days.”

“True enough.”

And honestly, she hadn’t been with that many men. For a twenty-seven-year-old woman, her sexual experiences were few and far between.

He studied her with lowered brows and grave intensity. “But you let me.”

They both knew they’d just crossed some boundaries into new intimacy. Very softly she replied, “Yes.”

Still holding her captive in his gaze, Jett whipped the sheet away from her, causing her to yelp. “I think you and I are going to share a lot of firsts together.”

She tried to block his hands, but he laughed until he got her pinned down then coaxed her, saying softly, “Let me.”

And she caved.

Jett didn’t realize it, but he’d already been her first in many ways. Her first fling. Her first orgasm—at least through intercourse. Her first spontaneous encounter. Her first time being tied.

And now this.

It unnerved her, the complete and varied ways she enjoyed him. But it also felt so right.

She didn’t fight him as he cleaned her body. She didn’t look away from him either. What she’d expected to be horribly awkward just…wasn’t.

Not with Jett.

He was so earthy, so comfortable with all things sexual, that he put her at ease with his attitude alone.

When he finished, he kissed the inside of her thigh then cupped his hand over her. “I like taking care of you.”

Natalie wanted to touch him, to go to her knees and kiss him.

To have him again.

She started to move and he said, “Be right back.” He returned to the bathroom but was gone only a few minutes.

Natalie stared at the ceiling, attempting to sort her thoughts, to order her priorities.

He returned to his side of the bed, sitting with one leg bent on the mattress, his gaze all over her body again. Neither of them could ever deny the physical attraction—it showed whenever they were together, in the way they watched each other, how they touched and that sharp level of awareness.

“Before we get sidetracked again, tell me that you’re going to stay.”

She wanted to pull him down to her, but she held herself in check. “How long?”

At her reply, his shoulders stiffened. “Is it really asking so much?”

Of course it wasn’t. She felt like a heel. “Sorry. As you said earlier, old habits die hard.”

One brow rose up. “Meaning you’re used to deflecting guys in bed after they’ve just had sex with you?”

That brought her to her knees. She poked a finger at his chest. “Don’t you dare judge me, Jett Sutter! You can’t very well claim inexperience.”

He eyed her breasts. “No.” Catching her finger, he tugged her closer. “But you’re different from every other woman I’ve been with, so I sure as hell don’t want to be the same as every other guy.”

Oh, God. He wasn’t. Molly gave an exasperated sigh. “What I meant is that I’m not used to letting anyone get close, regardless of the circumstances.”

“Not even family?”

She didn’t want to explore the possibility, but if Jett did have any illusions about easy money, she could set him straight right now. “Especially not family. Well, except for Molly.”

“Your sister.”

She nodded. “We’re close.”

He caught her chin and lifted her face. “You’re estranged from your father.” It wasn’t a question.

Damn. He really had been snooping. When she started to withdraw, he caught the back of her neck.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t care about that.” Then he shook his head, and his voice firmed. “No, that’s not precisely true. I do care.”

Of course he did.

As if he’d read her thoughts again, he gave her a look of censure. “It’s one hell of an insult to be called a gold digger.”

“I didn’t.”

“But you’re thinking it.” He dragged her in close for a hard smooch. “I bought land a few years ago and was saving to build my own house. I have about half the cash up front in the bank and can easily afford a loan on the rest. I would have started on the house already, but I met you, and since then I haven’t been in a big hurry to move out of here. But I will eventually.”

He’d stayed in the apartment complex for her? Staggered, she asked, “How much land?”

“Only ten acres. But it’s secluded, and pretty. A stream runs through it.” He gave her a look. “You want to see it? Maybe check out my bank account so you’ll know I’m not in desperate financial straits?”

She couldn’t blame him for getting nasty. “Jett…”

“What I have is nothing compared to your father’s money. But you can believe me when I say I’m happy. I have what I want, and I got it on my own.”

“I’m sorry.” What else could she say?

“I care about your relationship with your father only because I think that’s one of the reasons you’re shutting me out.”

And…he wanted in?

Natalie put a hand to her head, trying to think. Maybe all this could wait until she’d had time to think about it. “I’m leaving tomorrow for the lake. I’ll be gone for a week—”

He surprised her by saying, “I’ll go with you.”

Her eyes widened; he couldn’t be serious. But one look at his set face and she knew he was. She scrambled for a reply. “You don’t have to work?”

“I take time off when I want—that’s a perk to being your own boss.” He stood, stretched elaborately and went to his dresser to get out boxers. As he stepped into them, he asked, “How long is your break?”

Well. Natalie knew he was bulldozing her, but the idea of having Jett along tempted her. She had almost dreaded the time away because she would miss him and their special time together.

She licked her lips. “Ten days.”

“No problem.”

But she emphasized, “In isolation.” Jett might be expecting a real vacation with dinners out, live performances, something more than a quaint cabin on a secluded lot at an off-season vacation lake.

“Sounds great.”

She couldn’t help but fret. Never had she taken a vacation, especially such a lackluster vacation, with a guy. “You might get bored.”

He shot her a look full of meaning. As his gaze went over her body he cocked a brow. “Not a chance.”

And still she felt compelled to make him understand. “It’ll probably be pretty cool there still. Even though the cabin is on a big vacation lake, there won’t be any swimming. I’m not sure we’ll even be able to take out a boat.”

He found a T-shirt and jeans. “What did you plan to do there?”

“Not much.” Watching him dress, Natalie decided that their bed activities must have ended. Disappointed, she slipped her legs off the side of the bed and stood. She realized that her clothes were in the other room, but she’d look foolish if she wrapped up in the sheet.

Instead, she folded her arms around herself—which really didn’t do much for her modesty. Rather than tell him that she’d hoped to come to grips with her growing feelings for him, she said, “Walk, read, maybe catch a movie or two.” She lifted a shoulder. “Unwind.”

“How long is the drive?”

“Six hours or more, not factoring in time to stop to eat or take a break.” By way of additional warning, she said, “I take lots of breaks.”

“Good. No reason it shouldn’t be a relaxing drive.” He found a flannel shirt in his closet and brought it around to her, holding it out so she could shrug into it. “You hungry? Because I could eat. How about I order up a pizza?”

Incredulous, Natalie pushed her hair from her face. She looked at the challenge in his expression and huffed. “You’re changing things at Mach speed!”

“A warning for you, Natalie.” He lifted her chin on the edge of his fist. “I always go after what I want.”

What did that mean? “Um…” She swallowed. “I had planned to leave really early tomorrow.”

“I’ll be ready.” He caught the collar of the shirt in both hands, pulling her a little closer. “But for now, you have to eat, right?”

“I…”

“You came here as soon as you got home and changed. You have to be hungry.”

Expectation and apprehension set her heart to thumping in a wild beat. She bit her lip. “Jett, are we really going to do this?”

Knowing he’d won, he gave a half smile of satisfaction. “Relax, Natalie. I’m not asking you to marry me.”

Her knees turned to pudding. Of course he wasn’t asking for that!

“I’m not even trying to tie you down. We enjoy each other in bed—”

“An understatement, at least for me.”

His eyes glittered, and he gave her a quick kiss. “So for as long as it lasts, why not enjoy each other out of bed, too? Just let it happen, and I bet you’ll find it’s not the hardship you’re expecting.”

A hardship, no.

But a heartbreaker? Absolutely.

She wouldn’t admit it to Jett, especially now that she knew how casual he wanted to keep things, but she had to accept the devastating truth: she was already in love with him. More time with him would make it only that much harder when things ended between them.

But with him so persuasive, how could she possibly resist?

AFTER JETT ORDERED PIZZA, Natalie wanted to go back to her place and retrieve her cell phone. She needed a few moments alone to regroup, but Jett, seeming disinclined to let her out of his sight, kept finding ways to keep her in his place. He offered her the use of his cell phone, and she knew she’d sound silly if she insisted on running over for her own.

Silly, and as afraid as he’d already accused her of being.

She’d have to go back to her place soon enough, but for now, she accepted his phone. Moving to the other side of the room for privacy, she tried calling her sister. She wanted Molly to know that she’d be gone on spring break. They always checked in with each other, and neither made a big move without telling the other about it. They were best friends as well as sisters, and given the strained relationship they each shared with their father, they were the only real family either one had.

Molly didn’t answer, so Natalie left her a message. Turning her back so Jett wouldn’t hear her, she said low, “Hey, Molly. I’m leaving for spring break tomorrow. Going to a lake. Not alone, either, if you catch my meaning. Call me and I’ll tell you all about it.”

She knew it sounded cryptic and that Molly would give her hell for that later. But she didn’t want Jett to hear her gossiping about him, and she didn’t want to leave anything serious on her sister’s answering machine—just in case.

Molly was such a loner, especially now that she’d broken things off with her fiancé, that Natalie doubted anyone ever heard her sister’s messages. But she didn’t take chances with her privacy. God forbid her stepmother, Kathi, should get wind of her affair. Her dad would be disgusted—nothing new in that—but Kathi would flip out. She worried incessantly about appearances.

Glancing over her shoulder, Natalie saw that Jett was busy putting a movie into his DVD player.

He must have felt her gaze because he said, “All done?”

“Yes.” After closing his phone and handing it back to him, she headed for her discarded clothes which were still on the floor just inside the front door.

Gaze heated, Jett watched her step into her pants. “Spoilsport.”

Natalie rolled her eyes. “A pizza delivery guy is coming over, remember?”

“And you look like a woman who’s just been tumbled.” He didn’t smile as he strolled over to her. “Since I’m starting to feel possessive, I suppose I should bundle you up.”

“Possessive?”

He looped his arms around her waist. “Why did you think I was being such an ass earlier?”

Unsure of his meaning, Natalie ventured a guess. “When you asked me if I was planning another fling?”

“Yeah.” He kissed the end of her nose in apology. “I’m not the sharing kind.”

His attitude thrilled Natalie, prompting her to reciprocate. “How could I even notice other men when you’re here?”

His expression changed. He cupped her face and kissed her again, lingering, enticing. Against her lips, he asked, “You already packed up for tomorrow?”

“Yes.” Though now that she knew Jett would be coming along, she probably needed to change out a few things…like maybe a pretty nightgown in place of her thermal pajamas. And she’d need to pack the makeup she’d planned to leave behind. “If you want to get your stuff together now, I can—”

For only a second, his arms tightened around her. “It won’t take me long. Don’t worry about it.” He stepped back. “We can start the movie after the pizza gets here.”

He led her to the couch and pulled her down to sit in his lap. She felt awkward, unsure what to do. It was a novel thing, sitting with a man like this. Should she cuddle, be playful, or was this another moment of pure intimacy?

“Relax.” Jett rearranged her so that her cheek rested on his shoulder and the starch left her spine. “Did you reach your sister?”

“No.” A little wide-eyed at the sensation of being cradled, pampered, Natalie sought normal conversation. “I called her earlier, too. Molly always returns my calls.”

Jett toyed with her hair, winding curls around his finger. “You’re concerned?”

“A little.” His heat surrounded her, his solid frame somehow very comfortable. She tipped her head to look up at him. “I know that sounds dumb, given that Molly and I are both grown, independent adults. But we’re more than sisters. We’re best friends.”

He nodded in understanding. “So you always stay in touch.”

“We do. If Molly was still dating Adrian, I’d think she was out with him, but that’s over.”

“Adrian?”

Natalie made a face. Even the mention of Adrian’s name annoyed her.

“Ah, not someone well liked, I take it?”

“Not by me, no. He used to be Molly’s fiancé.” She stroked a hand over Jett’s upper chest then into his sparse chest hair. Without a doubt, she knew he was far more honorable than Adrian had ever been.

“Used to be? Past tense?”

“Yeah. Molly thought she was in love with him, but then when her career took off, he showed his true colors.” Hating to think about her sister with that ass, Natalie ducked her face. “I knew Adrian was a jerk long before she did. But when he started making demands of Molly, she caught on real quick.”

Jett tucked her hair behind her ear and then trailed his fingers along her jaw, down her throat, until he cupped a breast. “She ended things?”

“Yes.” Her voice sounded higher with the intimate touch. “And I tried not to look too relieved.”

Still holding her breast, Jett bent down to kiss her throat. “I’m sure she knows you’re motivated by caring.”

Did he expect her to talk while his hot mouth moved over her skin? “Even when Molly is in the middle of business, she usually takes my calls.”

Jett opened a button on the flannel shirt. “She’s an author, right?”

The depths of his research amazed her. Or maybe he was one of her sister’s many fans. “Have you read her?”

“No. She writes suspense or something, right?” He shook his head. “I’m more of a biography kind of reader.”

Natalie frowned. “So that’s just part of what you learned while snooping?”

He paused with his fingers inside the flannel shirt. “Okay, let’s clear the air on that one first.” He put his hand down the front of her shirt, and now it was his hot palm holding her. “You say you’ve been burned? Well me, too.”

Natalie bit her lip, part in reaction to his touch and partly because of the scenarios that ran through her mind. “Did you have a broken engagement?” Or even worse, was he divorced? Had he been madly in love with someone who broke his heart and now—

Somehow, Jett always knew her thoughts. “My heart is intact, honey. But I’ve had women come on to me to get insider information on cases, and let me tell you, being used like that burns.”

Natalie drew back. “Spies?”

He moved his thumb over her nipple, and when it tightened he met her gaze. “Nothing that dramatic. But once I was investigating this influential businessman, finding all kinds of dirt on him, personal and professional, and out of nowhere, some hot babe wants to get under me.”

Hot babe? Natalie scowled at how he said that. “Let me guess: you asked no questions.”

He shrugged. “I’m not ashamed to say that I was a typical guy and just went with it. I thought we clicked sexually, that she wanted me that much.”

He thought they had clicked sexually too. She wanted to groan. What was a very special and unique experience for her was apparently run-of-the-mill for Jett.

“I was interested enough that I didn’t look for ulterior motives.” He paid undue attention to his hand on her breast, pushing the flannel down, toying with her nipple—making her insane.

Natalie put her hand over his to still the distracting and provocative movements. After a deep breath to help regain her thoughts, she glared at him. “You had sex with her?”

“Yeah.” He bent to put a kiss on the swell of her breast then met her gaze. “Afterward, while I was still in the bed regrouping from a freaking marathon of over-indulgence, she said she was going for a drink.”

Natalie could guess where this was headed. “But she wasn’t really thirsty.”

“Guess not.” Looking only slightly chagrined, Jett shook his head. “I busted her trying to go through my computer files, luckily before she was able to find anything. See, she was a hacker hired by the businessman. Her end goal was to corrupt any data I’d already gathered.”

Natalie didn’t want to admit to her own deep jealousy, but it was there, stewing inside her. Her lip curled a little when she said, “Bet that was one heck of a scene.”

He laughed. “You have no idea.”

“Meaning?”

“She was a hellcat who knew how to fight.” His gaze went to her mouth. “Damn near kicked my ass too. I mean, I’d never fought a chick before. I didn’t want to punch her, you know?”

Natalie gave him a sour frown. “How righteous of you.”

He agreed. “Especially since she had no qualms about decking me. Even hit me with the damn keyboard, and broke it.”

Natalie narrowed her eyes. “So what did you do?”

“I finally tackled her and then held her down on the ground until I could get the keyboard cord wrapped around her wrists.”

“Gee, that sounds familiar.”

One side of Jett’s mouth kicked up. “Not even close to the same thing you and I did, so don’t go there.”

She couldn’t help it; her thoughts were all over the visual of Jett stretched out atop a sexy femme fatale, a woman he’d found appealing, a woman with whom he’d just indulged in ambitious sexual participation.

Jett gave her a chiding frown. “I restrained her so she couldn’t bludgeon me to death. It was one hell of a struggle without a single ounce of pleasure involved. By the time I got her immobilized, I had a damned black eye, a cut on the bridge of my nose and a bite on my neck that hurt for a week.” He shook his head in self-disgust. “The guys at the station still give me crap over it.”

“So let me get this straight. You picked up a complete stranger and then…”

“Did the nasty with her.”

She didn’t want or need his clarification. “And you were hurt because it didn’t work out quite as you’d planned?” Natalie tried to muzzle herself, but failed. “Such a tragic story.”

He didn’t take offense. “Not tragic, no, but I felt like a damned fool. She threw out bait and I took it, hook, line and sinker. No one likes to be a dupe, honey.” He simply held her breast now, his big, warm hand inside her shirt, curved around her possessively.

Not stroking, not playing, just…holding.

As if he now had the right—and she supposed he did.

“One point though—the encounter that night was far from intimate. It was sex, and only sex.” He bent to kiss her, deepening the kiss with the lick of his tongue and a hot exploration. He eased back a millimeter. “What you and I do is very intimate. Don’t ever confuse the two, okay?”

It always felt like more to her, but she hadn’t been sure of Jett’s feelings on the matter. “Since you say it was…somehow detached from emotion—”

“Very detached.”

“Then it’s not at all the same as my bad experience.” Dredging up the past always left Natalie hollow. “If you think you felt duped, imagine being in love with someone and thinking he loves you back, only to find out he wants to get in on the inheritance.”

The smile faded off Jett’s mouth. “You were in love with him?”

Probably not, but at the time… “I thought I was.”

Jett’s arm around her back curled her in close to his chest, and near her ear, with complete sincerity, he whispered, “Tell me his name and I’ll gladly kill the bastard for you.”

CHAPTER FOUR

NATALIE BLINKED AT HIM. “I hope you’re kidding.”

“Maybe.” Jett could tell she didn’t take him seriously. True, he wasn’t in the habit of killing for personal reasons, but after seeing the hurt in her eyes, he wouldn’t mind a little physical retribution against the one who’d caused her pain.

But now that she’d admitted she hadn’t loved the ass, maybe he could just beat him up real good. “Want to give me a name?”

“No!” She smacked his shoulder and laughed. “You’re outrageous.”

Some other guy had broken her heart, hurting her enough to make her wary of commitment. That fact gnawed on Jett. Didn’t mean he wanted the bozo to show back up or to make amends. Hell no.

“Pricks like him always have stuff they want to keep hidden.” Kissing her throat, Jett breathed in the scent of her skin, the perfume of sensual female. “What do you say, sweetheart? You want me to dredge up all his dark, dirty secrets? Maybe drag the schmuck’s name through the mud a little?”

Smiling, Natalie put her fingers to his mouth to hush him. “Not necessary. Believe me, Jett, he stopped being important to me long ago.”

If that was true, she wouldn’t still have her barriers up. But he was working on that.

Holding her gaze, Jett opened his mouth enough to draw in one fingertip. Natalie’s eyes flared, her lips parting.

He licked the tip of her finger, drew it deeper into his mouth, curled his tongue around her.

Her eyelids drooped in carnal awareness.

He knew damn good and well the images she’d have, of him at her breast, sucking gently; him between her soft thighs, eating her toward an orgasm.

His breathing deepened; he loved the taste of Natalie, the intensified scent of her body, how wet she got and how quickly she responded to him.

Needing her again, he released her finger and leaned her back on the couch. Her legs naturally parted for him to settle between them.

Already hard, he growled, “Damn, I want you. Again.”

“But…we just—”

In a rush of need, he went to work on the buttons of the flannel. “Doesn’t matter.” The truth caused him no small measure of alarm. It didn’t matter how often or how thoroughly he had her. “I always want you.” He worked his jaw. “Every fucking second of every day.”

His gravelly tone, bordering on resentment, gave her pause. “That’s a…bad thing?”

Forcing himself to stop, to think, Jett closed his eyes and cursed. “No.” Two breaths, a third, and he had a meager grasp on his control. “No, it’s not bad. It’s just…” He didn’t have an appropriate word to define the loss of control and pounding need, so he said,

“Unsettling.”

“You don’t want to want me?”

Wanting her wasn’t the problem, he could deal with that. Hell, he’d wanted plenty of women throughout his lifetime. Then he had them, one time or a dozen times, and that was it. The wanting ended.

With Natalie, everything was different. Exactly how different, he didn’t know. Jett met her gaze.

The pizza guy had impeccable timing.

His knock saved Jett from trying to come up with a plausible reply. “There’s dinner.” He kissed her then sat up, hauling her up with him. “Stay put. I’ll get it.”

Natalie clutched shut the front of the flannel. “Jett! You have…” When he looked back at her, she nodded at his lap.

“A boner, I know. Trust me, the pizza guy won’t mention it.” Jett felt her watching his every move as he got his wallet and went to the door. Always cautious, he looked out the peephole before turning the locks.

The delivery guy wasn’t alone. Hunkered down on the floor a few feet behind him sat a very cute, very dirty little gray dog with white markings and anxious eyes.

Jett frowned at the unkempt condition of the animal. With accusation, he sized up the delivery kid. “Your dog looks hungry.”

“He’s not mine.” The young man glanced back at the animal with a worried frown. “He was out front and followed me in.” Then hopefully, “I thought maybe he belonged to someone in here.”

That got Natalie’s attention. Shirt now decently fastened around her voluptuous breasts, she came to the door and leaned around Jett to look out at the cowering dog.

Immediately she said, “Ohhhhh….” in the softest tone Jett had ever heard from her.

Both he and the delivery boy looked at her with male awareness.

When Jett realized that, he scowled at the kid. “He’s not our dog.”

The pizza guy started stammering. “Yeah. Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to let in a stray. I thought…you know…maybe he was…”

Seeing the guy go all tongue-tied over Natalie spiked Jett’s discontent even more. “Here.” He shoved a few bills at him.

The young man looked at the money and started to fumble for change.

Jett shook his head. “Keep it.”

“But…” Going agog at the hefty tip, he said, “That’s twice what you owed.”

Reluctantly, because he did want the guy gone, Jett said, “You did good letting the dog in. I appreciate it.”

Struggling to keep his gaze off Natalie, the guy swallowed. “You’ll take care of him?”

Jett nodded and saw the pizza guy let out a long breath of relief. The young man’s concern was enough that Jett felt like giving him another bill or two. “I’ll see to him.”

“Thanks, man. And good luck.” The guy split in haste, anxious to avoid sparking Jett’s temper again.

Paying no attention whatsoever to the food or the male delivering it, Natalie smiled at Jett. She had the look a woman gets when she thinks she’s seeing something extra sweet in a guy.

Jett frowned. “What?”

“You’re going to help the dog.”

He didn’t want her to see him as a marshmallow. He wanted her to want him, in every way that he wanted her. “Of course I am. Wouldn’t anyone?”

She shook her head. “Obviously not, or the dog wouldn’t have been out there all alone, abandoned.” Still looking ripe with affection, she glanced at the dog. She had her heart in her eyes, her soft side on glaring display. “He isn’t wearing a collar.”

Uneasy with so much attention, the dog lowered his head and tucked his tail. He looked up at Jett sideways, his big brown eyes slightly crossed.

Too cute, Jett thought, but he wouldn’t voice that observation aloud. “Looks like a hound mix, probably around a year old.”

“How can you tell?”

“I know dogs.” The poor animal shivered, his eyes filled with pleading. “It’s okay, boy.”

“Oh, Jett.” Natalie bit her lip, fretting. “He looks cold and hungry.”

“Yeah, he does.” Jett handed the pizza box to her. “Can you take care of this?”

She automatically accepted the food. “What are you going to do?”

“Try to bring him in.”

She all but staggered. “To your apartment?”

“Yeah.” When she stood there in what he supposed was silent surprise, Jett asked, “Is that a problem?”

“No! No, of course not.” She looked from him to the dog and back again. That soft expression intensified. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Really wonderful. I just didn’t…”

Didn’t expect him to like animals? Didn’t expect him to be compassionate? Yeah, they had a lot of ground to cover. There was too much that she didn’t know about him. But spring break would help with that.

“Thank you.” She touched his biceps, her fingers light, caressing. “I don’t know any other men who would willingly bring in a stray.” Her hand settled on him and her smile went tremulous.

Jett cocked a brow. Why the hell was she thanking him? He was doing it for the dog. But seeing her like this, so…open to him…he was glad he loved animals so much. “It’s not a problem.”

When Natalie said nothing more, Jett turned back to the dog. “You need a little attention, don’t you, buddy?”

The dog’s ears perked up in hope.

Jett knelt down and the dog, while still cowering, started thumping his tail in excitement. He seemed friendly enough, but Jett didn’t want to take any chances.

He asked Natalie, “Would you mind going in by the dining table, just in case he gets nervous?”

Proving she knew little enough about animals, she said, “You think he might bite?”

“He’s scared, honey, of me and of you. A scared animal sometimes reacts defensively. I can handle it as long as I know you’re not going to get hurt.”

“Oh. All right.” Balancing the pizza box in one hand, she stroked Jett’s hair with a new level of affection. “Be careful, okay?” She gave him a fond smile and then moved away.

Deep inside Jett, something chaotic and dangerous settled into a solid, thumping rhythm. Until that moment, he hadn’t been sure that he’d be able to reach Natalie. Really reach her.

Now he knew he would.

Huh. He would have gotten a dog weeks ago if he’d known that was all it took to get past her barriers.

After watching Natalie retreat to the other side of the room, Jett turned back to the dog. He loved animals and couldn’t abide anyone who didn’t share his compassion. Nice to know that Natalie felt the same way.

Holding out a hand, Jett said, “Good boy.”

The dog whined in exultant hope and began army-crawling on his belly a few inches closer. Though Jett laughed at the dog’s antics, his heart nearly broke. The little fellow badly wanted the attention, but he was afraid to trust it.

Sort of like Natalie.

But in the end, Jett knew that his will would win over them both.

“Natalie, how about grabbing some lunch meat out of my fridge? I think a little food will help earn his trust.”

Within seconds she was behind him with not only the packaged meat but a dish of water, too. The dog’s ears shot up and his nose quivered as he sniffed the air.

“Thanks. You can set the water inside the door there.”

After Natalie had backed up again, Jett tossed a slice of meat to the dog. It landed right under his chin, and still he watched Jett warily as he bent to snatch up the food then wolfed it down in one gulp. The pup sat up straighter, anxious for more.

“You liked that, did you?” Grinning, Jett tossed the next piece a little closer to his door, and the next closer still. Making a trail that led into his apartment, he baited the dog and then waited.

As if starved, the dog chowed down on his way in. Jett could see his ribs sticking out; the thinness of the young dog made his paws look that much bigger.

Sitting down on his ass, Jett again held out a hand. Speaking in an even tone, he said, “Now that you’ve eaten all my deli meat, how about letting me pet you?”

Tail going like crazy, the little dog sniffed his hand, licked his fingers and came in close to devour the rest of the lunch meat. Jett emptied the entire package. The dog was too busy inhaling the food to object as Jett stroked him along his back.

After the dog finished it all, he sat back in expectation.

Jett shook his head while cautiously scratching near the dog’s left ear. “You’re a little glutton, aren’t you? Well, that’s all there is for now. I don’t want you barfing all over my floors.” He nudged the water bowl closer. “Come get a drink while we let that settle, and then we’ll see how you do.”

As Jett spoke, the dog’s ears twitched this way and that. He did investigate the water and made a sloppy mess lapping it up.

When Jett reached out to pet him again, he didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he was overjoyed by the sign of acceptance.

Natalie came closer. “He’s so adorable, isn’t he?”

“If you say so.” Mostly floppy ears had tinges of white on the tips. A marbling of white ran down the oversized straight nose, over his chin and throat, and blossomed out in a diamond pattern on his chest. Two paws were white, and the long tail ended with a white streak.

Jett stroked the dog and although he could feel his bones, he didn’t find any burrs or noticeable injuries. “He needs a bath, a brushing and a lot more food.”

“And he needs someone to love him.” Kneeling down, Natalie reached out for the dog.

Surprised by the quaver in her voice, Jett bent to see her face. Dampness spiked her lashes and left her eyes glistening. Feeling very indulgent, he asked, “Hey, are you crying?”

She sniffed and shook her head. “No.”

Yes she was, and the purely female reaction had a dual assault on his senses. Her tenderness made him feel like the macho protector; she was so quintessentially female that it stirred him on a basic level. Another part of him ached at seeing her upset, because he suspected the reason.

In so many ways Natalie was an enigma, independent and forceful one minute, vulnerable and achingly sweet the next.

She wanted acceptance, but was afraid to trust—much like the abandoned animal.

Seeing her distress left an ache in his chest. “Ah, baby, he’ll be okay.”

Her smile wobbled. “Thanks to you.”

To shore up that statement, the dog curled up next to Jett. He rested his head on Jett’s thigh and let out a lusty sigh.

Natalie reached over to rub his ear. “Poor little guy is exhausted.”

Rather than make a big deal out of her teary-eyed emotion, Jett tried to lighten her mood. “I like his crossed eyes.”

Natalie gave a watery laugh. “They’re not really crossed. Just close together. And with his nose so big…” When she curled her fingers under the dog’s chin, he closed his eyes in bliss.

Making up his mind, Jett said, “You know what? I think I’ll keep him.”

Excitement brightened her eyes more than the tears had. “Keep him? Seriously?”

Jett rolled one shoulder. “Sure, why not? It’s pretty obvious that he’s a stray. And I don’t have a dog, so…” He said again, “Why not?”

She hurriedly settled herself cross-legged and leaned into his side. Smiling at the dog, continuing to stroke his ears, his neck, she admitted, “I’ve never had a pet.”

“Why not?” Growing up, he and his sisters had always had animals. They’d become members of the family, living into old age with a lot of love and affection.

Looking wistful Natalie shook her head. “Dad didn’t allow them when we were younger, and since I’ve been on my own, I figured I wasn’t home enough to give a pet the care and attention it would need.” She fidgeted, adding, “Besides, I’m not sure I trust myself to know what to do since I’ve never had any experience with animals. What if I did something wrong?”

“You wouldn’t.” Jett instinctively knew that Natalie would do anything and everything necessary to protect those dependent on her, whether it be a pet…or a child.

Thinking of her with a kid did something funny to him, something disconcerting because it was so pleasing.

“Jett?”

His right eye flinched. Hell, he’d barely gotten her to agree to see him out of bed and already his mind had gotten way off track.

“Caring is the biggest part of the job.” He put his hand over hers on the dog’s nape. “Because you care, you’d make sure he was fed and clean and healthy, and that he got exercise. That he felt secure. That’s all there is to it.”

Beneath his hand, hers trembled. She skirted his gaze. “You have more faith in me than I do.”

He released her hand to catch her chin, bringing her face around to his. “I’m a damn good judge of character.” And Natalie Alexander was golden, through and through.

“That’s why you got clocked with a keyboard by a female spy?”

Jett grabbed his chest, as if she’d dealt a lethal blow. Then he laughed and lifted both eyebrows. “That time doesn’t count because it wasn’t her character I paid attention to.”

Natalie shoved him with her shoulder, but her mouth twisted with a repressed laugh. “Jerk.”

“You brought it back up.” He smiled with her. “You’d be a great pet owner, Natalie. Take my word for it.”

“Thanks. But given my lack of experience, I don’t think I’ll test the validity of that on some poor dog.”

Jett could see her yearning, how badly she wanted to believe him. In the normal scheme of things, Natalie was such a confident woman. Seeing her like this twisted him up inside.

He conspired a swift solution that worked twofold; he could give Natalie a chance to accustom herself to the responsibilities of a dog, and at the same time he’d be building one more bond between them. “We’ll share him, okay?”

She went still then jerked toward him, her face flushing with warmth. “Share him?”

“Sure.” Most would consider that a chore, but Natalie acted as though he’d just given her an amazing gift. Her enthusiasm made him want her. Again.

Of course, he always wanted her. The woman could sneeze and it felt like a come-on to him.

Showing great restraint, he held himself in check.

Puzzling over his offer, she asked, “How would that work?”

“We both have full-time jobs, but between us he’ll get plenty of attention. That is, if you’re sure that you don’t mind helping.”

She looked thrilled. “I love the idea.” She put her arms around Jett and squeezed him tight. “Thank you!”

The dog caught on to her excitement and jumped up. With his tail going like crazy, he yapped, turned a circle—and lifted his leg to pee.

With a yelp, Natalie lurched back out of range, but Jett wasn’t quite so lucky. The bottom of his jeans got sprinkled.

He looked at Natalie’s face and knew she was afraid of how he might react. Did she expect anger? Outrage? Abuse against the poor animal for getting excited?

He’d have his work cut out for him, winning her trust.

Jett rubbed the dog’s ear. Deadpan, he said to Natalie, “This might be a good time to mention that there could be some messes until he gets trained.”

Relief left her giggling. One hand over her mouth, she scrambled to her feet and headed into the kitchen for paper towels. “He can stay at my place sometimes?”

Damn, but she kept his emotions in turmoil. How the hell could she be so killer-sexy and still be so damned sweet?

“If you don’t mind the occasional accident.” Maybe with the dog as an incentive, she’d break down and spend the night with him instead of scuttling back to her own apartment even before their breathing had quieted.

Usually he avoided the commitment implicit in spending the night together, but the idea of holding Natalie all night, waking with her in the morning, appealed to him.

Jett tried to take the towels from her so he could clean up the dog’s accident himself, but Natalie bent to the task without hesitation. Her hair fell forward, hiding her face, but he knew she was smiling.

