the streets on this blacker-than-pitch night. The corner streetlamp didn’t quite reach them, and they were isolated by the darkness.
He forced himself to take three deep, calming breaths. Her statement that she wanted nothing to do with him had cut like a knife and left him bleeding. Damn her, she would not shut him out. Not anymore.
“You’re being unreasonable,” he finally said, doing his best to keep his tone calm, to hide his own anger. No one, man or woman, had ever set him off like this, but then it had always been that way with Celia. She elicited more emotion from him, in all forms, than anyone he’d ever known. She could make him furious with a word, amuse him with a burst of temper, or arouse him to the point of pain with a simple shy look. He didn’t like it, but more than that, he wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it, and feeling helpless was something he hated above all things. The only way he could see to get over it was to finally have her, to sate himself on the scent and feel and taste of her. He could easily spend a week doing just that, and he eventually would. But first he had to insure her safety.
“Do you want to get hurt?” He shook her slightly, both hands now holding her bare shoulders. He was careful not to bruise her, but he wanted her attention, needed her to know he was dead serious. “Do you realize what could have happened to you last time if I hadn’t gotten in the way of that bullet?”
She lowered her gaze and stared at his shirtfront. He had the almost overpowering urge to press his lips against the part in her fair hair. She was so damn baby soft all over. Soft hair, soft skin…soft smell. His chest suddenly felt tight, his muscles rigid, and he fought against it, against the effect she had on him. The need to kiss her, to eat her alive, was strong. He wanted to make her a part of him so she’d quit fighting so hard.
He gave her another quick, careful shake. “Celia?” he demanded in a growl.
“That was an accident,” she muttered, her voice quavering slightly. “I thought the guy was just jumping bail and that he’d be easy enough to bring in.” She peeked up at him, her hazel eyes wide and vulnerable, swallowing him whole and making his hands shake. “I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”
His fingers flexed on her shoulders, stroking, relishing the tender feel of her warm flesh. A slow burn started in his gut. “Celia…damn it, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. You don’t know enough yet to get involved in cases like that. They’d grabbed that guy on petty theft, and he was small-time, but he knew bigger, more dangerous guys and you bumbled right into their dealings by following him without backup. You didn’t wait for a partner the way you’re supposed to and you didn’t call the cops when you should have.”
She swallowed. “Does…does your leg still hurt?”
It wasn’t his leg bothering him. He thought about lying, pondering whether his injury would have any effect on swaying her to stay away from danger. But he doubted it. She was so damn headstrong and unreasonable. “No. It’s fine.”
“Nothing keeps you down for long, does it?” She peeked up at him again. “You’re so invincible.”
Hardly. His hands tightened again, because around her he felt like a naked baby in the woods, but damned if he’d admit it.
“I just wanted to prove I could do it,” she whispered, reacting to his anger.
Her words made him want to explode. “Why?”
She drew a shuddering breath, and his attention was diverted to her breasts. He wasn’t sure how it was done, since understanding the working of women’s underwear wasn’t high on his list of accomplishments, but her small breasts were fairly bursting out of that damn dress. They taunted him, when usually it was her pert behind that grabbed his undivided attention. That and her unwavering stubbornness, which he admired even as he resented it.
“You wouldn’t understand, Alec.”
Probably not, since he’d forgotten what the hell they were talking about. He wanted to pull the plunging neckline of the dress two inches lower so he could see her nipples. Would they be pale pink, or a dark dusky rose? He could almost taste her in his mouth, her sweet flesh puckering tight. His erection strained against his jeans. Lord, if just thinking about kissing her breasts made him shake with lust, he wasn’t sure he’d actually be able to survive being inside her. He closed his eyes in self-defense and swallowed hard. But shutting out the reality of having her in his grasp only allowed him to dwell on the fantasy of getting her beneath him, warm and soft and ready.
He groaned.
“Alec?”
He forced his eyes open, saw her worried gaze, and frowned. With one fingertip, he tipped up her chin. “What wouldn’t I understand, babe? Explain it to me.”
She licked her lips, leaving them wet and shiny. “I need to make a difference. I’ve screwed up a lot in my life, hurt a lot of people.”
Her self-recrimination did a lot to dispel his lust and clear his brain, so that her words held all his attention. He started to correct her, to tell her how wrong she was, but decided to let her talk it out instead. Later, he could set her straight.
“I almost lost Dane, and I did lose Derek because I was too dumb to see Raymond for what he was. My entire family was hurt, the company was hurt. Innocent people were victimized. The only way I can live with myself now is if I help someone else.”
Alec smoothed his fingers over her cheek, tucking a blond strand behind her small ear. Her hair was soft and fine, with natural curl. “Hooking up with Raymond was a mistake, but we all make them. You can’t expect yourself to be exempt. And you can’t undo the past.”
“I can try to make amends.”
“To who? Dane knew what he was getting into, and you couldn’t have helped Derek even if you’d known. You didn’t even meet Raymond until after Derek had died.”
It was an awful situation, one Alec knew she still hadn’t come to terms with. She’d only been a stepping stone in Raymond’s plot against her family, but of the survivors, she’d been emotionally hurt the worst. Raymond had started with industrial espionage, and quickly advanced into more deadly crimes. It had taken all Alec’s fortitude to allow the law to have him, rather than utilizing his own sense of justice. He could have taken care of Raymond without an ounce of remorse.
Celia turned her face away. “I feel like I betrayed them all.”
His heart twisted, and the pain was so unfamiliar, he jerked. Slowly, his hands flexed on her smooth shoulders, pulling her closer, which made the pain less noticeable. “Celia,” he whispered, the word a reprimand breathed into her ear, “you know that’s nonsense. Dane loves you, so of course he doesn’t blame you. And Angel adores you. You’ve become her best friend, a godmother to little Grayson.”
Her small hands lifted to his chest and lightly rested there. Her forehead touched his sternum. “I can’t believe she’s forgiven me. It’s because of me that Raymond was able to threaten her.” She tilted back to stare up into his face, and her belly pressed against him. “She could have been hurt—”
“Hush.” He laid a finger over her lips, fighting the urge to taste her again. That first kiss, meant as a showdown, had made him hard, and being near her had kept him that way. She’d tasted sweet, like cherries, but now her lip gloss was gone and he found her naked mouth even more appealing. “You’re not responsible for Raymond’s actions, Celia. And the truth is, you saved
