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This book is dedicated to my nephews, Jacob and Isaiah. You are the light of my life. I

love you so much.

“. . . bring me two piña coladas . . .”

The music washed over Axel Carlson as the sun soaked into his bronzed skin, and

he lay back, his hazel eyes closed, mouth relaxed, mind cleared. He’d desperately

needed this vacation in the Bahamas, and he wasn’t going to let a single worry in the

world interrupt him.

After the way his last case went, he didn’t know if he even loved his job anymore.

There’d been a time when he lived and breathed his career, when he looked forward

to getting up in the morning, strapping his gun to his chest, and rushing out to catch

the bad guy.

The reality was that he just didn’t know who the bad guys were anymore. Shaking

his head, he fumed. Nope. Wasn’t going to dwell on the last case, or the last ten cases

for that matter. For two whole weeks he’d do nothing but lie on the beach, scuba dive,

and have some meaningless, drunken vacation sex.

And when that was over, he’d figure out what he was going to do next. Whether it

was going back after this much-needed hiatus or starting a new career, he refused to

deal with it now.

When his phone rang, Axel just smiled. He didn’t give a crap if it was the president

of the United States, he wasn’t picking up his phone. But when it rang for the third

time in a row, he grimaced. Why had he even brought the damn thing down to the

beach?

Without looking at the caller ID, he turned off the phone. When it was finally

silent, he stretched his arms behind his head and closed his eyes once again, falling

into a blissful slumber.

“EXCUSE ME, SIR.”

“Go away.”

Axel didn’t bother opening his eyes. He didn’t care who was speaking to him, and

he didn’t care that the voice seemed slightly panicked.

“Um . . . sir?”

“I said go away. If you value your life, that’s exactly what you’ll do,” Axel said

conversationally.

There was no response, and Axel let out a sigh of relief. The man had taken the

hint and left. Now, if he could go back to sleep, where he’d been dreaming about

rescuing a conveniently topless blonde from the ocean, he’d be happy. It had just been

getting interesting.

“You have a phone call and the man said it was an utter emergency and not to take

no for an answer. He said you would threaten and bark, but if I didn’t get you on the

phone then he was coming down here . . . with a gun.”

The man obviously hadn’t gone away, and the flood of words were delivered at a

distraught pitch. There was only one person Axel knew who could make a grown man

practically cry while wetting his pants at the same time.

“Give me the damn phone,” Axel said, sticking out his hand while keeping his eyes

closed.

Almost instantly, a phone was slapped in his palm, followed by the sound of

retreating footsteps.

“What in the hell do you want, Bryson? I’m on vacation,” Alex snarled at the

phone.

“How’d you know it was me?”

“There aren’t too many people who can get that sort of reaction out of a poor guy

just trying to do his job,” Axel said with a smile.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’m the one making the guy shake; the phone wasn’t on mute.

You’re in an unusually pleasant mood,” Bryson said, laughing. Neither one of them

could frighten the other. They’d been friends and partners for too long.

“Need I remind you I’m on vacation? What in the hell is so important that you had

to interrupt a very good dream?”

“I don’t want the details of that dream,” Bryson said. “I need your help.”

Axel sat up. If it were anyone other than Bryson Winchester, his best friend, the

man who had been there for him more times than he could remember, he’d tell the

person to go to hell.

“What do you need?”

“I’m really sorry to interrupt your vacation, but my cousin’s in trouble—big trouble

—and my hands are tied because I’m on a case. She needs protection.”

“Why not have someone else who is on the clock at the FBI assigned?” Axel knew

he didn’t want to hear the answer.

“She doesn’t think she’s in trouble and she’s refused any help.”

“Then what in the hell am I supposed to do?”

“Help her anyway.”

“Dammit, Bryson, do you know what a pain in the ass you are?”

“Yep. And I’m calling in my favor.”

There was a long pause as Axel thought seriously about tossing the damn phone

into the ocean and moving to a place with no cell service.

“Give me the details.”

Of course he was going to help. Both he and Bryson knew that. There went his

vacation.

“She doesn’t even know I’m coming, does she?”

Running a hand through his already tousled blond hair, which needed a cut, Axel

sat in his rented SUV in front of a very nice home in the Ironwood Estates in Billings,

Montana. It was exactly the type of neighborhood he hated, where the neighbors

peeked out their windows and put an ear to their fences to make sure they didn’t miss

a lick of gossip.

It was also ostentatious, with homes that had a minimum layout of four thousand

square feet. Plus, being fifteen minutes away from downtown, the area’s only

appealing factor was the view of the rolling hills. This was the type of place you

weren’t allowed to get creative with your curbside decor, and you certainly weren’t

going to get away with working on an old beater car in your own driveway. Why

anyone would choose to live in a place with such strict rules was beyond him.

Axel’s irritation grew. It was late September—the weather getting colder by the

minute—and he was stuck in subdivision hell.

“Well . . .” Bryson hesitated. Axel’s fingers twitched as he held the phone. He

might have to throttle his best friend.

“I knew you weren’t going to call her. Am I going to get arrested again for helping

you out?” he said before his lips turned up in a crooked smile. “Not that I would

mind; at least then I could finish my vacation in peace.”

“You won’t get arrested, but she’s been such a pain in the ass I figured an

unannounced visit was best. I did, however, tell her I had a surprise showing up this

afternoon. She might think it’s a package . . . one that isn’t attached to a man, that is,”

Bryson replied, thinking he was so damn funny.

Axel didn’t even bother replying this time, he just hung up and studied the house

of Ella Brooks, a twenty-five-year-old lawyer and the cousin of Bryson Winchester

who’d managed to get her life into a hell of a big mess by dating a guy who just

happened to be as crooked as they come, and was her former boss at the law firm.

She’d overheard some incriminating information and was now a state’s witness,

one whom this man most certainly wanted to shut up. Bryson hadn’t filled Axel in yet

on what that information was. The more Axel thought about the situation his friend

had put him smack-dab in the middle of, the more pissed off he got.

Shaking off thoughts of his annoying friend, Axel focused on Ella’s home instead.

Yeah, he could see why Bryson was worried. She had zero protection here. No alarm

system, lots of windows—probably not all of which were locked—and doors that were

a robber’s delight to break into.

Security certainly wasn’t something on her mind, even though the crooked lawyer

out to get her had made it more than clear that she was now a problem. She knew too

much. She was foolish enough to not even be frightened, but her cousin had said that

she was stubborn as hell and figured she could fight the evil ex-boss on her own.

Bryson disagreed, and Axel did, too—reluctantly.

So here he sat, contemplating his next move. He played with the key Bryson had

given him as he eyed the house. He’d rather not use it, but he also had a job to do, and

whether Ella wanted it or not, he was here to protect her. Once Axel decided to do a

job, he accomplished it. Even if it meant babysitting a spoiled trust fund princess who

didn’t have to work for a living.

He had to give her props for working in spite of that, though, because judging by

her home, he had a clear impression that she liked the finer things in life. Hell, his

whole apartment could probably fit into her walk-in closet.

Stepping from the car, he walked to the front door, noting the tall shrubs near the

windows, which offered a hiding place to anyone who might want to tamper with the

home.

Reaching the front door, he tested the knob and found it locked. That was good. But

with a few tools, he could be inside in seconds. Not for much longer, he thought; not

after he secured the property. But still, a determined criminal could get to this girl

without a problem.

And the men after her were most certainly determined, and definitely criminals.

The trial for her twisted ex-boss was coming up soon, and once the man was put

away, Ella wouldn’t have anything to worry about. But until he was convicted, she

was in constant danger. It was Axel’s job to make her realize that.

Knocking on the door, Axel waited, his expression most likely frightening to

anyone who didn’t know him. It was a mask he’d honed over the years—his eyes cold,

his expression blank. Those who noted his chiseled jaw and sharp cheekbones

described him as handsome in a dangerous way. That thought made the corners of his

full lips turn up.

He’d been gifted with good looks, but he’d also been blessed with an I-don’t-give-a-

damn attitude. The combination made him great at his job but impossible to hold

down.

Too often, it also made him bored.

When there was no answer at Ella’s door, he knocked again. A silver sports car sat

in the driveway—her car, based on the report he had—but she wasn’t answering.

Crap, he’d have to use the key.

Knocking once more, he waited. When no one appeared after two more minutes, he

slid the key into the lock and stepped inside the elite home, then listened. It took a

moment before he heard a sound coming from upstairs.

Running water. Just his luck! Ella was in the shower, and apparently enjoyed

singing while she bathed. Well, he’d just have to wait in the kitchen, because it was

too dang cold to sit on her front porch while she was in the bathroom for who knew

how long. Axel had a younger sister. He knew it could be another hour—easily.

Eyeing a pot of hot coffee, Axel found a cup and filled it, taking a sip. Good brand,

brewed strong, just the way he liked it. Sitting at the breakfast bar, he picked up his

phone and dialed Bryson. Even though he’d hung up on his friend moments before,

the call was answered after the first ring.

“You’re right. This house is a dream come true for anyone who wants to get to her.

The best thing would be to get her out of town. How likely is that?”

“Not gonna happen, Axel. Like I told you, she doesn’t think she’s in danger. I tried

getting her to come stay with Misty and me, but she said she was fine on her own.”

“She’s in the shower. I’m waiting to meet her.”

“I wish I could be there, buddy. She’s going to try to stab you, you know that,

right?”

“Yeah, I figured as much.”

Hanging up, Axel noted the shower had stopped. He thought about retreating from

the house and knocking again, but it’d started raining and he didn’t feel like getting

soaked as he waited for Ella. He raised his warm mug to his lips and took several

slow gulps until it was gone.

When she finally entered the kitchen, Axel gave her an appreciative once-over

before he managed to blank his expression. Ella Brooks was tall, probably five eight,

with long, slender legs that were made for dancing and all on show in her impossibly

tiny shorts. His eyes wandered higher, his imagination taking over as he enjoyed the

tight T-shirt molded to her flat abs and high breasts.

Her dark brown hair and bright eyes were a perfect complement to her golden skin

and athletic body. Hell, this favor might not turn out to be so bad after all. But could

he have a fling with his friend’s cousin? Didn’t that break some sort of code? It wasn’t

like she was his sister or anything, he reasoned, quickly deciding a fling was most

certainly acceptable.

“Morning,” he said, to alert her to his presence.

He expected her to scream, her body to tremble. That’s not what he got. Instead,

she tensed and her head whipped around, but then she stood frozen. Her unusual gray

eyes were wide as she gazed at him, her mouth puckered.

“I’m Axel, your cousin’s partner,” he said quickly.

“I don’t care who the hell you are, you’re breaking and entering. Get out of my

house before I decide to hurt you.”

Her voice was calm. Interesting. The woman didn’t panic easily. That was good to

know, since he’d be guarding her.

“Your cousin gave me a key, said he’d called you, let you know he’d be sending a

package,” he said before pausing and grinning. “Surprise.”

Her eyes narrowed, telling him she wasn’t amused, before her lips compressed

together and she slowly moved toward her phone, never taking her eyes from him.

Lifting the receiver, she dialed numbers from feel alone. Axel knew better than to

make any sudden movements. She was scared, he could see it, but she was doing a

damn fine job of covering it up.

He hoped she was calling Bryson and not the police. He’d just been kidding about

spending a few days in jail. That wouldn’t be so pleasant. Besides, he’d been there,

done that.

“Bryson, care to explain why there’s a beast of a man sitting in my house, drinking

my coffee and holding a key in his hand?”

Axel let out a relieved breath while he waited—he and Ella still hadn’t broken eye

contact.

“You ignorant fool. I could have shot him!” she said, then paused. “Yes, I thought

about it the second I saw him. Shoot first, ask questions later, remember?” she

snapped before pausing again. “I don’t like your surprise, so you can have it back.”

Another pause, and now Axel was really amused. He wondered who was going to

win the battle. Yes, he’d promised his friend he’d watch out for his cousin, but it’d be

much easier if she were somewhat cooperative.

After a few more words back and forth, Ella hung up the phone and glared at Axel.

Yeah, this was going to be fun, he thought, liking the spirit of this woman already.

“My misguided cousin has a big heart. He thinks I need protection. I don’t

appreciate it or want it, but I also realize that he’s not going to stop until I do

something. He’s a pain in my ass,” she thundered before stopping and taking a deep

breath. “How did you get roped into this?”

“Not only am I his partner, but I’m a pretty damn good friend. I’m on a hiatus from

work. I said I’d help him out. In his defense, your house is so unsecure a first-time

robber could get into it,” he replied easily, thinking it was now safe to get up and

refill his coffee, which he did, relishing the small gasp of annoyance that came from

Ella’s lips.

“Do you enjoy making yourself at home where you haven’t been invited?” she asked

when he leaned against the counter and lifted the cup to enjoy a sip.

“I move around for work. I can make anywhere my home,” he said.

“Obviously,” she said, getting her own coffee and adding a nice dollop of creamer

before moving away from him to the opposite side of the breakfast bar.

“I’m Axel Carlson. Nice to meet you, Ella. And now we aren’t strangers anymore,”

he said, knowing better than to stick out his hand. She didn’t appear to be in the

mood to shake it. Bite it, maybe, but certainly not shake it.

“Yes, Mr. Carlson, we are strangers and I don’t want or need your help,” she said.

When he opened his mouth to speak, she abruptly held up her hand, stopping him.

“However, I know my cousin well, and know you’ll simply annoy the crud out of me,

so I agreed to a security system being hooked up in the house. Then I don’t want to

see you again. Got it?” she finished, challenge in her eyes.

“That’s a start,” he replied, and her eyes narrowed again.

“We’re going to have a problem if you try to become my shadow, Mr. Carlson,” she

warned.

“Problems make life interesting, Ella,” he said with a smirk.

“I deal with enough problems and don’t care to add any more to my plate,” she

said, pausing to make sure he understood. “I’m going to go get dressed. Then we’ll

talk about security, and you will give me the key to my house that Bryson shouldn’t

have given you, and you will get out until we have an appointment for you to install

my alarm system.”

“I like what you’re wearing. We can discuss it as is,” he said with a wink he knew

would tick her off.

“I’m sure you do. You look like the sort of man who enjoys objectifying women,”

she said before turning and giving him a view of her backside that was just as good as

the front.

His low whistle made her shoulders tense, but she didn’t turn or make another

comment as she walked away.

Axel thought about sending Bryson a gift. This assignment was sure to be no

hardship at all, as much as he’d grumbled about it. Ella Brooks was one woman Axel

wouldn’t mind shadowing, day and night—especially night.

Axel did a double take to recognize the woman reentering the kitchen. There were the

same light gray eyes, and the hair was the same dark brown, though it was somewhat

hard to tell in the almost painfully tight knot she’d put it up in. It was still Ella, but it

was also easy to see that she’d put on her armor.

The transformation was fascinating. She’d been adorable when he’d first seen her,

but now she was . . . fierce.

“Nice look,” he said.

Her brow rose slightly. “I’m not trying to impress you, Mr. Carlson.”

“Believe me, I’m getting the message loud and clear,” he said with a chuckle.

“Here’s the secret, though. I find a woman in uptight clothing and schoolteacher hair

to be quite the turn-on. It always makes me wonder what she’s hiding underneath,” he

added with a grin.

“You’re infuriating,” she said with a huff before going to her coffeepot and sighing

in disgust at the realization that he had indeed drunk the last cup.

He’d considered making a fresh pot, but that seemed to be overstepping. Okay,

since he had let himself into her house, maybe overstepping wasn’t the right word.

Fine. He just hadn’t wanted to. He’d never mastered the art of making a good pot of

coffee. Wasn’t that what drive-thru coffee stands were for?

Instead of replying to her latest insult, he took his time studying her outfit, a dark

pencil skirt that skimmed the top of her knees, and a white blouse he was sure fitted

nicely to her breasts, but which was covered by a dark blazer, still fitted, but not

giving him quite as delicious a view as her shorts had. Her outfit was completed by a

surprisingly sexy pair of heels. Maybe that was her concession to the rest of the hard

clothing.

If not for the sleek heels, she’d pull off the look of the untouchable business female

quite well. Of course, he did love to breach the walls of the toughest of challenges.

Yeah, he had a feeling Bryson was going to be trying to kick his ass before this

protection detail was over. It’d be worth the fight.

She quietly went about making a fresh pot of coffee and was silent while it brewed.

Only after pouring herself a cup, pointedly not offering him one, did she come and sit

down.

“I in no way need protecting, Mr. Carlson. My very loving, yet misguided cousin

believes differently. We’re at an impasse,” she said, delicately taking a sip.

Axel smiled. He was beginning to like this girl. Hell yeah. His job hadn’t been fun

in quite some time, so this verbal sparring with Ella was more pleasurable than he

would’ve imagined when he’d gotten the call from Bryson.

“Well, you can continue to fight him,” Axel said, getting up and pouring himself a

new cup of coffee, not because he wanted it, but because he enjoyed irritating the

proper Ms. Brooks by taking more than his fair share.

“I told Bryson I would allow the security system. That’s as far as I’m willing to take

it.”

“You’re stubborn, Ella. I’m more so,” he challenged.

“You don’t know me at all, Mr. Carlson.”

“I think I’m beginning to get the picture,” he replied.

“Good. Then you realize you’re wasting both our time, and you’ll kindly bow out

now, won’t you?”

“Have you practiced that tone, Ella? Does it work on most men?” When she looked

at him quizzically, he leaned back, one leg crossed over the other. “The arrogant

heiress tone,” he finished.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’ll be sure to tell my cousin how

much I irritate you,” she said with a smirk.

“It’s okay, I’ll tell him myself.”

“We’re getting nowhere. Just tell me what you’re going to do and then leave.” He

was wearing her down.

“Your cousin cares about you. There’s nothing wrong with that. And the fact is that

you’re messed up in something a lot bigger than you realize or care to admit. I’ve read

about the case you’re involved in. Pretending there isn’t danger just makes you a

fool.” Axel had generally found that blunt was the best strategy.

“Do you always insult your clients, Mr. Carlson?” Ooh, he’d certainly hit a hot spot

there.

“When it’s necessary.”

“Well, I don’t take kindly to strangers cutting me down, especially in my own

home. I’ve agreed to this concession, but you’re quickly pissing me off, and I’m about

to tell both you and my cousin to take a leap off a really tall bridge . . . into shallow

water.”

“So you want to go skinny-dipping?”

“Listen, Mr. Carlson—” she began.

“Do I honestly look like the type of man who goes by my last name?”

“I don’t really care, and I prefer to keep it formal,” she corrected him. “I’m not

foolish. I don’t jump into the cars of strangers or seek out men online. I don’t go and

get drunk in a bar and then stumble down the empty sidewalks at two in the morning.

