“Cass—”
She didn’t let him finish. Covering his lips with hers, she thrust her tongue inside and found his waiting for her. They danced and chased, each seeking, then pulling away to see if the other would follow. When the need to breathe overwhelmed her, she broke free, but only for a moment before he reclaimed her lips with a power that told her he was in control now.
Pushing herself upward on the toes of her one good foot, she trembled from the weight, but dragged her body along his. Her breasts flattened against him, her nipples hardening from the material scraping over them. His fingers lay flat against her ribs, his thumbs tracing the undersides of her breasts. She couldn’t hold back the sob of need swallowed by his kiss.
He moved then, lifting her and placing her on the bed. He followed her into the softness, never breaking his kiss. Braced over her, he dragged his hands over her taut stomach. A low moan escaped her mouth when Reilly’s lips left hers to sear a path down her neck.
His fingers curled around her hips, his thumbs working in unison, stroking over the satin triangle of her panties. He pressed deep into the crevice of her most intimate part. Instinctively, she arched toward him, her fingers digging into the corded muscles of his upper arms urging him closer. She wanted to feel the weight of him covering her, protecting her.
“Reilly, please…”
Then his hands and lips were gone. She opened her eyes to find him still bent over her, his hands fisted into her blankets, his head low as he struggled to catch his breath.
Cassandra reached for him. “Reilly, please don’t—”
“Stop.”
The harshness of his tone caused her to freeze. He silently moved away from her and stood next to the bed, his hands planted on his hips. Deep choppy breaths and the outline of his arousal visible on the front of his dress pants told her he was as affected as she by what had just happened between them.
What she didn’t know was why he’d stopped.
“This is—we can’t…you’re reacting to tonight’s events, as well as coming to grips with what’s happened over the last few weeks. You’re feeling scared—”
“Don’t tell me how I’m feeling.”
Reilly’s head shot up, his brows drawn tight over his eyes. “Fine. I’ll tell you how I feel. I don’t…I…”
His words faded, but his silence spoke volumes. Thankful for the semidarkness hiding the flush of humiliation, Cassandra grabbed for the corner of the blanket and pulled it over her. “I understand.”
“No, you don’t.”
Turning away from him, she pressed her face to her pillows, refusing to acknowledge the tears soaking the fabric. “If you don’t mind, I’m very tired. I want to sleep now.”
She listened as he walked to the end of the bed and despite telling herself not to, watched him move to her open doorway. She didn’t want him to leave, didn’t want to be alone, but pride won over fear and she let him pull the door closed behind him.
Reilly stood outside her door, eyes closed, for what seemed like forever before he forced himself to move.
“Of all the stupid, dumb-ass moves…” His whispered words trailed into nothing while he laid his gun on the table, stripped off the remains of his tux and quickly donned his sweatpants. He downed a couple of aspirin for the screaming pain in his leg, and glanced over his shoulder at Cassandra’s closed bedroom door.
What the hell happened in there?
Dropping to the couch, Reilly slumped against the back cushions. Hands curled into tight fists at his forehead, he stared at the ceiling, unable to stop the rush of memories.
Sure, he’d been turned on. Any man would’ve, being so close to such a beautiful woman. When Cassandra brushed up against him, licking along his jaw before initiating a kiss that threatened to consume them both, it had taken all his self-control not to grab her, toss her on her bed and follow her into sweet oblivion. He had placed her on the bed, although gently, and he had followed her there, his need to touch her being the only thing that kept him from pressing his body into hers.
Covering his face with his hands, Reilly groaned. Inches away from having sex with the most beautiful woman he’d ever known, and he backed off. He knew why, too. Cassandra wasn’t looking for sex. Hell, she was looking to make love.
Sex he could provide. He could make them both forget for a few hours about anything outside of the tropical paradise her bedroom created, but making love, no way. That required much more than he had to give. That required commitments and promises, and he was low on both at the moment.
Besides, Cassandra was looking for comfort, protection. A reassurance her world hadn’t been turned upside down by someone who grabbed at her in the dark, then desecrated her home.
He was in over his head.
Not professionally, though he’d bungled things tonight by not searching harder for whoever had attacked her. No, this was something more. Something worse. She was getting to him. With her beauty, grace and her sense of humor.
A lot like someone he used to know.
Wendy had told him she loved him and would wait when a top-secret mission took his Marine unit out of the country. A few weeks turned into a few months. By the time he got back almost a year later he’d found out why his emails went unanswered and his calls weren’t returned. His lover was now the respectable wife of a senior Marine Officer, already pregnant with the man’s child.
She managed to corner him at a command function, tears welling in her eyes. She frantically tried to explain her need for the security and the money her marriage provided. Her words echoed the same sick logic his mother had often used to excuse his stepfather’s behavior. So familiar he’d turned and walked away.
Reilly pushed away the memories of the past and focused his attention back to the present.
