Denise A Agnew Special Investigations Agency Over The Line (Ellora's Cave)

OVER THE LINE

An Ellora’s Cave Publication, August 2004

Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

PO Box 787

Hudson, OH 44236-0787

ISBN MS Reader (LIT) ISBN # 1-84360-981-9

Other available formats (no ISBNs are assigned):

Adobe (PDF), Rocketbook (RB), Mobipocket (PRC) & HTML

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales

is purely coincidental. They are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

Edited by Martha Punches.

Cover art by Syneca.

OVER THE LINE

Denise A. Agnew

Denise A. Agnew

Chapter One

Special Investigations Agency

Division Six

Somewhere in Colorado

“This isn’t going to be easy,” Ellie Sterling said to the empty hallway as she strode

toward her boss’s office, the last bundle of message traffic in hand.

Fluorescent lights in the narrow hall burned her tired eyes. She’d spent too many

sleepless nights worrying about the measures she must take.

Ben Darrock would bust a gasket when he saw the other note nestled among the

items she needed to show him. Correction. The big Scotsman would come unglued and

start demanding she take action.

When she arrived at his door, she stopped and stared at the nameplate. Ben

Darrock, Director, Division Six. It always took nerve to step into this room. To talk with

him. To be near him.

She knocked.

“Come,” a voice deep with a Scottish accent said through the closed door.

Come. She couldn’t hear that innocent word in his voice without wondering what it

would feel like to climax with him deep inside her. Since the first day she’d walked into

the agency as a new employee she’d felt this insatiable sexual reaction to him,

unstoppable and fierce. Fantasies about having Glasgow-born Ben Darrock in her bed

frequented her nighttime dreams more than she wanted to admit. But reality and

castles-in-the-sky didn’t mix at work, and she understood that as well as the next

person.

She strove for a year to convince herself she couldn’t break rules and code of

conduct in the workplace. Drooling over the boss didn’t fall under the category of

responsible, sensible, or any other ible she could recall. Now she didn’t care. As the

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cliché said, life was too damned short. Get on with it. He isn’t going to wait all day.

As she clasped the doorknob, a flush heated her face. Here goes.

Seconds later she stepped into his large but austere office. He kept it clean,

organized, and modern to the point of dull. The whole place lacked warmth, and one of

the secretaries in Division Six once suggested Ben must be like that in bed. Cold.

Perfunctory. Boring.

Like hell.

While Ellie possessed no tangible evidence, she knew by instinct Ben owned a

passionate nature that, once aroused, could consume a woman. Make her want, say and

do things she’d never imagined before. Oh yeah. A woman could find fire in his arms.

She had the evidence. Over the last year she’d encountered him in situations where

they stood close together talking about work. She’d breathe in his crazy-making scent, a

tantalizing combination of sandalwood and musk. She would look up and see the

sparkle of amusement or a devouring gaze which said he appreciated her as a woman.

Less than a week after she’d met him she saw warmth in his gaze, an interesting

mix of gentleness and pure male hunger that made her tingle from her long braided

hair to her barely there bikini panties. Heat stirred inside her remembering the bone-

melting attraction and craving she experienced each time he looked at her that way.

Then Ellie’s gaze fell on the picture of his long dead wife sitting on his bookshelf

and a little of her enthusiasm faded. Maureen Darrock, gone ten years, stared out from

the picture, blonde, icy, and beautiful.

A memory with which Ellie couldn’t compete.

Some people said Ben couldn’t get over his wife’s murder. Well, she didn’t really

blame him. How many people could ever recover from knowing their loved one was

slain so callously and cruelly?

Long moments drew out until the Scotsman looked up from his desk and the

papers in front of him. “Ellie.” An almost tender smile touched his lips. “What have you

Denise A. Agnew

got there?”

His one hundred percent rich Scots accent held the right amount of sexy nuance to

make her feel lustful and excited in less than a heartbeat. Whenever his melodious voice

said her name, heat coasted across her body like a flash fire.

“I brought the latest messages. I could have emailed them, but I needed to see you.”

He captured her gaze and held it. Dark coffee eyes smoldered with instant,

unmistakable admiration. Whenever he looked at her she received an instant boost from

the caressing, intent look in his eyes.

He nodded. “All right. What’s this about?”

To her surprise he left his desk and came towards her. Today he wore a dark green

sweater that couldn’t hide the impressive width of his shoulders and neat dark slacks

that fit as if tailored for him. He stopped in front of her, too close for comfort.

“The daily message traffic is heavy. There’s some disturbing data here on the

situation in Ireland I thought you’d like to see,” she said.

When he reached for the file, his fingers brushed hers. Tingles raced through her

hand at the innocent touch. He flipped through the file and perused the messages

without a word.

While he read, she couldn’t stop looking at him. She loved his face. His chiseled

nose and well-drawn mouth belonged on a movie star, but he was in no way a pretty

boy. The close-cut, attractive trim of his mustache and beard sculpted his face. Some

women thought his just below collar-length hair a bit too much. All she saw was drop-

dead, outrageously sexy. The fact he could get away with the look in the SIA said much.

The man proved himself professionally time and again and no one denied it.

And his body. Well, his body defined all a woman could want. At least, all she could

want anyway. Over the time she’d worked with him she saw him in suits and ties,

casual work clothes, and even once at a picnic wearing a tight T-shirt and shorts. The T-

shirt had molded his wide shoulders, lovingly hugging muscled arms and chest to

perfection. Her gaze had snagged on the hint of six-pack stomach under that white

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shirt. His shorts had also not hidden the fact his ass was world class. And his legs—oh,

his legs. Long, hard with strength. All SIA agents had to be in tiptop shape, but he’d

gone out of his way to hone an athletic frame to die for.

While she topped five six in stocking feet, his six foot two frame towered over her.

His muscular body always made her feel safe and female in the most primal way. As a

fully trained agent for the SIA, she could take care of herself. Despite this, she couldn’t

help the tiny, primitive sensation of enjoying his protection. No matter what the

situation she couldn’t help feeling that no matter what went down, this man would

protect her unto death.

Yeah, the man is categorically, undeniably fuckable.

Finally, he said, “I’ll let Mac Tudor know right away. He’ll want to get some agents

on this problem immediately.” Before he reached the last note, his gaze flicked up and

caught hers. “Was there something else you needed to tell me?”

Ben’s eyes held an energy that penetrated, a charisma that caught her in his spell.

Looking all intense seemed to be his specialty. God, the man was so delicious. Those

striking eyes ringed with dark, thick lashes held a special hunger.

Her throat went dry and she almost couldn’t swallow. “There is something else you

need to hear. About the…the stalker.”

Instantly his attention went razor-sharp, concern evident. “Tell me what’s

happening.”

She needed to stop gawking and speak before all courage left her. Now is the time.

Tell him. “The last note isn’t regular message traffic. I received it in my home mailbox

this morning.”

She knew the minute he saw the expensive cotton notepaper shielded inside a clear

acid-free cover. Ben scanned the hateful words.

His frown increased tenfold and his brow creased. “Damn it.” He put the folder on

his desk, but kept the note she’d dreaded showing him. “This one is worse. Much

worse. This is the sixth note in two weeks?”

Denise A. Agnew

She nodded. “All of them came to my house.”

A muscle tightened in his jaw. When he’d heard the first time the culprit knew

where she lived, he about blew his stack. “You gave it to the lab?”

“Yes, I did. They didn’t find any evidence to identify a perp. No fingerprints. The

note was done on a laser printer and that’s all they know.”

Concern burned in his gaze, but so did something else she couldn’t define one

hundred percent. “This can’t go on, Ellie. You’ve got to have protection.”

Here we go again. “I’m an agent for SIA just like you, Ben. Granted, I’m not a field

agent, but I’ve been trained for it. I can handle whatever comes down the pike.”

He ignored her and read the note out loud. “‘Ellie, my love, you’ve disregarded all my

pleas. I’ve watched you from a far and yet you pretend you’ve never seen me before. You act as if

we have nothing in common or any of the same needs and desires. You’re my life and I will make
you understand. Youre under my protection and I’ll be damned if another man will have you.’”

In Ben’s deep velvet-and-sex voice, the message sounded almost harmless, a note

from one lover to another. Unfortunately, the crazy who stalked her seemed intent on

making her love him, identity unknown.

Ben’s eyes flashed. “And the asshole can’t even spell.”

She laughed softly, but Ben’s glare said he didn’t think any of it damned funny. His

fingers tightened on the paper as if he wished to crush it. Instead he tossed the

communiqué on top of the other papers in the open folder. Riotous emotions glinted in

his deep eyes, and the sheer power she saw there stirred a fine thread of apprehension

within her as well.

Ben glared at her, but unlike most women in Division Six, she didn’t cringe. Used to

his intensity, she realized all that fire meant he cared. He believed in his job, his calling.

Not everyone worked at SIA because they couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Ben

did.

“This is serious,” he said as he came closer to her. Warmth and caring turned away

the anger in his gaze. “Whoever wrote this note means business.”

Over the Line

She nodded. “Maybe. Maybe not. It could be the biggest hoax in SIA history.”

He frowned and placed his hands on his hips. “What?”

A sigh worked out of her and suddenly he was too near and the office too small.

His masculinity made her feel vulnerable right now. “It’s hard to explain.”

His eyebrows pinched together a little. “Try.”

God, how could she have messed this up? She didn’t want to tell him. After all, it

would sound beyond paranoid.

When she remained silent, Ben reached for Ellie and cupped her shoulders. The

unexpected touch surprised a gentle gasp from her.

“Tell me, Ellie.”

“You mean you haven’t heard the rumors? You must have.”

His fingers tightened in a gentle squeeze. “No.”

“Before I started here a year ago I worked in Defensive Arts Division for six

months, remember?”

As he released her, his expression cleared into understanding. “I remember. What

about it?”

“Then you probably also recall the series of notes I received there.”

Understanding crossed his face. Everyone at SIA knew the story. Daniella Burns, an

administrative assistant, had a crush on the Defensive Arts Division Chief, Clarke

Davidson. Daniella’s obsession for the man ran deep. When she’d discovered Davidson

had a thing for Ellie, Daniella had gone wiggy. She’d started a messy campaign to

discredit Ellie and almost succeeded. On top of that, she sent a series of stalker-like

notes to Ellie from a supposedly lovesick man.

Ben settled back against his desk, arms crossed. He looked grim. “That wasn’t your

fault. You had no way of controlling Daniella’s antics. You couldn’t have predicted that

someone you worked with would go mad.”

She shrugged. “Maybe not, but the fiasco cost me the position.”

Denise A. Agnew

“Daniella was fired.”

“Not until she convinced almost everyone I was one of those women that uses her

body to get what she wants. Her smear campaign was lethal.”

When Ellie realized how pitiful she must sound, she decided to drop the subject.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t come here to talk about what happened then. That’s all over and

there isn’t anything I can do to change it.”

“No, but it matters to you. You were trapped in circumstances you couldn’t help.”

Right. I knew my boss had a thing for me, and I should have walked out right away. I knew

Daniella hated me. It all added up to disaster.

“You didn’t let them drive you away, Ellie.”

A wry smile parted her lips. “No. They had to boot me first.”

“Bad judgment on their part. Administration should have booted Clarke. At least

they had the brains to realize you were a valuable agent and they shouldn’t kick you

out of the SIA altogether. That would have been a double travesty.”

Appreciation and admiration overwhelmed her. To her mortification, tears welled

in her eyes. She took a deep breath and forced back her emotions. “Thanks for believing

in me.”

His gorgeous eyes twinkled. “Of course I believe in you. I always have.”

Heaven help her, if he kept saying things like that she’d melt at his feet. Warm

gratification filled the cold spot in her heart. Unexpectedly, his words opened another

wound. While her situation and feelings for Ben were nothing like what happened with

Clarke, others wouldn’t see it that way if she were found out.

Her heart wrenched thinking about their relationship. She knew he liked her, and

those smoldering looks meant he found her physically attractive. Despite all this, it

didn’t mean they could establish the relationship she wanted from him, and the thought

burned her soul.

His quiet, intent observation made her heart pound with an unheard of excitement.

Over the Line

If he kept looking at her that way, she’d be tempted to leap on him right here and now.

“What made you believe in me when you knew the rumors?” she asked to break

the silence.

“Come on, Ellie.” One corner of his mouth twitched up. “You know my bullshit

meter is pretty good. I can separate truth from lies.” His deep voice went husky and

soft. “You’re not a liar and I knew that from the first day I met you. You’ve got

integrity. You’re as genuine as it gets.”

His assessment sent a blush to her face. “Keep flattering me like that and my head is

going to be as big as a watermelon.”

He chuckled, the sound a deep, sensual rumble. “It’s not flattery. It is how I really

feel.”

Yearning turned to all-out craving deep within her heart, soul, and body. She

longed to reach out to him and express those knockdown, undeniable desires. She

wanted his arms around her, his body pressed against hers, his mouth doing wicked,

hot things to her.

Ellie shifted, realizing she stared at him like a lovesick pup. “Thank you, Ben.”

Her voice sounded all whispery, and she couldn’t help the riot of lust surging back

and forth inside her. She’d revealed things about herself in the last few moments she

hadn’t planned on saying. Now she wanted to know more about him.

She tore her gaze from his and nodded at the picture of his wife. “Maybe it’s none

of my business, but what happened to your wife? I heard that she was murdered, but

then everyone went mum after that, and I never heard all the details.”

His gaze clouded, but instead of anger, she saw a soul-deep hurt eased only by

time. His wound may be healed, but he hadn’t forgotten. “It’s a long story.”

A little flustered, she waved a hand in dismissal. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my

business.”

Ben shook his head. He uncrossed his arms and turned to glance at the photograph

Denise A. Agnew

a second. “We met through friends about eleven years ago. She was a little older than

me, and I was fascinated with her maturity and her sexual prowess. When I first

married her I thought we’d be in love forever. After about a year, I realized our

relationship wasn’t as solid as I thought. All that independence I thought she had was a

façade. She accused me of living for my work and demanded I quit.” He shrugged.

“Maybe I did spend too much time on the job. I didn’t recognize until it was too late

that she was so unhappy she’d go to any lengths to get satisfaction.”

A thousand ideas traversed her mind in a split second. She walked around the side

of his desk to scrutinize the photograph. Ellie saw the coolness in his dead wife’s eyes.

“Satisfaction?”

“She said if I didn’t quit my job she’d find a man who would take care of her the

way she wanted to be taken care of.”

Wrinkling her nose, Ellie tried to comprehend what sort of woman would be dumb

enough to leave this man with his kind heart and burning passions? “That’s ridiculous.”

“She wanted a man to pay the bills and keep her in the style she felt she deserved,

but she didn’t think she needed to work to help pay the bills. I felt stupid for not

realizing that she wasn’t for me before we got married. I was dazzled by her sexuality. I

didn’t understand what I was getting into.” His mouth quirked in a self-deprecating

smile. “You could say my bullshit meter wasn’t working at all where she was

concerned.”

When Ben went silent for a moment, Ellie experienced the almost uncontrollable

urge to walk up to him and cuddle him to her heart. He looked down at his dead wife’s

picture, and as his hair tumbled over his forehead, Ellie craved to touch him. To give

comfort to his torn heart. She knew Ben was thirty-four now, so as he said, he’d been

young when he married Maureen. Young enough, perhaps, to be taken in by her charm,

experience, and lust. Perhaps he hadn’t forgiven himself.

“Everyone makes mistakes when they’re younger, especially with relationships,”

she said.

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“My mistake was pretty damned big. I didn’t take her threat seriously enough. She

started an affair with a single neighbor down the street from us. She shagged the guy

for two weeks before he decided she needed to divorce me.”

“He decided?”

Ben scrubbed at his jaw, and she saw the glimmer of pain remaining in his eyes.

“Yes. When she refused, the bastard strangled her and then dumped her body at a

landfill. He was stupid and left a lot of evidence lying around. The police figured out

who did it within a couple of days.”

She sighed. “God, I’m so sorry Ben. It must still hurt.”

“Only because I was a fool, and only because I’d never have wished that on her in a

million years. She might have been selfish and cold, but she didn’t deserve to die. I’m

not sure why I keep her picture here any more.”

“Because you loved her?”

Ben put her photo face down on the credenza. “No. Maybe because it reminds me

not to make the same mistake in other relationships. If I marry again, I’ll know the

woman I love inside and out. I’m going to make certain we’re compatible, that we’re in

sync. Petty things aren’t going to eat away at our marriage.” Emotion-laden, his accent

held the heat of the sun. Passion flared across his features as he moved away from the

desk and stood near her. “And that woman is going to know that I love her more than

anything on earth. I didn’t tell my wife how I felt. I was too blocked up. Too selfish with

my emotions.”

Heat flared inside Ellie as he looked down at her. She licked her dry lips, nervous as

hell. “I’m sure you’ll make someone very happy one day. And I think one of the reasons

you keep her picture here is because you still feel guilty about her death. You’re still

punishing yourself.”

