by Lori Foster
“You know, my brother practically raised me here at the agency. I’ve seen so many wicked, unbelievable things that I know anything is possible.”
Everyone believed Sahara’s brother was dead—except Sahara. She’d taken over running the agency, but Miles didn’t think she’d ever give up looking for her brother. “You believe that scenario, even if the supposed psycho didn’t do anything more than move Maxi from inside to outside?” How did that make sense?
“Who knows what’s in the mind of a lunatic?” Sahara brushed back her long hair. “Perhaps that was just his first salvo. He could be building up to something, gaining courage as he goes along.”
“Fuck.” He really hated that idea.
“Perhaps,” she continued, “he’s hoping to weaken her resolve, and then he can swoop in to be her hero.”
“Not happening.” That’d be his first rule. As long as he was hanging around to play protector, no other dude would be horning in.
Eyeing his clenched hands and aggressive stance, Sahara smiled with approval. “I think you care for her, Miles, or you wouldn’t be all grumpy instead of your usual jovial self. More than that, I think she cares for you or she wouldn’t have come to you when she needed help. I think,” she stressed, “that she has a rather fantastical story to tell, one that many people wouldn’t believe, but she’s trusting you with it and that should count for a lot.” She straightened and walked around to her chair in a clear dismissal. “But then, what do I know? I just run this place.”
* * *
“PRIVATE,” MILES STATED as he steered down the long, bumpy gravel drive lined by concealing trees and shrubs. The woods hid the house until you turned the last curve where the cleared land spread out in all its lacking glory.
He parked where she indicated, his gaze scouring the house, barn and pond. Without comment, he came around to open her door. She’d already stepped out, and of course, the cats knew it.
Miles stared in awe as the animals converged from everywhere. They dropped out of trees, crawled out from under bushes, ran up from the pond. There had to be thirty of them currently fascinated by having a new face around. As she’d told him, she didn’t get visitors.
The majority of the cats were black, a few white, a few mixed and a few yellow. Some were huge, others petite. Long and lean, chubby and squat. They were all adorable.
They’d been her grandmother’s beloved pets and now they depended on her.
Many were feral, coming only close enough to eat the food put out for them twice a day. Others would twine around her legs, and some insisted on being held.
As Miles gazed around at the property, he drew a deep breath. “The air smells really good here.”
“Fresh country air.” She enjoyed it, too. But now?
She looked over at the small farmhouse she’d inherited. One and a half stories with a painted deck off the upstairs bedroom that created a cover for the front porch below. Every morning she had her coffee on that porch and listened to the birds singing, watched the deer at the pond, and of course, she petted cats. Despite the work that needed to be done, she could truly love it here.
If it weren’t for the menace.
Staring at the house now, she felt dread go up her spine. No one will drive me away. Her grandmother had trusted her, and by God, she wouldn’t let her down.
Of course, she felt a lot safer now with Miles at her side. She gestured toward the barn. “The cat food is in there in a big barrel. I should take care of that first.”
He nodded, his critical gaze going over her as if looking for signs of exhaustion or illness. “You want to wait here?”
“Nope.” Determined as she might be to stand her ground, for now she didn’t want to be alone.
He looked divided, his gaze going back to the dark barn. “It might be better—”
“I go where you go.”
The way he studied her face again, she almost squirmed. “All right.” He offered his hand. “Let’s go.”
She hesitated. Being close to him did crazy things to her. His hands, especially, sparked memories of all the ways he’d touched her, encouraged her, driven her wild. She caught her breath, feeling heat blossom.
She still couldn’t believe she’d forced herself on him in the office, making him hold her when he’d been clear that he was angry with her.
But, God, she’d needed his touch. She’d needed to feel safe. So she’d swallowed her pride and, despite his obvious—and justified—annoyance with her, she’d borrowed his strength.
And he’d let her. Even clearly irritated with her, he’d been supportive, going with her to the doctor’s, treating her gently.
Much as he’d always treated her before she’d run away.
Hopefully, once she explained to him, he’d understand. Not that she could recapture what she’d lost...
With his hand still outstretched, Miles said, “It’s not an invitation to get naked, Maxi. It’s just holding hands.”
No, for her and her sensitized nerve endings, it was so much more.
Grumbling to herself for being a fool, she slipped her hand into his, and all those amazing contrasts converged on her. She was of average height for a woman, but Miles was such a big guy, so ripped and solid and capable that she felt petite in comparison.
The way his strong fingers curved so warmly around hers seemed so blasted right. He shortened his long stride to match hers, considerate without having to think about it.
Being here with him, she could almost convince herself that things would be okay. He was that type of guy, always upbeat with a crooked smile that melted a person’s heart.
Until today, she’d never seen him annoyed.
“You’re quiet,” he said, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. “Holding up okay?”
“Yes.” After Dr. Brummel confirmed that she’d been drugged, she’d been badly shaken. She’d known, but still, she’d been hoping for another explanation.
