by Lori Foster
Now that he did know her, the rules didn’t seem to matter. Sahara already knew the score; the woman was neither blind nor obtuse. She might’ve kicked up a fuss about it, and if she had, he would’ve resigned without hesitation. It was her business and she had to run it the way she figured was best.
What he couldn’t do was resist Catalina forever. He understood his own limitations. When he’d lectured Justice on the rules, never, not once, had he ever figured on meeting a woman like Cat. If he only had to fight himself, then maybe he’d be successful. But knowing she wanted him too, that she had from the start, well hell...he was only a man.
With his proposed time frame, she looked like a kid being promised a pony on her birthday. He took in her expectant expression and laughed, not at her enthusiasm, but in pure pleasure because of it.
It felt damn nice to be wanted so much.
She mistook his humor, though, and slugged him in the midsection. Hugging her tight, Leese pinned down her arms. “So it’s your violence and your lust we need to restrain?”
“You’re laughing at me.”
“No, I’m just flattered, that’s all.” He loosened his hold enough to give her a brief, firm kiss. “And if I can manage one week, surely you can too, right?”
“Okay, fine.” She pushed against his chest, putting some space between them and giving him a good look at her frown. “But I want it on record that I’m agreeing under duress and if those bastards get me and I end up dying without knowing what it’d be like to sleep with you, I’ll—”
She squeaked when Leese took her to her back on the mattress. Looming over her, he said, “Nothing is going to happen to you, because I won’t let it.”
“—come back and haunt you,” she finished.
She was the most infuriating, and the most amusing, woman he’d ever met. Here he was, tense over the mention of her being hurt, and she didn’t even notice. That helped him to clear his head.
He meant what he said. She’d be safe, because he’d damn well keep her that way.
To lighten his own mood, he teased her. “Haunt me, huh? Now I’m scared.”
She sighed, very put-upon. “No you’re not, but that’s the best threat I could think of, since being dead would make it pretty hard to exact any other revenge.”
Having her under him felt even better, and just as natural, as cuddling her close through the night. “You need to have a little faith.”
“All right.” She lifted her chin. “But you better plan on paying up at the end of the week.”
Smiling, he promised, “Count on it.” In a week, Leese reasoned, she might be feeling secure enough that he no longer looked like her White Knight. Maybe she’d remain grateful for his help, but without the sexual component.
Or, he accepted, she could want him even more.
He wasn’t entirely sure which he’d prefer. Getting sexually involved with a client would bring its own complications.
But not having her...he didn’t want to think about that yet, even though he knew it’d be best.
“Okay then.” She shoved at his chest until he let her up, then she rolled from the bed, a warm, sleep-rumpled, sexy temptation. “I’ll use the guest room bath and you can have this one.” With a scowl, she warned, “I expect coffee when I emerge.”
Feeling ridiculously content for a man who’d slept chastely with a smoking hot woman, Leese murmured, “Yes, ma’am.” Catalina Nicholson affected him in too many ways. He wanted her. She made him laugh. She wrenched his heart. And he was determined to keep her safe.
Leese left the bed, popped his neck and pondered the coming week. Hopefully it would go by fast...otherwise he’d never make it.
* * *
WEBB DISMISSED THE housekeeper and carried his coffee out to the sunroom at the back of the house. All around him, the pristine white landscape glittered under a full sun, unmarred by even the footprints of animals. From here he couldn’t see the lake.
But the image glared at him all the same, pounding in his brain like a repeat, flashing photograph. Catalina, standing there in the snow, dressed in black that showed stark against the frozen white ground. No one could miss her, and one look at her face confirmed she’d heard enough. Maybe even everything.
Why the hell had she ventured to the boathouse?
His temples throbbed and he set aside the coffee with a clatter. A different man would punch the wall in frustration, but not him. He was fucking refined.
Jesus.
Catalina’s unaccountable behavior had caused problems before, but nothing like this.
Nothing life-and-death.
Stomach churning, Webb paced the room. He didn’t know what to do. Ms. Silver—Sahara—claimed she hadn’t heard from her man. Probably a lie. Definitely no one else believed it, even if Webb did.
So where was she? Holed up somewhere safe? Still on the streets? Exposed?
“Mr. Coleman is here to see you, sir.”
Fuck, fuck. He was in no mood to talk to anyone, definitely not a shady “bodyguard”—a man Webb knew as competent, but who also walked a very fine line. It was the other side of that line that concerned Webb currently.
Taking a breath, he turned to face Tesh. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I know.” Tesh came in with his own cup of coffee. Because he’d occasionally worked for Webb, the staff knew him well, always greeting him with respect and consideration.
Pulling out a chair, Tesh asked, “Any news yet?”
“No.” Many times in the past, Tesh had been assigned to keep an eye on Catalina. He was a tough son of a bitch, capable of tackling any problem, deadly when necessary. “I’m worried.”
“She’s your daughter,” Tesh said, discounting the lack of blood relation. He sipped his coffee, gazed out the window at nothing in particular. “I’m going to find her,” he said low. “You can rest easy on that.”