Many individuals would have taken offense at her judgment, but his gaze held

contemplation. “Perhaps that, too.”

Blinking to break the spell of his hypnotic presence, she put a little distance

Denise A. Agnew

between them and changed the subject before she could do or say something

incriminating. If she didn’t watch out, her feelings for him would show and she’d be

doomed. He’d know she craved him with a deep ache.

“I should be going,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Before she could turn away, he said, “Wait. What are you going to do about these

threatening notes?”

“Nothing.”

He grabbed up the note and shook it. “This is pure crap. You could be in danger,

Ellie. You can’t let this shit go on.” Anger and worry deepened his voice. Looking a

little contrite, he segued into, “Pardon my language.”

She smiled. “Harsh language doesn’t bother me. Besides, you don’t curse much,

except when you’re really livid.”

He paced away with slow deliberation. Tension rippled off him waves, thick energy

that crackled and sparked like fire.

“There’s nothing else to do now,” she said. “I’ll keep my eyes open and watch my

back. I wouldn’t have said anything at all about the note, but I knew if I didn’t and you

found out from another source—”

“I’d have your ass for lunch when I found out.”

Ellie grinned, knowing beyond a doubt he didn’t tolerate being kept out of the loop.

He swung back to her, his stride deliberate as he stopped so close she could smell

his delicious musk aftershave. “Ellie, this can’t go on. The police have no leads, you’re

living in that apartment alone—”

She put up one hand. “I know. I know. But I’m not hiring a bodyguard.” She

chuckled, the sound half-amused. “Marcus Hyatt volunteered, though.”

Dismay rippled through his face, then his expression hardened into a mask. Marcus

Hyatt was a good-looking agent in Division Six who often assisted with outside

assignments in the field. He’d started a few months ago after leaving the Marines and

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taking up a job with Special Investigations Agency. He’d flirted with her a couple of

times, but she understood he wouldn’t take her up on any relationship, minor or major.

Hyatt also had a shielding streak where women were concerned and didn’t like seeing

anyone terrorized. If she’d asked him he would have agreed to help her.

Ben drew closer, once again locking his gaze with hers. “And what did you say to

Hyatt?”

“I’m not taking him up on it.”

His tight expression relaxed a little. “This situation is unforgivable. I don’t think

these notes are a hoax. I feel it in my gut. The man who wrote that note and the others

means business. But if anyone is going to do the protecting, it’s going to be—”

He stopped, his expression twisting a little as if he might be in pain. She wanted

him to finish the thought, but didn’t wish to presume or hope what he meant to say. A

small, forbidden part of Ellie wanted Ben to stake a claim. On the other hand, she

couldn’t allow a man to dictate the direction of her life. She refused to follow her

mother’s path and become the coddled, useless homebody. Her career meant the world

to her. An agent, woman or not, couldn’t afford to be labeled incapable.

Even with her father and two coldhearted older brothers, she’d never been the

recipient of male concern. Only overbearing demands and ridicule of her status as a

woman.

But damn it all to hell. She had to know what he’d almost confessed.

Before she could ask, he said, “This stalker has got to be taken down.”

“How? Unless he approaches me there isn’t anything the police can do.”

His gaze narrowed. “Approaches you? Don’t tell me you’re planning on letting the

bastard get near you?”

She shrugged and held up her hands in a helpless gesture. “What other choice do I

have? If I can draw him into the open—”

“No.”

Denise A. Agnew

That one word, sharp and commanding, made her back go up. “No? If it’s

something to do with my work, of course I’ll do what you say. You’re my supervisor.”

“Damn right,” he said, voice going husky and low.

“In the case of my personal life,” she shook her head and told him one pertinent

fact, “it’s my life to risk and you have no say in it.”

He pushed one hand through his mass of thick, wavy hair and swallowed hard.

Turmoil burned in his eyes, laden with desperate, unspoken emotions. “What about

family and other people who care about you? Think about what they’ll feel if anything

happens.”

She smiled. “There’s no one who’ll care. At least, not really. Besides, my father is in

Alaska right now on a very expensive cruise and my brothers have problems of their

own. Both of them are in the process of nasty divorces.” A second later she realized her

smile probably looked pathetic and she didn’t want his pity. “I can work this out on my

own.”

“Damn it, Ellie.” His voice went harsh. “You’ve got friends within SIA, and

Division Six in particular. Why on earth would you think you don’t?”

She thought about it a minute and then sighed. Although she counted a couple of

the women in the division as friends, they’d never become extraordinarily close. As

women with husbands and families, they didn’t have quite as much in common with a

carefree single woman. Division Six was populated by a lot of ex-military types, a few

with brawn complexes that didn’t keep them from doing their jobs extraordinarily well,

but which rubbed her independence the wrong way.

No, when it came down to it, she counted Ben as her closest friend in the SIA. “I’m

not a real social animal. I haven’t accumulated that many good friends.”

He snorted, his disagreement obvious. “Right. No matter what you think, people

admire you here. Don’t ever forget that.”

He stepped closer, and she sucked in a breath. At first, with all the heat in his eyes,

she felt the tiniest bit intimidated. She took a step back and then another, but he

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pursued her until he’d invaded her personal space. She stopped retreating for a

moment, determined he wouldn’t break her. Only about ten inches between them and

her heart slammed in her chest and her breath came way too short.

She turned away and headed for the door, his nearness making her dizzy with

long-held desire. “I’ll leave you to the message traffic.”

His grip on her biceps startled her as he gently swung her around. She pressed her

back up against the door, surprised by his quick pursuit. His hand remained on her

arm. Warm and strong, his grip nevertheless held her as if she might be a delicate

porcelain doll.

“Ben,” she said a bit breathlessly, “it’s sweet of you to show concern, but you really

don’t have to.”

“Yes, I have to.” A raspy quality haunted his voice. “It’s more than that.”

Needing clarification, she said, “It’s your desire to help anyone under your

supervision. After all, a personal problem can distract a person, hamper their job

performance.”

He made a sound of disgust and glared down at her. “It’s not that. What I feel isn’t

worry about whether you can do the job. And what I’m feeling sure as hell isn’t sweet.”

She saw it in his eyes, a warning before the explosion. Fierce emotion, a passion

unlike anything she’d seen raged in his gaze. She had to know the truth. “What did you

almost say earlier? When you said if anyone would do the protecting? You didn’t finish

the sentence.”

Aching vulnerability flickered in those mysterious eyes. Heady sensations stirred

uncontrollable, raw need. One look and she couldn’t stop desiring him, wishing she

could touch him how she wanted, when she wanted. She wanted to eat him up, kiss

him into oblivion and open her legs for his thrust. No man on earth but Ben Darrock

made her yearn so much.

“Ben?” she asked again.

Denise A. Agnew

His other hand came up and he brushed his fingers over her cheek. Soft, inquisitive,

so gentle. She closed her eyes for a second. Would he show this tenderness to any

woman? She doubted it. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he harbored special

feelings for her and the realization that he couldn’t hold back any longer thrilled her.

When her eyes opened she realized he had drawn even nearer until their bodies

touched and his hands drifted up to cup her face. Big and warm, his thumbs caressed

her cheeks. “I was going to say, if anyone was going to protect you, it would be me.”

Sweet, exploding pleasure arched through Ellie. “Oh.”

“That’s all you can say, woman?”

Woman? In that imperious, Scottish accent he sounded more like a warrior of old

than a modern man. She couldn’t decide if she liked it or hated it. Warring factions

within her battled for supremacy. The liberated woman wanted complete control of her

life. The primitive female wanted his protection and found his masculinity irresistible to

her libido. What she wanted and what she could have were two different things,

though.

“Ben, I can’t accept protection from you. What would it look like? If administration

thought something was going on between us it could damage our careers.”

“Ah, bugger that,” he growled softly. “Don’t you understand? It’s your life we’re

talking about here. Not some damned job. Not some message that comes through

telling us one day that terrorists are plotting to murder the President of Ireland or that a

bomb is planted somewhere. All that’s important, but not more than you. Not more than

you.”

Wildfire need flashed in her belly and deep between her legs. Just being so near to

him regenerated every buried desire. Her heartbeat raced, her breathing increased. He

cared about her. A lot.

“Oh,” she said.

That’s it. That was all she could say. Again. The man flabbergasted her so much she

couldn’t think like the agent she’d been trained to be. Instead her brain went to mush as

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she witnessed the feral heat in his gaze.

“Ah, fuck,” he whispered, his beautiful eyes mesmerizing her. “You’re maddening,

Ellie.”

Her fingers landed on his chest and the hard pectoral muscles under her fingers

served to inflame her more. Tight yearning burst to life deep in her heart and in the hot,

moistening folds of her pussy.

He cupped the back of her neck and his other hand gripped her shoulder. In spite of

the desperate fire in his eyes, his mouth came down on hers with exquisite perfection.

Denise A. Agnew

Chapter Two

Startled by what was happening between them, Ellie didn’t respond at first. Then

the desire became too much, the sexual inferno rippling with a temperature she

couldn’t ignore. She clutched at Ben’s sweater, her fingers searching his chest as she

responded without reserve to his kiss.

His lips caressed, exploring with a searching compassion that made her ache with a

need for more. A deeper, hotter, less chaste ignition. At the same time, his mouth

played and tortured and melded hers with a skill and restrained passion that liquefied

her bones. One kiss melded into two melded into four until the intense embrace

tortured her pleasure-starved nerves.

Ben Darrock is kissing me. Oh God, it’s so good.

Good thing his body pinned hers against the door because her knees weakened.

The man she’d lusted after for a year was kissing her like a delicacy, as if she was

something he wanted to eat up with every savoring, delicious bite. Tenderness

overwhelmed her. She wanted to give him all in that moment regardless of the place,

the time, and their professional relationship.

A pinch of desire, heady and erotic, made her body weep for completion, for an

ending to the tension. She longed for something to fulfill the aching void deep inside.

No, not something. This man. His fingers, his tongue, his cock.

As if he could read her mind, his powerful right thigh found a way between her

legs and pushed up her skirt. He pressed upward, hard muscle grinding against her clit.

Sharp pleasure made her gasp and he parted her lips with his tongue. A soft moan

slipped from her as his tongue rasped over hers. Each hot, sensual stroke demanded she

respond. She did with everything inside her.

A groan of need echoed low in his throat as he tasted her with ravenous attention,

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fucking her mouth with aggressive plunges of his tongue. One hand slipped down and

cupped her ass, driving her aching slit against his thigh in a steady rhythm. Excitement

did crazy things to her system. Her skin tingled and she felt feverish. If he kept this up,

if she didn’t stop him, she’d come right here with his muscled leg rubbing against

sensitive, screaming-hot tissues. Her hips undulated, caught the cadence, and moved

against him. It felt so good she couldn’t get her breath, the bliss throbbing and aching in

her clit and high up in her pussy.

One big hand trailed up her leg, bunching her skirt up higher as he explored. She

shivered at the sensation of his fingers touching the outside of her thigh. When he

discovered the lace top of her thigh-high stockings and the fact she wore a garter belt,

he moaned low in his throat.

She tore her mouth from his, her head tilting back as she gasped. Her heartbeat

rammed in her chest, her breathing rapid.

His lips grazed her ear, his tongue flicking over her earlobe. His voice rasped husky

and drenched with desire. “You’re killin’ me.”

Her? Didn’t he understand how she ached for him? His hands coasted over her

back, down her hips and back to her ass. He squeezed her butt cheeks and she wished

suddenly she could strip off this uptight suit, drop her panties and do him. Fuck him

with wild abandon and never experience regret.

With a quick movement he slid her jacket off her shoulders and let it fall to the

floor. He worked at the buttons on the front of her white blouse, and then with one

quick flick, the front hook on her bra came undone. She gasped, startled.

Without a pause he trailed his lips along her throat. A breath shuddered through

her lips as she tilted her head back and surrendered to the crazy sensations rocking her

to the core. As his tongue and lips explored her throat, she shivered. Nothing compared

to the sensation of him slipping inside to cup her left breast. His big hand felt warm and

callused against the small shape. With a gentle squeeze he tested her, smoothing his

fingers in the sweetest caress over her flesh.

Denise A. Agnew

He kissed his way up her neck and then to her chin. Again he pressed kisses to her

lips, imploring, asking for capitulation she wanted to give. His thumb slipped over her

nipple, and it tingled and hardened immediately.

“Oh my God. Ben,” she gasped in delight.

Deep, drugging kisses followed as he cupped both breasts and set to work,

plucking and gently squeezing the hard nubs. She arched in his arms, driving her body

against his.

He moved down her body, his thigh no longer pressing against her slit. She almost

protested until she realized his goal. His tongue found one nipple and she whimpered,

overwhelmed by this crazy train that roared down upon them.

“Oh, so sweet,” he murmured, the ragged quality in his voice testimony to his

craving. “Fuckin’ beautiful.”

His praise sent a wildfire through her veins, and she almost begged him right there,

without shame. Take me now. Please Ben, please. I don’t care where we are or what happens

after this moment.

His tongue flicked over one nipple, then the other. She tangled her fingers in his

hair and brought his head closer. Taking the hint he latched onto one tingling nub and

sucked hard. Then he plucked the other wet, aroused nipple between his index finger

and thumb. Tingling with arousal, her nipples grew tighter, more sensitive with each

long rasp of his tongue, each deep suckling. Without pause he moved back and forth,

dining on her flesh with long, lingering passes of his hot tongue and deep pulls of his

mouth.

Ellie thought she’d go insane, brought to the edge of endurance by a yearning so

strong. Built up over time, this freight train couldn’t be stopped with simple logic or

warning. No, it raced across the tracks and headed straight for impending explosion.

He left her breasts and as he palmed her hips, he discovered interesting facts. She

wore a midnight dark garter belt, black stockings with a hint of shimmer, and the little

black G-string panties barely covered her pussy. She’d worn the garments to feel

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comfortable and sexy, but she’d never expected for Ben to find them today.

As she looked up at him, his rapt expression went sizzling hot. He kissed her at the

same time his fingers plunged into her panties and slipped between her legs. As his

touch brushed over sensitive wet folds, she closed her eyes. She moaned in stunned

ecstasy as his big fingers traced intricate patterns of seduction. One touch and her heart

slammed into overdrive. They’d gone way over the line and there may not be any

return.

When he stopped kissing her she opened her eyes. Desire etched his features, raw

and primitive, but she saw desperation there, too. His tortured eyes and sullen mouth

drove her to new heights of lust she couldn’t deny.

All the while, as Ben kept Ellie’s gaze captured within his, his fingers caressed,

explored, and danced with maddening persistence over her swollen labia lips.

She murmured a plea, “Ben, please.”

“So damned hot.” His voice was rough, a man who wanted something and was

bound to get it. “You’re so wet.” His eyes closed and he pressed his forehead to hers.

“Like liquid fire.”

She moved restlessly, the sensation aching high in her depths, demanding

fulfillment. She wanted to bite him, clutch him tighter, exact a finish before she lost her

mind and never found it again. Her very womb spasmed, hips moving in small circles

to assist him in plundering her deepest secrets.

When his touch slid over her clit, she cried out softly and opened her legs wider. A

male groan left his throat, filled with hard satisfaction.

Ben kissed her earlobe as he whispered. “Let me see you burn, lass.” His accent

thickened, adding to her excitement. “I canna stand it any longer.”

He slowly sank two fingers deep into her core, rubbing against a spot he found

there, taunting her with sensations breathtaking and wild. Unrelenting, his touch

plundered secrets, made her writhe as she grew wetter and hotter than she’d ever been

in her life. As she panted, reaching for the stars, he rubbed her clit again.

Denise A. Agnew

Oh yes. If he went faster, if he touched her that way one more time, she would

careen off the earth and into the night.

Then he did the ultimate, the one thing she needed. He searched out a hard nipple,

his tongue lapping, then sucking hard and deep. He brushed over her clit again with

tantalizing, gentle strokes. She arched against the sensation, aching to her core with a

need for relief. Panting, gasping for breath as he brought her to a pinnacle, she released

inhibitions and let her needs run wild and free. Her heart pounded a rhythm of

abandon as he increased the pace of his stroke. As his tongue soothed over her sensitive

nipple, then drew it into his mouth, she moaned softly with dizzying pleasure.

She couldn’t take much more. Clutching at his broad shoulders, she held on for the

final ride.

Searing hot climax built in her pussy and exploded in a caldron of fire as she

writhed and uttered a soft, guttural moan. Her entire body quivered as satisfaction

rocketed into her body. Happiness held her supreme for the moment; she didn’t care

how or where she’d been writhing under his persuasive touch. She wanted him any

way she could get him.

She didn’t want to stop, brought to tears by desire and by the full realization she

could have Ben Darrock right here, right now. As tears stung her eyes, she forced them

back.