Staring down at her, Jett noted the delicate line of her spine, the flare of her hips and her utter lack of squeamishness. He marveled that she’d come from an entitled background.

Not once had he ever seen her put her nose up at anyone. She didn’t shy away from hard work. She drove a modest car and dressed conservatively, both in style and cost. She laughed easily, spoke her mind and lived independently of her wealthy father.

In no way did she act like one of the moneyed elite. His family would adore her.

Her family, he assumed, would disdain him. Not that he gave a damn what they thought.

As Natalie threw away the paper towels and washed her hands, Jett picked up the pup so it wouldn’t get excited and make more of a mess. He got a big licking-kiss for his trouble.

“That’s what we should name you,” he told the dog as he wiped his face on a shoulder.

“What?” Natalie asked when she returned.

“Trouble.”

She laughed and cuddled close to him to pet the dog. “No way can you saddle such a sweet little dog with that name.”

“Sweet, huh? I need to change my jeans, woman. Nothing sweet in that.”

Twin dimples showed in her cheeks as she bit back a big grin. “He just lost control, that’s all.” And then to the dog, “Didn’t you, baby?”

The dog wriggled with happiness, and Jett tucked him under his arm for a better grip.

“I am so glad you’re keeping him.”

Jett heard the unremarked “but” in her statement. Natalie had the wheels turning, drawing conclusions that were probably all wrong.

Did she think his decision to keep the dog excluded him from going with her on vacation?

She didn’t know his family. In fact, he had a feeling she didn’t understand the idea behind “family” at all.

When the dog started squirming around again, Jett decided it might be a good time to take him out real quick. He snagged a jacket from the coat tree by his door and stepped into his athletic shoes. “Soon as I take this beast out so he can commune with nature, I’m going to call my sister, Connie. She’s a vet. She can keep the dog until we get back from the lake. And by then, she’ll have him good as new.”

Startled by that outpouring, Natalie hustled after him. “You have a sister?”

“Three actually, all of them younger, all of them nosy as hell.” He put a kiss to her forehead. The dog tried to do the same, which lifted Natalie’s frown. “That pizza is going to be cold before we get to eat it. You want to set things out while I’m gone? I’ll just be a few minutes.” He walked out the door before she could question him more.

Once outside, a cold breeze washed over Jett. For as nice as the weather had been lately, the temperature seemed to be dipping fast. At least it helped to clear his head. So much had happened in such a short time, much of it because of the dog.

“We need to come up with a name for you.”

Ears down and tail tucked, the dog didn’t react to his voice.

After setting him in the grass, Jett watched him closely, ready to grab for him if he tried to run off. He didn’t. Instead, he hunkered down and stared at Jett as if he’d just been discarded.

Again.

Between Natalie and the dog, his damn heart felt shredded.

“Not happening, buddy.” Crouching down in front of him, Jett spoke in a calm, even tone. “I won’t budge, I promise. Do what you need to do and we’ll go back in together.” He stroked the dog’s back then held himself very still.

After a few more minutes of worry, the need apparently became too great and the little dog went to a line of bushes. Jett realized he had nothing for cleanup but he didn’t feel too guilty about that. After all, the dog had been a stray only minutes ago. But first thing after they returned from vacation, he’d make a trip to a pet store for supplies.

When the dog finished, he again army-crawled over to Jett, approaching with anxiety.

Damn. “Come here, buddy.” Jett held open his arms and the dog crowded in. “Maybe Buddy works as good as any other name.” He lifted the dog. “What do you think?”

This time he got the desired response; the little dog’s whole body quivered with the furious shaking of his tail.

“Great.” Jett had to grin, and he even bent to put his face against the dog’s scruff for a moment, giving him the affection he craved. “We’ll run it by Natalie for approval.”

Jett strode into the apartment, put the dog on the floor and kicked off his shoes. Natalie stood at the small dinette table, setting out napkins and colas in a too-precise way.

It looked right, seeing her there at his table.

In his life.

Shit. Jett rubbed his face then dropped his hands and drew her attention by saying, “I think he likes the name Buddy. That okay with you?”

She looked up in time to see Buddy try to steal one of Jett’s shoes, probably for chewing. Jett retrieved it from him and, carrying both shoes, went straight into his bedroom to change his jeans. Twice he almost tripped over the dog as it stayed close underfoot.

Natalie wasn’t that far behind, either. He heard a sound and, wearing only boxers, looked up to see her standing in the doorway watching him.

Her gaze stayed south of his waist, and of course his dick made note of her heated interest.

“Something on your mind, honey?”

Her gaze shot up to his. It took her a second to regroup. “I like the name Buddy.” The dog’s ears flicked forward then back again. “Did you see that? He already knows his name.”

“Smart dog.”

“So…” Sounding cavalier, she asked, “Did you say that you have three sisters?”

“That’s right.” Her curiosity amused him. Just a few hours ago she wouldn’t have asked him anything at all of a personal nature. “If any of them knew about you, they’d be camped out here right now trying to learn all they could.”

“They’re that interested in your dates?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she faltered. “Well, not that we’re dating, but—”

“We’ll be traveling together, sleeping together all night.” He tossed his jeans into a laundry basket in the closet floor and pulled on clean ones. “I’d say that constitutes, at the very least, dating, wouldn’t you?”

She bypassed his question to say, “I don’t know if I want your family judging me.”

“They’re not like that.” But apparently her family was. Even her sister? Jett wondered. Natalie said they were close, so hopefully Molly wasn’t the critical type. “They all love me, and they’re all smart.”

“Meaning?”

“They’ll know right off that you’re different.”

She shook her head in denial and backed up out of the doorway as he approached. “I’m not.”

He wrapped a hand around her nape to keep her from retreating more. Her hair, all curly and cool, lay against the back of his hand. A flush heated her skin, amplifying her unique scent. He breathed her in and felt himself stir.

Looking at her mouth, he said, “You are very different.”

“How so?”

He coasted his thumb along the column of her throat, over a rapidly tripping pulse. “I’ve never before finagled an invite to join a woman on her vacation.” Knowing he had coerced her nettled him. If she’d had her way, she’d be in her own apartment right now, packed and ready to leave first thing in the morning—without him.

Natalie made a rude sound. “I bet it’s usually the women who are trying to finagle more time with you.”

Jett smiled. He got his fair share of play, but other women had rejected him. It had never bothered him that much, because none of them mattered the way Natalie did.

“There, you see? That proves my point of you being different, because you wanted to go off without me.” After a soft, deep kiss, he released her and started them both toward the kitchen.

“I didn’t,” she admitted. “Not really.”

His guts clenched, but he kept things light. “Could have fooled me.” Hell, she’d fought him tooth and nail at first.

“Truth is, I didn’t think you’d be interested.”

Jett shook his head. Yeah, his family would love her. “Lady, you don’t know your own appeal.”

Licking her lips, she measured her words carefully. “I do in bed.” Her cheeks reddened and she stammered, “I mean, we seem to really click there.”

“Click?” His mouth twisted. “That’s such a cold, unemotional word for how we burn up the sheets.”

Her chin lifted. “Well, I’m not as good at verbal sparring as you are. But you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. You thought I wanted the convenience of regular sex with no other attachments.” Only on rare occasions had he ever had the urge to introduce a woman to his family. It usually involved unavoidable social functions like the marriage of a relative or a holiday party. He always kept things simple, and his family knew not to make too much of it. But a vacation?

Jett had a feeling that his siblings would take one look at Natalie and know she had thrown him for a loop.

“Does your family know…” She gestured lamely. “You know, that we…how we…”

“That you use me for booty calls?”

Her face flamed. “Have you felt used?”

“Wonderfully so, yeah.” Trying to hide his smile, Jett held out her chair, but she glared at him, making him laugh. “Come on, Natalie, do you really think I’d deliberately do or say anything to make you uncomfortable?”

Grudgingly, she conceded the point. “I guess not.”

“Your vote of confidence warms my heart.” After she’d taken her seat, he went to his own. The dog went under the table and rested across his foot.

It occurred to him that Natalie might not know how family stuff worked. “My sisters and I are close, but my private life is off-limits. All joking aside, what you and I share is definitely private.”

Avoiding what he’d said, Natalie picked up her pizza and asked, “Will you tell me about them?”

“Sure.” Maybe because her own family was so broken, she couldn’t quite conceive of his. He was proud of them all and didn’t mind sharing. “Connie’s thirty, married, with a four-year-old daughter. Heidi’s twenty-eight, a legal secretary, married with two daughters, a one-year-old and a three-year-old. And Betts, only a year younger than you, is a nurse, still single and no kids yet. The brothers-in-law are nice, hard-working guys, and they love my sisters.” He shrugged. “Everyone has their differences on occasion, but never anything major.”

“There are a lot of girls in your family.”

“There’s an understatement.” It accounted for part of the reason that they all doted on him so much. “The four-year-old is really prissy, and the three-year-old is a tomboy. As Uncle Jett, I get a free pass to spoil them.” Soon, he’d introduce Natalie to his boisterous clan. They’d love her and, he hoped, vice versa.

The dog let out a lusty sigh.

Natalie bent to look under the table. “The poor baby is worn out.”

Jett peered under the table too, but he paid more attention to Natalie’s small feet. They were soft and delicate and very female. She had her toenails painted a funky powder blue. Demure on the outside, a little risqué underneath—that was Natalie.

He thought of how she wrapped her legs around him, how sometimes her heels pressed into the small of his back, urging him to go deeper, harder…

“Jett?”

God, he was obsessed. “Buddy will get plenty of sleep tonight at Connie’s office. She has pens for the dogs.”

“He’d be caged up?”

Jett caught her pained expression. “For his own safety, yeah.”

Natalie fidgeted for a moment then asked, “Couldn’t you take him to see your sister in the morning instead?”

“I could,” he told her slowly, wondering if she was again trying to put him off from the vacation. “But I’m going with you.”

For only a heartbeat, Natalie thought about what he said. “How early could your sister see him? I don’t mind if we leave a little later than I’d first planned. We could even leave the next day if we had to.”

Jett sat back in his seat. Natalie would change her vacation plans for an abandoned pup? That told him volumes about her caring nature.

He’d wanted to spend more time with her, but with every minute that passed, he had to wonder how much time would be enough.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he said, “That’s okay by me, if you’re sure.”

“We just got him. If we turn right around and leave him again, he might feel abandoned.”

Better odds were that the dog would get attached to his sister while they were away. Jett shrugged. “Possibly.”

She again peeked under the table at Buddy. Looking wistful, she said, “I’m sure your sister would be wonderful to him, but…maybe we could just take him with us?”

Hell, they’d be just like a happy little family. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. “The place you’re renting, it allows pets?”

“For a fee. I don’t mind paying the extra. It’ll be fine.”

Looking at her face, Jett didn’t have the heart to disappoint her. He finished off another slice of pizza and collected his cell phone. “I’ll call Connie right now. We’ll see what we can work out.”

CHAPTER FIVE

WHILE PUTTING IN THE call, Jett watched Natalie bite into her pizza with renewed gusto. Had she been fretting about leaving Buddy?

His sister answered on the second ring. Knowing he didn’t need to identify himself, Jett said, “Hey Connie, you busy?”

“Putting away dinner dishes. Why? What’s up?”

Jett knew that he had to word this just right. “I was going to head off to spring break with Natalie tomorrow.”

On the alert, Connie said, “Natalie? Who’s Natalie?”

Because Natalie stared at him, listening to his every word, Jett couldn’t yet explain to his sister. “The thing is, we found a little dog today. Or more like he found us. He seems okay, not injured or anything. But since Natalie wants to take him with us, I’d like to have him checked over first. Do you think you could see us first thing in the morning?”

There was a pause, and then: “Us, as in you and the dog, or you and the girl?”

Pizza held in one hand, her face comically blank, Natalie started shaking her head.

Jett pretended not to see her. “As in me, the dog and the girl.”

“I’ll make time.”

Jett had known his sister would react in just that way. “Great.” If only Natalie was as easy to predict.

“How early can you get to my office?”

“As early as you need us. Natalie wanted to take off first thing tomorrow anyway. What time do you go in?”

“Usually eight, but I can get there at seven-thirty to see you before the scheduled appointments.”

“That should do. Hang on.” He lowered the phone. “Does seven-thirty sound all right to you?”

Like a deer caught in the headlights, Natalie remained frozen.

As if she’d agreed, Jett put the phone back to his ear. “Seven-thirty it is. We’ll be there. Thanks.”

“Looking forward to it, Jett.”

He knew that tone only too well. “You will not embarrass me, Connie. Understand?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Something else occurred to Jett. “And don’t round up the troops either.”

Connie laughed. “Spoilsport.”

After Jett hung up, Natalie pushed to her feet, both hands planted on the tabletop. She got her voice back with a vengeance. “You want me to go with you to see your sister?”

“You’re taking half responsibility for the dog, right?” That took her aback, but Jett continued anyway. “You need to hear what she has to say. What if Buddy is sick and needs some sort of treatment?”

“I hadn’t thought…”

So that she’d know he wasn’t shying away from financial obligations, Jett said, “I’ll pay for everything, but you should know what’s going on.”

Her mouth opened twice without her saying anything. She steadied herself. “I will share the costs with you.”

“Connie is my sister, so—”

“She’s not my sister.”

Seeing the mulish set to her mouth, Jett shrugged. No way would Connie charge them anyway. “All right.”

At his easy capitulation, her eyes narrowed. “Well…good.”

Jett waited.

She clasped her hands together. “Do you actually think he might be sick?”

“I’m not a vet, but he seems healthy to me.” Because Jett had her cornered and he knew it, he played it casual. “The thing is, we have no idea yet how he might react in a car.” He bit into another slice of pizza, a man without ulterior motives. “In case he gets upset, it’ll be easier with us both along for the ride.”

Natalie couldn’t refute the logic in that. “What did you mean that your sister shouldn’t round up the troops?”

“The rest of the family,” Jett explained. And then, while watching her, he added, “They’re going to want to meet you, Natalie. And if I don’t miss my guess, they’ll use tomorrow as an excuse to make it sooner rather than later.”

NATALIE COULDN’T BELIEVE his cavalier attitude about this. They’d only just agreed to alter their simple sexual relationship into something more social.

And now he expected her to meet his family! That was…well, wasn’t that a monumental thing? Like tipping the scales?

She braced herself for sound arguments. “It’s not that I think your family won’t be…fine.”

Jett took another giant bite of pizza, watching her with an enigmatic expression.

“I’m sure they’re very nice people.”

He finished off his cola. “I’ve always thought so.”

Natalie heard a gnawing sound and, puzzled, looked under the table. “Oh no!” Buddy was chewing on a chair leg. Aghast, she crawled under the table and retrieved him.

As she backed out with the dog in her arms, she glanced up and saw Jett with a brow cocked. Oh Lord.

Hugging the dog closer, Natalie said, “He, ah…” She closed her eyes, unable to spit it out. But when she heard Jett shifting, she opened them again.

He leaned down to look under the table, and she knew he’d just seen the gnarled wood. “Damn.” He didn’t sound all that angry, but he did look resigned.

Natalie waited for him to get mad, and when he didn’t, she marveled at him. Buddy had just scarred one chair of a four-chair matching dinette set—but Jett took it in stride. In fact, he seemed more concerned with eating than with the damage to his property.

Such an amazing man—in more ways than she’d ever considered.

For some reason, she felt guilty about the chair. “Can it be repaired, do you think?”

Jett shrugged. “I guess I better get him some chew toys first thing. My sister probably has something at her clinic.”

His incredible acceptance of the dog momentarily sidetracked Natalie. Anyone could see that Jett was a man well used to female attention. He had a confidence streak a mile wide. In every situation, he seemed at ease.

He was gorgeous, charming and he had that dreamy rock-hard bod. So he had to be a regular lothario, right?

Yet that image seemed in direct odds to a family man, a guy who viewed any meddling from his sisters with warm affection. The freewheeling bachelor persona contrasted sharply with the man who shrugged off destruction of his personal property by a stray dog.

Knowing she was fast sinking past the point of no return, Natalie sighed.

“Is there a reason for that mournful sound?”

She shook her head and continued to watch him. Jett always looked good to her. Better than good. His lean but strong physique was a big turn-on for her. And those eyes…

She shivered. Jett had the most incredible eyes she’d ever seen on anyone. The man could look at her, and she felt seduced.

But now, having unveiled new dimensions to his personality, she found him more tempting than ever. When she thought of spending the next several days with him, butterflies took flight in her stomach.

She wanted and needed time to acclimate before being scrutinized by his family.

Jett’s gaze remained on her, intent, watchful, as if awaiting something.

She cleared her throat. “I can go along tomorrow in case Buddy is afraid of the ride. But considering how things really are between us, maybe it’d be better if I waited for you in the car instead of going into the clinic.”

He tipped his head just a little, noting how Buddy rested against her. “How are things between us?”

Being honest, Natalie said, “New.”

“We’ve known each other for a while now.”

“In bed, yes.”

He countered that by saying, “In every intimate way possible.”

Oh God, if he talked about all that they’d done together, she’d start to feel it, too.

Her entire body flushed under the impact of Jett’s potent gaze. But then Buddy rested his chin on her shoulder and let out a loud doggy sigh. Absently, Natalie cuddled him. She hadn’t known that holding a pet provided so much pleasurable warmth and affection. Against her cheek, his fur was warm and soft, his whiskers tickling.

Without looking at Jett, she said, “Everything is different now that we’re…shifting the way we spend time together.”

The seconds ticked by and she couldn’t take it. Feeling Jett’s unnerving stare, she glanced up.

Very slowly, he left his seat and came to her.

He cupped her face. “You don’t come from a big family, so you don’t know how this works.”

“How what works?”

“I guarantee you that right now Connie is on the phone with one of my other sisters, and between them, they’ll make sure the whole family knows about you within minutes.”

That idea staggered her. Why would they care? She was far from the first woman Jett had ever dated, and she knew she wouldn’t be the last. He had more experience than most ten men combined. Knowing what she did about him now, about his edgy career choices and daring lifestyle, only emphasized the differences in their lives.

So why introduce her to his family?

The idea almost panicked her. She knew zip about big families. As a teacher, she met parents on a purely professional basis. As a daughter, what she knew of parents was laughable. She and Molly were close, but it wasn’t like in most families.

Most families didn’t include one parent gone and the other…uncaring.

Natalie squeezed the dog tighter. “You told Connie not to alert them!”

Concerned, Jett rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks and said with a strange sort of apology, “She will anyway.”

“But…” Natalie shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Jett’s gaze stayed steady on her face. “Natalie…”

Time to quit while she was ahead.

Bending down, Natalie put Buddy back on the floor. He’d been totally limp against her, utterly relaxed, and now he looked startled, filling her with guilt.

He bounced his gaze back and forth between them with trepidation.

Jett said to him, “It’s okay, Buddy.”

And just like that, he dropped his butt down to sit.

Bemused, Natalie let out a breath. “You’ve cast a spell on him or something.” Many times she had wondered why Jett, and Jett alone, could draw such strong reactions from her, getting her to do things normally considered uncharacteristic to her nature, making her feel things she hadn’t known were possible. Now she had evidence that he possessed some strange power.

He tipped her face up to his. “About tomorrow—”

Oh no. She could not discuss this with him right now. She mustered up a cheerful expression. “How long will it take us to get to your sister’s clinic?”

The heat of his frustration beat against her. “Fifteen minutes or so.”

“I’ll be ready in plenty of time.” She forced a yawn. “But for now, I’m exhausted. It’ll be a long day tomorrow, and I need to finish getting a few things together. I still have to shower, too. And I absolutely have to reach my sister before I go.”

“Shh.” Jett kissed her, and somehow, after all they’d done, this kiss felt different.

Sweeter.

More…loving.

No. No, no, no. Natalie pushed back from him, alarmed, afraid. She could not let herself be convinced of a depth of emotion that probably didn’t exist. Jett wanted to spend more time with her. Fine. She could do that.

But simple dating rituals did not equal love.

Before he could say anything more, she started for the door. Buddy jumped up and stared after her. Jett tracked her with a frown.

She blocked both expressions of appeal, determined to escape. When she didn’t slow, Buddy plopped down on his butt and whined. Jett put his fists on his hips.

Forcing a smile, Natalie said, “Good night. I’ll see you both bright and early tomorrow morning.”

And as she went out the door, both males gave her identical expressions—of deep disappointment.

A LONG HOT SHOWER did little to help focus Natalie’s jumbled thoughts and conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she was thrilled at the idea of expanding her relationship with Jett; on the other, the thought of setting herself up for heartbreak absolutely terrified her.

No, Jett wouldn’t deliberately mislead her. Any hurt feelings or damaged pride would be her fault, not his. He hadn’t asked her to commit to him. He only wanted to traditionalize their time together. He wanted them to date.

Nothing misleading in that.

But to have to meet his family, too? She shuddered at the thought. Meeting them would imply a sort of emotional intimacy that, to her knowledge, didn’t exist for…him.

For her part, knowing him better only sharpened the ache in her heart.

With Jett so wonderful, his family had to be pretty great too. What did she know of interacting with family? Nada. Well, except for Molly—whom she couldn’t reach, damn it.

Where was her sister?

She glanced at the clock, but it wasn’t so late that she couldn’t indulge in a quick phone call. She called her stepmother first, but that was a dead end. Kathi claimed to have no idea where Molly had “gotten off to” and she didn’t share Natalie’s concern.

“She’s probably doing a book signing or touring or something.”

Natalie shook her head. “She always tells me first.”

Impatient, Kathi laughed. “Don’t be absurd, Natalie. Your sister is a grown woman, not a child, and she doesn’t have to account for her every moment, not even to you.”

Natalie rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t saying—”

“You know how Molly is. When she gets involved in research, she often forgets everything and everyone else.”

With you and Father, Natalie wanted to say, but she held back the snarky reply. Molly worked hard to maintain a relationship with their father because she still cared about those familial ties.

Natalie didn’t really give a flip one way or the other.

Striving for a polite tone, she said, “Could you ask Father if maybe he’s heard anything—”

“Not tonight I won’t.” Kathi laughed again in a wholly condescending way. “Natalie, dear, it’s late and you know that your father is far too busy to be bothered with this sort of nonsense.”

“But Dad might know something.”

“I’ll mention it to Bishop in the morning and if he does, I’ll call you. But really, stop panicking.”

Through her teeth, Natalie said, “I am not panicked. I am concerned.”

Kathi let out a sigh. “With you, it’s hard to tell the difference. Just give your sister a few days before you start bothering Bishop or anyone else. Now I really must go. Good night, dear.”

And with that, Kathi hung up. Natalie growled at the dead phone. No, she didn’t dislike Kathi just because she’d married her father, or because her father hadn’t mourned her mother’s death for long, or because Kathi had effectively distanced her even more from her father.

She disliked Kathi because she was a sanctimonious, uppity, judgmental bitch.

And because, given those traits, she was the perfect woman to be Bishop Alexander’s wife.

Making a face, Natalie decided on a long shot and called Molly’s ex-fiancé, Adrian.

Being that Adrian ran a bar, this was normal business hours for him. His bartender answered and put her through to Adrian’s office.

Surprise sounded in his tone. “Natalie?”

God, how Natalie despised Adrian Wiseman. From the very beginning, she’d known that he wasn’t good enough for her sister. It had taken Molly a while to realize it, unfortunately. “Hello, Adrian. I’m sorry to bother you.”

Cautiously, because Adrian held out hope of getting back with Molly, he said, “It’s fine, fine. What’s up?”

“I haven’t been able to reach Molly. She’s not answering her calls, and…you know how close we are.”

Unlike Kathi, Adrian accepted that. “Yes, I do.” A new alertness entered his tone. “You’re worried?”

“Getting there, yes. Tomorrow I’m leaving for a spring-break vacation, but I hate to go without talking to Molly first.”

He cleared his throat. “Ah…you do realize that we’re no longer engaged?”

Dolt. “Like I said, Molly and I are close.” And she’d cheered for Molly during the breakup. Never, not for a single second, had she ever considered Adrian good enough for her sister. He was an opportunist who saw dollar signs when he looked at Molly, not only because of their father’s wealth but because of Molly’s fast-growing fame as a bestselling novelist.

“Right.” Annoyance sharpened Adrian’s tone. “So then you’re calling me…why?”

Natalie sighed. “Just a long shot, I guess. I didn’t know who else to ask. It’s not like her to take off without telling me first.”

A heavy pause strained her patience, and then Adrian drew all the wrong conclusions. “You think she might be having regrets?”

“What? No!”

Adrian didn’t seem to hear her. “Maybe she’s off by herself, rethinking her position, maybe…missing me.”

Oh, good grief. “Not likely, Adrian. I thought you might have talked to her, though, and since you haven’t, I’ll let you go.”

“I’ll call her too,” he rushed to say. “If I get hold of her, I’ll let her know that you’re concerned.”

Lovely. Now Molly would strangle her. “That’s okay. I’m sure Kathi’s right and Molly is just off researching something. You know her research sometimes takes her to obscure places. Maybe she doesn’t have cell reception or something.” Natalie rushed through her words, but she wanted off the phone before she said anything else to encourage Adrian. “Gotta go. Take care, Adrian. Bye-bye.”

Adrian was in midsentence when she hung up on him, and she winced in guilt. She’d ended up doing the same as Kathi!

Without her sister to talk to, Natalie accepted that she had no one.

Except Jett.

But she couldn’t do that to him. In almost every way, Jett was the ideal bachelor. He had the job he wanted, the hours he wanted, the freedom he wanted.

He was good at being single, and he was great at winning female attention. She had to remember that at all times.

So what to do?

It took a few deep breaths for her to make up her mind. Men like Adrian were a dime a dozen; she and her sister had both had their share of shrugging off the jerks, the users, the fakes and phonies. But a man like Jett?

One in a million.

And he wanted her.

She’d be a fool not to take everything he offered, and if that meant navigating the uncomfortable social scene, or even meeting his family, so be it.

With her mind made up, Natalie went to the living room where she had everything she’d need for the trip piled up by the door. One tote bag held her beauty supplies—makeup, hair brushes, lotion and the like. She had her laptop case and her camera. Another bag held a few snacks for the road. Yes, she liked to stop often on the long drive, but she also liked to munch while driving.

She dragged her sparsely packed suitcase back to her bedroom, plopped it up on the bed and opened it. Now that Jett would be joining her, she needed to exchange her warm, practical thermal pajamas for something more appealing. After she’d loaded in a thin nightgown, some sexy panties and a negligee she’d never had reason to wear, she closed up the suitcase and put it at the end of the bed.

Standing there in the dim, silent bedroom, alive with expectation for the coming week, Natalie detected the sound of an engine in the parking area.

She was ridiculously attuned to Jett, so she easily distinguished the distinct sound of his SUV. Wherever had he been?

Knowing she’d have a better view of the lot from her dining room, she left her bedroom and went to the patio doors to peek out the curtains. Sure enough, Jett parked his shiny black SUV, and his headlights went dark.

Puzzled, Natalie stood there, wondering where he’d gone and why. For her, it was late, but then she kept a school teacher’s hours. Being late March, it still got dark early, and even worse, wind whistled and tree branches bent beneath a gathering storm.

But as a bachelor, Jett often went out late. Before they’d gotten sexually involved, he’d sometimes come home in the wee hours of the morning. Natalie frowned as she watched him open the driver’s door and step out. Thanks to the well-lit parking area, she saw him heft an overflowing bag into one arm. Beneath his other arm he carried a big padded item—and she realized it was a doggy bed.

Struck by his caring, she bit her bottom lip.

The cold wind blew Jett’s dark hair into his face and parted his unzipped jacket, but he didn’t rush. He lifted Buddy from the vehicle and set him on the ground. Buddy now wore a collar attached to a leash that Jett had wrapped around his wrist.

Natalie squinted at the bags he carried. She could just make out a dog dish and a giant chew bone on the top of the stuffed bag.

He’d gone shopping for Buddy.

Ahhhhh….

She put a hand to her mouth and tried to fight back the emotions—without success. Knowing what he’d done, and that he probably thought nothing of it, left her staggered by his bighearted nature.

That damned emotion swelled even more, choking her, making her feel both hot and soft. They’d both put in a full day, the weather was turning nasty, and still Jett had gone out of his way to make Buddy comfortable.

Natalie’s quickened breathing fogged against the icy window. She rested her forehead there, but it did nothing to cool her.

She couldn’t wait to get to Tennessee tomorrow. It wouldn’t be summer-warm, but it should be milder than the brisk Ohio weather, especially now with a storm blowing in. She and Jett would be all alone together. She anticipated all the things she’d missed in life, like quiet meals together, maybe a few joint showers, walks in the woods with Buddy, talking, exploring and…growing closer.

When Jett glanced up at her window, Natalie ducked away. With her apartment dark he wouldn’t be able to see her anyway, but she didn’t want to take a chance. At the same time, she liked it that he’d glanced toward her place, because she always glanced toward his.

And sometimes she saw him in his window, as if he, too, could recognize the sound of her arrival.

It occurred to her that Buddy looked not the least traumatized by the trip in the car, which negated her need to go along with Jett in the morning. But she wanted to go anyway. He’d invited her, the dog was half hers and…she wanted to spend every minute with Jett that she could.

Not that she’d start making assumptions. No. Even if it killed her, she would make this a no-pressure relationship for him. Somehow she would adapt to the social standards of casual dating.

An hour later, despite the pep talk she’d given herself, Natalie went to bed thinking about things she shouldn’t, things like a lasting romance, a future and a happily ever after—with Jett.

CHAPTER SIX

NATALIE FUMED IN SILENCE.

For over an hour now they’d been on the road to Tennessee, and she was still rattled. After Jett had loaded all of Buddy’s new belongings into the back of his SUV, he’d carried out her bags while she did her best to urge Buddy back into the vehicle.

He may have been fine leaving the vehicle last night, but he was not so keen about getting back into it. In fact, he’d behaved as though she wanted to drag him to his death.

How Jett had managed the night before, on his own, Natalie had no idea.

Finally, after much effort, cajoling and insisting, she had gotten Buddy into the SUV and they’d arrived at Connie’s veterinarian clinic bright and early with a fractious, frightened Buddy in tow.

Jett, damn him, hadn’t seemed the least bit surprised to find all three of his sisters there. He’d merely shaken his head in fond exasperation while the women wore various expressions of curiosity and offered up differing excuses for the early morning visit, none of them viable or believable.

They were there to meet her, and Natalie knew it.

Feeling shanghaied and on display, she’d stood there, self-conscious and out of her element, watching them in awe. They were the most boisterous, outrageous, out-spoken and lovely women she’d ever met.

All laughing and talking at once, the sisters had taken turns hugging Jett, and much to Buddy’s delight, they doted on him as if he were the most special dog ever.

The family resemblance between brother and sisters was strong; the woman all had eyes as dark as Jett’s, but lighter and much longer brown hair. While they were tall, between five-eight and five-ten, they weren’t as tall as Jett. And where Jett was all man, the sisters were ultrafeminine, but no one could deny the similarities in features.

Their open affection and bold teasing had rendered Natalie mute and she’d remained in the doorway like a dolt. She and Molly were close, and sometimes when alone together they would crack up for one reason or another. But this…this demonstrative display was very new to her.

Her father and her stepmother would be appalled by such an animated show of emotion.

Somewhere deep down inside herself, Natalie wished she could be a part of it all. It seemed very natural the way they teased each other, touched and laughed.

Only after harassing their brother wore thin did the sisters finally peer at Natalie with unabashed interest.

Putting his arm around her, Jett had pulled her forward and gone through rather formal introductions.

Connie smiled hugely and, while staring at Natalie, said to her brother, “’Bout damn time.”

When he only hugged her closer, Heidi said, “Good grief, Jett, I barely recognize you in territorial mode, but I like the new you!”

And the youngest sister, Betts, had propped her hands on her slim hips. “So she’s the reason you ran me off the other day, hmm?” She’d eyed Natalie critically until Jett growled at her, and then she’d laughed loudly, elbowed the closest sister and said, “Okay, I get it.”

Confused, Natalie asked, “Get what?”

But instead of an answer, she got a giant hug from Betts.

While squeezing Natalie tight, Betts said to Jett, “Since you brought her here, you’re off the hook.”

Heidi grinned. “I’d say he’s totally redeemed himself.”

Not long after that, Connie had scooped up Buddy and headed off into a back room with him. Since Jett had the leash around his wrist, he went along to help.

Natalie attempted to follow, but the remaining two sisters intercepted her. As if trying to learn all they could in a short span of time, they fired casual and friendly questions at her. They asked about her work, her hobbies, even her vacation, but they never once crossed the line into prying. Apparently they saved that for Jett.

After remarks about the cooling weather, the talents of teachers, lakes, dogs and other mundane topics, Heidi remarked about Natalie’s “beautiful” hair. Ill at ease, Natalie tucked a springy curl behind her ear. Her stepmother had always described her wildly curly hair in none-too-flattering terms. She’d grown accustomed to hearing that she looked tawdry, unkempt, cheap and tangled.

