Close Contact

by Lori Foster

  “Because I’m weak and he’s not.” It wasn’t a bitter observation, just the truth. She told Sahara everything she’d already told to a dozen different officers. “He was hurt but pushed through it.”

  “Fighters learn how to do that, or so I’ve been told. It’s one of those qualities that also make them excellent bodyguards.”

  Maxi felt certain that Miles would be excellent at anything he did. “He was enraged, but he didn’t injure Woody any more than necessary to disarm him. He’s been antagonistic toward Fletcher since he got here, but under these new circumstances, he was...kind.” Damn it, emotion choked her up again.

  “I’m not sure I’d employ an unkind man.”

  That sounded odd, given the employees were bodyguards who sometimes had to deal with lethal situations—like hers. “Really?”

  “Of course. Being effective doesn’t mean you can’t also be thoughtful. I’ve seen cruelty, and it’s reckless. I wouldn’t want a reckless employee.”

  Wow. Sahara saw things that Maxi had never imagined, and it gave her such a unique perspective. “You must be very pleased with Miles because he’s amazing. In all ways.”

  “True.” Sahara shoulder-bumped her. “With a guy like that, you should probably ask him to stick around, right?”

  “I want to.” She used the crumpled tissue in her fist to wipe her eyes again. Getting the words out wasn’t easy. “Do you know what a mess it’s going to be around here? The chief said they’ll dig up the three bodies, but he wants to wait until it’s not so muddy. And they’ll have to drain the pond, but that’s okay. I want it gone. I think I’ll fill it with dirt and put in a new one somewhere.” She shuddered. “As long as they get them off my property, I don’t care about mud.”

  “It’ll be okay.”

  Putting her forehead on her knees helped Maxi to hide her misery and kept others from noticing her tears. “My poor cats are going to be terrorized, so it’s not like I can stay somewhere else while that’s going on.”

  “Probably not.”

  “But you said it yourself, that Miles needs peace and quiet. He deserves that, especially right now with his head injury.”

  “I plan to give him two weeks off.”

  Two weeks didn’t sound like much to Maxi, but then, she knew Miles. He might not take any offered break. When he’d told her he liked to stay busy, he’d meant it. “I hope he uses the time to recuperate.”

  “Away from you?” Sahara tsked. “Do you really think he’ll agree to that?”

  Another bubble of emotion clogged her throat. “I don’t know.”

  Sahara said softly, “Maybe you should ask him.”

  “I can’t. That’d be so unfair. I’m forty-five minutes away from Body Armor. He needs to rest, then get back to work, back to his life.” She gave a pathetic laugh. “Hopefully his next job will be easier than this has been.”

  “You don’t know me very well, do you?”

  Maxi stiffened. That was Miles’s voice, coming from where Sahara had been. She tipped her head to the side, just enough to peek at him. With one hand he held an ice pack to the back of his head, and with the other he gently tucked back her hair.

  Blast. There he was, being amazing again while she whimpered like a weenie.

  She made herself straighten, and by a sheer act of will she managed to stem the useless tears. “I want to keep seeing you.” There, she’d said it.

  His mouth quirked to one side. “You’ll be seeing me, all right.” He cupped her face. “Or did you think I’d let you walk out on me again?” Without giving her a chance to answer, he added, “I won’t, you know, especially now that I know where to find you.”

  Hope was a crazy thing, making her heart pump and scaring her at the same time. She turned her face to kiss his palm, then nestled her cheek against him. “It’s going to be insane around here, but I was hoping I could come to see you when you’re not working.”

  A strange look crossed his features. “And where do you think I’ll be?”

  “I guess...your apartment?”

  “No.” When Hero inched up onto the porch, Miles bent to lift him into his lap. The cat crawled up his chest, sniffed his chin, then butted his head against him.

  Still one armed, Miles rearranged him on his lap and the cat started to purr.

  Maxi waited, but he said nothing else. She cleared her throat. “I wouldn’t expect you to make the forty-five-minute drive. For one thing, you’re hurt. And once you’re feeling better, you’ll want to get back to work.”

  “I’m going to be here,” he said, his attention on the cat. “So neither of us will have to travel far.”

  Her mouth went so dry, she couldn’t swallow. “Here?”

  Finally, he looked at her. “I love you, Maxi.”

  Every bone in her body melted. “Oh my God, I love you, too.”

  “Don’t start crying again.” He leaned forward for a soft, brief kiss. “It devastates me.”

  She had to laugh. With everything they’d been through, that was what bothered him? “I love you,” she repeated. And now that she knew he loved her, too, everything else was workable. “I can’t ask you to travel that far for work, and I can’t see a way for me to—”

  “If I need to,” he said, “I’ll find a new job.”

  Sahara had been standing at least ten feet away in conversation with Brand, but she whipped around to glare at him. “No, you absolutely will not!”

  Brand threw up his hands, following her when she marched over to them.

  “I’m adding bodyguards,” she said with a pointed look at Brand. “Not removing them.”

  Maxi felt terrible. “Of course he can’t quit. He loves his job.”