I’m careful, cautious, and determined to make it on my own. I have a protective

family who seem to think it’s not okay for me to make a few mistakes. Yes, I’ve been

in less-than-perfect circumstances before, but I always come out on the other side.

This is just one more time. You can give me all the lectures you want, but it isn’t

going to change who I am, so don’t try to pretend you know me, and don’t try to play

the suave playboy thinking it’ll appeal to me. You can cut the crap and we can get

down to business, or you can leave and I’ll deal with my cousin.”

If Axel were smart, he would’ve backed off, but more than one boss had told him

his tongue would one day be the death of him, and hot damn if her temper wasn’t

turning him on.

“Fine then, Ella, we’ll stick with business,” he said with just enough mirth to make

her cheeks burn red, a very fetching color on her.

“Good. Tell me what you need from me, and we’ll be done.”

Standing up, Axel moved across the table and leaned down, enjoying the spark

lighting up her eyes, and the subtle scent of whatever perfume she’d spritzed herself

with. She was all woman underneath the fire, and he really wanted to unwrap the

package she was presenting.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“I just want to make sure you hear me,” he said, leaning a few inches closer, giving

her no room to escape.

“I can hear you just fine from across the table.”

Axel knew women inside and out. He knew when they wanted him, and he knew

when they were trying to convince themselves they didn’t. He’d met uptight women

before, and he normally steered clear. After all, there were a plethora of women

willing to warm his bed, so why waste time on one he’d have to woo?

But that was before he’d met Ella Brooks.

“Why so jumpy, Ella?”

“Have you no personal boundaries?” she asked. Good. He liked that she was still

feisty even when feeling threatened. That was a good sign.

“I don’t lie. It’s something you’ll discover quickly about me. I also don’t run from

the truth. I like you, Ella, and I think the two of us could make this more than just a

business arrangement. Why don’t I come back and pick you up for a nice dinner?

Eight?”

She leaned away, though there was a slight tremble to her fingers before she

clasped them together in her lap. “No, thank you.”

“You have a boyfriend?”

“That’s none of your business, Mr. Carlson.”

“That usually means no.”

“It means exactly what it was supposed to, that it’s none of your business. Now,

step back,” she said with fire burning in her eyes.

“I think I’m going to make it my business, Ella. I like your feistiness, your

independence, the way you look, the way you smell.”

Even though the tremble through her body was very minute, he was affecting her. It

gave him unbelievable pleasure knowing it.

“I’m done with this conversation, Mr. Carlson.”

“For now,” he said before leaning back and letting her have space. “But I’ll be back

tomorrow bright and early so we can get started on your”—he stopped and looked at

her from head to toe, ending with direct eye contact—“safety.”

With that, he stood up and moved toward her front door, surprised by the pounding

of his own heart. Yeah, he was playing games with the very sexy Ella Brooks, but he

wasn’t a complete victor. She had moves of her own that could certainly upset the

sure victory he was seeking.

Ella’s shoes clicked on the marble floor as she made her way through the quiet

courthouse. It had been a long day and she was more than ready to go home. She’d

wanted to be a lawyer since middle school, when she’d played the defense attorney in

her class’s mock trial.

It had been fun and challenging and she’d taken it seriously, even insisting her

parents sit in as witnesses at home so she could question them. Eventually that led to

a prelaw major in college, then law school. The years of schooling, the late nights

studying—they’d all paid off in the end, but now look where she was.

She’d been working for a shady lawyer at an even shadier law firm and the man

was threatening her because she knew information she shouldn’t, but she wasn’t going

to back down. No one was going to decide her destiny—not an unethical lawyer nor

the judges he had in his pocket, and certainly not the thugs he’d hired to try to scare

her.

Yes, it’d been a mistake to get involved with him, but in her defense, she’d spent so

many years studying that she hadn’t taken the time to date—to live, even, and have

fun in those formative years. And then before she knew it, she’d finished law school,

had passed the bar, and was out in the real world.

When her boss had asked her out, he’d swept her off her feet, made her feel

feminine, beautiful, and desired. But the honeymoon phase hadn’t lasted long, and

soon it was apparent that he wasn’t the type of man she wanted in her personal or

professional life.

She’d gotten out of the relationship and the job. But she’d left with too much

knowledge, and now her ex-boss was coming after her. She was strong, though, and

not afraid of him. She truly believed that no matter how many bribes you gave to

people in positions of power, justice would prevail. If she ever stopped believing that,

she might as well quit practicing law altogether.

Despite Ella’s refusal to let her ex frighten her, she knew she never should’ve said a

word to her family. But she’d needed someone to talk to. It was just a thing in her

family that they thought the women should be coddled. There were times that was

nice, and then there were times when she really wanted to bash them all in the head.

Right now, she was more in the mood for the latter.

“Hello, Ella, you look well.”

A cold shiver traveled down Ella’s spine, but she squared her shoulders and

schooled her features before turning toward the man who had no business being out of

handcuffs.

“I have nothing to say to you.” Her voice was pure ice.

“And I thought the two of us were good friends,” the man said. She wouldn’t run

and hide. That’s what he wanted.

“I’d never be friends with a criminal like you. And if you think you’re scaring me,

think again, Wade.”

“Tsk-tsk, Ella. I don’t like it when a woman speaks down to me.”

Wade, who probably didn’t have a last name because no parents would want to

claim him, had been tormenting her ever since her ex, Felix, went to jail. If she

dropped out of testifying in the trial, her ex knew there wouldn’t be much of a case

against him.

But people like Wade and Felix thrived on power, so no matter her fears, she

couldn’t back down. Looking into Wade’s cold, dead eyes, she knew he was capable of

doing monstrous things. She was safe as long as she didn’t put herself into a situation

where he could get her alone. And she wasn’t going to let that happen.

He stood before her all in black: his jeans, his shirt, his coat, even his shoes. He

wanted to stand out, wanted to look intimidating. He did it well with his bulging

arms, his formidable height, and the scar that ran down the side of his cheek that only

added to his intensity. At least she was safe in this building with all its cameras and

security detail. They both knew it.

“You realize that I have this little digital recorder, right?” she said as she pulled

out the device and clicked it on. “Every single time you approach me, every time you

threaten me, or try to intimidate me, I keep it on record. I’m not afraid of you or your

boss, so I suggest you find some other female to haunt,” she said before turning away.

Ella didn’t make it two steps before his bruising fingers were gripping her arm and

he was spinning her back around. Pain zipped up and down her arm, but there was no

way she’d give him the satisfaction of showing it.

“I suggest you be a little more careful, Ella. As a matter of fact, I suggest you run

and hide far away from here. It’d be a shame if you were involved in an . . . accident,”

he said with a leer before snatching the digital recorder out of her hand and crushing

it.

If he was so stupid as to think that was her only recording device, then he was

certainly working for the right man, because they both were fools.

Ella’s voice never changed as she tugged fruitlessly at her arm. “I suggest you

release me immediately.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

Ella gave her best victory smile as she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Before Wade could turn to see who was coming, they had company, and Wade was

being pulled away from her by her favorite policeman.

“You okay, Ella?” Officer Robertson asked.

“I have it all under control, Don. However, a night in jail will do this man good. I

won’t be manhandled by anyone, and he’s violating a restraining order.” She smirked

at Wade and practically saw steam billow from his ears.

“This isn’t over, Ella,” Wade sneered as Officer Robertson cuffed him.

“What you need to remember, Wade, is that bullies never win. They may have their

small victories, but they always lose in the end. You can use your looks and your

steroid muscles to intimidate people, but I don’t easily cower. Enjoy your roommate

tonight. I hope he’s extra nice to you,” she said with another smirk that had the man

spitting in rage. Maybe it wasn’t the best move to antagonize him, but she’d never

been one to shy away from a challenge.

Officer Robertson hauled Wade off, and it wasn’t until they turned the corner that

Ella allowed herself to let down her guard. She leaned against the wall as trembles

racked her body.

“Your cousin was right. You sure as hell need protection, because that mouth of

yours is going to get you killed.”

She knew that voice.

“I can’t deal with you right now, Axel,” she groaned, her eyes squeezed shut as she

tried to gain control over her shaking limbs. How much had he seen?

“It looks like you can deal with a hell of a lot. You’re a tough woman, Ella, but

sometimes it’s okay to back off,” Axel said.

“I won’t back down from criminals. I won’t let them intimidate me,” she said, her

eyes snapping open as she got her second wind. “What’re you doing here, anyway?”

“Checking on you. Got here just in time to see the end of the show. I was a bit

bummed to see the officer—I would’ve loved to deck that lowlife.”

“Yeah, because that’s how issues are solved. With your fists,” she said as she

pushed away from the wall and began walking toward the exit. She was glad her day

was over. Though it had started out quite well, the end of it was far less than perfect.

“I do what I need to do and I can’t stand men who hurt women.”

“And you’ve never hurt a woman, Axel?” she said, stopping and looking him in the

eye.

“No! I would never put my hands on a woman that way,” he exclaimed.

“That’s not what I said. You listen about as well as that scumbag Wade.”

He stopped and processed her words. “Hey, I date women who know the score. I

don’t hurt them,” he finally said, but she could see she’d gotten to him, if only a

little.

“And do I know the score, Axel?” Her guard was down or she never would have

called him by his first name. Her encounter with Wade had shaken her more than she

cared to admit.

“I think you’re the toughest woman I’ve ever run across,” he said, stepping just a

little too close.

“I am tough. Don’t forget it. And don’t think I don’t know a dodge to a question

when I hear one,” she said, gaining back a bit of her strength. “Now that you’ve done

your duty and checked on me, you can report back to my cousin that I’m just fine, that

I have my life under control, and that I don’t need anyone’s protection,” she said as

she began walking again, her back ramrod straight and her chin proud as she pushed

through the front doors of the courthouse.

“It didn’t look that way to me. From the way that man was grabbing you, it looked

like you needed someone to step in.”

“And the law stepped in, Axel. I believe in the law and it will always be on my

side.”

“You’re a fool to think a man like Wade can’t get to you,” Axel said, sending a

shudder down her spine again. Nope. She wasn’t going to allow anyone to make her

live in fear.

“With enough determination even the best of idiots can get to anyone at any time.

But I’m not defenseless, Axel. Felix can send whomever he wants after me, and

they’ll all soon realize that I fight back,” she said as she reached her car.

“I like that about you, Ella. I happen to like it a lot.”

“Well, enjoy it from a distance.”

She climbed into her car and didn’t bother listening to whatever else Axel had to

say. She was drained, and if she didn’t see anyone else today, she’d be a happy

woman. Still, she couldn’t help looking in her rearview mirror.

Axel was standing there with a smile on his face, his arms crossed, his legs spread

just enough to make the pose incredibly sexy and showcase his solid frame. Yeah, she

was attracted. So what? He’d soon be out of her life and nothing more than a distant

memory.

Life had been so busy for Axel the last few years that dating had been a thing of the

past for quite some time. He liked women; hell, he loved women, but he didn’t have

to wine and dine them to get them into his bed. He just had to do what he did best—

show off his impeccable personality.

Okay, even he had to laugh at that. No, he wasn’t always the most sensitive of men,

and didn’t know the first thing about how a woman’s mind worked. But he knew

more than his fair share about their bodies.

And because of that, he considered himself a master in the art of seduction. When

you were talented, why try to hide it? And he was certainly good at getting the girl.

So why in the hell was he suddenly chasing after a woman who seemed to like

nothing better than his backside?

Not that he minded a woman checking him out, but that wasn’t what Ella was

doing when she was shooing him away. Normally, if a woman sent him on his way,

he took the hint.

For some reason, though, he was more intrigued than ever before by Ella, and so he

found himself doing almost underhanded things to secure her company. It wasn’t

exactly underhanded, he assured himself. Her own cousin was the one who insisted

he keep an eye on her.

Still, she thought she was meeting a blind date for dinner, and instead she was

going to get him. He shifted on the stool as he watched the door, waiting for her to

appear.

He wondered if she’d walk out, or if she’d join him. He’d soon find out. Calling the

bartender over for a refill, Axel didn’t know if he should slow down. After all, he

wouldn’t make the best impression if he slurred his words or slid off a bar stool. For

some reason, he found himself nervous.

“This isn’t a date . . . not exactly,” he murmured to himself, making the bartender

raise a brow at him. “It’s complicated,” he added to the man who poured his scotch

on ice and then went to see to slightly less crazy customers.

As Axel turned toward the door, the legs were what he noticed first. He didn’t even

need to look up the rest of her terrific body to recognize that the sleek ankles encased

in thin straps, the shapely calves, and the buttery smooth thighs belonged to her.

Damn, they stretched forever, and at the moment, Ella was wearing an almost

indecently short dress, the hem riding high on those showstopping legs, which were

perched on four-inch black heels that had his mouth watering.

When she stopped moving, his head slowly came up, along the fitted dress, pausing

on her pushed-up breasts for a moment long enough to be obvious, and finally he met

her very irritated eyes.

“What are the chances of running into you in here?” he asked, quickly recovering

from the shock of seeing her in such a mouthwatering dress. He needed to fess up that

he was her date, but why not play a little first.

“I would say the chances are good if you got insider information,” she said as she

surprisingly sat down next to him. “I’ll also say that when my date arrives, you will

disappear and leave me alone, and at least try to have some decency,” she added, as if

that would be much too hard a thing for him to do.

Ah, the smooth disdain in her voice sure as hell turned him on. She might be trying

to dismiss him, but damn if she didn’t do it with enough flare that he was panting at

her perfectly shaped feet.

Maybe he’d gone too long without a woman who actually challenged him, maybe

he’d been with too many airheads, but Ella was a mystery he had to solve before his

babysitting job was over.

“So, hot date tonight?” he asked, grinning. Damned if his gaze didn’t travel to the

short hem of her skirt again while he did.

“My eyes are up here, Axel,” she said, a trace of irritation in her voice.

He met those narrowed eyes and smiled. “If you don’t want to be objectified, then I

suggest you wear a hell of a lot more material. This dress could almost be considered

lingerie,” he said with a wink.

She didn’t look offended in the least as she turned away from him and ordered a

martini before turning back. “My dress is perfectly suited for a night out. It’s men like

you who turn it into something it’s not,” she pointed out.

“I’m not complaining,” he said, holding up his hands in surrender.

Her expression was unreadable as she gave him her full attention. “I wouldn’t have

taken this as a place you’d normally frequent.”

Axel knew her words were meant to insult, but they made him smile instead. Little

Ms. Priss knew nothing about him, or what he did or didn’t have. He enjoyed that

fact.

“You’re absolutely right. I can’t stand these uppity places and much prefer to go to

a good honky-tonk bar on the outskirts of town,” he said with a deep southern drawl.

She paused for a minute, and then, to his surprise, laughed. “Okay, I can admit

when I’m being a bit of a brat. I don’t know you, and I don’t know where you hang

out. You just seem to be a steak-and-fries sort of man over lobster and caviar.”

“Well, considering caviar is killing poor defenseless little fish-to-be, I can’t stand

the stuff,” he said, making her lips twitch again. “And I’ll take a good hearty steak

any day of the week over a tiny piece of seafood that you have to work far too hard at

to eat.”

“Do you want to know a secret?” she said as she leaned in and he got a nice

glimpse of her succulent cleavage.

“More than you can imagine,” he told her.

“I can’t stand caviar, either, or escargot. But whoever thought it was a good idea to

cook up slimy snails and then charge exorbitant prices for them was a damn genius,

wouldn’t you agree?”

Axel was rarely thrown off-kilter by anyone, let alone a woman, but as Ella’s eyes

sparkled awaiting his reply, he could admit, if only to himself, that at this moment he

was thrown.

And intrigued.

More intrigued than he could ever remember being. This woman lived in a million-

dollar home, was currently wearing a diamond necklace that probably cost more than

a typical middle-class annual salary, and yet had a sense of humor and said things

that were completely unexpected.

Who was the real Ella Brooks? Axel was determined to find out.

“It seems your date is running late, Ella,” he said, his voice almost hoarse.

“Then I guess it wasn’t meant to be. I rarely agree to go on blind dates, but Bryson’s

been hounding me for so long that I finally threw my hands up in surrender. It was

either that or next he’d be showing up on my doorstep to drive me crazy.”

“I guess you’re stuck with me for the evening.”

Her eyes narrowed as she looked toward the door and then back at him again. Ella

was far from stupid, and he could see the pieces clicking into place. She didn’t look

too happy about it.

“You’re my date.” It wasn’t a question. He wondered if she was going to slide off

the bar stool and click her way out of the nice establishment. Somehow he doubted it.

She didn’t seem to be the type of girl to run away. “I guess the least you can do is buy

me a drink, then.”

Axel smiled. This was going to be one hell of a night.

Wanting to tug on the ridiculously short hem of her dress, Ella cursed Maycie,

thinking revenge was on the horizon. Her friend had insisted on lending her the

skimpy, cleavage-baring dress. She’d said it’d been forever since Ella had gone out

and had a good time, and she needed to wear something that would knock a man’s

socks off. Of course on Maycie, who was only five four, it wasn’t quite so indecent.

One thing was sure, though: the outfit had certainly garnered a reaction from Axel.

She hadn’t necessarily wanted it, but then again, whom was she fooling? It was

always nice to be appreciated, even if she didn’t trust the man sitting next to her.

The sad part was that he made her smile, made her laugh. He wasn’t exactly bad

company. Still, she wasn’t going to sit there and banter with him too much longer.

She didn’t want to put ideas in his head. This wasn’t a real date.

She reasoned with herself that she had spent the time dressing up, so she may as

well have a few drinks before heading home to watch a sappy Hallmark Channel

movie and eating something deliciously greasy and salty followed by a heaping

serving of ice cream.

“I’ll buy us both another drink,” Axel said as he signaled for the bartender.

“Sounds good,” she said, her voice just a little too seductive, making his attention

snap right back to her. What was wrong with her? Why was she flirting with this man,

giving him hope that something could ever happen?

Maybe it’d been too long since she’d been on a decent date. Maybe she was scared

after everything that had happened with Felix, or maybe she just wasn’t drinking

enough. Whatever the reason, she needed to pull herself together.

If only the look he was sending her wasn’t making her insides stir, wasn’t making

her want to climb from her seat and right into his lap. She wasn’t even sure who she

was at the moment.

“I can see that you’re berating yourself internally, but why try to fight what you’re

feeling? You like me. Admit it,” Axel said as he reached over and took her hand, his

thumb making circles on her wrist, right where her pulse began to speed up.

“I’m not attracted to you,” she lied as she pulled on her hand to no avail.

“Come on, Ella. There had to be a small part of you that knew it was me you were

meeting tonight,” he said, those lazy arcs his thumb was tracing driving her slowly

insane.