As yet, Natalie wasn’t used to flattery from Jett, and now she heard it from his sisters, too.

Heat flooded her face as she stammered her thanks. “You’re very kind.”

Waving that off, Betts started a new thread on how sweet it was for Natalie to take Buddy along on her vacation. “You’ve changed his entire life. Dogs are meant to be part of a family, not alone on the street. It’s fantastic that you’re including him like this.”

More heat scalded her neck. “Jett’s the one who first thought to keep him. I’m not really used to animals—”

“You’ll be great. I can tell.” She brushed her hand along Natalie’s arm, disturbing clinging dog fur from her sweater. Grinning, Betts said, “Looks like he’s already breaking you in.”

“And I don’t hear you complaining,” Heidi added with a wide smile. “I like a woman who doesn’t get all fussy over the little things. Shows you’re a natural with pets.”

The inane chitchat and unending good humor wore on Natalie. “I hope so. But I’m glad I’ll have Jett to help me get acclimated.”

Both women grinned hugely. “Oh, you definitely have him,” Betts said, again poking her elbow at her sister. Heidi chuckled in agreement.

Just when Natalie thought she’d expire from awkwardness, Jett stuck his head out of the back room. He looked at Natalie’s drawn expression and then scowled at his siblings.

Having no real clue what had transpired, he said to them, “Mind your own business,” and then he held out a hand to Natalie. “Come on in. You can help us with Buddy.”

But the sisters didn’t take Jett’s comment to heart. If they did, they wouldn’t have followed her into the back room and turned Buddy’s appointment into a family affair.

There was laughter, warmth and jokes aplenty.

It would have been wonderful—only Natalie wasn’t family, didn’t know anything about family and had no idea how to take part in the camaraderie they all shared. It wasn’t that they excluded her, only that she didn’t know where or how to jump in. She answered questions directed at her, laughed quietly at the humor and watched it all in yearning.

She and Jett were at the clinic for almost two hours.

Two hours that felt like ten and left her starkly aware of the vast differences in the components of her family and Jett’s.

Not once since they’d gotten on the road had Jett mentioned his family, why they’d all been there waiting, what they had wanted or what he thought about it.

Now, after so much silence, Natalie felt strained to the breaking point. She glanced at Buddy, well-groomed and worn out, settled in his cushy bed on the floor between the seats in the back of the SUV, gnawing on a giant chew bone. He’d really been worked over with a flea bath, shots, ear cleaning, nail trimming, tests for parasites, a good brushing and various other things that had all combined to make him forget his displeasure with riding.

Without the dog’s anxiety to occupy her, Natalie had no way to distract her turbulent thoughts.

Trying for subtlety, she shifted her gaze to Jett’s profile.

She wasn’t subtle enough.

“All right.” While still appearing very pleased about something, Jett gave her a quick telling look. “Out with it.”

“It?”

“You’ve been over there stewing about something.” He flipped on the wipers to counter the growing accumulation of fat snowflakes on the windshield. “After the onslaught of my loony sisters, I wanted to give you some time, but the silent treatment is making me nuts.”

Making him nuts? Fine, he wanted to talk about it? She’d talk about it. Natalie turned off the radio and folded her arms to glare at him. “Was that whole scene with your family familiar?”

Laughing, Jett cocked one brow. “In some ways, yeah. Real familiar. My sisters have always been lovable pains in my ass.” He grinned at her. “In other ways, hell no. That was about as atypical as it could get.”

She didn’t understand him. “How was it unfamiliar?”

“I’ve never seen my sisters so agog. It was downright hilarious. You probably don’t realize it, but they were trying hard to rein themselves in—without much success.” He reached over to brush the backs of his fingers across her cheek. “It was funny to see them tripping over themselves trying to make you feel welcome.”

So he didn’t always get those gibes when introducing a woman? Natalie didn’t want him to misunderstand. “They were very nice.”

“I’ll interpret that as your polite way of calling them overwhelming. But yeah, they are nice, honey.” In the distance, thickening snowfall turned the sky white. The dropping temps fogged the windshield, so Jett turned up the defroster. “I know they liked you.”

With that odd yearning still ablaze inside her, Natalie bit her lip. “They told you that?”

“I know my sisters. If they hadn’t liked you, I’d have heard all about it.” They passed a car that had slid off the road, with a police cruiser already on the scene. Jett scowled in concern.

A second later his car phone rang. He pushed a button on the bottom of the rearview mirror and Heidi said, “Hey, Jett.”

First thing, Jett said, “You’re on speakerphone, sis.”

Natalie narrowed her eyes at him. What did he think his sister would say? Something about her?

Heidi laughed at him. “Thanks for the warning. But no worries. I wasn’t going to embarrass you. I just wanted to check on you. The weather reports are showing some unexpected heavy snow. Not just Ohio, but Kentucky and Tennessee, too.”

“We’re seeing signs of it now.” He peered through the windshield. “Starting to look nasty.”

“Bummer. It’ll be terrible if you two ended up stranded, all alone together, in a cozy little cabin in the woods. Whatever will you do to pass the time?”

Laughing, Jett said, “I’m sure we’ll think of something.” Then he tacked on, “Brat.”

Heidi snickered. “I’m sure you can handle snowy road conditions, Jett. I have complete confidence in you. But why don’t you check in every so often anyway, just to keep us from worrying?”

“You’re going to worry no matter what, but sure, I’ll let you know when we get settled.”

“Thanks. You know I love you bunches.”

As Jett said, “Back atcha,” his gentle, easy smile tugged at Natalie’s heart.

“Give Natalie a smooch from me.”

“Goodbye, Heidi.” Grinning, Jett disconnected the call on her enthusiastic farewell.

His love for his sisters couldn’t be more apparent, and obviously they felt the same. But it boggled Natalie’s mind that they’d fret over him. Jett was six-plus feet of solid, capable and in many ways lethal male.

Other than Molly, no one had ever really worried about her. And now she couldn’t reach Molly.

Jett reached for her hand. “C’mon, Natalie. Don’t look like that. You’ll get used to my sisters being mother hens. It’s just their way.”

Would she be with him long enough to get used to it? She snuffed that thought real fast. “I don’t mind. I think it’s sort of…endearing, how close you all are.”

That seemed to bother him. “Speaking of sisters…” He glanced at her. “Did you ever get hold of yours?”

Natalie shook her head. “She’s still not answering her phone, so I emailed her this morning. Hopefully by the time we get to the cabin she’ll have replied.”

His hand squeezed hers. “You’re a little scared for her, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know.” Logic told her that Molly was just involved with her fast-growing career. “She has a movie deal in the works, and deadlines and research, so I know she’s busy.”

“But not too busy for her sister.”

She frowned, because Jett had just pinpointed her problem: she was hurt. “It’s not like her to stay out of touch like this.” Then she half laughed at herself. “I sound ridiculous, don’t I? My stepmother said so, and she didn’t even want to bother my dad with it. But I can’t help thinking that something might be wrong.”

“Not ridiculous at all. You’re her sister, and sisters have a way of sensing these things. Did you want me to check into it?”

Natalie’s brows shot up in a mix of indignation and curiosity. “Are you offering to investigate my sister?”

Jett shrugged. “I could probably figure out where she went, where she’s been—”

“No.” Molly wouldn’t appreciate anyone snooping through her personal life. But then, because her worry felt real, Natalie added, “At least, not yet. I’ll give her a few more days and hopefully it’ll become a moot point.”

“Fair enough.” Jett kissed her knuckles and released her hand. “But I don’t want to see you worry. So when you’re ready, let me know and I’ll find out what I can.”

Not only did Jett understand her concern, he was willing to help. And with that, he stole another little piece of her heart.

“Look at that sky,” Jett told her. “The snow’s turning to frozen slush.” Everyone now drove well below the speed limit, and still cars were slipping left and right.

Ice stuck to the wipers, interfering with visibility. Just then, they passed a mild wreck involving two cars that had collided with each other. It didn’t amount to much more than a fender bender. But less than half a mile from there they saw a car flipped into the gully, with three other cars stopped nearby to help.

Jett said, “Shit,” and leaned a little closer to the steering wheel.

Natalie twisted to look out the window, stunned that the weather had changed so drastically. “Looks like your sister had good reason to call. It’s really coming down out there.”

“The last weather report I heard said a storm, but I wasn’t expecting this.” He concentrated on the road. The accumulated snow had been pushed aside by the traffic and narrowed the lanes. “We’re not sliding, but it looks like a lot of other cars are.”

“Maybe I should turn on the radio to check the updated weather reports?”

“Yeah. I’d like to know if we’re driving into or out of the worst of it.”

Natalie switched around the stations until she found the news. It wasn’t good. The storm was proving worse than weathermen had predicted and since ice had joined the snow, many smaller roads were already shut down and the interstates were fast becoming congested. Unfortunately, it would be both behind them and ahead of them.

They listened to the weatherman intone the news with ominous warnings.

“Over three inches have already accumulated throughout Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee with up to nine inches now expected. Slick road conditions are being blamed for numerous reports of car wrecks. All along Interstate 75 and 71, cars and trucks are off the road with a few serious accidents that have required air support. The mixture of ice and snow should be considered hazardous. Many areas are under a level-three snow emergency. If you don’t have to be on the road, stay home.”

Natalie frowned at the admonition. She turned to look out the rear window but couldn’t see far with the snowfall so thick. “I guess there’s no point in turning around?”

Jett glanced at the odometer and shook his head. “We should be about halfway there.” He turned the defroster up even more. “At this point going back wouldn’t be any easier than going on.”

Guilt assailed her. It was because of her plans that they were now out on the road in a possibly hazardous situation. She stared at Jett’s frowning profile. “I didn’t hear anything about a snowstorm.”

He met her gaze for only an instant and then said with feeling, “As I recall, weather reports held little interest for us last night.”

If the heat in his words wasn’t enough to scorch her, the memory of what they’d done certainly was. Natalie stared at him, remembering everything.

Voice low, Jett said, “Babe, when you look at me like that, I feel like I’m already inside you.”

Oh Lord. And now she felt it too. She tightened her thighs. “Whether we heard the news or not probably wouldn’t have mattered. They’re saying it wasn’t expected to be this bad.”

Jett shifted, cleared his throat and allowed her the change of topic. “It’s a little snow—no big deal. Don’t worry about it.”

“Hopefully as we get farther south, it’ll lighten up.”

“Maybe.” He stretched out his left leg, shifting again. “If things start to get too dicey, we might have to stop at a different hotel along the way. You okay with that?”

“Jett, I’m fine with whatever we need to do. Really. But it might be difficult finding a hotel that accepts pets.”

“We’ll see.”

She reached over to touch his biceps. “Your leg is hurting.”

His brows came down and again he glanced at her. “I’m fine.”

The cross way he said it let her know that he was touchy on the subject. “Why don’t you let me drive for a while?”

“Not necessary.” He eyed an exit, but it was buried in snow, nearly invisible.

As he passed it, Natalie scowled. “You don’t trust me to drive?”

“I trust you plenty.” His hands flexed on the wheel. “But I’m driving.”

Exasperated, Natalie let out a breath. “Your leg is bothering you, I can tell. You don’t have to be so macho about it.”

“Macho?” He snorted. “It’s not my leg bothering me, honey. It’s a boner.”

“Oh.” Natalie looked at his lap, saw the truth of his words, and elation rolled over her. Even now, in these less-than-ideal circumstances, Jett wanted her. She was so pleased by that, she couldn’t help but chuckle. “I see.” She started to ask him what she could do to help, but Jett cut her off.

“A change of topic is in order.” He shifted again. “Did my sisters grill you? I sort of got caught up in caring for Buddy and didn’t really think about leaving you alone with them in the outer room.”

Given that his leg wasn’t the reason for his restlessness, Natalie decided to let him off the hook about having her drive. After all, they really had nowhere to pull over to make a switch anyway. “We talked, but they weren’t intrusive.” She wouldn’t tell him how the women had complimented her. “In fact, they were very kind.”

“I want you for more than convenience, and they know it. Of course they were kind.”

Natalie bit her lip at that. Was that how Jett saw most women, as “convenient”? Normally she’d be up in arms on behalf of her sex, but this time, more pressing thoughts took precedence.

How could Jett possibly expect to keep things casual if he involved his entire family this way? Being too direct left Natalie’s stomach jumpy, but she had to know, so she mentally braced herself, then asked, “How much more?”

His expression sharpened, turned a little grim. Keeping his gaze focused on the slick road ahead, he said, “Now there’s the million-dollar question, huh? Especially considering that I had to twist your arm to get anything more at all.”

Talk about evasive answers. Well, Natalie refused to put him on the spot. “I have a suggestion.”

He speared her with a glare then cursed as the car in front of them fishtailed before regaining control. He held the wheel a little tighter. “I’d love to hear it. Shoot.”

“I say we don’t get too serious. We both want to have fun, for now…for as long as it lasts.”

JETT SQUEEZED THE WHEEL HARD. For as long as it lasts. Those carefree words pounded through his brain. Her sentiments mirrored his, because he really didn’t know where their relationship was headed, or even where he wanted it to head.

But he did know that once he’d introduced her to his family, things would be trickier. He couldn’t even claim that he’d been surprised by his siblings’ attendance at the vet clinic. He’d known that Natalie would have them all there. It was a wonder his mom and dad hadn’t shown up too.

For years, his family had been on him about settling down. It was payback for all the times he’d played big brother, running off guys he considered not good enough.

But regardless of his siblings’ acceptance of Natalie, he still felt free to make up his own mind about their future, free to guide things as he saw fit. Every woman he’d ever dated had wanted more from him, and he’d been the one calling the shots, keeping things casual.

Not Natalie. She left him feeling indecisive and antagonistic and provoked by her lack of interest. Hell, she looked at him and he got hard—and how did that affect her?

She laughed.

Before he could think of a reply to give her, a small car a few yards ahead of him started sliding again, and this time it didn’t recover.

“Damn it.” Jett did some fancy driving to avoid getting caught as the car swung wildly one way and then swung the other way before going off the road and into the sloping area between the southbound and northbound lanes. It stopped hard, sending up a spray of snow and ice.

Glad that he’d kept so much distance between him and the other drivers, Jett slowed even more.

“Oh my God!” Natalie leaned toward him to look out the driver’s door window.

Jett didn’t want to take his gaze off the road. “Driver okay?”

“Looks like.” Natalie settled back into her seat. Sounding shaken, she said, “I saw a couple of people in the front seat, and the passenger was already on the phone.”

Good. They’d be fine—not that he would have endangered Natalie by stopping on the treacherous road anyway. “Cops are patrolling. Someone will be along soon to…” His words trailed off as they both noticed a semi, bent in half, on its side in the gully. The trailer had spilled its load, and now boxes were everywhere.

“This is nuts.” Natalie put her hands to her face. “I’ve never seen so many wrecks.”

She no sooner said it than a truck zipped past them at a much higher speed. Jett made a sound of disgust. “I have a feeling we’re going to see a whole lot more too, since some drivers don’t have enough sense to slow down.”

Over the next hour they did indeed see more cars and trucks off the road. And at one exit they even saw an ambulance overturned. The police were out in force, but already they’d spotted at least two cruisers also off the road.

Natalie seemed so concerned, Jett went out of his way to keep her occupied. Together, they sang along with an older song on the radio. He shared a few ribald jokes with her that had her both blushing and laughing out loud. Buddy took turns sleeping, leaning over the seat to lick Natalie’s ear and gnawing on his chew toys and bones.

Jett told her more about his family, and she told him more about her sister’s writing career, especially the movie deal in the works.

They went through some of the snacks they’d brought along, so neither of them was overly hungry. They enjoyed a comfortable familiarity, making slow but steady progress toward the cabin. All in all, it was a pleasant trip despite the weather hazards.

And then Buddy stopped being patient. He decided he needed a break and he needed it now.

Natalie did what she could to calm the dog, but he was not only unused to riding in cars, he wasn’t used to holding it either. He paced the space available to him, howled and put his paws up against the doors and the back of the seats.

He became so frantic that Natalie looked ready to cry over his upset.

“He’s all right, Natalie.”

“He doesn’t understand.” And then, “What if he goes in your car?”

Jett shrugged. “Then I guess I’ll be cleaning it. Just keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t aim for the luggage.”

She went mute before snickering.

“What?”

“Ohmigod, can you imagine if that happened?”

Jett grinned. “If it did, we’d be doing laundry right off. Either way, it wouldn’t be all that tragic.” He felt bad for Buddy too, but at the same time, he appreciated Natalie’s empathy, how hard she worked at trying to soothe Buddy.

Seconds later, good fortune shone on them. “I think I see a clear exit. We can get some food and gas too, but I don’t see any signs for lodging.” He heard her cooing to Buddy, promising him relief, and Jett smiled. “I’m guessing you could use the break, too?”

“Are you kidding? I needed to go hours ago.”

Jett carefully veered off on the slick exit. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“What could you do about it? Nothing. You had your hands full just keeping us on the road.”

Sensible, considerate, sexy Natalie. Every second with her deepened his feelings.

Jett shook his head and made it off the highway, but just barely. The one and only gas station he saw, attached to a small store of supplies, had a sign offering hot dogs and coffee.

“I’ll pull up close to the building to let you out under the overhang, then I’ll drive Buddy over to that semi-clear spot behind that big metal garbage bin. Wait inside for me, okay? When Buddy’s done, I’ll pull back up front and you can wait with him while I run in.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

He noticed that Natalie had her knees together and bit back another grin. If he’d known things were so dire for her, he could have figured out something. What, he didn’t know, but he could be resourceful when it came to her comfort. Pretty soon, if everything went as he planned, she’d be comfortable enough with him to tell him everything she needed, even outside the bedroom.

Buddy again worried that he was being dumped, so Jett had to take extra time to convince him otherwise. He had to crouch down by the dog as Buddy did his business in ten different locations. All the while, Jett talked to him, rubbed his ear or scratched his back.

By the time Buddy finished and Jett had the gas tank refilled, his own situation was critical. His jeans now snow-covered up to his knees, his ears and nose red from the cold, Jett again pulled up in front of the gas station.

Natalie had her arms laden with hot dogs, chips and colas. While he stowed the food on the floor of the front seat, she crawled over the seat into the back to dig out food and water for Buddy. The dog hadn’t yet learned manners and he made a mess, and a racket, refilling his belly.

Shaking his head, Jett told her, “Be right back.”

He left the SUV running to keep her warm but locked the doors on his way out. After he finished inside, he asked the cashier about weather reports. Unfortunately, it sounded as if road crews couldn’t keep up with the downfall and shops were closing early so workers could avoid being stranded.

When Jett got back out to the SUV, he found Natalie looking dazed. He used the remote to unlock his door and got behind the wheel, relieved that she’d forgotten all about taking a turn driving. No way in hell would he let her behind the wheel. He did trust her driving ability, but she was far jumpier than him.

He frowned at her expression. “What is it, honey? You okay?”

She had her fingertips pressed to her temples and her eyes closed. Jett touched her chin to bring her face around to his.

“Natalie? What is it?”

She groaned as if in pain then covered her face. “I feel like such an idiot.”

He had no idea why but said, “Not even close.” Catching her wrists, he pulled down her hands. “Why do you say that?”

Avoiding his gaze, she let out a long shaky breath. “I don’t have my suitcase.”

Jett pulled back. “How?” He’d carried out everything she had by the door—and it was plenty. “I know I put all your stuff in the back. I even double-checked to make sure I didn’t leave anything behind.”

“You didn’t.” She flicked a look at him. “Last night I’d carried my suitcase back into my bedroom to switch out a few things.”

“What things?”

“Pajamas that were…nicer.” She rolled her eyes. “Since you were coming along with me.”

Ah. He opened his hand on the side of her face then bent to see her eyes. “Nicer, as in sexier?”

“Yes.”

Well, damn. Sorry that he’d miss it, Jett stroked her cheek with his thumb. So damn soft. “You left it in your bedroom?”

She nodded miserably.

He tried not to smile at her woebegone expression. “Honey, when you’re sleeping with me, you won’t need pajamas of any kind, I promise.”

“I get cold at night—” She held up a hand, anticipating his claim that he’d keep her warm. “Seriously, Jett. I’m not at all comfortable with the idea of sleeping in the…”

“Raw?” Hell, just talking about it was stirring him. Again.

Her shoulders drooped. “The only clothes I have with me are the ones I’m wearing.”

“Doesn’t sound like a major problem from my end.” He pulled her closer. “I wouldn’t mind keeping you naked for the entire vacation. In fact, that sounds like one hell of a plan to me.”

She groaned. “I’m serious, Jett.”

“All right, sorry.” He could understand why she was upset, especially after the grueling day fighting the weather. “We’ll stop somewhere and you can pick up some stuff.”

“Of course we won’t.” She shook her head in resignation. “It’s already getting dark and the roads are terrible. If we finally make it to the stupid cabin, the last thing I’ll expect to do is shop.”

Trying to bite back his smile, Jett said, “I have extra boxers you can borrow.”

She swatted at him. “It’s not funny.”

“Funny, no. But I promise, you being naked will definitely be fun—for both of us.”

“You’re incorrigible.” She swatted him again. “I can’t spend all my time naked—and no, don’t insist that I can.”

He caught her hands and pulled her close for a kiss that made him forget all about the stupid weather. “Until the weather clears enough for us to shop, you can sleep in one of my shirts. It’ll fit you like a nightgown anyway.”

“That’ll help, thank you.” She rubbed at her forehead. “But God, this entire trip has been snakebit from the start.”

Including his companionship? He let out a breath and touched her downy cheek. He loved the feel of her skin, so warm and fundamentally female. “Why don’t you think of it as an adventure?” He went one further, saying without much thought, “Years from now, we’ll be laughing about it.”

The minute the words left his mouth, she stared at him. Jett stared back. Hell, he hadn’t actually meant to say that—but yeah, he could see them on a couch together, reminiscing about the trip from hell.

Even as they sat there, both of them uncertain what to say next, the gas station lights went off. Drawn from profound introspection, Jett turned his head and watched as the lone cashier locked up the place then went to a truck and carefully pulled out of the lot.

“Looks like we got refueled just in time.”

Buddy hung his head over the seat, his nose almost touching Natalie’s ear. His dour mood reflected hers. Every so often his ears lifted as if he hoped to hear something encouraging.

Natalie’s big brown eyes held a lot of uncertainty. And then her phone beeped. She jerked as if pulled from a daze. Scrambling, she located it in her purse and opened it.

“Getting reception now?”

She shook her head. “No, but I did get a message. I guess they can come through even when the calls won’t.”

“From your sister?” That would cheer her up.

“No.” She bit her bottom lip then groaned with dread. “It’s from the manager at the cabin rental.”

Now what? Jett wondered. He watched her face as she perused the message, seeing her dejection grow. “Let me guess. We can’t get to the cabin.”

“He says the roads are impassable. The best we can do is try to find a hotel for the night and hope things are better tomorrow.” She looked out the window. “But how can they be? The roads to the cabin aren’t paved, they’re gravel, winding through the woods, up and down hills. That’s why I chose the place—because it’s remote and private.”

Damn it, Jett would not let her trip be ruined. He patted her thigh. “I guess we better look for a hotel room, then.”

“He said he’ll reimburse me the down payment on the cabin.” She chewed her bottom lip and finally looked at him. “Jett, I am so sorry you got stuck on this wasted trip.”

Stuck? His irritation sharpened because that wasn’t how he saw it. Sure, the travel was tense, Natalie more so. But they were together, and for him, that had made it more than worthwhile.

Now, he needed Natalie to admit the same.

CHAPTER SEVEN

JETT SAT BACK IN HIS SEAT and gave her a remote look. “Do you honestly think I’d have been happier sitting at home, knowing you were out here alone in this fucking mess?”

At his coarse language, her eyes widened and her jaw loosened. “Jett.”

He ignored her chastising tone. “You were going, Natalie. With or without me, right?” That alone still burned his ass. He’d have missed her, but she’d planned to be away from him with no qualms at all. “Well let me tell you something, lady, given this shit weather, I’m damned glad I’m here, too, even if you aren’t.”

“Jett.” This time she said his name more softly, still in reprimand. She searched his face. “You’re actually glad you’re here?”

“Damn right. At least this way I can see that you’re fine instead of wondering if you were one of the cars stranded off the road.”

Her expressive face filled with tender emotion. “I guess I hadn’t thought about how that might bother you.”

Of course she hadn’t, because she thought of their relationship in terms of sex and only sex. He narrowed his eyes. “I’ve actually enjoyed talking to you while we’re both wearing clothes.”

Her mouth twitched. “Is that so?”

Knowing he sounded a little unhinged, not at all like his usual self, Jett gave one sharp nod. “But I’m definitely looking forward to having you all alone tonight, too. All night.” His abdomen clenched at just the thought. “With or without pajamas, Natalie, I’ll be keeping you close enough to stay warm, I promise.”

Her lips lifted in a slight smile. “I’m looking forward to that, too.”

“Then how the hell can you think this is a wasted trip?” The more he tried to reach her, the more annoyed he got. Sometimes it felt as if he was fighting a losing battle. Only he refused to lose. Ever.

But especially with her.

“You’re right, and I’m sorry.” She touched his shoulder. “I’m very glad you’re here, please don’t doubt that. Except for worrying about a wreck, you’ve made the trip…fun.”

She took the wind out of his sails, leaving him scowling for no reason at all. “All right then.” Left with nothing else to say, Jett put the SUV in Drive and turned out of the parking lot.

As Natalie reached for the food on the floor, she fell silent, prompting him to additional nagging. Never in his life had he nagged, but now, he couldn’t seem to stop.

His jaw tightened. “You know, it’s damn frustrating how you do that.”

Surprised, she lifted her brows at him. “What’s that?”

“The way you disconnect from me.” It was dicey getting off the roads that hadn’t been cleared. Carefully, Jett veered onto the highway. “In bed, you’re always crystal clear. I know just what you want, when you want it.”

Giving him a heated perusal, she said, “I know.”

Her acknowledgement of their sexual compatibility kicked him in the gut, making his blood rush, his skin burn.

But damn it, he had to stay on track. “The thing is, out of bed you’re so damn complex. Half the time I can’t figure you out.”

Natalie tilted her head. “Maybe that’s because there’s nothing to figure out. My life is boring.”

“How can you say that? You’re the most fascinating woman I’ve ever met.” Every time she revealed another piece of herself, Jett somehow felt more whole, as if each step closer to her helped to fill up the empty places inside him.

He shook his head at that morbidly poetic thought; damn it, he did not have empty places. What bullshit.

“No way.”

“You’re kidding right?” How could she be so unaware of herself? “Look at you. You’re sexy as hell, but you don’t seem to know it. You burn me up in bed, but outside of bed you’re this perfect little teacher.”

Her brows came down as if that someone insulted her. “Perfect little teacher?”

Jett laughed. “So many contrasts with you.” Maybe that was it—the contrasts intrigued him. But… “I even enjoyed watching you interact with my family.”

She hesitated. “That was actually sort of scary.”

“Meeting my sisters?” Yeah, they were outgoing and often outrageous, but they weren’t bullies. “Why?”

Busying herself with arranging the food, Natalie spoke casually, maybe hoping he wouldn’t hear the gravity in her words. “Comparisons, I guess.”

Jett considered that. From what he’d learned, her family was the exact opposite of his. He had hoped the contrasts would show her how nice things could be. But maybe it hadn’t worked out like that. “Elaborate on that, will you?”

She took a drink of her cola and set his—with the straw inserted—in the cup holder. “I liked them. A lot. It was confusing but fun to be in the middle of the chaos your sisters create.”

Jett hadn’t considered things all that chaotic, not like when the whole clan got together. Holidays were especially nuts, but in a terrific way.

Natalie handed him his hot dog, and he ate it in two bites. She lifted his cola for him to take a drink then returned it to the cup holder.

As if they’d been coordinating this sort of thing for years, they worked in complete harmony. On a gut level, Jett had known that it would be like this with her. Hopefully this trip would convince her of the same.

But if he came on too strong, if he got too insistent, she’d bolt. He knew it. It was another of those contrasts he’d mentioned: she had no inhibitions in bed, but outside of sex, he’d never seen a woman so skittish of commitment.

Somewhere in her past, someone had hurt her.

Now, with the distant relationships of her family, she had few people to count on.

For at least the near future, he’d be by her side, protecting her, sharing with her, just being with her.

And with that thought in mind, Jett prompted, “The scary part?”

While gathering her thoughts, she fed him a chip. “Around our house, everything was always solemn and circumspect. After my mother left us, we usually only saw our father when he needed to lecture us on something or when his social affairs required that he trot out the sterling offspring.”

Jett felt sick at such an upbringing, but even more than that, the way she’d said her mother “left” them—not that she’d passed away but that she’d left—caused him concern.

“There were very few meals with my father,” Natalie told him, “but when he was there, it was silent. We were at the table to eat, not to joke, not to bother him. We had to show perfect manners.”

Yet she’d eaten pizza at his table with a stray dog under her feet. “That sucks.”

She lifted her hot dog in a salute. “For Dad, the idea of eating fast food in a car while traveling would be obscene.”

“Fuck it.” Fuck him. “I’m having a good time.”

Natalie laughed as she fed him another chip. “Me too.”

She didn’t realize he was dead serious. Bad weather and road conditions aside, he was finally getting her to open up. He’d brave hell for that, so what did icy roads matter?

“When we did see Dad at home, it was in passing, as he was on his way out to another appointment. Sometimes he’d be gone for days, even a week or more. He didn’t keep us apprised of his itinerary, but when he wasn’t around we just assumed he was off on business.”

“He sounds like an unfeeling prick.”

She laughed again, but this time there wasn’t much humor in the sound. “That about covers it.” Her laugh faded to a secret little smile.

Enjoying the sight of that, Jett asked, “What?”

“I was thinking of my sister.” She shook her head with the memory. “Dad’s library was one of the rooms off-limits to us, so of course, that’s where Molly liked to go. I told her I didn’t care about his stupid library, but the truth was, I didn’t dare go in there.”

Lethal rage put a stranglehold on Jett. “What would he have done if he’d found you there?”

Natalie stroked his arm in comfort. “He didn’t abuse us physically, Jett. Not ever. Dad’s idea of punishment was a threat to separate us.”

And since they had only each other, that threat would be worse than anything else. “Separate you how?”

“Boarding school, summer camp, things like that. Looking back, I realize those were idle threats because Dad never spent money on things like that for us. He says that he wanted us to grow up independent of his wealth and social standing. He wanted us to make our own way.”

“So you attended public school?”

“Yes. We aced classes and we were always well dressed, because anything less would have reflected on him. But the extracurricular stuff that helps you bond with peers, like band or dance or drama…no way. I think that’s why Molly turned to books.”

“As an escape?”

“Yes. And it turned out well since she’s now a very popular writer.”

Jett could hear the pride whenever Natalie talked of her sister, but he knew that Natalie must have been equally influenced by the conditions of her life. “Why’d you become a teacher?”

The defroster ran on high, and still it could barely keep the ice off the windshield. More and more cars and trucks were showing up in ditches and over the median. Buddy now treated them to the resonance of a doggy snore. The weather outside the SUV served to blanket them in a unique form of intimacy. Jett could almost hear his own heartbeat, and hers.

For only a moment she looked out the side window, but then she turned her gaze back to Jett, searching for understanding, for things he desperately wanted to give her.

“I always remembered how it felt,” she whispered. “All though school, I was different when I shouldn’t have been. Unlike the kids who had real issues, my life was charmed.”

Would she always be so hard on herself? “Your issues were real.”

Natalie shook her head, and her hands fisted. “Not really, not like the kid who’s being physically abused at home, or the child with a physical or mental deformity. Even compared to the kids who were just unpopular because they weren’t as pretty or as well-to-do as some of the others, I was better off.” She stared at Jett. “Kids can be so damn cruel, when being a kid is hard enough.”

That bothered Jett because for him, life had been pretty fantastic. He couldn’t remember ever being singled out for any unfavorable reason. Usually just the opposite.

His classmates had liked him; he’d been one of the popular kids.

He’d done his fair share to combat bullies, and whenever possible he’d gone out of his way to befriend the kids who were ostracized. But then, he’d had parents who taught him sympathy and compassion in the same way that they’d encouraged him in everything from sports to education to…any damn thing he’d ever wanted to do.

“So like my sister, I’m glad for what my upbringing brought me. It’s taught me how to recognize the kids who are really troubled, and now I’m in a position to help. At least most of the time.”

“Most of the time?”

“There was one boy…he was so withdrawn, so antagonistic. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t realize how bad it was. He wouldn’t confide in me, and I couldn’t reach his mother on the phone.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “He was homeless, Jett. His dad had passed away and his mother took off on her own, and he had…no one.”

Despite the treacherous conditions of the icy road, Jett reached for her hand. “You can’t know everything about everybody, honey. Kids are good at hiding things, especially when they feel shamed by their circumstances.”

