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  He pulled her close and she could feel the heat of his body, the thick hard length of his erection pressed against her. She wasn’t the only one who wanted this desperately. That erection was a revelation. He wanted her and badly . . . maybe as badly as she wanted him.

  When his hands made it to the hem of her shirt, she allowed him to drag it over her head, tossing it away. Cool air hit her skin and she hadn’t realized how warm the room had gotten. She let her fingers go to the buttons of his khaki shirt, shaking as she started to undress him. She couldn’t quite get them undone.

  He reached for her hands, putting them between both of his, and he brought them to his lips. “Let me.”

  He dropped her hands and reached back, tugging his shirt and the T-shirt under it over his head and tossing them to the side. His chest was everything she’d dreamed of, masculine and warm, muscled, and yet the skin itself was soft. She knew because the minute he’d revealed his chest, she’d put her hands on it, unable to hold back. She wanted to explore him, to memorize every inch of his body.

  His hands moved to her back and he proved he did not have the same problem she was having. With a single twist her bra came undone and she let it slip to the floor. Her nipples tightened as he stared down at her, his eyes on her breasts.

  “You are so beautiful.”

  She never felt that way. She was the woman who wanted to turn the lights off, but the look in his eyes told her he wasn’t lying. He thought she was lovely, and in that moment, she felt that way, too.

  He gently turned her, drawing her back against his chest. His hands eased up to cup her breasts. She could feel how hard he was, but the man seemed determined to take his time.

  “We should go to bed,” she suggested.

  “Not yet. Not until you understand how much I want you, how much I want to give you. I want to play with you, explore you. Maybe when I’ve kissed every inch of this body I’ll take you to bed.”

  He was going to kill her. “I’m ready right now, Armie.”

  “But I’m not.” He nipped her earlobe, sending a shock of lust straight through her.

  She wiggled against him, against that part of him that seemed perfectly ready. “I think you are.”

  He was priming her in a way she’d never felt before. Her whole body had gone warm and soft and ready for him.

  And he was being frustrating. His big hands held her still as he ran his tongue along her ear. A damn ear shouldn’t be an erogenous zone, but she shivered at every caress. His hands molded her breasts as he kissed her neck and shoulders again.

  “Let go, Lila. Let me take care of you.”

  Why was it hard to let him take control? He obviously knew more about this than she did, but it was right on the tip of her tongue to argue with him.

  What would it feel like to give over to another person? To trust someone so much she could let her mind flow, knowing he would ground her, not let her get too far from herself? “I want to.”

  His hand started to trail down to the waistband of her scrubs. “Then do it. Stop thinking. Let go. Tomorrow you can go back to work and you’ll kick the day’s ass, but tonight, you’re all mine.”

  All his. His to protect and take care of. His to pleasure and lavish with affection.

  She relaxed, her decision made.

  His hand slid inside the waistband of her scrubs, inching closer and closer, but she wasn’t going to hurry him along. He wanted to indulge in her, and she wasn’t about to stop him. She would be patient with him and it would pay off in the end.

  “Trust me.” Every word out of his mouth was a silky seduction.

  She did. At least in this she did. She could trust him with her body. Her heart? She wasn’t sure about that, but she abandoned the thought for the evening. This was what she’d needed all day.

  “How long has it been for you?” He whispered the question as the song changed. The sultry sounds of jazz formed a soundtrack of pure seduction.

  “A long time. Over a year.”

  He chuckled and she was surprised how intimate the moment was. Not because his fingers were teasing under her panties, but that she could feel him laugh, the sound rumbling over her sensitized skin. “I’ve got you beat. It’s been two years for me. Two years and a few days, so I’m going to make you come for me a couple of times before I get my turn. I’m not sure how long I’ll last. I want you so much and I’m out of practice.”

  She didn’t understand. Yes, his daughter had needed him, but he could have found a lover. He was beautiful and it wouldn’t have been hard to find a partner, even one who would accept nothing more than quick sex from him. “Why? The women of this town obviously adore you.”

  “I didn’t want them. I’m too old for meaningless sex. I need more. I don’t want a woman who follows me. I want a woman who kicks my ass when I need it, one who can be a partner in every sense of the word. I want her to stand by me, but I want to stand by her, too.”

  “I can’t tonight.” She couldn’t think about the future. She definitely didn’t want to think about the past.

  “No pressure. Well, maybe a little pressure.” His finger found her clitoris and pressed down, sending sparks through her. “I know what you’re thinking. You think we can go back to where we were in the morning. Go back to our corners, but I’m done fighting. You win. I won’t even stop you the next time you speed like a race car driver.”

  “I wouldn’t have been speeding if it hadn’t been for that alligator. It’s not . . .” She’d been ready to point out that it wasn’t normal for an alligator to sit in the middle of the road, but his finger made a circle around her clit and she suddenly couldn’t breathe.

  “I’ll let you fly around this town, and everyone will know how sweet I am on you. They’ll be afraid of you because the sheriff won’t do a damn thing to stop his lady from doing anything she likes. Tu tiens mon coeur entre tes mains.”

