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you that I don't want commitment. I won't seduce you. And you must know by now that I won't force
you, either."
She bit her lower lip. "Yes, but it wouldn't look right."
"No one will know except the office staff," he promised her. "And they know why. It isn't as if I'm
asking you to have an illicit affair with me."
"I know that." She stared at her pink fingernails. The thumbnail was chipped. She picked at it
nervously.
He tilted her chin up and smiled faintly. "I won't walk around in the nude or watch football games for
the duration."
She smiled in spite of her fears. "Do you normally watch football games?"
He shook his head. "But I do normally walk around nude. I'll have to buy a pair of pajamas while
you're in residence. And a robe."
"I like pajamas, too," she said.
"I'll pick you up tonight at seven and take you home with me," he said. "Until then, Adams can keep an
eye on you."
He got up from the desk. Tess felt more uncertain than she ever had before. Living with him was
going to be one big test of her immunity to his attraction.
With a frown she watched him go back into his office. Why was he doing it? To prove to himself that
he really didn't want her? She wished she knew. But she was much too afraid of the consequences of
staying by herself to argue with him. Over the years she'd learned how cheap life was to people who
used and sold narcotics. Dane was a trained policeman, an ex-Texas Ranger who knew more about
means and methods of protecting people than she had time to learn. She was glad he had that
knowledge. Now, her very life might depend on it.
The day turned out to be a quiet one, thank goodness. She left at five with Adams on her heels, and
when she got home, packed enough for a few days. She didn't like leaving her apartment, but she
really had no choice.
Dane buzzed the apartment at seven sharp, and she opened the door.
“Ready?" he asked.
"I've just got to get my coat," she said, looking around. She had a single suitcase.
"Is that all you're bringing?" he asked with a frown.
"Well, it's enough for a few days," she began.
"Tess, this could take weeks," he said shortly. "I don't want to alarm you, but you may be with me for
some time."
"I—I can come back and get what I need, can't I?"
"I suppose. Did you pack a gown and a robe?"
"Yes." She flushed. "Well, pajamas and a robe."
He smiled gently. "You'll have your own room. It's a big apartment."
"I remember," she said absently, and then regretted dragging the memory up when he glowered.
"Let's go," he said tersely.
She locked up. He carried her case down to the garage, his eyes watchful and alert to any sign of
danger. She noticed with quiet resignation the faint bulge under his jacket. He carried a .45 automatic
pistol on the job. He had a permit for it, and it was registered. A tool of the trade, he called it. But to
Tess, it was a painful reminder of the ever-present danger of his profession and the realization that he
could be killed pursuing it.
He helped her into the car before he put the case in the trunk, and he examined the engine and every
inch of the frame before he started the vehicle.
"Is that necessary?" she asked.
He nodded as he backed out of the parking space. "Part of the routine, honey. Don't worry about it.
You're in good hands."
"I know that." She leaned back against the seat. "Why did I have to leave the office late?" she groaned.
"If I'd gone home when I should have that night, I wouldn't have seen anything."
"I was busy calling you on the carpet," he reminded her with a glance. "I get to share the blame."
"I deserved it, blowing the stakeout that way."
"In fact, you saved it," he murmured reluctantly. "The storekeeper had grown suspicious of our
people outside. When you waved to Helen and asked about Harold's nephew, he grew careless. They
collared his son five minutes after you left."
Her jaw dropped. "You didn't say!"
He glanced at her sternly. "You could have done a lot of damage by being careless. So could Helen.
You both deserved a scare, and you got it."
"Slave driver."
He chuckled, a rare sound that was pleasant in the dark interior of the car. "Next time you'll be more
careful, won't you?"
"My job isn't dangerous." She glared at him. "You won't let me do what I really want to," she accused.
“Which is what?'' he asked as they stopped at a red traffic light. He laid his arm over the back of the
seat and looked into her eyes. "Sleep with me?"
"Of all the conceit," she gasped.
He smiled at her. "You want me."
She averted her eyes. "The light's green."
"Change the subject," he invited as he pulled ahead. "But you'd better stay out of my bed at night," he
said matter-of-factly. "It won't do any good to plead with me," he added when she opened her mouth.
"My bedroom door will be locked, in case you feel like trying it for yourself."
She stared at him, dumbfounded. He didn't sound like the all-business detective she knew.
He arched an eyebrow. "Sorry to disappoint you," he said. "I'm just not modern enough for casual
affairs."
"Dane, do you feel all right?"
"Yes, and don't come an inch closer to see for yourself how I feel," he cautioned sternly. "You can
keep your hands off my leg. I'm not that kind of man."
She burst out laughing as his words finally got through to her. She hadn't realized he even had a sense
of humor. Presumably, he'd kept it hidden over the years.
"I feel absolutely dangerous," she mused.
"Most women are," he agreed. "I'd put sex-starved virgins at the top of the list, too."
"I'm not that!" she protested.
"How do you know?" He pulled into the parking lot of his own apartment complex. Since most of his
business was in Houston, it took too long to commute back and forth from the ranch, so he
maintained an apartment in town. He glanced at her as he parked the car. "These urges tend to creep up
on women like you. One minute you're blushing and nervous. The next, you're panting and ripping a
helpless man's clothes off."
Her eyes twinkled with laughter. "I promise to control my... urges," she assured him.
"God, I hope so. And no peeking when I'm in the shower," he added darkly.
The repartee took all the fear out of the new experience. She followed him up to his second-floor
apartment without a qualm.
The room he gave her was decorated in blues, from wallpaper to carpet to curtains. She felt right at [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]