There hadn’t been one—and she still didn’t know why.
“It’s okay if you’re not, you know. The doc said you could be feeling the effects another twenty-four hours.”
“My head’s clearer by the minute.” They’d driven back to her farm with the windows open and the rush of fresh air entering Miles’s SUV had helped to clear out the cobwebs.
Most of her recovery, however, had to do with having Miles at her side. Fear, she’d quickly learned, was debilitating.
“Okay, then,” he said. “Cats first, then the house, and then we talk.”
She dreaded going back inside, but because she knew she’d have to, she only nodded. I’m not alone now.
From the day she’d met Miles, she’d wanted him. It was like a craving. He’d smiled at her across the bar, and she’d been ready to say a resounding “yes!” to a question he hadn’t yet asked. In fact, only a few hours after their first hello, she was the one to ask, “Want to go someplace more private?”
Luckily his apartment hadn’t been far from the bar.
She didn’t blame herself for falling hard at the first sight of him. Late twenties, with dark brown hair, green eyes showcased by thick dark lashes, and that endearing smile... What woman wouldn’t go after him?
Even better than his face was his body. Tall, broad in the chest and shoulders, carved with muscle. It boggled her mind that one man could be so incredibly perfect. He used to be a professional athlete and it showed. In the two months since she’d last seen him, he’d bulked up even more. Now he looked downright imposing.
But it was his personality that had really done her in. She’d wanted, needed, a physical distraction from her troubles.
Miles had turned out to be so much more.
“What are you thinking?”
That I was a fool for walking away. She couldn’t tell him
that, though. “Just wondering what you must think, seeing all the cats and dead grass and the repairs that need to be made.”
“I’m thinking you have a lot to tell me. But if you need to nap, I can wait until tonight.”
“No, I don’t want to sleep.” She didn’t know how she’d ever sleep peacefully again.
Someone drugged me.
It kept popping up in her brain, kick-starting the paralyzing panic all over again. As if he understood, Miles tightened his fingers around hers, and that helped her shake it off. She concentrated on looking around the grounds while leading him to the barn.
The building sat a good distance behind the house, opposite of the pond, still sturdy but in need of paint. “Grandma used to keep a horse, cow and two goats in here. The farm animals were gone before I inherited the property, though.”
“And a bunch of cats took their place?”
“Seems like. That’s how I got the house, you know. My grandmother knew no one else would stay and take care of them. She left me a letter with her will, saying she was counting on me to do my duty.”
“Your duty, huh?”
She didn’t want to think about that either. “I’ve been catching them and getting them fixed. See the cats with notched ears? That means they’ve either been spayed or neutered, and they get a general checkup at the same time so they get their shots and checked for ear mites and fleas.”
“Must be expensive.”
“It just takes a lot of time. Dr. Miller, the vet, is giving me a discount, since I have so many cats here. He said my grandma would bring them in every so often, but it was a losing battle. She’d catch three, and at the same time another would have a litter of four.”
Miles turned thoughtful. “You take the cats to him, or he comes here?”
“I take them to him. I told you, no one comes here.”
“How far away is he?”
“It’s a twenty-minute drive. Once you get on the main road, it’s not far at all.” She pointed in the distance. “Opposite direction of how we came, and it’s the nearest civilization.”
“Not sure any of this feels all that civilized.”
She grinned. “Right. There’s a grocery and hardware store, a bank. The vet. Things like that. If you want to go to a movie theater or do any real shopping, it’s forty minutes back the way we came.”
“The cats are everywhere,” Miles noted, but not with disgust, not like he thought she ought to run them all off, or worse, destroy them.
She saw that he, too, was busy looking around for signs of danger. Neither of them saw anything but the beautiful trees and the brown grass in need of rain, the pond and the birds.
It was so beautiful.
And somehow treacherous.
The barn door stood ajar. Before Miles could wonder about it, she explained. “I leave it like that. Some of the cats get in there to sleep.” When she reached for the door, Miles held her back.
“Let me.” He gave it a good pull. As the heavy door swung out, sunlight poured in, slanting across golden straw, sending the shadows to recede. Dust motes floated in the air and earthy scents escaped. He stepped in cautiously, giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the dimmer interior.
They both jumped when a feral cat leaped from the loft and shot out past them.
Hand to her heart, Maxi said, “Blast, they get me every time.”
He laughed but said, “You have reason to be nervous and I’m not used to cats.”
“They appear at the darnedest times.” Like when she was trying to sneak into her own house.
Maxi sighed. She was tired, frazzled and ravenous. More than anything, she wanted breakfast—even though it was now time for lunch—and then she wanted a shower. Knowing someone had touched her made her feel dirty. She wanted to scrub from head to toes in hot water.
Yet nothing would get done until she’d taken care of the cats. They depended on her, and they looked disappointed that she hadn’t yet fed them. “There’s the barrel. I have to screw the lid on tight or the raccoons open it and it’s a free-for-all. Every bit of the food would be gone in one day.”