A tiny doubt intruded, threatening her mood. They were supervisor and

subordinate. They stood in his office, propped up against the door and within inches of

doing the nasty.

Oh my God. She’d just engaged in sex—not full on sex, but close enough—with her

boss.

Incomprehensible.

Unethical.

These words blocked feelings and kept her from falling off the high ledge before

her.

Over the Line

As he removed his hand from her panties and looked into her eyes with his

trademark burning intensity, she made a reluctant decision. If she pulled his head down

and kissed him like a ravenous beast woman, he would fuck her right there in his office.

She wouldn’t know, other than lust, how he felt about her. She’d be giving in to her

deepest, most carnal desires with a man she’d wanted for a year.

Ellie ached with needing him. Yet she couldn’t break the rules where anyone could

find them, where they risked too much. Apprehension, a sense of ethics that overruled

incredible, bone-melting desire, kept her from going any farther. Not here. Not now.

She’d go on with her original plan, the one she’d established before walking into

this office and having the living daylights kissed out of her. As much as she desired

him, she gently eased from his arms and he stepped back.

She gave him a quavering smile. “I can’t…we can’t do this.”

Regret showed in his eyes, their simmering depths testimony to deep emotions. The

man made her crazy. More than that, she knew without a doubt she could fall for him

so hard.

Frustrated and angry at herself for releasing inhibitions, she tried to smother

feelings with work issues. Anything to regain control before she stepped out of his

office and into reality. “I can’t accept your protection from the stalker. But I’ve put in for

some vacation time to think about what I need to do about the situation. I’ve got some

plans to make and it’s hard to think about them clearly at work.”

“What kind of plans?” he asked, his voice rough from emotion, his eyes sparking

with undiminished need.

“I’ll tell you later, but not now.”

A little panicked, she shoved down her skirt, fixed her bra, refastened her blouse

and tucked it into her skirt. Then she retrieved her suit jacket. She almost forgot to redo

the bun in her hair, which had come partially undone. She hurried to open the door.

Before she could turn the doorknob, Ben’s palms came down on both sides of her,

caging her in.

Denise A. Agnew

“Wait,” he said in a rough, almost desperate voice.

As his big body pressed against hers from behind, she considered asking him to

leave her be. The tiniest primal apprehension lurked inside her. After all, the female still

retained her caution around the male animal, especially when confronted and

threatened. His body gave her shelter at the same time it suggested sexual domination.

A dichotomy to be sure, but one that endured with the ages.

Yes, she could tell him to get away from her, but she liked the way he felt against

her far too much. Muscled, hard man held her captive, and as his breath tickled her ear

and his masculine scent tantalized her into meltdown, she eased back against him

slightly. All along her back she felt his solid chest and abs, and his hips tucked against

her until she felt his erection pressing into the cleft of her buttocks. Oh God, he still

wanted her. A finite shiver coasted over her skin.

“Turn around,” he said softly.

Urged by the gentleness in his tone, she did as he asked. Fire still flickered in the

depths of his deep eyes. “This isn’t going away.”

She closed her eyes. “Maybe it would if I just…left.”

“No.” He sounded desperate, something she never expected to hear in his voice.

“You can’t run from it forever.”

Resigned and knowing he spoke the truth, she opened her eyes and allowed his

blazing attention to pour over her. “This is dangerous. Very dangerous.”

He traced one finger lightly over her cheek and then tilted her chin up so she would

look at him. “Maybe it’s worth it.”

He lowered his lips to hers once again. As his mouth caressed with a tender kiss,

she thought her knees would give out. He didn’t kiss her deeply, as if afraid anything

more carnal would scare her away. Like a fawn she’d jump from his arms. Lingering,

searching, scorching deep into her heart, his touch brought her the greatest comfort and

yet the most restlessness. His fingers plunged into her hair, smoothing over the back of

her neck as he anchored Ellie against him. Much more of this ravenous hunger and

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she’d grab Ben by the collar and drag him down onto the floor to finish what they’d

started earlier.

He pulled back from their kiss after what seemed an endless moment. “Whatever

you do, don’t forget what just happened.”

She managed a smile as he released her. “How could I?”

He backed away, and she left in a rush. As she closed the door and turned away,

she almost ran into an agent and the section computer nerd as they came down the

hallway.

A wave of humiliation, unfounded but still there, rose into her face in a hot blush.

Right now, with her brain liquefying after that exquisite orgasm, she didn’t think she

could string another coherent thought together without sounding like a major ditz.

Oh God. I hope they can’t read it on my face. It didn’t matter to her conscience that they

couldn’t know she’d almost done a wall-banger with Ben. Ellie still felt awkward.

Jason Biggles, the computer whiz of Division Six, gave her a bright smile that she

returned without hesitation. The tall, gentle-looking man with a narrow face always

seemed serene, his freckles and blond hair making him look about sixteen years old.

She always found him pleasant, if a bit forgettable. She meant to talk to him more, but

he frequently kept his nose buried in a computer behind his messy desk.

“Hi, Ellie,” Jason said, his voice sounding a little rusty.

She smiled. “Hey there, Jason.”

The agent trailing along with Jason was Destiny Tremayne Tudor, wife of Section

Chief Mac Tudor. She wore a pencil-thin wool skirt and turtleneck sweater that

emphasized her fit body. Her flow of brown hair was tied back in a long ponytail. Many

a perpetrator had assumed Destiny’s youthful, cute features meant she couldn’t kick ass

with the best of them. They’d been very, very wrong.

Destiny, once called Maneater by many in the agency, had softened a little after her

marriage to Mac. Ellie knew that a man’s attention could do all manner of strange

Denise A. Agnew

things to a woman, despite her resolve to remain cool and calm. The last few minutes in

Ben’s office proved that without fail.

Destiny smiled and said, “It’s good to see you. I take it Ben is in his office?”

Ellie found she had to swallow hard again to speak around her dry throat. “Yes.”

The other woman, ever perceptive, frowned. “Is something wrong?”

Ellie couldn’t afford to look guilty, not with Ben’s reputation on the line. So, she

decided to hide the truth in plain sight. “Message traffic from Ireland is pretty heavy

today and Ben’s got some information for Mac. He said he’d call Mac and let him know

the details.”

“You look a little…” Destiny’s gaze traced over her with curiosity, then a small

smile touched her lips. “Harried.”

Oh, shit. Destiny knew. She must know. Like a big sticky note adhered to Ellie’s

forehead, the entire world would see in neon letters, Ben Darrock has been getting it on in

the office with his subordinate, Ellie Sterling. Sirens would go off and the human resources

office would come rushing in and fire her ass.

She never told anyone, though, how she felt about Ben. Not even Destiny.

“Harried?” Ellie asked, feeling dumb as hell. “No. No, I’m not. It’s just a busy day.”

Jason cleared his throat. “Everything okay with the stalker situation?”

She never concealed the stalker problem, but right now didn’t seem a good time to

rehash the subject. “I’d rather not talk about that right now, if you don’t mind.”

Jason looked contrite. “Sorry. I thought maybe that’s what made you so…flushed.”

Great. Wonderful. It must be carved into her chest like a Scarlet Letter. “Not at all.

I’m fine.”

Destiny’s concern showed in her eyes, her gaze intent as she pressed Ellie’s

shoulder. “If you need anyone to talk to, be sure to give me a call.”

Ellie nodded. “Will do.”

As Jason and Destiny headed toward Ben’s office, she wondered how much longer

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she could hide this devastating attraction to her boss. Because if anyone, perhaps even

Destiny found out, the ramifications could be major.

As she walked away, she realized the time had come for action. She couldn’t deny it

after what happened in Ben’s office. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. From

this point forward she would do whatever she could to save their careers.

Denise A. Agnew

Chapter Three

“It’s all her fault,” the man said to the chattering television. “I wouldn’t be this way

if it wasn’t for her.”

Smoke drifted up from the cigarette balanced in his big, skeletal hand. His chair felt

too hard, the material under his arm scratchy and brittle. A strange stench drifted up

from the furniture, an indication the chair should be pitched into a landfill. He could

afford better, but he didn’t. Why spend the money in this hellhole of an apartment

when soon he would have a new place with Ellie?

He wrinkled his nose at the stench from the chair and the smoke. “Son-of-a-bitch.”

He took a drag off the cigarette and coughed. When he’d acquired his new

obsession, he started smoking. Figured if he found an addiction he wouldn’t keep

thinking about her. Ellie Sterling, flesh and blood, was more three-dimensional than a

cigarette, more real and alive. The cigarette didn’t do its job and distract him from the

loop that went around and around in his head. She turned his life upside down with

her big smile, warm handshake, and sincerity.

But there were complications. Things to take care of before Ellie could live with him

free and clear. With big-shot Ben Darrock hovering around her these days, it was

difficult to execute the plan.

Perhaps, when the time was right, he could execute Ben Darrock.

Would serve Darrock right for taking Ellie’s affections away from her one true love

and distracting her from the grand scheme.

He sighed and thought about the leggy, slim Ellie. Closing his eyes, he envisioned

them together on a black sand beach on the Big Island of Hawaii. Cool trade winds

would filter through the palms, rustling the fronds into a whisper. A dazzling blue and

green so sharp it hurt the eyes, the ocean would beg them to swim. The beach would be

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exclusive. Millionaires and select socialites could wander the obsidian sand without

worrying about riffraff under foot. Ellie would blend right in. She had class, a quality

few if any women he’d known possessed. Most of the stupid cows he worked with

smirked at him with silly grins. As if he was freaking teenager instead of twenty-nine.

Shit. One of these days he expected one of them to pat him on the head. Their syrupy

smiles and sloppy presentation reminded him too much of Grandma Denny.

Ugly, spiteful, hate-filled Grandma Denny.

While he couldn’t get Grandma out of his life, he could remove all the other bitches

in due time. One by one by one by one.

Ah, Ellie. Beautiful, unspoiled, delicious Ellie. A merry-go-round unexpectedly

appeared on his fictional beach. Ellie rode the playground equipment, her tiny bikini a

bright chili red against her tan skin. She looked so damned sexy with her hair flowing

back in the breeze and those luscious tits barely cupped by the bikini top.

He salivated and his cock twitched. A sure sign he must make a move soon to

obtain Ellie. Maybe this is what poets meant when they talked about muses and

inspirations. Like an artist he would sculpt her into the perfect woman. She meant so

much to him.

He hated her. He loved her.

Two emotions so closely aligned battled for space inside his head. One feeling

would win over the other, but he couldn’t be sure which one until the time came. He

thought of it that way. The time. He’d felt the same about many other women over the

last ten years, and the hate always won out.

When the hate triumphed it could be, well, very messy.

Ellie wouldn’t fail him as the others had.

He smiled. Then again, God help her if she did.

Denise A. Agnew

* * * * *

Ben pulled into the driveway of Ellie’s apartment complex and found a parking

place a couple of rows away from the building. The night turned cold, and the weather

forecast said snow would come in around this time tomorrow evening.

He’d received Ellie’s short notice vacation request on his desk shortly after their

encounter in his office that day. He’d decided about two seconds later he wouldn’t

approve it. Not if it meant she went gallivanting off without contingencies in place to

keep her safe. He didn’t question his desire to do the job, to make himself her personal

and very private bodyguard twenty-four hours a day.

Right. How would I explain this need to be in her lap at all times of the day? Administration

would catch wind of that sort of closeness right away and we’d both be out of a job in a heartbeat.

At the same time he couldn’t leave her vulnerable.

Bloody fucking hell. If it meant losing his job, so be it.

Before he could go to her office and tell her refused her vacation request, he

attended a teleconference that couldn’t be put off. By the time the other government

agencies in the meeting got their act together and the meeting ended, the clock said six

p.m. He tried calling her, but when he got the answering machine, worry made him

head right for her apartment.

Now, as he sat in his parking spot trying to generate the nerve to approach her

apartment, he closed his eyes and recalled the first time he met her, a year and a half

ago after she’d started with Defensive Arts Division. It felt like a lifetime. He’d admired

her from a distance, and although they’d talked in passing several times, he didn’t

know her that well. But when things became rough for her at Defensive Arts, Ben’s

finely tuned instincts said Ellie wasn’t to blame. He’d been relieved to find out she

wasn’t fired permanently from SIA. When Administration had given him her personnel

file and asked if he would be interested in her transferring to Division Six, Ben had

accepted her without question as a message traffic analyst for the division.

As senior analyst and special agent, he had plenty of practice keeping business just

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business. Yet from the first day she walked into his office, a genuine smile ready, he

couldn’t think straight.

Therein lay the major problem. Something about her instantaneously ignited

feelings he hadn’t experienced in years. His wife, he thought, had ruined that giddy

sensation for him. Every time he saw Ellie, though, his heart started to pound and his

cock wanted to come to full erection. More than once he’d left the room in fear she

would see how she turned him on.

When he’d spilled his gut about Maureen’s death this afternoon, he’d experienced a

soul-deep healing he didn’t expect. Telling Ellie about the event made him feel

renewed. He could tell Ellie anything without feeling as if he told too much, and now

he understood how much he trusted her. In turn, she’d trusted him enough to explain

what happened in Defensive Arts Division. Listening to her talk about the hoax

messages she’d received via Daniella’s treachery had made him ache. He’d wanted to

hold Ellie and comfort her any way he could.

Today had been the breaking point. He knew he couldn’t hold back much longer,

but if she ran to the mountains and was killed, he would never forgive himself.

Like a nightmare, a scene sprung to mind. Ellie trapped with a madman, fighting

him as best as she could. Her screams as she fought the man pierced the night. Ben

shuddered. He knew she could fight better than many men at SIA, but that didn’t

guarantee her safety.

He wanted her back in his arms. Safe. Sound. Ready to make love.

Ellie. You are so beautiful inside and out.

Females who were more beautiful populated the halls of SIA, certainly. While most

men wouldn’t consider her stunning, he always thought of her as delicate as a flower,

like that crazy-making rose scent that was her trademark.

He rarely saw her with her hair down. Thick russet with spun gold and fiery red

highlights was either piled on her head in a prim chignon or pulled back in a single

braid. Her oval face with prim, small nose, rosebud lips, and pointed chin looked cute

Denise A. Agnew

enough. She sometimes hid her large forest green eyes behind black-rimmed glasses

that swallowed her face and made her appear like an inquisitive owl. Even when she

wore contacts, she had an air of civility, a staidness that seemed old world.

Conservative suits in drab colors and flats completed her ensembles. Her

concession to color came from the large pear-shaped diamond dinner ring on her right

hand. Intricate scrollwork and filigree gave it an antique appearance. It must have cost a

fortune or she’d inherited it from an ancestor.

Yet prim and proper didn’t describe her. No, he’d seen her smile and joke with

others in the office. She had a wit somewhere between dry and sardonic, but she never

turned cruel with her humor.

Everything about her intrigued him. He wanted to know her dreams, her wishes,

and her worries. More than that, his dreams turned toward some intriguing fantasies.

Fantasies that might tighten the bun on her head even more if she knew about them.

Several male agents suggested one day she might be hot if she loosened up. He’d

told them to not go there. They’d better keep their hands and cocks well away from

Ellie.

Right, you arse. Now she knows you want her. Knows you could have taken her up against

the office door this morning without another thought. More images flew into his psyche.

He’d wondered on a daily basis what her body looked like under those boxy suits.

And, God help him, now he knew.

Silky skin, sweet, tight nipples, warm, open thighs. A pussy as soft, slick, and as hot

as anything he’d dreamed. Images raced through his head as he replayed in his mind

their encounter in the office today. How she’d opened to him in ways he’d fantasized

about but never expected to experience. He recalled with vivid clarity the staggering

sense of gratification as she’d gasped and moaned while he rubbed her clit and thrust

his fingers deep into her wet, snug heat. She’d been so aroused, so ready to fuck. If he’d

pushed it, he probably could have had her up against the wall before she could think

much about what they’d done. He could have experienced the staggering pleasure of

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thrusting inside her.

But no. As much as he would have wanted it, he would have stopped. He didn’t

have condoms in his office, and he wouldn’t risk getting her pregnant.

He opened his eyes, jerked out of his musings, and looked at her apartment

building. Ultramodern, and in a good part of town, the six-story apartment complex

looked peaceful. Yet Ben’s training kept him on perpetual alert, ready for anything. He

left his car and headed for the building. When he reached the front, he buzzed her

apartment number, and a few seconds later her voice came over the outside intercom.

“Yes?”

“Ellie, it’s Ben. I need to talk to you.”

She paused for so long, he wondered if she planned on telling him to sod off.

Instead the front door unlatched. With a sigh of relief, he entered the large foyer and

then took the elevator to her fifth floor apartment. When he reached the apartment, he

barely knocked on the door when she opened it wide.

Wearing a light blue cable knit sweater, jeans, and in her stocking feet, she looked

comfortable. She didn’t, though, look particularly happy to see him. Beyond her a gas

fire crackled in the fireplace, and he could smell a hint of coffee.

