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Though he still kept his guard up, watching every moment for any potentially suspicious activity, their time still felt like a respite from the real world.

Tucking her hand in his, he picked up the pace, eager to get her back to the hotel.

Still, business came first, and as always he did a quick sweep of the room before motioning her inside. Once she was, he quickly flicked the deadbolt and pressed her up against the wall. Here, at least, he could let down his guard.

Reggie let out a soft “Mmmmmm,” as he nibbled the tender flesh of her neck. He quickly divested her of her leather coat and led her over to the couch.

He released her for a moment to retrieve the strawberries and a bottle of champagne from the minibar.

He poured the champagne into two glasses and handed her one. “In here at least, we can try to act like two normal people who,” his tongue tripped on the next word as she raised her eyebrows expectantly, “like each other. A lot.”

His heart felt like it was busting open at her quivery little smile. He hoped his hand didn’t shake as he lifted his glass of champagne to his mouth. Goddamn, but this woman got to him like no one ever had in his entire life.

From the second he’d spotted her across that bar in Hawaii, he’d sensed she’d be trouble. Now he was sure.

Unaware of the emotions rioting inside him, Reggie raised her own glass in a toast. “To liking each other. A lot,” she said wryly.

Gabe grinned sheepishly. “I never claimed to be eloquent.”

“Considering you barely speak, I should be grateful for what I get, huh?”

“Since you talk enough for the both of us, I figure why waste the effort?”

“Are you saying I talk too much?”

“No, but you do have a talent for holding conversations.”

“Well, maybe you better shut me up.” She tilted her sweetly rounded chin up pugnaciously.

He could take a hint. He threaded his fingers into the hair at her nape, gently tugging her head back for his kiss. His head filled with her sweet, spicy scent, and he teased her lips with light, delicate tastes.

She parted her lips and tried to lick inside his mouth, but he kept his lips closed, savoring the hot, sliding caress on his sensitive flesh.

He brought a glass of champagne to her lips. “Open.”

Her lips parted at his command, and he poured the frothy liquid into her mouth. He chased the sweet mouthful with his tongue, relishing the hot flavor of her mouth mixed with the cool bite of champagne.

Hands moving restlessly against his back, she tugged his shirt out of the waistband of his slacks. Her fingers traced a delicate path up and down his spine, sending shudders through him as the sensation shot directly to his groin.

He fought the urge to tear off her clothes and sink deep inside, ensuring immediate, immense gratification for them both. Instead, he focused on her soft mouth, the heat of her skin muted by the barrier of both their clothes, the sexy sounds of frustrated lust coming from her throat.

For longer than he wanted to remember, sex had been a means to an end. A way to scratch an itch or blow off steam. He never had a hard time finding it. Girls saw the uniform, the big muscles, and the sometimes scary look in his eyes and wanted to flirt with danger.

But they were always disappointed when all he wanted was a quick bang and a good night’s sleep.

None of them aroused anything more than passing physical attraction.

But Reggie he wanted to kiss all over, memorize every patch of skin and its own unique taste. It scared the hell out of him, the intensity and intimacy he felt at her simplest touch.

Shaking, fighting to rein in the desire ripping through him, he pulled back and reached for a chocolate-covered strawberry. He held it to her lips, his erection hardening almost painfully as she closed her lips around it with a sly grin. She sucked and released the plump berry, her pink tongue flicking against the tip.

Still watching him, she slid her hand down to his crotch, circling her thumb over the tip of his cock through his clothes.

Then, very deliberately, she bit the tip off the strawberry, chewing and swallowing with exaggerated relish.

With a half laugh half growl, he pushed her back against the couch, covering her mouth in a hot, devouring kiss that wiped the smug grin right off her face.

“I never realized I could get so turned on watching someone eat,” he whispered, rubbing his face down the front of her shirt, mouthing her breasts through the soft knit fabric of her shirt.

A soft laugh exploded from her chest. “I guess that’s better than wanting to watch me parade around in cheap lingerie.” Her fingers tunneled into his hair, and he inched her shirt up, raining kisses on each smooth patch of flesh he uncovered. “But if we keep this up I’m going to get even fatter.”

He froze, her shirt halfway up her chest.

“What?”

Sighing, he pulled her shirt over her head, pausing to trace the plump, lace-covered swells of her breasts. “Why do you do that?”

Muscles in her belly rippled as she tensed. “Do what?”