“I had no idea.” If she had thought it for a brief moment, she wasn’t going to admit

that to him.

“Why don’t we stop the games and just have a good night?”

She was being pulled in, could feel it with every fiber of her being as his touch

sizzled through her. And then at the last second before she leaned forward and

discovered what his lips tasted like, she snapped back to reality. This man was a

Casanova, and she’d be a fool not to remember that.

She did lean forward, taking pleasure in the triumph she saw light his eyes.

“Mmm, you’re smooth aren’t you, Axel?” she whispered.

“Just honest,” he replied, leaning forward to meet her.

“I’m smoother . . . and not easily fooled. Now give me my hand.” The change from

sultry to commanding seemed to pull him out of his sexual haze and he dropped her

hand as if he’d just been burned.

He lifted his drink and took a long swallow before turning her way again.

“I guess none of my normal moves are going to work on you,” he finally said,

sending her a wink that told her more about the man than anything he’d said aloud.

Yes, he was confident, but he used humor to cover up when he was feeling something

that possibly frightened him. Interesting.

“Why don’t you share something about yourself, Axel? If I’m going to be stuck with

you shadowing me, whether I want it or not, then the least you can do is tell me who

you are.”

“I’m an open book,” he said, giving her what she now knew was his trademark

smile.

“Well then, it shouldn’t be hard to read me a few pages.” Ah, that had produced a

real smile. She waited.

“Fine. I was born into a great family with a younger sister who is a lot like you,

actually, named Kaylee. I move around a lot, work for the FBI, and love to catch the

bad guy,” he said almost flippantly.

She found it interesting that the only real piece of information he gave her was to

mention his sister, who put a little bit of a glow in his eyes when he spoke her name.

He wasn’t an open book at all, but there was certainly a story to be told about Axel.

Ella just made sure to tell herself she didn’t in any way want to read that story.

“Do you like working for the FBI?”

“Of course I do,” he said, but she thought maybe she saw a piece of untruth in that.

He continued before she could question it. “I knew when I was in fifth grade what I

wanted to do.”

“Fifth grade? Really? Interesting,” she said, thinking she had pretty much known

what she wanted to do by then as well. She didn’t like having that in common with

him.

“I was at the store with my little sister and a guy came in waving a gun at the clerk.

We lived in a small town in the middle of Idaho, and things like that didn’t happen

there, so we’d never been taught what to do. I knew instinctively I had to protect my

sister, so I pulled her behind a shelf and peeked out to see what would happen next.”

“What happened?”

He took a breath before speaking. “There was an FBI agent in there at the same

time. He tackled the guy and had him cuffed and the cops called before the criminal

even knew what was happening. I was in complete awe. Later, he told me what a

good job I’d done at protecting my sister, and I worshipped him. He was from our

area, and as I got older, I followed everything he did. He’d talk to me when he was

home, and by the time I graduated high school there was no way I wanted to do

anything else.”

“Is he still around?” Ella asked.

Axel was quiet for a moment, and Ella’s stomach clenched. She knew what he was

going to say before he said it. “He was shot in the line of duty the year he was

supposed to retire.”

He stopped speaking, and Ella was surprised to find herself sympathetic to the

man. Without realizing what she was doing, she found her hand on top of his as she

patted it. “I’m so sorry.”

“It was a long time ago,” he said, letting her know he was done with this part of the

conversation.

“Well then, tell me, Axel, what’s your signature move on a date?”

His head whipped around in shock. Ella was used to being around men with egos.

She knew he’d opened up to her, and now he wanted it to go away. She also knew

how to change the subject and make him forget he’d shared something with her.

His lips turned up in a cocky smile and he leaned forward, making her

automatically want to lean into him. She stopped herself at the last minute and

waited.

“The only way for you to see my moves is to continue the date,” he said with a

wink.

“Then I guess we’re at an impasse, because I think the date is over.”

“You asked me some questions, don’t I get to reciprocate?”

“You didn’t tell me a whole lot.” That was a lie, though. He’d shared something

deeply personal about himself.

“I told you I’m an open book. But I also told you it’s my turn to ask some

questions.” He leaned back, total confidence once more in place. She knew he was

stalling the “date,” but for some reason she didn’t care. “Want to order something to

eat before I get started?”

She was hungry, but she feared if they took the time to move to a table, the mood

would be broken, and they were actually meshing well right now.

“Maybe in a little while,” she told him. “How did my cousin get you up here to be

a babysitter? Did you owe him or something? Because this is the most boring job in

the world.”

There was a slight flare in his eyes, but it was gone so quickly she must’ve

imagined it, and in its place was his normally carefree expression.

“You really do know how to turn the subject away from you.” She could see that he

wasn’t easy to lead astray. Before she could respond to that, he continued. “Let’s just

say I owe Bryson more than I can ever repay.” Now that was a story she wanted to

hear about. Before she could question him further, he was sitting up straight and

staring at her. “My turn. What has you so scared of dating? And why did your friends

have to force you to go out on this date?”

“How in the world do you know that?” she gasped, then wanted to bite her tongue.

What if he’d been guessing and she’d just given it away?

“Let’s just say I have ways of knowing things.”

“You’ll be disappointed then, because I have ways of keeping things from people.”

She hadn’t always been so closed off, but she was a little more careful since falling

for Felix and his pack of lies. Not all men were liars, but she didn’t trust blindly

anymore. And she had no doubt that there were more secrets than truths when it

came to Axel. She’d do best to steer completely clear of him.

“I guess it’s my turn to say we’re at an impasse,” he told her.

Ella could see herself spilling her guts to this man, and that scared her more than

Felix or the punks he sent after her. She knew suddenly that she had to get away from

him, had to regroup. She shouldn’t be sitting here with him, laughing, sharing

personal information.

The more she humanized Axel, the more she made it possible to fall under his

spell. That was something she simply didn’t want to happen.

“The evening hasn’t been a complete waste of my time. I had a great drink,” Ella

said before she carefully slid from the stool, landing too close to Axel, who placed a

hand on her back before pulling her close to him.

“I’ll take you home then.”

She was speechless for a moment as she processed his words. Then her spine

straightened and she pulled back from him. “I drove here, and I’m perfectly capable of

driving myself back,” she told him, automatically on the defensive again.

“Then I’ll follow you. I always ensure my date gets home safely.”

“This wasn’t a real date, Axel.” She almost added that there hadn’t been a kiss, but

that’d be a foolish thing to say, because he might feel he needed to rectify the

situation.

“It was a real date in my book,” he whispered as his fingers caressed the bare skin

on her back. A shudder passed through her. “And it was a hell of a one at that.”

Her heartbeat sped up as she looked into his eyes. She could be in trouble, serious

trouble. This man was good. “I guess we just found one of your signature moves,” she

whispered.

“Mmm, I guess so,” he quietly replied, his fingers still stroking her.

“Excuse me, someone sent this for you.” A man placed a glass with a note next to it

in front of Ella and then disappeared before she could say a word.

“That’s a bit rude, wouldn’t you say? It’s obvious you’re here with someone,” Axel

said as he looked at the drink.

“Oh, come on, Axel. It’s just a drink,” she said, laughing at his sudden

possessiveness.

“With a note?” What surprised her was that she was almost enjoying his sudden

jealousy.

“I’m not going to read it,” she said, picking up the paper and crinkling it.

“I don’t think so,” he said as he quickly snatched it from her hand and unfolded it.

When he froze, his eyes darting around the room, Ella felt her first tingle of nerves.

“What does it say?” When he said nothing, she tapped his hand. “Axel, I’m serious,

what does it say?” she repeated.

Instead of answering, he slammed the note down and moved toward the front

doors, a look in his eyes sending a shiver of fear through her. “Stay here. And don’t

touch that drink!”

She didn’t know what to do, so she found herself doing exactly as he’d demanded,

and stood there wondering what in the world was going on.

In less then three minutes, Axel was back by her side, his body tense, his eyes

wild. And damned if she wasn’t turned on by it.

“What’s going on?”

“Take a look at the note, Ella,” he said tersely.

Finally she looked down, thinking it was going to be so much worse than it was.

After reading it twice she then did the wrong thing entirely and laughed. “You’re

getting all worked up about this? Really?”

“I don’t find it amusing when someone delivers a drink with a note saying to enjoy

their last drink,” he said, obviously perturbed she wasn’t taking it more seriously.

“Maybe the person wanted me to enjoy my last drink of the night,” she pointed out.

“It’s a clear message, Ella, and you should be taking these sorts of threats a hell of a

lot more seriously.”

“Relax, Axel. I’m a smart girl. Felix and his thugs are trying to intimidate me. So

what? I won’t allow them to succeed.”

“You should also be smart enough to be afraid,” he said between clenched teeth.

“If I live my life in fear, then they win,” she told him, done with this conversation.

“Fear can keep you alive.”

“And fear can also freeze you! I won’t allow that.”

“Does it not worry you at all that they are following you? Waiting for the right

moment to pounce?”

She thought about it for a moment. “And that’s all they are doing, Axel,” she said.

“They are following me, or trying to intimidate me. They won’t make a move.” She

had to believe that.

“They are waiting for the right time to make their move.” They wouldn’t agree on

this issue. There was no point in continuing to argue with this man.

“I’m going home now, Axel,” she said, throwing a twenty onto the counter, which

seemed to irritate him all over again.

He pulled out his own wallet and threw a few bills down before catching her at the

door and walking her outside. Much to her frustration he had his car brought around

before hers, and then waited to help her inside before following her all the way home

and sitting in her driveway until she was in the house.

This was going to be a long week, or weeks, if this was the sort of behavior she

could expect from Axel. She was also sure a report was being called in to her cousin

before she even finished brushing her teeth.

Nobody said life was supposed to be easy, she supposed.

“Okay, seriously—you’ve been holding out on us, and that’s so not cool!”

Ella knew the blaring spotlight was on her, and there was no way she was going to

get away with saying nothing. As a very capable lawyer, she’d practiced the art of

twisting words to her benefit, but there were two women in the world she could never

lie to: her best friends, Maycie and Reese.

“You two showed up unannounced on my doorstep. I wasn’t trying to hide

anything from you. There’s just nothing to tell,” Ella said, hoping she could throw

them off the scent.

“Ha! A complete stud of a man is currently scaling the side of your house with his

muscles rippling and his hazel eyes twinkling, and there’s nothing to tell?” Maycie

said with a knowing smirk and hands on her hips.

“He’s doing a job, that’s all,” Ella told them both as she moved to the bathroom and

looked in the mirror.

“Doing a job, my ass. And why is your best shirt laid out on the bed and you’re

currently searching for your Kiss-Me-Now lipstick?” Reese asked, arms crossed as she

leaned against the door, zeroing in on Ella with a knowing expression.

“I don’t have Kiss-Me-Now lipstick and I have some errands to run today. I didn’t

pick out my so-called best shirt. I just threw some clothes on the bed to get dressed.”

“Sure, you’re just running errands, so you’re wearing shiny red lipstick and the

shirt you got on spring break senior year that matches your eyes and got you kissed by

that Greek god,” Maycie said.

“Fine. I think he’s cute, but I’m not interested in hooking up with the guy. My

overprotective cousin Bryson sent him here to keep me safe and you know exactly

how I feel about that,” Ella said as she slapped some eye shadow on her lids. She was

going to look like a clown if this interrogation didn’t stop soon.

“Now we’re getting somewhere. He’s a friend of Bryson’s? I was so bummed when

that man candy got married,” Maycie said with a sigh.

“You and a million other girls,” Ella said, laughing.

“Hey, all the good ones are taken when you get as old as us,” Reese said as she sat

on the edge of the tub and sighed.

“It’s not like we’re going to need a cane anytime soon,” Ella reminded her. “We’re

only in our mid-twenties.”

“Yeah. So if you aren’t interested in the guy, do you mind if I have a go at him?”

Maycie said with a wicked twinkle in her eyes.

Maycie’s long dark hair and exotic looks meant she didn’t need any help in the man

department, but the friends loved to push each other to get a reaction. Ella refused to

show one.

“He’s all yours,” she said between clenched teeth. She’d rather wade around in the

sewers than see that happen, but she’d also rather skinny-dip in the public pool than

admit it.

“Mmm-hmm,” was Maycie’s only response.

“Hey, maybe I want him!” Reese said. Her only tell was the sparkle in her pale

green eyes, which were deceptively innocent, especially with her killer curves and

luscious, naturally dark pink lips.

“Why don’t you both take him for a spin? Then at least he won’t be bothering me,”

Ella said as she gave up on her makeup, deciding she already looked like a circus

clown. She’d have to wash it all off and start the entire process over again.

“Come on! Just give it up. You wouldn’t mind taking him out for a test drive,

would you?”

“Maycie, you’re a terrible human being,” Ella said, but they knew she didn’t mean

it.

“Yes, and very proud of it.”

“Just admit the truth, and it all stops,” Reese said, following Ella to her bedroom.

“Okay, I think he’s attractive. I also think he’s arrogant, dim-witted, and a pain in

the ass,” Ella told them, ripping off her pajamas and throwing on the now offensive

blue shirt.

“Liar,” Maycie said.

“I told you what I thought. Now can we drop the interrogation?”

“You know us better than that,” Reese reminded her.

“Yes, sadly I do,” she said with a sigh, giving up as she plopped down on the bed.

“It’s just that my last relationship didn’t go well, as you both know, and this guy

is . . . I don’t know . . . dangerous. Not like I’m afraid of him, but he bends the rules,

skates in and out of the lines. If I ever decide to date again, I need a nice, normal,

nine-to-five kind of guy.”

“Bor-ing!” Maycie retorted as she flopped back on the bed. “A guy like that

certainly isn’t going to burn up the bedsheets.”

“I don’t need my sheets burned. I like them nice and cool,” Ella said sternly.

“What happened to you? One bad relationship and you’re going all nunish on us. I

think you need an intervention. A good start would be to heat up your nights with Mr.

Hottie out there, who is currently undressing you with his eyes through the window.”

Ella’s head whipped around and she was more than grateful to see that wasn’t true,

but ticked that she’d fallen for it and actually looked.

“Shh! I don’t need him to hear this and get any ideas,” Ella warned.

“Maybe that’s exactly what you need,” Reese said as she raided the closet looking

for new clothes to borrow.

“Both of you need to get a life if you have nothing better to do than to come down

here and worry about my love life,” Ella told them.

“Or lack thereof,” Maycie said.

“Argh. I’m going shopping. Are you coming with me or not?” Ella stood up and

stepped back, sending both girls a stern look.

Maycie turned to Reese with a big smile. “I don’t know, Reese. Do you think we

should go, or do you think we should blow up a pool and lounge around the house in

bikinis all day?”

“I like the bikini idea,” Reese quickly replied.

“It’s barely forty degrees. Really?” Ella said with a glare, knowing they were trying

to get a reaction out of her, but unable to stop herself from giving it to them.

“All right, we’ll be good, but seriously, if you don’t make a move on him soon, I’ll

resort to drastic measures,” Reese said as she came out of the closet wearing Ella’s

newest sweater.

“Fine, agreed.” Ella would say anything at this point to make the interrogation stop

and to get away from the house. Knowing that Axel was lurking around her home was

making her jittery. She was afraid she’d take her friends’ advice and jump the man if

she didn’t get away.

Part of her wondered if that’d be such a bad thing—and then the more logical part

of her kicked that other part square in the ass. The girls left her for a moment to

gather her courage and then, taking a look in the mirror, she decided her makeup was

fine after all.

Maybe if she did look slightly like a clown, Axel would quit hitting on her.

Because if everyone kept pushing her to look at this man like a potential mate, she

was going to have a hell of a time fighting herself.

He was cocky and rude, and invading her space. She didn’t want to be with any

man, let alone a man like him. She would do well to remember that, to keep repeating

it over and over again in her head.

When she finally went downstairs, she heard Reese giggling in the entryway.

Normally the sound put a smile on her face. This time it made her teeth clench. Her

laughter at that pitch meant only one thing.

Turning the corner, Ella’s eyes connected with Axel’s searing gaze, and no matter

how much she told herself to turn away, she was powerless to do so.

“Looking good, Ella,” he said in a low growl that had her insides twisting.

His work clothes looked damn fine on him, but she’d cut out her tongue before

saying so. The jeans were worn and dirty, the jacket showcased his arms and

shoulders, and the slight smudge of dirt on his cheek tempted her to come closer and

wipe it off. Add to that the day or two’s growth of stubble on his solid jawline and

she found herself wanting to float over to him and see how those firm lips tasted.

Shaking her head, she finally managed to break eye contact, and then almost

regretted it when she turned and saw the knowing looks on her best friends’ faces.

“Let’s go,” she said, not at all happy with how weak her voice sounded.

“I’m not in a hurry if you aren’t,” Maycie suggested, making Ella want to roar.

“I have things to do.” With that, Ella brushed past them all and thought she was

making a safe exit until she felt Axel at her back.

His breath fanned against her bare neck, and she couldn’t stop a shiver from slowly

running down her spine, nor calm the instant spike in her pulse.

“You smell good, too,” he whispered against her skin, and it took all the strength

Ella possessed not to turn around and leap into this man’s arms.

Deciding sometimes the best defense was no words at all, Ella rushed toward her

car. She didn’t care if the girls followed or not. If she didn’t get out of there right

then, she was afraid she’d do something she knew she’d regret.

As she climbed into her car, Maycie and Reese quickly joining her, she could feel

his gaze boring into her. She just prayed he’d be done with her security system and

long gone by the time she returned. Otherwise, she didn’t think she’d be able to

withstand the next time he came on to her.

Axel was hooked on this woman, and he knew it wasn’t a wise move. He’d made a

promise to his friend to protect her, and if he was focused on chasing after her, then

he wasn’t doing a good enough job of keeping her safe. That incident at the restaurant

had really thrown him off. But then, a few more days had passed, and nothing else

had happened.

That didn’t mean that the bad guys were giving up. It simply meant they were

waiting to make their next move. He needed to be on his A-game, which didn’t seem

like something he was capable of in Ella’s presence.

It was just that the woman was witty, strong, determined, and on top of that, had a

smoking-hot body. What wasn’t there to like about her? Nothing he’d found so far.

He normally didn’t go after women; they just sort of fell into him, literally and

figuratively. He’d meet a woman, and if there was a connection then he let her know

he was interested. If there were no sparks, he’d move on.

And sparks were certainly firing between Ella and him, but because of the

disastrous relationship she’d had with her ex, she seemed to be leery of any and all

relationships, and the blasted woman was fighting mightily against their mutual

attraction. He should walk away, take a hint and offer silent protection.

