a few days.”
Garth touched Kathy’s hand. “I’ll walk Dana to her car. Be right back.”
Kathy nodded happily.
Garth followed Dana out of the pet store.
“How unexpected,” she said cheerfully, when the door had closed behind them. “I never thought of you as the gentleman type.”
He grabbed her elbow hard enough to bruise and stepped in front of her. “What the hell are you doing?”
She put her hand on his wrist and pressed with two fingers. Pain shot through his arm. “You’ll let me go right now or I’ll change you from a stallion to a gelding with a single shot and swear on a stack of Bibles that it was an accidental discharge.”
Her brown eyes flashed with temper and a promise to follow through. He knew she would happily take him on. Not just because of her position as a deputy but because she was loyal to the Titan sisters. They were her friends and she protected what was hers.
Something they had in common, he thought, noting the shape of her mouth was surprisingly sensual for a woman who wore no makeup and obviously thought acting girly meant being weak.
“You think you can take me?” he asked, releasing her.
She did the same, letting up the pressure on his arm. Whatever nerve she’d irritated continued to tingle. He ignored it.
“I’m more than confident,” she told him.
“Confidence is good,” he said. “But don’t get cocky. I always get what I want.”
“All you’re going to have in the end is some guy chasing your ass all around your prison cell. You won’t like being Bubba’s bitch, but you will have earned it.”
He chuckled. “Very visual. I’m impressed.”
She poked him in the chest. “You don’t get it. I
“I’m counting the minutes,” he told her, meaning the words. Dana was a formidable adversary. He could respect that. And her. Which didn’t change his mind about what he was doing.
He thought about warning her away from Kathy, then realized he didn’t have to. Dana would never hurt her, never use her to get to him. She had principles and character.
“It wasn’t me,” he said. “The explosion. It wasn’t me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Right. And I suppose you’re not responsible for everything else that’s been happening?”
“I’m not talking about that. Dana, it wasn’t me, which means whoever did it is still out there. I don’t know who or what he was after. I have some ideas, not that you’re interested in them.”
She shook her head. “You’re right, I’m not. I’m done listening to you and your lies. Say what you want. I’ll have you in jail before long.”
He wasn’t surprised she didn’t believe him. But he’d tried. That was as far as he was willing to go.
“You keep promising,” he said, mostly to annoy her. “Yet night after night I wait and nothing happens. I’m starting to think you’re all talk.”
She made a noise that was as much growl as a threat, then she walked to her marked sedan.
He watched her. She was strong and frustrated and desperate to hurt him, but constrained by the law and the oath she’d taken when she put on the badge. What would she be like when she let loose?
Not that he would ever find out. But it was certainly something to think about.
NICK WAITED until the vice president of human resources signed the last of the paperwork.
“None of this is going to happen, right?” he asked.
Nick grinned. “We’ve never had a problem at a retreat. Just making sure we’re protected if one of your people breaks the rules.”
The HR guy didn’t look convinced, but nodded anyway.
Nick pointed to the door. “Aaron will show you to your room.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
He left the small office Nick used during corporate retreats. It was in back of the meeting rooms, giving him easy access to his clients. Not that he spent a lot of time here. The corporate functions were an unwelcome reality. They provided him with a steady income, and gave him credibility. It meant he could offer his facility to kids who needed it. He could make a difference, try to atone for the past.
He turned off his computer and walked down the hall. He could hear Aaron directing people to their rooms, handing out keys to the cottages and pointing out the posted schedule. He’d gotten lucky when he’d found Aaron and seeing as Aaron wasn’t dead, his friend had gotten lucky when he’d been found.
The central gathering area of the big house had a half dozen or so sofas, small tables scattered around, and overstuffed chairs. Aaron had overseen the decorating, picking warm reds and golds for the furniture and a few woven throw rugs for the hardwood floor. It was a comfortable space. There was a large media room in back, with theater-style seating and a movie-size screen. The corporate types used it for presentations during the day and movies at night.
He looked at the mostly male group. They were still in button-down shirts and ties. Corporate types, he thought, remembering how he’d been one of them. Briefly. It had ended in disaster, with him and Garth held prisoner in the South American jungle.
“I have T-shirts,” Izzy said, walking into the room with a stack of folded shirts in her arms. “I don’t know what it is with you guys and your matching outfits. If you don’t like them, don’t complain to me.”
She wore a tank top tucked into a short skirt. Her hair was a wild mass of curls, her smile easy and welcoming. The men swarmed around her. Nick couldn’t blame them. She was a walking, breathing male fantasy. Well, not for Aaron, but for anybody else.
He didn’t like the way they crowded her, but he didn’t intervene. Izzy could handle herself and it wasn’t his business. She was there for a specific purpose and him getting laid wasn’t it.
Of course he wanted her. It wasn’t just how she made him feel when they kissed, although that had been hot and arousing and made him burn to take her every way he knew how. It was more than that. It was her laugh, her voice and her strength. It was how she pushed back and didn’t play games. It was everything about her.
Which meant he couldn’t get involved. He wasn’t allowed-not just because he had a responsibility to get her ready for her surgery, but because of what had happened before. Because of what he’d done and who he was. If she knew…
Aaron rushed up to him and grabbed his arm. “Did you see him?”
“See who?”
“That really cute guy. Over by the staircase.”
Nick turned to look.
“Don’t stare!” Aaron hissed. “Don’t be obvious. He’s gorgeous. If we could have babies together. He’s being very friendly, but I’m not sure. Do you think he likes me? Could you ask him? Isn’t he adorable?”
Nick pulled free of Aaron’s grasp. “I’m not the one you should be talking to. Go talk to Izzy.”
“I would because she’s much better at the bondy thing than you are, but she can’t see him. So how can we talk about how cute he is?”
“She’ll figure it out. Seriously? She’s a much better choice.”
Aaron sighed. “Fine. Be that way. But I’ll remember this and when you’re in a world of hurt about something I’m just going to laugh at you.”
“No, you won’t.”
“No, I won’t because I’m a better person than you. Oh, he’s looking. That’s good, right? It’s been so long since I had a boyfriend. What if he’s the one? Wouldn’t that be fabulous? Aren’t you excited?”
“I can barely speak for the thrill of it,” Nick said dryly.
Aaron slapped his arm. “You’re not getting into the spirit of this.”
“I’m doing my best.”
“Then you need to work on your people skills.”
