Too Hot to Handle Table of ContentsChapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Epilogue Acknowledgments About the Author Too Hotto HandleAleah BarleyThis book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Copyright © 2012 by Aleah Barley. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.Entangled Publishing, LLC2614 South Timberline Road Suite 109Fort Collins, CO 80525Visit our website at www.entangledpublishing.com.Edited by Ruth HomrighausCover design by Liz PelletierISBN 978-1-62266-925-7Manufactured in the United States of AmericaFirst Edition May 2012The author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Walmart, Dodge Super Bee, Styrofoam, Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Goldfinger, Volvo Sport, Advil, Snow White, Cinderella, Baywatch, New York Times, Vogue, Ford Mustang, Kevlar, BMW.To Makena and Colin, with much love for your Happily Ever After. Chapter One� Jack Ogden unlocked the heavy-duty dead bolt on his apartment door and pressed his muscular shoulder against swollen wood, which stuck in the summer heat. The door opened with a sharp jerk that radiated down his arm.It hurt. Everything hurt.He was getting old. At thirty, he’d lost the ability to bounce back from a beating. Ten years earlier, he’d been a professional boxer, making a living getting punched in the face. Scraped knuckles and bruised skin. Now all it took was one bar fight to knock him flat on his ass.He needed a cold beer, some hot food, and about two weeks in bed.As he stepped over the threshold, his gun slipped out of his shoulder holster into his right hand�"the motion practiced, reflexive, an automatic response to some signal he couldn’t place or interpret.�śThis is the police,” he called out, pushing the door closed behind him. �śAnd I’m not in the mood.”Pounding music came up through the floor from the dance club below. Classic rock tonight. Friday. Darkness pooled at the doorway, but light shone at the far end of the hall. Someone was in his apartment. Someone who’d heard about his injury. If they thought entering the apartment while he was injured would save them from his wrath, they were about to find out just how wrong they’d been.Moving fast, he slipped down the length of the hallway. Common sense said he should wait outside and call for backup, but he’d left common sense behind him an hour ago when he’d checked out of the hospital against his doctors’ advice. If he called for backup, he’d spend the next six hours listening to his commanding officer chew his head off for leaving the hospital without permission. Then someone would call his sister.He’d rather be dead.Jack kept moving, letting a surge of adrenaline carry his bruised body into the apartment’s combination living room and kitchen, where the intruder had turned on a light. His eyes swept the room, taking in the familiar blue couch, the big picture windows, the battered kitchen table, and the open freezer door.His gaze stopped on the panties. They were blue cotton embroidered with shiny circles, and they were wrapped around the heart-shaped ass of a woman bending down to look in his side-by-side freezer.He’d always been a breast man, but there was something about those multicolored polka dots that made him think he’d been neglecting a vital portion of the female anatomy. Her legs were good, too�"long and muscular, just the way he liked them.She had bare feet. The sight made his breath catch in his throat. Bare feet were for the young and innocent. He really hoped she wasn’t planning to kill him.�śPut your hands up.”The woman stood, but she didn’t turn around. Her white cotton T-shirt dropped down to skim across those polka dots.Not polka dots. Lollipops. His heart slammed against his rib cage. Whether this was a reaction to the adrenaline still racing through his veins or the lust washing over him in waves, he couldn’t say.�śWhere’s your ice cream?” she asked.The question was simple, direct, and completely disingenuous. He wanted to ask her what the hell she was doing in his apartment, but when he opened his mouth, different words came out. �śI don’t have any ice cream.”�śWhat kind of a man doesn’t have ice cream?” She closed the freezer door and reached up to snag the box of cookies Jack kept on top of his refrigerator. �śIf I gain a million pounds, it’s your fault.”That didn’t make any sense. The blood loss was obviously affecting his mind. �śCookies make you gain weight, but ice cream doesn’t?”�śIce cream is cold. Your body burns calories to heat it up.”�śThat’s insane.” Maybe the blood loss was affecting her mind.Jack stared at the woman’s back. She probably wouldn’t be talking about ice cream if she were planning to kill him. Whoever she was.He took a few steps forward and set the gun down on the table between them. There was something about her. Standing upright, she was a slightly built thing, much shorter than his solid six foot two. And her hair�Śa glistening reddish-gold that shone in the flickering light from the street.Jack knew that hair. It was bright, fiery, but cool to the touch. Always flying everywhere, getting in the way, and then she’d let out a soft sigh before putting it up in a loose ponytail.