Of course, Axel also had never been one to run from a challenge. So instead of

hiding in the bushes and making sure the woman stayed alive, he was having nightly

fantasies about her, fantasies he certainly wouldn’t be sharing with his friend and

partner anytime soon.

Axel had to smile as he realized where he was, because at the moment he was

literally hiding in the bushes.

It wasn’t good enough for Bryson that he’d installed the best security system known

to man on Ella’s house. No, his friend wanted to make sure the system was foolproof

because, of course, Bryson said the people who had painted a giant target on her back

were crafty and he was sure they could get through the alarm.

So here he was sitting in her bushes, making sure no one could sneak up behind

him while he tried to bypass the system and break into her house. Not that he was

going to actually break into her house, but if the cops happened to drive by he didn’t

think that they’d believe he was there for her safety while wearing dark clothes and a

hood.

It was close to midnight and all the lights were off, so it looked like the coast was

clear. Even the neighbors had all turned in, it seemed. Axel made his way to the back

of the house, crept around like a thief in the night, and was satisfied when he saw the

windows were all locked and the blinking light on the security box indicated the

home system was set.

That alone would put off most criminals. They knew what happened when you

tried to breach a security system. Alarms went off, loudly. With the added floodlights

he’d installed that would illuminate not only her house but half the block, any

criminal would be a fool to try to break in.

Finally for the test, he crept up to the security panel and looked at it. He hadn’t

actually installed this part, as it wasn’t his forte—he’d let his friend Maverick do that.

So if he ended up setting off the alarm in this process, Axel was going to be pissed at

Bryson, because surely he’d spend a night in the slammer.

Carefully, he looked at the box, checked for a back way into it, and was satisfied

when he didn’t find one. There was no possible way of overriding the system without

setting it off. Any tampering at all, and the lights would flash on, the police would be

called, and the culprit would be dragged away to spend at least one night in the

county jail.

He could call Bryson with confidence, let him know that no one was getting into

this house as long as Ella set the alarm, and she’d promised her cousin, Maverick, and

Axel that she would.

Normally there was no way anyone could ever sneak up on Axel. It was his job to

know his environment at all times. Maybe it was the fact that he’d been off the job a

couple of weeks, maybe it was the fact that he was feeling guilty over sneaking around

a young woman’s house. Whatever it was, Axel’s guard was down.

One minute he was packing up his stuff to leave and the next he heard the

unmistakable sound of air splitting as something came for him. He only had time to

lift a hand, which didn’t help much as solid wood hit the side of his head and stars

exploded behind his eyes.

Though dazed, he heard a step, and knew the person swinging was coming in for

another blow. Reaching out, Axel found a leg and tugged hard, tumbling the person.

He was moving much slower than usual, but he managed to shake off the buzzing in

his head and tackle the bat-wielding villain when a piercing scream nearly shattered

his eardrums.

“Shut up!” he thundered as he tried to focus on the person struggling beneath him.

His attacker tensed, and they each recognized the other at the same time. “What in

the hell are you doing out here in my shrubs in the middle of the night, Axel?”

Ella’s stunned voice left Axel eternally grateful he hadn’t thrown a punch first and

asked questions later. He would’ve jumped off a bridge if he’d hurt her.

“Bryson wanted me to check out the security system, make sure you were using it

and that the smart criminals couldn’t break in. I was just finishing when you decided

to clobber me,” he explained, still holding her beneath him.

“And why am I supposed to believe you?” she snapped as she yanked her arms,

having no success at all in getting away from him.

“Your cousin, who is so worried about you, sure as hell trusts me.” He scowled at

her. He didn’t like his integrity being questioned.

“Well maybe you’re both morons!”

With the moonlight their only illumination, they glared at each other while lying in

the middle of her shrubs in the cold fall night. When the silence stretched around

them, Axel quickly realized he was lying on top of her, and she was barely clothed.

“You can get off me now,” she finally said, her voice breathless, her pulse

beginning to rise beneath his fingers, which were still gripping her wrists. This wasn’t

such a bad place to be after all.

“I’m comfortable,” he replied, easing his head down slightly so not much more

than air was flowing between their mouths.

Her breathing grew heavier, and her eyelids drooped the slightest bit—just enough

to let him know that their current situation was having an effect on her. Hell, his

body was revving to go. The neighbors were asleep. No one would notice if the two of

them removed her barely there clothes and he plunged inside her heat.

“Well, I’m not comfortable and it’s cold out here,” she panted.

“I can warm you up, Ella,” he said, giving her a look that left no doubt he was

about to kiss her. There was no way he’d make it through the rest of the night if he

didn’t have a taste of her.

Leaning down, he brushed his lips across hers, just a whisper of skin against skin, a

warning of what was about to come. If she truly didn’t want it, now was her time to

tell him to go to hell, now was the time to demand he stop.

She said nothing.

Her breathing slowed, her eyes closed, and her pulse accelerated even more. “I’m

not waiting any longer.” That was her only warning before his mouth claimed hers,

instantly branding her, letting her feel his unmitigated hunger.

Desire unlike anything he could remember feeling shot through him, his body

already hard, solidified to the point of pain. Releasing her hands, he cradled her head

in one palm so he could angle it just where he wanted, while the other moved down

the soft curve of her waist and gripped her lusciously firm backside.

His tongue sought entrance into her mouth, and when she opened to him, a

shudder passed through him while he pressed his arousal into her, wishing there was

nothing blocking him from sinking deep inside her.

She responded by wrapping her freed hands around his neck and tugging him

closer, her own lips seductively moving across his mouth, her body pushing upward,

seeking what he was offering.

This wasn’t a tentative first kiss. This was a kiss of lovers who knew each other

intimately, and he was ready to take her right there, not caring where they were or

who was around. This much hunger couldn’t be denied.

He knew he was almost past the point of no return, knew he could have her right

here and now, but he wouldn’t do it without her permission. Yes, her body was

saying she wanted him, but he wanted to hear her say the words.

“Let’s go inside, Ella. Let me please you,” he said before moving his lips down the

side of her neck and sucking the skin above her pounding pulse.

She moaned as her body sought his, but she didn’t say the words he needed to hear.

“Invite me inside, Ella. We can’t stop this. It’s been inevitable from the first moment

we met,” he said before moving his lips down the vee of her shirt and sucking at the

delicate skin of her freed breasts.

“I . . . uh . . . wait . . . let me think,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Don’t think, just feel,” he said, nearing panic as he heard doubt in her voice.

He slid her top to the right and ran his tongue out, touching just the edge of her

sweet nipple that he so desperately wanted to see. She moaned again before her hands

came around to push against his chest.

“Stop, please,” she gasped.

With a sigh that spoke of the pain this was going to cost him, Axel released her,

then placed his hands on the ground and moved away from her, his lower half still

desperately brushing against the softness of her core.

“Why stop? We want this, Ella. Both of us,” he said, wanting desperately to bend

down and make her delirious again with his kiss.

“Give me a second, Axel. I c-can’t think,” she said, closing her eyes for a brief

moment before opening them again, their depths just a little clearer than they’d been a

moment before.

“I don’t want either of us to think. I just want to sink deep inside you and take us

both to a whole new realm of pleasure,” he said, practically begging. Damn, he

wanted her.

“I can’t do this. I don’t do this,” she said, and he knew the battle was over.

“Do you really believe taking time to think will make this hunger go away? What

the two of us are sharing isn’t usual, Ella. We’re fools to throw it away.”

“I don’t have sex with men I don’t know,” she said, her eyes now clear, fire

beginning to ignite in them.

“We shared the other night at the restaurant. Ask whatever else you want. I’ll tell

you anything you want to know,” he said, covering up his frustration with a confident

grin as he finally moved off her completely and sat on the cold, hard ground. Not able

to resist, he reached out and ran her silken strands through his fingers before he

stopped and pulled back.

Shivers started racking her body now that he wasn’t cradling her in the warmth of

his own. He knew he needed to get her inside before she became overly chilled, but

he couldn’t seem to move.

“I’m still not going to have sex with you tonight, Axel, not even if we spend the

next eight hours talking. I don’t have sex with men I’ve just met,” she said as she sat

up.

“Well then, let’s go on a real date,” he offered.

“A date?” She looked confused.

“You know, a thing where a man and a woman go have a nice meal, some wine,

maybe a movie and dancing?” he said with what he hoped passed as a laugh.

“Oh, I see, now you’re going to be a smart-ass,” she said, almost sounding sad.

“I’m sorry. I want you; I won’t lie about that. I can respect that you want to wait

before we have sex—but Ella, I want you. There’s no doubt about that,” he said, taking

her chin in his hand and forcing her to look at him. He wanted no misunderstanding

between them.

“And if the date doesn’t go well . . .” she said, letting the words trail off.

“Ah, baby, you obviously haven’t been on a real date with me.”

“Your confidence will be your undoing someday,” she warned.

“I can agree to that. I’ll pick you up tomorrow night at six. Wear a dress—

preferably the exact same one you wore before.”

“Fine, I’ll go. But the dress is long gone. And don’t think this means you’re getting

sex,” she stated firmly.

Axel couldn’t resist the challenge. Before she knew what was happening, he tugged

her onto his lap, enjoying the gasp escaping her kiss-swollen lips. “Noted,” he said

before leaning in and kissing her one more time with just enough hunger to make her

regret sending him home.

When he knew he had to stop or push the lines of right and wrong, he released her,

throwing his arms beneath her and standing in one fluid motion before he set her on

her feet and kissed her once more, this time a chaste good-night kiss.

“I’m going to make you scream,” he said before placing a hand behind her back and

leading her to the back door of her house, where he waited for her to enter her code to

get in. Next time he saw her, he’d lecture her about the whole point of security being

to stay safely inside, not come out to meet the people trying to break in.

Right now he was just eternally grateful she had in fact come out of the house. He

would anticipate the moment he got to take her to the highest reaches of glory. For

now, that was all that would sustain him.

After fumbling a few times, she managed to get the system deactivated and the door

open. She stepped inside before turning back around.

“This round certainly goes to you, Axel Carlson. Tomorrow don’t expect such an

easy victory.” With a wicked smile, she shut the door in his face.

Now it was Axel’s turn to walk in a bit of a haze. “Hot damn,” he uttered when he

finally remembered how to work his feet. This woman was going to be dynamite in

the bedroom.

Looking in the mirror, Ella nearly changed her mind for the hundredth time. She

couldn’t wear this dress. She had other dresses that were more appropriate, but she

kept finding herself back in the same Terani Couture nude cocktail dress that made

her feel like a million dollars with its sheer neckline, intricate beaded detail, and

nipped waist. The color complemented her olive complexion and dark hair.

But this was a first date—well, the first date she was aware of—and most likely the

last. So what if there was more steam between the two of them than a locomotive

engine? She was sure it was just the fact that Axel had been thrust into her life and

was refusing to go away that was causing the turbulent thoughts in her mind.

She didn’t need to wear this dress, but here she stood in front of the mirror, and

she wasn’t taking it off this time. It was just a dress, after all. It wasn’t a life-and-

death decision. He’d be arriving in just a few minutes. She needed to decide now.

“Argh! This is ridiculous,” she said to her reflection. She’d wear the dang dress. He

most likely wouldn’t even notice. He was a guy, and guys didn’t really care what you

wore, right? But she couldn’t help remembering vividly his reaction to her friend’s

little black dress. She wanted that same reaction whether she’d admit it or not.

Sitting on her bed, she slipped on a pair of delicate Gucci silver stilettos with a

slight sheen of sparkle on the heels. Shoes were her one weakness. She worked in a

man’s world and she was young. She wanted to be taken seriously, but she couldn’t

force herself to let the pretty shoes go. No one really noticed shoes except other

women who shared her passion for obscenely overpriced heels, and they wouldn’t

judge her.

Just as she fastened the last strap, the doorbell rang. Well, there was no turning

back now. She refused to look in the mirror one more time. She was put together, not

overdressed and not trying too hard, she told herself.

Moving slowly—no way was she going to hurry, he could wait—she went down the

stairs and made her way to the door just as the buzzer sounded again. Well, Axel

obviously needed to learn patience. Didn’t he know men were supposed to wait for

women?

Before opening the door, she took a breath. The phone call the two of them had

shared earlier was still making her stomach stir, not because it had been sexual, but

because he’d made her laugh. It seemed he could make her laugh without even trying.

How and why she was so intrigued by this man, she didn’t know, but if the date

didn’t go terribly wrong tonight, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do. She didn’t

want to get involved with anyone right now. It was the last thing she needed in her

life.

Pasting a smile on her face, she turned off the security and opened the door. “Sorry

to keep you waiting. Let me just grab my purse,” she said as she turned and moved

back toward the entry table where she’d placed it.

Before she reached the table, she felt Axel’s arms slide around her and spin her

around. Suddenly she was caught in his smoldering gaze.

His head bent down and before she could even think of uttering a protest, his lips

locked onto hers in a kiss that left her dizzy when he finally released her mouth.

“Wh-what was that?” she stuttered, her knees shaking.

“That was a thank-you.”

“Thank you? For what?” Not that she had anything to complain about. He could

kiss her like that any day or night—maybe not night. It was too tempting to climb

upstairs and finish where that kiss was sure to lead.

“That is one hell of an outfit,” he said before taking a leisurely look. “And the

shoes can stay on . . . later,” he said, his mouth turning up in a predator’s smile.

Since the only words that wanted to come from Ella’s mouth were take me, she

decided it was best not to say anything at all. With trembling legs, she grabbed her

purse, then headed toward the door. If they didn’t get out of her house in the next few

minutes, then they weren’t going to leave, and she wasn’t ready for that.

Never before had she had sex with a man she’d only known a couple of weeks. She

wasn’t going to start now. Or she was going to give it one heck of an effort not to start

now. First step was getting as far from beds as humanly possible. And couches, and

kitchen counters, and dining room tables . . . Ella rushed out the front door, not

waiting to see if Axel followed.

Axel held open the door to his SUV for her, and then gave her only a couple of

seconds to breathe before he was climbing in on the driver’s side. As soon as he

closed the door, his scent drifted all around her, a mixture of spice and pure male

adrenaline, and it was causing a definite stir in her stomach.

If they didn’t start talking soon, she’d never make it to the restaurant. She was just

going to dive into his lap and beg him to take her right now.

“I know you said you owed Bryson a favor, but how is it that you have so much

time off to babysit me?”

“I needed a break. I was on leave when Bryson got ahold of me. I’m not sure if the

FBI is where I want to be anymore.”

“Why? Did something happen?” This was good. Regular conversation. Yeah, the

kind that let her get to know the guy so she could sleep with him without feeling guilty.

Nope. She pushed that thought right from her mind and instead focused on the

chiseled angle of Axel’s jaw as he faced forward, driving through the misty night.

“There wasn’t one particular thing that happened. It’s all been adding up. I get sick

of dealing with scum twenty-four-seven, of never knowing who the good guy is versus

the bad. Sometimes I just can’t remember why I’m even doing it anymore,” he said,

stealing a glance at her.

“There has to be some good there sometimes,” she said.

“Yeah, there are cases like Misty’s, Bryson’s wife, where we did help a victim, but

it’s not always like that. Sometimes we’re helping one bad guy so we can get to an

even worse guy. It just doesn’t seem to make sense anymore. I’m thinking of going out

on my own, doing something entirely new. I don’t know yet. That’s why I’m on a

hiatus, or I was until Bryson called,” he said, turning for a moment to wink at her.

“By all means, you should go back to being a bum. I’m a big girl who can most

certainly take care of herself,” she said, somewhat stung, though knowing it was

ridiculous to feel that way.

“Oh, baby, believe me, this is a vacation,” he said in a voice that had her shifting in

her seat.

“I don’t like being babysat, Axel, and if I find out this date is another way to keep

an eye on me, I’m not going to be happy,” she warned.

“Trust me, Ella, this date is all about me,” he said before pulling up to a stop at a

light and turning to give her his full attention. “And you,” he added before his eyes

dipped to her modest cleavage on display.

A car honked behind them and broke the connection. Axel cursed before facing

forward and putting his foot on the gas. But this time, his hand reached out and his

large warm fingers were on her bare thigh, and the flips in her stomach were now a

churn.

Ella wasn’t sure if she should remove his hand or pretend it wasn’t there. She

seemed unsure of everything around this man. That was reason enough she should’ve

ended this date before it even started.

She didn’t like feeling confused or chaotic. She liked order and cleanliness. She

liked everything to be where it belonged and things to happen when they were

supposed to. And she had no doubt that a life, or even a day, with Axel would turn

her world upside down.

Still she couldn’t seem to shake either his hand or him away, so she sat back and

desperately tried to figure out what to say next. The silence was worse than anything

they could possibly talk about.

Before she could think of something clever to say, he was pulling up to a nice

restaurant known for its steak, and her door was being opened by the valet. The kid

said something to her, but she didn’t hear him.

And then Axel was slipping his arm around her waist and leading her inside,

where they were taken to an intimate corner table with candlelight and a waiter

appeared almost instantly, offering wine.

Ella allowed Axel to choose a bottle, and after their order was placed, she sat back

and looked around, admitting she liked his taste. It was a nice place, with live music

from an intimate trio and a soloist who sang from deep within her soul. The ambiance

of the low lighting and dark decor was exquisite.

“I have to say I’m surprised by your choice in restaurants. I thought for sure we’d

end up at that honky-tonk bar you mentioned the other night,” she said with a smile,

her first glass of wine down, her heart beating a little bit easier, and her stomach

beginning to settle.

“That’s for date three or four,” he said with a wink.

“And what makes you think we’re going to make it to a third or fourth date?” she

asked as she watched him refill her glass.

“Ah, baby, you’ll be begging me never to go away,” he said, and she wasn’t sure if

he was teasing or not.

“I imagine you don’t have to search too hard for female company,” she said, tilting

her head as she tried to analyze him dispassionately.

There was no doubt he’d be considered handsome, with his sharp lines and

flirtatious smile. Add to that his thick hair and sparkling hazel eyes and his face alone

was a showstopper, but when you looked down at his incredible frame, it made a

woman feel the need to fan herself. Yes, he certainly wouldn’t be hurting for dates. So

why in the world was he chasing after her?

“I imagine the same for you, Ella. I don’t understand how you’re single,” he said,

his hungry expression practically devouring her.

“I’m single by choice. You do know about my last boyfriend, right?” she said with a

slight lift to her lips. She couldn’t believe she was joking about it. She’d never

thought that day would come.

“Yeah, we don’t always choose the right dates. Good thing we’ve found each other,

isn’t it,” he said, reaching across the table and taking her hand.

Their food arrived and the tension was broken, for which she was grateful. Being

with Axel was intense. There were many moments where she felt like she wasn’t

getting enough oxygen. She was certain he’d be phenomenal in the bedroom, she just

wasn’t sure if she’d survive the experience with him.