Natalie nodded without conviction. “Only a few days after I went to the administration to request that they somehow get hold of his parents, they found his body in an alley. Accidental overdose, they said.”

Jett cursed softly, hurting for Natalie and for the boy who’d been neglected. “Nothing hits you like the death of a kid.”

Her hand clutched his hard. “You say that like a man with personal experience.”

“Yeah.” He shifted, uncomfortable with some memories. “I’ve been hired to find plenty of runaways.” And those were always the most urgent cases for him. “Sometimes the end result is good, sometimes not.”

To let her know that he did understand, Jett expounded on one experience. “There was this mom who hired me to locate her thirteen-year-old daughter. The girl had left home and was missing for three weeks.”

“You found her?”

He’d found her all right—and thank God that he had. “She wanted no part of going home. Turns out, her stepdaddy was a sick fuck.”

“Oh God.” Natalie curled a fist to her mouth. “That poor girl.”

“Yeah. When I told the mother, she refused to believe it. She even accused the girl of just wanting to ruin her happiness.” It sickened Jett to remember how incredulous the mother had been, how she’d accused her daughter of lying.

Stupid bitch.

Head turned in suspicion, Natalie asked, “What did you do?”

“I wanted to do exactly what you’re thinking I did.”

“Beat him to a pulp?”

“Yeah. But that wouldn’t have helped the kid any, so instead, hard as it was, I followed the law to the letter. I went to the authorities—and I took her with me.”

Natalie let out a breath. “I’m so glad you didn’t leave her there.”

“That wasn’t an option. I told her if she came with me, I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her—and I meant it.” Even with the proper people who handled such things, he hadn’t wanted to let her out of his sight. “She was placed in foster care, but she kept my card with my number in case shit went south again.”

Arrested, Natalie stared at him in near awe. “She’s okay now?”

“Yeah.” He couldn’t help but smile. “She’s…let’s see. Almost fifteen now. So she’s been with these foster parents for over a year. They love her and she adores them. She still has some issues.” He glanced at Natalie with meaning. “You know, you don’t just get over stuff that bad. But she’s doing great.”

“You still talk with her?”

Jett shrugged. “Sure. She keeps in touch, and I do the same.” He’d sent her a card on her birthday, and sometimes he sent her cards just for the hell of it, those goofy cards meant to give a smile.

“You’re amazing, Jett.”

“What?” Blustering at the compliment, he shook his head. “No, don’t go that route. That’s not the point I was trying to make. I was showing what a difference it can mean to kids if someone cares the way you do.”

“Thanks. But you’re still amazing.” She smiled and seemed to draw her thoughts together. “Your sisters are amazing, too. Confident and beautiful and fun. They’re happy, anyone can see that.”

He spoke with utter sincerity, saying, “You’re all those things too.”

Her silly smile told him that she didn’t believe him. “My father is so…staid, that around our house we never had the unrestrained conversation and laughter that happened today at the clinic. I enjoyed it. I would have taken part if I’d known how.”

Deciding that he’d make it so, Jett said, “You’ll learn how, I promise.”

“And then what?” She watched him in that curious way of hers, her gaze wary and hopeful at once. “I get used to your wonderful family, I get used to you, and then if things don’t work out…” She lifted her shoulders in question.

Back to square one, damn it. Jett squeezed the steering wheel. “I would never hurt you, Natalie.”

“Not on purpose, no. I believe that.” She sounded so reasonable, so detached that it made him nuts and made him want her. “I meant what I said, Jett. You’re wonderful. In so many ways.”

Because he knew she drew unfavorable comparisons, it put his teeth on edge. “You’re wonderful too, damn it.”

Instead of replying to that, she said, “The differences in our families are pretty stark.” She wadded up the garbage from their meal and stuffed it all into one bag. “I assume you know that already, being you’re a sleuth and all that.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “You’re on thin ice, lady. One more crack about me snooping—”

Her mood lightened at his feigned temper. “You did snoop!”

“Smartass.” He grinned at her. “I don’t know everything about you, not by a long shot. But even with what I do know, I’d still like to hear details from you.”

She sobered. “So…you don’t know about my mother?”

The new tension in her tone felt like a fist closing around his heart. “I know she died when you were young. That’s all.” He’d seen no reason to delve beyond that, seeing it as grave enough, awful enough, without added details.

Natalie sat silent for so long that Jett hurt for her. “I was nine the first time my mother tried to kill herself.”

Jett caught his breath on a wave of pain. How hard would that be for a sensitive little girl? “Damn, Natalie. I’m sorry.”

“She threw herself off a bridge. Twice, actually. The first time she failed because there was a rescue team doing drills in the river below her.” Natalie’s mouth twisted with pain and sarcasm. “Perfect timing, right? They fished her out, ruining her dramatic display.”

Oh God. “Honey…”

“I think she was pretty miserable. At least, that’s what Molly has always told me, that Mom didn’t hate us, but that she was an unhappy woman who didn’t know how to make herself happy.” She frowned a little. “Living with my father could make anyone miserable, I’m sure.”

He gave silent thanks she’d had Molly to help diffuse some of the hurt. Though her sister couldn’t have been much older herself, he knew they’d comforted each other.

When he finally got to meet her sister, he planned to give her a big hug of gratitude.

“But I don’t blame Dad entirely.” Natalie’s words were filled with contempt, but her expression was wounded. “I mean, if Mom did hate him so much, why would she leave her daughters with him, you know? Why didn’t she just divorce him and take us with her?”

“I don’t know.” Damn, he needed to get to a hotel so he could hold her. Highway lamps flickered on, and headlights barely cut through the growing darkness. The six-hour trip had turned into eight, and they needed to get settled, to eat real food, to stretch. “Everyone is different, baby. Some people aren’t as strong as others.”

“Molly thinks I’m strong. She always says that, so I guess she really believes it.”

“I’d agree.” It definitely took great inner strength to survive so much unhappiness and still have her tender heart and gentle understanding intact.

“Back when Mom died, Molly seemed so much older, and I really relied on her. But there’s only three years separating us.” She stared off into the distance. “She’s more than my sister. She’s my best friend, too.”

“I’m glad the two of you are so close.”

She didn’t seem to hear him. “After Mom jumped off that bridge, she spent a long time in a really exclusive hospital. You know the type, where you pay through the nose to be pampered, and they cater to your every wish.”

Jett didn’t know what to say, so he nodded.

“I hated visiting her there, especially since Dad would be the one to take us. The entire day would be ruined with friction, condescension and strained civility. At home, Mom and Dad barely talked, but while she was in the hospital he spent all his time telling her that she was being selfish and weak and that she’d embarrassed him.” Natalie laughed in that humorless, sad way again. “Nurses overheard him but said nothing since he was paying the bills, and that embarrassed me. It still embarrasses me.”

“It shouldn’t. Your parents are not you.”

“But that’s pretty much what my family is, you know? Awkward and ugly and cold.”

He understood now why she avoided talking about them. “That had to be hell on a kid.”

She drew a slow deep breath. “After Mom came home again, Molly kept saying that she’d be okay. I don’t know if she believed that or if she was just trying to protect me. Or maybe she wanted to convince herself.”

Jett had wanted her to open up to him, but now he almost couldn’t bear it. “She wasn’t okay.”

“Far from it. And regardless of what Molly had said, neither of us was real surprised when she took another jump off a bridge, this time over a highway.”

Jett cursed low.

“There was no fishing her out that time.” She stared down at her hands. “It was a gory, headline-worthy scandal, and that’s what Dad was mostly put out over. Not once did I see him cry or get emotional over any of it. I honestly don’t think any woman—or maybe even any person—has ever meant that much to him.”

Not even his daughters. The idea left Jett furious. “Parents should be there for their kids.”

She nodded. “Being a teacher, I see mostly good parents who really love their children. They’re not perfect and they make mistakes, but not because they don’t care—just because they’re human.”

“Making mistakes is the biggest part of being in a family. But when you love each other, a few mistakes are easily forgiven.” Even as he said it, he wondered about her relationship with her sister. “Have you and Molly had any differences?”

“I really despised Adrian.” She winced, as if guilty. “Molly said that I didn’t think anyone was good enough for her, but that’s not true. I want her to be happy, and if she’d married Adrian, I’d have made the best of it.”

“Sometimes people in love wear blinders.”

“That’s just it, though. Adrian was convenient, but I don’t think Molly really loved him.” Natalie waved a hand. “Anyway, it all worked out when Adrian finally showed his true colors. Molly dumped him, and she wasn’t all that broken up about it, so I say good riddance.”

“What about your stepmother? Do you both like her?”

“Kathi.” She wrinkled her nose. “She’s perfect for my father. And I have to give her credit for trying to make us into some sort of family, as impossible as that seems.”

Jett hated how she said that, as if she’d almost given up on the idea of family.

In the next second, his thoughts shattered as a semi tried to pass them and lost control. Everything happened fast.

Horns blared as the semi swerved across the lanes, forcing two cars to crash into each other as another slid wildly and almost hit them. Jett had just winged past that collision when another car fishtailed in front of him.

For a split second, Jett lost control of the SUV and they went sliding sideways. Natalie never made a sound and neither did he. Then the tires gained traction in the thick snow on the perimeter of the lane and Jett again righted the vehicle. Ice and snow pelted the windshield, leaving him temporarily blind before the wipers managed to shove aside the slush.

And then he saw it, that damned semi now sideways in the road. When Jett touched his brakes, he slid over the icy roadway.

“Damn.” Squeezing the wheel in a death grip, he tapped the brakes again, more gently this time, and steered toward the berm. The truck’s trailer flipped over and dragged the cab toward the median.

Behind them, Jett heard the impact of steel on steel as two other cars reacted to the sight of the semi and lost control.

The semi flipped over into the median, finally out of Jett’s path but too late for him to continue on. The SUV made contact with a high pile of snow and ice on the side of the road.

The impact jarred them hard; Buddy yelped as he rolled out of his doggy bed.

Jett went still, his heart in his throat and fury burning his blood. For a heartbeat of time, he didn’t move. Buddy jarred him by barking and jumping up to look over the seat.

Jett glanced at Natalie. She had a death grip on the padded door handle, her other hand at her heart. Hand shaking, he reached over and touched her. “Natalie?”

“I’m fine.” She sounded calm. “Are you okay?”

No, he was not okay. In rapid succession a dozen scenarios had played out in his brain, all of them involving injury to her. Out of pure terror, he’d pictured the SUV wrecking, the semi crushing her, her soft flesh bleeding…

He was a man of control, but for one of the few times in his life, he knew he was rattled. God, the thought of anything happening to her left him devastated. Weak, shaken, sick.

What would he do without her?

That’s when it struck him.

“Jett?” She covered his hand with her own. “Say something.”

He locked gazes with her, and got blasted with reality. Oh hell.

Like a ton of bricks landing on his chest, crushing out all his air, he realized that he loved her.

Really loved her, like the forever kind. Like marriage, kids, picket fences and all the fanfare.

His eyes burned and his throat felt tight. He didn’t just want more time with Natalie. Hell no.

He wanted everything.

He turned his head to stare straight ahead. Less than a quarter of a mile up, an exit had been cleared. Jett put the SUV back in gear and, bless the fates, backed out of the snow and ice without a problem. “Buddy needs you.”

Natalie gave him another worried look, but she did comfort the dog as she looked out the rearview window. “Everyone looks okay.”

He didn’t want to look back. He couldn’t. “People are out of their cars?”

“Yes. The truck driver, too. There are at least…” She did a quick count. “Looks like six cars and the truck, all stopped, with the road blocked. Those poor people. They’ll be stuck for a while.”

Working his jaw, Jett took the exit, and right there, bludgeoned by the blizzard, a hotel came into view. “We’re going there.” Natalie didn’t reply, but that didn’t stop him from talking. “I’m getting us off the road, right now.”

In an attempt to calm him, she said, “Okay, Jett.”

He glanced at her with new awareness. Ah hell, now she wanted to placate him—because he was behaving like an ass.

New emotions rushed through him, all but obliterating his logic. He needed something to do so that he didn’t crush her close and declare himself.

“I’m calling my sister.” He used the speed dial in his car.

The second she answered, Jett gave her the name of the hotel and the location. “The roads are shit. We won’t make it to the cabin, so we’re staying here for the night. Got it?”

Heidi said, “Sure. But Jett? You okay?”

“Fine. Perfect, in fact. But I gotta go. The parking lot hasn’t been cleared yet, so I need to be alert. Bye.” He hung up on her.

Natalie watched him the same way she’d watch a lunatic. “Jett, it’s okay. We’re okay.”

“Not yet.” He wouldn’t be okay until he’d found a way to bind her to him. “But we will be just as soon as I set you straight on a few things.”

Disgruntlement laced her tone when she said, “Just what is that supposed to mean?”

“After I have you and Buddy settled.” His SUV pushed through the thick snow in the parking lot of the hotel. Luckily they had a covered entry and he pulled up there. “Stay put while I sign us in.” He looked at her and couldn’t believe he’d been so blind. She would have made this trip on her own. She could easily have been one of the people forced off the road, or worse.

Hating that thought, Jett caught the back of her neck to drag her close for a hot, hungry kiss. Gentler now, he said, “Okay?”

She looked dazed. “All right.”

Realizing that they were now stopped, Buddy got excited. He came over the seat in one bound and landed on Natalie. She laughed as she caught his collar so he couldn’t follow Jett out.

His heart in his throat, his libido raging, Jett jogged into the building. The hotel was nice enough to give them a room even though their usual policy denied pets. He paid a hefty extra fee for the privilege of bringing Buddy in, promised to clean up his messes and got room keys for their one and only suite.

Within twenty minutes he had them and their belongings inside. While Natalie ran a hot bath, Jett took Buddy out a side door to do his business. Not a single speck of ground could be seen through the thick snow, so Jett let the dog go where the opened door had cleared a spot. Buddy still got a little snow-covered, but he no longer seemed so panicked or afraid.

“We’ll be all right, Buddy. You’ll see.”

Buddy bounded around in agreement, burning off some energy before Jett took him back inside. To keep the dog occupied, Jet set up his doggy bed, his water and food dish and gave him a big juicy chew toy.

Buddy looked to be in doggy heaven.

With that done, Jett went into the bathroom and found Natalie resting in a steamy tub, her curly hair piled atop her head, her eyes closed and her luscious body lax. The water lapped at her chin and had already turned her toes pink.

She looked exhausted.

Jett stood there, no longer so stunned by his revelation. Of course he loved her. How could he not?

And it had nothing to do with her being elusive, as he’d first thought. Sure, that had first enhanced his interest, after her incredible body and sexual daring had caught his attention.

But it was Natalie herself who kept his thoughts in turmoil and made him feel those remarkable, unrecognizable, profound emotions. By being herself, a kind, intelligent and sexy woman, she had completely stolen his heart.

Life had taken her to hell and back, but she remained generous and open, honest and accepting. She used her childhood hardships as a learning tool to help other children now. He had no doubt she could be stern when necessary, but she would always be fair.

“Natalie?”

She looked up at him, her lashes spiked, her cheeks dewy. She sounded slumberous. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

She didn’t bother to cover herself or act shy about her body. From the beginning, she’d been an uninhibited lover. It was only in sharing her heart that she became shy.

But he’d get her over that. “Have you washed up?”

“Mmm.” She closed her eyes again. “I did that first, because I knew once I got warm, I’d get sleepy.”

“Not too sleepy, I hope.” As he scooped her out of the tub, her eyes flashed open again.

“Jett!”

Water sluiced down their bodies and onto the floor. He didn’t care.

“I need you, Natalie.” Such an understatement. Now that he knew he loved her, he wanted to hear a similar declaration from her. But he didn’t mind going first.

“I thought you’d be tired from all that tense driving.”

“Especially after that, I need you.” While carrying her to the bed, he kissed her nose, her forehead, her temple and ear. “I’ll always need you, you know.”

Her breath caught at the weighty meaning of those words. “What?”

Jett stood her beside the bed. He touched her cheek, brushed the corner of her mouth with his thumb. “Damn, but the things you make me feel are…powerful.”

“Powerful?”

He held out a hand, showing her. “You make me shake.”

“Oh, Jett.” She closed both her hands around his. “That’s just reaction from a near wreck.”

“No, honey. That’s reaction to knowing you could have been hurt. I wouldn’t be able to bear that.” Smiling was beyond him, so instead he kissed her. “Don’t move.”

He was back in seconds with a towel and he went about drying her. Going down to his knees in front of her, he took his time, being quite thorough. “God, Natalie, I love your body.”

She laughed nervously, her hand in his hair. “I don’t understand you tonight.”

Jett looked up at her. “I love your laugh, too.”

Her voice trembled. “Jett, really…”

“And the way you shrug off compliments.” He stood and cupped her face. “You’re tired, aren’t you?”

After slowly licking her lips, she ventured, “Well, not too tired, not now, not after you’ve just been touching me.”

He made a sound between a growl and a groan. “I especially love how sexual you are.” Knowing his repeated use of the L word had thrown her, Jett gently lowered her to the bed and knelt over her. “Just relax and let me do everything.”

“But…” Her beautiful eyes searched his. “You have to be tired, too.”

He shook his head and cupped her breasts in both hands. “I’m in love. Now hush.”

She went perfectly still, frozen, stiff—but Jett didn’t let that stop him. He caressed her breasts, teased her nipples.

“Jett, wait.” Natalie tried to catch his arm. “What did you say?”

“I said for you to hush.”

“No, before—”

He drew her nipple into his mouth, stealing her breath.

But her fingers clenched tight in his hair. “Damn it, Jett.”

Laughing a little, he said, “I even love it when you’re bossy.”

She breathed hard and fast, her gaze intent. He watched her throat as she swallowed. “You said…you said you love me.”

He could understand her confusion. “I’ve been battling with myself, pissed off one minute, jealous the next. And so damn turned on I couldn’t stand it, but it was never enough.” He shook his head. “You’ve turned me inside out, woman.”

Natalie searched his face a moment, then frowned. “Good.”

“Good?”

“You’ve turned me inside out, too.” Tears burned her eyes. “You love me?”

“Why else would I let you torture me like this?” He pushed her hair from her face. “When I lost control of the car… God, I’ve faced a lot of shit in my life, and I just sort of roll with it. But thinking you could have been hurt? It shook me. Bad. And I knew I had to stop being a chickenshit and just ’fess up.”

Slow to accept his declaration, she asked uncertainly, “By saying you love me?”

“Yeah.” He gave her a lopsided grin and shook her a little. “And if you love me, too, you need to put me out of my damned misery and tell me so.”

She launched herself close to him. “I love you. I’ve loved you for a long time now. I didn’t want to admit it because if I did, and you didn’t feel the same—”

“I feel it. Trust me, I’ve got it bad.” Lowering them both to the bed, Jett kissed her parted lips. “Say it again.”

Her hands opened on his chest. She stroked him then slowly slid her arms around his neck. “I love you, too.”

Thank God. But she was so skittish about family and relationships, he had to make sure she understood. Braced on his elbows over her, he gave her his most intent stare. “I need more than just sex, Natalie.”

Her gaze was soft, her voice more so. “How much more?”

In comparison, he sounded harsh and demanding. “Everything. The whole shebang.” The more he talked about it, the more he needed it. The more he needed her. Of course, she looked so happy and so accepting that his thoughts had already skipped ahead to being inside her, to hearing her cry out, feeling her squeezing him… Stay on track, Jett.

“The whole shebang, huh?”

“Commitment, marriage, fidelity.” As her legs wound around him, it became more difficult to explain. “You haven’t known the best relationships, honey, but I swear to you, we’ll be good together. We’ll be fucking amazing together.”

“I know.”

“We’ll have the forever kind—” Her smile finally reached him. Jett straightened his arms, staring at her in bemusement. “What do you mean, you know?”

She laughed with affection. “Jett, I already told you that you’re wonderful. I meant it. So a lifetime with you would be wonderful.”

“You’ll marry me?”

“Yes.” The smile remained but was now more subdued. “I might need time to get used to things. I mean, your family is the exact opposite of mine.”

“We’ll work on your family.”

“No.” She shuddered. “I don’t want to do that. And trust me, once you meet my father and stepmother, you’ll feel the same.”

“Whatever makes you happy.” If that meant winning over her ass of a father, he’d do it. Somehow.

But if she truly wanted to cut him out, that was fine with Jett.

Big tears welled in her eyes, and her smile trembled. “The thing is, I always knew my family was…abnormal. I always believed there could be love and friendship and happiness.”

“You’ll have that with me, I swear.”

“I know, because today, through that long trip from hell…I realized I already had it. You made the whole thing fun. Well, except for that business there at the very end—”

“Don’t.” Jett closed his eyes, unable to think about that and how easily he could have lost her. “I’m not perfect, Natalie.”

“I know that too.”

Jett cocked a brow. So now she was laughing at him? He grinned. “For you, I’ll try to be perfect.”

“For me, if you’d just go on being you, I’ll be a very happy woman.”

Her complete and utter acceptance of him put him over the edge. Within half a minute he had stripped his clothes away. Seconds after that, he was over her again, kissing her, touching her.

Entering her in one long, smooth thrust.

Everything was different now. More potent.

More satisfying.

They had one moment of shock when, just after they came together, Buddy tried to jump up onto the bed.

Natalie screeched, and that made Buddy howl.

Still in a fog, it took Jett a second to realize what had happened. Luckily the dog was too short to make the leap, though he was certainly trying. “Down, Buddy.” Jett jerked the comforter around them both.

Natalie started giggling, and once she started, she couldn’t stop.

Chagrined, Jett felt his own smile crack. Yeah, everything was different.

And damn, it couldn’t be more perfect.

THREE DAYS LATER, STILL snowed in, Buddy came to the bed and barked. Natalie didn’t hesitate. She nudged Jett.

“Hmm?”

They were both naked. Again. Or maybe still. Jett had dressed to get them food and to take Buddy out, but so far she’d only been partially clothed at any given time.

She hadn’t been out of the room once—and hadn’t minded in the least.

“Jett?”

“Mmm…Natalie.” He tried to pull her closer, already kissing her shoulder, his hand sliding around to her stomach.

The man was insatiable.

She was so lucky.

“Buddy has to go out.”

Letting out a sigh, Jett turned to his back and managed to get his eyes open. He yawned, stretched and lifted up on an elbow to look at her. “Hey, beautiful.”

Very softly, Natalie said, “Hey.”

He lifted one brow then smoothed the sheet away from her breasts. “Didn’t I tell you that you wouldn’t need clothes?”

“You were mostly right.” Natalie swatted the sheet back down. “But if I had clothes, I could offer to take a turn with Buddy.”

“I don’t mind.” Jett patted her hip and rolled out of the bed. “Be back in a few.”

Skipping boxers and a shirt, he pulled on jeans, stepped into his shoes and grabbed his coat. Buddy, already well used to their routine, danced around him.

Jett hooked the leash to his collar. “He looks energetic this morning, so I’m going to walk him around the halls a little after he takes care of his business.”

“Want me to order room service while you do that?”

“Naked?” He gave her a mock frown. “Hell no. I’ll bring something back with me.”

And so it went. Natalie did little to nothing while Jett pampered her in the most outrageous ways. She was still in the shower when he returned. She heard him and started to turn off the water, but then the shower curtain moved and he stepped in behind her.

He kissed the nape of her neck and wrapped his strong arms around her. “Natalie?”

She put her head on his shoulder. “Hmm?”

“This is the best damn vacation I’ve ever been on.”

Shaking her head, she laughed and said, “You’re easy.”

Slowly, the grin slipped over his face. “I’ve had you all to myself all this time. It’s been perfect.” He set her back from him again. “But the damned snow has finally stopped and the roads are getting cleared. No way could we make it to the cabin. The side roads are going to be screwed for a while. But it looks like we could head back tomorrow morning, if that’s what you want to do.”

Only one more day alone with him. Natalie sighed. “I’ve loved every second here with you.”

“But you’re worried about your sister, right?”

“Yes.” Before getting in the shower, she’d checked her email account. “I got an email from her.”

“And? You don’t look happy about it.”

Far from happy, she was now more concerned than ever. “There was something wrong with the message.”

“What kind of wrong?”

“It was too brief, and far too cryptic to be from Molly.”

“What did it say?”

“Just that she’d be gone for a while, off having some fun for a change, and that she’d get in touch when she could.” Natalie shook her head. “That’s not her. She’d have told me where she was going, given me a way to get in touch with her.” Natalie chewed her lip. “If she was going to have fun, she’d want me to know about it.”

“The way you want her to know that you’re having fun now?”

Natalie nodded. It was so frustrating that she couldn’t reach Molly. And deep down inside herself, she knew something wasn’t right. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, I think we should head back.”

“Of course I don’t mind. If it was one of my sisters, I’d be the same.” His sexy mouth lifted into a grin. “Speaking of my sisters, they’re going to go even more nuts for you once they know we’re getting married.”

Natalie touched the middle of his chest then dragged her finger ever so slowly downward. Life was ready to intrude, but she still had today. “Guess I better make the most of our remaining time, then.”

“Sounds like one hell of a plan.” Jett closed his eyes when she circled her hand around him. “As long as you remember that our remaining time is forever.”

What kind of trouble is Natalie’s sister, Molly Alexander, in?

Find out in WHEN YOU DARE, the first of a sizzling new trilogy from Lori Foster and HQN Books.

Coming soon!

When You Dare

Praise for New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Lori Foster

“Foster writes smart, sexy, engaging characters.”

—New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan

“Known for her funny, sexy writing”

—Booklist

“Foster’s latest is pure entertainment and a joy to read.”

—RT Book Reviews on Back in Black

“Foster outwrites most of her peers.”

—Library Journal

“Intense, edgy and hot. Lori Foster delivers everything

you’re looking for in a romance.”

—New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann

Krentz on Hard to Handle

“Lori Foster delivers the goods.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Tension, temptation, hot action, and hotter romance—

Lori Foster has it all! Hard to Handle is a knockout!”

—New York Times bestselling author

Elizabeth Lowell

Dear Readers,

I’ve launched into a new series of über-Alpha hunks. The men are similar to private mercenaries, so they’re big, capable, a little dangerous and oh-so-sexy. When it comes to rescuing the innocent, they do what has to be done, however it has to be done. I like to call them my men who “walk the edge of honour.”

Stay tuned for the next two books in the series, Trace of Fever and Savour the Danger, coming soon.

To see more about the books, visit my website at www.LoriFoster.com. And feel free to chat with me on my Facebook fanpage: www.facebook.com/pages/LoriFoster/233405457965.

I’m very excited about this new series, and I hope you will be, too!

To Shana Schwer,

Thank you for lending me your fur babies, Sargie and Tai, to be featured as the Labs in the book. Your girls are truly beautiful, and I love their unique personalities.

I hope I did them justice!

Pet owners are truly wonderful people!

Lori

CHAPTER ONE

MIDNIGHT CAME AND went with only the quiet buzz of meager traffic along the beach. An occasional horn blew or tires squealed. Two people exited a bar nearby, laughing too loud before piling into an SUV and steering drunkenly onto the road.

In the shadows of a weed-ridden parking lot at the back of the rundown motel, no one noticed them. Avoiding the glow of the full yellow moon, they stood behind the south wall beneath a broken security lamp.

A lamp Dare Macintosh had broken.

Ocean breezes stirred the air and heightened his senses. While scanning the area and repeatedly peering at the black van he’d rented when first arriving in San Diego, Dare waited. His friend, Trace Rivers, embraced his younger sister with choking emotion.

It had been a long two days filled with frantic preparation, little sleep, less food and loads of pumping adrenaline: the conditions in which Dare operated best.

With the job done, and then some, he desperately wanted something to eat and a place to sleep. Even more than that, he wanted to check on the skinny, abused woman still out cold in the backseat of the van.

“Tell me,” Trace said, not to Alani, whom he kept crushed close, but to Dare.

After again glancing at the van, Dare nodded. He’d found Alani and returned her to Trace as he’d sworn to, but neither man knew yet what she had suffered.

“She was in Tijuana, as you said. Locked in a trailer with some other women in an isolated area.”

“Heavily guarded?”

“Yes.”

Trace drew a strained breath, and uttered what they both had known: “Human traffickers.”

Dare nodded. “Not much in the way of food or drinks. Dirty, airless with the windows screwed shut. They had the women …” He hesitated, knowing how Trace would take it, but he needed to know. “They were leashed, chained to grommets in the floor, with just enough chain to reach a toilet. No sink.”

“Fuckers.” Overcome with rage, Trace knotted his hand in his sister’s hair and squeezed her tighter, protectively.

She didn’t complain.

Trace never used coarse language in front of his sister, which meant he was on the ragged edge, barely aware of what he said or did. Dare looked away from them, understanding the lack of control.

He focused on the rented van. “I had to go through several lookouts and a few armed guards to get her out of there.”

“Quietly.” Trace made it a statement, not a question.

“There wasn’t much fuss.” Dare always worked in efficient silence; an alarm would have brought more armed guards, possibly too many for him to combat. As much as he wanted to kill them all, he hadn’t.

Only those most responsible.

By the time the empty trailer was discovered, Dare was already heading over the border into San Diego—where Trace waited. Over the years he’d built up alliances everywhere, and sometimes worked with the coyotes who made a living taking people back and forth over the border.

Thanks to those contacts, even with the extra cargo slumped in his backseat, no one had stopped him as he went through the border checkpoint. The van had been given only a cursory inspection, his weapons ignored, and the excuse of the women being tired—never mind that one was beaten and haggard, only half-dressed—had satisfied all questions.

Both men were damn good at what they did. But Trace couldn’t go after his sister himself as he’d wanted, because the men holding her knew what he looked like. Before he’d have even gotten close to Tijuana, Trace would have been spotted by lookouts.

So Dare had gone—and come back with more than he’d bargained for.

Making a small sound, Alani tucked her face in closer to her brother’s shoulder. The siblings shared blond hair and light brown eyes, but that’s where the physical similarities ended. Trace was thirty, of an age with Dare, eight years older than his sister. He stood six foot three and weighed over two hundred pounds—all of it muscle.

Next to him, Alani looked tiny and fragile and, presently, wounded. Even since Dare had removed her from the trailer, fresh bruises continued to show on her arms and around her narrow wrists. Because the bastards had planned to sell her, they hadn’t harmed her face.

Innocence was a huge commodity, and at twenty-two, having led a sheltered life, Alani gave off a definite vibe of innocence. Blond-haired, blue-eyed women brought the most profit, but he had a feeling that Alani’s golden-brown eyes, in contrast to her very fair hair, would have fascinated the sick pricks.

Dare prayed they hadn’t raped her, knowing a woman ill-used would bring less, but he left that uncomfortable discussion for Trace.

Hearing a noise like a soft moan, Dare zeroed in on the van with his senses on alert. He’d left the rear door open so he’d hear her if she moved, if she awoke…. But she did no more than readjust.

Three hours had passed since he’d carried her out of that trailer. Worry gnawed at him.

Why didn’t she awaken?

“Dare?” His eyes filled with pain, rage and relief, Trace whispered, “Thank you.”

Alani gave an audible swallow, and then she, too, said, “Yes, thank you. So much.”

Putting a hand on her shoulder, Dare replied without words. He’d known Alani for years, watched her grow up, and felt like a pseudo big brother in many ways. He’d attended her graduation, both from high school and college. He’d been there with Alani and Trace when they buried their parents.

They had become part of his hodgepodge family.

Two days ago human traffickers had snatched Alani outside her hotel while she vacationed near the beach. Tomorrow she would have been sold, and finding her after that might have become impossible.

Right now, what the siblings needed was time alone, and Dare needed to sort things out with his remaining passenger. “I should get going.”

Trace followed Dare’s attention toward the van, saw the slim, dirty foot that appeared out of the open rear-passenger door, and lifted one eyebrow in an expression of disbelief. “You have a passenger?”

“A small complication, that’s all.”

“You’re serious?”

Dare shrugged. “There were six women in that small trailer, Trace. Four of them were local and scattered as soon as I got them free.” He nodded his head toward the van. “That one was drugged, near starved, grimy.” And in many ways, even in the cramped confines of the rusty trailer, she’d been separated from the others, kept alone.

For certain, she wasn’t the typical woman kidnapped for the growing sex trade.

Trace grew curious in that quiet way of his. “An American … complication?”

“I think so.” From what he’d seen of her grubby face, she didn’t look foreign. “She hasn’t come to yet, so I haven’t been able to talk to her.”

Alani turned in her brother’s arms, and she, too, looked toward the van. “She fought them whenever she came to. She called them names and almost … egged them on.” Alani shivered in remembered fear. “It was so horrible. The men slapped her around for being mouthy, but she didn’t stop. She just cursed them more.”

Dare frowned. The little idiot might have been killed. “Foolhardy.”

“I think she was really … angry.” As if she couldn’t fathom such boldness, Alani took a breath. “Even when they held her down to force more drugs on her, she didn’t cry. She … raged.”

“Did she speak English?”

Nodding, Alani said, “She sounded American to me. I mean, no accent or anything.”

Considering all that, Dare said aloud, “She wasn’t there for the same purpose as the rest of you.”