  She could barely stay on her feet. And those words sounded entirely sexy, and she didn’t understand them at all. She could speak a little Spanish, but she was pretty sure she knew what language he was whispering in. “You speak French?”

  The words came out on a gasp because her whole body was melting under his clever hands. She could feel the orgasm building and they weren’t even naked yet.

  “My mom-mom didn’t speak a lick of English. She was pure Cajun. She used to live out on the islands. Disappointed her family when she moved to the big city, and yes, they meant Papillon. If I wanted to talk to that old woman, I had to learn her language.” He’d found a perfect rhythm. “J’ai besoin d’apprendre ton langue.”

  She leaned back against him, letting him control her body and her balance. “Armand . . . Armie . . .”

  “That’s right,” he cajoled. “Let it go. Let me take you away.”

  He pressed down and she went flying over the edge. The world fell away and there was only him, the feel of him, his masculine scent. He filled her senses, surrounded her entirely.

  For the first time she could remember, she utterly surrendered.

  chapter nine

  Armie held her up, still rubbing that sweet button of hers. His dick was dying, but he wasn’t going to give in. He wanted her to understand that there was no going back in the morning. He’d meant what he said.

  She held his heart in her hand. Maybe it was far too soon to think that way, but he didn’t care. Today had proven to him that she was it. Full stop. No moving on from this one. She was the one he’d waited for all his life, the woman who could handle him. Lila wouldn’t wither when times got tough. She wouldn’t beg him to find a safer job. He might have to beg her to play it safe from time to time.

  And he meant the other thing he’d said to her in French. He would learn her language. It was different for a woman like her. He couldn’t win her over with presents or taking her out. She would need something more to teach her how serio
us he was. She would need patience. She would need to be able to poke and prod at him without losing him. She’d been hurt and she would need time to trust him.

  Tonight, he intended to make a start. If she could trust him physically, at least they were on their way.

  He adored how she’d gone soft against him, her whole body dependent on his strength. He picked her up, her slight weight no problem for him at all. He could carry her around all day, not letting her feet hit the ground until her unique skills were needed.

  Her eyes fluttered open and she looked softer than she normally did. This was a look only he’d seen. He knew it instinctively. This was a side of Lila she wouldn’t share with anyone but a lover.

  “Are you taking me to bed now?” And her voice was soft, too.

  He loved how no-nonsense she could be, but damn that dreamy voice hit him square in the gut because he’d been the one to get her here. He’d been the one to chase that haunted look from her eyes and replace it with the satisfaction he saw there now.

  “Oh, yes, chère.” Even he could hear how deep his natural accent had gotten. “But don’t think you’re going to get everything you want. Not yet. Not until I’ve had my fill.”

  “You’re an obnoxious man.” But the words were said with a sigh that let him know she didn’t mind his obnoxiousness.

  She might tomorrow when she realized he wasn’t going to be put back in the neat and tidy box she’d placed him in. But that was a problem for another day. The good news was he would sleep in her bed tonight. He would wake up next to her and if all went right, she would find herself in his bed tomorrow night.

  He would greatly prefer his house since he could easily carry her through his hallways.

  “Sorry,” she said as he tried to get around a stack of plastic containers. “I think those are his collectible action figures. They’re toys still in their boxes.”

  “You need to have the world’s largest garage sale,” he muttered. They were definitely going back to his place tomorrow night.

  The good news was the bedroom was neat and tidy. She’d replaced the LSU blankets and pillows with pretty, feminine bedding. Like the woman herself, the décor in the bedroom was lovely and restrained.

  He laid her out on the bed and eased off her sneakers and socks. He was going to take his time, lavish every inch of her with his appreciation. He brought her foot to his lips and gently kissed the arch. He should be in a frenzy to have her, but he couldn’t give in to that side of his nature. Tonight she needed to be worshipped for the goddess she was, to understand that she was worthy and should expect his every tender care.

  “You’re going to drive me crazy.” She looked up at him but made no move to push him along.

  “I’m planning on making you so crazy you sleep like a baby tonight.” And crazy enough to stay with him, but he couldn’t say that yet.

  “I don’t feel tired anymore.”

  He gave her other foot the same treatment, taking it between his hands and rubbing strongly before kissing every toe. He kneaded the arch of her foot and was rewarded with a long groan.

  Billie Holiday floated through the ramshackle house, lending an air of dreamy seduction. Time seemed to slow down, cocooning the two of them. He didn’t think about anything but this woman. She was his to please, and that was all that mattered.

  He pulled at her scrub pants, dragging them down her body and tossing them away. She was left in nothing but a pair of white cotton underwear that was already damp from the orgasm he’d given her. They could go, too. He pulled the underwear from her and she was naked and laid out for his delectation.

  The sweet scent of her arousal filled the air. He breathed her in, dropping to his knees in front of her. He took her ankles in his hands and rubbed upward, easing the tension from her calves. He let his hands and his mouth work her flesh, strong caresses and gentle kisses. He took his time, moving slowly and making certain he didn’t miss an inch of her sweet skin. He was an explorer and he would map her, noting every curve and freckle, memorizing how she shuddered when he licked the backs of her knees, how she squirmed and sighed when he gave her a nip. She was incredibly responsive, and she was true to what she’d promised him. Her hands had fisted in the comforter as though she needed to hold on to something, but she hadn’t moved, hadn’t tried to take control.