“Hello, Ben.”

“Can I come in?”

One hand on the door, she hesitated. Then she nodded and gestured for him to

enter. Once inside he surveyed the area like a good agent. He’d never been to her

apartment before and didn’t know what to expect. Because he once considered her a

traditional type of woman, he wasn’t surprised to see she’d filled the place with antique

design dark wood furniture and paisley rugs that screamed time-honored.

Wanting to bathe in her delicate scent, he drew closer to her as she shut the door.

When she turned back to him, a small frown creased her mouth. Last time he

remembered Ellie appearing this severe was when one of the other junior agents in

Denise A. Agnew

Division Six screwed the pooch big-time.

Impulsively, he reached out and cupped her shoulders. “Are you all right? You

look angry.”

“No. I mean, no, I’m not angry.” She swallowed hard.

A little alarm danced through him. “You’re not all right?”

“Yes. Yes, I’m all right.”

“You look like you want to hurt someone. Namely, me. If it’s about earlier today, I

apologize. I shouldn’t have lost control like that.”

If he expected his words to placate her, it served the opposite effect. She moved out

of his grip. “Can I take your coat?”

Deciding this might take a while he removed his scarf and coat and handed it to

her. She put it into the hall closet and returned.

“Would you like something to drink?” she asked.

He sank down onto her green leather couch. “No, thanks.”

A grim expression still plastered on her pretty face, she sat on the matching leather

recliner nearby the couch. “What’s this about?”

Damn, he might be used to briefing generals and other big muck-a-mucks, but

talking with her seemed to lock his throat up tight. He’d never felt like this around her

before, and the only explanation appeared to be sex.

Their morning encounter in his office left him feeling too damned exposed. She

crossed her legs, and the unconsciously prim display sent fantasies swirling into his

male brain. He wanted to kneel before her, strip her clothes and get between her legs.

Earlier, after she’d climaxed and male satisfaction had run hard and fast in his blood,

he’d almost pulled her panties down and feasted on her pussy. The image wouldn’t

leave him alone, and it bugged him that he couldn’t manhandle his physical or mental

need for her into submission.

“Ben?” she asked again.

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“I got your vacation request on my desk.”

Chagrin altered her features, a regret-filled tilt to her lips. “I know it is short notice.

I feel like I need to take some time to get my head together. Just for about three days

next week. When I string it together with the weekend coming up, that should help.

That’s all I need. It’ll help me make some decisions.”

“About what?”

“It’s private.”

“In other words, none of my business.” He leaned forward and clasped his hands

between his knees. “Does it have anything to do with the stalker?”

“Yes and no.”

Renewed frustration poured through his blood and thickened his accent. “Damn it,

Ellie, stop being obtuse. I canna stand it when people won’t say what they mean, or

mean what they say. You’ve always shot straight from the hip.”

She pulled her thick braid around so it fell over one shoulder. She looked far calmer

than he felt. “All right. I need time to decide what to do about my work situation.”

Ah, shit. He’d scared her. When he’d made love to her in the office, he’d messed up

big-time. He scrubbed one hand over his beard and sighed. “You aren’t considering

leaving SIA altogether are you?”

“No.”

Relief flooded Ben.

“If it’s because of what we did today, please don’t leave. I promise to keep at arm’s

length if that’s what you want.” When she stared at him, more remorse drawn on her

features, he panicked. “Ah hell. Ellie, I shouldna have touched you. I shouldna have

pushed you.”

A gentle smile erased her frown as she stood up and looked down on him. “Both of

us know what we did in the office today wasn’t forced on me. I wanted it, and you

wanted it.”

Denise A. Agnew

“Yes.” Relieved that she hadn’t felt pushed into something, he sighed. “If it means

keeping away from you so that you’ll stay in my division, I will.”

She shook her head and stood. “Give me a little time, okay?”

Determined, he rose from the couch. They stood close, and he breathed in her

crazy-making scent once again. “Only if you’ll take a bodyguard with you on this

vacation. Where are you going?”

A new frown touched her lips and she jammed her hands in her pockets. “I haven’t

decided yet, and no, I’m not taking a bodyguard.”

“Ellie—damn it, are you out of your mind? There’s a creepy fucker running around

out there ready to harm you, and you’re going off to God knows where without

adequate security. Do you have a death wish?”

Her lips tightened with agitation. “Of course not. I just don’t believe this so-called

threat is as serious as you think.”

He towered over her, determined she would listen to him. “The handwriting

analysis and profile done on this son-of-a-bitch says he’s into violence and you don’t

think he’s dangerous?”

“I didn’t say he wasn’t dangerous. What I’m saying is that I can take care of myself.

My father used to coddle my mother to the point of ridiculousness and at the same time

he ridiculed women right and left. We were too weak, too soft, and too stupid to get

along in this rough and tough world on our own. Dad did the same thing to me when I

was younger, and I’m not going to let a man do that to me because he sees me as

weaker or incapable.”

Frustrated, he glared and leaned closer. She held her ground. When they were nose

to nose, he gritted out, “Bluidy hell, Ellie, I get it. You’re not your mother. You’ve got to

get past this idea that just because a man cares what happens to you means he thinks

you’re incapable. I’m not like your father. Believe me, what I feel for you isn’t the least

bit fatherly.”

The harshness in his tone didn’t make her wince, but he thought he detected a

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wavering in her stony expression. Those eyes widened the slightest bit, and her lips

parted. His gaze snapped to her mouth and he recalled how delicious she’d tasted.

Man, how he wanted to kiss her again.

“If you won’t give me the vacation time there’s nothing I can do about that,” she

said softly.

All right. Maybe she’d decided to back down at little. Then again, Ellie didn’t

retreat from any fight she thought she could win. He wouldn’t underestimate her

cleverness.

Sure enough, she didn’t concede more than a half-inch. “If I decide to leave town

for a couple of days this weekend, it’s up to me.”

Ben’s gut clenched with icy fear. His alarm didn’t come so much from thinking Ellie

couldn’t fend for herself, but from the terrifying realization she meant so much to him

he’d do anything to see she stayed safe. She was one hundred percent right. She could

do whatever the hell she wanted on the weekend and he couldn’t prevent her.

In total exasperation, he jammed his fingers through his hair and held on to his

head like it might fall off. Okay, so he was straddling the proverbial barrel. He still had

a few weapons left in his arsenal. He eased a slow, deep breath into his lungs and

relaxed. Ellie thought she totally understood him, but maybe the time had come for a

little unpredictability.

He reached up and brushed a tendril of hair away from her cheek. “All right. You

win. If you really believe I want to dominate or hurt you in any way, then you’re not

the perceptive woman I thought you were.” Her lips parted, ready to protest, but he cut

her off at the pass. “Frankly, I’m a wee bit insulted you’d think I would try some

Neanderthal tactics on you. That’s not what I’m all about.”

Without further ado, he slipped his hand over the nape of her neck and drew her

against him. “I’m terrified you’re going to get hurt. I’m one hundred percent worried

that I’m going to get a call someday that you’ve been murdered. It tears my guts out,

okay?”

Denise A. Agnew

She blinked, surprise clear on her face. Soft as satin, her mouth beckoned to him. He

remembered too well what those lips had felt like, tasted like earlier that day. Her lips

parted.

Before she could speak, he moved in. As his mouth touched hers, a soft,

unmistakable sigh slipped from her. Her lips parted and he took the kiss to the next

level and thrust his tongue hungrily into her heat. Tangling with her silky tongue, he

made love to her mouth until his breath came fast and his cock grew hard. God, he

could take her right here, right now. Despite the agitated words they’d exchanged, it

didn’t cancel the passion burning in his veins. His other arm anchored her tight against

him. A shiver ran over his skin as he craved her, plundering her mouth with steady,

relentless fervor.

She responded, her small hands clutching at his sweater and her hips arching into

his. A whimper slipped from her lips and he absorbed her unspoken plea. Undeniable

excitement fired deep in his loins, threatening a conflagration. His need boiled, driving

his passion higher as her tongue met his in a never-ending dance. As her hips moved,

the pressure aroused his already rock-hard cock. With a barely tempered groan, he

reached down and clasped one butt cheek so he could hold her. Another roll of her hips

made his cock grow longer and thicker until he thought he would scream with need.

Much more of this and I’ll come unglued.

He drew back from Ellie’s delicious taste. Her parted lips were swollen from his

kisses and a somewhat dazed expression made her look so damned delicious he wanted

to continue. He could toss her over his shoulder and go caveman, toss her on the bed

and fuck her into the next century. They’d burn like the brightest volcano, as strong as a

summer storm. He knew it without doubt.

Instead, with great difficulty, he took control of his erratic breathing and sucked in

a breath. “That’s why I’m standing here in your living room, Ellie.”

He released her and without another word, he stalked to the closet where she’d put

his coat. He slipped into his scarf and coat, then gave her one last look. The pink glow

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on her cheeks and her dilated pupils said arousal kept her in its thrall. Satisfaction made

him feel a little triumph. She might be angry, but he turned her on as much as she did

him. It fed his ego, and he couldn’t deny he liked it.

“If you need me for anything, any time, you know where to find me. Don’t hesitate

to call if you’re afraid or need someone to talk to. Goodnight, Ellie.”

After he left, he waited in the hallway until he heard the lock and deadbolt on her

door slide home before he returned to his car and the long drive home.

As he steered his vehicle through the dark streets, his body raged with a need only

she could fulfill. Regrets pursued him like sharks. Why couldn’t he let her go? Why

couldn’t he drop this fixation with protecting her when she didn’t want help?

With a growl, he smacked the steering wheel. “What a fucked up mess you’ve

gotten into, Darrock.”

* * * * *

Waiting for Ellie to come out of her building became agony for the man as he

watched from his car on Friday morning. Painful need prickled in his skin and his gut

with a driving force near madness.

Resisting urges that compelled him to find her now, he watched the weather. Snow

clouds obscured the sunlight, giving the day a grayish cast. Snow was predicted for

later today or tonight. As a steady breeze picked up, branches on the old trees along the

boulevard swayed and danced. An almost surreal feeling overcame him.

Today…tonight, rather, would be the night.

He’d seen Darrock come out of her building Wednesday night, and he thought

about doing the bastard right then. Stepping out of the shadows and slugging the

Division Chief over the head with a well-placed and deadly hit would have finished the

bigger man in seconds. Instead the burly Scotsman’s assured, alert strides had warned

of strength. Like it or not, the Scotsman could fight.

Denise A. Agnew

Shit. He should have brought a gun with a silencer Wednesday night. That would

have assured Darrock’s finale without a battle.

Weary of thinking how he could off the Division Chief without much trouble, he

turned his thoughts back to the obsession he cherished above all things.

Ellie Sterling doesn’t know how lucky she’s gonna be tonight. Tonight she’ll learn the

meaning of true love or she will die.

I can make her see it. I can make her understand I’m the one for her.

He licked his lips and clenched the steering wheel with his gloved hands. An

uncontrollable guttural laugh left his mouth. No matter where she went or what she

did, he could locate her. As an agent of SIA, she no doubt figured she couldn’t be

harmed, taken, removed from her wasteful life. He would show her differently. Yes, she

would come with him or die for disobeying.

He could almost taste her on his tongue. More than tasting would occur tonight.

Willing or not, she would come to him. He would make her want his special touch, his

extra talents.

Several cars drove down the avenue. He almost ducked down out of sight every

time they drove by, but then quashed the impulse. He had as much right to be on this

street as anyone, no questions asked.

Not much later Ellie stepped out of the six-story apartment building and headed

toward her silver Ford Escape in the parking lot. She dragged a small rolling suitcase

toward the car. After she loaded her suitcase into the SUV and headed out of the

parking lot, he followed.

As he pursued her, he dreamed of how they’d come together with Ben Darrock out

of the way. Oh, yes. Darrock would fall. He’d make sure of it.

He saw how Ellie fawned over Darrock. Maybe the bastard put on the brogue to

make her all gooey inside. While he’d never seen her blatant with her lust for Darrock,

he could feel it deep in his psyche.

Like most women she could be led astray with ease. All it took was a big dick and a

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ready smile, a handsome face and some serious pumping action to make them willing.

Maybe he didn’t own a face like Darrock’s but he did have big cock. That might satisfy

her.

He chuckled. Fuck her. He’d make her enjoy it.

Tonight Ellie Sterling would show him the way to salvation. He planned and

plotted his next move. The bitch would discover she couldn’t ignore him anymore. He

tried to get her attention, to make her understand how important she’d become to him.

Instead she treated him like lint on her sleeve or scum on pavement.

The thought pierced his skull with lacerating pain. Every woman he’d wanted

throughout his whole life left him for something or someone. A roiling energy filled

him with hate. He no longer felt indecisive or apprehensive. Instead he would take

charge once and for all. Tonight he would remedy the situation to the last degree for all

men on the planet. She would surrender to him and he would take her away from

Darrock. Then he’d split the Scotsman’s head in half and show it to Ellie. She’d know

how much he loved her then.

Denise A. Agnew

Chapter Four

Quitting time Friday came and Ben stood at Division Six reception desk and glared

at the smiling receptionist. “She went where?”

“To her parents’ cabin in Lightning.” Plump and cheerful Marella Silva didn’t seem

to take his reputation as a badass boss man seriously. Then again, she treated everyone

with evenhanded politeness, even demanding people like him.

His gaze, he knew, could eat through a person’s composure like battery acid when

he became angry. Or so he’d been told once by a woman.

The woman he searched for now.

Exasperated, he glanced at his watch. “It’s getting dark and it’s snowing like hell.”

Marella’s russet eyes twinkled with mischief. “And?”

Ben’s blood pressure spiked and started a headache in his temples. Then he

remembered what Ellie always said. Take it easy, Scotsman. You’re starting to look red in

the face. Take a deep breath and relax. It’s not that serious, and even if it is, it isn’t worth your
health.

Scotsman. Only one person in Division Six could get away with calling him that to

his face.

Ellie. The infuriating, amazing woman he couldn’t seem to keep off his mind,

especially when she pulled a stunt like this. Today she’d kept out of his way, and he’d

buried himself in work to avoid thinking about her as much as possible. He’d tried not

to give a flip about where she planned to go this weekend. When Marella had

volunteered information on where she’d gone, he’d felt all good intentions to mind his

own business fall by the wayside.

“Ellie could be in danger right now, and she’s running off to an isolated cabin in the

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woods? Is she mad?” Ben asked.

Marella’s reached for something on her desk. She handed him a number ten

envelope and said, “She mentioned that you would react this way.”

He glanced at the envelope long enough to register his full name scrawled across

the white paper in Ellie’s elegant script. “One of the biggest snowstorms to hit Colorado

in decades is bearing down on us and she’d taking a little road trip?”

Marella pulled her navy blue sweater tighter around her shoulders. “She grew up

here. She can handle herself.”

Uh-huh. Maybe Marella was trying to point out that he hadn’t grown up in

Colorado? No, he hadn’t, but winters in Scotland could be as inhospitable. He could

take anything Colorado could dish out.

Ben gritted his teeth and took the deep breath Ellie would recommend, then

resurrected a smile for Marella. “Thanks. I’m sorry I’m so uptight.”

She nodded. “No problem.”

He turned away, left the room, and headed down the hall to his office.

Marella had explained that Ellie left the office less than an hour ago, but she’d

probably had enough time to head to her apartment, pack, and head deeper into the

mountains. He would catch up with her at the cabin and talk sense into her.

After shutting down his computer and snatching his coat, he rushed by Marella’s

desk. “You know where I’ll be.”

Marella waved and gave him her ubiquitous smile. “Good luck.”

Good luck? Well, he supposed he’d need it trying to make it to the cabin before all

hell broke loose with the weather. As he stepped out of the elevator and into the

parking structure his breath showed icy crystals. It had become colder since noon.

Once in his SUV, he realized he hadn’t read the note he’d stuffed into his briefcase.

After he dug the envelope from his briefcase, he tore the message open and revealed

creamy pale pink notepaper with an insignia at the top. E. A. S. Ellie Ann Sterling.

Denise A. Agnew

Damn. Seeing her initials made her face come to mind. His nostrils flared as he took

in the delicate rose scent clinging to the envelope.

He unfolded the stationery carefully.

Ben,

During the last month you’ve been so understanding and I can’t tell you how much I

appreciate that. For my part, I’m sorry I’ve made you angry, but this is something I need to do.
Time alone will help me think. In case anyone is looking for me, I’ll be at my parents’ cabin in

the mountains near Lightning.

Sincerely,

Ellie

He groaned and tossed the note on the seat next to him. Time for action. She

shouldn’t be driving in this weather during a perilous situation. If he knew the location

of her cabin, so did the man who’d sent her those threatening messages. The last thing

she should do was be alone.