This is a job. A favor to a friend, he lectured himself silently. So far, you haven’t done squat. You aren’t here to go to parties and flirt with a princess. You’re here for one thing and it doesn’t include falling in lo—
He shut down that thought, sat up and reached for his gun. It hadn’t been fired since those few hours of target practice he’d done back home before flying to New York, but he took it apart anyway. He carefully wiped every piece with the soft cloth he pulled from the side pocket of his duffel bag. Oiled and polished each section before he methodically put the firearm back together.
It was then he heard a moan.
Inserting a full magazine and jamming it into place, he bolted from the couch, stumbling when his bad knee buckled beneath him. He paused outside her bedroom door before nudging it open with his foot and sliding inside.
“Man, what’s the matter with you?” Reilly mumbled as he lowered his hands, resetting the safety. “You’re fourteen floors off the ground.”
Cassandra let out another low moan and thrashed under the covers. Her feet kicked, pushing off the blankets. She rolled to her side revealing long stretches of leg.
A nightmare.
Crossing the room, Reilly set the gun on top of the books near the armchair before reaching for her. “Shhh, you’re all right. I’m here, you’re gonna be all right.”
She latched onto his hand with a powerful grip. “Don’t leave me, please, don’t leave me.”
Unable to stop himself, he brushed her sweat-soaked hair away from her brow, surprised to find her eyes still closed. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here.”
“Please don’t leave.”
He continued to caress her face until her grip lessened on his hand. Sliding it free, he slowly eased away when her breathing slowed to a rhythmic beat and his fingers were only feather light on her skin.
“Don’t…leave…”
“I’m right here, sweetheart.” Reilly pulled the blanket back over her hips. “I’m gonna keep you safe.”
In her sleep, Cassandra curled into a ball, scooting closer to the edge of the bed, closer to him. “Promise?”
Chapter Nine
“You are the most stubbo
rn, mule-headed woman I’ve ever—”
“Mule-headed?” Cassandra scooped an extra spoonful of sugar into her coffee mug. “What’s that, a Texan metaphor for self-sufficient?”
When Reilly didn’t answer, she glanced his way. His dark eyes watched her over the rim of his cup of coffee. He sat on the arm of one couch, so fresh from the shower she could see where he’d missed a spot of shaving cream just under his ear.
She had yet to make it to the bathroom. Cassandra made it a rule to never do anything in the morning before a cup of java, and today she’d slept in later than usual. Then she’d awoken and overheard Reilly telling Lily that her boss was taking the day off.
That hadn’t helped her mood either.
She’d marched into the living room, as fast as her sore ankle would allow, and snatched the phone away from him. After informing Lily she would indeed be in, she placed a call home and explained last night’s events. It took awhile to reassure her mother she was okay. As long as she kept herself from looking at the annoyed expression on Reilly’s face, she got through the phone call relatively unscathed. Then she poured herself a cup of coffee.
Oh, come on, girl. Be honest. Cassandra continued to stir the steaming liquid in her mug long after the sugar dissolved. It’s not the sleeping in or the phone calls you’re all riled about. Falling apart in that man’s arms last night, that’s what has you annoyed.
“You know, taking a day off work, or a couple of days—” Reilly’s voice jerked Cassandra from her thoughts, “—isn’t going to break your bank account.”
Tossing the spoon into the sink, Cassandra moved out of the kitchen, trying her best not to favor her ankle. It felt a lot better this morning, but she’d be digging into her closet for the flattest-heeled shoes she owned. “It just so happens I have an important meeting today about a house re-design. Besides, I want to get that necklace back in the safe. And I want to go to work.”
“Do you always get everything you want?”
“Yes.” No. I didn’t get you.
The unsaid words flashed in her mind like bright neon. She stumbled at the edge of the carpet, her grip tightening on her mug.
Reilly jumped from the couch, reaching out to steady her. “Whoa, you sure your ankle is feeling a hundred percent?”
“‘Whoa’? You’re really missing the ranch this morning. Do I look like a horse?”
He took a step closer, his dark eyes blazing. “I’d say you’re acting more like a jack—”
Cassandra yanked her arm free. “Don’t go there, cowboy. I need to get my act together, and then I’m heading for the shop. You’re welcome to tag along if you wish.”
“Cassandra—”
“Don’t!”
Placing her coffee mug on the side table with more force than she intended, she watched the dark liquid splash over the rim. She pushed back the riot of curls surrounding her face and forced herself to look directly at him. “I have to do this, don’t you see that? I can’t hide and let some bastard run my life.”
She pulled in a deep breath and lowered her voice. “Yes, he got to me last night. I’ll admit that. I was a whimpering idiot, but this is a new day.”
Turning on her one good heel, Cassandra walked away. She was almost to the archway when his voice stopped her.
“Thanks for the blanket.”
She paused and turned her head, catching him from the corner of her eye. “What?”
“Last night? In the chair? You covered me with one of your blankets.” Reilly moved across the room until he was standing directly behind her. “Then you lay there and stared at me for about an hour until you couldn’t keep your eyes open any longer.”
“Fifty two minutes.” Cassandra turned around. “How did you know that? You were asleep. Your breathing was deep and steady and you didn’t move an inch.”
His gaze softened. “I wasn’t asleep, not really. It’s something I learned in the Marine Corps.”
