"You wouldn't dare."
"You're not dealing with a sixteen-year-old, Larry," she informed him coldly, too angry to laugh at the situation. He had no idea who--or what--he was dealing with. The idiot. He thought he could force her into sleeping with him by threatening to dump her in a bad part of town? She wondered if his plan had actually worked for him before. The idea made her fingers itch to get at him. She held on to her cool and stared him down.
Swearing furiously, Larry revved the motor and, laying a trail of rubber, screeched away, leaving her standing in the middle of an empty street.
Saber stamped her foot as she glared at the disappearing tail lights. "Darn it, Saber," she muttered, kicking at the curb in frustration. "If you insist on going out with jerks, what do you expect?" She was tired of trying to be normal. Weary to death of pretending. She was never going to fit in, not in a million years.
Raking a hand through the mass of thick, blue-black curls spilling in unruly confusion around her face, she took a long, slow look around. Larry hadn't been kidding--it was an appalling part of town.
Drawing a deep breath, she muttered, "Just wonderful. There are probably rats down here. Starving rats. This is not good, Saber, not good at all. You should have kicked the hell out of him and stolen his car."
Sighing heavily, she headed down the cracked, dirty sidewalk toward the only streetlight, which illuminated a telephone booth. "It will be my luck the stupid thing is broken. If it is, Larry," she vowed aloud, "you will definitely pay for your sins."
Because, of course, she couldn't have a cell phone like everyone else. She didn't leave paper trails for anyone to follow. Next time, if there ever was a next time that she was stupid enough to go on a date, she would take her own car and she would do the dumping.
A forty-five-minute wait for a cab. Bravado would only carry so far. She was not going to wait forty-five minutes in the dark surrounded by rats. No way. How incompetent of the taxi service not to have planned their resources better.
In a fit of temper she slammed the phone in its cradle, giving only a fleeting thought to the dispatcher's ear. Saber kicked the side of the booth and nearly broke her toes. Howling, jumping around like an idiot, she vowed eternal revenge on Larry.
She should have stayed in the car and faced him down instead of letting him drive off. He was a worm crawling his way across the earth, but he was no monster. She knew monsters intimately. They dogged her every step, and soon--far too soon if she didn't leave--they would find her again. A slimebag like Larry was a prince in comparison. Larry certainly hadn't recognized the monster in her. If he had touched her...She pushed the thought away and made herself think normal. She should have decked him though, just once, for all the other women who would be put in the same situation because he liked power. She was fairly certain most women would have had the desire to at least punch the bastard.
Saber sighed softly and shook her head. She was putting off the inevitable. She wasn't walking home and she couldn't very well stay where she was. She was going to pay royally for this, but what was one more lecture out of several hundred? Fighting for a deep controlling breath, she punched in the numbers, her fingertip unconsciously using a rather vicious stabbing motion on the blameless telephone.
Jess Calhoun lay sprawled out full length on the wide, leather, specially built futon, staring up at the ceiling in the darkness. Suffocating silence surrounded him, wrapped him up and pressed heavily down on him. The sound of the clock ticking was only in his mind. Endless seconds, minutes. An eternity. Where was she? What the hell was she doing out at two thirty in the morning? This was her night off. She wasn't at the radio station working later than usual, he'd already checked. Surely she hadn't been in an accident. Someone would have notified him. He'd called every hospital in the area, at least he could console himself with the knowledge that she wasn't in any of them.
His fingers curled slowly into a fist, beat impotently once, twice, on the leather. She hadn't told him she was going out. She hadn't even called to say she would be late. One of these days he would be pushed too far by mysterious, elusive Saber Wynter, and he would just strangle her.
The first memory of her washed over him unbidden, reminding him it was his own folly that had landed him in such an uncomfortable position. He had opened the door ten months earlier to find on his doorstep the most beautiful child he had ever seen, worn suitcase in hand. No more than five foot two, she had raven-colored hair, so black that little blue lights gleamed through the riot of curls. Her face was small, fragile, with classic delicate bones and a faintly haughty nose. Soft flawless skin, full mouth, and enormous violet-blue eyes. She had an innocence about her that made him want--no, need--to protect her. She was shivering unbearably in the cold air.