“You never did answer my question when I asked you what happened with your ex.

I know what I have on paper, but I would really like to hear it from you,” he said.

With the wine she’d consumed and the relaxed atmosphere, Ella found herself

opening up to him.

“Felix was suave, a lot like you, actually,” she began when he shot her a glare.

“There’s a difference between being honest and suave and being a criminal,” he

said, not happy at all to be compared to her ex.

“Whatever,” she said with a flip of her hand. “He was smooth, and I was the low

man on the totem pole at the office, so when he began flirting with me, I was

flattered. I didn’t know that he knew everything about me, including my financial and

family status,” she said with remembered fury.

“What does that matter?” Axel broke in. “You could be an orphan and your appeal

is still overwhelming,” he told her.

“Save the compliments, Axel. I don’t buy them,” she said, remembering all too

well how Felix would compliment her. She didn’t trust a man’s smooth chatter.

“Just stating the obvious,” he said.

She chose to ignore that. “I got into a relationship with Felix, not knowing he was

still screwing anything on two legs. He didn’t use a hell of a lot of discretion, either,

but I was so busy with work I didn’t think to check into his extracurricular activities,”

she said with disgust.

“It’s not your fault. You should be able to trust the person you’re in a relationship

with,” he told her.

“Well, I learned that trust isn’t something you just randomly give away. It’s

certainly something that has to be earned.”

“I agree with that.” The conviction of his statement made her wonder what he’d

been through.

“It didn’t take long before I figured out that Felix had a lot of judges in his pocket,

and he was using his connections to help criminals get away with murder, drug

trafficking, and several other crimes. I found papers in his office when my suspicions

grew, and I immediately went to the district attorney, who’s a friend and someone I

knew I could trust. He told me they’d been trying to build a case against Felix for a

long time, but the weasel always managed to get away with his criminal activity. So

he had me stay there for a while longer, though he was worried about it. I finally

collected enough evidence against Felix that John, the DA, charged him and pulled me

the hell out of there. Felix has been coming after me ever since. But it’s been going on

for six months and I’m still standing, so I’m not too worried about it.” She took a

drink of wine to coat her parched throat.

“You shouldn’t be so cavalier about this, Ella. Your testimony can lock this man

away for years to come. Don’t you think that’s worth being cautious about? If he has

such connections, he’s going to use them,” Axel warned.

“He’s a lowlife and he’ll have justice served to him on a silver platter. I won’t

allow him to scare me and I won’t change my life to run from him.” She didn’t break

eye contact with Axel, needing him to hear her.

They both stared intently for several breathless moments before his lips turned up

just the slightest. “Damn, woman. You’re a pain in the ass, you realize that, don’t

you?”

“I have a lot of alpha cousins. I had to learn to be tough really fast.”

“Point taken. Just as long as you know I’m not leaving until you’re safe.” Gauntlet

thrown.

“Fine, if you truly have nothing better to do, but you won’t ever find me cowering

in a corner.”

“I wouldn’t expect to.”

They changed the subject as they finished their meal, and then suddenly Axel was

standing, catching her off guard. “Let’s dance, Ella. I need to hold you.”

Oh, that timbre of his voice, the way he looked in his suit jacket with his hand held

out for hers. If he asked her to slip off to a quiet corner to make love she was sure

she’d say yes.

Silently, she took his hand and practically floated onto the dance floor, sighing

when he cradled her in his arms and began to slowly move her across the small space.

“I wouldn’t have imagined a man as big as you would dance so smoothly,” she

said, leaning back so she could look into his face. She was only a few inches shorter

than him thanks to her heels and she loved how their bodies were lining up.

“Dancing and sex go hand in hand. If you’re good at one, then you’re good at both,”

he said, a seductive smile spreading across his face.

“I don’t know how you manage to get away with saying such obnoxious things yet

make it sound almost sexy, but I have to tell you, I’m slightly impressed,” she said

with a laugh that died quickly when he pushed the flat of his hand against her lower

back and pulled her against the hardness of his body.

Her mouth formed an O, and her tongue darted out to moisten her suddenly dry

lips. His gaze zeroed in on the movement before his hand ran slowly up her back,

then traveled downward, smoothing across her backside, only to return and rest on

her lower back.

As he slowly spun her in a circle, her breathing deepened and her head felt like it

was as light as a feather. She couldn’t draw enough oxygen, couldn’t get her heart to

stop racing. Some said dancing was foreplay. After tonight, she had to agree.

He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, the tip of his tongue feathering

across her bottom lip before his teeth gently nipped and sucked it partly into his

mouth while he pulled her against his hardness and ground his hips.

“Oh,” she gasped, hungry for so much more than food.

“Are we still strangers, Ella?” he asked.

She knew exactly what he was getting at. One and a half dates shouldn’t have been

enough for her to allow him into her bed, but she couldn’t say no, couldn’t shake her

head, couldn’t imagine how she’d survive the night if she didn’t go home with this

man.

“We aren’t strangers,” she whispered, and felt a little better when she heard a sharp

intake of breath from him.

“Are you sure?” Now that he asked, she was more than sure.

“I want you, Axel, and I don’t want to fight it anymore,” she said before he closed

the distance between them and sealed the deal with a kiss so hot she didn’t know how

they didn’t erupt into flames.

“We have to get out of here now before we get arrested,” he said, his voice strained.

The urgency in his tone called to her in a way that gave her the exact same urgency

she could tell he was feeling.

“Then I suggest we hurry.”

Axel said nothing else as he took her hand and made a beeline for their table,

where he slapped money down and then rushed her out the door.

Not even the chilly night air was enough to temper her excitement. Ella wanted

this man, and tonight she would have him.

Axel’s adrenaline pulsed as he pinned Ella to the side of his car and consumed her

lips, his hands molding the back of her body in her barely there dress. He didn’t know

where to kiss her first, where to move his hands.

“I need you alone, Axel, please,” Ella begged when their lips parted.

“I’m trying to hold it together,” he growled as he finally released her and opened

the car door, letting his hands make a quick sweep of her toned thighs before shutting

the door and rushing around to the driver’s side.

Damn, why had he picked a restaurant so far from her place? Her home was still

closer than his hotel, so putting his foot to the gas he pulled out into traffic, ignoring

the horns sounding off at his impatience.

“It doesn’t feel like you’re wearing anything underneath that dress,” he said, his

teeth clamped together as they stopped at a light and she leaned over and ran her

tongue down the side of his neck, causing a shudder to course through him.

“I’m not,” she whispered in his ear, sending his pulse rocketing.

“Why in the hell are there so many damn people on the road!” he practically

shouted as the light finally changed.

“It is a Friday night,” she pointed out.

“Don’t they have anything better to do than clog the damn streets?” He knew he

sounded ridiculous but he didn’t care. He needed to get her home to rip that enticing

dress from her body.

“Maybe they’re rushing home to do the same thing we’re about to do,” she said, her

hand reaching out and running up his thigh, coming close, but not close enough to his

throbbing erection.

“I don’t think so. They’d be moving a hell of a lot faster,” he said.

“Not if they’re already playing in the car,” she said. He was shocked by her

boldness when her finger traced the outside of the bulge throbbing against his way-

too-tight pants.

“I’m not going to make it if you keep doing that,” he warned her.

“I have faith in your manliness,” she said, this time her entire palm cupping the

outside of his pants. He growled in response.

At the next light, his arms snaked out and he hauled her to him, kissing her hard

and fast, letting her know exactly what her games were doing to him. It didn’t lessen

the throbbing in his pants in the least.

When the light changed and he released her again, she kept her hands to herself as

she panted in the seat next to him. This was better. He needed to be in control. Not

that he minded a woman taking over in the bedroom—that was hot actually—it was

just that right now he was hanging on by a thread and they still had several miles to

go. And if he came before they even arrived at her house he was going to have to shoot

himself.

“This is the longest drive,” Ella panted, her legs shifting, making her dress rise

indecently high.

“You’ll forget all about the drive as soon as I get you into bed. I’m going to peel that

dress from your luscious body and then I’m going to taste every delectable inch of

your skin, and make you come over and over again,” he said, wanting so badly to

close his eyes and picture himself doing just that.

“Axel, get us there,” she commanded as she shifted again and her dress rose

another inch.

“Screw this!” Axel shot around two cars on the right-hand side, ignored the horns

blaring at him, then made a sharp right turn and sped down a two-lane road. He could

practically drive this area with his eyes closed, he’d scouted it so much while looking

at every which way someone could come or go from her house.

The next five minutes seemed like an hour, but finally he pulled to a screeching

stop in her driveway and practically jumped from the SUV. Ella didn’t even have time

to undo her seat belt before he was ripping open her door and unlatching it himself,

then lifting her into his arms where he tasted her lips one more time before moving.

“Keys,” he demanded as he swiftly moved up her walkway.

Ella dug in her purse, fumbling for the keys as he reached the door. He had to force

himself not to grab the purse and dump it out to find them faster. “Why in the world

do women keep so many things they’ll never use inside a bag?” he asked, his

frustration coming through loud and clear.

“We use everything in our purses. Some of the items may only be used once or

twice a year, but I assure you it’s all used,” she said before leaning in and kissing his

neck, making his temperature rise a few more degrees.

Finally, the magical keys were found and he unlocked the door, then turned long

enough only to relock it and allow Ella to reengage the security pad before he was

moving swiftly up the stairs.

“How do you know where my room is?” she asked as her lips nuzzled his jaw.

“I helped install the security, remember?” he groaned as he reached her room,

where her favorite perfume drifted all around him.

Setting her on her feet, he wanted nothing more than to rip their clothes off and

take her to heaven. But somehow seeing her standing before him in the glorious dress,

with her bed as a backdrop, calmed him.

How could he rush this? He needed to enjoy every second of this experience and

delight in the beauty of her body. “You take my breath away, Ella. I could die a happy

man doing nothing more than looking at you,” he said quietly as he lifted a hand and

cupped her cheek. “So beautiful,” he added in awe.

“I need you inside of me, Axel, so I’m not going to be okay with you just looking,”

she said, trying to smile, but her lips were trembling and there was a sheen to her

eyes.

He leaned down and caressed her lips while his hand still held her cheek and he

was so happy to be in that exact moment. “I’m very grateful to get to know you,” he

said, not recognizing these strange words escaping his mouth.

“Me, too, Axel.” She sighed as her hands lifted and began undoing his shirt, one

button at a time. Her fingers fumbled a few times as his mouth caressed hers and then

moved down the side of her neck.

“You smell incredible,” he said, his fingers running through the silky strands of her

hair, his mouth moving backward on her neck so he could taste every inch of her like

he’d promised.

She groaned her approval as the last button came undone and she pulled his shirt

from his pants, parting the fabric, her warm fingers smoothing out across his chest,

awakening every sense in his body.

He pulled back long enough to shrug from his shirt, and then pulled her against

him to reach for the zipper of her dress. His kiss deepened as he slowly pulled the

zipper down, now only their bodies held together keeping it on.

“I want to feel you,” he whispered before stepping back and slowly peeling her

dress away, like unwrapping the perfect gift for himself. “Damn, Ella, you’re even

more perfect than I imagined,” he gasped as her high breasts were revealed to him,

her nipples pink and hard and pointing straight up.

Not able to resist the temptation, he walked her backward and sat her on the bed,

kneeling before her as his head leaned forward and he took one perfect circle into his

mouth, tasting her, devouring her, loving her tender flesh.

“Ah, Axel . . .” she cried out as he switched sides, his fingers digging into her hips

as he tried unsuccessfully to control his arousal.

He was losing control fast despite his best efforts. They had all night to make love,

and he planned on doing it over and over again, but right now he needed to feel her

walls gripping him, needed to bring their bodies together as one.

Standing, he unbuttoned his pants, his eyes never leaving hers as he unzipped them

and pushed them down. When her eyes traveled down his body, then widened in

pleasure at his full erection, he couldn’t help but feel pride.

Unable to bear their bodies apart any longer, he grabbed a condom from his pocket

before tossing his pants aside and then crawled onto the bed with her, pushing her up

so they could lie together. He pulled her dress the rest of the way off, but left on the

incredibly sexy heels as he’d promised he would.

He then worshipped her body, his tongue laving across her skin, his lips leaving

their mark as he sucked her flesh, and he made her cry out over and over again. His

first taste of her womanhood had his head spinning and time lost all meaning as she

cried out in pleasure.

Finally, he slipped the condom over his pulsing arousal as his fingers shook with

the restraint it was costing him to pleasure her first. But the wait was worth it.

Lying in the cradle of her thighs, his eyes bored into hers as his hardness begged for

entrance inside her wet heat.

“Tell me you want me,” he commanded.

“Oh, Axel, I’ve never wanted anyone more,” she moaned.

With a powerful thrust, he buried himself inside her, both of them groaning at the

pure pleasure of the moment.

Axel leaned down and kissed her, his tongue slipping inside her mouth while his

body lay connected with hers. Then time once again lost all meaning as he began

moving, his hips thrusting powerfully as he filled her and then pulled back.

When the walls of her heat tightened around him and she cried out in pleasure, he

let go, thrusting a few more times deep inside her core where he found his own

release, a guttural groan ripping from him.

When he could finally open his eyes again, he realized he had to be crushing her,

but she didn’t have a single complaint as her hands stroked his back.

“I guess I can’t say we’re strangers now,” she sighed when he shifted so he was

lying on his back, her body draped over his. “And I’m very glad to know you.”

“Ah, baby, you’ve only scratched the surface of me. Let me teach you so much

more,” he said, pulling up her chin and kissing her, excitement and wonder filling

him as he felt his body already returning to life.

By morning, they both knew each other quite well.

“I think it’s been at least five years since I’ve actually carved a pumpkin,” Maycie said

as she stuck the knife into her bright orange ball—with a bit too much glee, if you

asked Ella.

“Maybe there’s a reason,” Reese said with a brow raised at the force with which

Maycie was stabbing the pumpkin.

“Hey, I can take my rage out on this vegetable, or on someone else,” Maycie said.

“What rage?” Ella asked as she scooped out her seeds and put them in a bowl. The

best part of Halloween was roasting pumpkin seeds after the carving was all finished.

“Oh, it’s nothing really,” Maycie said as she stabbed her pumpkin again.

“Okay, you totally have to spill,” Reese insisted, her technique a lot gentler as she

carved her pumpkin.

“Fine! I went on a date with the most insufferable man last night, and then when I

didn’t invite him in¸ he actually had the gall to ask me to pay him back for my half of

the meal.”

Ella and Reese stopped what they were doing and stared at their friend. “You’re

joking, right?”

“Nope. When I asked him what he was talking about, he went on to explain that

he’d paid for dinner because he was planning on getting in my pants, and since that

wasn’t going to happen he may as well at least recover some of the money on the

expensive wine he’d purchased in the expectation of doing just that.”

After a moment of total silence, Ella couldn’t help it, a laugh escaped her. She tried

to suppress it, but quickly gave up as more followed. “Oh my gosh, that is priceless,”

she said between fits of laughter.

“I’m not telling either of you anything ever again if you don’t shut up right now!”

Maycie insisted, but then her lips twitched and soon she was joining them in

laughter.

“I don’t know what’s worse, dating or being single. Because it feels like years since

I’ve had a decent date, or a decent kiss for that matter,” Reese said.

Ella was quiet for too long and both girls’ heads turned. “Oh, you had better spill,”

Maycie insisted, her stabs against the pumpkin far less vicious now that she’d gotten

her annoyance off her chest.

“I have nothing to spill,” Ella said, squirming in her seat.

“You know what, I was so busy at work this week I didn’t even notice the text

messages weren’t coming in like normal. What’ve you been up to?” Reese said, all

attention now on Ella.

“We’re supposed to be carving here, not fishing,” Ella pointed out.

“Oh, whatever. We do a project and fish for info at least once a week,” Maycie

pointed out, putting down her knife and crossing her arms.

“Carve and gossip?” Ella was just buying herself some more time. It wasn’t working

well.

“Listen, chicky, I’ve had a crap week, and I need you to fill me in. I’m not above

using torture.”

Maycie always had been the bluntest of them all. The three had been best friends

for so long that Ella honestly couldn’t remember a time in her life she hadn’t been

with the two girls sitting at her table. Why she wanted to keep anything secret from

them, she didn’t know.

“Oh, it has to do with sexy wall guy!” Reese said, practically bouncing in her seat.

“Spider-Man? Oooh, I do hope so,” Maycie said, leaning forward.

“What are you two talking about?” Now Ella was lost.

“Oh, we nicknamed your protector Spider-Man. Seemed appropriate considering he

was scaling your house like a superhero the first time we met him,” Reese said.

“Ugh, I hate spiders. They’re creepy little creatures.”

“Everyone hates spiders,” Maycie agreed. “Now quit trying to change the subject.

What’s going on?”

“Well . . .” She paused, just ’cause she knew it’d irritate them. It served them right

for being such snoops. When a slimy pumpkin seed came flying at her face, she

decided she’d stalled long enough.

“All right. We’ve gone on a few dates, and each one has been perfect. First was the

setup from you and my cousin, though that wasn’t really a date,” she said with a glare

before continuing. “Don’t think I didn’t chew Bryson out for that, and don’t think he

didn’t throw you under the bus.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Maycie said.

“Ha! You certainly do,” Ella told her before she continued. “Axel took me to a nice

restaurant where we danced, and boy can he move. And then we spent a day in the

park and with the colors changing on the trees it was romantic and fun and . . .” Ella

closed her eyes and took herself back over the past week.

She was getting way too attached to a man she’d only known a couple of weeks and

she wasn’t sure that she wanted to put the brakes on. “We went ice-skating and then

to a hockey game. That was boring actually, but the hot make out session made up for

the freezing, noisy rink,” she said, her stomach stirring at the memory.

“Okay, get to the good stuff. Have you had sex?”

“Maycie!” Reese said in a horrified gasp. “Just kidding,” she continued, laughing.

“Of course we want to know.”

“Well, um, yeah,” Ella said, her cheeks flushing. She and her girlfriends could be

flirts, but they certainly weren’t easy. Heck, she’d only been with two men before

Axel—the disaster she’d dated in college, and of course her loser ex-boss, who had

not been an inspiring lover.

“Was it amazing? It had to be amazing. That man’s arms, oh my . . .” Reese leaned

back and fanned herself.

“When I had sex with Trent in college, I expected it to be awkward. Neither of us

knew what we were doing. But then with Felix, I wondered what the fuss was all

about. I mean, he certainly didn’t know the right buttons to push, and I didn’t know

to ask for those buttons to be pushed. But with Axel, it was just . . . I don’t know how

to describe it, but it was like he knew exactly where to touch me and when and how

much time to spend in each area . . .” Ella trailed off as her body heated all over

again.