“Probably not. Sometimes four or five of them would come in the trailer, but they’d stand around her and I couldn’t see what they did. As far as I could tell, they never really leered at her like …” She bit her lip, shivered again. “Like they did the rest of us. They never seemed to be sizing her up for anything. They just picked on her.”

Trace hugged her again. “It’s all right. You’re safe now.”

She nodded, shored up by the courage her brother had given her, and faced Dare. “She was there when we got there, already looking pretty bad. Once, before the men drugged her, she told me her name was Molly.”

“Molly what?”

Alani shook her head. “We weren’t supposed to talk, so I was afraid to ask her anything.”

Trace tucked her back in close and asked over her head, “What are you going to do with her now?”

“No idea.” Dare thought of her insubstantial weight when she’d been over his shoulder, of that tangled, light brown hair that had concealed much of her bruised face. “Hopefully someone will pay me for bringing her home.”

Without releasing her brother, Alani reached out and punched Dare for the callous comment. He grinned, caught her wrist and kissed her knuckles.

She’d been given a terrible fright, and two days had probably felt like a month, but Alani had spirit. She’d get through this, thank God.

But the other one … How long had they had her? And why? Impatient with thoughts of her, Dare said, “I gotta run.”

“Hold up a sec.” Trace caught his arm, then dug in his jeans pocket and pulled out a fat envelope.

Pissed, Dare took a step back. “What the hell is that?”

“Expenses. And don’t curse in front of Alani.”

Hell, just because he usually hired out didn’t mean he’d charge a friend—a brother. He’d have gone after Alani if he’d had to crawl the whole way. “I don’t need it.”

Solemn, Trace held the envelope out to him. “But I need you to take it.”

It hit Dare anew how difficult this was for Trace, not just that his sister had been hurt, but that he hadn’t been able to go after her himself.

Dare took the envelope. “Thanks.” He leaned in close. “And for future reference, I resolved the issue of you being recognized.” There was no one left who knew Trace.

Deep satisfaction glittered in Trace’s eyes. He gave a sharp nod. “I should have doubled the amount.”

“No.” Dare’s smile wasn’t friendly. “That was all my pleasure.”

With no further discussion of money, Trace and Alani said their goodbyes and left the lot in Trace’s silver Jag. They’d stay in an upscale hotel for the night and fly home tomorrow. Until then, Trace would keep his sister under very close guard.

Dare stood there, watching them until the purr of the engine faded and their taillights could no longer be seen. Moon shadows surrounded him. Night creatures gave a gentle call.

The peaceful ambiance didn’t deceive him.

Hands on his hips, he looked again toward the van.

Now what?

The hospital, with all those questions and a lack of answers?

A hotel room? That would be his preference, but not with a woman on the brink of death.

If she was on the brink of death. Drugs could be a real complication, giving false symptoms and concealing a true state of health. It was possible that if she’d just come to, she’d be okay.

But maybe not.

Dare needed her to drink, to eat. And it wouldn’t hurt to get the bugs out of her hair.

Before he even realized it, he strode that way, anxious to look in on her again.

One hand on the top of the open door, the other on the side of the car, Dare leaned in—and found her awake. Enormous, bruised eyes dominated her face.

Before he could register that she’d come around, he got a very dirty foot to the face. Hard.

He jerked back. “Son of a—”

The attack took him by surprise, and even with her meager strength, a heel to the nose hurt like hell. But he didn’t want to compound things by overreacting. She’d recovered with a vengeance and most probably a lot of confusion. Though blood trickled from his nose, Dare wasn’t disabled in any way.

With no help for it, he leaned into the backseat and, after a very brief struggle, pinned her down with her arms over her head, her legs caught under his.

Those large, slightly unfocused eyes glared at him. They were dark brown, like rich chocolate, and at the moment filled with a wealth of fear and rage.

She didn’t scream, thank God, just breathed hard and fast and strained against him.

“You’re safe now,” Dare told her while trying to control her in a way that wouldn’t allow her to hurt herself. “You’re in San Diego, not Mexico.”

She blinked fast, giving away her nervousness.

Dare sought the right words to reassure her. “I was there to retrieve a friend, one of the girls trapped in the trailer with you. And there you were, too, so …” Lacking a sound business argument for his decision, Dare rolled one shoulder. “So I took you.”

She stilled a little, wary, uncertain. Hopeful.

“Your options now are the hospital, hotel or police. Take your pick.”

Seconds ticked by. A drop of blood from his nose landed on her chest to mingle with dark bruises, numerous scratches and dirt. She didn’t flinch, and short of releasing her, there wasn’t much Dare could do about his bleeding nose.

Lifting her head, she looked beyond him, but it was dark, too dark to see and recognize the dubious safety of an American parking lot.

Then, just as suddenly as she’d attacked, she went limp, her head falling back, her muscles weak. Either from her recent exertion or continued terror, Dare felt a fine trembling in her slim body.

Voice quaking, she whispered, “Hotel, please.”

Unexpected.

But appreciated. “Wise choice.” He waited for theatrics, for that scream that didn’t come. Cautious, Dare eyed her. “I can let you go without more violence?”

She gave one jerky nod.

Slowly, he sat up and levered himself out of the van. She didn’t move. She didn’t look capable of moving.

Stripping off his shirt, he used it to clean the blood from his busted nose.

What to do now? If he went to the front desk to register them, would she try to skip out on him? Dare could see that she wasn’t yet herself, didn’t have much left of strength or composure. If panic sent her running, she wouldn’t get far, and could end up right back in trouble again.

But he couldn’t very well traipse her into the motel with him.

For one thing … she reeked.

Not that he held that against her. Thanks to the conditions he’d found her in, personal cleanliness would have been impossible. But to add to that, the space they’d provided her hadn’t been much better than a dump. He’d seen rat holes near the moldy mattress they’d supplied her, as well as a variety of bugs crawling around.

For another, she wore only a long T-shirt that didn’t quite reach her very dirty, scuffed knees, with another oversized man’s button-up shirt over it. The clothes dwarfed her small body, looking absurd. Mud and more caked her bare feet. Her brown hair looked like it had been through a blender.

While he tried to sort out his next move, she slowly sat upright, holding tightly to the back of the seat for balance. She swallowed convulsively. “Do you have anything to drink?”

Without a word, he opened the front passenger door and fetched a bottle of water from the floor. Knowing she was weak, he opened the cap and handed it to her.

He started to caution her about guzzling, but she didn’t. She sipped, made a sound of pleasure, sipped again. “Oh, God, that’s good. My throat is so dry, I think I could drink a river.”

“No problem.”

Sitting back against the seat, she closed her eyes, but only for a moment. “What day is it?”

Fascinating. Little by little, she pulled it together, and instead of hysterics, she wanted to make sense of the situation. Dare admired that—because it’s what he would have done. “March ninth. Monday.”

As if that made her head pound, she pinched the bridge of her nose. “They’ve … they’ve had me for nine days?” Lower, more to herself, she said, “I lost track, but … it felt so much longer.”

Dare gave a low whistle in surprise. Nine days—and she was still alive? Unheard of. Captured women were not kept around that long, because hanging on to them upped the risk of being caught. “You were in that same trailer the whole time?”

“The whole time.” Struggling with emotion, she sipped again, rolled her lips in and turned toward him. “I’m sorry about your nose. I wasn’t sure …”

“Don’t worry about it.” In his line of work, he’d had worse injuries. Already it had stopped bleeding, and probably wouldn’t even bruise.

For some reason, his reassurance made her look ready to cry. But she rallied. “I’m still a little woozy. I haven’t eaten for days.” She touched her hair and flinched. “God knows I need a shower. And a real bed would be like heaven.” She took a few more sips, swallowing painfully.

Dare watched her, impressed that she showed great intelligence in not gulping the water, which would probably have made her barf.

She scrubbed at a bruised eye with a small fist, then sighed. “I can’t very well be seen like this. Humiliation left me long ago, but it would raise too many questions.” She looked at him for a solution.

“I can check us in.” With each passing second, he grew confident that she wouldn’t skip out. She was more clear-headed, more reasonable than he could have hoped for, given what Alani had told him.

Again she sipped, and Dare knew it was to buy herself some time, to think for a quiet moment.

Holding the bottle tight, she drew a breath. “I have money, Mr….?”

“Just call me Dare.” He didn’t share his name, or his identity, lightly. He still didn’t know enough about her to trust her.

After a nod, she stuck out a dirty hand with chipped fingernails. “Molly Alexander.”

Ridiculous. But Dare took her very small hand in his. “Molly.”

Even though she’d initiated the handshake, his hold must have alarmed her; she drew back after barely touching him. “I have money to reimburse you, Dare. I promise. But obviously … not on me. For reasons I’d sooner go into later, I don’t want to involve the police in any of this.”

Interesting. What secrets could this skinny bit of a woman be hiding? “Ditto on hospitals?”

“Definitely.” She shrunk away at just the thought. “No hospitals.”

If she went to the hospital, they’d need a name, and then they’d want to call the police. Why didn’t she want them involved?

“You’ve been drugged.” Dare wondered what they’d given her, and if there would be any side effects. “You know, Molly, you could be sick, hurt—”

“No, not hurt.”

Her definition of hurt differed greatly from his. With a raised brow he eyed several bruises and scrapes on her delicate skin. “Someone hit you. More than once.”

Her eyes clouded again, and her voice went gruff. “Yes, and it was the worst experience of my entire life. But I’ll be fine.”

“Are you convincing me, or yourself?”

“I will be. I promise.”

Lots of promises, Dare thought. He glanced down at his bloodied, ruined shirt, and tossed it toward an overflowing garbage container in the parking lot. Intending to find a new shirt, he reached around her for his overnight bag.

Gasping, she covered her face and scuttled back into the corner of the seat. But she almost immediately caught herself and sat up again as if in challenge.

Unwilling to press her, Dare paused. “We’re on the same side, remember?”

Pained, she closed her eyes and nodded.

Gutsy little thing, he decided. He pulled on the fresh shirt and then waited, arms crossed. If she didn’t want to pass out in the van, she’d have to hurry it up and make a decision. Already she looked on the verge of keeling over.

After swaying from what looked like a wave of dizziness, she cleared her throat. “If you could arrange for a room tonight, I’d be really, really grateful.”

“I could do that.” Her continued formality confounded him. Most women would be babbling and crying for their mommy or daddy, or maybe a husband. Did Molly have a husband, a significant other?

Avoiding his gaze, she rolled her lips in again, took a few deep breaths and then whispered, “One room please, but perhaps with two beds.” Tears welled, and she blinked them away before saying in a voice broken by fear, “God’s truth, I don’t want to be alone right now.”

NOW THAT SHE WAS safely inside a small but clean motel room, Molly tried to organize her thoughts. In order to keep from collapsing, she had to prioritize her most immediate needs, which were food, clothes, sleep, shower …

One glance down at herself, and she shuddered. Shower first, definitely. Now that she was free, she wasn’t about to spend even one more night sleeping in her own filth. And as hungry as she was, she refused to eat with such dirty hands.

Mustering her flagging courage, she turned to Dare. He was so damn big, and very gruff. Seeing him without his shirt when they were still in the parking lot should have alarmed her; even in the moonlight, she’d detected several scars over his chest, rib cage and shoulders that looked like healed knife and bullet wounds. Even now that he was dressed again, doing no more than settling into the room, he looked powerful, with noticeable strength.

But after being threatened endlessly for nine days by the most corrupt animals imaginable, Molly knew foul intent when she saw it.

Dare wasn’t foul. She had the feeling he used his incredible strength to protect, not to inflict pain. Though he hadn’t been sent for her, had no promises of payment for his efforts, he’d rescued her rather than leave her behind.

And now, whether he realized it yet or not, he was stuck with her.

She would pay him—once she got his agreement to keep her safe. “Excuse me, please, but if I could impose further …”

“Look.” The big man turned away from the twin bed where he’d set a battered leather overnight bag. “Enough with the proper bullshit. You’ve been through hell, yes?”

Blue eyes, fringed by the thickest lashes, took her measure. The pulling of his black brows drove home just how disgusting her physical state was right now.

Molly nodded. “Absolutely.” Hell times ten. Never in her wildest imagination—and as many could attest, her imagination could be pretty wild at times—had she envisioned the awful scenario she’d survived.

But she had survived it. And now she had to figure out how to proceed while still protecting herself.

“I don’t need you to be formal.” He set the bottle of water on the nightstand by her. “I don’t need you to put on a good front, either. You’re a small woman, probably not weighing more than a buck ten.”

Molly glanced down at herself. She’d always weighed one twenty-five, but now … she just didn’t know. She had lost weight. But that much?

“You’re hurt,” Dare continued, “and hungry, tired, dehydrated and pretty damn dirty.”

Absurdly close to tears again, Molly scowled. “Your point?”

“If you want to fall apart, feel free. I sure as hell won’t judge you, and it’ll stay between us.”

How kind that Dare would offer to keep her confidences for her. “No, thank you.” She hadn’t survived that hell just to crumple up now. “I’ll be fine.”

He folded muscled arms over an equally muscled chest. Beard shadow roughened his jaw. His knuckles looked as if they’d recently struck something—or someone.

She sincerely hoped it was one of the pigs who’d treated her so badly.

“Suit yourself,” he said. “But I need you to drink that bottle of water, and then another after that. Slowly.”

Right. Water would be good—if only her stomach weren’t so jumpy.

“And the phony, unaffected act has got to go.”

Fresh anger wrung through her already aching muscles. “Look, buster, I’m not going to lose it now, got that?” She chugged a few sips of water and returned the bottle to the small table between the beds. Then she clutched it for support. Her knees wobbled; her voice went husky. “I’ve held it together this long, and not for you, not for anyone, am I going to let those miserable bastards break me down.”

One brow lifted in surprise as Dare studied her for long, silent moments, and then he shook his head with annoyance. “Sit down before you fall down.”

She didn’t take orders well, but this time she gladly sat. It required all her willpower not to sprawl back on the bed and just fade into oblivion. But if she did that, she’d wake just as dirty, and it turned her stomach to even think it.

Dare stopped in front of her. He examined the bottle of water and must have been satisfied—so far. “What do you want to do first?”

“Shower.” She needed to be clean again. “Oh, God, I want a shower.”

“I’ll get it started for you.” He hesitated. “Can you manage on your own?”

Her heart almost stopped. “Yes, of course.”

Still he didn’t move away. He crouched down in front of her, and his powerful thighs strained the material of faded denim. Those blue eyes were eerily intense as he studied her face. “You’re safe with me, Molly.”

“I … I know.” She sensed that much. She just didn’t have the wherewithal to start asking questions yet. Priorities, priorities.

“If you need help—”

“I’d stay dirty first.” She was quite certain about that. No way would she invite a man to bathe her. She shuddered at the thought.

His mouth flattened. “Suit yourself.” He straightened and started toward the tiny bathroom. “While you’re in there, I’m going to run across the street to grab you something to wear. I’m guessing a size six?”

Something to wear. Like her own personal angel, he would buy her clean clothes to put on after her shower.

God bless the man.

Those blasted tears threatened again, clogging Molly’s throat, making her nose feel stuffy. “Yes,” she croaked out around a giant lump of emotion. “Anything simple would be … wonderful. Something for my feet, too, please. Size seven. I’m not picky.”

She heard the water start, and through the open door she saw Dare set out towels, open the packaged soap, the shampoo and conditioner.

So remarkably considerate.

Her empty stomach cramped and recoiled, but she couldn’t think of food just yet. She tried a little more water, knowing he was right, that she had to get some fluids back into her system.

Moving with a silent grace uncommon to a man so large, he came back into the room. “I’ll get you a toothbrush, too. Anything else?”

There were so many things she needed that she couldn’t fathom a list just yet. Her dry and cracked lips hurt when she licked them. “Something bland to eat?”

“Already thought of that.” He paused by the door. “You sure you’ll be okay until I get back?”

After what she’d survived, no way would she risk herself in any way. “I’ll be very careful. If I get dizzy, I’ll shut off the water and just sit in the tub.”

Reluctant still, he stood there, and finally agreed with a nod. “Don’t put the chain on the door.”

As he spoke, he walked over to the desk to retrieve his belongings, including a big black gun and a very lethal-looking knife that folded together. The gun went into a holster at his back, fastened to the waistband of his jeans. He slipped the knife into a pocket, then covered the gun with the hem of his shirt. He treated the weapons as casually as he did his wallet and cell phone, fascinating Molly.

It would make her nervous just to touch either one.

He stopped in front of her again. “If you pass out, I want to be able to get in without breaking anything and causing a scene.”

“Okay.”

“I won’t be gone long,” he cautioned. “So don’t linger in there.”

If he didn’t leave soon, she’d be asleep before she could hit the shower. “No, I won’t.”

Using the edge of a fist, he brought her chin up so that she had to look at him. “You’re weaker than you realize.”

On the contrary, she was stronger than she’d ever imagined. But his concern was nice, so she only reiterated, “I’ll be fine.”

Frustration palpable, he ran a hand through short brown hair, nodded once and walked out.

He’d wanted to say more to her, Molly knew. He didn’t understand her lack of questions, her acceptance of him as her rescuer. But he didn’t push her, and she appreciated his restraint. Right now, all she could manage was the direst of necessities. And thinking that …

It took a lot of effort to drag herself up to her feet again, but she did it. The ragged, torn and stained shirts came over her head and with sublime satisfaction she stuffed them into the garbage can by the desk. Never again would those disgusting scraps of material touch her body.

She’d been denied underwear of any kind, so removing the shirts left her naked. One glance down at herself and Molly saw evidence of her ordeal in places she hadn’t considered. She remembered the rough treatment, being jerked, shoved, hit … Her breath caught.

No, she was away from there now, and she wouldn’t dwell on it.

Anxious for the long-denied comfort of warm water, she stepped into the shower’s spray.

Oh, heaven.

Though her every muscle trembled and the most pervasive weakness dragged at her, never had she appreciated a shower more. Lathering the soap into a washcloth, Molly scrubbed all over, determined to wash away the disgust she still felt.

She had to hurry to finish before the last of her strength waned. Already she felt faint, sick to her stomach, her knees quaking.

Lack of sleep provided a perpetual headache that burned behind her eyes and left her hollow.

With her skin now clean, she opened her mouth, filled it with fresh water, swished and spit, then used the cloth to clean her teeth as best she could.

She had to lean against the tiled wall to rest for a minute. Her head pounded with so many impossible problems for the future. But for now, for this moment, she was safe.

Safe. There had been times when she’d thought … when she’d been sure that they would kill her. They’d taken great pleasure in taunting her, slapping her, keeping her uncertain and on edge. Sleep had come in only fitful spurts, because sleep left her vulnerable to their intent—whatever their intent had been.

Her hands knotted into fists. Fear curdled with a rage so bright it sustained her. She struggled to fill her lungs with air, to beat down the raw panic that had accompanied her since being abducted.

So much to think about … but for now, she had only to worry about finishing her shower. Then eating.

And then sleeping without the fear of never waking again.

She drew one more breath before picking up the shampoo with a shaking hand. So many tangles knotted her hair that she decided she’d cut it—after it was clean—rather than brush them out. She lathered, rinsed, then lathered again. She refused to look down at the tub to see what had washed out of her hair.

Emptying the entire tiny bottle of conditioner onto her head, she worked it through, rinsed, and then … she had nothing left. No strength. No reserve. She couldn’t even dry herself. She barely got a towel around her hair and another around her body.

Stumbling back into the main room, Molly hit the bed hard, snuggled in and literally passed out.

CHAPTER TWO

DARE CAME IN QUIETLY, saw her curled on the bed and frowned. The towel barely covered her, and with her knees pulled up, he would get one hell of a peep show if he moved to the foot of the bed.

Not that he would. In many cases he lacked scruples; it was a hazard of the job. But with women, with this woman, he wasn’t about to take advantage. Despite her bravado and commonsense reaction to her nightmare, he’d never seen anyone more emotionally fragile.

Besides, the less involvement he had with her, unscrupulous or otherwise, the better. He needed to figure out what had happened to her, and the quickest way to safely remove her from his care.

He’d known she was spent, on the edge, but the fact that she hadn’t even pulled the covers over herself proved her level of exhaustion.

More than anything, she probably needed to eat. But should he wake her for that when she also needed sleep?

He wasn’t a fucking babysitter, but since he’d personally gotten her out of Mexico, he couldn’t very well just dump her somewhere. By rescuing her, he had accepted an implied responsibility.

Trying not to rattle the bags and juggling the food with his other purchases, Dare closed the door and locked it. A glance at the bedside clock showed the time at 1:30 a.m. He’d only been gone a half hour, tops.

Luckily the Walmart across the street stayed open twenty-four hours. He’d found not only clothes for her, but food, too. Dressing and feeding her would go a long way toward resolving her most pressing issues.

With barely a sound, he stowed the drinks in the tiny fridge and put her share of the food into the microwave to keep.

Removing his wallet, change and cell phone from his jeans, he placed them neatly on the desk. Next he took out his knife and the Glock 9mm he carried, and set them beside his other belongings. He stretched out his knotted muscles. Too many hours crawling over rough ground, ducking for cover and demolishing men without enough sleep or food had left him tense and weary.

After pulling a chair out from the round table, he opened the covering on his pancakes and coffee.

He’d taken only one bite when she stirred, sniffed the air and drowsily opened her eyes. Dare turned toward her.

She gave him a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look.

He studied her, a small bundle huddled tight on the bed, face still ravaged and eyes wounded. Never had he seen a woman look so vulnerable.

He swallowed his bite and, sounding as casual as he could under the circumstances, asked, “Hungry?”

She stared back, then struggled up to one elbow. Her expression changed, the wariness hidden beneath that intrepid bravado. “Starved. Literally.”

With all the dirt removed, her big eyes dominated her small features. More marks showed on her fair skin, one on her cheekbone and under her left eye, one on her throat, and a darker, angrier bruise on her right shoulder.

Dare thought of men hitting her, manhandling her, and bone-deep disgust ignited. He despised bullies of any kind, but a man who would hurt a woman was at the top of his list of assholes that needed a lesson.

She breathed deeply, her eyes closing and her nostrils flaring. “That smells so good.”

Out of his seat already, Dare fetched her food. “Do you want to sit here, or eat in the bed?”

She hesitated, looking down for a moment as if uncertain of her welcome, not wanting to inconvenience him. “Table please, but … I should dress first.”

“All right.” He set the food on the table and opened the bag of clothes, pulling out a few T-shirts, panties and a pair of pull-on cotton shorts. “You can get more stuff tomorrow if you feel up to it. Something warmer, maybe, and nicer for the plane ride. But for now, I figured this would fit.”

She didn’t look at the clothes. The arm she leaned on barely supported her, and her breath went choppy with effort.

Voice weak, strained, she said, “I’m sorry, but … I haven’t eaten in too long and I’m feeling kind of … faint.”

Dare straightened, going on alert. Would she pass out on him?

“If … if you could help me into the bathroom, I’ll dress in there.”

Shit. He did not want her passing out alone, maybe hitting her head. “Yeah, no problem.”

Dare moved to the bed and slipped an arm behind her, then drew her to her feet. She swayed into him, one hand clutching at his shirt and holding on for dear life.

She made no attempt to step away. He didn’t ask her to. “What would you like to do?”

“I can’t …” She choked, cleared her throat, and her voice was so low he barely heard her when she said, “This is embarrassing, but the shower …” She swallowed. “I think I’m depleted.”

Easing her back onto the bed, Dare knew he’d have to be firm to get her agreement. “Okay, Molly, listen up.” He kept his tone as impersonal as possible. “This isn’t a big deal. I can dress you. I can even feed you.”

She rolled in her lips with embarrassment, a habit he’d already noticed.

“It’s nothing I haven’t done before,” he lied.

That brought her dark eyes up to his.

Damn, but her eyes could melt a man’s soul. “I’m in the personal protection business. You’re not the first woman I’ve rescued. You’re not even in the worst shape.” Another lie. Most women he retrieved were found in the first forty-eight hours before too much damage had been done—or they weren’t found at all. “Okay?”

Still with her gaze locked on his, she nodded.

“Good girl.” He grabbed the clothes from the bag. He wasn’t really discomfited by the task, but he’d just as soon get past it.

Taking clothes off a woman, yeah, he had plenty of practice with that.

Dressing the near-dead … not so much.

“Panties first, okay?” He still had no idea what had been done to her, how she might have been tormented or used. If it was sexual in nature, then this would be doubly hard on her. “We’ll take this nice and slow, and if at any point you feel panicky, just tell me.”

“I won’t panic.”

He looked up at her. “Yeah, well, I’d just as soon not get kicked in the face again.”

For a split second, he thought he saw a slight smile on her bruised mouth. Then she looked away. “No, I won’t do that again.”

As Dare knelt down to work her small feet into the legs of the very plain cotton underwear, he noticed more scrapes and bruises. After she ate, he’d dig out the first-aid kit and patch her up.

When he had the panties up to her knees, he took her elbow and pulled her to her feet. “Hold on to my shoulders.”

She was so much shorter than him, maybe five-seven to his six-three, that, while he stood upright, holding his shoulders pretty much stretched her out.

He bent to the task and she leaned against him. She was surprisingly … soft for someone so thin. And she smelled good now, clean like shampoo and soap and warm, gentle woman.

In a shrill, nervous voice, she asked, “So, who did you rescue? Other than me?”

“A friend. Almost like a sister.” Her thighs were trim, firm. He did his best to look away as he dragged the underwear up under the damp towel. His knuckles dragged against her soft bottom, a bottom that wasn’t as skinny as he’d thought.

Not that her curves mattered. With her shivering against him, he felt more like a damned doctor than a man who’d been without sex for months. “Now the shirt.”

He took the damp towel off her head and tossed it aside. Her hair fell in tangled wet hanks to her bare shoulders. Her neck was long and graceful, her chin stubborn.

And she looked ready to drop with both weakness and degradation. She was not a woman used to needing help, he could tell, especially not with something so personal.

“Feel better being clean?” If he kept her talking, maybe this would be easier for her—and for him.

“You have no idea.” Dare pulled the shirt down over her head, and as soon as she popped free, she added, “Do you have any scissors?”

He had to practically lift her arms to get them through the armholes. Because a bra had been well beyond him, he’d bought the shirt big and loose. It fit over the bundled towel she had wrapped around herself. “Why?”

“I was going to cut it.”

“It?” He reached beneath the shirt and pulled away the bulky towel. Surprise stilled him for only a moment. Dirt, distress and injury had hidden it, but Molly Alexander had one hell of a rack.

And he felt like a grade-A prick for noticing.

“My hair.” Not quite defeated, but close, she sat back on the bed again. Face pale and mouth tight with strain, she kept her shoulders back, her bare knees and ankles squeezed together. “There’s no way I’ll get the tangles out. And truthfully … I just don’t care enough to try.”

She was not his problem, Dare reminded himself, and her hair sure as hell didn’t matter to him. But damn it, for whatever reason, he didn’t want her to give up now, not on anything.

“Let’s worry about it tomorrow, okay?” Taking her arm again, he got her upright and helped her step into the shorts. Decently dressed, clean, and marginally rested, she made quite a picture.

Sort of cute, but still very bedraggled and wearied, not to mention abused.

Dare led her to the table. “You sure you don’t want to do this in bed?”

A hoarse laugh huffed out. “I’ve been tied to a disgusting, filthy mattress for nine days, unable to sit up or walk or … anything. Trust me, I’d rather be at the table.”

The image sickened him. “Gotcha.”

He set juice in front of her. “Try to drink it all, okay? It’ll help.” Then he opened the microwave and pulled out her still-warm cup of soup.

“I know the pancakes probably smell good, and there’s enough for you if you want to give them a go, but I figured it might be too much—”

“It would be.” She drank a little of the juice, waited, then drank some more. “It’s been so long since I’ve eaten, I have to take it slow or I know I’ll be sick. And I’d rather be beaten than barf again.”

“Again?”

Her expression flattened with memories. As if the shock and humiliation still burned her, she didn’t look at him as she explained.

“At first they brought me corn tortillas and some kind of strong alcohol. I was afraid of what they’d do if I got drunk, so I wouldn’t drink it. But then they gave me the nastiest-looking water, like something out of a mud puddle. I didn’t trust that, either, and they tried to insist, but I just … couldn’t.” Her shoulders hunched a little as she drew into herself. Her voice lowered. “That’s when they started … drugging me.”

Dare set aside his fork. Hearing even a smidge of what she’d gone through made it near impossible to stay distanced; he wanted to go back and kill people all over again.

“After that, I couldn’t seem to resist when they told me to drink it, but I got … sick.” Her hands fisted, and her entire small body tightened. “It’s not like there was any place for that. I mean, not a bathroom or even a bucket. I … I soiled part of the small area they’d given me, and tossed up the pills they’d forced down my throat.”

Jesus. To imagine being a woman alone, afraid and sick, stuck in such an untenable position—he hid it from her, but it enraged him.

“They stood over me, furious, barking at me in a language I didn’t understand, but I got their meaning loud and clear, and I cleaned it up the best I could with the rags they threw at me. After that, they barely fed me. Usually only once a day, but at least the water they brought was cleaner, I guess to avoid a repeat of things.”

Motherfuckers.

“But then yesterday and today they brought me nothing at all. I don’t know why.”

She left out a lot of details, but Dare didn’t push her. He couldn’t begin to imagine how wretched it’d be to get ill while closed in that hot, airless little trailer. The feeling of helplessness was something he’d never experienced, but he knew it’d be different for a man.

Any woman held captive would be constantly under the fear of more than just physical abuse or neglect. She’d be terrified of rape.

Setting the soup and a spoon in front of her, Dare broached that topic. “They manhandled you a lot.”

She said nothing, just tasted her soup, groaned, and tasted it again.

“Molly … if you were hurt …” Idiot. She was so hurt that it pained him to think of it. Dare started over. “That is, if you were hurt in ways that aren’t easy for me to see, then a trip to the hospital would be a good idea.”

With each bite of soup, she looked more lethargic, as if the nourishment eased a terrible ache and allowed tiredness to take over again.

“Molly?”

“I can’t.” She took another swallow, but her eyes were getting heavy as color seeped back into her cheeks.

“Can’t what?”

Another swallow. The seconds ticked by. “I can’t … can’t talk about this now, can’t give you details, and I can’t go to the hospital.” She lifted her gaze to his. “Please, if we could talk about it in the morning, I’d be grateful.”

Damn it, he didn’t want to be responsible for her health. He stood to pace, trying to decide.

“Dare?”

He turned back to her, left eye twitching, jaw tight.

“I wasn’t raped. I swear.”

Something in him eased. He tried to read the truth in her eyes, but saw only bleak resistance there. He rubbed his bristly jaw. “You would tell me if you were sexually abused?”

“If I had been … I don’t know. I don’t know how I’d feel.” Despite her ordeal, her chin lifted. “But I wasn’t.”

Dare continued to study her. He could read most people, but this woman had so much emotion in her face, and so many secrets in her eyes, he just wasn’t sure.

“That … that isn’t what they wanted with me.”

Remembering how she’d been separated from the other women, kept unclean, neglected instead of primed … he believed her.

That’s what she wanted to talk about tomorrow, he realized. He nodded. “All right.”

She started to stand, albeit shakily, and Dare said, “Wait. Let me turn down the bed.”

He prepared it for her, much like he would for a child, then came back to her. “Do you need the bathroom first?”

Pale, trembling, she shook her head. “No.”

Knowing that decision was likely determined by her inability to make it there on her own, Dare took the choice away from her. “Of course you do.” After all, he’d been pushing fluids on her, and she’d obliged him.

Lifting her up, he carried her into the small tiled room. She weighed next to nothing and felt insubstantial, delicate, in his arms.

He set her down next to the john. “Okay?”

She grabbed the sink and held on. “Yes.”

Hardly, but he’d done as much as he could without causing her further embarrassment. “If you need me, I’ll be right outside the door. Just let me know when you’re finished.” He left her to it.

Leaning against the wall beside the door, thinking of what he’d learned, and what he hadn’t, Dare waited for her. Seconds later he heard her flush and then run water in the sink.

The door opened.

Eyes more closed than open, shuffling along like a zombie, Molly moved past him to the bed. Dare rushed to hold her arm, to steady her and steer her to the sheets.

“Sorry,” she mumbled as she literally tumbled to the mattress. “So tired.”

Worry gnawed on him again. Should he damn her objections and take her to the hospital anyway? Already she looked to be asleep. He knew firsthand how exhaustion, especially when amplified by hunger and dehydration, could weary a body and soul.

Seeing her there, looking peaceful for a change, he made up his mind. A few more hours shouldn’t hurt. If she wasn’t steadier after sleeping, he’d insist she get checked out by a physician.

Before he thought better of it, Dare smoothed back her hair. It was so thick that it hadn’t dried much, but a wet head was the least of her worries.

He pulled the sheet and blanket up to her chin, and heard her sigh. “Rest up, Molly Alexander. In the morning we’ll sort things out.”

No answer.