Rather than answering, he slipped off the couch, kneeling at her feet to pull off her boots and socks. Then he stripped off her pants, running his hands appreciatively up the smooth pale skin of her legs. “You are so damn sexy, and yet you always talk down about yourself.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Just now you said you worried about getting fatter. Which implies you think you’re already fat.”

“When you consider most women on television look like Natalie, I am.”

“Do you really want to look like that?” Gazing down at her, he couldn’t imagine why. With her plump breasts, flat belly, and lushly curved hips, she was damn near perfect.

She sat up straighter on the couch, crossing her arms in front of her. “I know it’s vain and shallow, but I see myself on TV, and I worry that I look chubby. And then when my mom calls me and tells me my ass looks big on camera, or a reviewer refers to me as ‘a healthy girl with a healthy appetite,’ it’s hard not to let it get to me.” She uncrossed her arms and spread her hands over her bare thighs as though to hide them.

He couldn’t have this.

Rising to his feet, he scooped her up off the couch and jostled her in his hold. “See how easy that was? You can’t be that big.”

She buried her head against his shoulder and laughed. “You’re not exactly the average man, Conan.”

He walked the few short steps to the bed and laid her gently against the pillows. “Uh uh,” he scolded as she moved to get under the covers. And for good measure he snapped on the bedside lamp.

He hooked his shirt over his head and shucked his pants. Wearing only his boxers, he stood next to the bed, luxuriating in the heat of Reggie’s appreciative gaze. “Reggie, honey, when I look at you, chubby is about the last word that comes to mind.”

Settling down beside her, he swept his hand up her sweet thigh, over the flat plane of her belly, coming to rest over the plump flesh of her breast. He felt the ripples in her skin as he nibbled his way down her neck into the soft valley of her cleavage. “I think of words like creamy.” His tongue swept under the lacy border of her bra. He pulled the cup down so he could suck the deep pink flesh of her nipple into his mouth. “Succulent.”

He suckled harder, making her squirm. Tugging the other cup down, he lavished the same attention on the other breast.

He ran his tongue over the skin of her belly, tasting the faint dew of perspiration. “Silky.”

His hands gripped her hips, urging her to turn over onto her belly. He knelt on either side of her torso and flipped open the catch of her bra before focusing his attention on the lush, lace-covered flesh of her ass.

He gripped a cheek in each palm. She jumped a little when he bent his head and gave each cheek a soft nip. “And this, Reggie, this is just luscious. Right here,” he whispered, running his hands over the small of her back, just above the swell of her hips, “I think this is my favorite part of you. Your back dips in, and you have the sweetest dimples right here”—he bent his head to kiss first one, then the other—“and here.”

Her back arched, her ass lifting in invitation. Dancing near the edge of his control, he slipped her panties down and pressed a hand between her thighs.

She was steamy hot, ready for him. He swallowed hard as her legs parted farther, showing him the smooth, glistening flesh of her pussy, practically begging him to come inside.

Unable to resist the temptation, he shoved his boxers down and dipped the tip of his cock against her hot core, squeezing his eyes shut at the almost unbearable pleasure.

He flipped her over onto her back. She stared up at him, brown eyes liquid with emotion. Carefully, he lowered himself over her and cradled his face in her hands. “You are so beautiful, Reggie, and you don’t even see it.”

Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she kissed him fiercely. “For a guy who claims not to be eloquent, you can pull it out when it really matters,” she whispered unevenly. She kissed him again, marveling that a man so tough and scarred could be so tender. She’d never felt so beautiful, so desired as she did at that moment.

He feasted on her mouth, then pulled away to nibble at the tender flesh of her neck and shoulders. His lips blazed a path down her chest, pausing to tongue her nipples before sliding down her belly. He landed a wet, sucking kiss just below her belly button.

By the time he settled her knees over his shoulders, she was a quivering mass of nerve endings. “I love how soft you are right here,” he whispered, his voice taut with lust as he gently sucked the soft flesh of her inner thigh.

Reggie twisted her hips up, urging his mouth closer, burning with anticipation of feeling that skilled tongue against her.

With a purely male sound of satisfaction, he stroked his thumbs against her plump lips, spreading her wide for his hungry mouth. “Right here, this is the tastiest spot of all.”

She almost came at the first flickering touch. His tongue circled lazily around her clit, then slipped down to probe her drenched slit. He was silent, focused as he ate her hungrily, sucking and licking until her legs were literally shaking as she teetered on the edge of a bone-shaking release.

“Oh, oh, Gabe.” Keening sounds erupted from her throat as his lips closed over the hard bud, sucking and stroking with the flat of his tongue. Her heels dug into the muscles of his back, hips arching off the bed as orgasmic shudders racked her from head to toe.

