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  “And you’re off in your own world already figuring out how to use those berries. I told you, you’ll be fine. You were born to do this job.” Sean headed for the door. “And thanks for filling in on the paperwork. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. There are pillows and blankets in the closet in my office. There’s also a bottle of excellent Scotch you can dip into. And don’t mind the other things you might see in there. They’re only for play.”

  Dear god, that could mean anything coming from Sean or his friends. Macon had accidently walked in on Jake and Serena testing some sort of suspension thing Serena assured him was all for research. He’d seen way more of his sister-in-law than he’d ever expected to see and way, way more of his…well, of Jake.

  He knocked now. He knocked a lot.

  A raindrop fell, hitting him squarely in the forehead. It looked like one of those nights, but at least he wouldn’t toss and turn. Doing the books would give him something to do. He stepped back into the kitchen and walked toward the front of house.

  He would get right on that paperwork after he dealt with the problem of Ally Jones.

  He strode through the door that separated the kitchen from the dining area as Sean was waving good-bye to Ally. Chef Taggart ducked out into the rain.

  And they were alone.

  “Sean said you’re working on the books so he could head home before the storm.” She glanced at the doors Sean had gone through.

  He needed to lock those suckers. He made quick work of it and pulled the blinds closed.

  When he turned back around, she was clutching the broom she held like it was a lifeline. Maybe this wouldn’t be so easy. “Do you want to hold the keys?” He placed them on the hostess desk and backed away. “That way you know you can leave when you want to.”

  She sighed. “God, am I that much of a scared mouse?”

  He wouldn’t put it that harshly. “It’s obvious you don’t trust men.”

  “It’s not like that. I’m jittery from earlier. I’m sorry. It’s nothing personal.”

  “I won’t take it personally, Ally. We’ve all got scars. Some of us wear them on the outside and some of us got ’em buried deep. You don’t feel comfortable being alone with me, but I promise you have nothing to worry about. How can I make you feel better? You got a phone on you? You can keep it close. There’s an emergency button on most phones. You can call it without having to unlock the phone.”

  Her eyes rolled. “Fine. You’re not the big bad wolf.” She walked up to him, putting her feet in front of his. She had to turn her neck up to see him. “I’m not scared of you. You’re a big old teddy bear, but you’re not like a lot of the men I grew up around. They were a bit more like Timothy.”

  He had the most insane urge to reach out and tangle his hands in that soft brown hair of hers. It was in a bun on the back of her head, but he’d seen it long, flowing down her back. When the sunlight hit her hair he could see strands of brown and red and yellow. Complex. Like the woman herself. Like a lemon tart. Sweet and sour and perfect. “Is that why you thought Sean was going to believe Timothy?”

  She took a step back and started sweeping the lobby. “It wouldn’t be the first time someone believed a male employee over a female one.”

  So it had happened to her before. “I wouldn’t have believed it. Even if he’d had his tongue halfway down your throat I would have thought he was assaulting you.”

  She stopped and looked at him thoughtfully. “Because you think I’m too sweet to have an affair with a coworker?”

  “You’re too sweet to want that asshat.” Damn, he probably shouldn’t have said that. He could feel himself blushing. “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate.”

  She sighed. “It wasn’t. I said it first. And I’m sorry if I made you think I’m some fainting female. I’m not. I can take care of myself. Usually. I’m afraid that asshat brought back a whole ton of bad memories. When I was fifteen I worked at a movie theater and the manager there was a big fan of inappropriate touching. When I complained, I found myself out of a job. He was the owner’s son. It’s not the only crappy thing in my background. Most women have a file marked ‘skeevy dudes’ in their personal histories. I’m sorry. I had a bad reaction.”

  “You should have a bad reaction. You weren’t yelling.”

  She frowned. “It’s embarrassing.”

  “Why? If some dude was trying to mack down on me and I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t be embarrassed. I’d be pissed.” He needed to figure out what was going on in her head. “No one thought less of you, Ally. Did you think they would?”

