emotionally unstable. 'I love you, too,' she rasped.
A quick knock sounded at the door before Trisha stepped inside. 'Here's your jacket, Joel,' she said, handing him the black leather coat. 'I didn't want to leave it at your table.'
'Thanks.' Gently pulling the sweater off of Lora's shoulders, he handed the garment to Sydney, then helped Lora slip into his much warmer, dryer jacket.
Tucking her under his arm, he ushered her through the bar and out the front door. It was still raining heavily, and because of the cold, damp weather, he hadn't brought his motorcycle, but instead had driven his black SUV. He sprinted with her to the vehicle through the downpour, got her situated in the passenger seat, then settled himself behind the wheel. He headed out of the parking lot, keeping an eye on his rearview mirror to make sure they weren't being followed by anyone.
The drive to his place started out quietly, with only the spatter of raindrops on the windshield and the scrape of the wipers punctuating the silence. He glanced over at Lora and found her clutching his jacket around her while staring out the window. Even though he'd turned on the heater, she was still shivering, and now that her initial rush of adrenaline had receded, his biggest concern was that she might go into shock.
'Hey, you doing okay over there?' he asked in an attempt to keep her alert and conscious.
She slowly turned her head to glance at him, and even in the dimness of the cab he could see the vacant, faraway look in her gaze. 'I keep thinking about what that man said to me about my brother, but I don't understand what they want from me.'
Joel's fingers tightened on the steering wheel as he returned his attention to the road. He knew exactly what those thugs wanted from Lora, and in a clearer state of mind, he was sure she'd figure out what they intended, as well. But at the moment he was so fucking torn about what to do or say to her. After what she'd just gone through, she deserved to know the truth-the
But come morning, when she was more cognizant, he decided he was going to tell her everything-how her brother had involved her in his addiction, and even his own role in protecting her.
Ultimately, she needed to understand just how dangerous the situation had become.
Chapter Nine
JOEL was saved from having to answer Lora's painful question as he pulled up to his house. He hit the garage door remote, and once the panels had lifted open he parked the SUV, he cut the engine, then got out and rounded the vehicle to the passenger side. He opened the door for Lora, but she didn't move-except for the tremors still running just below the surface of her skin. The bluish tint to her lips worried him, and if he didn't get her warmed up, and quick, they'd be making a trip to the emergency room.
He gently helped her out of the car and into the house, her movements sluggish and unsteady. She stumbled a few times and looked around, clearly disoriented and confused.
'Where are we?' she mumbled.
'We're at my place.' With a firm hold around her waist, he led her back to his bedroom, then into the adjoining bathroom.
Immediately, he turned on the shower to warm up the water as quickly as possible, then flipped the switch for the overhead heating lamp, doing whatever he could to increase the temperature in the bathroom. He slid the leather jacket off her shoulders and down her arms, his fingers brushing along her chilled skin as he pulled the garment off. Her bare flesh was pebbled with goose bumps, and it was difficult not to notice the stiff points of her nipples pushing against her thin, wet T-shirt.
'You need to get undressed and into the shower,' he told her, meeting her gaze. 'You're freezing cold.'
She gave a jerky nod of her head, and he turned and exited the bathroom to give her privacy to strip naked and step into the shower. Less than a minute later he heard a soft whimper and didn't hesitate to glance back inside. Still fully clothed, her cold, fumbling fingers couldn't unfasten the snap on her jeans. She was shivering all over again, and when she glanced up at him, her glassy eyes were filled with tears.
'I… can't,' she said as her teeth began to chatter.
Obviously, giving her privacy wasn't going to be an option. There was no question in Joel's mind what he had to do, and he stepped back inside the bathroom to help. Pushing her hands aside, he tackled her top first, quickly and efficiently skimming the damp, clinging T-shirt up over her head and off, doing his best to work around her sluggish, awkward movements. Leaving her bra on for the moment, and for his own sanity, he turned his attention to her jeans. Once they were unzipped, he pushed them over her hips to her thighs. She swayed on her feet, and he made her sit on the closed toilet seat so he could kneel in front of her and remove her boots and socks, then drag the saturated denim down her endlessly long legs as the bathroom filled with warm, soothing steam from the shower and overhead lamps.
Standing again, he pulled her back up, too, unclasped her bra, and let it fall to the floor. Her silky panties followed right after, and one glance at her completely naked had his dick swelling with typical male lust. Up until that point, he'd managed to remain detached and focused on undressing Lora as fast as possible, and even though his brain recognized the situation as dire, his body obviously had a mind of its own.
Ignoring the tightening ache in his groin, he guided Lora into the shower and positioned her beneath the heavy spray of water. She moaned and crossed her arms over her stomach as the heated water hit her cold skin and sluiced its way down her trembling body.
Knowing he couldn't leave her alone, he kicked off his shoes and removed his own T-shirt and jeans. Keeping his black boxer briefs on for a number of reasons, he joined Lora in the glass enclosure, then shut the door to keep in the rising steam. Wrapping his arms securely around her back, he pulled her as close as two bodies could get, to generate a more natural, instinctive kind of heat.
She was rigid and unyielding at first due to how cold she was, but as the water and heat lamps bathed her in warmth and gradually chased away her chill, fear, and shock, she grew soft and pliant in his embrace. Water cascaded over her shoulders and between their bodies as he caressed his hands down her back, then up again in slow, soothing strokes. Before long, she released a soft, shuddering sigh and relaxed completely against him, trusting him to keep her safe and protected.
From now on, he swore, he would.
Her calm, slack response was exactly what he'd been trying to achieve, yet he'd failed to take into consideration the intimacy of the situation once the urgency of raising her temperature was no longer an issue. Now she was burrowed close with her head on his shoulder and her lips mere inches away from his neck. Then there was the soft cushion of her breasts pressing against his bare chest, and the exquisite feel of her silky smooth belly and supple thighs aligning so perfectly with his own.
Despite his best efforts to remain unaffected, arousal thrummed heavily through his veins. His cock pulsed with need, and he was grateful that he'd worn his boxer briefs, which was the only thing keeping his raging hard-on confined and under a semblance of control.
Needing some kind of distraction, he swept his hands up the provocative curve of her spine and beneath the fall of her hair. The heavy strands were wet, and the nape of her neck was the one place that was still cold to the touch. Tangling his fingers around those tresses, he gently tipped her head back so that the spray soaked her hair and warmed her scalp. With a low, appreciative moan, she closed her eyes and lifted her chin even more, so that the water cascaded over her face, down her slender throat, and across the generous rise of her breasts.
She looked so incredibly sensual, like a water nymph with her sleek, wet skin and the ribbons of steam swirling all around her. His gaze took in her slightly parted lips, then slid down the arch of her throat-and came to a stop on the red slash on her neck. One of the thugs had exerted enough pressure to leave a mark, but not enough to badly break the skin,
Still, he couldn't stem the surge of anger that gripped him anew-directed at the men who'd terrorized her, at Zach for involving Lora, but mostly at himself for allowing something so horrendous to happen when he'd sworn to keep her safe and protected.
The attack never should have happened on his watch, and knowing she could have been hurt much worse, he nearly choked on a fresh wave of anguish and remorse. Without thinking, he lifted his hand and gently stroked his
