Predatory Game

“Wake up, Saber,” Jess called from the bottom of the stairs. “I know you can hear me. Come on down here.”

He had to see her. It was pathetic how much he needed her, how much joy she brought to his life.

“Go away.” Her voice was muffled, confirming his suspicions that she had the covers over her head to block out the sunlight. “I just got to bed.”

Saber wasn’t certain she could face him. The idea that she had tried to kill him had haunted her all night. And what if she hadn’t tried to use a knife? He would never have known, would never have been able to defend himself.

“It’s your own fault you didn’t go to bed last night. And you can forget any sympathy from me, not after the way you woke me up at five a.m. with that crap you call music.”

She answered him with total silence. She was ashamed of her loss of control. She covered her face with her hands and could have wept in despair.

Downstairs, Jess heaved a sigh. “I’m serious, angel face, you don’t get down here in five minutes, I’m coming up after you. And if you put me to all that trouble, you won’t like the consequences,” he threatened.

He heard her stirring, muttering. Something hit the wall and he grinned. Saber padded down the hallway on bare feet, rubbing her eyes drowsily with her fists. At the banister, she leaned her head over, her shining hair an intriguing mass of unruly curls. She was wearing what looked to be one of his old shirts, one he was certain he had tossed out recently. The thought made him smile.

“What exactly do you want, dragon king? Because this is totally uncivilized behavior,” she accused. “Even for you.”

She looked incredibly small and feminine, her huge eyes so drowsy they seemed to be an open invitation to temptation. She looked like sin and sex to him, all rolled up together, and his body responded in the now-familiar way, hard and aching with a demand he was afraid would never quite be sated.

“My willpower is dwindling away,” he muttered.

“What?” Saber looked more confused than ever. “Jesse, you are making absolutely no sense. Not that I think you make much sense anyway, but it’s only noon. Noon is the same to me as three in the morning is to someone else. I am in deep sleep mode. I don’t care how cute you think you are, go away and stop bothering me.”

“Stop complaining and get down here. Patsy’s on her way.” Cute? She found him cute? Like some teddy bear. That was worse than if she’d called him sweet. He was going to show her cute if she kept looking at him like that.

“Patsy?” Saber groaned and shook her head. “Oh, Jess, no. I cannot take your sister on no sleep. She thinks I’m ten and you’re a pervert out to ruin my virtue.”

“Well, don’t feel bad. Usually she thinks the woman is a vamp and is after my virtue so really, you’re the lucky one this time.”

She sat at the top of the stairs, smoothing her shirt tail over her knees, her hair wild and her lashes drooping. “Poor Patsy. She’s always trying to look out for someone. I like her, I really do, but she’s…” She stopped, searching for the right word to describe his older sister.

He found himself smiling. She always managed to make him smile. “A stick of dynamite? Come on, baby, grab a shower and eat something. By the time she gets here, you’ll be in great shape.”

“I’m never in great shape around Patsy,” she muttered. “Can’t we pretend I’m not here? I could stay up here sleeping.” Patsy was wonderful and so loving, but she wanted to take care of Saber. No one had ever tried to take care of her. She was a very solitary person and the people around her had always avoided touching her-with good reason. Patsy, however, had no idea of personal space. She hugged and kissed and generally tried to run Saber’s life-in the nicest way possible of course, and maybe that was the biggest problem. Saber was growing too fond of her as well.

“And leave me to face her alone?” Jess scoffed. “No way. Not a chance in hell. Get dressed and get your very awesome ass down here.” Jess rubbed his shadowed jaw thoughtfully. “I’d better shave.”

“Jesse,” she wailed, trying not to be pleased at his “awesome ass” comment. “Why drag me into this? She’s your sister.” He looked good. He brought such sunshine into her life. And he made her feel special, as if he couldn’t deal with life without her. She wanted him. Wanted him. Ached for him.

“You’re my housekeeper. Helping out with guests is part of your job. Now stop being a little complainer and get down here.”