“You were awake the whole time?” Humiliation washed over her. “Every time I moved, every time I woke from a…”
“Nightmare? Yeah, except for a few quick catnaps, I was awake all night. You asked me to stay, remember?” His dark eyes bored into hers. “Or rather you asked me to promise I wouldn’t leave.”
“You didn’t answer me.”
“I didn’t leave.”
Her ability to respond, to him or to the wild beating of her heart surely visible through the thin silk of her bathrobe, escaped her. So she didn’t say anything at all.
Reilly dropped his head and stared at the mug in his hand. “About last night—”
“You know, those are the three most dreaded words a man can say to a woman.” She raised her hand as if to ward him off, and moved backward toward her bathroom. “I don’t want to talk about last night.”
“I’m sorry for what happened.” Reilly took a step toward her, then stopped. “It was very unprofessional of me to…to kiss you. Considering what you went through, I know you were reacting to what happened—”
“Which kiss?” A shiver raced through her body. Cassandra crossed her arms over her chest, her hands ice cold where she tucked them close to her body.
“Excuse me?”
“Which kiss?” she repeated. “The one here in the apartment when you were admiring my necklace or the one in the Bancrofts’ library?”
“I’m talking about what happened between us in your bed—”
“Look, you’re off the hook, okay?” Keeping her gaze on him, she started walking again until the cool tiles of the bathroom floor under her feet surprised her. Only a few more steps and she would be able to close the door on the guilt and shock she read in Reilly’s eyes. “I was the one who kissed you. I was the one who dragged you to my bed and pulled you on top of me. You were the one who stopped. Or don’t you remember that part?”
Reilly remained where he stood as Cassandra disappeared behind the closed door to the bathroom. Yeah, he remembered.
The feel of her hands on his body, the taste of her kiss, the scent of tropical wildflowers surrounding him when she pressed her warm curves into him. Details so sharp in his mind he had to close his eyes against the memory they created.
His fingers still itched with the feel of the smoothness of her skin under his hands. Hands spread wide, able to circle her waist and still have the tips of his thumbs touching as he moved them past her belly button, catching on the satin trim of her panties before they dipped into her heat. Reilly exhaled and willed his body not to react to the vivid memory.
He opened his eyes and remembered the tears she’d tried to hide, the tremors that had shaken her body and the fear etched in her eyes. She’d been looking for comfort, not sex, last night. And he wasn’t so much of a bastard he’d allow her to trade one for the other.
She hadn’t slept well and was still limping this morning. He’d hoped she would take the day off to rest, or better yet, the entire weekend. He should’ve known better. Before Cass stirred, his first call had been to the police. He’d agreed with Griffin the police should handle the investigation, but he’d silently vowed to continue to protect her after the call ended. He owed Digger that much.
He owed Cassandra that much.
Hearing the sound of running water coming from the other side of the door, Reilly knew he’d better call Dig and let him know what had happened last night. He grabbed his cell phone, punched in the phone number and waited.
The first ring hadn’t finished when the call connected, and a hard voice raged in his ear. “How in the hell did that bastard get to her?”
Reilly winced. “Good morning to you too, Dig.”
“Don’t be a smart ass with me. What the hell happened?”
Reality dawned. “You spoke with Cassandra’s mother already.”
“You’re damn right I did. She was p.o.’d when she called to tell me how her daughter got man-handled.” His friend’s voice was strong this morning. “Right underneath your nose.”
Reilly dropped to the
couch. How was he going to explain his incompetence to the very man who’d drilled expertise into him? “We got separated at a party last night—”
“What’s the matter? Your Texan stubbornness clashing with her big city attitude?”
“We had a difference of opinion,” Reilly shot back. “She needed a few minutes to get her thoughts together.”
“Well, next time keep your opinions to yourself and stay glued to the girl. I hear the police are involved now.”
Reilly filled his friend in on the details of last night, including the note found on Cassandra’s front door. “She grabbed it before I could stop her.”
“Why didn’t you handle removing the note?”
The memory of carrying Cassandra out of the elevator and down the hall clouded his vision. “My hands were full at the time.”
“Meaning what?” Digger demanded.
“Meaning Cassandra’s ankle was bothering her. I had her in my arms when we arrived at the front door.”
Silence filled the air. “Is she okay now?”
Reilly glanced over his shoulder at the still-closed bathroom door. “Yeah, I think so. She’s as stubborn as a mule, but she’s got the strength of a thoroughbred race horse.”
“Is she getting to you?”
Reilly jerked his stare from the door. “What makes you ask a question like that?”
“The tone of your voice. You went from a Marine to a love struck teenager in a little more than a dozen words.”
“I’m not a Marine,” Reilly shot back. “Not anymore, and I’m hell and gone from being a teenager. Cass and I are just…”
“Friends?”
“In a working relationship.” He fought to keep his voice calm and neutral. “My job is to protect her and her job is to not make it so tough for me.”
“Easier said than done, I’m guessing.”
You’re not lying. “Dig, I won’t let you down. Whoever is after her, he won’t get close to her again.”
“I believe you, son, but short of kidnapping the girl, how do you plan to accomplish that?”
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