  “I love you more,” Miles said.

  She melted again, then started breathing too fast. Knowing she’d never let him leave his job for her, Maxi scrambled for another idea. “Maybe I could find a caretaker, someone to live at the farm and tend to the—”

  “No.” Miles frowned at her. “You love it here.”

  Her smile trembled. “I love you more.”

  Sahara choked. “This is all so beautifully romantic and, honestly, a little melodramatic. No one needs to make a sacrifice, and that includes me. Miles doesn’t need to be at the agency every day. Twice a week, in the case of meetings or for a new assignment, is often enough. We live in a cyber world, people. Nearly everything else can be handled online. Of course, there will be the occasional travel for clients who aren’t nearby, but overall I can handpick assignments that are closer to where each of my bodyguards live.”

  She finished by beaming at Brand.

  He frowned. “Let up, will you? Wrong time, wrong place.”

  Her smile didn’t slip when she turned back to Maxi and Miles. “So, do we have a happy ending?”

  “I’m happy,” Maxi promised. So much so, she could barely contain herself.

  “Getting there.” Miles grinned, then said to Sahara, “I don’t suppose you could handle the mess out here?”

  Sahara flapped a hand. “Piece of cake. Why don’t you both go inside and get cleaned up, change your clothes, share some kisses—whatever you need to do to put a pretty ribbon on the end of this day? I’ll talk with the officers and get a schedule worked out so you know what to expect and when. I’ll ensure that they wrap this up quickly and with as little fuss as possible.”

  Maxi’s head spun after all that.

  “Thank you.” Miles stood, tossed the ice pack to Brand, who caught it, then handed the cat to Sahara. “This poor guy was part of Woody’s plan and could use some TLC.”

  “Oh.” Sahara hesitated but then cuddled the cat close when she heard him purring.

  Miles took Maxi’s hand and walked her inside. The second he got the door closed behind her, he turned her and
pinned her to the wall.

  “Tell me again.”

  “That I love you?” She stared up into his beautiful green eyes. “How could you not know that?”

  “After you ran from me? When you only came back to me because you needed protection? When you—”

  She touched a finger to his lips. “I love you. You are the most remarkable man I’ve ever known. I think I started falling in love with you about an hour after meeting you.” She let out a breath. “Then we had sex, and I knew I was a goner.”

  Miles bit the end of her finger. “So I won you over with sexual prowess? Yeah, I can live with that.”

  She laughed. “You won me over by being you, so big and strong, gorgeous but still so nice. You’re incredibly easy to talk to, plus you listen. You make me laugh without even trying. You’re kind and hardworking. You have deadly skills, but you’re so gentle with the cats. I know you’re there to back me up, but you don’t try to take over. You have great friends, and—”

  “And the sex is top-notch?”

  See now, how could she not love him? “There you go,” she whispered, “making me laugh after our horrendous evening.”

  “I’d rather have a horrendous evening with you than a boring evening alone.”

  He’d said something similar before, after he’d gotten his arm stitched. And that hadn’t finished healing before he got hit in the head. But he wanted her, and she more than wanted him.

  And finally the danger was over.

  Maxi whispered, “The sex is so incredible, I have no words.”

  “Now we’re talking.” He kissed her long and deep, then put his forehead to hers. “Sahara will find out how long it’ll take to wrap up this mess, then we’ll fix everything.”

  “And get my goats delivered?”

  “Yes.”

  “And plant some sod?”

  “Definitely.”

  “I want a new pond.”

  “Great idea.” He kissed her again. “Plus, we’ll remodel the kitchen and bathrooms, maybe make one of the bedrooms bigger—and just so you know, I have enough of my own money to do all that. Being a fighter was lucrative, especially since I’m good with finances.”

  “Is there anything you’re not good at?”

  “Resisting you.” He kissed her again. “I suck at that.”

  “I’m glad.”

  He hugged her close, his mouth against her temple. “We have a lot to get done.”

  “Like getting married?”

  This kiss was hungry, hard and fast. “Best idea yet.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “And we’ll live here, happily ever after, with my boss and friends occasionally visiting—and a lot of cats.”

  It seemed incredible, but the future looked very bright. “That sounds absolutely perfect to me.”

  * * * * *

  Look for Brand and Sahara’s sizzling story, FAST BURN, from Lori Foster and HQN Books!

  Read on for a sneak peek...

  Fast Burn

  by Lori Foster

  CHAPTER ONE

  SAHARA SILVER SAT behind her enormous desk in her posh office on one of the upper floors of the elite Body Armor agency. Bright October sunshine splashed through tall windows. A large vase of fresh flowers, delivered that morning from a very content client, filled the air with sweetness.

  For the most part, she was content.

  She ran the most elite bodyguard agency in the area, probably in the whole country. She’d acquired a trifecta of studly employees, ex-MMA fighters with ability, competence and, her favorite, sexiness. Her agency was recently instrumental in solving a high-profile case, but she was no less satisfied with the outcome of other, more personal cases.