One more gentle kiss against her still-quivering flesh and he gently slid her legs down his arms and reached for a condom. Her breath hissed between her teeth as he rubbed the blunt head of his shaft against her still-pulsing flesh.

His fingers had a faint tremor as they traced down her cheek. “Don’t you see it, Reggie?” he said, his voice almost reverent. “You’re incredibly beautiful, in every way.”

And as he slid deep inside her, his fierce dark eyes locked on hers, she almost believed him.

“My beautiful Reggie,” he murmured as he moved inside her with deep, sure strokes. They wrestled and thrashed on the bed, slipping and sliding in a sweat-slicked tangle. Reggie lost count of the number of times she came, whispering nonsensical words of her own as she moaned and gripped him to her.

Finally, they ended up with him on top, Gabe gripping the headboard in one hand, bracing his weight with the other, and using the footboard for leverage. She loved watching him come, his face pulled tight, every muscle standing out in stark relief.

She held him fiercely, wondering if she’d ever get over the triumph of knowing that she, wholesome all-American girl that she was, could reduce a tough, sexy brute like Gabe to this.

Several minutes passed before either of them could move.

Reggie stared at the ceiling over Gabe’s shoulder, tracing the pads of her fingers up and down the hot, slick skin of his back. A kernel of fear took root in her belly.

Damn Gabe.

He’d gone and made her fall in love with him.

R
eggie managed to shove the frightening realization aside for the next two days.

Almost.

Every so often—okay, every five minutes or so—she’d look up and catch sight of Gabe. He could be doing anything, smiling at her, casing the room with a cool, analytical gaze that missed nothing. Or even—and this was how she knew she had it bad—drinking coffee in his underwear. That’s all it took, and she would go all melty inside in a way that she’d never done with any other guy in her life.

Worse, she had no idea how he felt about her. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She knew he liked her and especially liked having sex with her. But underneath she sensed he was still wary of getting too deeply involved, unwilling to look beyond what might happen after her stalker was caught and she no longer needed his services.

The only man she’d been close to in the past five years was Craig, who’d proved himself to be too emotionally fragile to handle her success when his own was waning.

Wasn’t it just her luck to fall in love with another emotionally unavailable man?

Unlike Craig, Gabe didn’t strike her as the type to be threatened by her career, but how would he react when she left for another extended location shoot or a multicity book tour? Were his emotions even remotely strong enough to foster that kind of commitment?

He reached over and grabbed her hand over the gear shift. Today they were headed for Taos to visit the Pueblo and go for a hike in the surrounding mountains.

God, she hoped so.

Gabe snuck glimpses at Reggie’s profile as he drove, unnerved by her unusual silence. She’d been acting weird for the past two days.

Ever since she’d told him she loved him.

He’d tried to put it out of his head, telling himself that it didn’t mean anything, said in the heat of the moment like that.

Did she even realize she’d said it?

Sometimes he even wondered if he’d really heard that hot, shaky whisper breathed into his ear as she came.

Each time they’d made love since, he prickled with anticipation, straining to hear it one more time.

So far, nothing.

And now she was silent and distracted.

Maybe she was embarrassed at having said it and was praying he hadn’t even noticed.

Maybe she actually meant it, and she was in love with him and upset with him for not saying it back.

He didn’t know what scared him more—that she might be in love with him, or that he wanted her to be.

Or that it was highly possible he was in love with her too.

Her high-pitched, obnoxious cell phone ring pierced the silence of their rented Escape.

“Natalie,” she mouthed silently as she picked it up. “Oh crap,” Reggie breathed.

Natalie obviously had screwed up, again.

“Call her back, tell her she’ll have it by tomorrow,” her voice was frantic now, and he could see the tension spreading up her neck like a sheet of ice. Oddly, she thanked Natalie profusely before hanging up.

“We have to go back. I can’t believe what an idiot I am,” she smacked her open palm against her forehead. “Didn’t you hear me? We have to go back.”

He gestured irritably at the two-lane mountain highway laden with blind curves and absent a decent shoulder. “I can’t exactly turn around here. What’s the hurry?”

Reggie shook her head. “I completely spaced on a deadline. I was supposed to send the first round of revisions back to Natalie yesterday so she could print them and Fedex them to Sharon.”

She fumbled in her purse for a moment and pulled out her Palm Pilot. “It’s right there, too, but I’ve been too busy running around with you to bother turning it on.”