Webb believed him. But would Tesh find her in time? And if he did, what would he do with her...to her? His muscles tensed anew. He had money, he had power. But right now, he felt far too vulnerable.
“Senator Platt wants a meeting.” Tesh stood and pushed in his chair. “Today, noon.” Already on his way out, he said, “Don’t be late.”
It didn’t matter that Tesh had worked for Webb in the past. Right now he was working for the senator, and they both knew that gave him clout.
Webb ended up punching the wall, after all. It hurt like hell and did nothing to alleviate the problem.
Catalina.
Where the hell are you?
* * *
BODY ARMOR HAD a workout room in the basement that the agents could use to stay in shape. It also had an indoor shooting range. Getting hold of a gun to use for practice might be useful, but she’d tackle that another day.
For now, just getting Leese to the gym had taken an effort.
He’d have preferred to keep her locked up in the penthouse, curtains drawn. But already she felt claustrophobic. She needed to do something, and watching TV wouldn’t cut it.
So she’d convinced Leese to get in a little exercise. She had no idea what she was doing, the machines all looked intimidating, but hey, she could do some jumping jacks or something.
“Where do you want to start?” Leese asked.
“Umm...” She looked around. “Where do you usually start?”
He crossed his arms and gave her a knowing look. “You’re not exactly a gym rat, are you?”
Judging her? For some reason, she didn’t want to be found lacking. “I’m not a fighter like you, but I get by.” She’d occasionally taken lengthy walks.
On sunny days.
With designated trails.
Without hills.
“I’m ready.” Out of necessity, she wore only socks. She’d found workout
clothes—yoga pants and a stretchy sports bra—but again, the shoes were too big and she wasn’t about to put boots on with athletic pants.
When two other men entered the room, Leese stared at them until they turned around and left again.
She almost choked on her amusement. Warning off other guys? Nice. Or maybe it was that he didn’t trust them. That gave her pause. “We’re safe in here, right?”
“Wouldn’t have you here if we weren’t.”
Wow, touchy much? She crossed her arms and jutted out a hip. “Okay then, what was with the mean mugging? You scared off those poor guys.”
His gaze went to her exposed midriff, then away.
“What?” she asked. “Am I showing too much skin?”
He stepped into her space. “Did you want to exercise or not?”
“Fine,” she said with a lot of attitude. Tweaking Leese was currently one of her favorite pastimes, maybe because she didn’t have much else to do. “I’ll start on that.” She pointed at a machine that looked easy enough to figure out where her feet and hands went.
“The elliptical, huh?” He eyed the machine, then her. “If you’re not used to it, set it on low resistance. You don’t want to overdo it.”
Just being in a gym was overdoing it, since she’d never ventured into one before. But she wasn’t about to tell him that. “Don’t worry about me. Go do your own thing.”
“I’ll use the heavy bag. Let me know when you need to switch up.”
Switch up? It’d be a wonder if she lasted on one machine for half an hour, much less take on something else.
Luckily the heavy bag was right across from her, so she could easily keep an eye on Leese. With no idea how to change the resistance to low or otherwise, she used the current setting, found it tedious but not too difficult and was more interested in what Leese would do.
First he took off his shoes, then stripped off his shirt.
She almost fell off the machine.
Mouth going dry, she concentrated on pedaling in an even cadence and watched Leese hit the bag.
Not with his hands, but with his feet.
He did a lot of various kicks, impressing her with each one. Every fluid strike sent a loud crack to echo around the enclosed room. The bag swung, Leese turned and kicked from a different angle.
Fascinating.
An hour later, just as Cat was about to cry uncle, Sahara breezed in. She wore impossibly high-heeled booties, a knee-length skirt and a cashmere sweater. To Cat, she looked like a fashion model.
Hair damp, his muscles all pumped, his body glistening, Leese paused in his workout. He didn’t sound at all winded when he said, “Something up, Sahara?”
“Not at all.” As if she saw gorgeous, ripped, mostly naked men every day, Sahara didn’t even blink.
“Did you hear from your PI?”
Cat’s heartbeat tripped. Had they discovered her secrets?
“He’s on it now,” Sahara said. “We need to give him some time, but I’m sure he’ll have information for us soon.”
And when he did? Cat thought. When he found out who was with Webb at the boathouse, then what?
Then, she assumed, it would all end—for her.
“I’m here,” Sahara said, beaming at them, “because I wanted to talk to you both about a wonderful idea I had.”
Intrigued, Cat stepped off the elliptical and stumbled on rubbery legs. Good grief. Maybe if she hadn’t been so involved ogling Leese, she’d have realized her legs were shot.
She limped forward. “An idea?”
Wary, Leese held silent.
“Valentine’s Day will be here before we know it,” Sahara said.
Cat’s stomach sank. So much time had passed in a blur. She’d missed the festive holidays with family, but she hadn’t exactly been checking days off a calendar.
What would she do if Leese had a sweetheart he wanted to visit over the romantic holiday? She didn’t think he was involved; he struck her as being too honorable to kiss her if he had anyone important in his life.