Saber forced a glare when she wanted to laugh, just because he was incredibly beautiful and he wasn’t holding a grudge over the way she’d tried to stab him. “You owe me big time for this, Jesse.”

Jess regretfully turned his back on her, although the sight of her lingered in his mind. Saber couldn’t have been more beautiful if she had spent all day locked in a beauty parlor with a team of makeup experts. The sight of her slender, bare legs and fresh, soft skin put far too many erotic thoughts in his head.

Saber was falling in love with him, she just didn’t know it. He rubbed his jaw, hoping he was right. He was happy around her. He loved their strange conversations and her causes. He liked watching the expressions chase across her face. She had to be falling in love with him. She was running in every direction but the one she should be. She belonged with him, and whether it was the right time or not for either of them, he was going to make certain she stayed where she belonged.

Patsy Calhoun was tall with a woman’s curvy figure, a generous mouth, and rich dark hair spilling around her face in a soft feminine sweep emphasizing her cheekbones. Normally she was smiling and looked sophisticated and in absolute control, but when Saber opened the door, she was leaning against the wall in tears.

Saber glanced back into the house, looking in desperation for Jess to appear, but he was in the kitchen brewing tea for his sister. “What’s wrong?” She sounded more clipped than compassionate because it scared her to see Patsy in tears. She placed a comforting hand on the older woman’s arm, feeling inadequate but wanting to help. The moment they came in contact, an instantaneous prickle of awareness ran down Saber’s spine.

“I’m sorry.” Patsy looked down at her, the tears spilling over. “I guess I’m more shaken than I thought.”

Saber wrapped her arm around Jess’s sister and urged her into the house. Patsy was trembling, and Saber’s prickly awareness was now a full-blown radar attack. She kicked the door closed and took Patsy through to the kitchen.

Jess glanced up, the smile fading from his face. “What happened, Patsy?” His voice was calm, but his eyes were sharp and penetrating. He maneuvered around the chairs and took his sister’s hands. “Tell me, honey.”

Patsy sank into a chair. “I’m sorry, I’m being silly. It’s just that…” She trailed off again and began to weep quietly.

Saber hastily got her a glass of water. As she leaned over Pasty’s shoulder to pass her the water, she felt the tingle of a low-level vibration emanating from the woman. Keeping all expression from her face, she rested a hand on Patsy’s shoulder and let everything in her shift to find the rhythm of Patsy’s body. She was very suspicious that she knew what that vibration of energy was.

“Patsy?” Jess leaned toward his sister. “Just tell me, honey.”

“I dropped by the radio station this morning.” Patsy’s hand trembled as she lifted the water glass to her lips and took a sip. “It’s the first time I’ve been there since I lost David.”

Jess glanced at Saber. “David was Patsy’s fiance.”

Patsy nodded. “I own the station with Jess and I thought I should begin to take an interest again, so I went in and wandered around. It was upsetting, but I really feel like it’s time.”

“That’s good, honey,” Jess encouraged.

Now Saber was picking up both rhythms, Jess’s and Patsy’s, because Jess was holding Patsy’s hand. It was interesting that they were so different. Being siblings apparently didn’t make their individual biorhythms similar. Jess gave off a very strong, steady beat, the blood moving through his body with an ebb and flow that suggested power. Patsy…Saber frowned, not liking the rhythm. Something was a little off. The blood didn’t seem to move the way it should. She took a breath and tried to drown out Jess’s beat as well as the strange little vibration so she could catch the flow of Patsy’s blood, the echoes of the heart chambers.

“I talked to some of the men and then I left. I was driving down the winding road leading to the main highway, and just as I was approaching that hairpin turn…” Patsy’s voiced hitched again.

Jess let go of her hand to get her a small towel from the sink. That allowed Saber to align her body rhythm with Patsy’s. Yes, there was a definite swish that shouldn’t be there as the blood flowed through a chamber of her heart,