“So was it just once, or has it been multiple times?” Reese asked.

“Just once,” Ella said sadly. “Well, not exactly. Just one night, but we did it so

many times I lost count.”

“Why only one night? Was it last night?” Maycie asked, her pumpkin neglected as

she leaned her elbows on the table to get closer.

“No, it was . . . um, well, we had sex on the first date, well, the first real date.”

Ella’s cheeks flushed as she admitted this.

“Look, chicky, you’re not some whore who goes around giving it to everyone who

buys you an expensive bottle of wine. Sometimes the lust is just too much to resist. If

you really like the guy, quit kicking yourself. Now that being said, why haven’t you

gone for round two yet?” Maycie asked.

“To begin with, the morning after we had sex, he got a call and had to rush back to

DC for a few days,” Ella said.

“I thought he was supposed to be guarding you,” Reese said.

“Oh, trust me, there was someone in his place, but the guy was a moron. I could

spot him a mile away. At first I thought it could be a bad guy, though I haven’t had

any threats in a week, but when Axel called to check on me, he admitted his friend

was keeping watch. I told him if he wanted to climb in my bed again, his friend had

best back the hell off. I didn’t see him after that, but I have a sneaking suspicion he’s

been around,” Ella said.

“But you said you had more than one date,” Reese pointed out.

“Yeah, he was only gone three days, but then every time things begin to heat up

something happens and either he is called away, or I get paged into the office only to

find out it’s nothing, or the freaking house alarm went off last time just as my shirt

had come off,” she said, blowing out her breath.

“Do you think that could be on purpose?” Maycie asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Your alarm going off, you getting calls that lead to nothing, Axel getting called

away. You have people threatening you, and there are strange things happening.

Doesn’t it make either of you the least bit suspicious?” Reese said.

Ella was silent as she tried to remember the last incident. They’d been getting ready

to make love and the alarm had gone off, and Axel had shot from the room, not even

bothering to put his shirt back on. Then he’d come back in, kissed her good night, and

left. She’d been frustrated, but hadn’t thought to question him about why he was

leaving. Was something going on that he was keeping from her? She was sure as hell

going to find out.

“When do you see him next?”

“Tomorrow,” she said with determination. She was getting some answers. “I

honestly don’t know if we’re going to last as a couple, but now that you’ve brought

this up, I want answers about why so many strange things are happening.”

“Ugh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to start anything,” Reese said, clearly upset.

“You didn’t. You just know I hate being lied to. If he’s lying to me, then he’d better

fess up.”

“What if it’s nothing, and you’re going to go in there with guns blazing only to find

out that there really were emergencies,” Maycie said.

Again, Ella paused. “Something has to be going on,” she said, but not with as much

certainty. Then, she was horrified. “What if it’s just that he doesn’t like the sex? I’ve

thought it was pretty great, but he has experience and I don’t, so what if it sucks for

him?” That had never occurred to her.

“Did he act like he enjoyed it?” Maycie asked.

“I think any man enjoys it during, but what if afterward he compared it to others

and realized it really wasn’t that great?”

“Oh, there’s no way that happened. You’re too hot to ever forget,” Reese said.

“But is it just sex, or is there something else about the man putting that gleam in

your eyes?” Maycie wanted to know.

“I do like this guy,” Ella admitted.

“How much do you like him?” Reese asked.

“Enough that I can’t go a single hour without him popping into my head. He makes

me laugh and feel safe, he infuriates and intrigues me. At first I just passed him off as

another guy with too many muscles and not enough brain cells. Now I can’t quit

thinking about him.”

“Well then, what’re you doing hanging out with us?” Reese asked with a smile.

“You girls always come first. You know that.”

“But a nice strong pair of arms to hold you. That’s pretty dang good,” Reese

admitted.

“Yeah, that’s pretty great . . .” Ella said.

“Ah, you are a bit smitten,” Maycie added.

“I shouldn’t be because really, we haven’t had a lot of time together, and when the

job is done, he’ll ride off into the sunset,” Ella reminded them.

“You know him enough to have butterflies,” Reese said, once again picking up her

knife.

“I don’t know. I’m confused, and a little scared.”

“If we always live in fear, then what good is it to live? Just enjoy this and stop

stressing about it so much. It’s not as if you have to get married tomorrow,” Maycie

said.

Hearing the word married sent panic through Ella. She was too young, too focused

on her career to even think about falling in love, much less getting married.

Still, she was beginning to think a life without one sexy FBI agent around wouldn’t

be nearly as fulfilling. She was in trouble. Big trouble.

Before she could voice her next objection, the doorbell rang. “Who in the world

could that be? The important people are all here,” Reese said as the three women

looked toward the door.

“I guess we’ll find out,” Ella said as she got up. Reese and Maycie were right on her

heels.

“It’s a delivery guy,” Maycie said as she looked out the window.

“Oooh, I think Axel sent you flowers,” Reese said with a little jump of excitement.

Ella opened the door, then signed a paper, and accepted the long skinny box. She

walked into the kitchen and set it down, looking at it suspiciously.

“I swear if you don’t open that up right now, I’m going to,” Maycie said as she

grabbed her knife and brushed off the pumpkin guts.

“Fine,” Ella said as she slit the bindings and opened the box. At the exact same

time, all three girls jumped back with a screech.

“Is this somebody’s idea of a joke?” Reese said, a shudder passing through her.

“If it is, it’s not at all funny,” Maycie said.

“I think it’s another message,” Ella said with disgust.

Sitting in the box were a dozen dead roses with maggots crawling all over them,

and written on the lid of the box was the message “Everything Dies!”

“Let’s get it the hell out of here,” Maycie said, the first one to recover as she

pushed down the lid and lifted the box, holding it away from her body.

Ella and Reese followed her to the back door, where all three girls looked around

before opening it, and then they tossed the box next to the garbage can.

“You need to report this,” Reese insisted.

“And say what? I was sent dead roses?” Ella said, feeling foolish.

“Maybe they can lift some prints,” Maycie reasoned.

“I just messaged Axel,” Reese said, holding her phone.

“What? Why in the world would you do that? And how do you have his number?”

Ella exclaimed.

“He gave it to me last week, and made me promise to tell him if anything

happened,” Reese said, a little sheepishly.

“Great! Now, he’s going to freak out on me again,” Ella said with frustration.

“Or maybe he’ll just keep you alive. We’re staying with you tonight,” Maycie said

as the women moved back into the house.

Ella knew it’d be useless to argue. Besides, she needed her friends there. Maybe,

just maybe, Axel wouldn’t go off the handle quite as bad.

Yeah, and pigs really could fly.

“What’ve you been doing to keep busy?” Axel asked as he sat back and enjoyed his

predinner drink, his eyes glued to Ella. It seemed he couldn’t look at anything other

than her when the two of them were together.

He was still furious that she wasn’t taking the threats and harassment seriously, but

at the same time, he knew that continuing to harp on it would only push her away.

After his initial yelling match with her three nights before, he’d discovered it was

much more effective to simply keep her where he could see her at all times—of

course, without her knowing he was doing that.

“I’ve been doing a lot of grunt work at the office,” she said with a sigh, sipping her

glass of wine.

“Ah, the necessary paperwork. It’s the worst thing about the job,” he said. “I’ve

gotten in trouble more than once for turning in my reports late. I just don’t understand

why the boss needs it typed out. We’re interviewed after every case with someone

else taking notes.”

The routine conversation actually helped to ease his nerves. Someone was going to

a lot of work to keep Ella frightened, and he was trying hard to keep as much of it

from her as possible. Felix’s men hadn’t given up yet, but they’d never dealt with

someone like him. Axel always caught the bad guy.

“Because when you’re writing it down you may remember something you forgot to

mention in the interview.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what the boss says. I still think it’s annoying.”

“We can both agree on that. I did have fun on Sunday with the girls. Well, until

that package arrived,” she said, making him tense all over again.

“Had you just invited me in the first place, I could’ve grilled the deliveryman and

possibly gotten evidence against Felix,” he said, then wanted to take it back. No use

harping on this subject again.

She was silent for a moment as she sent him a stern look. “Rule number one, no

men allowed during girl time.” He had to admit he was grateful she had people in her

life she could trust without question.

“Your girls like me,” he pointed out.

“Yes, they do. I think it’s because of your muscles, certainly not your charm.”

“Ouch!” Dramatically he held a hand to his heart and leaned back, trying his best to

look hurt. And just like that, the tension evaporated.

“Oh, get over yourself,” she told him with another laugh.

“Well, since you so rudely excluded me from pumpkin carving, I think you have to

accompany me to another Halloween event this evening,” he said with a wink.

“What event?” Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him with suspicion.

“Just a place I saw the other day that looked fun,” he said with a shrug.

“I’m going to stop you right there. With the twinkle in your eyes, I’m not trusting

you one little bit, so I’m not agreeing to go anywhere until you tell me specifically

where it is.”

Axel couldn’t keep the smile from his face. When she wore that expression, the one

that told him she was putting her foot down, she looked adorable. She was going for

fierce, but she couldn’t pull that off no matter how hard she tried.

“Fine. It’s a really great-looking haunted house,” he said as he rubbed his hands

together in anticipation, feeling like a kid. “I haven’t been to one in ages, not since

college, and then, we were running it, so that’s not nearly as fun.”

“There is no way no how I’m going into a haunted house. The last time I did wasn’t

a pleasant experience,” she said, her wineglass now on the table so she could wrap

her arms around herself.

“Come on. It’ll be fun,” he told her with a laugh. “How can a grown woman be so

frightened of the make-believe?”

“How could I be so frightened?” she gasped. “Let me tell you! The last time I went

through a haunted house I was a sophomore in high school. My boyfriend at the time

thought it would enhance ‘the experience,’ since one of his moron friends told him

that scaring a woman witless would make her more than eager to have sex, and not

only sex, but really great sex. Found that part out later right before I slugged him in

the stomach. But I digress. All the way there he was telling me stories about haunted

houses where real killers slipped inside and were murdering victims and people just

kept on walking by thinking it was all part of the setup. I was so freaked out that by

the time we got there I refused to go in,” she said before picking her glass back up and

taking a long swallow.

“You didn’t even go in? He was just screwing with you.”

“Oh, he finally managed to talk me into going into the dang thing. I was so scared I

ended up bawling halfway through so loudly they had to escort me out. People were

laughing at me, and then the jerk-off told me his sex theory, asked if my hormones

were on hyperdrive, and tried to kiss me.”

Axel sat back, desperately trying not to crack a smile. If his lips so much as

twitched he knew that not only was he not going to get her into the haunted house,

but that she’d most likely walk out of the restaurant. He didn’t know how he

maintained a straight face, but somehow he managed. He wouldn’t mind testing out

the sex theory himself. Not that the two of them needed anything to make it any

better. It could jump to dangerous levels if it got any hotter.

“He was obviously an idiot. I promise not to scare you, and I promise not to let

anyone touch you,” he said, holding up his hand in a scout’s honor salute. “What

happened to the boyfriend?”

“When the idiot tried kissing me, I punched him and walked away. I figured I’d

cool off enough for the long ride back home. But, no. Since he wasn’t going to get any

sex from me, the ass took off and left me there, three miles from town!”

“That’s seriously uncool.”

“After I calmed down and realized I was stuck there, I managed to get a ride home

with a group of drunk college kids,” she said, and then her own lips twitched,

thankfully.

“That is one hell of a bad night.” He still managed not to smile. Massive restraint.

“Yes, it was, and thank you for not laughing at me,” she said, reaching for his hand.

“Since I’m not that jackass boyfriend, would you be willing to go with me?” he

begged, placing just the right amount of pleading in his tone.

“Fine, but if I start sobbing halfway through, it’s all on you,” she warned with a

stern look.

“I’ll risk it,” he said, finally smiling.

They finished their dinner, and Axel was eager to get to the haunted house. It was

an old Victorian home with rumors of real ghosts roaming its halls. He knew he

wouldn’t get scared, but if he could get her blood pumping . . . It could be quite the

pleasant night.

Ella was silent as they parked and joined the line of people waiting to get into the

house. Costumed characters were peeking out windows and scaring people at the front

door. Axel was impressed with their makeup. They’d put some time and money into

this event.

He didn’t say a word to Ella, too afraid she’d back out if he gave her half a chance.

He didn’t do too many things anymore that were purely about fun. And Halloween

used to be his favorite holiday. All the mischief involved with it, and the costumes,

and of course the candy. His job sometimes made him too cynical. It was nice to sit

back and enjoy life right now, even if he was still protecting Ella.

“Welcome! Enter only if you dare.” The kid at the door was wearing a Scream

mask, tilting his head and coming close to Ella’s face. She tensed, but she didn’t back

off, just clung tightly to Axel’s hand. Hey, this was great already.

“Here we go,” he said as he led her inside.

The normally fearless woman was practically sewn to his side as they made their

way down dark hallways with creepy crawly things rushing past them, and lights

flickering, while eerie music added to the atmosphere.

Axel had seen better houses, but this one wasn’t bad. When they came to a scene

with a mad doctor carving the guts out of his latest patient, Ella began to shake.

“Seriously, it’s not real,” Axel said, beginning to feel bad for pushing her to do this.

“Oh yes it is, my dear. And you’re next,” the bloody doctor said as he made eye

contact with Ella and rushed forward with his hatchet.

Axel was about to tell the kid to back off, that she was seriously freaking out, when

she suddenly wasn’t clinging to him anymore. Before he could stop disaster from

happening, Ella clocked the kid right between the eyes before she turned to run back

the way they’d come, but she managed to get tangled in some wires and instead fell

right on top of the kid she’d just knocked out.

Another couple came around the corner, saw the commotion, and the girl

screamed, causing even more chaos to break out in the small hallway.

“Help! Help!” the girl behind them screamed. “Someone is really getting killed!”

“Calm down! Everyone just needs to calm down,” Axel said, beginning to get really

annoyed with the flickering lights and creepy music accompanying the entire scene.

“Ella, let me help you.”

He was trying to take her hand, but she was pushing away from him and the kid,

now with fake blood all over her, which made her continue to slip and slide on the

floor. “Get me out of here!” she finally screamed.

The lights came on and an announcement came over the speakers. “Everyone please

calmly proceed to the exit. There are signs illuminated now. We’ll get the show back

on as soon as we deal with the hysterical woman in the doctor’s lab.”

“Ah, crap,” Axel muttered as his eyes connected with Ella’s. He had a feeling this

was a little bit worse than her last haunted house experience.

“Look, lady, you’re ruining everything,” the kid behind them said as he stepped

around them and stomped toward the exit.

The kid she’d knocked out was coming to as his friends rushed forward. “You hit

Tommy?” a freckle-face kid said, glaring at Axel.

“No, I did. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have come in here,” Ella said. “Did I hurt

him?”

Tommy was coming to, sitting up and shaking his head. “What happened?”

“I’m so sorry. I hit you,” Ella said, her voice shaking.

“I got knocked out by a girl?” he asked, seeming far more horrified by that than the

fact that he’d been knocked out.

“I’m so, so sorry,” Ella repeated as she reached out a hand.

“Dang! You have a mean right hook,” the kid said, not looking nearly as scary with

the lights on and the music off.

“I don’t know what happened. I’m sorry,” she repeated.

“It’s okay. I usually get hit at least once or twice, but that’s the first time I’ve been

knocked out,” he said with a crooked grin.

“You’re taking this well,” she said with a watery smile.

“You’re hot. Can I get your number? You can make it up to me,” he said. The kid

couldn’t have been more than nineteen, if that.

“No, she’s not giving you her number. We’ll just get out of here now,” Axel said,

finally able to grab her arms and help her stand.

They didn’t say anything more as they made their way to the exit. He hoped no one

would notice them and they could sneak off before she was embarrassed any further.

Of course, that only happened in a perfect world. The minute they stepped outside,

they saw the couple who was behind them and the girl told the crowd that Ella was

the woman who’d caused the whole mess. Then the crowd booed them.

Axel wanted to pummel them all, but instead he rushed her to his car and got them

the hell out of there. “I’m sorry, Ella. I shouldn’t have taken you. I really thought

you’d be a little scared but still have fun,” Axel said once they were far enough away

that they couldn’t see the house anymore.

“I’m just really embarrassed. Can you take me home?” she asked meekly, making

him feel even worse.

“Of course.” They drove in silence to her house, and she was still trembling when

they pulled into the drive. He wasn’t sure if it was fear or embarrassment or what, but

he knew he wasn’t going to just leave her there.

“I’m fine. You go on home,” she said when he walked her to the door.

“Nope. I’m coming inside, making you a nice cup of hot tea, and then I’ll rub your

feet,” he told her, inviting himself in.

When she didn’t fight him, he knew she was having a difficult time keeping it

together. She always put up such a strong front that this was the first time he’d seen

her vulnerable side. He sort of liked being needed.

After settling her on the couch and popping in a chick flick, he had no clue which

one, he went into the kitchen and made her a cup of herbal tea, adding a little sugar

and honey, just the way she liked it.

Bringing the tea to her, he then sat on the other end of the sofa and suffered through

the movie while rubbing her feet. When her eyes grew sleepy, he pulled her into his

arms and rubbed her back until she fell asleep.

His night of sex was certainly off the table, but as he carried her to her bed, he

realized that this was better. A week or two ago he would’ve told someone they were

crazy if they suggested he’d be satisfied by doing nothing other than carrying a woman

to bed and holding her.

But in this moment, as he laid her down on the comforter and pulled her up against

him, and his own eyes closed, he realized he was exactly where he wanted and

needed to be.

She was running away. Even knowing this, it didn’t make her change her mind. The

lovemaking was too intense, too perfect, the soft moments too overwhelming. The

conversations were deep and meaningful, and she hated to spend a single day without

him.

What did all this mean? It meant that she was scared. It meant that she wanted to

pretend it wasn’t happening. Because ultimately it meant that she had feelings for

Axel, feelings she didn’t know how to deal with.

“We’re worried about you, Ella,” Reese said as she stood in Ella’s office doorway

next to Maycie.

Jumping, Ella looked up from her desk and smiled. “Why in the world would you

be worried about me? I’m better than I’ve ever been,” she lied with a megawatt smile

to accompany it.

“Can we say denial?”

“Can you say meddler?” Ella fired back.

“Yes, absolutely I can say that because I’m your best friend who just so happens to

know you too well to allow you to lie,” Reese said as she and Maycie came and sat on

opposite ends of her desk. Ella had given up hope long ago that they would use chairs

like normal human beings.