He started the car and raced toward his condo. He packed enough clothing for a

stay if he got stranded at the cabin, plus extra food supplies. In record time he drove up

Falls Pass into the beginnings of a storm. Light and fluffy, the January snow blanketed

the road and danced across his windshield. While he appreciated the beauty of the

weather, the menacing fact that Ellie could be trapped in a blizzard with a nutcase

running loose made him edgier by the minute. He tried taking deep breaths as Ellie

would advise and managed to chill his fervor a little.

But not by much. Not when he couldn’t stop thinking about her safety. Sure, he

couldn’t deny he wanted to get inside her, fuck her hard until they both collapsed in

exhaustion, and couldn’t walk for a week. Beyond that, he couldn’t bear the thought of

the stalker harming her. If it was the last thing he did in this world, he would make her

listen to reason and accept his protection. Starting immediately.

Yep, when he got his hands on her, she would wish she’d never gone on this insane

escapade in the first place.

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* * * * *

Ellie fumbled with the dry flower arrangement on the fireplace for the eighth time,

half wishing she’d gathered wood for the fireplace. No matter. The central heating did

what she wanted, even if it didn’t provide a cozy and romantic ambience.

A small smile curved her lips as she walked toward the bedroom and stepped in

front of the rectangular cheval mirror in one corner. She turned this way and that, then

considered another clothing change.

No. Nope. Don’t do it. You’ve already changed clothes three times.

She’d first slipped into a long black dress made of shimmering, flowing fabric. She

decided it looked too old-fashioned for her. Then she’d squeezed into a chunky blue

sweater and jeans. No, that felt way too pedestrian. Last but not least, she realized that

despite her declaration to keep her relationship with Ben on nonsexual footing, the

ensemble she wore now would declare war on Ben Darrock’s libido.

Yes, this garment was just this side of ridiculous. She turned to the left, then to the

right and gazed in the mirror again. Not bad, old girl. The tight red turtleneck and

equally close-fitting black skirt hugged curves Ben Darrock had never seen.

Correction. He’d seen some of them and touched others not long ago. The sexy

Scotsman wouldn’t know what hit him.

Oh hell, this entire situation is…is…

Outrageous.

First, to appreciate this outfit, he must make it through the storm. A fifty-fifty

chance and he might not show up at all.

Belated regret kept her up the last two nights with insomnia. When Ben had visited

her Wednesday night and declared in that devastatingly sexy, husky voice that he cared

about her deeply and worried about her, she’d been so stunned by the sincerity of his

plea she didn’t know what to think. Okay, so he might not be in love with her, but the

man displayed feelings for her that went beyond sex. She’d believed she needed the

vacation and the weekend time to consider all her options. Instead, after his heartfelt

Denise A. Agnew

declaration that he cared for her very much, she knew what to do. She’d tried in vain to

get in touch with him during the day, but he’d been in meetings. As a last minute idea,

she’d left the note for Ben with Marella. Marella knew to give it to him. The total sum of

her life meant more than work and putting up with the stalker’s messages. If the creep

who’d decided to stalk her showed up tonight, she’d take him out as any good SIA

agent could. If Ben appeared she’d let him know how she felt and see where things

went from there.

Now or never, Ellie.

A loud pounding on the cabin door made her heart jump and a gasp leave her

throat. She hurried into the living room and grabbed her agency-issued weapon.

Another hard knock on the door made her jump. Cautious, she stepped toward the

door slowly.

“Ellie, are you in there?”

Ben’s deep voice was unmistakable.

With relief she opened the door. Ben stood on the porch, his snow-dusted knit ski

hat, scarf, big parka, and jeans making him look like a pissed-off lumberjack.

“What are you doing here?” She backed up so he could enter the cabin. “Something

wrong?”

“Yeah.” He stopped near her, and she put her weapon on the coffee table. “And I

think you know what it is.”

His gaze snagged on her tight top and her high, rounded breasts. His attention

went from her bustline and caressed its way down her hips and legs.

Both aroused and amused by his blatant once-over, she said, “No, I don’t know.”

“God almighty.” His voice was a little more throaty and uncontrolled.

Caught between desire and aggravation, she asked, “What’s wrong now?”

He swallowed hard and took a step closer. “That… Your…”

She smiled, gratified as hell her clothing update flabbergasted him. She’d never

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known the big Scot to be speechless before. “My what?”

“Your clothing is different.”

“Yes? And that’s the first thing you can think of to say when you see me?”

He shook his head as if coming out of a daze, then headed for the door. For one

panicky moment she thought he would leave. Instead, he locked the door and put the

chain on. Then he turned around, his eyes serious. “Your parents should get a better

security system. They need a deadbolt at the very least.”

She sighed. “I know.”

He looked at her for a long stretch of silence before he spoke again. “What I should

have said is, ‘Hello Ellie. What the hell are you doing at this cabin alone?’”

Satisfaction ran through her at his concern. She couldn’t afford to be coy, so she

plunged right into the fire. “You sound worried.”

“Damn right I’m worried. You shouldn’t be here.”

Perturbation mixed with a little amusement at his intensity. “Last I checked this is a

free country.”

His gaze floated around, investigating the corners of the room as if a madman

might lie in wait within the shadows. “That’s true, but it isn’t a smart thing to do. Why

couldn’t you…?”

His voice faded out, and Ellie swore confusion flickered through those bedroom

eyes.

“Why couldn’t I what, Ben?”

“Stay in the city.”

“I’d still be alone in my apartment. What difference does it make?”

Those concerned eyes turned irritated. “It makes a difference and you know it. In

the city you wouldn’t be completely isolated.”

“You think the stalker is coming for me here?” As soon as the words came out of

her mouth, she felt stupid. Yes, it had crossed her mind, too.

Denise A. Agnew

“It’s a bluidy damned good possibility,” he said.

She half expected him to blurt out more curses, his voice sounded so rough, but he

didn’t.

A muscle worked in his jaw as his eyes blazed down at her. “You are the most

stubborn, irritating female I’ve ever worked with.”

She reached up impetuously and grabbed the two ends of his red and blue plaid

scarf. She tugged gently. “But a good agent. My rater has given me high marks every

evaluation period.”

A smile flicked over his lips for a half second. “You’re strangling me.”

She dropped her hands. “Sorry.”

He rolled his gaze to the ceiling for a moment in apparent exasperation. “Of course

your rater gives you high praise. She knows as well as I do there isn’t a better agent in

my division.”

Heady pleasure made her smile. He’d never said that to her before. “Thank you.

But if that’s the case, what’s the problem?”

He shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment. “There is a big dilemma. And

it’s my fault.”

Concern spiked inside her. Maybe there was more to this visit than she knew.

“Take off your coat and get comfortable. We’ll talk about it.” On a whim she

reached for the buttons on his parka and started undoing them.

His stopped her hands. “I can do that.”

As his big hands squeezed hers gently, then let go, she craved his touch on her body

again, caressing her breasts, her hips, feathering over her aroused clit. The idea made

her pussy clench hard. Moisture dampened her panties. Oh, man. She didn’t know if

she could survive this.

He moved away long enough to take off his parka and scarf. He tossed them on a

chair by the door. Ben jammed the hat into his coat pocket. He wore jeans, the well-

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worn fabric molding to his muscular thighs and outlining one thing she couldn’t help

but glance at.

His cock. Try as she might, she couldn’t help but find the size of that bulge

interesting. Yeah, even soft his cock was a big boy all right.

As he strolled back to her, she took in his superbly honed, muscled body with

appreciation. Oh yeah, the man was built. A rampaging, melt-you-to-your-knees hunk.

But more than his stunning good looks, he had a staggering power to turn her

inside out with the force of his personality.

Around Ben she felt wild, free, ready to rip open and spill her secrets one by one

until her insides felt raw. His sense of humor, his drive, and his very being made her

come alive. She more than admired him, and the depth of those feelings couldn’t be

contained any longer.

Once again he stood close, his hands settling on her shoulders. “Come back with me

to the city. This stalker, whoever he is, can’t be played with. You saw the psychological

profile a long time ago. The man’s obsessed with you.”

What about you, Ben?

As much as she liked his touch, she moved away a step and crossed her arms to

retain some control. “I’m not leaving here until we get a few things settled.”

Anger flashed in his eyes. “What things?”

“Why did you come up here? Because you thought you could talk me out of staying

here?”

With calm precision he said, “That’s right.”

“What else?”

Naked vulnerability showed in his eyes. For a moment she didn’t think he’d speak.

Finally confidence filled his voice as he continued. “The thought of you being here by

yourself and that madman hurting you is eating me alive, Ellie. If that asshole even

thinks of getting near you, he’s going to have to go through me.”

Denise A. Agnew

A wild thrill darted into her stomach at his protective attitude. Oh damn it. I

shouldn’t feel this way.

He turned away, pacing across the room to the door, then swung around. He

jammed his hands in his jeans pockets and stared at her.

“Well?” she said.

“Because you’re my friend, not just my subordinate. I’d do this for any friend.”

Damn. Well, that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “Your friend.” She decided to

give him time to think about that declarative statement. She swallowed hard and took

the plunge. “I don’t think that’s it.”

His brow creased. “Of course you’re my friend.”

“Yes, but it’s more complicated than that.” She sauntered toward him, doing to him

what he always seemed to be doing to her. Ellie positioned in front of him, less than six

inches between them, and tilted her chin up to catch his gaze. “You’ve been trying to

deny something since the day I met you.”

“What?” His warm breath ruffled the tendrils of hair along her forehead.

She poked him in the chest, right between the pecs. “But I’ll forgive you, because

I’ve been trying to deny it, too. I think that incident the other day in your office proved

it to both of us.”

His gaze warmed, a softening in his eyes drawing her closer, deep into his web.

Her breath shortened, her heart picked up speed and she said, “You’re attracted to

me and you want me. From what happened in the office and my apartment the other

night, it’s obvious.”

There. She’d dropped the bomb. All she needed to do now is see if when it hit, it

exploded in her face.

“Attracted?” His question came out rough-edged.

She expected something more, but he went mum. A somewhat startled expression

evolved on his smooth brow.

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Oh great. She’d done it now. Panic welled up. Now she’d allowed the proverbial cat

out of the bag, she feared the worst. What if he walked out that door right now?

Time for damage control, big-time.

“If you don’t want to act on this attraction again,” God, she sounded like a total

dork, “I’ll understand. As I said before, the SIA higher-ups would have a cow of the

first order if they found out what happened in your office. They’d think I set it up, and

that I really was a bad seed considering what happened with Clarke. In fact, I have a

plan that may solve everything.”

When she paused for breath, he asked, “Are you through?”

She rushed on, feeling herself seizing up, putting on the old mantle of the tight bun,

conservative suit, and straight-laced attitude. After all, this approach had gotten her

through many tight spots before.

Emergency! Bring out the big guns.

“If you don’t want to explore what’s been going on between us for the last year,”

she said, “you can leave right now and we’ll pretend this conversation never

happened.”

He gave a short laugh, an almost snort that could have been strangling. Silence

dropped between them, and restless energy threatened to send her rushing around the

room tidying up or some other mundane and useless action.

Swallowing hard, she gave him the unvarnished truth. “I’ve decided I will accept a

transfer into Mac Tudor’s section—”

“No.” Hard and clipped, the word brooked no argument. “You can’t.”

“I spoke with Human Resources. I’ll need additional training for his area, but other

than that, I’m perfectly qualified for fulltime field agent status. I’ve already talked with

his wife Destiny and she thinks I’ll be terrific as a field agent.”

His nostrils flared, displeasure now engraved on his features. “We need you at

Division Six.”

Denise A. Agnew

“Everyone’s replaceable. Especially me.”

His voice turned huskier and softer as he came toward her, those beautiful eyes

pleading with her. “You’re the best agent in my division, and I’m not letting you go.”

She recognized a strange panic in his tone, mixed with imperiousness. “You can’t

prevent me from transferring.”

She licked her lips, afraid down to her toenails he’d give up and agree. Instead the

big Scotsman closed his eyes and took a heaving breath.

When he opened his eyes a few seconds later, fire seemed to light his cocoa-rich

irises. “All right. I can’t tell you what to do. But I can ask you.” When he cupped her

shoulders and gazed down at her, the earth stood still. “How can I convince you not to

leave my division?”

She didn’t have time to think of an answer; a loud popping sound outside caused

them both to flinch.

“Shit!” Ben grabbed her by the waist and propelled her into a corner, his body

covering hers as he pressed her into the relative safety away from the door.

“Ben, what—?”

“Quiet.”

In those few moments of silence, she experienced every inch of that hard, powerful

body pressed against her softer curves. Her breath caught in her throat, fear and

excitement mixing into her system. Spiked with adrenaline, she thought she could feel

each muscle molding her frame to his. A wild thought flitted through her thoughts

before reality intruded. The man worked out, all right. She didn’t feel a spare inch of

flesh on that incredible body.

Ben shifted away, reached into the ankle holster and drew out a small weapon. He

peered around the corner of the small alcove. “Stay here. Don’t move.”

His hard-edged order kept her in place for a moment, then her training kicked in

and she followed him as he moved toward the big window in the living room. He

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glanced out the window and so did she. Lights from a vehicle moved down the road.

Ben let out a relieved breath. “Backfire.” He turned back to her, his voice a rumble

of thick, Scottish vowels. “Damn it, Ellie, I told you to stay put.”

Adrenaline continued to grip her, made her reckless and freer than she’d felt in a

long time. “I’m an agent, too, Scotsman. Why do I have to keep reminding you?”

He put his weapon on the table next to hers. “When you put yourself in needless

danger. When you tell me that I—” His glare turned hot, a reminder that danger often

made people do and say things they didn’t mean. “That I’m attracted to you and it’s a

hell of a lot more than that.”

Her stomach plunged. Now he would tell her he didn’t want anything to do with

her romantically. He cared for her very much, wanted her in a physical way, but their

relationship could never deepen past a friendly, casual sexuality. Whatever he said in

the next few seconds, she imagined, would seal her fate. She hung by a thread,

anticipation drawing her tight.

“I’ve lost my professionalism, Ellie Sterling.” When he reached her, frown lines

showed between his brows. “You’ve driven me to the ends of my wits for the last year

with your stuffy little suits and now you’re here…” he gestured toward her body,

“…and you’re right. I’m more than attracted to you. So much that it hurts. You make

me feel things I shouldn’t. Damn it, you’re my subordinate and I shouldn’t touch you.”

Impulsively, she reached up and placed one hand on his hard chest, right over one

muscled pectoral.

His breath hissed in a little, then his gaze went supernova, a prelude to an

explosion she knew must arrive in a one-second blast. With an intent movement he

anchored his hand behind her neck. She drowned in his gaze until the last moment

when he drew her forward and his mouth met hers.

Denise A. Agnew

Chapter Five

While Ellie expected a gentle, tentative exploration, Ben gave her deep, devouring

passion. A hot, wild thrill pulsed through her abdomen and he brought her up against

his body, his other arm going around her waist. Angling his head for a better fit, he

kissed her passionately. His lips caressed, but they demanded, parting hers for the

stroke of his tongue. In and out, with pure sexual cadence, his tongue tasted her deeply.

Dazed with pleasure, ecstatic at his response, she responded to the call in his kiss.

Clutching at his sweater she held on for dear life. He meant business. No willy-nilly

pretense, no timid exploration to see where the fire would lead. This was the fire.

Wrapped in the security of Ben’s arms, Ellie forgot danger, nerves, and the

possibility he would back away. What happened now would be up for grabs and she

couldn’t predict the outcome.

Sweet, deep kisses. Long, lingering kisses. She wanted them all. When he broke

their contact, his breathing came harder, his pupils dilated. No doubt about it, they’d

crossed one line and couldn’t retreat.

Instead of turning away, a cocky smile spread over his mouth. With his arms still

cradling her close, he asked, “You knew I’d come out here, didn’t you? That’s why

Marella had a shit-eating grin on her face when she gave me your letter, right? She

knew I’d come for you.”

She returned his smile, her emotions sliding up and down from elation to confusion

and uncertainty. “I think she deduced that something is happening between us. That

we’ve been dancing around each other for months.”

He cupped the side of her face, brushing over her skin with the gentlest touches.

“So you hoped I’d react predictably and rush out here, then you’d drive me into an

early grave by wearing something like this.” He brushed his thumb over the shoulder

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of the tight top. He swallowed hard. “God, you’re so beautiful.”

His words, hot and passionate, made her skin flush. “Thank you. And you’re the

most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.”

He laughed, throwing his head back on the hearty sound. His eyes sparkled with a

genuine happiness and mirth she hadn’t seen on his face before. Delight surged through

her with wildfire desire trailing right behind.

“So what are we going to do about this?” she asked breathlessly.

He undid the braid at her neck and let the waves drift around her back and

shoulders. “I like seduction.”

Seduction. Now there was something you didn’t hear most men talk about, at least

not straight to a woman’s face. No, they used harsher terms to describe what they

wanted to do.

Without putting too fine a point on it, they were about to get it on. Do the hunka-

chunka. The two-backed beast. Fuck like bunnies.