For more than a minute, Dare stared down at her, wondering what he was going to do with her. She’d held it together with an admirable iron will and unwavering determination. Despite her horrific ordeal, she’d been reasonable, practical and intelligent.

But it was what she hadn’t been that told him even more.

She hadn’t been anxious to report to the police, hadn’t even looked at his gun or the big knife he carried, and she hadn’t wanted to call anyone.

That was a first for Dare. It was his experience that men and women alike, when recovered from a dangerous situation, had someone they wanted to speak to ASAP, someone they wanted to reassure, or have reassure them.

Not Molly.

What a mystery she was.

As efficiently as he could, Dare spread out her hair on the pillow so it’d dry quicker. Valuing order in all aspects of his life, he took time to tidy the room and get rid of the empty food containers.

He put the gun and knife under his pillow. They made a familiar lump that gave him a specific peace of mind needed in his line of work.

After stripping down to his boxers, he neatly folded his clothes and put them away in his duffel bag, kept on the other side of the bed. With one more glance out at the still-quiet parking lot, he drew the heavy shades, putting the room in darkness, and crawled under the blankets. The aged air conditioner hummed and whistled as it sent cool air to swirl around the room; he’d been too many hours without rest.

Within minutes, he fell into a light sleep.

Hours later, a short, guttural sound of panic drew him from a vague dream. He had his gun in his hand and was on his feet before the sound had faded.

HEART PUNCHING, stomach cramping, Molly jerked upright in the bed. Her hands balled into fists and her throat burned from the scream that almost escaped. Almost. Someone loomed next to her, someone big.

“Molly?”

She knew that voice. Still tinged with panic, she took quick inventory of her surroundings. The unfamiliar bed didn’t crawl with bugs, and the usual stench of unwashed bodies, fear and sickness didn’t pervade the air.

Reality crashed back in, and with it shame, mortification and sadness. She gasped, blindly reaching out. “Dare?” Her hand hit something, maybe a hard thigh.

“Yeah, just me.” He set something heavy on the nightstand, and then his big body dipped the mattress and his hand touched her shoulder. “Bad dream?”

More like bad memories, but she didn’t want to go into that right now. Her breath shuddered in. “Yes. I’m so sorry I woke you.”

“You’re okay now?”

“I …” What could she say? That she’d never be okay again? Unacceptable, because that would mean they’d won, whoever they were. “Yes. Now I am.” Fear continued to rip through her in agonizing waves. “I’m sorry.”

“Enough with the apologies, okay?”

His gruff voice somehow reassured her. She nodded in the darkness, struggling to get her bearings. “I thought …”

“That you were back there again?” Cautiously, a little awkwardly, he drew her against him. “Don’t worry about it. It’s going to take you a while to shake it off.”

Then he put another bottle of water in her hand.

A near-hysterical laugh bubbled up, and she barely repressed it. Shake it off? Is that what he would do?

Probably. He was so much stronger, so much more capable than she.

She dutifully drank some water, then handed the bottle back to him. He set it aside, but then pulled her close.

Her cheek met the bare skin of his upper chest and fit neatly against the notch of his shoulder. So much heat emanated from him. He smelled good, too, clean and pure. And he felt even better, like strength, safety.

Her rescuer had nothing in common with the filthy, depraved animals who had imprisoned her, who had likely been hired to … do what with her?

Molly could hear his even, calm heartbeat, and it helped to slow her racing heart. Other than his initial, probably automatic gesture of comfort, Dare didn’t touch her. One of his hands rested lightly on her shoulder, un-moving but offering the knowledge that she was no longer alone or in danger.

“Dare?”

“Hmm?”

He seemed perfectly comfortable in their present position, as if he did this sort of thing all the time.

Molly wished she felt the same. Never in her life had she asked for comfort from another person. For her, this was all very awkward, but basic need, the need to survive, drove her now. “Would you mind if I just stayed like this for a few minutes?”

“No problem.” As if in affirmation, he coasted his hand up and down her back, then up again, to tangle in her hair. “At least your hair is mostly dry now.”

Another strangling, semi-ironic laugh almost slipped out. “Yeah, I’ve got that going for me.”

He was silent a moment, then said, “I didn’t think to ask earlier, but do you need any aspirin or anything?”

Molly shook her head. “I’m not sure what the pills were that they forced me to swallow, but I’d rather not take anything else for a while.”

“They were probably some kind of hallucinogen. Or maybe tranqs.”

Reminded of how the pills had made her feel, she stiffened, pushed back from him a little to look up at his barely visible face. “I detest being out of control.”

He went curiously still. “Now?”

“No, when they were doping me.” She remembered the lack of control over her sluggish limbs, how her mind dredged up such ridiculous, vague and misty dreams. Everything was surreal, implausible, insubstantial. “I don’t drink, and I never, ever took drugs. I’ve never even smoked pot. And then to have them force me … It was awful. Why would anyone ever drug themselves on purpose?”

He relaxed again. “No idea.”

She believed him. Dare was a man who enjoyed being in charge. He wouldn’t blunt that ability for the sake of kicks or a quick high.

More to herself than to him, Molly whispered, “I like being me, not a loopy version of me.”

He said nothing to that.

Needing to talk, to drive away the remnants of that dream, she again looked up at him. “The other women … You said you saved one, but there were others there, too. What happened to them?”

“Four of them were apparently local, because as soon as I freed them and told them it was clear, they took off.”

“I hope they’re all right.”

He shrugged. “They seemed to know right where they wanted to go.”

“Those men …” Damn it, she had difficulty finishing thoughts, much less sentences. “They were so cruel, taunting the women, pawing them.”

His muscles seemed to bulge. “The blond woman. They pawed her?”

Icy anger sounded in his tone. “Sometimes, but I got the impression she was too valuable to abuse. They said she’d bring a lot of money.” Now Molly soothed him, clutching his big shoulder. “She’s the one you saved? The one you said is like family?”

“Yes.”

She put her cheek against his chest again. “Where is she now?”

His hug was automatic, for them both. “With her brother. Safe.”

Safe. Such a strange concept, but Molly now knew that no one was ever really safe. “I’m glad. She’s so young.” His warmth seeped into her, making her drowsy again. “I tried talking to her, but she was too afraid.”

Looking down at her, he asked, “And you weren’t?”

“I’ve never in my life known that kind of fear.” The dark and quiet of the small room, the casualness of his touch, made it easier to talk. “Dare, can I tell you something?”

He shifted, almost like he was settling in for something monumental. “Yes.”

How to explain it? A prisoner was a prisoner—but she’d been imprisoned differently. “I wasn’t like the others.”

Rather than question her meaning, he just said, “I know.”

Did he? “Those girls were in their late teens or very early twenties, and they were all stunning. They were kept on one side of the trailer, with more opportunity to bathe. They were given clean clothes. Ridiculously revealing clothes, but still … And they had more food, more water. It was almost like the jerks wanted them to look good. Healthy, I mean.”

“Yeah, I know.”

But Molly frowned at her own words. “I’m not saying they had it any easier than I did. Captivity is captivity, and we were all miserable.”

“But?”

She swallowed. “But … I’m thirty years old.” She twisted to look up at him. “I know I’m plain. And even if I didn’t already know it, I’m not stupid.”

She heard something in his tone when he agreed. “No, you’re far from stupid.”

“They didn’t want me to sell, like they did the others.”

As if he’d already come to that conclusion himself, he said, “No, they didn’t. But then why did they take you? Do you know? Did they say anything?”

They had said plenty, most of it in Spanish. “I’ve gone over it again and again, and I think … I think someone must have paid them to.”

In the quiet security of that small motel room, she counted their breaths, waiting for Dare to react. By small degrees, his muscles again bunched and flexed.

But his hold remained gentle.

When he spoke, he sounded matter-of-fact, as if he believed her without further explanation. “Who?”

Molly squeezed her eyes shut, hating the reality of what her life had become. “That’s the conundrum, isn’t it? I have no idea who I can trust anymore.”

His hand smoothed over her hair, then cupped the back of her skull. “Do you think you can go back to sleep now?”

Not if she had to sleep alone. Hedging, she asked, “What time is it?”

“Doesn’t matter, does it? We’re not on a schedule yet.”

But she hated to further inconvenience him. He hadn’t been paid to come after her. He’d probably rescued her with the thought of dropping her on the other side of the border, someone else’s problem to deal with.

Unfortunately, she had no one else right now. “Do you have a flight to catch?”

Before he answered, he urged her back down in the bed. Her head sank into the soft pillow, and the clean sheets, though cheap and scratchy, smelled good. He stayed close as he all but tucked her in.

She should have been alarmed, having a man bending over her, especially a man of Dare’s size and obvious strength.

Instead, she felt more at ease than she had since being grabbed and stuffed into the back of an old van right in front of her own apartment building. She doubted the quaint community in southern Ohio would ever again feel boring to her.

Dare smoothed the covers over her shoulders. “When I’m on a mission like this, I can’t make plans too far in advance. If anything had gone wrong, if I hadn’t been able to get Alani out of there so easily, or if she’d already been moved, then I’d still be tracking her.”

“You wouldn’t have given up on finding her?”

“Never.”

The unwavering conviction in that one word reassured her. Alani was lucky to have someone like Dare caring for her. “How did you know where to look for her?”

He moved to her side, and when Molly thought he’d leave the bed—leave her—he instead propped his back against the headboard. After stretching out his long legs, he said, “I’ve been in this business a long time.”

“How long? You can’t be much older than me.”

“Thirty-two, so I’ve been at it for more than ten years.”

Fascinating. Molly folded a hand under her cheek and got comfortable. “You started young.”

With a shrug, he said, “It suits me.”

“Adrenaline junkie?” she guessed.

“And a control freak—which means I really understand how you detested being so powerless. I’d have hated it, too.”

But he wouldn’t have been so helpless against them. Somehow, Molly thought Dare would have found a way to not only escape, but to wipe the cretins out for good.

He took her silence for interest, which was okay because she found him intriguing. And listening to him kept her from stewing over her own awful predicament.

“I’m obsessive about details,” he told her. “That’s made me reliable enough to cultivate contacts everywhere, but Mexico is the easiest. For a fee, the coyotes can usually give me information I can’t uncover otherwise.”

“Coyotes? You mean the people who smuggle illegal aliens into the country?”

Dare nodded. “Yeah, but they’re also useful when you need help getting back out of Tijuana. It’s a sad fact that in many areas human trafficking isn’t that much of a secret, so plenty of people are usually in the loop about new acquisitions.”

She thought of the young Caucasian girl who’d been held in the trailer with her. “Your friend Alani had very unique coloring.”

He nodded. “That made it easier for others to remember her, but not that many got to see her. They were saving her for a big sale, I’m sure.”

Wretched, horrible men, to plan such a thing for a young girl. She hated them, all of them.

Now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, Molly could make out Dare’s profile. She remembered that thunk right before he’d joined her in the bed. “You have a gun with you.”

“On the nightstand,” he confirmed. “A Glock 9mm. Does it bother you?”

She shook her head.

When he said, “Good,” she realized that he could see her, too.

“May I see it?”

“You’ve already seen it.”

“I mean … hold it.”

He made a sound that could have passed for humor. “Hell, no.”

Well. Molly didn’t know if she should be offended or not. Then she thought of those awful men…. “Have you ever shot anyone?”

With no hesitation, Dare said, “Yes.”

Her heart pumped hard. She licked her lips, drew a breath. “Did you … shoot the men who were guarding the trailer?”

He looked at her again. After some consideration, he asked, “Why?”

Her voice sounded more raw than she intended, but Molly was helpless to state things any differently. “They’re brutal beasts who take pleasure in hurting women.”

“In hurting you,” he agreed with quiet sympathy.

Her nose stuffed up. Her throat tightened. “They …”

Oh, God, it was almost impossible to talk. Her voice kept breaking, going higher, weaker. But Dare didn’t prompt her, didn’t rush her. He just waited in supportive silence.

“They wanted to make me cry. They wanted to make me beg.” She sniffed, drew a breath. “Just for sport.”

Without a word, as if they knew each other well, he pulled her up against his chest and put his chin to the top of her head. After a few seconds, he said, “You know, Molly, if I could, I’d kill them for you again.”

She jerked, then whispered in awe, “Again?”

“Yeah.”

Dizziness assailed her. “So you did kill them?”

“Damn right.” He looked down at her. “They needed killing.”

“Yes, they did.” The men were gone; they couldn’t hurt her, or anyone else, ever again. As the tension eased out of her, her heavy eyelids sank down, almost closing.

Great relief came from the knowledge that they were gone forever.

Dawn began to creep through the heavy drapes, and for the first time in days, Molly greeted it with hope. “Dare?”

“Yeah?”

She hugged him tight. “Thank you.”

CHAPTER THREE

WHILE SIPPING COFFEE and watching her sleep, Dare went over possible scenarios for the day. First on the agenda, he had to decide what to do with Ms. Molly Alexander.

He couldn’t just dump her, because she shouldn’t be alone right now and didn’t seem to have anyone to go to. She refused the police, not that they could be of much help anyway. So, then … what to do with her?

It wasn’t like he could keep her.

He wanted to get back home to check on his girls, and thinking that, he lifted his cell phone and put in a call. Chris Chapey, his personal assistant, answered on the third ring.

“Hey, Dare. I want to hear some good news.”

Dare rolled his eyes. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t get Chris to answer the phone properly. Sure, Chris always checked the caller ID first, so he knew it was Dare, but still … “Alani is with Trace now.”

“Fucking-A. Perfect news.” But then, with more sensitivity: “She’s … okay, isn’t she?”

“Depends on your definition of okay, I guess. But I think she’ll recoup. It’s for certain that Trace won’t let her take another vacation without him—not for a hell of a long time.” Or until Alani had a man of her own to keep her safe.

“Can’t say as I blame him,” Chris said. “I assume that you got through things unscathed?”

He glanced toward Molly, asleep in the bed. A bed they’d shared—in the platonic sense. “More or less.”

“So, when are you going to be home?”

“Not sure yet. I have a—” Suddenly, as if she’d felt his gaze, Molly’s eyes opened. They were puffy from sleeping hard, and a little unfocused—until they locked on his. She again gave him that startled, caught look. “A complication.”

Showing no reaction to that, Molly rolled to her back a moment and yawned, then pushed back the covers and sat up. She gingerly stretched and winced. Beneath the now-wrinkled clothes, Dare noted once again that although she was thin, she still had an abundance of curves.

How the hell had he ever missed that? Not that he’d been checking her out, but it was a little hard to miss now that he had noticed.

Shoulders slumped, Molly sat on the edge of the bed for a minute, just breathing and maybe taking personal stock of aches and pains. He was willing to bet she had plenty of them.

Finally, with a deep sigh, she stood and padded barefoot for the bathroom. He noted some definite curves in the back, too, defined beneath the body-hugging shorts and loose T-shirt.

She looked less wobbly today, so the sleep and food must have done the trick.

When she shut the door, Dare realized that Chris was talking to him and he hadn’t heard a word.

“I need to go.”

Chris snorted. “No being cryptic, boss man. If you’re in trouble—”

“I’m not.”

“Then what’s the complication?”

“Nothing I can’t handle.” He hoped. “Everything will be fine.” Somehow he’d make that true. “I’ll call you later when I finalize my plans.”

Molly emerged from the bathroom, her face damp, her thick, tangled hair everywhere. But today, rather than looking like a wreck, her wild hair just looked … freshly tumbled.

She came over to sniff the coffee, lifted a cup in hopeful question, and Dare nodded.

She mouthed a heartfelt, Thank you.

In the bright sunlight, her brown eyes looked less wary, but the bruising under and around them had deepened.

Shit.

Dare gave his attention back to Chris. “Give the girls some hugs from me.”

“I’m keeping them happy, don’t worry.”

He never did. He trusted Chris with his life—and his girls. “Later.”

Dare closed the phone and eyed Molly. She avoided his gaze, which he found curious. “How do you feel? And don’t sugarcoat it.”

Her lips curved in the briefest smile. “Glad to be alive and free. But also achy, still a little tired. And starved.” She peered at the arrangement of food. “Not to impose, but is any of this up for grabs?”

“I’ve already finished, so help yourself.” He watched her sit and open up all three containers, finding scrambled eggs, bacon and toast.

Her eyes widened, then narrowed with hunger. “It’s an absolute feast.”

“Hardly that.” Her mood this morning threw him. He hadn’t expected her to be … chipper. Or maybe it was more complacent. Either way, he’d been prepared for the shock to take hold.

Instead, she behaved as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

“For me, this is the most delicious-looking food I’ve seen in far too long, so thank you. And don’t worry, I really do have money to repay you for everything. Just keep a tally of it all, if you don’t mind. My math skills have always been lacking and … I don’t have a notepad or pen.” She glanced up at him. “At least, not with me.”

Discolorations in blue, purple, green and black marred her skin from her eyes down to her toes, and she spoke as if the cost of a diner breakfast mattered.

“How long have you been up?” She tasted the eggs, tore open a salt and pepper packet, seasoned them, then tasted again. With a roll of her eyes, she said, “Oh, Nirvana.”

Dare enjoyed her expression of greedy bliss. “I woke a few hours ago.” Still at your side, with you squeezed up against me. He’d awakened with women many times, but never a woman like her, never a woman in her situation.

She’d been dead to the world, and still she clung to him so tightly that he had to pry her loose before sliding out of the bed and away from her. After leaving her, he noted the fading of her warmth against his skin, and how her scent still clung to him.

Disturbing.

“What time is it?” She bit into the bacon and chewed with delight.

“Noon.”

“Wow. Late for you, I bet.” Her gaze flashed up with a hint of humor. “You being such an orderly, organized guy.” She emphasized that with a peek around the room. He’d already made his bed, because he hated the clutter of rumpled blankets and really didn’t want housekeeping around his stuff.

Dare shrugged. Usually he rose before dawn, but he’d needed the rest, too. Leaning forward, he tried for a note of seriousness. “So, Molly, what do we have on the agenda for the day?”

She paused with another bite of bacon almost to her mouth. Her hand dropped back to the table. “Well, I’ve been thinking about that.”

“While you were in the bathroom for, oh … thirty seconds?” The rest of the time she’d either slept or talked. She hadn’t really had time to ponder things.

Her chin lifted. “Actually, since I woke up in your backseat and realized you weren’t with the bad guys, I’ve been considering what to do next.”

Amazing. He believed her, though. He hadn’t known her long, but he’d already figured out that she was that type of no-nonsense, get-it-together, make-a-plan woman. “Come to any conclusions?” He was dying to know.

“That depends.” She fidgeted a moment, then tilted her head at him. “Are you expensive, Dare?”

Now what was she up to? He crossed his arms and sat back. “Very.”

“So, that means you’re really good?”

His eyes narrowed, and he said again, “Very.”

Mulling that over, she nodded acceptance. “I’m not certain what type of work you do, but I know you carry a knife and a pretty big gun, and that you’re darned good at getting in and out of dire situations.”

All true enough.

“I trust what I know of you, and you did rescue me with no incentive other than that it was the right thing to do, so … I was hoping maybe I could hire you?” Very unsure of herself, she ended with a clear question, hoping for his cooperation.

Dare studied her, a little astounded, but also curious. But again, it proved nearly impossible to know what was in that quick mind of hers. So far just about everything she’d said or done had been unexpected.

“To do what, exactly?” If she thought he was a murderer for hire, he’d just have to set her straight. Yes, he’d killed, but only when necessary to protect an innocent. Never in cold blood. Never for money.

He was as law-abiding as the next guy—when he could abide the law.

Leaning forward in her seat, Molly put her elbows on the table and stared him in the eyes. “Someone wanted me hurt, I’m sure of that. Maybe he even wanted me killed. I need to know who he is, or I’ll never be able to relax. Until that person is revealed, I’ll need protection.” Her gaze dipped over his body, her lips rolled in, and she hurried her attention back to his face.

She let out a ragged breath. “God’s truth, Dare, I think you’re a man who could protect anything or anyone if you set your mind to it.”

Damn right—but he wasn’t yet ready to commit himself. There was a lot he didn’t know about Molly Alexander. He started with the most obvious. “You said he. You think a man set you up?”

Her mouth twisted. “Actually, that was just a figure of speech. I didn’t mean to leap to any conclusions. It could be anyone.”

No kidding. “Do you have enemies, Molly?”

She laughed with a near-hysterical edge, but she quickly regrouped and picked up some toast. “All things considered, apparently I do.”

He couldn’t argue that point. The more he’d thought about it, the more her theory made sense. Someone must have wanted her taken, because she wasn’t the young helpless innocent usually grabbed.

But he wanted to hear her reasoning. “What makes you so sure you weren’t just a random grab gone awry?”

“Besides the obvious unsuitability for the standard—being gorgeous, stacked, younger women?” A new edge showed in her demeanor, a renewed fear and anger. “I wasn’t treated the same. Not even close. They leered at the others, saw them as commodities, but they mostly just wanted to taunt me, as if they were allowed liberties with me that were forbidden against the others.”

“The bruises on your face,” Dare remarked aloud, and he had to tamp down his anger. “A bruised woman doesn’t sell for as much.”

She shrugged. “They never once struck the other women in the face. In fact, they might have manhandled them a little, but they didn’t hit them at all.”

“You egged them on.” Dare couldn’t get over that.

“Did Alani tell you that? Well, it’s true, I guess—and it sort of makes me sound nuts, huh?”

“I don’t know. Depends on why you did it, I guess.”

Her hands curled into fists. “They wanted to break me, and I refused. I was afraid that once I did, once I fell apart, they’d go ahead and kill me. Like maybe that’s what they were waiting for.”

She’d crumbled the toast, realized it, and brushed her hands before folding them in her lap. “Believe me, I was terrified, but rather than show them that, I showed them the scorn I felt.”

Again, she amazed him. She’d sized up the situation and rationalized a way to buy herself some time. “Go on.”

“I sometimes overheard them talking. Mostly in Spanish, and my skills are rusty at best, but when one of the guys got really furious with me, another told him that he couldn’t kill me. Yet.”

Dare said nothing as he absorbed that and considered the possibilities. They’d been waiting for something. But what?

“They followed someone else’s instructions.”

“Maybe,” he agreed. Why else would they have kept her instead of selling her or killing her?

She met his gaze. “And then one of them said that …” She trailed off, distressed, angry.

Anticipating her answer, Dare leaned forward. “What?”

Her brows drew together, and she closed her eyes. “That I had surely learned a lesson.”

He dropped back in his chair. Unbelievable. Had someone hired her abductors to torture her with uncertainty, cruel treatment, fear and humiliation? If so, it would have to be someone with a lot of hatred and resentment.

Someone she knew.

But how could one small, average woman incur that much wrath?

“Anyone obvious?” When she didn’t reply, he said, “Come on, Molly, you know I’ll need some specifics before I can be of any real help to you.”

Sighing, she again gave up on the food. “Let’s just say it could be anyone from my father and his associates, to my ex-boyfriend, to a disgruntled reader.”

Her boyfriend? Then the rest of what she’d said registered. “Reader?”

Again she faced him, her shoulders back and her chin up. “I’m a writer.”

“Published?”

She blinked before saying, “Well … yeah.”

An unspoken duh sounded in her words. Dare shook his head. “I’ve never heard of you.”

Something flashed over her features, maybe defensiveness. Had she caught grief for writing?

“You must not read dark, sexy romantic suspense.” She tipped her head, not really proud, but maybe … smug. “My fourth book is being made into a movie. There’s even talk of Ryan Reynolds playing the lead.”

Incredulous, Dare whistled low under his breath. “Son of a bitch. You really can afford me, then?”

She picked up her fork with obvious renewed hunger. “For the breakfast—and with your agreement, a whole lot more.”

MOLLY KNEW SHE’D thrown him with the bombshell about her career. But she couldn’t hide her identity forever. What he said was true: if she wanted his help, and she did, then he’d have to know everything.

In good time.

The food was so delicious that she devoured it all—or at least what she hadn’t destroyed while fretting through her theories. Afterward, she felt fabulous. Well, maybe that was stretching things, but she felt more human than she had in too many days. That hollowness in her gut was now satisfied. She felt stronger, steadier.

Dare had remained silent until she popped the last bite of bacon into her mouth and settled back in her seat with a sigh. “Thank you.”

Flinty blue eyes, bright in the sunshine pouring through the window, scrutinized her. “You won’t be sick?”

She shook her head. “Nope. I feel fine.” And this time, it was true.

“Should I get more? Maybe some cake or pie?”

The courteous offer, in such a mild tone, was at odds with his expression. He looked harder than ever, more capable of deadly force.

She didn’t understand him, but she trusted him. “I’m full, but thank you.”

Surprising her with his lack of questions, he stood and headed for the door. “I already showered and shaved.”

“I slept through that?” Disturbing, but then, she’d been so exhausted…. “I’m usually a very light sleeper.”

“Extenuating circumstances,” he said. “You can have some privacy for … whatever. I’ll be back within the hour.”

He shut the door before she could ask him where he was going. She had the distinct feeling that she’d run him off. He was such an independent, skilled person that being around someone like her, someone so damned needy, would probably suffocate him.

Determined to withhold further complaints, Molly got up and went to the window to look out.

Usually, whenever she admitted to being a writer, the questions started. Where do you get your ideas? How long does it take to write a book? How much do you get paid? How did you get started? She heard them often, sometimes with disdain when people discovered that she wrote for entertainment, not to impress the literary world.

Used to be, people asked her why she hadn’t been on Oprah, or had her books been made into a movie, as if either was something in her control and easily accomplished. But with the recent movie deal, at least one of those questions had been replaced with another: Can I borrow some money?

Nearly everyone she knew wanted into her pocket. Friends she hadn’t known she had showed up with great regularity. And when they didn’t want money, they wanted an inside edge to meeting a celebrity, to hanging with the “in” crowd.

Molly snorted to herself. She hadn’t changed, but everyone now treated her differently.

Pushing open the window, she let in the fresh air. Their room faced the parking lot, and she saw Dare get into his rented van and drive toward Walmart again.

If she looked to the left, she could just see the turbulent ocean as it teased a sandy beach, sending surfers atop waves, and then crashing them down again. People in Windbreakers strolled with their leashed pets. Lovers walked hand in hand.

Molly sighed and decided she could use another shower while Dare was gone. Maybe with enough shampoo and conditioner, she could ease some of the gnarled snags in her hair.

Sometime later, while she still stood under the warm spray, she heard a knock on the bathroom door.

“Molly?”

He’d returned sooner than she’d expected—or she’d lingered longer than she meant to. “Be right out,” she called through the door.

“I got you some more clothes, so you don’t have to put the same ones on if you want to change.”

She chewed her lip. Yesterday he’d seen her in no more than a towel, but she hadn’t been capable of presenting herself any differently. Today, feeling stronger, she wanted to be less of an imposition on him.

“Just a second.” She stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around herself and cracked open the door. “You didn’t need to do that.”

His gaze dipped from her face to her barely visible right shoulder, and back up again. Handing in the bag, he said, “There’s more out here, but this ought to get you started. I stuck the toothbrush and toothpaste in there that I bought yesterday, too.”

Biting her lips in a long-standing habit, Molly nodded. “Thanks.”

He put a hand on the door, keeping her from closing it. “You sure you’re okay?”

Why her heart thundered that way, she couldn’t say. She did trust him. But now that she wasn’t so debilitated, everything seemed … different. More intimate somehow. “Almost like my old self.”

His eyes narrowed the smallest bit. “You still look shaky to me.”

A little, but that had more to do with talking to a big, powerful man while wearing only a towel than with her past ordeal. “Not at all.”

“You’re pale.”

Odd, since she felt flushed. “My natural coloring?”

He considered her a moment more and must have decided to let it go. “I’ll be here if you need anything.” He released the door and stepped away.

Breathless with some unidentifiable emotion, Molly closed the door, locked it with an audible click that made her wince, and dropped back against it.

From the moment she’d laid eyes on Dare, she’d been aware of his size, his strong shoulders, bulging biceps and broad chest. For her, his strength equaled safety. He’d proved a capable lifeline when she needed one most.

Now that she could think clearly and those awful shakes had mostly subsided … she saw him as a man.

And what a man.

Why hadn’t she noticed before how … how gorgeous he was? She was alone in a small hotel room with over six feet of sexiness. Windblown brown hair, piercing blue eyes, quiet control … Her heart continued to thunder.

She’d slept with him last night, curled tight along his side for comfort and security….

Oh, God.

Heat flooded her face, and she pressed her hands there. On the phone, he’d mentioned “his girls.” Did that mean daughters? Or maybe romantic involvements? And who had he been talking to? If he was in a relationship, had she inadvertently trespassed?

“Molly?”

Startled, she jumped away from the door. “Yes?”

“Are you going to finish your shower or not?”

Her eyes widened. Could he see through the damn door? Or was he just so attuned to everything and everyone that he heard her utter stillness in the bathroom?

She cleared her throat. “Yes, getting to it right now.” Then she frowned and added, “Turn on the television or something.” She didn’t want him listening to her every movement.

When she heard the TV turn on—loudly—she rummaged through the bag he’d given her.

Toothbrush and toothpaste! Absurdly excited, she ignored the clothes and went scouting through the rest of the items, finding lotion, nail clippers and an emery board, a razor, and better shampoo and conditioner.

God love the man. How could someone so gruff, so … deadly, also be so sensitive?

Thrilled, she climbed back in the shower with much of her stash. Unmindful of wasting water, she cleaned her teeth until her mouth felt fresh again. The shampoo and conditioner had a pleasing scent and went a long way toward making her hair feel less like a rag mop. She even shaved her legs, careful of the scrapes and uglier bruises.

By the time she finished her shower and dried off, her newfound energy had waned. But she wasn’t about to put on the new clothes he’d bought until she slathered on the lotion and clipped her ragged nails.

The clothes were similar to what he’d already brought her, just in different colors. Except for the panties; they remained plain white cotton.

Dressed, refreshed but tuckered out, she opened the door and stepped out to find Dare ignoring the blaring television as he stood to the side of the window, peering out. He looked suspicious of something, or someone.

Her heart tripped. Another threat? No—no, it couldn’t be.

Molly was about to query him when he said, without looking at her, “All done?”

She didn’t want to sit on the bed, so she went to the small table and pulled out a chair. Once again, he’d cleared away their breakfast mess. Dare did have a thing for order and cleanliness.

“I almost feel human again.” What did he see outside that window?

“Good.” He dropped the curtain and stepped back, then glanced at her. “We’re leaving here.”

“We are?”

With a nod, he said, “Today. I’ll see if I can get us a flight home, and if not, we’ll move to another hotel.”

A flight home? His home or hers? And then what?

Nothing had been decided. The threat to her existed as strongly as ever. Shaken and again uncertain, she accepted that something must have happened for him to react like this.

Or maybe he’d felt that spark of interest from her … and he wanted no part of it. Remembering his concern for his girls, Molly started to tremble. Who were they? Dare didn’t notice her reaction as he put in a call to “Chris” and gave instructions that she barely registered.

Was Chris his girlfriend? Or … more? She supposed Chris could be a male friend, or maybe just an employee or colleague.

She should just ask him—but his personal life was no business of hers.

Dare closed the phone, set it on the desk, crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her.

Her mouth went dry … until he said, “I bought the scissors you wanted. But before you use them, I want you to at least try to get the tangles out.”

IT ANNOYED DARE, THE way she insisted that she felt fine. Anyone could see that the remnants of her nightmare still dragged at her. He knew from experience that an emotional drain could be as bad as, sometimes worse than, physical exhaustion.

Silent, withdrawn from him, she ruthlessly tugged the wide-toothed comb through her hair. As much as Dare tried to ignore it, he … couldn’t.

Shoving away from the window and the beat-up red Ford truck he’d been watching, he stalked to her chair, pulled it from the table so he could get behind her, and said, “Let me have it.”

Twisting around to stare up at him, she asked, “What?”

“The comb.” He took it from her hand. “You’re just yanking through the tangles.”

Her eyes widened at him. “Because it’ll take all day otherwise.”

“You need to learn some patience.” Lifting a hank of hair, he started at the bottom and used his fingers to separate the biggest tangles, then eased the comb through, working his way up until that hank of hair was smooth. When he finished, he went on to the next section.

Frozen, too quiet, Molly never objected when the comb snagged and pulled. He needed to get her talking again. Before they left the room, he wanted to know as much about her as he could.

“You mentioned a boyfriend.”

“Ex.”

That implied a conflict—possibly big enough to account for an abduction and deliberate mistreatment? “Tell me what happened.”

She shrugged. “He wanted me to buy him rims for his car. I refused. We argued, and … things just fell apart.”

Unable to imagine that, Dare frowned. “Why would he want you to buy him rims?”

One shoulder lifted. “I’d gotten a big check from the movie deal, so I guess he figured I could afford it.” She tilted her head around to see him. “He wasn’t the only one who thought I should have been bestowing gifts. Actually, just about everyone thought I should share.”

“I don’t know about everyone, but your boyfriend sounds like an ass.”