“Around here,” Sahara said, “public relations are key and I use every opportunity available to throw a party.”
A party? Cat almost groaned. Would Leese be expected to attend?
Yes, of course he would be. And that left her...where? Alone?
Just thinking about it made her feel exposed, vulnerable—
“Yeah?” Leese said to Sahara. “So?”
“You both need to attend the company party.”
Wait—what? Cat did a double take. “You want me there?”
“No,” Leese said. “It’s too dangerous.”
“We’re having it here,” Sahara told him, all smug and satisfied, “So she won’t even need to step outside. We’ll decorate the third floor.”
“With what?” he asked. “Paper hearts?”
Clearly Sahara didn’t appreciate his sarcasm. “It’ll be sophisticated and perfect.”
“Wait a minute...” Cat said, mentally trying to catch up.
“I don’t know,” Leese told her. “Something could go wrong.”
“Oh, please.” Sahara flapped a dismissive hand. “What could possibly be safer than a party filled with bodyguards, in a completely secure building?”
Still dubious, Leese said, “Plan to work everyone during the party, huh? You don’t think anyone will object?”
“When I’m handing out generous bonuses for their participation? Of course not.”
Leese glanced at Cat, then rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know.”
“She can be by your side all night,” Sahara assured him. “Surely you trust yourself to see to her safety?”
Reluctantly, Leese agreed. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.”
Cat looked at each of them, and couldn’t hide her uncertainty. “A party?”
“I’ll take care of everything you need. Just get your dress and shoe size to Enoch, and of course let me know your favorite color.” Now that she’d gotten her way, Sahara turned to leave. “It’s going to be very productive. You’ll see.”
And with that, she left as suddenly as she’d arrived.
“Wow,” Cat said, “that woman is a whirlwind.”
“Agreed.”
Hating the idea of mingling with crowds, she glanced at Leese. Did he anticipate the party? Probably. She tried a smile. “You didn’t sound too keen on her plans.”
He watched her, his expression enigmatic. “You’re already antsy. Before long, you’ll be climbing the walls. A party will help break up the monotony.”
The monotony of hiding from murderers. “Okay.” If he wanted to go, she’d go, and she’d even pretend to like it. Leese would keep her safe, she believed that.
With that settled, she moved on to the next worry. “Do you have anyone special hoping to see you for—”
“I don’t,” he replied even before she’d finished asking, and now he looked insulted.
Cat sighed. “But...” He seemed dead serious, so she let it go and moved on to another concern. “I’ve been thinking only about me, about what I needed, but now it occurs to me that you have a life too. You have family, friends and—”
“Yeah, I do. Not that it matters. Until you’re in the clear, you’re stuck with me.” He eyed her up and down, probably noting her somewhat bowed posture, then shook his head. “You overdid it, didn’t you?”
In a big way. “Maybe a little.” She needed time to think about things. She didn’t want Leese forced into isolation because of her. But she also didn’t want to be left alone, a sitting duck.
“Come on. It’s time to get you back upstairs. You can rest up while I shower and take care of a few things.”
Cat didn’t know what those few things might be and she didn’t ask;
all her concentration was on trying to walk without groaning.
Once they returned to the penthouse, she decided to soak in the whirlpool. Not only would it feel good, but it’d give her a chance to sort through some things.
Villains, a party...and Leese all warm and pumped up from exertion, wearing only shorts and a lot of machismo.
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING after breakfast, Leese noted the stiff way Cat walked and had to hide his grin. “Feel like working out again?” he asked.
She groaned, swallowed and said with convincing enthusiasm, “Sure.”
He snorted. “Get real. You can barely walk.”
“I’m walking.”
“No, you’re shuffling.” She’d spent the rest of the day yesterday drawing, watching TV... and resting her over-worked legs. From experience, he knew today she’d be even more tender, and tomorrow would be the worst.
From what he could tell, her leg muscles were now so tight, she could barely get her feet off the floor. He urged her to the sofa. “I should have realized and better monitored you.” But he’d been too busy trying to work off sexual tension. Out of necessity, that required blocking Cat from his mind. He hadn’t looked at her, and he’d done his best not to listen to her heavy breathing.
She dropped down, groaned and went flat to her back.
Understanding, Leese lifted her legs up so she fully reclined. “Want to try the whirlpool again?”
“No, I’m good.” She closed her eyes. “Right here.”
He let the smile go. “I’ll get you some aspirin.”
After she’d taken that, he kissed her forehead, covered her with a soft knit throw, turned the television down low and literally watched her doze off.
Twice last night he’d awakened when she shifted around, trying to get comfortable. He should have realized why she was restless. Instead he’d tortured himself by spooning her, feeling her plump behind pressed to his groin, draping one arm over her waist. Her soft hair had teased his nose, and the rest of her teased him everywhere else. It had taken a little while, but eventually he’d faded back to sleep.
Had she?
Without the alarm jarring him awake, he’d slept till his usual 5:00 a.m. When he awoke, Cat was already alert, facing him, her nose in his chest hair.