He stiffened. It wasn’t as though he’d chained her to the bed or something. She could have caught up on work whenever she wanted, and damned if he would let her blame him for her choice to ignore work.

It’s starting again,
an evil voice in the back of his head taunted.
She’s wrapped up in her career, and she’ll drop you like yesterday’s panties if she sees you as a threat.

“I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.” Her hand, warm and small and strong, squeezed his thigh just above his knee. “I can’t believe after the hard time I’ve given you about not relaxing, I’m the one who’s ruining our plans. I’m sorry.” She sighed and leaned her head back against the headrest. “But I can’t afford to slow down at all right now.”

He couldn’t believe it, didn’t want to believe it.

Damn that bitch.

She was his.

What was that thug still doing hanging around, anyway? In the past two weeks he had exercised admirable restraint. Even though he had piles of letters and pictures to send Reggie, he’d resisted, hoping that if she could stop being scared of him, she’d send the big thug away.

And then he could prove to her that they were meant to be together.

As soon as he’d known where to find her, he’d come. Promising himself he would keep himself hidden. He just needed to see her. He missed seeing her.

Now he saw what a whore she was.

His lip curled in disgust. From across the street he had a clear view of them approaching the hotel, walking up the wide steps.

Hand in hand.

Then the big ape grabbed her and hauled her against him, manhandling her and slobbering all over.

Not that she seemed to care, the way she rubbed up against him like a bitch in heat.

All he wanted was to be with her, to have Reggie for his own.

His heart felt like someone was stabbing it with a red-hot poker. After everything he’d done for her, how could she betray him like this? She’d be nothing without him, and now she repaid him by breaking his heart.

He wanted to punish her for refusing his advances while acting the whore with that animal.

He wiped away the hot sting of tears. For now, he had to be patient, bide his time for a little longer. But someday, somehow, he would make her pay.

When they got back to the hotel, Reggie set herself up at the desk and fired up her laptop. She pulled out a sheaf of papers thick enough to keep her busy for the next week, as far as he could tell.

He took the opportunity to step outside to make a phone call.

Malcolm answered on the second ring. “This is Reed.”

Malcolm Reed was the owner and CEO of Reed Security Systems Inc., one of the fastest growing security companies on the west coast. He’d hired Gabe after his discharge, as soon as his doctors pronounced him physically ready for civilian work.

He’d also fired Gabe eighteen months later after the Marly Chase debacle.

Fortunately, Malcolm had seen no reason to end their close friendship, and Gabe had filled him in on all the details of Reggie’s case when he asked Malcolm to investigate some of the stalker’s earlier e-mails. That had been over two weeks ago, and Malcolm hadn’t gotten back to him with any additional information.

“It’s Gabe.”

“Hey, man, how’s babysitting the cook?”

He could imagine Malcolm, leaning back in his chair, size thirteen Alan Edmonds propped up on his cherry wood desk, the jacket of his $1,500 suit hung neatly from the coat rack, his chair angled so he could appreciate his twentieth floor view of downtown Los Angeles as he talked.

Malcolm had enough appreciation for the finer things to assure his clients that he ran a first-class operation, but enough Special Forces–instilled intensity and toughness to make them feel good about entrusting him with their personal or corporate security.

“Fine so far.”

“Sorry I haven’t been able to get back to you on those e-mails. We’ve been slammed. So, no escalation in contact?”

“No, in fact, no communication at all for the past week and a half.”

“Sounds like your boy is losing interest.”

Gabe wanted to think that. “I’ve never seen anything like this. No escalation, no attempts at personal confrontation, and now he’s been inactive for nearly two weeks. If not for the break-in in New Orleans, I might be inclined to think it was all a prank that got a little out of hand.”

Malcolm was silent for several moments, and Gabe could practically hear his friend’s brain churning. When Malcolm spoke, it was with great deliberation, as though he was choosing his words very carefully. “Maybe you’re onto something. It wouldn’t be the first time a celebrity faked a stalker.”

“No,” Gabe snapped. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would she spend all this money to hire me if it was a hoax?”

“You said yourself she needed security to keep her job. If she admits she faked everything, she looks like even more of a flake, which would no doubt piss off the network execs even more.”

Gabe considered the possibility that Malcolm was right, but couldn’t believe it. Reggie wasn’t the type of person to stage an elaborate hoax, then go to great lengths to cover her tracks.

Would Natalie do something like this behind her sister’s back? Maybe. But why? Though they were close, Natalie was jealous. But if jealousy was the motive, wouldn’t she have stopped, rather than helped Reggie milk all the publicity she could out of the situation? And if it was to help Reggie, wouldn’t Natalie have clued her in so as to avoid scaring her sister?

