He shook his head. “No, to fall in love with me.”
“Oh, Jason,” she whispered, wishing she could admit this truth as readily: she wasn’t just tempted, she was already falling. And it scared her silly.
* * *
All of these tantalizing glimpses and teasing remarks were beginning to torment Jason. He’d deliberately kept his distance from Dana for the past week, hoping that this craziness would go away, that he’d awake in the morning and Dana would no longer appeal to him. He had a sinking feeling that changing the color of his eyes or the rhythm of his heart would be easier.
Last night in the bookstore he’d sensed that she was on the edge, struggling with deep emotions that were clearly as foreign to her as they were to him—emotions neither of them were ready to accept.
She’d looked so lost and alone that he’d wanted to take her into his arms and swear to her that she would never be lonely again, that he would always be there to offer comfort and strength and love. He wasn’t sure, though, that it was a promise he could keep. He had no track record with commitment and responsibility. As for handling the implications of love—not just sex—between a man and a woman, he was every bit as inexperienced as she.
And then there was Sammy. His respect for the boy’s intelligence was growing, even as his frustration mounted. For all the progress the two of them had made in recent days, the kid was hardly ready for sainthood. Jason suspected that their outings to the gym might only be giving Sammy the skills he would need to tough it out on the streets. Jason doubted the teen actually saw boxing as an alternative to the thrill of real violence. Every time Jason tried to speak to Sammy about making a serious change in his attitude and his companions, the youngster’s overt hostility returned.
Faced with the least attractive side of Sammy’s personality, Jason continually had to remind himself that he was doing this to prove to himself that he was capable of being totally unselfish for once in his life. Maybe it would be a sign that he’d finally grown up.
The bonus, of course, was the approval and relief that shone in Dana’s eyes with each tiny bit of progress he made with her brother. It made him feel ten feet tall. He hadn’t realized how badly his self-confidence needed such a boost.
He had started doubting his own common sense. Maybe he’d misjudged how wrong Dana was for him. He’d felt revitalized the past couple of weeks. Maybe it wouldn’t be so terrible to risk deepening their relationship.
Convinced of that, Jason left work early with his blood pumping just a little harder as he contemplated a very romantic evening ahead. He found a florist who’d managed to rush the season with an abundant assortment of spring flowers. Jason filled his arms with red tulips and golden daffodils, picked up a bottle of wine, then stopped at a meat market that dealt only in the choicest steaks and chops.
It occurred to him to call ahead to be sure Dana would be home. But he felt certain she’d find a dozen excuses for turning him down. He skirted the most obvious one by buying a third steak. He figured there was no escaping Sammy’s presence. Jason appreciated the irony in having the kid as a chaperon.
It was dusk when he reached the neighborhood. The nearest parking place was an unsavory two blocks away. Jason gathered his purchases from the back seat, then started toward Dana’s. He had just started to cross the entrance to an alley, when he heard a commotion and sensed a violent undertone. One glance into he gloomy alley brought his heart to his throat.
Dana was pressed against a brick wall. A trio of unkempt youths were taunting her. A fourth, his back to Jason, was hanging back, oddly silent. From where Jason stood at the entrance to the alley, there was no question at all about their intentions—they were going to rob her or worse.
Jason was filled with such a murderous rage, his hands shook. Every instinct shouted at him to rush to her rescue. His muscles ached from the tension of listening to his head, which warned him that rushing in against these odds wouldn’t help Dana and might even get her hurt.
As he considered what to do, his heart pounded so hard he was sure they would hear it. Anger rushed through him with raw, primitive force. If they laid one finger on her, one finger, he would delight in taking them apart.
“You don’t want to do this,” Dana said. She was pale, but there wasn’t the slightest quaver in her voice. Jason winced at the spunky declaration. Didn’t she know she was just daring them to contradict her? Didn’t she have enough good sense to recognize the very real danger she was in? Maybe it was just as well. He was terrified enough for the two of them.
He’d never felt more helpless in his life, trying to cling to reason when all he wanted was to strike out blindly, to pay them back for threatening her. In that instant he realized with a sense of shock that he was falling in love with her.
And, with horrifying clarity, that he could lose her.
“Hey, did you hear that, Rocky? We don’t want to do nothin’ to the lady.” The punk who said it leered at her and inched closer as if to contradict her statement. His fingers swept down her cheek. Jason felt sick to his stomach as he thought of how easily the boy could have wielded a knife instead.
Finally, his hands knotting into fists, the boy hovering in the background spoke. “Leave her alone, Vinnie.”
Vinnie didn’t look inclined to take his advice. “Kid, stay out of this.”
At the hint of a split in their ranks, Jason took heart. Maybe the odds weren’t so uneven after all. Suddenly,