  Body Armor saw results. Clients could come to her with a wide range of needs and know they’d be in good hands.

  Yes, her life would almost be perfect...if her brother weren’t missing, assumed dead by everyone except her.

  Once she found her brother—because in her heart she knew he was still alive—he’d reclaim control of his company. He wouldn’t be thrilled with the changes she’d implemented, but always, from the time she was a know-it-all preteen, he’d encouraged her independence, her fearlessness and her confidence. Scott would understand why she’d had to put her stamp on the agency once she’d inherited it.

  Not that it mattered. She’d turn it all over in a nanosecond to have him back. She’d live in a cardboard box on the street if she could just hug her brother one more time.

  “Brand Berry is here to see you.”

  Surprised, Sahara glanced at Enoch, her right-hand man and very good friend. “Brand is here?” She immediately felt flustered. Absurd. “I wasn’t expecting him. Did I miss a meeting?”

  “No.” Enoch lowered his voice in a conspiratorial way. “He said he only needed a minute of your time when you were free, and since you’re free right now—”

  “Yes, of course. Show him in.” Even as she said it, a tiny unfamiliar thrill ran through her.

  She’d made a point of surrounding herself with some of the finest male specimens on the planet—professional fighters that she’d turned into prime bodyguards, each of them in high demand. It was her vision for Body Armor, to get rid of the stuffy “men in black” clones and offer instead real men, with real muscles, certifiable machismo and lethal ability with or without a weapon.

  No, she didn’t fire the previously established bodyguards; that would have been disloyal to her brother, who’d hired them. She simply reassigned them to the more boring cases, and overall they were happy with that.

  Anything to do with a celebrity, a dignitary or a politician, her elite team now covered.

  She desperately wanted to add Brand to that team.

  Thinking she’d have a minute, she was just circling out from behind her desk when Brand stepped in around Enoch. Instead of waiting in the guest area, as a client would do, he must have been hovering right outside her door!

  Her toes curled in her high heels.

  Enoch was on the small size, five-two, slight of build, with average brown hair and eyes. It was his keen intelligence and attention to detail that made him so perfect at his job.

  But his size didn’t really matter when he stood next to a man who made most everyone seem small, her included. Brand was big and badass with a solid steel frame of muscle all wrapped up in a cocky attitude.

  Faded jeans molded to his thick thighs, going well with his running shoes and an ancient Aerosmith T-shirt that stretched over his chest and broad shoulders. Reflective sunglasses pushed to the top of his head made his golden-brown hair messy. Darker brown eyes held her captive as he murmured, “Sahara.”

  Leaning a hip against her desk, she drank in the rugged, virile sight of him. “Be still my heart.”

  Wary exasperation rooted him to the spot.

  Yes, she always spoke her mind. Why not? She was the boss. Putting her hands together, her fingers extended to frame him in a square, she remarked, “A photo of you looking just like that could launch my new line of advertisement.”

  He crossed his arms. “Advertisement for what?”

  “Bodyguards with ability and sex appeal.” He’d look great on a billboard, maybe with a gun in his hand. She could already see it. Maybe she should ask Enoch to keep a camera at his desk for occasions like this?

  When Brand just stood there, his expression amused, she smiled. “Tell me you’ve come to give me good news.” She’d been after him for a few months now, constantly throwing out bait, trying to reel him in. He’d nibbled, but he wasn’t caught. Not yet.

  “I came to talk about that, yes.”

  Elation conflicted with disappointment. There were times when she hoped they could take a different path from employer and employee
, one more personal, intimate.

  Even...sexually satisfying.

  But in the end, the business came first. Always.

  She hadn’t given up hope for her brother, and when he finally returned, he deserved to find the company thriving.

  She put her heart and soul into making that happen. There was no time for anything else.

  “Perfect.” She tried to be excited, but it wasn’t easy.

  “Actually,” Brand said, coming to stand very near her, “I’ve got another fight lined up.”

  That gave her pause. She’d thought he was done with that for very difficult, personal reasons. “Oh? So how long do I have to wait for you to finish up—”

  “It’ll be my last fight, but,” he said with gentle emphasis, “I’m not signing up as a bodyguard.”

  Her stomach bottomed out. This felt too much like losing, and by God, she did not lose. Determination had her straightening. “Tell me what it is you need. More money? Better benefits?”

  Brand shook his head. “Truth is, Sahara, I can’t see me working for you.”

  Wow. Now, that hurt. Peeved, she moved away from him to sit in her chair behind her desk. A power position.

  She met his gaze without flinching. “I see.” No, she didn’t.

  “You’re too pushy.” He smiled when he said it. “Too used to getting your way. And you love being in charge, but then, so do I.”

  Never in her life had she been so insulted. “Are you telling me you don’t like me?” She rose from the chair again without realizing it, hands flat on the surface of the desk as she leaned toward him in challenge. “I got a very different impression.”

  “I like you,” he confirmed but then added, “because you’re not my boss.” He surprised her by mimicking her position until their noses almost touched over the middle of her desk.