around to let us know there’s danger?”
“Hmm.” He thought of the overgrown, fluffy puppy and grinned. “Maybe. If we can keep him out of the house. He likes to sleep on the suede sofa. And he’s a pretty heavy sleeper, too.”
Dana threw her hands on her hips and grimaced. “For crying out loud. Haven’t you ever considered the possibility of a kidnapping before? You’re a wealthy and intelligent man, Marcus. That sort of thing can easily happen if you don’t pay attention.”
An unwelcome memory snuck up and jabbed him. “Yeah, I know that. One of my cousins disappeared a few years back. Victoria was a pain in the neck when we were kids, but she had turned into quite a beautiful teenager. The family figured when she was missing for a while that it was a kidnapping, but no ransom demand was ever made.”
“Disappeared? Was she ever found?”
He slowly shook his head. “Maybe she just ran away from home. But I doubt it. She didn’t seem unhappy.” Marc stood and stretched. “I guess I have been a little careless. But somehow you just don’t think things like that can ever happen to you.”
“Well then, I’d like to suggest that we spend no more time here at your farm than we have to. I’ll go out in a while and move my car out of sight. I’ll put it into the barn next to your SUV for the night. And we’ll keep the drapes drawn and lights dim. Tomorrow we can make other arrangements. All right?”
“Yes, I guess so. I do have the animals to worry about, however. But maybe I can ask my neighbor to keep an eye on them again.”
“Good idea. And I think you should let your answering machine pick up all your calls from now on.” Dana stood and shook the kinks out of her arms and legs.
She looked like a raw bundle of energy packaged into a long and beautiful body. The very air around her shivered with the powerful and electric vibes she threw off. Man, would he like to capture a little of that energy. She seemed so vital and sensual.
Marc couldn’t remember lusting after a woman the way he’d been lusting after Dana…not since…way back as a horny teenager. He’d been aroused since the first moment he’d seen her standing in the parking lot.
“By the way,” she interrupted his thoughts. “When I was checking your security, I noticed that you had a few phone messages on your answering machine. Maybe you should listen to them so you can clear the machine for more.”
“I imagine that’s my family wondering how I’m holding up after my unfortunate incarceration.”
“You have a big family, don’t you?”
“Enormous. There were five kids in my immediate family. And my aunt and uncle have four kids…plus a great guy they took in, who seems like just another brother now.”
He headed toward the den, but kept talking over his shoulder. “A couple of months ago we found out about an adult sister that none of us had known anything about. And just lately we’ve had a rash of weddings and engagements, adding spouses and potential spouses, with kids and babies coming along faster than you can think.”
“Whew! How do keep them all straight?” She tagged behind him down the hall.
“It’s easy when you’re born into it. I’m not sure how all the newcomers are going to get along with everyone else, though.” Marc flipped on the light in the den and went to his desk. “Do you have any siblings? Or were you lucky enough to be an only child?”
Dana wasn’t sure how to answer that. Just how much of herself did she dare lay open to him? Strangely enough, she really wanted to tell him the truth about herself.
This wasn’t a deep undercover operation. She’d been on several of those in the past. But her boss was convinced that Marcus was truly just a pawn of the drug cartel’s and not a major player in their operation.
Her job here was to find a way into Marcus’s confidence so that he would turn over any evidence he might have and then testify against the cartel in court. The more she was around him and the better she began to know him, though, the less she wanted to be undercover at all.
There were some things about the man that intrigued her. Things like a deeply injured look in his eyes that appeared whenever he thought no one was watching.
So…was he on the take from the mob? After all, the state’s attorney thought there was enough evidence against him to charge him with racketeering. But something about him—maybe it was the gentle way he had with his animals, or the rough and hungry looks he’d been throwing in her direction—just didn’t seem like most of the criminals she’d known in the past.
She’d been so sure at first that he was a spoiled rich man’s son who’d signed on with the bad guys to get what he wanted. Her training led her to make quick judgments about people and get to their real motives later.
Sometimes a special agent had to make life and death decisions based only on a cursory observation. And she had been observing Marcus—a lot. Now she just didn’t know what to think.
As the silence began to grow awkward, she opted to tell him the truth. “I was an only child. My parents are both dead now. I’m all the family I’ve got.” She took a moment and made a snap decision to trust him with another small piece of herself. “I like the solitary life. I’ve never been impressed with the way most families interact.”
Marcus scowled at her. “Not even your own?”
“Especially my own.”
He stepped closer, lifted a hand and grazed the line of her jaw with a knuckle. “That’s a sad commentary, Dana. It can be a wonderful thing to know there are people who care about you no matter what.”
A soft and concerned look moved into his eyes. Up this close, she could smell his tangy, fresh-sage scent and feel the heat emanating from his bare chest.
He kept on gently stroking her face and gazing into her eyes. Soothing and stirring. She felt her pulse begin to jackhammer and her senses went on hyperalert.
When he leaned closer and his eyes zeroed in on her mouth, the heat between them exploded. With a shake of her head, she caught herself before she fell into his arms. She had to remember that he was just part of the job.
Dana took a step back and averted her eyes toward his desk. She’d never before given herself over to a man. And she would definitely not be starting with someone who was a suspect in a case she was working.
“You’d better check your messages,” she said in a raspy voice. “Is it too warm in here for you?”
The dreamy look disappeared from his eyes, but he smiled and cocked his head toward her. “You’re hot? Why don’t you take off some of those clothes.”
Okay. She might be a virgin, but she wasn’t totally naive. That was a come-on she’d heard often enough before.
She rolled her shoulders and narrowed her eyes at him. “Just check your messages. I’ll be fine.”
He shrugged a shoulder, but the smile stayed put as he turned to punch the Play button on the machine.
The first couple of messages were from various family members