She'd wordlessly handed him a piece of paper with his ad on it. She wanted the job at the radio station, vacated when his night crew had been killed in a car accident. The accident had left everyone shaken, and Jess had taken a long time before he thought about filling the position, but he'd recently advertised for someone.
It had been her eyes and mouth that had given her away. This was no child wrapped in a thin denim jacket several sizes too large, but a young, exhausted, exotic, disturbingly beautiful woman. Those eyes had seen things they shouldn't have had to, and he wouldn't--couldn't--turn the young woman with those eyes away.
It had taken a moment to close his mouth and move back into the foyer, inviting her in. His hand had completely enveloped hers, yet he could feel the strength of her grip. Beneath the deceptive peaches-and-cream skin were muscles of steel. She moved with flowing grace, her carriage so regal he pegged her for a ballet dancer or gymnast. When she had finally offered a tentative smile, she had taken his breath away.
Jess raked a hand through his hair, cursing himself for inviting her in. From that moment, he had been lost; he knew with a certainty he always would be. Over the past ten months she had cast a spell and he didn't even want out. He had never had a reaction to a woman the way he had to her. He couldn't let her go, no matter how illogical that had been, so instead he'd opened his home, offering her the job as well as light housekeeping in exchange for a place to live.
Of course he'd investigated her; he wasn't entirely out of his mind. He owed it to his fellow GhostWalkers, members of his elite military team, to know who was sharing his house, but there was no Saber Wynter in existence. It wasn't exactly shocking, he suspected she was hiding from someone, but it was very unusual that he couldn't find out every last thing about her, especially when he had her fingerprints.
The shrill ringing of the telephone sent his heart slamming hard against the wall of his chest. His hand flew out, the swift striking of a coiled snake, and snatched up the receiver. "Saber?" It was a prayer, damn her, a blatant prayer. He inhaled deep, wishing he could draw her into his lungs and hold her there.
"Hi, Jesse," she greeted him breezily, as if it were noon and he hadn't been climbing the walls for hours. "I sort of have this teeny little problem."
He ignored the relief racing through his body, the tightening of his muscles at the sensual sound of her voice, and the instant hard-on that never quite went away when he thought about her--which was all the time. "Damn it, Saber, don't you dare tell me you landed yourself in jail again." He really was going to strangle her. A man could only take so much.
Her sigh was exaggerated. "Honestly, Jesse, do you have to bring that silly incident up every time something goes wrong? It's not like I tried to get arrested."
"Saber," he said in exasperation, "holding out your hands with your wrists together is asking to be arrested."
"It was for a good cause," she protested.
"Chaining yourself to an old folks' home to call attention to conditions is not exactly the right way to go about changing things. Where the hell are you?"
"You sound like an old grumpy bear with a sore tooth." Saber tapped out a rhythm with a long fingernail on the booth wall, one of the nervous habits she'd never ov
ercome. "I'm stuck out here near the old warehouses, sort of, um, like by myself--without a car."
"Damn it, Saber!"
"You already said that," she pointed out judiciously.
"You stay put." Cold steel was in the deep timbre of his voice. "Don't leave that phone booth. You hear me, Saber? I'd better not find you throwing dice with a bunch of deadbeats down there."
"Very funny, Jesse."
She laughed, actually laughed, the little brat. Jess slammed down the phone, itching to shake her. The thought of her, so fragile and unprotected, down near the warehouses, one of the worst parts of town, scared him to death.
Saber hung up and leaned weakly against the wall of the phone booth, momentarily closing her eyes. She was trembling so hard she could barely stand. It took an effort to pry her fingers, one by one, from the receiver. She hated the dark, the demons lurking in the shadows, the way the black night could turn people into savage animals. Her job at the radio station, the job she owed to Jess, couldn't have been better suited to her, because she could stay up all night.