Her stalker was real. He was certain of it, despite the seed of doubt Malcolm attempted to sow. The stalker may be laying low, but he wasn’t gone. Gabe’s gut told him their guy was still out there, waiting, biding his time until he had the opportunity to get close.

“She wouldn’t do that,” Gabe said curtly. “In any case, I wanted to see if you could have Dave trace some more e-mails for me.”

One thing that sucked about working on his own was he’d lost a network of experts. When he’d worked with Malcolm, he’d had a crack team of network security specialists who could track down the source of most e-mails and phone calls in the time it took him to go out for coffee.

Fortunately, his friendship with Malcolm and the rest of the guys was strong enough that he could usually get them to help him out during their free time.

“How many?”

“A dozen or so. All from different Yahoo and Hotmail addresses—no ISP we could trace a subscriber back to.”

“Hmmm” was Malcolm’s only response. Then, “We’re so bogged down we haven’t even had time to get to that first batch you sent us. Dave can do it, but it may take a while. We’ve got a couple things cooking down here that will keep him busy for the next week at least. In the meantime, send me what you have.”

Gabe thanked him. “Reggie’s shooting in L.A. next week. Maybe you can stop by the set.”

“As long as I have you on the phone, there’s something else I want to talk to you about. I have a potential client in San Diego. They need someone to test evaluate their existing security system and manage any upgrades we feel are appropriate.”

“I’m listening.”

“We don’t have the capacity to handle it right now. So I thought I could farm it out to you as a consultant.”

His piquing interest was dampened somewhat by an unwanted shard of guilt. A month ago, he would have given his left nut to receive Malcolm’s offer. Now, however…

Before Gabe could reply, Malcolm continued with his sales pitch. “The bullshit from last year has died down enough that I can start referring clients to you again. It might take another year, year and a half before I can hire you back full time, but until then I’d have enough to keep you busy. The only difference would be no health insurance or full-time employee benefits, but I’ll pay you enough to cover the loss.” He quoted an hourly rate nearly double that he was charging Reggie.

Part of Gabe wanted to pump his fist in triumph. This was exactly what he needed, not only to get his career back on track, but to prove himself worthy of the second chance his friend was so generously offering. But he couldn’t stop thinking of Reggie, one room away, brow furrowed as she tapped away at her keyboard. How could he possibly leave her in potential danger?

“Normally I’d be jumping at an opportunity like this,” he said, “but I signed a contract with Reggie that I don’t feel comfortable breaking.”

Not to mention the thought of leaving her alone and vulnerable made him sweat like a whore in church.

“I can refer a dozen guys who are qualified to babysit,” Malcolm said dismissively. “Someone who can be on a plane tomorrow. You said yourself there hasn’t been much activity.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s gone away.”

“Even if that’s the case, you’re wasting your time on these low-rent jobs, Gabe. I need someone with your skills to help me fill out my team.”

“You didn’t mind wasting me on babysitting before.”

“I thought you could use the vacation. Stupid me. So what do you say?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Make your decision by the time you get to L.A. I don’t want to play hardball here, but if you can’t do it I need to start looking for someone who can.”

Malcolm’s offer was a godsend, and he was an idiot for not jumping at it. Never in a million years did he expect Malcolm to hire him back, regardless of their long-standing friendship. You couldn’t nearly ruin a guy’s company that he’d built from the ground up and expect—no matter how close a friend he was—that he’d welcome you back with open arms.

What a clusterfuck. As long as Reggie was paying for his services, his business would stay solvent. Then what? Not to mention the fact that sleeping with the woman paying his bills was starting to leave a bad taste in his mouth.

Maybe he should take Malcolm’s offer. He’d personally screen any replacement, make sure whomever Malcolm sent was more than qualified to keep Reggie safe.

But if he left her now, he had a really bad feeling he might never see her again. Oh sure, they’d try to meet up, schedules permitting. But as time passed and they went longer and longer without seeing each other, whatever they had would inevitably peter out. Like Reggie had said earlier, she couldn’t afford to slow down at all right now. And he couldn’t afford to follow her around like a faithful lapdog.

He let himself back into the room.

Reggie looked up and smiled, which sucked the breath from his lungs.

The semifunctioning logical part of his brain reminded him of his vow not to let emotional entanglements interfere with his career. He had a shot at getting his career back on track in a major way. Was he really going to blow it for the chance to get their relationship on more solid ground?