had never known such a kiss. She’d thought she’d experienced lust while she was engaged, but it had been nothing like this. She made a small sound of surprise, wanting the contact to go on forever—and suddenly Judd pulled away.
Emily grabbed the back of the chair to keep herself grounded. Judd stared at her, looking appalled and fascinated and…hungry. Oh, Lord, Emily, now you’ve really done it.
She should have felt guilty for behaving so improperly, but all her mind kept repeating was, Let’s do it again. She shook her head at herself, dismissing that errant notion and trying to remember her purpose. Judd must have misunderstood, because he turned away.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Emily blinked several times. “I beg your pardon?”
Judd whirled to face her, once again furious. “I said, I’m sorry, dammit. I shouldn’t have done that. It won’t happen again.”
Oh, darn. “No, of course not. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have been telling you all my problems and—”
“Shut up, Emily.”
She did, and stared at him, waiting to see what he would do, what he wanted her to do.
“Damn.” He snatched her close again, pressed another hard, entirely too quick kiss to her lips, then set her away. “I take it back. It probably will happen again. Hopefully, not for a while, but…I’m not making any promises. If you don’t want me ever to touch you, just say so, all right?”
Emily remained perfectly still, unwilling to take a chance that he might misunderstand her response if she moved. She prided herself on the fact she wasn’t a hypocrite. No, she wanted Judd, and she was thrilled beyond reason that he apparently wanted her, too. And since he held rather obvious scorn for her background—that of money and privilege—he wouldn’t expect her to play the part of the proper lady. No, Judd had already made it clear where his preferences lay. Any man who could strip for a living was obviously on the earthy side, primal and lusty and…her heart skipped two beats while she waited to see what he’d do next.
He laughed. It wasn’t a humorous laugh, but one of wonder and disbelief. “You’re something else, Emily, you know that? Here, sit down.” He loosened her death grip on the chair back and nudged her toward the seat. “Don’t go away. I’m going to shower and finish getting dressed, then we’ll make some plans, okay?”
She sat. She nodded. She felt ready to explode with anticipation.
Judd ruffled her hair, still shaking his head, and left the room.
HE MADE CERTAIN it was a cold shower, but the temperature of the water didn’t help to cool the heat of his body. Never could he remember being hit so hard. Holding her felt right, talking to her felt right. Hell, kissing her had been as right as it could get—bordering on blissful death.
He could only imagine how it would feel to…no. He’d better not imagine or he’d find himself right back in the shower.
How could one woman be so damn sweet? He’d have thought all that money and her parents’ attitudes would have soured her, but it hadn’t. Emily loved. She loved her brother, she loved the children in her neighborhood. She even loved the homeless who visited the kitchen where she volunteered. He’d heard it in her tone, seen it in her eyes.
God, she was killing him.
He had to stay objective, and that meant getting back to business. He finished dragging a comb through his damp hair and left the bathroom.
Emily hadn’t moved a single inch. And if he hadn’t already had a little taste of her, he’d believe her prissy pose, with her knees pressed tightly together, and her slim hands folded in her lap. Ha! What a facade. He dragged his eyes away from her wary gaze and began stuffing her thermos and empty dishes back into the basket. “You ready to go?”
“Ah…go where?”
He flicked an impatient glance her way. “To find your gun dealer. I thought we’d hit some of the local establishments. The pool hall, first. Then maybe the diner. And tonight, the bar.”
“Are you…dancing tonight?”
“No. I’ve got all weekend free. I only dance on Tuesdays and Thursdays, remember?” He noticed her sigh of relief and frowned at her. “But you will be there when I dance, Em. To pull this off, you’re going to have to be my biggest fan. Everyone will have to believe I’m yours. You can be as territorial as you like. Besides, I can use you as a smoke screen. If the ladies all believe I’m already spoken for, they might not be so persistent.”
Emily pursed her lips, her shoulders going a little straighter. “Are you certain that’s what you want? I don’t wish to interfere in your social life.”
“You know, Em, you don’t sound the least bit sincere.”
She looked totally flustered now, and it was all he could do not to laugh. “Come on, let’s get going.”
Holding her arm, a manner that felt as right as everything else he did with her, Judd hustled her down to the street and into his truck. He waited until she’d settled herself, then asked, “Did your brother mention what the guy who sold him the gun looked like?”
Emily shook her head. “He wasn’t in much condition to talk when I saw him last. I did get him to tell me where he’d bought it, though. But all he said about the man was that he’d grinned when he sold him the gun.”
Judd noticed she’d tucked her hands into fists again, and he reached over to entwine her fingers with his. “When was your brother hurt?”
“Not quite a month ago. I saw him right afterward and then my parents took him away as soon as the hospital allowed it. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
“So you have no idea how he’s doing?”
Emily turned away to stare out the side window. Her voice dropped to a low pitch, indicating her worry. “I’ve talked to him on the phone. He…he’s very depressed. Though my parents evidently refuse to believe it, the plastic surgeons have already done all they can. The worst of the scars have been minimized. But the burns from the backfire did some extensive damage to the underlying tissue around his upper cheek and temple. He claims his face still looks horrid, but I don’t believe it’s as bad as he thinks. He’s…he’s always been popular in school, especially with the girls. I guess he thinks his life is over. I tried to make him look on the positive side, that his eyesight wasn’t permanently damaged, but I don’t suppose he can see a bright side right now.”
Her voice broke, but Judd pretended he hadn’t heard. He instinctively knew she wouldn’t appreciate her loss of control. For such a small woman, she had an overabundance of pride and gumption, and he had no intention of denting it.
He squeezed her fingers again and kept his eyes focused on the road. “When will he be home again?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken with my parents.” She sent him a tilted smile. “They’re blaming me for this. They say I’m a bad influence on him.”
“You?” Judd couldn’t hide his surprise.
“I work with the underprivileged. I don’t