“Ex.” Her laughter surprised him. “And I guess he is. But I didn’t know that until my career took off. Before that, he was generous and fun. It’s not like he’s a pauper himself. Adrian owns a bar, and it does pretty good.”

With the back of her hair now smooth, Dare moved to her side. “So, just out of the blue, he asked you to buy him things?”

“Sort of.”

He watched her profile as he worked through the tangles and saw her chin tighten in memory.

“We were heading home after lunch, and he pulled into this specialty shop, saying he wanted to look at some things. Car stuff bores me, but I went in and waited around while he and a salesman talked for what felt like forever. Then he came over to me and showed me the rims he wanted.” She shook her head. “I know nothing about rims, so I just oohed and aahed over them, you know?”

Dare nodded. “Patronized him.”

“Well … Yes, I guess.”

Dare didn’t fault her for that. “And?”

“He told me he couldn’t afford them. So I asked why we were there, then, and he got frustrated with me.”

Molly Alexander was an upfront, tell-it-like-it-is kind of woman. Subterfuge would be wasted on her. Imagining it almost made Dare smile. “You weren’t picking up on his cues.”

“Apparently not.” She moved suddenly, saying, “Really, Dare, I could finish this.”

He held the comb out of her reach. “You had your chance.” He liked to finish what he started. And besides, he was sort of enjoying it.

Resigned, Molly crossed her legs and arms and shrugged.

Prompting her, Dare said, “You argued over the rims? There at the shop?”

“More or less. When he flat out said that I could afford them, and he wanted them, I just laughed. I mean, what do I want with rims? It’s not so much that he asked me to buy him things, but how he did it. Just … demanding almost. And then he got furious, causing a big scene.”

Dare shook his head.

“It was ridiculous and embarrassing, and when I told him to knock it off, he stormed out.”

“Must have been an uncomfortable ride home.” Although he figured that in most situations, Molly could hold her own.

She snorted. “I wouldn’t know. I took a cab.”

“He left without you?”

“He was still railing when I left the store to follow him, so I refused to get in the car until he calmed down. Calming down wasn’t his priority, so, yeah, he left me standing there.” She let out a long breath. “And for me, that was that. Later, Adrian tried apologizing, but I’m not big on public humiliation.”

“Few people are.”

“There’d been little things before then, and it all added up. The scene in the car shop was enough for me to realize how his true colors had begun to show once I started making more money with my writing. I made a choice not to be used.”

At least she hadn’t been in love with him, Dare thought. A woman in love didn’t let a few money disagreements, regardless of how unpleasant they might be, end things. “All done.”

She ran a hand over her hair, then looked at the small pile of hair on the table, comprised of the knots they’d pulled free and had to remove from the comb.

“Looks like we killed a rat.”

He almost smiled—and his cell rang. While he answered the call from Chris, Molly tidied up again, then took the brush he’d bought and went into the bathroom. He heard the blow-dryer turn on with a loud whir. She closed the door to spare him the noise.

“What do you have for me, Chris?”

“Your ticket, plus one, leaving SDM in three hours on a private Beechjet with seating for seven. I know that’s quick, but you said ASAP, right? Can you make that okay?”

Chris knew to always lead with the details. “You checked out the pilots?”

“Yup. Squeaky-clean records for both of them.”

“Then, yeah, we’ll be there.”

“One of the pilots gave me his number, so take it down just in case. He said with what you’re paying him, he can be flexible.”

Dare shook his head. Chris took far too much enjoyment in spending his money. After he’d written down the pilot’s name and cell number and stowed the paper in his pocket, Dare decided to clue Chris in. “Just so you know, I’m bringing plus one home with me.”

Chris fell silent, but it didn’t last long. “No shit? A girl?”

“Woman.” Dare again looked out at the parking lot. The truck was gone, but he didn’t trust it. He sensed they were being watched, and he fucking well didn’t like it.

“And you’re bringing her here?”

Yeah, unheard of. He’d kept his home sacrosanct from his business, but…. “It’s complicated.” Molly was nowhere near ready to travel yet. The long trip back to Kentucky would be grueling for her. But right now, it was the only way he knew to keep her safe until he got things figured out. “She’s hiring me to protect her.”

“From what?”

Dare dropped the curtain and looked toward the bathroom door. He pictured her in there, worn out but determined to get her hair dried. She was an enigma with a huge problem.

He shook his head, more at himself than for any other reason. “Honestly, Chris, I wish to hell I knew.”

CHAPTER FOUR

WHEN MOLLY EMERGED looking like a different woman, Dare did a double take. Her hair was … really nice; not the plain brown he’d assumed but a light brown with red and gold highlights that looked natural instead of salon-created.

Seeing it semi-fixed, soft and curling around her face, altered her appearance drastically, giving her a very feminine edge that was only enhanced by the vulnerability still visible from her bruises and tiredness.

Who knew a woman’s hair played such a major role in her looks?

It was, Dare supposed, one of the many secrets to female routines. Not that he had a lot of experience with that, since he’d never been involved with any one woman long enough to dwell on her personal-grooming habits.

With the limited means at hand, Molly’s hair was far from polished, hanging loose and shining to just below her shoulders. As Dare stared at her, she tucked one side behind her ear.

To cover his surprise, Dare said, “We’re flying out in three hours.”

Her eyes flared. “Okay. But … going where, exactly?”

As if he dragged home rescue victims on a regular basis, Dare shrugged. “My place, first. I have a few things I have to do at home. Then I’ll accompany you to your place.”

Taking his words like a blow, she went to the bed and gingerly sat at the edge. “Oh. Okay.”

“I’ll be with you.”

She tried a smile that fell flat.

“Molly. You have to go back to your place sooner or later, right?”

“Of course I do.” She put her shoulders back in telling reaction. “I need to talk with my editor and agent. I have … plants to water.” She chewed her lip. “I need my flash drives and my own clothes and …” She shook her head. “Going back will be good.”

Had she considered refusing? Dare frowned, then retrieved the first-aid kit from his bag. Given his line of work, he carried a more extensive supply of medicines and bandages than what was found in an average first-aid kit. He dragged a chair over and turned it to face her.

When he sat, he looked at her and saw again that she avoided his gaze. “That’s it? Wholehearted acceptance, but no questions?”

She inhaled, expanding that impressive chest so that she filled out the oversized shirt. Her gaze skittered up to meet his. “You don’t seem real forthcoming with information, and I don’t want to do anything to make you regret your decision to stick with me.”

An upfront answer. He should have known where her thoughts had taken her. “You think you’ve been a big imposition?”

She eyed the first-aid kit warily, but didn’t mention it. “If not for me, you’d already be home, right? Instead, you had to deal with me and my problems. I don’t like being dependent on anyone, and I really don’t like putting you out.”

“Since we’re flying out today, I was only delayed one night. And if you mean the clothes and food—”

“Well, that and …” Her tongue flicked over her bottom lip with nervousness. “Sleeping with you.”

There was that. “You had a nightmare. Don’t worry about it.”

She glanced up and away. “Logically I know I’m okay now, but at night, in the dark …”

“Yeah.” He’d saved women before, but he hadn’t slept with them. Hell, he’d had sex with plenty of women without sleeping with them.

“Usually,” he said, “once I have a woman out of harm’s way, she goes immediately to someone else—someone she trusts. Most often it’s the person who paid me to get her out in the first place.” And if the woman had nightmares, well, she had someone other than Dare to get her through it.

Molly nodded. “And with me, you not only haven’t been paid, you’re sort of stuck with me.”

“Not stuck, no.” He’d made the decision that she would remain with him. He never allowed others to coerce him, not in any way. “But understand, Molly—for now, I’m going to keep you safe. After I figure out the threat and decide how best to resolve it, then we’ll come to terms on our agreement.”

“Financially, you mean.”

What else? He nodded affirmation, but said, “That, and more.”

“Such as …?”

He opened the first-aid kit. “If I’m going to be in charge of your safety, you have to follow my directions to the letter. No balking, no arguments.”

She licked her lips again—and nodded.

“Good. We’ll start with me checking out some of these cuts and scrapes that you have. The last thing you need is an infection.” He looked at her. “Give me your arm.”

As if only then realizing that she might have cuts, Molly looked at each arm. “I can take care of it.”

“I can take care of it better.”

“Who says?”

“I say.” Hadn’t he already proven his capability with her hair?

Dare caught her arm and pulled her forward to reach the injury. Ignoring her protestation, he said, “This’ll sting a little.” He swiped the cut with the antiseptic and heard her hiss in a breath, but she didn’t move and she didn’t complain. The cut wasn’t deep and didn’t need stitches, but he dabbed it with an antibiotic ointment and covered it with a bandage.

The procedure was repeated on a small spot on her other arm, and when he looked down at her legs, her toes curled.

“Dare, really …” He bent to a scrape on her inner thigh, and she said in a rush, “Shouldn’t I at least know your last name?”

Her high, shrill voice amused him. It wasn’t from fear that she nearly screeched at him. No, it was … something else. But definitely not fear.

“Macintosh.”

“Well, surely, Dare Macintosh, you will admit I can reach my own legs!”

She could—but he wanted to do it. Why, he couldn’t honestly say, but a small lie would work. “I need to know it’s done right, so just hush and sit still.”

Molly had sleek, shapely legs and small feet. Her skin, where it wasn’t hurt, was smooth and soft. He cupped the back of her knee and lifted her leg to treat what looked like rug burns. Since there’d been no carpeting in the trailer, he assumed the injuries were caused during her abduction. He wanted to know more about that, and would, soon.

He found two more deep scratches on her legs, and a cut on the side of her foot. As he treated her foot, he decided she’d need more than loose sandals to keep it protected.

He sat back. “Anywhere else?”

She rolled in her lips, released them, and gave in, putting a hand to the back of her neck. “I’m not sure, but there might be something here. It stung a little when I was showering.” Lifting her hair, she turned to show him.

Dare flinched in rage. Clearly, someone had choked her, given the finger marks on her slender throat. Above the faded bruising, a deep scratch showed.

Under his breath, but not softly enough, Dare whispered, “Fuckers.”

She swallowed. “The bruises are left over from when I was first taken. I didn’t go along easily.”

And so someone had choked her?

“They’re almost gone now,” she said, as if trying to reassure him.

“Not gone enough.” He touched her shoulder, and felt her shiver as he turned her a little more so he could better see.

While holding up her hair, she dropped her head forward, and the pose was so innocently provocative, and yet so trusting, that he felt himself stir.

Damn it, it wasn’t lust. What she made him feel was something more powerful than that—and more disturbing. He shook it off to concentrate on her injuries.

“How’d you get this scratch?” It looked deep, healed over a little, but still painful.

Her narrow shoulders lifted. “One of them wore an ornate ring.”

And the bastard had been manhandling her enough to cut her with it? Yeah, Dare decided, he’d be protecting her—but he decided against sharing solid decisions with her yet. He needed a lot more info, and it’d be best if she thought his compliance hinged on her giving full truths.

In his experience, too many people had secrets that could alter the outcome of an event.

Dare treated the scratch, but didn’t bandage it. “Done.”

“So …” She turned on the bed again, facing him as he replaced the chair. “You’ve made plans to leave.”

“In a few hours. Soon as we can get packed up, we’re out of here.”

She nodded, but hesitated. “I, um … Not that it matters in the long run, I guess, but … I feel conspicuous boarding a plane like this.” She held out the hem of the big shirt he’d given her. “Do we have time for me to just buy some jeans and maybe … a bra?”

His mouth firmed. Looking at her, he could see the need for the bra, especially with her nipples puckered, pressing against the thin cotton of the shirt.

Yeah, he could make time for that. If she knew they’d be on a chartered plane, away from any crowds, she might not think that shopping was necessary, but it wouldn’t hurt for her to get some shoes and socks, too. “We can spare about twenty minutes or so.”

“I promise I can find what I need in that time.” Hustling now, moving faster than he’d seen her move before this, she gathered up the few things he’d gotten her.

Dare nodded toward his bag on the bed. “Stow it in there.”

“What will you do about your weapons?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Chris had already cleared it with the pilots of the chartered plane.

In no time, they were checked out and leaving the motel. Dare scanned the parking lot but didn’t see anyone watching them. Making yet another trip to Walmart, he drove across the street and parked away from other shoppers.

Though she could no doubt afford to shop in a pricey boutique, Molly didn’t turn up her nose at the racks. She looked tired, but it didn’t slow her down as she located a pair of jeans, three pairs of socks, low boots, a bra, more underwear and a zip-up hooded sweatshirt in under the twenty minutes allotted.

She was a power-shopper—like him.

Impressed, Dare paid for the purchases and started back out to the lot with her.

That’s when he spotted the red Ford truck. Handing the bag to Molly, he steered her to the side of the front doors and said, “Stay here until I come back for you. Don’t move. Period. Do you understand me?”

“What? Wait.” She grabbed for his arm in a flash of panic. “Where are you going?”

Dare scanned the area, deciding on the best advantage. Through his teeth, he said, “Tell me you understand.”

She released her death grip on him. “I understand.” Fear put a quaver in her voice. “I won’t move from this spot.”

“Good girl.” Keeping his gaze on the truck driver, who hadn’t yet noticed them, Dare darted out alongside a driver looking for a parking place. Staying low, uncaring of what others might surmise, he used the parking-lot traffic to conceal him until he could get to the other side of the truck.

Using an SUV for cover, he checked to see that Molly remained near the front doors. The driver of the red truck stepped out. He’d spotted Molly, was looking right at her, and then he started searching for Dare.

The driver, a dark guy with black hair and mirrored sunglasses, held a cell phone in his hand. For backup, or to report to someone?

Darting from car to car, Dare positioned himself behind the unsuspecting driver, and then he stepped out and straightened. Luckily they were far enough away from the front of the store that most of the bustling shoppers wouldn’t notice them.

His heart beat slow and steady. His breath remained even; not too fast, not too shallow. He was in his element now, and he would damn well get answers.

Clearing his throat to draw the man’s attention, Dare watched as the driver shifted his balance in surprise. Before he could turn, Dare kicked out his supporting knee, but he didn’t let him fall. He grabbed his arm in a chicken-wing hold.

The driver cried out in mingled rage, fear and panic.

“Who are you?” Deliberately, Dare torqued the arm a little more. “Answer quick before I snap it.”

In Spanish, he muttered, “No one. I was hired, that is all.”

“Hired to do what?” And when the guy started to speak, Dare said, “In English, asshole.”

“Call when you left the store, so the girl could be retrieved.”

Ah. He’d told him to speak in English, and now that the man did, Dare didn’t hear an accent. “Who wants her dead?”

“Dead?” He shook his head. “All I know is she escaped when she shouldn’t have.”

And so someone wanted her back? But why? Dare released the man’s arm and jerked him around to face him. “Take off the sunglasses.”

“Fuck you.”

Moving so fast that the guy couldn’t brace for it, Dare hit him hard in the gut. The blow stole his wind, collapsing him forward as he wheezed. Dare knocked the sunglasses off his face and, with a hand knotted in his shirtfront, lifted him to his toes.

American, not Mexican. Dare’s jaw clenched. When he’d carried Molly out of the trailer, he hadn’t left behind any witnesses to recognize him. Someone must have checked in after that, and realized she was gone. Tracking down an American woman rescued from Tijuana would be tough—unless someone had the same level of contacts as Dare. “Who are you supposed to call?”

“I don’t know.”

“Bullshit.” The man briefly tried to struggle, but maintaining his hold on the guy’s shirt, Dare drew the knife and pressed it just beneath the bastard’s ribs. “You’re really blowing my patience, amigo.”

Very still now, his eyes wide at how hard that knife pressed into him, the guy spilled his guts. “Whoever had her wants her back. That’s all I know, I swear.”

Shoving him back against the vehicle, Dare said, “Dial it.” Whoever the man was, Dare would talk to him himself. At the very least, he’d let him know the futility of continuing this pursuit.

The shaken driver punched in the numbers and started to hand the phone to Dare.

A ringing sounded over the parking lot.

Stunned, Dare’s gaze shot up and locked onto a pay phone near the front entrance to the store … right where he’d left Molly.

Fuck. He leveled the driver with an elbow to the jaw and was already running flat out when he saw someone grab Molly from behind, wrapping an arm around her throat and clamping his other hand over her mouth.

Dare’s vision went red.

Charging without making a sound, he closed the distance to Molly. The man holding her tried to drag her toward an idling Charger, but she thrashed and fought, and her captor had a hell of a time keeping control.

People around them watched in horror but offered no assistance.

Dare didn’t need any.

Before the fuckers could stuff her in that car, he’d get them. It didn’t matter that there were two of them. It wouldn’t have mattered if there were four.

He would not let them take her again.

At a shout from the driver of the car, her assailant looked up and saw Dare gunning for him. Eyes widening with comprehension of Dare’s rage, the man released Molly with a shove and jumped into the already moving black Charger. The car screeched out of the parking lot.

Stumbling into the brick facing of the store, her purchases scattered around her, Molly coughed and gasped for air. Tears rolled down her pale cheeks, more from being choked than weeping.

Bystanders gathered around her. One woman collected Molly’s dumped belongings for her and, when she didn’t accept them, set them near her feet.

His gaze glued to her, Dare elbowed his way through the crowd and reached out. “Molly.”

She launched against him.

Tightening his arms around her, he tucked her face in close and let her hide from their gaping audience. “I’ve got you, Molly. It’s okay now.”

But it wasn’t, and they both knew it.

Someone wanted her badly enough to risk grabbing her in the middle of a busy parking lot. The truck driver had been no more than a diversion for him—and he’d fallen for it.

Fury, aimed at himself, made Dare a little more gruff than necessary when he pushed her back to see her face.

“Are you hurt?”

Eyes a little wild, face still white, she shook her head, saying shakily, “No. I don’t think so.”

But her knees were bleeding, and her hair was again a mess. He’d seen many things in his lifetime, and he’d gained a reputation for his calm, calculated response. Seeing Molly this way left him churning with very unfamiliar feelings.

Cold and precise, he caught Molly’s elbow and grabbed up her bags. “Let’s go.”

He practically dragged her along, but he didn’t want to take any more chances. Someone behind them yelled, “I called the cops. They’re on the way.”

Dare ignored him. Cops would want Molly to stick around answering questions, and that went against what Dare wanted—which was to get her the fuck out of there, away from danger.

No way in hell would he miss their chartered flight.

He opened the door of the rented van, shoved her purchases to the floor, and all but put her in the passenger seat. He even buckled her in—and she didn’t protest.

She looked to be in shock, white-faced, shaken and so silent that it hurt him. Damn it, he wasn’t a man to act without thinking things through, but now, with her …

The insane pressure built until he couldn’t bear it anymore.

Dare cupped her face, leaned in and gave her a hard, fast kiss on the mouth.

That got her focused again. Heat flooded her face, and she inhaled sharply. As she touched shaking fingertips to her mouth, her wide-eyed gaze locked on his.

Still with his hand covering the coolness of her cheek, Dare said, “I’m not going to let them hurt you again, Molly. I swear it.”

Two deep breaths expanded her chest. She rolled her lips in, stared a moment more, and then nodded. “Okay. I …” She blinked. “Thank you, Dare.”

Her gratitude made him growl, but damn it, he didn’t have time to explain something to her that even he still didn’t understand. He slammed her door and jogged around to the driver’s side. If he didn’t hurry, they’d be there when the cops arrived and then he’d lose control of the situation. He needed to focus on protecting her, not dwell on how soft and sweet her mouth felt under his.

Within minutes they were well away from the Walmart and the possibility of police delays.

On the ride to the airstrip where they’d catch the charter plane, Dare questioned her. “Did the guy who grabbed you say anything?”

She held her hands in her lap, her face filled with confusion, maybe as much from his kiss as her near abduction. Dare could still taste her, and that brief touch of her mouth on his had stirred him and left him more determined than ever to keep her safe.

“They said to come along or I’d die.” She looked over at him. “But … they probably planned to kill me either way, don’t you think? That’s why I fought them.”

“You did good. You slowed them down.”

“I knew you were close by, and I knew that you’d get to me in time.”

Her faith struck him even more than that kiss had.

With still-wavering composure, she said, “Thank you, Dare. That’s twice now—”

His temper all but snapped. “Damn it, Molly.”

She jumped, and, feeling like a bully, he moderated his tone.

“I wasn’t careful enough,” Dare told her. “I didn’t think that through. The minute I saw that idiot in the parking lot, I should have counted on a trap. I should have—”

“Stop it.” The quietness of her trembling voice added gravity to the command. “You don’t have psychic powers, so you couldn’t have known.”

“No, but I have experience and training.”

She reached over and touched his shoulder. “God’s truth, Dare, I feel safer with you than I possibly could with anyone else, so please don’t get discouraged.”

For Christ’s sake. She was all but in shock—again—and through his ill humor, he’d given her the wrong impression. He drew one breath, then another. “I am not discouraged, Molly. Just the opposite, from here on out I’m going to be a hell of a lot more careful. Got it?”

“Oh. Okay. Thank you. I appreciate that.”

Seeing that she was back to being super-proper again, Dare sighed. “Tell me about your family.”

“Why?”

“You said it yourself, Molly. It could be anyone doing this to you. You need an outside perspective on things. It’s always easiest to start with those closest to you.”

Humoring him, she said, “And that’d be my family.”

“Right. So tell me everything you can and let me sort out what’s important and what isn’t.”

With a shrug, she pondered things. “Well, like I told you, I ended things with my boyfriend. Actually, he was a fiancé before we separated, but we hadn’t yet picked a date to marry or anything.”

Fiancé? That nettled him, sent a cold fist tightening in his gut. Why, he didn’t want to ponder—except that he couldn’t believe Molly had loved Adrian.

Maybe she’d realized that, too, which was why she’d used a good excuse to break things off with him. “Did your family like him?”

“There’s only my Dad and Kathi, and my sister, Natalie. My dad’s parents are deceased. He was an only child. There are aunts and uncles and all that on my mother’s side, but they don’t live near us, and I think I’ve met most of them only a couple of times in my entire life.”

Trying to figure out the family dynamics, Dare asked, “So Kathi isn’t your mother?”

“Stepmother.” Without missing a beat, she said, “My mom threw herself off a bridge—twice—years ago.”

Dare did a double take. Molly announced her mother’s suicide so casually, it threw him. “I’m sorry.”

Antsy, still shaking, Molly stared out the side window. “Dad made Mom miserable. I was twelve the first time she tried to kill herself. She jumped off a bridge, but there was a rescue team doing drills in the river. She didn’t know they were there until they fished her out.”

“Damn. That had to be rough.”

She made a noncommittal sound. “Mom spent some time in the hospital, all the while with my dad harping over her selfishness and her weakness. For a few years after they released her, I thought she’d be okay.”

“But she wasn’t?”

“No.” Molly shook her head, and her voice lowered. “When I was fifteen, Dad cheated on her, and I guess it was too much.” She looked at Dare. “When she threw herself off the bridge the next time, she made sure it was a bridge over a highway, not water.”

Sorry he’d brought up such painful memories, Dare muttered, “Jesus.”

“Yeah.” Her hands knotted together, and she stared off at nothing. “Dad never showed much remorse, but he didn’t see the other woman again, either. I don’t think either of them, my mom or the woman he cheated with, ever meant that much to him.”

“Your dad sounds like a real prince.”

“He’s a selfish, pampered, class-A snob, believe me. He finds fault with everyone or everything.”

“Including his daughters?”

“Especially his daughters.” She glanced at Dare, her nose wrinkling. “I sometimes wonder how Kathi puts up with him.”

Hoping to get her back on track, Dare asked, “Did Kathi like Adrian?”

“She thought he was nice and wished us well. But Kathi is like that. Despite being rich even before she married my dad, who is pretty darned well-to-do, she tends to be very accepting of most people.”

Interesting. “So you get along with Kathi?”

Molly shrugged. “We don’t have a lot in common, really. She’s into social clubs and designer clothes, and she likes decorating, art and museums.”

“You said your dad is rich, so you must be used to those things, too.”

“No, Dad wanted Natalie and me to make it on our own, to earn our keep, as he put it. We skipped the private schools and travel abroad, and we always had summer jobs. I’m glad he took that attitude, because I wouldn’t want to be like him. And I’m not. But now, even though I’ve made it on my own, he finds me something of an embarrassment.”

With a red haze still crowding in around his vision, Dare knew that he didn’t like her father at all, and he wanted to put him at the top of his list of suspects. But he needed to be cold and methodical, not emotional and irrational.

Needing more info, he took a breath, locked his teeth, and asked, “How so?”

“It’s funny, really. Well, maybe ironic is a better word. See, all of Dad’s friends’ daughters are active in the community, heading up charitable events and stuff—as they were groomed to do. Some of them even work with Kathi. She’s a regular philanthropist. But thanks to how Dad raised us, that world is alien to me. So while the daughters of Dad’s peers are being revered in the press for their activism, all I do is mail off a check.”

“It’s more than most people do.” At least he’d distracted her, Dare decided. Her trembling had subsided, and she wasn’t so pale.

“Maybe.” She gave him a look and then shrugged. “In hindsight, I think Dad feels slighted that his offspring are so dismissed.”

“He sounds like an ass.”

She smiled and said again, “Maybe,” then added, “Most society women live in influential neighborhoods with posh accommodations, but my apartment is pretty simple.”

“Simple is good.”

“For me, it’s less about impressive entertaining and more about being functional so that I can find files and research notes when I need to. I’ve always been more into comfort than fashion, and when it comes to art, I like movie posters.” She gave a mock shudder. “Dad can’t stand it that I don’t own a single piece of real art.”

Dare imagined her apartment, and somehow it fit with what he already knew of her.

“Kathi has offered to go shopping with me.” Her lip curled. “To help me, you know, so that I can better represent my father. She’s all about making Dad look good however she can. But usually I stay too busy with deadlines to care about representing anything but my work.”

“Kathi sounds a little hoity-toity, but you just sound real.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. For the most part, we get along fine. Kathi does enjoy the finer things in life, but unlike my dad, she makes an effort to get along, and better still, she doesn’t turn up her nose at genre fiction.”

“What you write.”

“Kathi actually reads all my work.” She managed a half grin, and in a conspiratorial whisper added, “It drives my dad nuts.”

“He doesn’t read you?”

“God, no.” The mere thought had her looking ill.

Huh. “I would think all of your family would read you.” He was damn curious himself, and he planned to pick up one of her books at the first opportunity.

“My sister does sometimes, but mostly because … well, she’s my sister. You know? It’s not really her thing. She’s more into political dramas or true crime. And Dad …” Molly gave a mock shudder. “He wouldn’t be caught dead with a genre book in his personal library. Especially not one with explicit sex in it, and most especially not one of my books.”

That diverted Dare from his annoyance with her father. “Your books have explicit sex in them?”

She immediately went defensive. “Life has sex in it, and I write about life, about people who face hardships and in the end triumph through it all. Any really good triumph deserves a lasting love, don’t you think?”

Before he could answer, she said, “Of course it does. And any lasting love has to have really hot, wonderful sex.”

Dare raised a brow. He had no argument against hot sex, with or without love. Again, he brought her back to the point. “How about your sister? You said she reads your books just because you’re related. But how do the two of you get along otherwise? Did she like Adrian?”

Molly went quiet for a moment. “My sister … Well, Natalie and I are pretty close. She’s only three years younger than me, and through high school and college we hung out together. She’s not just my sister but my best friend, too. As my best friend, she doesn’t think anyone is good enough for me, but she especially didn’t like Adrian. Actually, she pegged him from jump. He was a gold digger, a user and a bully.”

Dare liked her sister already. “So we can rule out Natalie?”

Molly smirked. “She’d go after anyone who even spoke an unkind word to me.”

“Including your father?” Dare was relieved to see the tension leaving her by small degrees. Her inner strength and composure astounded him. There were no tears, no dwelling on what might have happened. She understood the urgency of the situation, but she didn’t fall apart over it.

“Dad butts heads with both of us on a regular basis. It’s pretty much what our relationship is all about—strife, contempt and strained politeness. If it wasn’t for Kathi, I don’t know how often Natalie or I would even see him.”

“So Kathi is the glue?”

“Pretty much. She’s forever inviting us all over together, hoping against hope that somehow my dad will move beyond his rigid censure of us. I think she’s motivated by appearances, mostly. You know, it looks better if Dad’s daughters actually like him and enjoy his company.” Her smile went flat. “But at least she tries.”

Could her father be responsible for her abduction? “You said he’s well-to-do.”

“Bishop Alexander is an extremely successful businessman. He inherited his father’s corporation, which was thriving to begin with, but he’s grown it ten times over.”

“Meaning he has enough money to arrange and finance your kidnapping?”

The idea stalled her. “Money, means and a cold enough heart. But …” She looked at Dare. “I can’t imagine him doing that. We’ve had our ups and downs, but my dad just isn’t the type to dirty himself with something so sordid and illegal.”

Dare knew that the most unlikely people often did things that those closest to them could never fathom.

Molly stared down at her hands, struggling with the idea of what had happened. Finally she said, “The thing is, I can’t imagine anyone who is the type. Until this happened, I didn’t know that anyone disliked me that much.”

They were almost to the airstrip, a little ahead of schedule. Dare didn’t want her to get upset all over again. “One more question.”

“What?”

“If you and your sister are so close, she must know you’re gone, and she must be worried.” Molly stiffened a little, but Dare couldn’t back down. “So, Molly, tell me. Why didn’t you want to call her after you knew you were safe?”

CHAPTER FIVE

MOLLY STARED IN wonder as Dare led her to the small private plane. The wind on the airstrip blew her hair into her face, making her stumble over a step. Dare caught her elbow in a firmer grip and kept her upright.

He had a lot of questions, but she didn’t have that many answers.

Luckily he’d received a call that had lasted right until he was ready to drop off the rented van. She thought it might have been Chris again, and the call had left her mired in confusion.

Dare spoke to Chris with familiarity, affection and ease—proof that they shared a definite closeness. Maybe even … intimacy.

If Chris was a girlfriend, then why would Dare have kissed her? He didn’t strike her as a user, as a man who would cheat. He was far too protective to be deliberately hurtful to anyone he cared about.

It was possible she was making too much of the kiss. He’d wanted to snap her out of her shock, and … the kiss had certainly done the trick, and then some.

After turning in the van, Dare gave her enough time to go into the ladies’ room to change into her new clothes. While there, she’d cleaned the blood off her knees and elbows and tidied her hair. If she thought of how those men had tried to get her, it made her ill.

She never, ever wanted to be at someone else’s mercy again. Not like that. She couldn’t bear it.

But Dare had saved her, and now, Chris or no Chris, it sounded like he planned to protect her. She drew a calming breath and reminded herself to take it one step at a time. It was the only way she could hold it together.

As soon as she’d emerged in the clothes that mostly fit and were much more comfortable, Dare began hustling her to the plane.

Remembering her mother’s death left her aching with fresh hurt. Thinking of her father’s disapproval always filled her with burning resentment. And yes, Natalie would be frantic, a fact Molly hated.

But someone had put her through hell, and she had to concentrate on that, and only that. She didn’t know who to trust—except for Dare.

He’d kissed her. What did it mean?

When one pilot came out to greet Dare with a healthy dose of deference, Molly realized that Dare must be affluent. How else could he afford to pay for a spur-of-the-moment charter flight from one side of the country to the other?

Or … did he expect her to pay for it? Would this be added to her expenses?

She eyed the spiffy-looking plane anew. Unlike her father, she’d never flown privately before. The plane was small enough to make her extremely nervous.

Until they got aboard.

“Wow.”

Distracted, Dare glanced down at her. “What?”

“This is … decadent.”

He gave a cursory look around the plane, but just shrugged. “It’s comfortable enough. Grab a seat.”

There were only seven, but Molly wanted as much privacy from the two young, GQ-looking pilots as possible, so she headed toward the rear of the plane, near the lavatory. The backseats faced forward, so she could see Dare still up front talking to the men, discussing a short layover to refuel and the estimated time of arrival.

At her seat was an entertainment console with a monitor, satellite hookup and a DVD/CD/MP3 player. Still looking around, she made note of the burl wood cabinetry, the butter-soft tan leather seats, plush carpeting and a fully stocked bar.

Dare knew how to travel in style. She only hoped it wouldn’t break her bank account. She had no idea what something like this might cost.

He joined her a moment later. “Want a drink?” He indicated the fancy lighted bar she’d already noted.

“No, thank you.”

“You sure? Might steady you a little.”

“I’m plenty steady, thank you very much.” How many times did she have to tell him that she would not fall apart? She couldn’t afford to. If she wanted to survive this, she had to keep her nerves steady. Later she could give in to the panicked hysteria that still gnawed on her façade of calm.

Shrugging, Dare sat beside her and fastened his seat belt. “Buckle up.”

She scowled at the order but still connected the seat belt around her.

Lifting his armrest and turning in his seat, he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, his hands hanging loosely. He studied her.

“What?” Just then the pilot started the engines, startling Molly. She grabbed for the armrests. “We’re taking off?”

“It’ll be easier to get home that way.”

She scowled again. “Sarcasm is unnecessary.”