  The trust she was placing in him made him determined to pay her back.

  He dragged her down the bed, putting her in the perfect position for what he’d wanted to do all night. All night? Damn, he’d wanted to get his mouth on this woman from the second he’d seen her. Even as she’d been running away from him, he’d thought about how much he wanted to get to know the woman with big intelligent eyes.

  “Ne t’éloigne pas de notre amour.” He knew she didn’t want to hear that in English. He would simply tell her how he felt in French. No more running. He had her in his world now and he would make it so nice she wouldn’t ever want to leave. Of course, that would take some work, but he was willing to do all the heavy lifting.

  And this . . . oh, this was no work at all. He stared at her gorgeously splayed out for him. She was a buttoned-up, somewhat tense professional, but right now she was a sultry, wanton woman waiting for her man to give her what she needed.

  Luckily for him, what she needed was exactly what he’d been dreaming of for months.

  “Armie, please.” The words were breathless.

  He lowered his mouth down, kissing his way up her thigh to the juncture of her legs. He put his mouth on her, unable to hold back a single second more. It was everything he’d dreamed of, the connection flowing between them, and it didn’t take long before her whole body went taut and she called out his name. She went still beneath him and his heart pounded in his chest.

  It was his time and he didn’t have to wait a second longer. He got to his feet, fishing the condom out of his pocket and shoving his pants and boxers down. He was so hard he could barely breathe, but that wasn’t going to stop him.

  He managed to get the condom on, managed to shift her up so he could cover her body with his. He wanted to be close to her, wanted to feel her moving against him. Her arms locked around his back, her legs clinging to his hips. She opened herself for him, holding nothing back. When he looked into her eyes, the dreamy quality was gone and replaced with pure need.

  “I want you.” She arched her back as though offering even more of herself—all of herself.

  He would take it. “Then let me give you what you need.”

  He thrust inside her, groaning at the exquisite feel. Heat and silk surrounded him, drawing him in. She was tight and it was a delicious fight to work his way inside. Her nails dug lightly into the flesh of his back and he welcomed it, welcomed every twist and turn of her body as she moved with him.

  Their bodies found a rhythm, moving to the music and the beat of their desire. Over and over, he meshed his body with hers until he couldn’t remember where he ended and she began. He didn’t want to remember. He wanted to stay in this place where he was more than himself, where he wasn’t lonely anymore. Damn, but he hadn’t realized how alone he’d been until he’d met her.

  He had to find a way to stay with her, to make himself meaningful to her life, because he was fairly certain he’d never felt this way about a woman before and never would again.

  She called out his name and her body clamped down around his, throwing him over the edge. He lost control, thrusting in hard again and again, giving her everything he had.

  He dropped down, not holding his weight off her, but she didn’t complain, merely held him closer.

  “Stay with me,” she whispered. “Spend the night with me.”

  Hearing her ask was everything he’d wanted. “Yes.”

  He held her, the world warmer than it had been before.

  * * *

  • • •

  Blood coated
her hands, her knees, her legs. Anywhere her body met the cold of the ER floor. She’d been around blood. Blood didn’t bother her. Patients bled. It was part of the process, part of how medical professionals saved a person.

  But not this time. This time the blood was merely wasted, like the life of the woman on the ground in front of her.

  “It’s okay.” Maryanne slurred the words, blood dribbling from the corners of her mouth. She sounded like she was drunk, but it wasn’t from alcohol. It wasn’t sweet wine or hard vodka that made her friend’s eyes seem opaque. It was death. “Doesn’t hurt.”

  “Doesn’t hurt?” A massive figure looked over Maryanne’s body, the same devil who’d shot at Lila when she’d tried to handle the bullet wounds on her friend’s body. “I hurt every day and you were the reason. Why couldn’t you love me?”

  Her friend was nothing but a prize to be won. Maryanne had been this man’s property and when she’d tried to break away from his abuse, he’d killed her. He hadn’t cared how strong and brave she’d been, didn’t care about Maryanne’s intelligence or how much she cared about every patient that came into the hospital. She was nothing but property to this man, and he wouldn’t allow anyone to take what he claimed as his.

  He fired again, the sound jarring through her as Maryanne’s body jerked one last time.

  The light in her eyes died.

  Lila looked up and into the barrel of the gun and knew her life was over.

  And that it had all been meaningless.

  * * *

  • • •

  She gasped as she came out of the dream, her whole body shaking. It took a moment to remember where she was. Not in Dallas. She wasn’t in Dallas, and it had been a long time since she’d faced down Maryanne’s husband, since she’d looked up and known he would pull that trigger and that no one would miss her. That wasn’t true. Her brother and sisters would mourn her. Her mom might think about her from time to time, but they would all move on and she would be nothing more than a memory. She hadn’t been essential to anyone.