live there, and a woman alone needs a good security system.”
If he knew some of the places she’d lived in her life, he would realize the safety of a locked door in a decent neighborhood was a luxury she didn’t take for granted. “Josette lived alone before I moved in.”
“She was a merc.”
“I’m not exactly helpless.”
“Honey, if those terrorists we took down have friends, you’d be worse than helpless around them.”
“What’s worse than helpless?”
“Dead.”
“Oh.” She tried taking a deep breath to calm down, but all she inhaled was his scent and she had to bite back a moan of pleasure at the unexpected intimacy of it. What was it about this guy? He was just so darn male—even the way he smelled excited her previously happily dormant feminine sexual instincts. “There’s no reason to believe anyone connected with them would have a grudge against me.”
“Josie was part of the team that brought the bad guys to justice. People like that do not forgive and forget.”
“But I’m not Josette.”
“It’s not like she took out an ad saying she was getting married and taking off on a month-long honeymoon. You are the one living in her house.”
She thought the worry was far-fetched but didn’t say so. She knew Josette had to agree because she would not have allowed Claire to continue living in the house if she believed doing so would put her at risk. The security system had been Nitro and Hotwire’s idea, although Josette had gone along with it easily enough.
Claire didn’t mention that to Hotwire, either. “I’m sure any security system you devised is more than adequate.”
“No security system is fail-safe, even ones as complicated as what Wolf and Nitro have installed around their homes.” He went on to describe the measures he and Wolf had implemented. “Oh, and I bought you a can of mace for every room of the house.”
“For every room of the house?”
“I like to be thorough…in every way.”
The message that went through her had nothing to do with his intentional meaning, she was sure. But she could imagine him being thorough as all get-out, and her fantasies were not about alarm systems. So long as they stayed fantasies, it was okay.
“I see.”
“A self-defense weapon won’t do you any good if it’s in the bedroom while you’re accosted in the kitchen.”
The only person she felt in danger of being accosted by right now was him, and if that happened, the last thing she’d want to do was fight. Which was a really dumb attitude she couldn’t seem to shake.
Sex was not worth getting all shook up over, so why did hanging around this man make her feel like an Elvis Presley song?
“But mace?”
“Yes. Since you won’t use a gun.”
“You make that sound like a crime.”
“It’s just…” He paused as if searching for a word. “Different.”
“I guess a mercenary would see things that way.”
“Former mercenary.”
“Right…now, you are a security specialist.”
“Among other things.”
She wanted to ask what other things, but suddenly, talking just wasn’t an option.
The lion inside him was looking at her through his darkening blue eyes and the expression was one of a lethal predator deciding how best to devour his prey. “I know you tried to forget it, but you besmirched my honor and you need to do something to make up for it.”
“I do?”
“Uh-huh.”
How’d his face get so close? “Wh…” She had to clear her throat. “What do you mean?”
“I think a kiss would do it.”
“What?” Kissing was the best part of sex, she supposed, but that wasn’t saying a lot. So why did the prospect of locking lips with Hotwire sound so darn exciting?
“A kiss, Claire. You know what a kiss is—when a man and woman—”
She covered his mouth to stop the tantalizing words. “I know what it is, smarty pants, but why would you want one from me?” That was her fantasy.
And as she’d just reminded herself, fantasy was well and good…acting on it was not.
He licked her palm and she jerked her hand from his mouth.
He smiled that devil’s smile that always sent her insides jumping. “Because you’ve offended me and now you must make up for it.”
“You’re crazy. Nitro and Wolf offend you all the time. I don’t see you kissing them.”
He smiled, his eyes so full of sensual suggestion, her knees went weak. “My friends are not beautiful women.”
“Well, neither am I,” she said sarcastically.
“There you go, besmirching my honor again. My mama would be appalled at your opinion of my veracity.”
She wasn’t going there. “You don’t expect Josette to kiss you when she offends you.”
“I would prefer not to end up in a fight to the death with Nitro. He’s a scary son when he’s riled.”
“You’re not afraid of anyone or anything,” she scoffed. “Josette told me stories.”
Something moved in his eyes and for a second she saw the mercenary who had gone into war-torn countries to bring out hostages. His was the face of a man who had killed, and would do so again, if it was necessary to preserve the safety of those he had committed to protecting.
But just as quickly as it surfaced, the look disappeared, and Hotwire’s blue eyes burned with sexy challenge. “I want a kiss, Claire…are you going to give it to me?”
“Sure.” She went up on her toes, intent on bussing his cheek.
He turned his head just enough, though, and her lips ended up pressed lightly to his. She didn’t open her mouth, but she didn’t pull away immediately like she’d planned to, either. She hung there, suspended by the connection between their mouths, her body humming with excitement. One second the kiss was soft and light, and the next he yanked her against his hard, male body and his mouth slammed down over hers with definite intent.
He took her mouth with the skill and power of an invading army…or one very formidable mercenary.
The man certainly knew