And tonight, her first night off in ages, had to be spent with Larry the Louse. He just had to dump her butt in the worst section of town he could find--not that she couldn't take care of herself, and that was the problem. It would always be the problem. She wasn't normal. She should be afraid of what lurked in the night, not afraid of harming someone.
She sighed. She had no idea why she had gone out with Larry at all. She didn't even like him or his rotten breath. The truth was, she didn't like any of the men she dated, but she wanted to like them, wanted to be attracted to them.
She sank down in the small booth, drawing her knees up to her chest. Jesse would come for her, she knew it. It was as certain as Jess's silly story about needing someone to rent the upstairs apartment, or how it was so cheap because he needed someone to do light housekeeping for him.
The place was a palace as far as Saber was concerned. Wide open spaces kept immaculately clean. The upstairs was no apartment, had never been an apartment. The second upstairs bathroom had been added after she had moved in. The huge, well-equipped weight room and full-size swimming pool were an added enticement that he'd said she could use anytime.
For the first time in her life, Saber had swallowed her pride and had taken a handout. The truth was, as much as she hated to admit it, she had never had cause to be sorry, not once since she'd moved in--except that she'd known she couldn't stay too long. Jess was the real reason she stayed--not his house, the swimming pool, or her job. Just Jesse.
She closed her eyes briefly and rubbed her chin on her knees. She was getting far too attached to the man. Six months ago it wouldn't have occurred to her to call for help, now it didn't occur to her not to. The revelation made her uneasy. It was time to leave, past time to leave, she was getting too comfortable. Saber Wynter had to go out in flames and a new identity had to rise from the ashes, because if she stayed any longer, she was in terrible danger, and this time, it wasn't going to be anyone's fault but her own.
The van rumbled up to the curb in record time. Jesse thrust his handsome face out the window. His eyes were dark with shadows as he looked her over rather anxiously. The drift of those gorgeous eyes had her stomach flipping when she didn't want to feel anything but relief.
Saber stood up slowly, a little shakily, and dusted off the seat of her jeans, allowing herself time to recover.
"Saber," he growled, cold steel very much in evidence.
She hopped in, leaning over to give him a quick kiss on his shadowed jaw. "Thanks, Jesse, what would I do without you?"
The van didn't move, so she made a slight face at him and, under his watchful gaze, she snapped her safety belt around her.
"Let's not find out." Velvet over steel. He said the words in exasperation, his glittering eyes sweeping her small, slender figure possessively, assuring himself she wasn't hurt. "What happened this time, baby? Someone convince you these little warehouses are death traps and you decided to commit a little arson?"
"Of course not," she denied, but she studied the buildings with a prejudiced eye as they drove by. "Although now that you mention it, someone should probably look into the problem."
Jess groaned his annoyance. "So what happened, angel face?"
She shrugged with casual disdain. "My date dumped me off after a little tiff."
"I can imagine," Jess said, but something dark and dangerous began to smolder in the depths of his eyes. "What did you do? Suggest stealing someone's chairs from their porch? A raid on the YMCA? What was it this time?"
"Has it occurred to you that it just might be Larry's fault?" she demanded indignantly.
"Sure, for all of two seconds, although I intend to find this friend of yours and beat him to a bloody pulp."
"Can I watch?" Saber grinned at him, inviting him to laugh at the entire incident with her. That was the thing about Jesse she loved so much; he was so protective and dangerous. He gave the illusion of being a teddy bear, but underneath...underneath all that muscle was something deadly that drew her like a magnet.
"It's not funny, you little brat, you could have been mugged, or worse. Now what happened?"
"I'm quite capable of taking care of myself," Saber informed him haughtily. "You know I can too."
"I know you think you can. That isn't quite the same thing." He turned probing, hawk-like eyes on her. "Now stop avoiding the question and tell me what happened."