  “Maybe.”

  He crossed the distance between them. She was turned away. He didn’t try to hide his steps. He wanted her to know he was behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders. “What happened today was on him. Not you. Him. The next time some idiot so much as touches you, you scream and shout for help and one of us will come running.”

  “Like you’re touching me now?”

  He pulled his hands back. “Sorry.”

  She turned and he was happy to see a smile on her face. “Now I know how to get to you, Miles. You’re a sucker for a down-on-her-luck girl.”

  Was she flirting with him? “I’m a down-on-my-luck guy. I guess like attracts like.”

  She studied him for a moment and he wished he’d shaved. He was a little scruffy. He really wasn’t kidding about being down on his luck. “Why did you show up today? You weren’t taking out the trash and you don’t smoke.”

  He thought about lying and then decided not to go that way. “I was looking for you.”

  “Why?”

  “I wanted to talk to you. I heard a rumor.”

  Her jaw went tight. “Really?”

  He didn’t like the militant light in her eyes, but he plowed ahead anyway. “Yeah, are you living in your car?”

  She waved that off with a laugh. “Oh, that. Yes. I can’t afford a place close to work yet. I’ll find something in a couple of weeks.”

  He didn’t understand her. She was acting like homelessness was a nothing problem she would deal with later. “It’s dangerous.”

  “No more so than anywhere else. I wasn’t exactly safe here at work earlier. At least I can lock the doors. And the horn makes a really good deterrent. Not to mention my LifeHammer. Sounds silly. It’s really supposed to be for breaking a window if your car goes underwater. Not surprisingly, it also works on car thieves and pushy drug dealers.”

  She was going to give him a heart attack. “You took a hammer to a guy trying to jack your car?”

  One shoulder shrugged and she went back to sweeping. “Yeah. After I brought that sucker down on his hand, he decided to try again elsewhere. And the drug dealer was actually kind of nice. I mean in the beginning. He was just getting started and his sales pitch needed work. Then he tried to rob me and he met my life hammer, too.”

  He opened his mouth but nothing came out. What was he supposed to say to that?

  She kept on. “I would have called the cops, but I don’t exactly have a cell. It’s sweet of you to tell me how to protect myself. Oddly, most guys who intend to harm me don’t give me lectures on protecting myself.”

  The rain was starting to come down hard, beating against the rooftop. He finally managed to find some proper words. “You can’t stay in your car.”

  “Sure I can.”

  His first instinct was to tell her what she was going to do, but he had to wonder if she would come after him with that hammer. The woman in front of him was a far cry from the one who hadn’t screamed out when Timothy cornered her. He was smart enough to understand. She was comfortable with him. She could joke because she didn’t believe he would hurt her. If he applied some pressure, intimidated her, he would likely get her to do what he wanted. And that would make him one more asshole who used her. “It makes me nervous. Especially on a night like this. Maybe you could stay in Sean’s office tonight?”

  He would sleep on the floor. He hadn’t been joking. He’d s
lept in much worse places. Hell, no one was shooting at him. He called it a win.

  “You think you should drive home in this mess?” She peeked out through the blinds.

  “I don’t have a car. I take the train. Station’s right down the street.” He would rather stay with her, but now that he thought about it, she might be uncomfortable with that. If he was leaving, he would have to be fast though. DART didn’t run all night. He could call Adam, but he felt like an idiot calling his big brother to pick him up from work. He was thirty years old. He’d been driving since he was sixteen.

  He couldn’t work the gas pedal anymore and getting a vehicle fitted for him would cost more money than he had.

  She perked up. “I have a car. I can totally give you a ride. And the good news is if we find ourselves in high water, I can also smash through the windshield.”

  “You are entirely too invested in that hammer.”