Grinning, Miles said, “I never pictured you on a farm dealing with a herd of cats and raccoons.”
She waved a hand down at her hideous outfit. “Yeah, I never pictured it either.”
“Actually, you look cute.”
Her incredulous gaze shot to his, but he didn’t notice as he wrestled the lid off the barrel. He managed it a whole lot easier than she usually did, but then, he was made of muscle.
Cats had followed them in, and now more gathered as he opened their food source. Meows filled the air. It was tough to move with so many animals twining around their legs.
After he almost tripped, Miles said, “Impatient, aren’t they?”
“I’m late.”
“What time do you usually feed them?”
“By seven thirty or so at the latest. Generally I feed them, then get my coffee and sit on the porch to enjoy the morning before I get started on chores.”
“Somehow, that doesn’t sound awful.”
“No,” she agreed. “It was actually a nice routine.” If it weren’t for so many different things conspiring against her, she’d be loving life right about now.
Several of the cats were trying to stretch up to the top of the barrel. Smiling, Maxi pointed to the long metal channel against the wall behind the barrel. “I use the large scoop inside to fill that trough.”
He laughed. “A trough for cats.”
“Hey, it was the only thing I could think of to get them all fed at the same time.”
“You’re resourceful.”
Was that two compliments in a row? Maybe he wasn’t as angry as he’d seemed. More likely, it was his compassionate nature trying to make her more at ease.
But...she couldn’t be the only one feeling the sexual tension. Around Miles, it hit her like a tsunami. Even under the awful circumstances, she wasn’t immune to his appeal. In fact, because of everything she’d just gone through, she felt even more drawn to him and his strength.
Watching as he loaded the scoop, she said, “It’s actually a pig trough, but when you see them eating...well, let’s just say it fits.”
The cats carried on as if they hadn’t eaten in days, instead of just being late for breakfast. By the time Miles filled the trough, the cats had lined up side by side and were devouring their chow.
“That has to be half of a bag right there.”
“I buy in bulk,” she said. “I have to store the extra bags in the house, though, or the raccoons—”
“Throw a party?” Miles grinned down at her.
“They do!”
He laughed, but slowly, as his gaze roamed her face, the grin faded. He removed a dried weed from her hair, tucked a wayward lock behind her ear, then brushed his thumb over her cheek. He leaned toward her.
Her toes curled in the rubber boots. God, she’d missed his kiss so much, the taste of him, the feel of his firm lips and his clever tongue and—
“Wait.” She flattened a hand to his chest.
Expression enigmatic, Miles cleaned a smudge off her cheek. “You’re exhausted.”
Oh God. She’d freaked out over nothing.
Get a grip, Maxi.
After clearing her throat, she said, “Yes, and it shows.”
He flicked the end of her nose. “You still look cute.”
He’d said it again! Frazzled from the mixed signals, she propped her hands on her hips. “You’re either super horny or just trying to make me feel better.”
“How about a little of both?”
Shivering with awareness, Maxi took a safe step back before she thought too much about that big, hard body of his settling over her. “The thing is, I haven’t br
ushed my teeth yet this morning. In fact, not since yesterday morning. I would have last night before I went to bed, if I’d had a normal night. But normal nights around here are hard to come by.”
“I wasn’t coming on to you, babe. Your teeth are safe from me, so relax, okay?”
“Trying.” Unsuccessfully. On top of the dull headache still crowding the back of her skull, too many conflicting emotions bombarded her. “The reason I stopped you—”
“You were clear enough on why I’m here. I won’t be pressuring you, so stop worrying about that.”
Blast. If she was honest with herself, and she probably should be, the reason she’d thought of Miles the second she realized she needed help was because she wanted the closeness unique to him, not only his overpowering sex appeal, but the sense of security he gave her when he focused on her so intimately.
Sure, she’d sworn off guys. Her track record made that the sensible thing to do. But then she’d gotten to know Miles...
She might have expected him to be antagonistic after the way she’d ended things, but she hadn’t figured on him actually caring, had assumed she’d be only one in a line of women he knew. Obviously it had bothered him, probably because he wasn’t used to any type of rejection, and now this was going wrong fast.
Trying to recover a little ground, she explained, “I wasn’t exactly worried.” Hopeful, maybe, but not worried.
Staring up at the sky, Miles watched a turkey vulture, wings spread wide as it glided overhead with little effort. “The thing is, we do know each other.” This time he took her hand, folding it securely in his, and started them on their way. “Granted it was only those three times, but I can’t treat you like a stranger.”
No, they definitely weren’t strangers. In many ways, Miles knew her body better than she did. “I wouldn’t expect you to.” She’d specifically gone to him because she did know him—and odd as it seemed, she was completely at ease with him.
Always had been.
That first time with him had been nothing short of amazing. She hadn’t guessed that sex could be like that, so intense and incredibly hot, yet also tender, too. In comparison, what she’d known before Miles was just rutting.