“I’m great. My ex-boss will soon be in prison, my new job is going well. I may even

get to try a case someday. My boy—” She stumbled over that word. “The man I’m

seeing makes me happy, and I feel great all the way around.”

“You can’t even put a definition on the whirlwind relationship you’ve been having

with a dynamic man who makes you smile and laugh and open up, and you’re telling

me you’re fine?”

“I don’t need to put a label on our relationship. The two of us are just fine.” That

was the problem. She didn’t know that they were fine. She didn’t know anything at

all because they didn’t talk about what would happen when Felix’s trial, which had

begun two days ago, was over.

“Why do you try to lie to us? Haven’t you figured out it’ll never work?”

“I’m not lying. I just . . . I don’t want to ask questions, I don’t want to jeopardize

what we have. I can’t do that,” she admitted.

“Have you thought about the fact that you may ruin it if you keep running from

how you really feel? Look, I know I’m not the one to give relationship advice, since

all of my relationships seem to end before they begin, but I’m telling you, girl, that if

a man looked at me the way that Axel looks at you, I’d jump onto him and never let

go,” Maycie said.

“I don’t think I want to risk it. If I scare him away, I’m afraid I won’t feel like this

with another person. I know this doesn’t sound like me. I know I’m always the strong

one, the one who seems like she can handle anything, but I’m not strong when it

comes to Axel.”

“I think you should just be yourself and tell the guy how you feel. I can guarantee

you that he’s going to be happy about it,” Reese piped in.

“You’re wrong. Guys like Axel don’t settle down. They hang around while times

are good and then run the second things look like they’re getting out of control,” Ella

insisted.

“Then why in the world would you want to give your heart to a man like that?”

Reese asked.

“I don’t. It wasn’t my choice.”

“Ella, giving your heart is your choice. You choose who is good enough to deserve

it, and you choose if he’s allowed to keep it.”

Ella leaned back as she tried to process those words. “But I didn’t exactly give him

my heart. I can’t say that’s how I feel at all. I don’t know how I feel,” she argued.

“Obviously you do, or he never would’ve lasted this long.”

“I don’t want to talk about him anymore, please. I’m not getting any work done,

and I think I just need to get out of this office,” Ella said as she stood.

“Where are we going?” Maycie asked, jumping down from her desk.

“The mall,” Ella and Reese said together. And just like that, they let it go. The

women left her office and made it to the shopping center in no time flat, and Ella felt

the pressure weighing on her chest ease.

Being with her girls was better than therapy.

Their trip to the mall ended all too soon since hunger pangs were making them

weak, so they decided on dinner at their favorite restaurant. They were only on the

road for about five minutes when a large black van pulled up behind them and began

tailgating. “What in the world?” Ella said, her heart racing as she saw the van in her

rearview mirror.

“What’s going on?” Maycie asked as she turned and looked out the back window

before gasping.

The van that was following too closely swerved to the left and then came so close

to Ella’s bumper that her heart lodged in her throat.

“Speed up before this drunk moron smashes into us,” Reese insisted.

Ella hit the gas pedal and sped up, but the large van followed, and right before she

turned a corner, the idiot hit her bumper, pushing her through the stop sign and

nearly getting them sideswiped by another vehicle.

“Pull over. This idiot is going to pay,” Maycie demanded.

“No!” Reese shouted. “I think that’s exactly what he wants you to do. You need to

go straight to the police station.”

“What are you talking about?” Ella shouted. She didn’t know if she should stop or

not, but the car that hit her wasn’t backing away. And she couldn’t see inside his

windows through the heavy tinting, even though he was literally on her bumper.

“I don’t like this, Ella. Get out of here,” Reese said.

She didn’t have to be told twice. She hit the gas and changed directions, heading

for the police station instead of the restaurant. The car stayed with her, hitting her

bumper again and sending her car out of control.

“Hold on!” she shouted, but before the words were even out, she felt the impact as

her car slammed into a ditch and flipped a 180, making her lose all sense of direction.

Shock immediately settled in, but then a whole new fear arose as Ella twisted to

see Reese groaning in the seat next to her.

“Maycie, are you okay?” she yelled, not able to see her friend in the backseat.

“I think so. My body feels like I just spent two hours at the gym with my evil

trainer, but I think other than that I’m fine,” she said.

“Reese?” Maycie then asked.

“I’m okay, too, I think. My head is pounding. I think it met up with the windshield

and the windshield won,” Reese said, attempting to make a joke.

“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault,” Ella said, knowing that ignoring the danger

surrounding her had just put her friends in jeopardy.

“Don’t you dare say that!” Maycie snapped. “I’m so glad we’re here with you and

you didn’t just go through this alone.”

Before any of them could say another word, Ella’s door was ripped open, and all

three girls let out an ear-piercing scream.

“It’s just me!” Axel shouted. It took a moment for them to quit screaming, and then

Ella’s body began shaking as she realized they were safe.

“The ambulance will be here in just a minute. Is everyone alert?” Axel asked, his

hands running over Ella as he looked in on her first.

“We all seem to be fine, just shaken up,” Reese replied.

There was a pause before Ella turned and looked at Axel with suspicion. “Were you

following me?”

“Yes, I was,” he said, sending her a glare.

A myriad of words passed through her brain, and then the ones that came out

shocked her, Axel, and her friends. “Thank you.”

He was going to say something when his phone beeped and he looked down. Then

he looked up and smiled at her, his real smile. “We got him, Ella. Maverick was with

me, and I jumped from the car when he went after the van while calling the cops. He

pushed Wade off the road and the cops are already there. This bastard is going down,

along with his boss, and you won’t have to worry about him anymore.”

Emotions flooded Ella, but it wasn’t all joy. They’d caught the grunt Felix had hired

to harass her, and now that he was surely going to jail, it was unlikely he’d be able to

afford to hire anyone else. But didn’t that mean she didn’t need Axel around

anymore? She should be consumed with happiness, but instead she found herself

close to tears.

Maybe it was that she was in shock. She really didn’t know. And she didn’t get a

chance to say anything else because the paramedics showed up, and after checking all

three of them, they were told they’d be sore, but other than that, they were fine.

It was time to go home. And it might just be time to say good-bye forever to the

man for whom she was falling hopelessly.

“I find your actions despicable, Mr. Monsone. You, as an attorney, may think you’re

above the law, but I guarantee you that you are not. The jury has come in with your

sentence—guilty—and I’m enforcing the maximum time afforded by the law, twenty-

five years.”

The courtroom erupted at Felix Monsone’s verdict. Ella thought this moment would

bring her joy, thought this was what she needed for closure on a bad chapter in her

life, but she felt oddly numb as she sat there and watched the man who had

threatened her, tried to intimidate her, and tried to kill her. She felt slight relief that

he’d be behind bars, but other than that, she felt nothing.

“Let’s go.”

Turning, she found Axel holding out his hand—and still she felt nothing in this

moment. It was quite odd, really. She looked back at Felix and their eyes met, his

expression nasty, his mouth compressed. Then he lifted his hand and swiped it across

his throat. Still, she felt nothing.

“Don’t worry about that scumbag. He’s going where he belongs, and now he’ll be

behind bars with several unhappy people he helped put there, along with the people

he sold out while trying to make a deal,” Axel said.

“Yes, he’ll be where he belongs,” she echoed, her voice a monotone.

Rising from her seat, she took Axel’s hand and allowed him to lead her from the

courtroom. Why was she so stoic? Why couldn’t she feel anything? As they walked

from the courthouse, she followed him to his SUV, grateful he was there to shield her

from the reporters trying to ask her questions, not that she could hear them past the

strange buzzing in her ears.

It all seemed so surreal. The trial had been so fast. She’d been warned it could take

months, and instead it had begun and ended within two weeks. All the while, Axel

had barely left her side, especially after the car crash, even though that had landed

Wade in jail, where he couldn’t harm her.

“You didn’t have to stick around after Wade was arrested,” she said with a brittle

laugh that sounded anything but humorous.

Was this the reason she was so upset? Now that the case was over, now that her ex

was moving into his new luxury accommodations, she wouldn’t have an excuse to

have Axel around. She’d just begun thinking of him as her . . . well, as her boyfriend.

But he wasn’t, was he? They’d never defined their relationship. Yes, they went out

on dates, and yes, they made love often, but they’d never spoken of exclusivity or

anything regarding their future.

Was he going back to the FBI? She had all these questions, but for some reason she

was afraid to ask him. Maybe because then he’d have to answer. And what if she

didn’t like what he had to say?

“Why don’t we go have a drink and celebrate this victory,” Axel suggested.

“No, I think I’m just going to go home,” she answered.

He paused for a moment and she couldn’t read at all what he was thinking. “That

might be best. It’s been a trying day,” he said, turning the SUV around and making his

way back toward her place.

“Yeah,” she said automatically. Not really. It should’ve been a trying day and her

ex should be all that was on her mind right now, but he was almost an afterthought.

All she seemed to care about was what was going to happen between Axel and her.

How could she have become so dependent on one person in barely a month? It made

absolutely no sense.

He pulled into the driveway and she reached out a hand to stop him from exiting

the car. “I really need to be alone right now.”

Axel was silent for several seconds while he turned and looked at her. “I don’t

know if that’s such a good idea. You seem to be in shock, Ella.”

His words sent a sliver of emotion through her—anger. She was grateful for that. It

was so much better than feeling numb.

“I know what I want, and I can take care of myself, Axel. A month ago I didn’t

know you existed. Don’t try to tell me what I need.” Her words were harsher than

they needed to be, but she was so confused right now.

“I wasn’t trying to tell you anything. I was just pointing out that it’s been a rough

day and it might be better not to be alone.” She could hear the control in his tone,

could tell he was trying not to show his irritation. Even that frustrated her.

“Just leave. I’ll talk to you later,” she said before climbing from the car.

When she heard his door open and shut, her heart accelerated. She was going to say

something she regretted if he didn’t get the heck out of there, and she really didn’t

want to do that. But with the mood she was in, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself.

“I’m not some frightened little kid you can just shoo away when it suits you, Ella,”

he snapped as he followed her up the steps.

“You’re a grown man who should have some pride and get lost when he’s been

uninvited,” she said, turning to glare at him.

“Seriously? I’m trying really hard here not to say something nasty, but you’re acting

like a—” He stopped and her eyes narrowed.

“Acting like a what, Axel?”

If looks could burn a man alive, he’d be nothing but ashes at her feet right now.

“You know what, Ella? You’re right. I think it’s a lot better if I’m not here.” He turned

and marched purposefully back to his car.

“As long as it’s your idea, right? It can’t possibly be the little woman asking you to

leave!” she called out as he reached his door.

She saw his back muscles tense, but gave him credit because he didn’t turn, didn’t

fire back at her. She glared at his car as he sat in the driveway and she waited for him

to leave. Then she realized he wouldn’t until she went in the house.

It should irritate her that he had to make sure she got inside, but instead it diffused

her temper. She actually liked that he could be a gentleman, liked that he worried

about her safety. Turning back to her door, she unlocked it and dealt with her alarm,

then peeked out to see him backing away.

After wandering into her kitchen, she felt the tears sting her eyes. They didn’t fall,

but she was almost relieved to feel something. Maybe the whole mess of dealing with

her ex and the courts had affected her more than she’d thought. Maybe she just didn’t

know how she felt.

Almost on cue, her phone rang. She didn’t want to answer, but when she looked at

the caller ID, she knew it’d be futile to ignore the call.

“Hi, Maycie.”

“I’ve called ten times! I can’t believe you refused to let us come to the trial. Reese

and I are on the way over now,” she said in a rush. “We have ice cream, chocolate

sauce, and a bag full of goodies.”

“I’m glad. I need you.” Those weren’t the words that she’d intended to say, but they

were what she felt.

“Be there in ten.”

Hanging up, she sat there without movement until she heard the pounding on her

door.

Walking to the door, all it took was one look for her to fall apart. Suddenly she was

sobbing so hard she could barely disable the alarm.

“Honey, you should’ve let us be your support system at the trial,” Reese said as she

wrapped her arms around Ella.

“You foolish girl,” Maycie added as she joined in on the hug.

“I know I should’ve had you there. I just . . . I don’t know . . .” She trailed off as

they shut the door and moved into the living room. Reese went into the kitchen and

dished them up sinfully delicious treats and then returned before allowing any further

conversation to continue.

“What do you want to talk about? The case? Or the man?”

Ella didn’t even try to play dumb. “I should want to talk about the case, and I’m

sure I will, but right now I can’t seem to think about anything other than Axel,” she

said with disgust. “It’s too soon to be this wrapped up in him, isn’t it? Tell me it’s too

soon,” she pleaded with them.

“Heck, Ella, my parents met while on spring break their senior year of college and

were married by the end of the week. I wouldn’t advise anyone to move that quickly,

but sometimes when you know, you know. They’re still disgustingly happy together,”

Maycie said with a laugh. All three of the girls had seen Maycie’s parents making out

like teenagers. It was quite disturbing.

“Ugh. Maybe if I could understand exactly what I felt, it wouldn’t be so bad,” she

said, digging into her bowl of pure delight.

“Well then, we’ll work through it. Let’s make a pros and cons list,” Maycie said,

grabbing a piece of paper.

“This isn’t a pen-and-paper kind of talk,” Ella said with a real smile this time.

“Everything is a pen-and-paper kind of talk,” Maycie argued.

“Fine. I think he’s stunningly handsome, that’s for sure.”

“We can see that for ourselves, dorkus. Looks fade. If there isn’t anything else to

him, then there’s your answer,” Reese wisely said.

“He makes my body sing at a single touch, or even just a look. I can’t get enough of

his kisses, his touch, or his . . .” She grinned, and her two friends knew exactly what

she meant.

“I’m not dissing the lovemaking, girlfriend. That has to be fantastic, but seriously,

there has to be more than that in the relationship, too,” Maycie said with a dreamy

sigh.

“I’m in lust with the man, but it’s . . . I don’t know . . . more. I actually enjoy him,

enjoy his company. He makes me laugh, gives me goose bumps, shows me things

about myself that I didn’t know. He makes me do things I thought I couldn’t do, like

the dang haunted house, even though that didn’t turn out so well. He makes me feel

alive.”

“And though we’ve only been around both of you together a few times, the way he

looks at you makes it more than obvious that he’s pretty infatuated with you as well,”

Reese said.

“But it’s always that way in the beginning. What if the attraction fades? What if

now that the trial is over, he decides to go on his merry way? I trusted Felix and look

how that turned out. The man just got locked up for twenty-five years.”

“We can either live our lives by what-ifs or we can live our lives to the fullest. We

never know what’s going to happen tomorrow, so we need to live for today. You like

him, he likes you. As a matter of fact, I think you know how much you like each other

and that’s why you are making all of these excuses up,” Maycie said, dropping her

pen and resuming the massacre of her giant sundae.

“I hate men. They’re insane, cause all sorts of crazy emotions, and make our lives

too chaotic. I have plans and goals. I’m in no way ready for a serious relationship. I’m

just getting off the ground with my career . . .”

“And life has a way of flipping upside down and altering our plans without our

permission. We either roll with it or get washed out to sea,” Reese said.

Ella smiled at her friends and finally said the one thing she’d been afraid to say. “If

I let down my guard, I’m going to fall in love with this man.” She waited for them to

tell her that was foolish.

“Oh, honey, love isn’t the enemy. And not everyone is so lucky as to find it. If you

fall in love with him, then good for you,” Maycie said, tears in her eyes.

“But what if that happens and he breaks my heart?”

“Then you can say you once loved him,” Reese added.

“Love sucks,” Ella said, then decided to fill her mouth with ice cream so she

wouldn’t keep repeating herself.

Though she still didn’t know what she wanted to do, having her friends there and

talking about it did help. Just because she wasn’t deciding her entire future on this

one day didn’t mean her life was going to flip upside down.

The three women stayed together all night, and though Ella didn’t get all the

answers she needed, she knew what she was going to do next.

What was she doing at his hotel? He most likely didn’t want to speak to her. Why

would he? The last time they were together, she’d told him to go away, yet here she

was pacing in front of his room like a fool.

It was a hotel, for goodness’ sake. That more than anything said that his stay was

temporary. Maybe she should just leave things as they were and let him slip away

into the night. But instead, she was pacing in the hallway, probably being watched by

the security crew who were eating popcorn and taking bets on whether she was a

prostitute.

Why else would a woman show up at a hotel in the middle of the night? No, she

wasn’t dressed like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, but she was loitering in the nice

hallway of the better-than-average hotel.

It was now or never. Screwing up her courage, she banged on his door, cringing

when the sound echoed up and down the hallway. She knew he left his phone on.

Wouldn’t it have been better to just call him?

But what if he hadn’t answered? That would have been worse than embarrassing

herself by pounding away on his door. When a door across the hall opened and a

scowling woman glared at her, Ella gave her a don’t-mess-with-me look and turned

her back, satisfied when the door clicked shut.

When Axel didn’t come to the door quickly enough to suit her, she knocked again

in time with the pounding of her heart, and then let out a relieved breath when she

heard noise on the other side of the door.

The door thrust open, and a very irritated Axel stood before her in nothing but a

pair of low-riding jeans. Her stomach dipped, but she pushed him aside and rushed in

before she could lose her courage.

“What’s the matter? Are you being followed?” He looked out the door, his eyes

instantly clear as he searched for danger.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to see you,” she said, moving to his minifridge and

praying there was something strong inside of it.

“At midnight?” Now he looked confused as he let the door shut, automatically

setting the extra locks on it.

“I was out,” she replied vaguely as she found what she was looking for in his fridge

and then found a bucket with ice. Miracles did happen.

“This isn’t like you, Ella. You’re still having a rough time from the trial, aren’t

you?” he asked, though he kept his distance. She wished he’d just grab her, make her

mind stop whirling, and make her forget all about her day. But she wasn’t going to ask

him to do that.

“I had my friends over. We spoke and I feel much better now,” she said, hoping she

was coming off breezy instead of scared to death.

Finally she met his gaze and those beautiful hazel eyes narrowed. “I don’t buy it,

Ella. What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Maybe I shouldn’t have come,” she said, downing her vodka and making

a move toward the door.

Axel was now fully alert and she didn’t make it two steps before he blocked her

path. “I don’t think so. You can’t show up here in the middle of the night, act all

flippant, and then just turn around and walk back out the door.”

He backed her up until she was pressed against the wall, his body heat instantly

warming her without their bodies even touching. His hands rested on either side of

her head, caging her in, making her heart race.

“I can do whatever I want,” she said, her words coming out far too breathlessly to

have any impact.

“So can I,” he growled before bending down and kissing her the way she needed to

be kissed, his naked chest finally pressing against her aching breasts, his hands

moving down to grip the back of her thighs so he could lift her up.