�śHoney?”When she didn’t correct him, he let out a long breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. The woman was all kinds of trouble, but she wasn’t a killer. He’d seen her arrest record. Hell, he’d added to it.�śHoney Moore, shouldn’t you be in jail?”A sharp laugh. �śTime off for bad behavior.” She turned around to face him straight on. Wide-set emerald eyes and rosy, bee-stung lips. He remembered those lips, soft and luscious. Permanently pursed, like she was waiting for a kiss. They tasted like cherry cola�"or they had the last time he’d kissed her. Cherry cola and fresh-cut fries from the concession stand at the drive-in movie theater.He’d been sixteen years old, and she’d laughed about it afterward like kissing him was the funniest thing in the world. That night, they’d been two dumb kids who’d snuck in to watch the latest spy thriller. He couldn’t remember what the movie had been, but her hair had smelled like oranges, and her sweater had been soft to the touch.Honey leaned against the wall, snagging a cookie from the box and devouring it in two neat bites. �śWant one?” Her pose against the wall made her back arch and her plump, firm breasts strain against the plain white T-shirt. He wondered if she knew what she was doing.Probably.If he were feeling better, he’d take the time to think about that. To wonder what her end game was. At the moment, he just wanted her gone.Downstairs, the music stopped. The DJ introduced a new song. Jack couldn’t understand what the man was saying, but he recognized the opening chords. Bruce Springsteen. The song took him back to late summer evenings spent listening to music down by the lake, blasting boom box speakers until the neighbors complained. Guns for hire. Dancing in the dark.Jack swayed. With the adrenaline rush dying down, the pain was coming back. He’d be better off if Honey killed him. Then he wouldn’t have to feel the bruises developing all over his body. The doctor who’d stitched him up had told him he didn’t need a cast, but he definitely shouldn’t be carrying heavy weights with a sprained wrist. Did a gun count as a heavy weight?He took a deep breath, wincing when the force of air in his lungs made his chest tighten. �śBreaking and entering. I could arrest you. Again.”�śGo ahead. Grand theft cookie.” She took another bite. �śThat’s a career-making bust.”�śSweetheart, I already have a career. I’m a decorated officer. Any more promotions, and I have to start doing fancy paperwork.” He leaned forward, bracing himself against the kitchen table to keep from toppling over. �śArresting you again would be fun.”Honey Moore. The youngest in a long line of petty criminals, experts at boosting cars and causing riots in confined spaces. Her cousin made book. Her only uncle who wasn’t in jail or on the run was trying to make a legitimate go of things with a brewery somewhere off Valley Vista.It had been years since he and Honey had talked, but he couldn’t imagine much had changed in her life. Once a thug, always a thug.�śI’ve got cause,” he added. �śI don’t remember giving you a spare key.”Honey snorted. �śSpare keys are for little girls.”�śYou want to tell me how you got in here?”�śNot really.”Bold and brassy�"that was Honey. She’d always been too loud, too headstrong, and too damn wild. A rough-and-tumble kid who’d grown up in one of the worst parts of Los Angeles, Honey had transferred to Black Palm Park Academy for high school. She’d been a scholarship student with a chip on her shoulder and too much to prove, and he’d been the reigning teen king of Black Palm Park, an exclusive Malibu enclave built around a country club and a private school.They’d dated for a week and a half before she’d let him kiss her on the mouth. A real kiss, with tongue and hands tugging hurriedly at her sweater. He must have done something wrong, though, because the next morning at school, she’d told him to go to hell.After that, things had gone south fast. They’d fought like cats and dogs. He’d called her a name. She’d retaliated with a well-placed quip. A few practical jokes, and someone had ended up with their hair dyed electric blue. It might have been him.She’d always known what to say to twist the knife in his side, and he could never retaliate. Not when he was supposed to be the good one, the responsible one. �śYou’re not looking so good, Jack.” Honey took one step forward, then another. She moved around the table, hips swinging, until she was standing less than a foot away. The only thing separating them was the box of cookies. Four inches of cardboard that could be crushed by one small step forward.Reaching up, she rested her hand lightly on his cheek. Her fingers were cool from rifling through his freezer. When she spoke, he could feel her breath hot against his skin. �śWhat happened to your face?”�śMy face?”It had been a long time since he’d been so close to a woman. For all the complex emotions she brought bubbling to the surface, Honey was warm, soft, and sexy. Her proximity made him dizzy.He wasn’t sixteen years old anymore. His boyish charms had been replaced with hard-won experience. Women liked him. If he kissed Honey again, she wouldn’t be laughing. There wouldn’t be enough air left in her to laugh. �śI ran into a door.”�śA door?” Her tone was dry, incredulous.