  She chuckled. “Maybe. I’m really okay, Miles. Despite the idiocy of this afternoon, I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. It’s not the first time I’ve been on my own. Hell, I have a car. It’s practically the Ritz compared to some of the places I’ve slept.”

  “You’ve been homeless before?” He’d had a rough childhood. Not financially. He’d had all the money he needed, but he’d been raised in military academies, and they weren’t the best at giving a child affection. Talking to Kai for all these weeks had taught him that affection was something he needed. But he couldn’t imagine being a homeless kid.

  “Sure. I was once given a blue ribbon by this cop in my hometown. He said I was the best runaway he’d ever seen. I might have said I couldn’t be too good since he kept catching me, but he told me he liked to reward persistence.”

  “What were you running away from?” He asked the question, but had an idea. She could go up against drug dealers and car thieves, but she turned into a mouse around an authority figure trying to take advantage of her.

  “My dad was kind of a jerk.” She finished sweeping up and turned to him. “Did I say thank you for saving me today? I don’t usually play the damsel in distress but you were a damn fine knight.”

  “There’s no shining armor here, sweetheart.” He’d given that up long ago. Actually, when he really thought about it, he’d never been the type.

  “Let’s see. You served your country honorably, you help out your boss, save waitresses from nasty assholes. You’re looking pretty shiny to me, Miles.”

  She set the broom aside and something shifted in the room. He could see it in the way she relaxed as she moved toward him.

  What was she doing? The air suddenly seemed more sultry than before. “I’m no hero. I went in the Army because it was expected of me.”

  “That’s what a hero usually says. Why were you really looking for me, Miles?” She stepped up, leaving very little space between them.

  “I told you.”

  “Yes, you wanted to find out about my living situation. Do you treat all the waitresses like this?”

  “No.” He tended to leave them alone. They were attractive women, but he didn’t have anything to offer a girlfriend. He could barely take care of himself. He knew he should stay away from her, too, but she moved him in a way he hadn’t felt before.

  “So why me?”

  “I like you.” Yep he sounded like a junior high kid.

  “I like you, too. I didn’t think I would, but I can’t deny it.” She went up on her toes and her hands were suddenly flat against his chest. “This is a mistake. It’s a horrible mistake, and I hope you’re smart enough to stop me.”

  She was straining, lifting herself up as tall as she could go.

  “I’m not that smart, sweetheart.” He lowered his head and let his lips touch hers.

  His whole body went on alert. His cock tightened immediately and his body felt like it locked around hers. All he could see or smell or taste was Ally. She became the freaking center of his universe and all he’d done was brush his lips against hers.

  He was in too deep, but there was no way he was backing away now.

  * * * *

  It was wrong. She knew it the minute she got close to him. Hell, she knew it the minute Chef Taggart had walked out the door, leaving her alone with the single sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on. Macon made her heart pound, but he was also the one man in the world she shouldn’t touch since she was lying to him.

  The instant she’d seen him, she’d changed all her plans. It was wrong, but it was also true.

  Kiss him. Kiss him once and you’ll find out it isn’t as good as you think it will be. Sex isn’t really all that special. It’s not like you haven’t tried it before. It’s kind of messy and then it’s over. It would probably be the same with this guy.

  Or it will be so much better because this is a man and not a boy and damn, but he looks like he could take care of business, if you know what I mean.

  Her inner voice had a split personality and an overabundance of sauciness it seemed. Still, she was kind of going with optimism as Macon’s gorgeous face dropped down.

  His lips were soft as they brushed against hers. He didn’t overwhelm her the way some men had tried before. He went slow, as though enjoying exploring her. His hands moved from her shoulders to her back, running the length of her spine and making her shiver. Her chest bumped against his. She could feel the way her nipples pebbled, and her whole body seemed to go soft.

  All her previous sexual experience had been about obliterating something. Whether it be herself or some bad day or horrifically bad news. It had been about escaping.

  She didn’t want to escape this.