It took no direction for her to wrap her legs around his back and cling on tightly as

he continued kissing her while he walked her straight to his bed. This was what she’d

come for—to feel.

Her shoes slipped off as he dropped her on the bed, his body quickly following, his

hands tracing every inch his body wasn’t covering. Raw hunger fueled them both,

their earlier fight making them that much more desperate for each other.

Somehow Axel managed to tug their clothing free while still blazing a trail of

kisses across her face, her chest, her now-naked stomach, and then lower. She arched

into him, moaning as wave upon wave of pleasure drifted through her.

It was both torture and delight, heat and shivers. It was everything she needed and

more, and as his hands and mouth skimmed her body, she thought of nothing but

Axel, nothing but the pleasure only he could bring her.

When his tongue slid across her spread thighs, she reached for him, but he pushed

her hands away and then opened her fully to his gaze and his hot tongue, tracing the

folds of her womanhood and making her cry out in delight.

Writhing beneath his masterful tongue, she felt the heat building, felt the trembling

in her stomach, her legs, all the way to her toes and fingers. “Axel, don’t stop,” she

cried, the heat becoming almost unbearable, but she’d rather die than end this.

He didn’t stop, his tongue magical, his hands molding her. And then she was

soaring, her body his, all his. His name floated around her as she moaned it before her

body melted against the bed, completely sated for the moment.

“Don’t get too comfortable, Ella, we’re not even close to being done,” Axel said as

he kissed his way up her trembling stomach, laving her nipples with that masterful

tongue.

“I didn’t think so,” she purred, reaching for him, her nails trailing up and down the

heated skin of his solid back.

“Open your eyes, Ella,” he commanded.

She could barely pull them open, only half slits, and then he pushed inside her, his

thick staff filling her with one hard thrust, and they snapped open in excited pleasure.

“That’s better,” he groaned before pulling out and thrusting back in, making her

body ache in an entirely new way.

And then all speaking ceased as his mouth descended, bruising her lips in the most

wonderful ways while his hips thrust forward and back, and he claimed her in the

only way a man should claim a woman.

His body played hers perfectly as he moved fast and then slow, built her heat to

boiling, then backed off, making her cry out her frustration. He kissed away her

complaints, his tongue tracing her lips, her throat, her cheeks.

When she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, he sped up, and she found another

release, this one even better than the first, explosions of color going off behind her

eyes, before her mind blanked and she sank back into the bed, completely exhausted

in the most fulfilling way possible.

Axel lay against her as he tried to catch his breath from his own release, his lips

skimming her shoulder. “Thank you, Ella. All I have to do is look at you and I’m

ready to make love. You are so beautiful, so perfect, so responsive,” he whispered

next to her ear.

“You make me feel beautiful,” she said, her fingers sliding through his hair, her

body unable to move.

Finally, he rolled over, taking her with him and bringing their faces together so he

could look in her eyes. “I’m pretty damn hooked on you,” he said, his gaze intense.

Her heart thundered as she tried to figure out what to say.

“I seem to have the same problem,” she quietly admitted.

“A good girl like you shouldn’t be with a rogue like me.”

“It’s exactly where I want to be, though.” And it was, she realized.

“Damn, you make me never want to let you go.” His hands began trailing down her

body again and she was more than ready to let him take her wherever he wanted to.

“Then take me, Axel.”

She didn’t have to say anything more. He slid onto his back and lifted her up, her

body easily sliding down onto his newly stiff erection. Yes, she was exactly where she

needed to be, and if the fates allowed it, she wouldn’t have to go anywhere for a very

long time.

Ella walked from her offices and groaned. Thanksgiving was just around the corner

and snow was already falling. More than falling—there was at least a foot of snow on

the ground already, and she detested driving in the powdery stuff.

This meant her pipes would be frozen, her car would have a hard time starting, and

idiots like herself would be on the streets, making the normally safe streets a game of

bumper cars. But since there was no use crying over the weather, she moved to her

trunk, slid on her gloves, and brushed away the snow enough to get inside and pull

out her foam brush.

The jacket she was wearing wasn’t nearly enough protection and her entire body

shook as she removed the snow from her door and started the engine, hoping against

all odds that it would be warm when she was able to climb inside and shake off the

chill invading every pore of her body.

Scraping snow as fast as she could, Ella was stunned when she felt snow smash

against the back of her. No. It couldn’t have been anyone throwing it, not at the law

offices. Not bothering to turn around, she was nearly finished with her windshield

when hands circled her waist and lifted her from the ground and she let out a shriek.

“Good afternoon, beautiful.” That was all the warning she got before Axel’s head

was descending and he was warming her lips up in no time flat.

When he released her, the cold was the furthest thing from her mind. “What are

you doing here?” she asked breathlessly.

“I was worried about you when the clouds opened up and decided to turn the town

into a skating rink,” he replied.

“I don’t enjoy driving in the snow, but if I take it really slowly, I can get around,

just not too far,” she said with a shrug as she cuddled against his warm chest.

“You’re freezing. Why don’t we leave your car here for now and I’ll give you a lift

home?”

She was sorely tempted, but she didn’t like feeling stranded, and even if she only

drove ten miles per hour, having her car in her driveway made her feel better.

“I’d love to, but I’m almost done,” she said before her eyes narrowed. “Wait! Did

you throw a snowball at my back?”

“Um . . . maybe,” he said, a twinkle in his eyes.

Before he had a chance to say anything further, Ella stepped back from his warm

embrace and reached down, picking up a big wad of snow as she began forming a ball.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Ella,” he warned, taking a tentative step toward

her.

“What’s the matter, Axel? Afraid of a little snow?” she asked as she began circling

her car, keeping something between them because she knew there’d be retaliation

once she threw the ball.

“Ah, baby, I’m not afraid of anything,” he said, a megawatt smile brightening his

face.

Perfect timing. She released her professionally molded snowball and hit him right

between the eyes, wiping his grin away and making him sputter. “Next time, don’t

aim for someone’s back,” she taunted.

“You know you’re going to pay for that, right?” he said as he brushed snow off his

face and began stalking her.

“I’m not afraid of you, Spider-Man,” she said before she took off running. She knew

she didn’t have a chance of escape, but she didn’t mind.

She didn’t even make it ten steps when his arms circled her again, but this time

they were in motion and both of them began sliding through the snow, their bodies

heading for the ground.

Luckily the powder was fresh, and when they hit, the landing wasn’t hard. Ella was

laughing as Axel picked up a bundle of snow in his hand and held it above her head.

“You wouldn’t dare,” she taunted him, even though he clearly had the upper hand.

“Damn woman,” he gasped before the snow fell away and all thoughts of a snow

fight were over as his mouth claimed hers and he began melting the snow still falling

all around them. Ella wound her arms around his neck and gave back as good as she

was getting, as she got lost in his embrace, lost in the magic of being held by this man

she couldn’t get enough of.

Soon, though, the reality of the weather snuck up on them, and the snow was

seeping through her clothes, sending shivers through her, even with the heat of Axel’s

kiss.

“This wasn’t a good idea,” he said, almost in a fog as he lifted his head and looked

down into what she was sure was a bright red face.

“I don’t care about the cold. Totally worth it,” she sighed, reaching up and brushing

a piece of his hair back.

“I really need a haircut,” he said with a laugh.

“You’re perfect just the way you are,” she replied, realizing no matter how much

she fought her feelings for this man, it was too late. She was in love with him.

She loved everything about him: the way he smiled, his overprotectiveness, his

lovemaking, his ridiculous sense of humor. She loved him.

“I love you.” The words were so quiet she was almost sure she didn’t say them,

almost positive that the thought had only been in her head.

But when his eyes widened, when he pulled back just the slightest amount, she had

no doubt she’d said them aloud. And from the confused, dazed look on his face, it

appeared he wasn’t taking it too well. A shiver racked through her, and she didn’t

know if it was from fear or from the cold. But she had a feeling those words were the

exact wrong thing to say at this moment.

“I shouldn’t have you on the ground like this,” Axel said, and he immediately rose,

leaving her feeling completely empty. He stepped back, leaving her lying there for a

moment, and she was too stunned to even think about moving. Finally, almost as an

afterthought, he moved back toward her and reached out a hand.

Without her permission, he tugged her up. She was desperately fighting tears, and

more than anything she needed to get away and lick her wounds.

“We really need to get you home. Why don’t you let me drive you?” he offered

again, his voice so cool, so impersonal.

“I appreciate it, Axel, but I really need my car,” she said as she began moving

toward it, surprised her legs were even carrying her.

“If you insist, then I’ll follow you home,” he said as he moved toward her car and

opened the driver’s door. A blast of heat shot out toward them, but she didn’t think

anything was going to warm her up at this point.

Without another word, Axel helped her into her car, then jogged back to his SUV.

The drive home took a half hour where normally it took her fifteen minutes, and she

wasn’t sure how she managed it without shedding a single tear, but she did.

Pulling into the driveway, she looked over to see Axel parked at the curb, but he

wasn’t leaving his car. She carefully walked up the path and opened her door, and

then the first tear fell when he drove off.

It appeared she’d given her heart to the wrong man again.

For the first time Ella could remember, she felt alone while sitting in a room full of

her crazy family members. Yes, they were crazy, and yes, they were meddling, but

they were hers through good and bad, and she loved each and every one of them.

But right now, her aunt Maggie was preparing their Thanksgiving meal with the

help of her friends, the house was bustling with activity, and Ella had nothing to be

thankful for.

Yes, she had a great life, with a great home, and friends, and family, but she hadn’t

seen Axel in a week—an entire week! Hadn’t heard from him, hadn’t seen him, didn’t

even know if he was still in town.

There was no way she was going to call him. She’d already made a fool of herself

by telling him she loved him in a moment of weakness. She couldn’t make things

worse by begging him to please come back to her. She’d picked up her phone a

hundred times, only to put it back down. She couldn’t take back the words. And, she

realized, she didn’t want to.

She loved him. There was no way she could explain how or when it happened. All

she knew for sure was that to live each day without him hurt her heart, made her feel

as if she was slowly dying inside. But she was going to have to figure it out, because

he was gone, and it didn’t appear as if he was coming back.

Ella tried to enjoy the conversations around her, tried to join in when others

laughed, but she felt like an empty shell. She might be fooling some of her family

members, but her cousin Bryson didn’t appear to be buying it. Maybe because his

buddy Axel had called him and told him that his cousin was a clingy freak.

Not able to sit in the living room any longer, she moved to the sunporch and gazed

out at the snow-covered pasture. She’d been lucky to grow up in a small town in

Montana. Sure, she lived in the city now, but home was only a couple of hours away,

and she came as often as she could. The city could never make her feel as alive as the

fresh mountain air did.

“You don’t seem to be in the holiday spirit this year, cuz.” Pasting on her best

smile, Ella turned and looked at Bryson as he joined her on the sunporch.

“I’m happy to be here. Just a lot going on at work,” she lied, not wanting to ruin

anyone else’s fun.

“You know you’re not fooling anyone here, especially those of us who have been

lucky enough to fall in love,” he said as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her

in for a hug.

“I think I’m doing a pretty good job.” There was no way she was going to ask him

about Axel, no freaking way.

“He’s not a bad guy. And from the conversations I’ve had with him, I think he’s

just as smitten with you as you are with him.” Ella didn’t even attempt to ask her

cousin who he was talking about.

“Let’s not worry about anything right now. Your mother is preparing a delicious

meal, and I’m looking forward to our annual snow football game,” she finally said.

“This year you’re going down,” he said as he released her. “I’ll give you a few

minutes alone.”

“Thanks, Bryson.”

He left and she sat down on the window seat and continued gazing out at the lawn

as she watched several of her family members slip outside and begin pummeling each

other with snowballs. That, more than anything, brought her closer to tears.

Would she have slipped and told Axel she loved him if they hadn’t been caught up

in the moment? Maybe not right then, but it would have eventually come out. She

loved him, and there was nothing she could do to change that.

“You know, a person has to be pretty brave to face this family.”

Ella’s body tensed at the familiar voice. For a brief moment, she thought she was

wanting to hear it so badly that she’d imagined it, but then she turned and there he

was, looking beautiful, standing in front of her, his cheeks glowing, his eyes shining,

his lips turned up in a slight smile.

“Axel, what are you doing here?” There were so many things she wanted to say to

him, and those were the words that popped from her mouth. What was wrong with

her?

“Bryson invited me, promised me this was the only place to be for Thanksgiving,”

he said as he slowly moved forward.

“Oh.” Crushed, she tried her best not to let it show how much his words were

killing her. He wasn’t there for her, he was there for his best friend. Of course he was.

Why would she think differently when he hadn’t bothered to speak to her for an entire

week?

“The other day in the snow, I . . . I ran away,” he said, and she was filled with

more confusion.

“It was cold,” she said lamely, trying to give him an excuse.

“That’s not why I ran away, Ella.” His eyes were intense as he moved toward her,

then dropped to his knees and grabbed her hands.

The feel of his fingers in hers brought instant tears to her eyes. Would this be the

last time she’d be able to touch him?

“I shouldn’t have said what I did. I ruined everything,” she said, trying desperately

not to cry, not to make this worse. He was Bryson’s friend. She was bound to see him

again and again, even if it wasn’t nearly enough.

“No, what you said was amazing, and it stunned me because in that moment I

realized I loved you, too. I can’t go a single hour without thinking of you, or a single

day without going through withdrawals from not holding you. I’m independent. I

don’t like to be tied down. I like to move around, be where the action is, which I get

to do when I’m assigned cases. I didn’t want this, any of this, but then I met you, and

ever since I can’t seem to think straight and it scares the hell out of me,” he said, his

words almost angry.

“I . . . I don’t understand,” Ella stammered. He’d just said he loved her, hadn’t he?

But he didn’t sound like a man telling a woman he loved her. “You love me?”

“See, I’m screwing this all up. I’ve said the words out loud a thousand times over

the last week, driven past your house, picked up the phone, started to dial, and then

hung it back up. I’m not good enough for you. I’m not a great guy. I don’t know how to

do this, but I don’t know how to live without you.”

He gripped her fingers and looked into her eyes and all of Ella’s fear disappeared.

He was just as frightened as she was and so lost and confused that it grounded her,

made her heart swell with even more love for this man she hadn’t wanted to know,

and whom she now didn’t want to live without.

“Love is kind of a scary thing,” she whispered.

“I know I’m all wrong for you, and I know you’d be a fool to give me a chance, but

Ella, I can promise you, if you do give me a chance, that no one will love you more

than I do. No one will treat you better. I tried to stay away, thought it would be better

for you, but I’m selfish, because I can’t do it. I can’t go one more day without telling

you how I feel, without begging you to accept me, faults and all.”

“Oh, you foolish, foolish man. It’s me who can’t live without you, and it’s me

who’s erratic, and complicated, and stubborn, and irrational, and not good enough for

you. But maybe, just maybe, we can both love each other so much that our faults

won’t matter. I love you, Axel Carlson, and this week has been the worst of my life,

because after having you as a part of my life, I don’t know how to live it anymore

without you.”

He was silent as she caressed the side of his face and poured her heart out to him.

Then it was her turn to be speechless as with trembling fingers he reached into his

coat and pulled out a small black box.

“I know this has been a whirlwind romance, and I know we both fought it until the

end, but Ella Brooks, if you accept my love, accept that I’ll treat you like a princess

for the rest of your life, nothing would make me happier than for you to become my

wife.”

“Yes, Axel. I want nothing more than to be yours forever.”

He slipped the ring on her finger and then pulled her to the floor, wrapping her in

his arms as she clung tightly to him, his lips finally seeking hers and sealing their

promises to each other.

She didn’t know how long they stayed in each other’s arms before she noticed the

cheering and clapping. They both turned to find the doorway filled with her nosy

family members.

“Congratulations, darling! Now we really have something to be thankful for,” her

aunt Maggie said with a big grin.

And then the celebrating began, and it surely wouldn’t end for quite some time.

EPILOGUE

“Isn’t it customary for the best man to ask the maid of honor for a dance?”

Maycie turned to find the very sexy friend of Axel’s, Maverick Black, whom she’d

been eyeing ever since the wedding rehearsals had begun. “You aren’t the best man,

and Ella had two maids of honor,” she pointed out.

“Technicalities. Dance with me,” Maverick said as he took her hand, taking the

choice away from her.

“I don’t find men who refuse to take no for an answer attractive,” she pointed out,

though she did find herself on the dance floor.

“I didn’t hear the word no,” he said as he twirled her around.

“Well, it was implied,” she said.

“You’re free to pull away at any moment,” he said, his sharp blue eyes nearly

piercing her.

“I don’t want to cause a scene at my best friend’s wedding.” That was a good

enough excuse for her to stay in this intriguing man’s arms.

“I want to take you somewhere quiet and see how long it would take to have those

lips moaning instead of complaining,” he said, his look intense.

“That was bold.” What was strange for her were the sensations zipping through her.

“I’m a man who knows what I want, and I’m not afraid to ask for it,” he said. She

hadn’t even realized he’d backed her into the corner of the dance floor, in a nice,

private little alcove.

“Well, you can’t have me,” she said, but the huskiness to her tone contradicted her

words.

“The night’s still young,” he said, right before he captured her mouth, rendering

her speechless for probably the first time in her life.

Can't get enough of Melody Anne's Unexpected Hero series?

Be sure to read her novella in the winter anthology, Baby, It's Cold Outside. On sale now!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

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Jackson Whitman doesn’t believe in love, or commitment, or forever—not since he lost his wife and daughter. But the

beautiful woman sitting next to him at the gate has him rethinking that position. Can he convince her to be his for the

night? Or will she convince him to be hers for a lifetime?

Her Unexpected Hero

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Hawk's sister, Taylor Winchester, needs some R&R after her accident, so he sends her up to his cabin to get away from

it all. But she can't escape Travis, her brother's best friend who already claimed the cabin for some peace and quiet of

his own.

Who I Am with You

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times bestselling author MELODY ANNE’s new Unexpected Heroes series

for Pocket Books is a spin-off of her beloved and hugely popular Billionaire Bachelors

books. She is also the author of the Surrender and Baby for the Billionaire series, as

well as Rise of the Dark Angel, a paranormal collection for young adults. Since

Melody began her independent publishing career in 2011, she has sold more than four

million copies of her books. She lives in a small town in the Pacific Northwest, where

she is hard at work writing more irresistible stories for her fans. Visit

MelodyAnne.com

for more.

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other
names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or
places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2015 by Melody Anne Null

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information, address Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Pocket Star Books ebook edition September 2015

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Interior design by Yvonne Chan

ISBN 978-1-4767-7865-5

Contents

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue

About the Author