All the euphemisms for this animal act came to mind in last desperation.

She wanted all of the above.

“I want you so much I don’t think I can wait any longer,” he said. “I’ve wanted you

from the first day I met you.”

Pleasure surged into her, wreaking havoc with her ability to think straight. Fear

mixed right in there with dangerous desire, a recklessness that required physical

joining. Her conscious mind tried to reason with her instincts and failed miserably.

“Then maybe we should get this out of our system. If that’s all it is.”

“Yeah,” he said huskily. His eyes flamed. “I must fuck you, Ellie.”

His carnal words set her on fire, and she decided seduction wouldn’t do for her

right now, either. Only frantic, hard, do-it-or-die sex would satisfy her craving.

“Then I’ve got to transfer. We can’t be together if I—”

His mouth slammed down on hers.

Denise A. Agnew

Searching with the frantic need of a man on fire, Ben plunged his tongue into her

mouth. As his hands searched her back and reached down to clasp her butt with both

hands, she ground her body against his. Heat seemed to flare up inside her at the same

time happiness urged her into a flagrant, no regrets decision.

He wanted her, she wanted him.

She didn’t need to know anything else.

Ben’s overheated senses demanded instant gratification. Feeling feverish and

crazed to have her, he drew back long enough to clasp her sweater and draw it over her

head. He tossed it on the couch. Looking deep into her eyes, he reached for the front

clasp on her bra and unhooked it. As her breasts spilled into his waiting palms, his

breath seized up.

Jesus, she was beautiful. Berry-ripe nipples, large and rosy-crowned full breasts.

His mouth literally watered as he flicked the tight nipples once with his thumbs. Ellie

sucked in a soft breath, a cross between startled and aroused. As he watched her eyes

widen, he knew they couldn’t turn back. No matter what happened to them next,

despite consequences, it would all be worth it in the end.

She kicked off her flats. He grasped her skirt and slid it down, down. Kneeling with

the movement, he helped her step out the garment. Soon the floor was littered with her

clothes. What remained on her gorgeous body took his breath clean out of his lungs. No

garter belt for her this time. No, the little vixen wore black thigh-high stockings and

silky panties in a sparkling black fabric.

Crotchless.

Shit, yes. He could see her labia lips and the soft tangle of hair around them

peeking out of the crotch. He grinned, his lips parting as he laughed quietly. As he

dropped to his knees in front of her, he forgot about taking her quickly. At least for the

moment. No, this required more finesse.

As he looked up at her from this damn advantageous position, Ellie frowned.

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“What’s so funny, Scotsman?”

He kissed her flat, smooth belly with reverence. “I never would have guessed in a

million years you would wear crotchless panties.”

She clasped his head as he kissed his way across her skin. “Well, there’s a lot you

don’t know about me.”

Between kisses he murmured, “Yet. A lot I don’t know yet.” As he tongued her

belly button she shivered. Gratified, he said, “Part your legs, lass.”

As she complied he slipped a finger between her legs and found her soft folds

plump and wet with arousal. With a muffled groan of satisfaction, he buried his mouth

between her legs. To hell with subtleness. He went right for the gold mine.

As Ben’s tongue moved over her clit with a hot, wet swipe, Ellie about came apart

from the inside out. She gasped in stunned pleasure. She grasped his hair, slipping her

fingers into the thick strands as he moaned and pushed his tongue up into her pussy.

With tantalizing, heated strokes, he pumped his tongue deep. Each exquisite rub of his

tongue against heated walls made her whole body twitch with pleasure.

Wild shivers coasted over her body as he took her to new places she’d never been,

new heights where fantasy and reality could mix in one seamless moment of bliss. All

her life she’d wanted this with a man. A connection flowed between her and Ben that

transcended simple lust, and she would prove it to him with her touch, with her words

and her deeds.

Soft and slow, he took her up. Each tender touch as he manipulated her wet, willing

flesh sent hot desire rising like a fierce firestorm she couldn’t escape.

Oh shit. Oh my God. She wouldn’t survive this.

Ben sealed his lips over her clit. Smoothing his tongue over hypersensitive flesh, he

licked and sucked rapidly. When he slid two fingers deep into her and established a

steady rhythm, she ignited.

Denise A. Agnew

She writhed against the pressure of his fingers deep inside her and the insistent,

wild sucking. Shaking from the blossoming fire between her legs, she surrendered to

this man in every possible way. All last doubts, everything that might have kept her

from giving to Ben washed away.

Ben Darrock, big, gorgeous Scotsman, belonged in her heart as well as her body.

A loud, wholly uninhibited groan of total ecstasy burst from Ellie’s throat, and Ben

continued to suck her clit while he moved his fingers in and out of her pussy.

Now.

No more waiting.

He slipped his fingers from the tight grip of her clinging, wet flesh.

He stood and with one swift move, he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the

bedroom. She sensed this first time would hard, fast, and plain old missionary position,

but the time after that, and the time after that…well, she felt it in her heart he could be

fucking creative when he wanted to be.

Caught up in his powerful arms, Ellie never felt more wanted, more protected, and

more cherished in her life. At the same time, the gritty, very masculine need on his face

reminded her of a warrior of old. Caveman needed cavewoman. She cherished the

animal reaction boiling up inside her in answer to his primitive requirements.

She giggled as he tossed her lightly on the bed. As he looked down at her and

stripped off his clothes with frantic movements, she decided to leave on the thigh-highs

and the crotchless panties. Lying back, she watched as his gaze cruised over her body,

need clear in every line of his face. Dilated pupils, flared nostrils, his breathing a little

more rapid.

Oh yes. He’d lost it. Lost all ability to be civilized, to remain the upright office

executive with secrets to keep and plans to make.

She couldn’t form the words or inhale enough oxygen to speak when he stood

naked and oh-so-ready to make love. A cocky, masculine smile curved his mouth as she

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savored watching him. Pure admiration filled her.

The man, in a word, was ripped.

Warrior described his well-hewn structure, fiber and sinew honed to perfection

made everything female inside Ellie respond with unheralded desire. Though she’d

imagined more than once what his body looked like, nothing prepared her for his real

glory.

She cataloged his attributes with devouring hunger. Wide shoulders and powerful

arms, rippling with delicious muscle. Strong enough to kick ass or comfort a woman.

Dark hair sprinkled over his broad chest and down over the outline of a six-pack

stomach and encircled the strong, irrefutable evidence of his arousal.

Her gaze snagged on his cock and she ached to touch him, to allow that thick, hard

muscle to slide into her as far as it could reach. She reached out for him, but before she

could encircle his cock in her fist, he caught her hand.

“No, lass. If you do that I won’t last.” Ben’s eyes blazed with craving, with

overwhelming yearning.

An answering flow rippled and settled in her belly, then spread down to her loins.

“I hope you’ve got condoms handy, because I didn’t think to bring any,” he said,

chest rising and falling with his heavier breathing.

“In the bedside table,” she managed to say softly.

He yanked open the bedside table drawer. He drew out two boxes of condoms and

a smile flashed across his face. Without comment he ripped open one box, dumped

several packets onto the table. Seconds later, fully sheathed in protection, he returned to

her.

He settled on the bed, propping up on his forearms as he slipped one hard thigh

between her legs. Her hands clasped the taut line of his waist, then smoothed up over

his arms as she savored the power she felt there.

“Ben—” She gasped on a strangled breath as he wedged his other thigh into

Denise A. Agnew

position. “Are we crazy?”

An almost boyish smile touched his lips. “Certifiable. And I wouldn’t have it any

other way.”

His face flushed a little as the rising need grew steady and sure. A tight spasm sent

more trickling moisture to her pussy. Her mind began a litany, a begging that she didn’t

speak. Please, oh, please. Just take me now.

The fierceness on his face said their consummation would be swift. Angling his

hands into her hair, he tilted her face so she must look straight into his eyes. The broad

head of his cock slipped between her folds and she arched in pleasure at the heat.

“Feel me,” he said, voice husky and low.

As he worked his thickness into her body, she lifted her hips to assist his invasion.

He was so big. So hard. “More.”

“Shit, yes.” His eyes closed and his lips parted. “Take every inch.”

Back and forth he caressed her opening, thrusting two inches inside before

retreating. Teasing her. Oh God, he was teasing her when she’d thought it would be

fast, when she needed the fire now.

She wanted—

He thrust.

His pressure stretched her wide, his broad cock filling her more than any man had

before.

He didn’t pretend she needed protection from the fact his cock was bigger than

average. No, he simply gave her what she wanted more than anything in the world,

without preliminaries, without apologies.

The deep penetration of spike-hard man burrowed into her wet, aching folds. She

gasped and tilted her hips so his cock could reach as deep as possible. As he plunged

deep, he touched a spot that made her writhe and moan with staggering pleasure. She

needed more. More. With a moan of bone-melting pleasure, she reached down and

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grabbed his taut buttocks. As she squeezed and palmed his flesh, he answered her

moan with a growl. Burying his face in her throat, he withdrew, only to thrust hard

once more.

Ben thought his heart would explode as it pounded inside his chest. Taking her

body had been wonderful in his fantasies and dreams, but real life beat it to hell and

back. A woman’s pussy had never felt so wonderful, grasping his cock with the tight,

hot grip of overwhelming arousal.

All other women faded from his memory as mere wisps of smoke long forgotten.

From this point forward there could be Ellie and none other.

He licked her neck, savoring her taste as he traveled to her ear. He almost

whispered something incredibly crude, his lust raging hard upon him. Instead his mind

spun away, too locked in drugging sexual pleasure to attempt anything else.

The bed squeaked with their vigorous movements, but Ben concentrated on the

mind-blowing sensation of working in and out of her hot, wet channel. Heat rolled up

his spine and his muscles burned as his rough breathing pushed his lungs. His

relentless, frantic pace was primal, out-of-control man, giving everything to his woman

with hard, ramming thrusts.

Ellie closed her eyes, her lips parted as little moans of bliss escaped.

Thought ceased as he experienced the flow, the extraordinary tightness as she

hugged his cock. He could fuck her forever and push into the haven of her body for

hours until she screamed in orgasm again and again. He wanted her panting for breath,

writhing in his arms like a madwoman, urging him on with the upward counterthrusts

of her hips. Shoving one hand under her ass, he gripped her tighter, guiding his cock

through trembling, scorching-hot pussy.

As he licked her ear, she shivered, and his excitement rose as he acknowledged that

he made her feel this way. That he could bring her the utmost pleasure. God, yes. He

wanted that with everything inside him. With a steady pace he continued to plunge

Denise A. Agnew

inside her, his body aflame, wanting nothing more than to explode into her with hot

waves of cum.

But she would come first. He’d make sure of it.

Pleasure didn’t describe the sensation of Ben’s rigid cock caressing her channel with

ever-increasing movements. Mind-blowing, heady ecstasy, did.

Moving within her snug heat, he caressed and plunged, pacing his movements to

tantalize until she hovered on a razor-thin edge of explosion. Like unstable dynamite

she might rip apart at any moment, her joy a finely honed desire accumulated through a

year of longing, of craving for all this man could give her. Her mind went into a riot of

physical abandon, no thought allowed.

Oh. God. Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Ben thrust into her with repeated, hard thrusts until a blinding orgasm burst in her

center. She arched her back, a low moan of ultimate surrender breaking past her lips as

she shivered around the cock continuing to pump inside her.

Ellie knew she’d never felt anything so amazing, her heart pounded as she clutched

at him. She held onto his shoulders like an anchor in a storm-tossed sea. Yes, she could

die happy this moment, her body humming from the last climax and reaching for

another.

Tingling built in her center, and she allowed the passion to carry her away. His

mouth came down on hers and his tongue took command, plundering with carnal

attention. She moaned against his lips, eager to reach the end that hovered out of reach.

When he stopped kissing her and buried his mouth against her ear, she shivered with

longings.

All his animal tendencies seemed to display, to dare her to think or feel anything

beyond ancient, gut-wrenching urges. They didn’t make love, they mated. Hard, hot

and beyond any fantasy she’d entertained about this man. Another slick, hot thrust and

she moaned in delight, thrashing and breathless.

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Everything about him and this moment turned her into a wild woman with little

care for anything outside this fiery encounter. Motion blurred into motion as his thrusts

came harder and faster, the continual sensation of steel-hard cock caressing her flesh

igniting a firestorm of need into her center.

“Please,” she said, a whimper haunting her voice. “Please.”

He quickened his penetrations until a guttural sound from his throat and a

jamming thrust sent her insides into riot.

She exploded in climax, tingling rushing from her clit to the depths of her body,

through her stomach and up into her chest. With a scream she arched her body and

bliss-filled muscles contracted over the cock high up inside her.

But if she thought it was over, he proved quickly it wasn’t.

He rolled them over until she straddled his hips, still buried inside her.

“Ride me,” he said as he gripped her hips and urged her into motion. “Come on,

sweetheart. Take me.”

Sweetheart.

The endearment, spoken in that husky Scots accent, set her on fire and melted her

heart with a deep tenderness.

Without hesitation she plunged into the motion. As he tilted upwards she slid up

and down on his cock, riding him with eyes closed and head thrown back. When she

leaned forward on her palms and rode him harder, he clasped her nipples between his

fingers and plucked them with every downward thrust. Again and again she rode until

the overwhelming need to climax again sent her into the heavens threatening to drive

her insane.

As she took him with maddening intensity, he muttered in a rusty, pleasure-dazed

voice, “Holy shit. Oh God, baby.”

His hips bucked against hers frantically now, and his lack of control did her in.

Lightning pleasure rocketed into her, and her body gave in to a maelstrom of bliss so

Denise A. Agnew

intense Ellie thought she’d faint. Again, she screamed with bone-melting, incredible

pleasure.

One last powerful thrust and he ground his hips between her thighs. His balls

pushed against her buttocks, his cock so high and tight inside her Ellie thought she’d

break from the excitement of it.

Long, slow, and deep, his groan of satisfaction rumbled from his lips. Ben’s body

shook and shivered as he gasped in orgasm.

As she collapsed over him, her body quaking with shivers, he caressed her back and

shoulders with tender hands. She took in the warm, masculine scent clinging to his

glorious body as he drew her into his arms and held her tightly against his solid, warm

muscles. She reveled in the sensation, in the formidable emotions arising inside her.

Ellie didn’t just want him physically. He’d wedged a place into her soul, into her

heart the way no man ever had before. She admitted to herself what she couldn’t yet

say out loud.

She hadn’t fallen hard and fast for Ben Darrock.

No, she’d been falling in love with him from the day she’d met him a year ago.

This was damned serious.

Over the Line

Chapter Six

Ellie sighed she came awake sometime late in the night. Wind battered the cabin,

but in Ben’s arms she felt infinite safety. She sighed. Never had a man made her feel this

special or this desirable. At the moment it didn’t matter if a stalker could be lurking

outside, or that they might have this one night and nothing more.

Their lovemaking had been wild and quick, a testimony to the building passion

inside them that had to break free. Now that the edge was off, she wondered if this

wonderful dream would dissolve in the night. What if his passion for her ebbed?

What if her feelings for him disappeared rather than grow with every day? Would

that be just as well in their present situation?

She shook her head, not wanting to think about the very real possibility. Fucking

her senseless didn’t guarantee he wanted a lifelong commitment.

What did she want?

The question floated around in her head without an immediate answer.

While she contemplated all contingencies, she relaxed into his embrace and savored

the moment. His big body nestled against her back, his arm looped over her and his

broad palm cupping her ribs. His breath tickled her ear. The firm, powerful

construction of his chest pressed against her. He felt so warm and alive.

So aroused.

His erection nestled against her buttocks, and she thrilled to the illicit sensation. She

stretched languidly within his hold, more a shimmy and an invitation than anything

else.

A low moan slipped from him as his arm tightened, drawing her even closer. When

he clasped her breast, she writhed in pleasure. He palmed her stomach with a sweeping

Denise A. Agnew

movement and shivers of delight coasted over her skin in response. She closed her eyes

and concentrated on enjoying whatever did or didn’t happen next, not something she’d

done often enough in her life. Nestled in the cozy cabin, she felt as if the world outside

didn’t exist. The only two people on earth, cushioned in safety, enjoyed a languid

interlude. Could anything be more perfect?

As he plumped one breast and then the other, testing their shape and resilience

with gentle touches, she craved a deeper touch. He gave it to her. Skimming

downward, he slipped his fingers through the damp lace of her crotchless panties and

into the moist need between her legs. She wriggled in pleasure.

Soft approval left his lips. “Oh, yeah.”

Ben’s words, husky with arousal, turned the heat up tenfold. Nothing prepared her

for instant arousal like this because she’d never experienced it with another man.

Before, when they’d made love, the ecstasy burst upon her like a supernova, a heat from

inside. Now it seemed his caresses asked for a slow, gentle coupling. She went with it,

refusing to think and allowing feeling to prevail.