  She breathed him in. He smelled liked lemons and mangoes and an underlying hint of sweetness. His hands were so big and callused, but they moved gently against her skin.

  And then it was gone.

  “Did you hear that?” He looked toward the doors.

  She’d heard the pounding of her heart. She’d kind of ignored everything else.

  In the distance, she could hear the sound of a siren going off. “I think that’s the warning system. Don’t panic. They cover a lot of space. We need to find an interior room and wait it out. The bathroom is best. There aren’t any windows there.”

  “I’m going to go grab the radio. There’s a hand crank radio we keep in the kitchen. It’s also a flashlight and we might need that. It’s a good sign that the lights aren’t out.”

  She nodded. “Yes. I’ll go with you.”

  He put two hands on her arms. “No. Go get in the bathroom. Get your head down. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  He disappeared into the kitchen. She stood there, listening to the sound of the rain beating on the roof. He was right. They would need the radio so they would know when all was clear. At least it was late. No one would be on the streets at this time of night. Damn Mother Nature. She had terrible timing.

  The phone at the hostess station rang. Despite the fact that it was so late, she decided to answer rather than let it go to voicemail. It could be Sean having car trouble. “This is Top.”

  The voice came over the line in fits and starts. Deena. “… okay?... heard… coming… Top.”

  “What?” She strained to hear her. Deena would be calling from her cell. It looked like the weather was hurting her signal.

  “Worried…”

  The line went dead and so did the lights. They didn’t even flicker. There was a loud popping sound and then everything went dark.

  She stood still for a moment, trying to orient herself. They’d drawn the shades so only the barest hint of what light was left outside filtered in. She was utterly in the dark. Her heart was pounding for a different reason now. Fear sparked through her. Her instinct was to burrow down in the bathroom. It was back and to her left. All she had to do was walk about three feet in a straight line and she would find the back wall. Once she could touch it, she would follow it back to the bathrooms. Simple. She would be safe there.

  There was a loud crash and t
hen it sounded like the world was being battered.

  The windows. At least one of them had shattered. Her eyes were adjusting and she could see a couple of big balls that had gotten through the shades. They looked like baseballs, but she knew what they were. Hail. She heard another crash, this one to her right. The kitchen.

  She didn’t think, simply reacted. She ran to her right. Something was wrong. Macon knew exactly where the radio and flashlights were. He should have been back here. He wouldn’t have left her alone. She’d known him for a few weeks and he was a man who tried to take care of the people around him. She’d found it annoying at first. She’d had to let him walk her to her car at night, which meant trying to hide the fact that she was living in it. At first she’d enjoyed the nights Macon had off, but she’d quickly come to appreciate the feeling of being watched over by him. Sure, he did it for all the women, but she’d pretended it was only for her.

  She hit the double doors to the kitchen at a jog. She could sort of see.

  Something crunched underneath her. More glass. The back window had gone.

  “Macon?” Nothing. “Macon!”

  Lightning flashed and she saw him. He was on the floor, the flashlight next to him. Her hands started to shake as she made her way to him. Something dark was on his face. Please don’t let it be blood. Please don’t let it be. He was so close to the prep station. It looked like he’d slipped and hit his head.

  The world suddenly went eerily quiet.

  Even as she hit her knees, she knew things hadn’t gotten better. They’d gotten infinitely more dangerous. Quiet was bad. Quiet meant the monster had found her.

  “Macon? Please get up. We have to go. It’s almost here.” Panic threatened. She reached for his hand. It was warm in hers and when she tried to find his pulse, it was strong under her fingertip. His heart was beating.

  The street kid inside her told her to run, to hide, to protect herself. She’d spent those first years of her life in survival mode. She’d not known anything else until she’d been taken in by her mom and Ronnie. It would be easy to slip back into it. Hell, she’d been in it since her mother died. The child she’d been had taken over and she looked out for herself. That child urged her to take the radio and the flashlight and hide. No one would blame her.