No One Heard Her Scream

'A man could get used to this kind of welcome.' He held her in his arms and nuzzled her neck. She smelled so damned good.

'That's me. The Welcome Wagon.' She groaned when he got to her ear. 'Mmmm . . . Oh, yeah.'

Diego didn't want to stop, but he worried for Rebecca's safety. With his appointment tonight, he'd be distracted, unable to protect her if she needed it. But he wouldn't tell her about his dinner engagement with Cavanaugh. She had enough on her mind.

He pulled away from her arms with reluctance.

'Earlier today, Cavanaugh said something to concern me . . . about you. We have to talk.'

Her eyes narrowed, a questioning look on her face.

'I shouldn't be a blip on his radar screen. Why would he bring up my name?' Rebecca took his hand and led him into the living room. She curled up on the sofa with him by her side. 'I've got nothing on him with this case I'm investigating, just my gut. Besides, they've taken me off it officially. What did he say exactly?'

Diego didn't have much on the man either. With Cavanaugh, it was never what he said but how he said it and all the nuances in between. Diego embellished points based on his experiences with Cavanaugh, but mainly, he warned her to be careful. Stressed it.

'The man doesn't make meaningless chatter, Rebecca. If he brought up your name, it's for a reason. Don't underestimate him.'

'I'll be careful.' Worry lined her face, but her expression softened when she shifted topics. She raised her chin and nibbled on the corner of her lip, an enticing gesture. 'Besides, I've got someone new watching my back. I'm not worried.'

Not me. Not tonight, he thought. He hoped Draper could handle her surveillance for tonight. Diego forced a smile, shoving doubt from his mind. Besides, Rebecca was smart and could take care of herself. And tonight, he'd have Cavanaugh with him where he could keep an eye out. Diego would be the first to know if Rebecca courted trouble, but in the meantime . . .

'Just do me a favor. Let's keep your shades drawn, and I want you to take extra precautions. Okay?'

While she watched, he closed her blinds and drapes and flipped on a light before rejoining her on the couch.

'Will I see you later?' she asked.

His mind conjured up images of her. He didn't trust himself to remain a gentleman indefinitely. Even now, he stared at her lips, soft and full. And without restraint, his gaze trailed to her breasts.

'Do you want me .. . to?' Diego swallowed, hard. His heart beat against his ribs like a hammer. 'It might be late.'

'How . . . late?' she whispered, and inched closer. So close, Diego felt the heat off her skin.

Throaty and sensual, Rebecca's voice triggered a deep-rooted yearning in him. Something he hadn't felt in a very long time. When he looked up, he found her eyes probing his body, without the pretense of innocence. He had no doubt she wanted him.

Rebecca didn't wait for his answer. She tugged at his tie and loosened it, her eyes never leaving his. In a slow and deliberate gesture, hand over hand, she pulled it from his neck, an inch at a time. She flung it over her shoulder, not caring where it landed.

'I've always been a 'here and now' kind of girl.' Rebecca undid the top button to his shirt. One at a time, button by button, she worked her fingers. He felt cool air on his skin as she opened his shirt. Her slender hand raked fingers through his chest hair.

Following her lead, Diego mirrored her restraint . . . for the moment.

'Oh . . . yeah?' he asked. 'How does that work? The 'here and now' thing.'

Diego maintained his cool, even with his body raging hot. His lungs gulped air and fueled the flame. Slowly, he trailed a fingertip down her throat. Touching her velvet skin sent a jolt of electricity up his arm and down through his belly. The arousing sensation jabbed at his insides like a roller coaster spiral-ing downhill after teetering at its crest. Still, he held back, determined not to be the first to break.

When he got to her collar, he took a detour and used the tip of a fingernail to circle a nipple through her blouse. The nub constricted and hardened, making her gasp.

'Oh, God. . . .' Rebecca stifled her reaction—not very convincingly.

Diego smiled and saw her struggle to regain control as an obstacle to overcome. Up until now, she had harnessed her body's natural impulses, waiting for him to make the first real move to a point of no return. A sensual game. But as her chest heaved, Rebecca moved her breasts against his hand. Unable to hold back anymore, she grabbed both his hands and pressed them to her.

'Here and now. Whatever I've got here . . . you can have right now. That's how it works.' Rebecca guided his hands and watched as he took pleasure. No holds barred.

'I don't think I can wait'—she gasped—'for later.'

With her foot, she shoved her coffee table aside and pulled him off the sofa, bringing him to his knees on the carpet. Urgency replaced her subtle flirtatious game of shedding clothes a piece at a time. Now, without ceremony, Rebecca tugged at his jacket and unbuckled his pants, a race she didn't have to convince him to play. He did the same for her. So many buttons, hooks, and lace, his larger hands almost failed the test. In a sobering moment, when he triggered the on switch to his brain, Diego remembered.

'I didn't bring anything . . .' he panted, his eyes rolling back in his head. The woman knew how to use her tongue. 'I mean, I don't have . . . Oh, God.' He shivered, the real good kind.

'A condom?' She finished his thought without stopping. When his concern registered, Rebecca popped her head up with eyes blinking, getting her bearings. 'Oh, right.'

She raced to a back room as if she were being timed. Rebecca left him sprawled naked on her living room floor amidst the pile of clothes. With effort, he rose onto his elbows, listening to her rummage through cabinets and drawers, the noise peppered by her muffled curses. He shook his head, unable to hide a grin.

When Rebecca returned, Diego couldn't take his eyes off her. All he wanted to do was pick up where they left off, his body making a rally. Naked and glorious, the woman jiggled in all the right spots. And her radiant face showed no sign of being in the least self-conscious. Maybe because she was completely engrossed in the fine print of the condom packet.

'Do these have an expiration date?' Rebecca milked the moment. When she looked up and winked, the gesture tugged at his heart. 'Just kidding. I didn't want you to think I do this all the time.' She grinned.

Diego laughed out loud. A real belly laugh. It felt so good to let go. He hadn't laughed like this for a very long time.

In a rush, Rebecca knelt by his side again. She held his face in her hands and kissed his lips, her tongue fondling his. The sudden affection stole his breath. He took her in his arms and rolled on top, unable to hold back. Diego always thought of himself as an experienced lover. Yet with Rebecca, it felt like the first time. The thrill of it churned his blood. Fierce desire took hold—a desire to please her—to make her need him as much as he needed her. Unbridled intimacy. The curves of her soft flesh pressed against his muscled skin.

'Oh, Diego . . . yesss.' She moaned his name. A honeyed sound he never wanted to forget. It echoed through his mind with all the reverence of a prayer whispered in church.

None of the lovers who had come before mattered. Only Rebecca mattered. She infused him with life. Her life. Every fiber of his being took what she offered. She breathed life back into his soul—a drowning man given a second chance. She opened his ears to a life to which he'd been deaf. For so long, he had been living without hope of a future. He believed it didn't matter. But it did, and Rebecca made him care. She made him want something more. And above all, she made him feel worthy of it.

His tongue explored her body, his hands eager to follow. As he caressed her breast, the nipple hardened in his hand. She wrapped her legs around him and clutched at his back, pulling him to her.

'I want you.' She nuzzled his ear. After Rebecca helped him with the condom, her velvet fingers stroking him, he wedged himself between her legs. When she offered her body, he pushed into her dewy cleft, nudging for every quarter inch. As he did, she cried out, 'Oh, my . . . Oh my God,' she panted.

'Am I hurting you?' He held still, looking down at her. 'We don't have to . . .'

She held a finger to his lips, her eyes wide.

'If you stop now, I'll kill you. I've got a gun.' Rebecca kissed him hard, running her fingers through his hair.