Then an idea came to her, and she reached down and slid her thigh stockings off

her legs with slow deliberation. With that accomplished she slipped the crotchless

panties down her ass, over her legs and feet and tossed the garments away.

Ben encompassed her back in his arms. “That’s better.” One smooth flick of his

finger over her clit and Ellie jerked and moaned in his arms. “You’re driving me crazy.”

“Good,” he murmured, his breath hot and husky against her ear. “There’s more

where that came from. Much more.”

He proceeded to prove it. With sweeping caresses, he plundered and probed her

moist flesh. His fingers felt warm against sensitive tissue, refusing to give quarter as

wildfire need flashed into her loins. As she writhed in his hold, the pleasure almost too

much to bear, she couldn’t stop her breathless gasps. She felt her moisture, her flesh

becoming plumper and aroused with every stroke. One caress piled upon the other

until she thought she would scream with raging desire.

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“You like it when I touch like this, don’t you?” he asked huskily.

“Yes,” she said with a soft whimper. “Please. Don’t stop.”

“God, there are so many things I want to do to you.” His words sounded strained

with desire and incredible craving for fulfillment. He shifted his position slightly and

the movement brushed his fingers harder against her clit. Whispering into her ear, he

said, “I want to slip my fingers into your sweet pussy where it’s hotter and wetter and

tighter. I want suck your clit and drink from your heat.”

Spoken in the liquid intonation of his accent, his carnal words increased her heart

rate tenfold. “No man’s ever told me what he planned to do to me.”

“Does it excite you?”

She reached behind and ran her hand up his thigh. “More than you know.”

She licked her lips, almost mindless now from the pleasure as his fingers strummed

and fluttered over her throbbing clit. The torture went on, so steady and relentless she

thought she’d scream with yearning.

Ben cupped her ass, stroking it with long sweeps that promised possession. “What

if I said I wanted to fuck you up the ass? Would that excite you?”

Shock ran through her, but so did feral heat. This man just kept surprising her. A

shudder of unadulterated desire rippled over her skin and she managed to say, “Yes.

Yes.”

Not knowing when he planned to take her that way, she felt raw and exposed. At

the same time, she wanted the new experience with everything inside her. Dark with

intensity, the mere thought of Ben sliding his hard cock up her tight, virgin channel

caused equal parts of apprehension and undeniable excitement.

A soft chuckle left his throat, deep and filled with promise. “Good. Maybe I should

try torturing you another way.”

She struggled playfully in his arms. “No, I can’t stand it. Finish me now.”

“We’re new together, but I want to show you it all. Every way I can take you, every

Denise A. Agnew

position, every place.”

Images ran danced in her imagination of a variety of ways he could take her and the

number of places they could do the nasty.

“Maybe we could do it in a car next. Or in a place we might get caught,” she said

impulsively.

His laugh rumbled in Ellie’s ear. “Woman, I like the way you think.”

He turned her over on her back and hovered over her. In the dark she couldn’t see

his expression, but she felt sure it was devilish. “Tell me what you want now.”

To hell with that. She’d show him. She gripped his shoulders and pulled him

toward her for a feverish kiss. Audacious, she plunged her tongue into his mouth and

explored. Ben tasted minty and warm, his mouth a special honey for her delight. A

groan echoed low in his throat, verging on pure male animal growl. Beyond all else,

Ellie wanted him desperate for her, to torture him in the same way he drove her beyond

all endurance. Before she could do anything else, he moved back. His lips trailed down

her chest and circled in a lightning quick brush over one nipple. She gasped at the

featherlight touch. Another movement and he licked her other nipple. Breathless, she

wanted to beg him for that ending, to bring her to the heights and let her fall over the

edge.

He must have sensed her desperation as she writhed against him, for he tongued

her stomach with gentle touches. His lips touched her stomach, then the top of her

mons. Parting her legs wide, she begged for his touch wordlessly. He dipped his head

and with exquisite, light caresses, he licked her swollen folds. Each hungry touch sent a

shiver through her frame. One pass, then two, three, then four. Long, lavish licks took

her closer to heaven and drew her into a world where ecstasy couldn’t be far away. Her

hips moved with his rhythm, finding the right cadence. When his tongue flicked over

her clit with a languorous lick, she shivered at the delicious sensation. Quick tastes sent

the motion higher and Ben drove her closer to the end of the world until she dangled, in

danger of falling.

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The torture of hanging by a thread made her gasp and wriggle. As she became

wetter and wetter, she thought the ache inside her would never stop building. When he

slipped two fingers deep inside her pussy, she moaned at the heart-stopping sensation

of being filled. Long, slow strokes mixed with the tantalizing licks built the fantastic

pressure inside her. Seconds later he removed his fingers and she moaned in protest.

“I’m so close,” she said with frantic need.

“Easy,” he whispered. “Slow and easy. Just breathe and let it happen.”

With that reassurance she took a deep breath and tried to steady her heart. He drew

her moisture downward toward her anus, a teasing touch that made her start in

surprise.

“Easy,” he said again as he drew the slick evidence of her need down to the tight

little hole.

She’d never considered allowing a man to touch her there before. Not that she was

a prude, it just never entered her mind that she’d want a man to touch and tease her in

so forbidden an area.

As his finger glided over the tender, sensitive flesh, shivers of delight rippled along

her skin. Oh yes. She could get used to that sensation. As his tongue and lips settled on

her clit again, she undulated against his touch. Renewed stimulation drove her higher

and higher. Aided by her gathering moisture, his finger glided slick and smooth into

her back entrance with one gentle push.

“Oh my God,” she said, her exclamation throaty and surprised by the pleasure.

“All right?”

“Yes.”

Filled, she waited for what he planned next. Anticipation burned inside her along

with a desire that rode her high and hard. His lips settled over her clit and sucked as he

moved his finger. As gentle thrusts filled her anus, he fed upon her. Nerve endings she

didn’t know she possessed rose to the call, excited and responding to his manipulation.

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She moaned with stunned delight. “Ben.”

“Tell me what you want.” His demand, rough with a nuance that said his control

couldn’t last much longer, whispered on the air.

Exquisite torture built in her pussy and his mouth played her like a fine-tuned

instrument. As he feasted on her folds and her clit, the slow pumping of his finger into

her anus made her gasp for more.

Falling into ecstasy, and already falling in love. Another languorous pass of his

hungry lips and tongue and orgasm splintered her in waves. Shearing excitement

burned her veins and ignited. Her pussy clenched and rippled in spasms so strong she

moaned. The feeling was so intense she couldn’t hold back, her voice rising high. She’d

never experienced a more thundering climax in her life.

As she panted and came down from the delight, she realized she’d experienced

something new with Ben. Total trust and acceptance. She’d never experienced that with

a man before. Eager to fulfill him as he’d done for her, she surged up and switched their

positions. Ben rolled onto his back as she came over him. Once upon a time, she’d

found giving men head uninspiring, but now she understood why. She needed

emotional connection with a man. With love vibrating inside her, it was easy to want to

do this for him.

Without hesitation she encompassed his cock in her hand and held him still as her

mouth sealed over his long, broad length. A soft moan left his lips, a startled gasp

followed. A rhythm started in her soul, a cadence that promised full satisfaction. As she

reached down to cup his balls, she eagerly stroked and licked his cock with ever

increasing movements. Her hair fell forward and blanketed her face as she worked him

with tongue and touch.

Ellie dipped her tongue into the slit at the end of his cock and he jumped and

groaned. “Holy shit. Yes. Don’t stop.”

A smile flickered over her lips before she resumed. Soon he was slick and his skin

felt hot against her tongue and lips and hands. She placed her index finger under his

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balls and pressed and rubbed gently while she continued the torture with her mouth.

Repeatedly she slid her lips over silk over steel flesh. Savoring his musky clean taste,

she breathed in the scent of man and allowed it to arouse her into a frenzy. One lick

over one side of his cock, then another stroke of her fingers made him moan with

complete abandon. The sound heightened her need, her desire to give him the ultimate

pleasure. Another lap of her tongue over his hardened flesh made his hips tilt up until

he fucked her mouth with gentle movements.

Soft exclamations parted his lips and turned into a litany. “Oh yeah. Come on. Take

me deeper. Faster.”

She complied, wanting to please him in every way. With swift caresses and

movements designed to tantalize and bring him to rapid climax, she tasted his hard

flesh. As cum leaked from the broad tip of his cock, she knew he couldn’t last that much

longer. Gasps of satisfaction poured from him. Oh yes, the end was near.

Come on, big Scotsman. Give it all to me.

His gasps of pleasure heightened, his masculine sounds raw and needful. As she

pumped him, she decided she’d make him come or die trying.

His big hands speared into her hair and held on, the gentle tug against her scalp a

small pain not too big to pay for the enjoyment of having him in her mouth. Excitement

moistened her pussy, the soft musky scent of her desire evident. She ached for climax,

but all her thoughts directed to his ultimate satisfaction.

With a gentle rumble in his throat, he sat up. Before she could blink an eye, he’d

taken control and eased her onto her back. His weight pressed into her, his cock lodged

up against her slick heat.

Thick and urgent, his accent said it all. “That’s it, lass. You’re going to pay for

drivin’ me mad.”

Swiftly, he reached toward the bedside table and ripped open a condom. After he

slipped on protection, he changed the tides and turned her over. He wedged two thick

pillows under her stomach so her hips were tilted upward and cushioned.

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Curious and excited, she asked, “What are you going to do?”

“Wait and see.”

The danger in his voice made her shiver with enjoyment. He sounded like predator

intent on fucking his mate in no uncertain terms. She couldn’t wait to discover exactly

how she would “pay” for her earlier tactics. Shivers of delight tickled her skin as he

blanketed her body with muscle and power and his cock dipped between her legs.

With one powerful thrust Ben took Ellie to the hilt.

Startled pleasure slipped from her throat, then a pleasured moan. If she expected an

easy coupling, she discovered he didn’t have soft and easy in mind. And as his cock

drilled her with thrust after hot thrust, she recognized she didn’t want him to make love

to her with a light touch bent on driving her into a slow meltdown. Her sexual craving

ran too hot, her hunger for the Scotsman too incredible to ease into with gentle

simplicity.

She wanted mind-bending, earth-quaking, out-of-this-world loving. A joining that

brought out the animal in them both. He gave her every inch of his cock, working deep

inside her with relentless, powerful movements that caused the bed to creak and their

moans to echo in the room. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the ride, enraptured by the

sensation of his thick length shoving harder and harder inside her.

Ben thought he’d gone to heaven.

He’d thought about loving her tenderly and slowly this time, but her ability to turn

him on so deeply became a firestorm so fierce he couldn’t control it. He must fuck her

now.

Hard. Deep. Fast.

His cock felt wrapped in silky heat that clenched and released each time he plunged

into creamy wet folds. Lost in a world where only hot, slick sensations encompassed his

senses, he pinned her hips between his hands and thrust his cock repeatedly between

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her widely spread thighs. Her sounds of bliss drew him into a driving movement, and

within seconds his pumping hips picked up speed. One goal lay before him.

Plunder her pussy until she couldn’t deny him anything.

As her gasps accelerated, he lavished every molecule of attention on enjoying her

soft screams of pleasure and drawing the ecstasy into himself.

“Please,” she said between gasps. “I can’t stand it. I need—oh my God!”

He felt her pussy clench tightly, and he worked his cock deeply in and out of her as

she exploded around him. Her whimper of pure delight and her shivering body set him

loose.

With one last deep thrust, he roared out his release. His muscles quivered and

quaked with the most amazing orgasm he’d experienced in his life. As he eased from

her tight pussy, he flopped onto his back. His breathing sluiced in and out of his lungs,

a testimony to the long, hard ride.

She snuggled into his embrace and he immediately tightened his arms around her

curves. He sighed in satisfaction. He loved the way she felt in his arms. Wrapped

around her, he felt nothing bad could happen, even though he knew realistically there

was no truly safe place in the world. Anything could happen at any time, and yet these

moments when he held Ellie, he allowed contentment to fill his mind. In this cocoon he

felt at peace, his heart and soul lighter than they’d ever been. He could worry

tomorrow, about where they would go from here, how they would save their jobs, and

what they would do about the stalker bent on her destruction.

Denise A. Agnew

Chapter Seven

Ellie was wide awake.

After the round of mind-melding sex, she’d felt so boneless and happy she believed

sleep would find her right away. Ben dozed as so many men did after sex, as if he

didn’t have a care in the world. His deep loving should have lulled her into a long,

dreamless sleep rife with contentment. It did, but she awoke a couple of hours later

with her mind cogitating over their circumstances. She couldn’t go back in time and

pretend tonight hadn’t occurred.

What would they do now?

She could leave SIA all together and maintain a relationship with Ben.

No. That idea didn’t sound good at all. She loved her work, especially in Division

Six. Finding another career outside of SIA didn’t appeal in the least. She ruminated over

her predicament until she knew there would be no more sleep for her. At least not until

she’d come to a reasonable conclusion about their relationship and where it would go

from the explosive lovemaking they’d experienced a short time ago.

Sliding out of Ben’s cuddling arms without waking him took a little maneuvering.

He rolled over suddenly with a low groan and turned on his side. Maybe she could go

into the kitchen and make a cup of chamomile tea to relax her.

She flicked on the bedside lamp and the soft, low glow illuminated the room

enough for her to find her flannel pajamas and matching robe and slippers. She

grinned. Sexy lingerie hiding in the chest of drawers would have to wait until

tomorrow. Perhaps she’d get a chance to seduce Ben with the red velvet teddy.

Ellie left the bedroom and closed the door softly. She headed for the kitchen

without turning the lights. Once there, she flipped on the light. She opened the small

refrigerator and stared at the contents. Her stomach growled. A post midnight snack

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also sounded excellent, so she dug out the green grapes and reached for the water

pitcher. After filling up and plugging in the electric kettle she purchased not long ago,

she munched grapes and sat down at the kitchen table.

Wind howled with vicious intensity outside. Curious about the weather, she

trudged back into the living room and crossed shadowy room toward the front

windows. She flipped on the porch light and then parted the curtains.

A flash of movement caught her attention. A figure moving quickly by the snow-

covered bushes near the windows.

Oh shit.

* * * * *

With a start, Ben sat bolt upright. Light spilled under the closed bedroom door.

Ellie wasn’t in the room. His heart pounded with surging adrenaline as he listened

intently. He didn’t know what awakened him.

A strange scraping sound, along with the low murmur of voices came again, and he

frowned. A tight, hot worry made him hesitate to jump into action. If someone entered

the cabin and threatened Ellie, he’d need to take this slow and precise. If he burst out of

the room without a plan, it could get Ellie killed. On the other hand, he couldn’t afford

to sit around on his ass contemplating his navel. As he strained to listen, he realized the

voices became more urgent, almost as if they argued. The low rumble of a man’s voice,

heightened by urgency, made him take instant notice.

Intuition told him the situation couldn’t be good. He located his clothes and put

them on in record time. With a grimace of disappointment in himself, he remembered

that his gun was still in the living area. Shit on a stick. He’d been A-number-one stupid

allowing what happened between him and Ellie to make him forget she was in danger.

He pressed his ear against the door. The voices came through clearly.

“Why are you doing this?” Ellie’s soft voice asked with surprising calmness in her

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tone. “What did I ever do to you?”

“You ignored me. Just like everyone else,” said the man in a whiny tone. “You’re

like all the other women in my life. You tantalize me, try and seduce me, and now you

throw me away.”

What the fuck? The male voice sounded somewhat familiar, but Ben couldn’t quite

place it. Damn it all to hell.

“I want a tour,” the male voice said.

“No—” A soft thud sounded.

Ben’s heart took a giant leap, and he almost burst out of the room. If the son of a bitch

has hurt her, I’m going to tear him limb from limb.

Yet he knew if he came out of the bedroom without even a weapon, he might get

her killed. This situation required stealth. A cowboy move would put her in more

danger. Take it easy, man. She’s an SIA agent, too. She can outwit this asshole.

“Now, that I’ve shown you I mean business, I want you to give me a tour of the

place,” the man said.

“There’s nothing to see.”

Ben could hear the tightness in her voice, but overall she sounded calm and not

seriously hurt. Good. Use those agent skills, Ellie. He knew he could trust her not to push

the stalker too far.

“Do it now,” the stalker said, his voice going a little raspy. “You’re an agent and I

know the agents at SIA are great at setting up booby traps around their apartments and

houses.

Ellie grimaced. Shit. He knew about that?

She almost smiled. Well, little did he know…

“Ben and I didn’t have time to set up a booby trap. We were too occupied.”

Jason’s face, always thin and defenseless looking at any other time, turned into a

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solid mask of hatred. He looked harried, his stocking cap askew. She glanced at his

weapon and wondered if the leather gloves he wore made it easier or harder to grip the

weapon. The slap he’d given her across the face a few moments ago had hurt like hell.