Saber stared sightlessly out the window. It almost made her resentful that she was going to tell him. She didn't want to, but for some reason she seemed to tell him anything he asked. Worse, she never felt uncomfortable with him afterward. She was definitely getting too close--and that meant she had to leave him.
Leave him? Where had that come from? Her stomach dropped out from under her and her heart did a strange little flip that was very alarming.
"Stop sticking your obstinate little chin out, Saber; it always means you're about to become stubborn. I don't know why you bother, since you always tell me what I want to know in the end."
"Maybe I don't think it's any of your business." She said it decisively, pretending she felt no guilt.
"It's my business if you have to call me out at two thirty in the morning when one of your lowlife boyfriends dumps you out on the street."
Instantly Saber's temper flared to life. "Hey, I'm sorry I bothered you," she said belligerently, because the way he made her feel was scaring the hell out of her. "If you want me to, I'll get out of your precious van right now."
He sent her a long, mocking, ice-cold stare. "You can try, sweetheart, but I can guarantee you won't make it." His voice gentled, became a velvet caress, smoothing over her skin and sending a current of electricity snaking through her bloodstream. "Stop being your usual contrary self and tell me why he dumped you."
"I wouldn't sleep with him," she muttered in a low voice.
"Run it by me again, baby, this time looking at me," he suggested silkily.
Saber heaved a sigh. "I wouldn't go to bed with him," she repeated.
There was a long silence while he opened the security gate by punching a code into the remote control opener and maneuvered the van down the long winding drive and into the large garage.
Jess, using his heavily muscled arms, hoisted himself into his waiting chair. His electric one, Saber noticed. "Come on, honey," his voice was so unexpectedly gentle she found herself blinking back burning tears. "You can ride on my lap."
Saber managed a small smile, although her gaze skittered away from his all-seeing eyes as she curled up, snuggling against his chest, drawing comfort from his presence. He was as hard as a rock. Her bottom slid over the large bulge in his lap, sending a thousand wings beating against the walls of her stomach. She sat on him all the time, and he was always hard. Always erect. There were times when she desperately wanted to do something about that--like now--but she didn't dare change their arrangement. And it wasn't as if it were all for her. She wished it was, but
he never once made a move on her. Not one.
Jess could feel the trembling of her slender body. His hand brushed the pulse beating so frantically at the base of her throat. For a moment his arms closed protectively around her, his chin resting on the top of her silky head. She had to feel the monster of a hard-on, but she never said a word, simply slid her bottom over him and settled down as if she fit there perfectly. If she could ignore the damned thing, so could he.
"Are you sure you're all right, Saber?" he asked quietly.
She nodded, making a little sound of affirmation, muffled against the broad expanse of his chest.
The wheelchair was locked in place, the lift lowering them to the ground. Normally, Jess preferred his lightweight racing chair. He propelled it manually, maneuvering it with ease, liking the exercise, the control, the freedom to play. But at the moment, he was grateful for his larger, heavier electric chair. It left his arms free to cradle Saber against him. She seemed a little lost tonight, very vulnerable, and she rarely showed him that side of her. Saber preferred humor to anything else and used it often as a barrier between herself and the rest of the world.
Once in the house, he took them straight through to the darkened living room. His hand tangled in her hair, fingers massaging her scalp, easing the tension out of her.
"So facing me was preferable to sleeping with this bum, hmm?" he teased gently.
She turned her face up to his. "I would never sleep with someone I wasn't in love with." And she wouldn't either. She was going to live her life to the best of her ability. She was going to make friends, have causes, know what fun was. And damn it all, just once, just one time, she was going to know real love. When that time came she'd give that man her body, because she wouldn't have anything else to give him.
"You never told me that. You mean all these idiots you date..."
She sat up abruptly, would have jumped from his lap, but his arms came up to circle her slender form, effectively holding her prisoner. She glared at him, furious. "Is that what you've been thinking of me all this time?" she demanded. "You think I just go to bed with anyone at all?"
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