He said nothing. Molly cleared her throat. “Where is home, and when will we get there?”

“Kentucky, and it’ll be late.”

As the plane rolled forward, she sucked in a breath and then swallowed hard.

Dare eyed her. “So, you’re one of those women who panics at flying?”

“No.” But she was, sort of. That the plane was so small didn’t help matters. Rigid from her head to her toes, she repeated, almost by rote, “I’m fine.”

“So you keep saying.”

He took her hands, and it reminded her of the differences in their sizes. Dare was huge, and she was not. His big rough hands totally engulfed hers, making her feel extra small and delicate.

She didn’t quite know what to make of that.

“Molly, look at me.”

When she did, she got snared in his bright-blue gaze. He had the most amazing eyes….

“Tell me why you haven’t contacted your sister to let her know you’re okay.”

The pilot announced something over a speaker system, and the plane moved, jarring her heart. She squeezed Dare’s hands and when she spoke, her voice was a little too high and squeaky. “Natalie might be a little younger than me, but she’s a teacher—meaning she’s used to governing with ultimate power.”

Dare didn’t smile at that small jest. “Yeah, so?”

“So if I had called her, she’d be grilling my dad and Adrian and anyone else she thinks could be responsible. There’s no way Natalie wouldn’t be on the warpath, trust me. If either of them is involved, they might be clued in. They could hide evidence or, in Adrian’s case, maybe even skip town.”

Dare looked a little stunned at her reasoning, but damn it, she couldn’t take chances.

“Whoever did this to me, I want him to be taken by surprise when he sees me free and unharmed. I want to blow his mind, and then maybe he’ll give himself away.”

Consternation lowered Dare’s brows. “Not a bad plan, really. But you do realize that whoever arranged this must already know that you’re free. That’s what those thugs at Walmart were about.”

“I know. But they don’t know when they’ll see me, or if the thugs will get me again before it becomes a concern. I can’t believe they’ll just give up, which means—”

“People are still after you.”

“Yes.” She shivered and then shivered some more when the plane began lifting. She squeezed Dare’s hands as tightly as she could. “Oh, God.”

Dare searched her face, looked resigned and … maybe a little expectant. Then he leaned forward and kissed her again.

Molly was so shocked, she leaned away from him—until he pulled his hands free from hers and cupped her face, bringing her back.

His hands holding hers had been startling; his hands gently framing her face were more so.

This kiss wasn’t hard and fast. It was warm and easy, slow, lingering and oh-so-distracting. When she didn’t retreat again, he turned his head to better fit their mouths together and deepened the kiss.

A rush of heat chased away her icy fear. Her rigid muscles went liquid. Wow.

Molly caught his wrists, but not to pry him away; she held on for dear life. Being thirty years old, she’d been kissed many times, but never had it felt like … this. When she made a small sound, a cross between a moan and a purr, Dare stroked his thumbs over her cheeks.

A second later, he touched his tongue to hers.

Heart pounding and skin burning, Molly forgot about the plane, about unscrupulous dogs who meant her harm. Right now, for this moment, there was only Dare and his warmth and intoxicating scent, his strength and the security of him, the way he tasted and felt and how he touched her.

He smoothed a hand over her face, over her hair and, to her regret, eased away.

Molly got her eyes open, only to find that the blue of his looked incendiary. He glanced down at her mouth, eased his thumb slowly over her bottom lip and, with a frown, settled back into his seat.

She, on the other hand, perched as far forward as her seat belt would allow, still straining toward Dare. With a gasp, she realized how that looked and flopped back. Again, she clamped her hands over the ends of the armrests.

Her heart continued to thunder, and her body burned in select places. She could feel Dare looking at her, and it made her both uncomfortable and more excited. Was he waiting for her to react?

Well, this was not something she could ignore. The first kiss, maybe. But that kiss? No way. “Dare?”

He watched her like a hawk watched a mouse, his gaze unflinching, ready and alert, almost as if he expected her to bolt. “Hmm?”

“That’s, uh, the second time you’ve kissed me.”

His gaze went back to her mouth, his voice deepened. “I can count.”

She chewed her lips, saw his eyes narrow and quickly relaxed her mouth again. Rather than ask a direct question about Chris, she said, “You were distracting me, because the flight—”

“No.”

No? But of course he was. Wasn’t he? She shook her head. There was so much she didn’t know about him, but she didn’t want to cross the line and become intrusive into his private life. “I don’t understand what it means.”

His gaze lifted back to hers. “Yes, you do.” He looked over her entire body, oh-so-slowly, before coming back to her face. “It bothers you?”

Bother her? She considered his interest, his attention, and … no. It didn’t bother her, at least not the way he meant. If anything, she felt wonderfully flattered—if he wasn’t already involved with someone else. “I just don’t understand.”

“Hell if I do either.” With a wince, he stretched out his long legs as if uncomfortable. “Not once, before you, have I ever come on to a woman I rescued. In every other case it would have been unethical.” When he turned his head toward her again, she saw his frustration and knew it was more with himself than with her. “In your case, no one hired me, so that restriction isn’t there.”

“No, it isn’t.” He wouldn’t be betraying anyone’s trust to deliver her home safely, because she was the one hiring him. And she knew without a doubt that if she said no, Dare would respect that.

“But what happened, the hell those bastards put you through …” His gaze searched hers. “What happened just today should be enough to shut me down.”

“Why?” Molly really didn’t think she wanted him shut down.

His expression turned grim. “You haven’t exactly been around sterling examples of manhood, Molly.”

She’d been held captive by total cretins—who had nothing in common with this remarkable man. Unable to help herself, she put a hand on his muscular forearm. “But don’t you see, Dare? That’s why you stand out even more. You’re very, very different from them.”

“I know that.” He worked his jaw. “Do you?”

“Yes.” She hadn’t known him long, but the threatening situation had given him room to prove himself beyond all measure.

“No residual effects, then?” When she just looked at him, not really comprehending, he shook his head. Measuring each word with care, he said, “Sometimes, after a trauma like yours, anything remotely similar can trigger the bad memories, the panic, even hysteria. In your case, a guy getting too close—”

“But you’re not just any guy.” Molly hoped her smile might reassure him. “You are the guy who got me out of that nightmare. I could never feel about you how I feel about them.”

Unconvinced, Dare turned his hand over and waited for her to lace her fingers with his. She did so hesitantly. This was the fastest any relationship had ever moved for her, and the unusual circumstances were such that she didn’t entirely trust her own judgment. Not that she questioned Dare or his motives.

But her own?

She didn’t want to smother him with her neediness, an emotion normally foreign to her but plenty prevalent right now, no matter how she tried to hide it.

He lifted her hand, stroked her knuckles with his thumb, and while it was the gentlest of gestures, he quickly turned very businesslike.

“We have a lot to get through, Molly. More than you probably realize. Getting the goons off your ass will be the easiest part. Finding out who arranged your abduction—that’s going to take some doing. And trust me on this, the truth isn’t going to be satisfying. It’s a necessity, but it won’t make you feel better, and it won’t soften the memory.”

“How do you know?” More than anything, she looked forward to nailing the ones responsible. She needed some closure on this living nightmare.

“For one thing, it’s almost always someone you know, and someone you’d never suspect.” He held her hand tighter. “Because it’s usually someone you have a relationship with.”

Her heart squeezed tight. “But I still have to know.”

“Of course you do. And for that reason, I have a million questions I have to ask, and I can guarantee it’s not going to be easy for you. Inquisitions seldom are. But it’s information I need—”

“It’s okay.” Molly licked her lips. “If … if this is going to be as hard as you say, then what do you suggest I do?”

His eyes narrowed. “For starters, be one hundred percent honest with me, always.”

“All right.” She’d never been a deceptive person anyway, and now, more than ever, she knew that honesty over every little detail really mattered.

He unbuckled her seat belt. “I specifically requested no stewardess on the plane to ensure that we were alone.”

“You did?” Before she could ask why, he lifted her over to sit in his lap.

He leaned the seat back and arranged her so that they were both comfortable. “You still need to catch up on your sleep. This might be a good time.”

With her face against his chest, his scent surrounding her, Molly allowed the lethargy to seep in. She was exhausted, and somehow Dare had known that once she got settled so close to him, giving in to the need for rest would be easier.

After a lusty yawn, she gathered her thoughts. “You said you have questions.”

“I do.”

His left hand rested loosely at her hip, and his right hand was behind her, keeping her close. Molly felt secure and safe. “So?”

“They’ll wait until we’re at my place—after we’ve both slept and eaten.”

That worked for her, but …”Well, I have some questions, then.”

He tucked in his chin to look down at her, saw that she was serious and relaxed back again. “Shoot.”

It was easier like this, without him looking right at her. “You’re … attracted to me?”

His short laugh rumbled from his chest beneath her ear. “Definitely.” He looked down at her once more. “You had doubts about that?”

“I don’t know.” She had doubts about Chris, but for the moment, at least, it was easy to push those concerns from her mind. “You’re different from other men I’ve known.”

“Not so different. I had to fight off a boner so I could hold you like this without maybe scaring you off.”

His plain speaking fascinated her, but she didn’t dwell on that. “I’m not scared of you, Dare.”

“No,” he said slowly, “you aren’t, are you? But neither of us yet knows how ready you really are. You’re holding it together, so let’s don’t test the waters too much, okay?”

Honestly, she was so wiped out, and still felt so … raw, she didn’t mind that suggestion at all. “The thing is, I don’t get it.”

“What’s not to get?”

“I’m hardly at my best right now. Physically, I mean. I look like—”

“You’ve been abused for nine days. Yeah, I know.” He gave her a little squeeze. “Bruises and fatigue can’t camouflage what’s there, Molly. You’re still an attractive woman. But looks aren’t the only draw.”

“What else?” He didn’t know her well enough to like her personality. Or did he?

“Bravery is something I admire a lot. Intelligence, ingenuity, control, logic. You’ve got it all in spades, lady, and I think it’s sexy as hell.”

Even before she’d been taken, her breakup with Adrian and her father’s censure had left her struggling for her self-confidence. So many accolades now put her on the verge of being weepy. She didn’t feel brave or ingenious. She felt used, duped, angry and, deep down, very scared.

Twisting around a little, she half sat up and looked at Dare. “Those men didn’t kiss me.”

“No?”

She shook her head. “You don’t have to worry about me overreacting to that.”

For only an instant, he flashed that crooked grin again. Then something much hotter replaced the humor. “You want another kiss, do you?”

“I really do.”

Dare looked at her bruised cheekbone, at another fading mark beneath her eye. “They hit you.” His voice roughened; his hands on her tightened in a sign of protectiveness. “And bit you.”

Molly drew in a thin breath. She couldn’t deny it, but right now the reality of that seemed further away. “You’re not trying to do either.”

For the longest time he watched her, trying to gauge her mood, she knew. Molly just waited, anticipation heightened, tension coiling.

He said very softly, with suggestion, “Well, maybe the bite, yeah?”

She blinked, her body clenching with interest as he leaned in, ever so slowly, toward her neck. She felt his hot breath first, then the feather-light press of his mouth, the sensual touch of his damp tongue and, lastly, the light grazing of his sharp teeth along her skin.

Her breath caught loud enough that he paused, but when she didn’t pull away, he resumed teasing her, making her toes curl, her stomach flutter. He opened his mouth and treated her to a tantalizing love bite that sent liquid sensation throughout her whole body.

Near her ear, he whispered, “Now, when you think of biting, think of me, okay?”

Caught up in building need, Molly wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and sought his mouth. She actually needed his kiss as much if not more than she needed sleep.

“Easy,” he whispered, and then his mouth was on hers, taking and giving, consuming her awareness of everything but him.

Even as his kiss overshadowed her worries, she wondered: How was this so different? Before now, she’d thought a kiss was a kiss was a kiss. Some were exciting, some were so-so, but kissing Dare caused a singular effect in her.

In a nanosecond, a kiss from him ratcheted up her need. She wasn’t an overly sexual woman at the best of times, and this, most definitely, was not the best of times. She should have been sleeping as he’d suggested, and instead …

He gave her his tongue, and everything in her tightened with desire.

Molly tried to scoot closer to him, into him. She let her hands wander over his broad, hard shoulders, down over bulging pecs and lower still to his flat abdomen. All over he was solid, hot and powerful.

She got one hand in under his T-shirt, made contact with his sleek skin, up his side to his muscular back … and then she felt it—the telltale rise of an erection beneath her hip.

He pulled his mouth away with a low curse.

“Dare?” She was breathing too hard and fast. “You—”

“I know. Trust me, it’s not something I’d miss.”

Incredibly, Molly rolled in her lips and tried to figure out the possibilities of the scenario. She glanced over her shoulder toward the cockpit that housed the two pilots. As long as they stayed there, she and Dare had moderate privacy….

Dare gave a gruff laugh. “Forget it. Not happening.”

That he’d so easily read her thoughts left her blushing.

He shook his head. “You’re something else, you know that?” He kissed her hard and quick before urging her head to his shoulder. “I want you to try and sleep. I need some time to think.”

Toes curled and body throbbing, Molly forced herself to relax against him. She hoped he wasn’t thinking of how to handle her. She didn’t want to be handled. She wasn’t sure what she wanted, really. Except maybe more—

Before she could finish that thought, Dare kissed her on the top of the head. “You’re more fragile than you realize, Molly Alexander.” He caught her chin, turning her face toward him. “Don’t push yourself. I want you—that’s not going to change. I can’t say I won’t kiss you, but how far and how fast we go is up to you.”

Dear God, did he mean she’d have to … ask?

His mouth tipped in a crooked smile. “You’re a big girl, Molly, and you have a lot of backbone. When you’re ready, you can tell me.”

“But …”

“For my sake, let’s give you some time to come to grips with everything. Okay?”

She didn’t know herself right now, so maybe he was right. Besides, she didn’t have the sexual savvy to insist. “Okay.”

She closed her eyes and, with Dare’s hand stroking over her back, gradually faded into a deep, untroubled sleep.

EVEN WHEN THE PILOT’S voice broke over the speaker system announcing the weather forecast for their landing, which was thankfully clear and dry, Molly slept.

Hours ago, they had landed to refuel, and she’d slept through it. Dare glanced at his watch. He would have eaten on the plane if he could have without waking her. Now it was well past dinnertime and they still had an hour to drive after they left the airport. A drive-through burger would have to do, because he wasn’t stopping, wasn’t taking any chances with her at all. He’d feel better about things once he had her secured on his grounds.

While she’d been utterly lax in his arms, he’d studied every inch of her, all the while sorting through what he knew of her, and what he didn’t. That she’d survived amazed him. How she’d survived was the kicker. She had plenty of backbone, and so much bravado that he couldn’t help but admire her.

Seemed he couldn’t help wanting her, either.

Though she obviously didn’t know it, Molly was a sexy mix of innocence, courage, independence and honesty. The combo hit him on a gut level. It had been a hell of a long time since a woman had really gotten to him. He’d made a point of not letting them.

But with Molly, she got under his skin without even trying.

Maybe that was it—that she wasn’t trying. She was just herself, an appealing, wounded woman determined to confront her own personal reality head-on.

Whatever the cause, he had to remember all that she’d suffered so that he didn’t rush her into anything.

Beyond that, he didn’t want to set himself up, either.

She stirred again, and since the plane would soon be landing, Dare woke her.

“Feel better?”

His voice must have reached her, because she went still but didn’t open her eyes. Breathing deep and slow, caught in the enchantment between wakefulness and slumber, she smiled and curled closer.

Warmed by her trust, Dare bent and kissed the bridge of her nose, and then scowled over the impulsive move. He had to back off. “Wake up, woman.” He jostled her a little. “I’d like to get to my house before midnight.”

“Midnight?” Blinking heavy-lidded eyes, she half sat up, took in her surroundings and self-consciously smoothed her hair. “It’ll be that late?”

Damn but she looked sweet all sleepy like this. “Depends on how long it takes them to land and let us off the plane. Then we have an hour’s drive.”

Her stomach rumbled, and she ducked her head. “I’ve been asleep awhile.”

Meaning she was hungry, too? “I want to make good time, but I plan to get some fast food to eat on the fly.”

“Sounds good …” Face going pink, she suddenly remembered that she was still in his lap. She eased over into her own seat. “Whatever you want to do is fine.”

With a dry tone, Dare teased, “Really?”

Nodding, she fastened her seat belt around her. “I’m sorry I conked out like that.” She cast him a sideways look. “You should have woken me or at least told me to get in my own seat.”

“I didn’t mind.” In fact, he’d enjoyed it. But now he needed to stretch his legs and tend to other needs. They only had a few minutes before the plane would begin its landing. “I’ll be right back.”

He went to the lavatory to relieve himself and freshen up. Cold water on his face did nothing to clarify his jumbled thoughts. Soon he’d have Molly ensconced in his home, where he’d never even brought a woman for dinner, much less invited her to stay.

Running a hand over his face, Dare imagined how it might be with Molly there, how she’d react to his girls and Chris…. “Fuck.” Stewing over it in the tiny airplane john wouldn’t help, and he wasn’t a man who believed in stewing anyway. He was a proactive person. If he didn’t like something, he changed it.

With Molly, he’d just have to wait and see.

He returned to find her looking in desperate need herself. “Go ahead. But make it quick, okay?” He waited in the aisle for her as she dashed out of her seat, and while she was gone, he poured her a juice over ice and located some mixed nuts for them both.

She was buckled back in her seat a minute later, grateful for the juice and snack, and less than half an hour after that, a shuttle dropped them off in the long-term parking area, and Dare, with a close eye on his surroundings, loaded her into his SUV.

What his girls would think of her, he couldn’t imagine. He knew damn good and well how Chris would feel, though: territorial and antagonistic. But then that’s how Chris usually felt about everything. Dare considered those some of his finer qualities.

CHAPTER SIX

IT WAS NEARING eleven o’clock when Dare pulled down the long drive to his home. Molly had been mostly quiet during the ride, except to thank him for the feast of a hamburger, fries and milk shake.

One thing about Molly: she was still putting the food away. If she always ate like this, she had to have one hell of a fast metabolism to stay so petite. At a little over five and a half feet tall, she had curves aplenty, but in all the right places. Her limbs were slim, and she had a tiny waist. When he’d held her, he knew she weighed next to nothing. She might have lost weight in her nine days of captivity, but it couldn’t have been too substantial or she wouldn’t have physically recovered so quickly.

So … was she always stacked? Did she maintain that figure even while hiding it from most? She wasn’t a flaunter—he knew that right off. With women, you could always tell which ones liked to be front and center, using their bodies to draw attention.

Molly didn’t lack confidence, but it had little to do with her figure and a lot to do with her intelligence.

As he neared their destination, she listened to his CD collection and brooded. She was a survivor, so likely she’d put her brain to the task of going over a variety of scenarios in an attempt to be prepared. A futile effort, but Dare wouldn’t tell her so.

She was so involved in her own thoughts that Dare knew she didn’t realize they were almost home.

By deliberate means, his place was set way back in the woods, hidden by tall evergreens and a variety of hardwoods, with a narrow road that climbed up to the main gate. The way the road twisted and turned in and around trees helped to hide it.

He’d planned it that way.

Headlights shone on the impressive and ornate iron fencing that enclosed the front of his property. The rest of the land, all fifteen acres, was protected with electric fencing. Only the lake offered free access, but that, too, was secured with lights and alarms.

Agog, Molly twisted in her seat to look out each win dow, taking in the view. “This is where you live? Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

She dropped back into her seat. “It’s like vacation property.”

“Pretty much.” Once he reached the security gate, Molly went silent. All movement stopped, and she stared as Dare rolled down a window and punched in a private code that opened the gates. He drove beyond them and they closed again.

She just stared.

In response to her mute amazement, Dare told her, “Be prepared.”

She blinked fast as if to refocus. “For what?”

“Chris will come out to meet us. My girls, too.”

After moistening dry lips with a quick lick, she said, “I heard you mention them. On the phone, I mean. Back at the motel room.”

Her stilted speech amused Dare. “I do love my girls.”

She cleared her throat. “Chris, too?”

“Definitely.” Knowing she didn’t entirely understand, and willing to tease her, Dare said, “Chris will try to intimidate you, so be prepared.”

She cleared her throat. “Chris is …?”

“Housekeeper, manager, assistant—pretty much everything.”

“Everything?” she asked, her voice high and faint.

Dare couldn’t help but grin. “Sure.” And then, “Just ask him. He’ll tell you how important he is.”

Her jaw loosened. “He will?” Then, before Dare could reply, “Chris is a guy?” And then with confusion, “You live with another man?”

“Yeah.”

“Does … he have a wife? Or maybe a girlfriend?”

“No.” Dare knew she was trying to figure out the dynamic. He waited two heartbeats, then said, “Chris is gay.”

“Gay?” Mystified, she stared at him. “But you’re not …?”

Dare gave her a look. “Are you actually asking me that? Because I thought I’d made my sexual preferences pretty clear already.”

“I thought you did, too. But then you kept mentioning Chris and your girls, and I wasn’t sure what to think.”

“I’m not involved with anyone.”

“Good.” Her eyes widened when she said that, and she quickly clarified, “I mean … okay.” Thoughts visibly churning, she took in the woods and the dirt road that changed to pavement, and then the landscaping as it opened up to his home. She fell back in her seat.

The sight of manicured lawns under bright lights that flickered on with their progress distracted her.

Molly gave up. “Okay, then, since you and Chris don’t have that kind of relationship, why would he want to intimidate me?”

“Suspicion, most likely.” And because that explanation didn’t suffice, Dare added, “I never bring women here. Hell, I don’t bring anyone here. You’re a first.”

Her interested gaze transferred to him. “You don’t?”

Dare shook his head.

“But … why?”

“Policy.” He glanced at her, saw her frowning and said, “Don’t worry about it, okay?”

Pulling around the circular drive, Dare stopped in front of the pedimented entry. Warm lights poured through the cut glass in the door, the transom and the sidelights, spilling onto the front porch and out onto the paved walkway. The double doors opened and his girls shot out in berserk joy. Each of them had a stuffed toy clamped in her teeth.

Chris came to stand at the top step. He folded his arms over his bare chest and waited.

Eyes widening even more, Molly asked in a whisper, “Is that him?”

Wondering what she’d expected, Dare glanced at Chris. His personal assistant stood there shirtless, sloppy shorts hanging low, feet bare. His shaggy black hair became even more disheveled by a brisk wind.

Shaking his head, Dare accepted that Chris looked nothing like a businessperson and very much like a lake bum. “I think we’ve kept him up past his bedtime.”

“Oh, dear.” Casting Dare a sideways glance, she said, “He was waiting up for you?”

“Yeah.”

“Is that part of his job description, or just because he was concerned?”

“Most likely, it was curiosity.” Dare grinned at her. “Chris and I are best friends. Like brothers, really.”

She let out her breath, but asked with accusation, “Did you know what I thought?”

“Maybe.” Tamping down his grin, Dare said, “It gave you something to think about besides your kidnapping.”

She frowned at him but said nothing more.

“And there are my beautiful girls, Sargeant and Tai’ree, better known as Sargie and Tai.”

Eyes rounding, Molly stared as the two Labs bounded toward them.

“Dogs,” Molly said, now completely exasperated. “So Chris is a guy, and your girls are animals.”

“They’re members of the family.” Impatient to see them, Dare didn’t pull on around into the garage. Before he had the SUV in Park, the dogs were at his door, jumping with undiluted joy. They dropped their toys to yap, bark and make other dog noises of pleasure.

For only a moment, Dare was able to take his focus off Molly.

He opened the door and was greeted with sloppy kisses, snuffling and wildly thumping tails.

Laughing, he stroked them both, taking the time to scratch Tai’s back just above her tail, which was her favorite spot and never failed to put her into a doggy trance. Sargie immediately did her Chewbacca impersonation, sort of a growling yodel of eagerness, until he rubbed her ears.

“Come on, ladies. I have someone for you to meet.” He rounded the car but not in time to open Molly’s door for her. After stepping out, she looked at both dogs and gave a huge grin.

“I thought you had daughters. Or … something.”

“Something furry,” he told her. The dogs eyed Molly, determined she was fair game and charged over to her.

Molly went to one knee—a mistake given that both girls took that as an invitation and immediately knocked her to the ground so they could jump on her, slobber on her and generally give her loads of wet dog affection.

Waiting to see how she’d react, Dare crossed his arms and watched. If she acted like she needed help, or was afraid, of course he’d intervene. But if she was going to stay with him for a spell, and she was, she needed to know how to deal with his dogs.

To his surprise and pleasure, Molly laughed.

“Oh, my God, they’re enormous.” Catching a collar in each hand, she moved the dogs back enough to sit up again. She opened her arms and embraced them both. “That’s the most loving I’ve had in … forever.”

Interesting. Dare pulled Sargie away. “She’s seventy pounds. And this beast of a girl—” he retrieved Tai “—is a solid eighty-five. Tai is the older and calmer of the two, but that’s not saying much. They both think they’re Lapradors instead of Labradors. If you’re on their level, they’ll sit on you. Or at least try to.”

“Guess I’ll have to remember that—not that I minded, though. It’s nice to be so accepted.”

Because she wasn’t used to it? She’d said many of her readers could count as suspects, too. Family, readers, ex-fiancé … He needed to start making a damned list.

Holding out a hand to her, Dare hauled her to her feet and waited while she dusted off that lush backside.

Both dogs now sat on their haunches, still trembling with energy and excitement but curious about Molly, too.

She offered a hand for them to sniff and then took turns petting them. Tai gave her a soulful look, earning a hug. “I love animals. Dad wanted nothing to do with pets when I was growing up, and my apartment doesn’t allow them. I’d actually been thinking of getting my own house just so I could get a dog. Probably not one as big as yours, though.”

Dare couldn’t imagine not having pets around. They were part of the welcome he got whenever he had time away from work. “House or dog?”

Grinning, she said, “Both—but I was talking about the dogs.” She straightened, looked beyond them to his home and shook her head in wonder. “And here I’d thought to impress you with my success. What a joke.”

“I am impressed.”

“At least enough to let me hire you, knowing I can pay up. But we should probably discuss terms, don’t you think?”

“Soon.” He released the dogs to retrieve his duffel from the SUV, and then put a hand to the small of Molly’s back to get her moving forward. “That’s Chris on the porch. He’ll stand there and stare all night.”

Under her breath, Molly said, “He’s as big as you are.”

“I’m bigger,” Chris announced, “if you know where to look.”

“Knock it off, Chris.” But Dare was trying not to laugh.

Aghast, Molly whispered, “He heard me?”

“He hears everything,” Chris told her. “You might want to remember that.”

“Voices carry here,” Dare explained in a normal tone, “especially at night. It’s the lake that does that.”

“There’s a lake?”

He could show her that later. Right now he wanted to get her out of the chill night air, get them both settled and eat real food. There was a world of difference in March weather between Kentucky and California. He saw her shivering and wished that he’d thought to buy her a jacket.

“Let’s get you inside.”

The dogs ran up the steps ahead of them, but then ran back down—and up again.

Dare stopped before Chris. “Molly, meet Chris Chapey, my personal assistant. Chris, this is—”

“The complication. I know.” But Chris no sooner said that than he got a good look at Molly in the light. Arrested, he studied her face, saw the injuries, the marks of abuse. “Did Dare drag you here?”

“We’re tired, Chris. Can you save the sarcasm for later? After I’ve eaten, maybe?”

His gaze went over Molly, and his brows came down—proof that Chris abhorred abuse as much as Dare did.

“Not a problem.” Still with his attention on Molly, Chris said to Dare, “Just tell me that someone paid for this.”

“Oh, yeah.”

He nodded with satisfaction. “Glad to hear it.”

To break the awkward exchange, Molly cleared her throat. “It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. Chapey.” She held out a hand. “Molly Alexander. Please call me Molly.” Her obvious eagerness to make his acquaintance stymied both men.

Dare watched in amazement as Chris gave in and took her hand. Of course, Molly wasn’t just any woman posing as an interloper; she was a woman badly victimized who still had a backbone of steel.

Who could be immune to that?

Molly enfolded Chris’s hand in both of hers. “I’m sorry that we’ve kept you from your bed. I promise that I’m going to try to stay out of your way. I don’t want to be a bother.”

Given the shape she was in, that took Chris aback. He glanced at Dare in confusion, then said, “Definitely complicated.”

Dare leaned against the outer entry wall. “Told you so.”

“I get up early,” Chris said in an uncharacteristic effort to explain himself. “Crack of dawn to run with the dogs. Otherwise—”

“I totally understand. And again, my apologies for messing up your routine.”

“Chris’s routine is whatever I say it is.”

Chris narrowed his eyes at him. “Does that mean you’ll be running the dogs tomorrow?”

“Yeah, it does.”

“Great. Then I’ll sleep in.”

“‘Fraid not.” Dare half grinned as he told Chris, “I have a long list of things for you to do.”

Molly ignored their exchange and, still holding Chris’s hand, said, “Mr. Chapey, you’re the one who set up the chartered flight, right?”

“It’s Chris, and yeah, I make all of Dare’s travel arrangements.”

“Thank you so much for that. I was dreading a commercial flight after … well, everything.”

In case she didn’t understand, Chris said, this time slowly, “It’s what Dare told me to do.”

“I understand that, but you did it so quickly and your choice was terrific. I really do appreciate it.”

She was killing Chris with kindness—and Dare loved it.

“Yeah, well, no problem.” He gave Dare a “help me” look.

Molly finally freed his hand. “Good grief, I’m keeping you out here talking when you have to be freezing.”

“I’m fine—but you have goose bumps.”

“It’s probably only fifty degrees here, and damp, too.” She rubbed her arms. “At least I’m dressed, but you’re all but naked.”

Chris’s brows shot up. “I’m wearing shorts.”

“That barely cover you.”

He shifted his stance, put off by what sounded like censure. “Is that a complaint?”

Her smile didn’t quite answer one way or the other. “It is so beautiful here.” She turned a full circle. “And so incredibly quiet.”

“Secure, too,” Dare told her. Then, tired of the verbal games, he asked Chris, “You reset the alarm codes?”

“Soon as you cleared the gate. And I went grocery shopping for you, too. Fresh food is in the kitchen. After I put your car away, I could cook you something—”

“I’ll take care of it.” He turned to Molly. “Chris makes a lousy cook.”

“Says the master chef.”

Molly looked impressed. “You’re a master chef?”

“Pure sarcasm.” Chris ushered her along and then held the door open for her. “But he is good. At freakin’ everything. So get used to it.”

Molly stepped inside and went awestruck again. “Holy cow.”

Chris paid no attention to her. “Wasn’t sure if you needed it or not, but I freshened up the back bedroom upstairs.”

“Thanks. I’ll get her settled.”

“Want me to put your things away?”

Normally, yes, but this time Dare’s priority was Molly, not checking messages. “I’ll do it.”

“Okay, then. I’ll be right back.” He took the keys from Dare and strolled out to the SUV.

DARE WATCHED MOLLY AS she looked around the central foyer.

“It’s a mansion.”

“Not really.” He was a man of comfort, and, as such, though the house had a lot of amenities, it wasn’t fancy enough to be called a mansion.

“I’ll get lost in here.”

Dare shook his head. “I wouldn’t expect someone with your background to be in awe of a house.”

She gave him a telling look. “I’ve known plenty of wealthy people, and they’re not at all like you. What I mean is, you don’t act like you’re rich. You’re too nice and normal for that.”

“Glad you think so.” With a total of forty-five hundred feet of living space, the house was … expansive. But it was divided up in a functional way. To help Molly get acclimated, Dare said, “Think of it as circular. Everything revolves from this spot. Dining hall on the left, library on the right. Straight ahead, up the curving stairs, are a studio and three other bedrooms. You’ll have a room up there.”

She jerked around to stare at him with clear alarm. “Where do you sleep?”

Indicating beyond the stairs, on the main floor, Dare said, “Master bedroom and bath are on the right, end of the hall is the great room, then the kitchen, morning room, laundry and family room are to the left.”

As the dogs moved closer to her, their nails tapped on the marble floor, drawing her attention there. She looked down at them, then up at the recessed ceilings and giant, rustic chandelier. “It’s … gorgeous. And enormous.”

“Thanks.” Dare picked up his duffel and again touched the small of her back, urging her toward the stairs ahead of him. “I’ll show you to your room.” The dogs started forward in anticipation.

He got her halfway up the stairs before Molly resisted, glancing up at him. “Who else sleeps up there?”

“No one. I have the master suite, and Chris stays in the lake house.” Thinking she was worried about privacy, Dare assured her, “You’ll pretty much have the whole upstairs to yourself.”

Jaw loosening, she turned completely around on the middle of the stairs to face him. The dogs, too, looked at Dare with expectation. “You have another house?”

“A cabin, really, down closer to the lake.” He noticed the pink tinge to her cheeks, how her lips parted, the way she tucked her hair behind her ear. “It’s small but functional. And Chris values having space he can call his own. Mostly because he’s a slob and I’m not.”

“Good God, a football team could live in this house and have plenty of space.”