For a moment she actually felt fear. As Ben said, the stalker had serious issues.

“Yeah, I’ll bet you were,” Jason said. “Too busy fucking your brains out while I

could only wait in the snow. How dare you?”

What could she say to that nonsensical statement? “We wouldn’t have let you stay

out there if we’d know you were waiting in the snow. We would have invited you in.”

As he frowned his bloodshot eyes caught her attention. Had he been drinking or

taking drugs? He looked as steady as a rock, though. “Yeah? You think I want to

participate in some weird threesome?”

She shrugged. “Would that be so bad? It could be interesting.”

His lips twisted in anger and she saw his hands on the weapon tighten. “You must

really think I’m stupid to believe that shit.”

Okay, maybe she hadn’t given him enough credit. Remember, he’s a computer geek,

not exactly an idiot. But I’ve got to outthink him or I’m toast.

Deciding her best bet meant keeping Jason engaged and distracted, she said, “Why

did you pick me?”

She knew she wouldn’t have to elaborate. He understood what she meant.

He considered the question for a moment. “Because you’re everything…” He

frowned, his eyes going watery as if he might cry. “And you are nothing.”

The words didn’t make sense, of course, but she didn’t have time to analyze his

emotional shifts or the complications of his mental illness. Whatever issues he harbored

would have to be discovered later. She thought back to the negotiation class she’d taken

at SIA. Continued distraction, in this case, might be the best policy.

“Is the weather bad out?” she asked.

He snorted. “Yeah, it’s bad. Took me two hours to get here. I got through just after

Denise A. Agnew

they closed the road.”

“That means you could be trapped up here with me for a long time.” That’s it. Keep

him interested in you and divert him from thoughts of Ben.

His expression cleared a little and excitement flashed through his eyes. “Hey, that’s

right.”

“Maybe you’d like to just do it right now. I mean, you and me alone. You’re

obviously interested in me or you wouldn’t have come all this way. We could find

someplace to do it. How about the kitchen and the pantry area? I’ve always wanted to

do it on a kitchen table and that table is big and wide and heavy.”

Ben smiled grimly. Good. Good thinking, Ellie. Lead the asshole away. By now Ben

realized the culprit was Jason the computer geek from SIA. You hurt her, you piece of shit

and I’ll hunt you down until the day I die.

Ben thought back. He couldn’t remember any action or behavior that should have

tipped him off about Jason having a major screw loose.

No time to speculate.

He heard their footsteps retreating from the immediate area. He opened the door

with slow precision. Fortunately the hinges didn’t squeak. Seconds later he crept

through the doorway. If the creep laid one hand on her, the asshole would be dead in

three breaths, justice be damned. He’d take the man down in a heartbeat. Ben’s muscles

readied for the fight, adrenaline pouring into his blood and his pulse racing as his

breathing quickened.

He would rip the scum bucket in half.

Ben came up on the pair as Jason followed her into the kitchen.

When they reached the kitchen door, Ben stayed back. Now, how to get the guy

away from her?

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Ellie’s insides felt like gelatin, quivering and racked with nerves. She’d never been

in a dangerous situation in her job, and now she must prove her skills in a real-time

scenario. Wearing a thick robe and flannel pajamas didn’t give her many options for

fighting back. She wished now she hadn’t left the bedroom for a snack. Then again, the

situation was more fortuitous than it might have been. If Jason had broken in and Ben

was with her in the bedroom, they would have lost the element of surprise.

“Turn around,” Jason said.

As she did, she caught sight of Ben glancing around the kitchen entrance. Thank

God. She saw the frantic message in his eyes, the extreme fear and concern for her barely

masked by the urge to kick ass and take names.

Ellie was surprised by the skinny man’s strength when Jason had kicked down the

door right before she reached her weapon. She wished like hell the cabin had a deadbolt

lock. That sure as hell would have slowed him down.

Keep focused. Too late to worry about things I can’t change. Surviving the next few minutes

is all that matters.

She would have to do something now. What?

Then a perfect solution came to mind.

She allowed her eyes to water as if she might cry. “I’m not feeling very well, Jason.”

She let her eyes flutter. “I don’t think I can…” As her voice faded she slipped to the

floor nearby the big kitchen table in a fake faint.

“What the—?” Jason leaned down toward her.

That’s it, you creep. Just a little closer and you’ll find out what a booby trap really is.

Just a little closer and she would reach up, grab the hidden gun out of the special

slot beneath the table, and drill Jason before he could get off one shot.

Before she could move a muscle, she heard rather than saw Ben attack. A grunt, two

loud shouts from Jason. She opened her eyes and scrambled for the weapon under the

table.

Denise A. Agnew

Ben landed a sidekick right to Jason’s stomach. Jason lost his weapon and she

rushed to pick it up. As Jason’s eyes rolled up in his head and he gasped like a fish, Ben

delivered a handy finishing blow across the skinny man’s jaw. Jason went down, all

lights out.

Ben stood over the man’s body, fists clenched, breathing hard, his eyes steely with

aggression. She’d never seen a more magnificent looking man in her life.

She stood with the two guns pointed at the mad but now immobilized man near her

feet. “That was a close one.”

Her hands trembled a little with the comedown of adrenaline, and she placed the

weapons back on the table. Well, she always had wanted to know what it felt like to be

a field agent. Now she knew.

She smiled at Ben. “That was fun.”

Ben stalked toward her, blazing eyes and grim mouth. “Fun? Are you mad, Ellie?”

His anger was clear, but she smiled again. “Apparently, yes.”

He closed his eyes and let out a big sigh. When he opened his eyes again, she saw

the worry and relief mixed in his eyes. “Are you all right?” He gathered her into his

arms. “Did he hurt you?”

“He gave me a slap, but it was a weakling.”

“Son-of-a-bitch!”

To defuse his temper and show her intense relief, she wrapped her arms around his

waist and held on tight. She kissed his jaw. “I’m all right.”

“That weapon under the table was pretty damned clever,” Ben said a moment later.

She looked up at him. “If I remember correctly, I learned that one from you.”

He grinned. “Yeah. I guess that wasn’t the type of booby trap Jason figured you’d

have set up. He probably expected bombs and tripwires.”

“I put the idea together before you even arrived at the cabin.” She gave him a

wicked, if weary, smile. “There are four more weapons, including knives, planted

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around the house. Whatever room I led Jason into has one.”

He kissed her on the nose and whispered, “Damn, woman. That’s taking my

concept to a whole new level.”

Luckily for them, Ben had brought his SIA-issued satellite phone with him and he

contacted the county sheriff. Because of accumulated snow, it would take the sheriff’s

deputies a while to come to the rescue even with a snow cat.

Ben and Ellie dragged the unconscious Jason over to a chair and tied him into it. He

stayed unconscious so long, that when the law finally reached them two hours later,

they wondered if Ben’s blows had done permanent damage.

After Jason was been carted away, they spent considerable time answering the

remaining sheriff deputies’ questions. Well after three in the morning, the authorities

left. Exhausted, all she wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep. Instead, Ben coaxed

her into a hot, passionate session she wouldn’t soon forget.

After the ardor cooled, he drew her into his arms. “There’s something you’ve got to

know right now, Ellie.”

“Oh?”

“What happened tonight scared the hell out of me. When I saw Jason with that gun

on you, I about swallowed my tongue. It made me realize I don’t have any time to

waste. I think you should take the transfer to Mac’s department.”

“What?”

“So that you can marry me.”

Shock held her speechless, her eyes watering with real tears. Happiness surged

inside her and she could barely speak. She saw the love in his eyes and yet the

suddenness of the proposal took her off guard.

“You…you want to marry me?”

He rolled her over on her back and looked down at her with a pleading expression

she never thought to see on Ben Darrock’s face in a million years. An expression that

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held so much tenderness she knew he meant it. “I could have lost you in a second. I’m

in love with you and I don’t want to waste another moment pretending otherwise.”

She laughed softly. “Cut to the chase, eh?”

“If you’ll have me.” The puppy dog look in his stunning eyes won her over, as well

as the emotions inside her.

She kissed him tenderly. “Of course I will. I love you, too.”

As happiness transformed his face from worried to ecstatic, he palmed her stomach

with a gentle stroke. Warmth cascaded through her loins as he slipped his fingers

between her legs and tested the hot, wet folds.

“Say you’ll marry me,” he said before his mouth covered one nipple and sucked.

As a gasp of pleasure left her lips, he flicked his finger over her clit. “Yes.” Again

his touch fondled and stroked with exquisite skill and her breathing quickened. “Ben!

Oh… Oh, that’s it. Oh, yeah.”

He licked her ear and said, “Say it again. Say you’ll marry me.”

With a shivering gasp she said the words she wanted to say and he wanted to hear.

“Yes. Yes.” Her words became more breathy and urgent as he drove her to a pinnacle so

quickly she thought she’d never breathe again. So, in case this was her last coherent

thought for some time, she managed to say with the strongest conviction in her life, “I’ll

marry you.”

And they began a maddening climb toward new ecstasy.

* * * * *

“Have a seat, Ellie.” Mac Tudor’s deep voice said as he closed his office door and

then settled behind his big, authoritative desk.

Ellie settled down in the chair as tension worked its way up her back and into her

neck. When she’d gotten the call from Mac’s secretary saying that Mac needed to see

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her immediately, she felt the tension start. Ben was out of the office at a meeting, so she

couldn’t warn him that maybe the writing was on the wall. Perhaps Mac had

discovered their secret affair and all bets would be off.

Mac smiled. “That ordeal you went through this weekend was something else. Let

me say again, I’m glad it all worked out well. You did a damned good job, Ellie.”

She swallowed hard and then found a smile. “Thanks. That’s why I want to transfer

out of Division Six to work as a field agent.”

He looked down at the transfer papers she’d given him. “When I received these

papers the other day, I have to say I was very concerned. You seemed to be doing so

well in the intelligence-gathering field. I understand the experience you had with Jason

may lead you to think that fieldwork is a better place to be, but that isn’t necessarily so.

It can be dangerous, dirty work. Field agents have a high rate of stress and injury.

Intelligence gathering is a highly important part of SIA. We need you in that Division.”

Gratified that he appreciated her abilities, she also realized Mac Tudor was no

dummy. The light in his eye said he knew something else had happened to create her

desire to leave Division Six. Beating around the bush wouldn’t cut it.

“It’s personal,” she said quickly.

One dark eyebrow lifted. “Personal?”

“I know you want to ask Ben why I want to transfer.”

He nodded and leaned back in his chair. “Yes. That’s why I asked him to meet us

here. I’m worried about your need to leave the division, and I intend to get to the

bottom of whatever is causing you to ask for a transfer.”

Startled she said, “Ben’s meeting us here?”

“Any minute now.”

Mac leaned on his desk. “Is there something you need to tell me before Ben gets

here? Are you unhappy working under him?”

She almost smiled as a vision of her working under Ben came to mind. “Um…no,

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that isn’t it. Ben’s a fabulous boss.”

“Then what is it? I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on. I realize the

ordeal you suffered with Jason has put a lot of stress on you. That’s why when you and

Ben refused you some time off, it worried me. You both need a little relaxation after a

trauma like that.

She took a deep breath. “It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to work in the same

environment as…”

“Yes?”

“Ben and I are…we’re involved.”

She waited, half afraid Mac would be disappointed in them and maybe angry as

hell. Instead, his worried expression eased into a smile. “Is that all?”

Her mouth dropped open in surprise. A knock on the door made her jump a little.

“Come in,” Mac said.

The door opened and Ben stepped into the office and closed the door. When she

looked at him he gave her a genuine smile, but it looked a little strained around the

edges. She couldn’t blame him. Their careers could be over any second.

Mac gestured to the chair beside Ellie’s. “Have a seat, Ben.”

Easing his expression into a more relaxed look, Ben settled into the chair.

Mac nodded at Ellie. “Ellie was just explaining why she wants a transfer.”

Ben nodded. “I don’t want her to, but if that’s what she needs to do, I understand.”

Mac leaned back in his chair and laughed softly. Ellie wondered what the hell was

so funny.

“I’m sorry,” Mac said. “But you two are as transparent as all hell. I should have

recognized the symptoms a long time ago. Destiny mentioned it to me a few months

back, but I didn’t believe it.”

“What?” Ben asked.

“Symptoms?” Ellie asked with a squeak in her voice.

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“She said that you were crazy about each other but were trying like hell to avoid

admitting it.” Mac chuckled again, his gaze filled with merriment. Then he cleared his

throat and sobered a little. “I’m sorry, but this situation reminds me of what happened

between Destiny and I before we had that big case together. We tried to deny how we

felt, and it took a serious situation before we admitted we were in love.”

Ellie didn’t know whether to break out in a smile or cringe from embarrassment.

She glanced at Ben and saw that her big Scot had taken the smile route.

“Bluidy hell,” Ben said. “How could I have forgotten about that?”

Astounded by the pleasant turn of events, she asked softly, “Yeah, how could we

have forgotten?”

“In other words, there isn’t a reason why you should have to leave because of your

relationship with Ben,” Mac said. “Unless you feel you couldn’t work with him under

the circumstances or you feel like you want to be a field agent more than anything else.”

Ben’s gaze captured hers. She saw love and understanding mixed in those gorgeous

eyes. “I don’t want her to leave my division, but if it’s what she wants, then I won’t try

and stop her.”

“I’d rather you stay with intelligence analysis, Ellie, because you’re one of the best

analysts we have,” Mac said.

Ben nodded. “Better than me.”

Ben’s modesty made her grin. “Yeah, right.”

While she did want to be a field agent, she also realized how she longed to continue

in her job as an analyst. “I thought romantic relationships between supervisor and

subordinate were forbidden?”

Mac sighed. “Well, that’s true. But I think we can remedy that. You see, Ben isn’t

going to be your direct supervisor any more. Jilly Hamilton just moved into a new

senior rater position and we intend to move you and some other agents under her direct

supervision. This will free up Ben for some additional duties unrelated to supervision,

Denise A. Agnew

but he’s still running the division.”

Happiness worked into her heart, and she could hardly believe it. She rubbed her

forehead and thought for a few moments about what she wished to do. It came to her

with full clarity.

She looked from Mac to Ben. “In that case, I’ll stay in Division Six.”

Ben’s grin lit up the room as he stood and reached for her. She came up out of her

chair and into his arms. After a fierce hug that made her think her ribs would crack, Ben

eased his grip on her.

Mac cleared his throat and stood up. “Excuse me a minute, will you? There’s

something I need to do for a few minutes.”

From the conspiratorial look on Mac’s face, she realized Mac left them just so they

could have a few moments alone. After Mac left the office and closed the door, Ben

drew her into his arms again.

This time he took her mouth with fierce intent, hot and deep and loving. His tongue

thrust against hers, a testimony to his hunger. She quivered in his arms as happiness

filled her.

When he drew back from her, she looked into his dark eyes. “Ben, this is so

wonderful.”

“You can say that again. It was all Mac’s doing.”

“I guess he has a romantic bone or two in his body.”

“Yeah, can you believe that Destiny already knew there was something going on

between us?”

She sighed. “I’m not surprised. Destiny knows what it is to love a man the way I

love you.”

He kissed her nose, then buried his face in her hair. His voice went husky, his

accent deepening as he whispered, “I love you, too.”

“Then kiss me before Mac comes back.”

Over the Line

“God, woman, you’re insatiable,” he teased her.

With a mock huff of indignation, she pulled out of his powerful arms and started to

walk away. “In that case—”

A quick movement and he snatched her back into his arms and his mouth came

down on hers.

They were still kissing when Mac opened the door a few minutes later.

The End

About the author:

Suspenseful, erotic, edgy, thrilling, romantic, adventurous. All these words are used

to describe award-winning, best-selling novelist Denise A. Agnew’s novels. Romantic
Times Magazine called her romantic suspense novels DANGEROUS INTENTIONS and
TREACHEROUS WISHES “top-notch romantic suspense.” With paranormal, time
travel, romantic comedy, contemporary, historical, erotica, and romantic suspense
novels under her belt, she proves her gift for writing about a diverse range of subjects.
(Writing tales that scare the reader is her ultimate thrill.)

Denise’s inspiration for her novels comes from innumerable sources, but the fact

she has lived in Colorado, Hawaii, and the United Kingdom has given her a lifetime of
ideas. Her experiences with archaeology have crept into her work, as well as numerous
travels throughout England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Denise currently lives in
Arizona with her real life hero, her husband.

Website: http://www.tilt.com/authors/deniseagnew.htm
Email: danovelist@earthlink.net

Denise welcomes mail from readers. You can write to her c/o Ellora’s Cave

Publishing at P.O. Box 787, Hudson, Ohio 44236-0787.

Also by Denise A. Agnew:

The Dare

Deep is the Night: Dark Fire

Deep is the Night: Haunted Souls

Deep is the Night: Night Watch

Winter Warriors anthology

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning

publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC

on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you

breathless.

www.ellorascave.com

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