�śYeah, my sister’s ex-door and all his little door friends.” He didn’t want to think about Carlos or Jessica. He was too busy thinking about the way Honey’s perky breasts were moving unbound under her plain white T-shirt. Too busy trying to figure out how much it would hurt to run his hands over her breasts, to kiss the soft curve of her neck, to have her pressed eagerly against him.It would probably be worth it.�śCan I have one of those cookies?” Jack didn’t wait for an answer. They were his cookies in his house. He reached down, plucking a cookie from the box between them. Another inch, and they’d be touching. Closer than that, and they’d be kissing.Kissing Honey Moore. What was he thinking? The woman was definitely up to something. The few times they’d seen each other since high school, their relationship had run hot and cold. Sometimes, she’d been friendly�"sweet, even�"and sometimes she’d been vicious.Arresting her at her cousin’s wedding had probably been a mistake, but she shouldn’t have hot-wired his patrol car to make a beer run.Now, here she was. Acting like they were old friends. �śWhat do you want from me?”�śYou’ve got a mighty high opinion of yourself,” Honey said. �śI don’t want anything from you.”For a moment they stood there, face to face. Held in place by some force he didn’t dare recognize. It was a competition, one he’d fight to the death before acknowledging.Honey blinked first. Two steps backward, and she knocked into a tall kitchen stool. She sat down hard, the awkward motion serving to acknowledge what he already knew. She’d lost. Her body folded inward on itself until she was smaller than he remembered. Her tongue darted out, moistening her lips. Emitting a short sigh, she glanced away.He polished off the cookie, then cleared his throat, wincing as the action made his head spin. He wasn’t up for this.Hell, he wasn’t up for anything.He should be in a nice comfy bed with a fluffy pillow, satin sheets, and a wooden top. Nail the cover down, stick a giant rock on top, and throw a party. He was done. Finished. A dead man walking.�śWhat the hell are you doing here?” A rude question�"at least, by his mother’s standards�"but Jack didn’t care. There was no logical reason for Honey Moore to be in his apartment, drawing him closer with every flutter of long lashes closing over green eyes, every breath expelled between raspberry lips.A flip of Honey’s hair, a bitter laugh. �śSomeone burned my house down.” The statement was calm, quiet.He didn’t believe it for a minute.After a long pause, she said, �śSomeone was chasing me. I couldn’t think of any other place to go.” Her eyes were bright, her jaw clenched. Defiant. She was waiting for him to tell her to leave.Jack’s hands clenched into fists while he considered his options. Tossing her out on her ass was tempting, very tempting. He didn’t want to fight over a story as fake as a three-dollar bill. Not tonight. He didn’t have the energy. �śYou know, I’ve always liked you�"”�śThank you.”�ś�ŚLiked’ might not be the right word. �ŚTolerated.’” He let out a long breath, blowing air over the top of his lip. �śI tolerated your pranks. I tolerated the way you toyed with me. Teased me. I put up with all of you, right up until the minute you went too far and decided that my police car was a toy�"”�śDo you have a point?”�śI’d be happy to see you under normal circumstances,” Jack said. �śBut not tonight.” Not with a split lip, a stitched-up gash in the middle of his chest, and bruised ribs. Bruised everything. �śWhy did you come here?”�śWhy not?” A shrug. �śI can go if you want, but I’d like to take a shower first.”A shower. Jack almost laughed. Nothing in his life was that simple. She was keeping something from him, but that was nothing new.Part of him wanted to forget the bruises, to push, to interrogate her until she broke down and told him what was really going on.Mostly, he didn’t care. He was a man. She was a woman. Damaged or whole, he wanted to wrap his arms around her and take her to bed.But growing up in Black Palm Park, the oldest son of a family that had stood in the political spotlight for generations, Jack had learned how to be a gentleman. His mother had taught him to be loyal, honest, and true. To never take advantage of a woman. Hitting on Honey Moore while she was in his kitchen, confused and vulnerable, wearing only a borrowed shirt and a pair of panties with lollipops on them, would be taking advantage.�śMake yourself at home.” The words were quiet, earnest, and they left him drained, incapable of getting to bed. It took everything he had to keep himself upright until she retreated to the bathroom, her hips swaying back and forth tantalizingly underneath the white T-shirt.He stumbled forward, collapsing onto the couch.For a moment, Bruce Springsteen’s voice was overshadowed by the shuddering of old pipes being forced into service. Then the song was back, the dull pounding of its beat slowing down before another lyric started up. Had the conversation only taken a few minutes? It had felt like an eternity.What a night. What a weekend�"and it would only get worse. His sister was going to tear him apart when she found out he’d gotten in a bar fight with her cheating asshole of an ex. He didn’t regret it, though. Carlos was a schmuck.His boss would probably help Jessica with the beat down. LAPD detectives were not supposed to go around getting in fights. Especially not with rich, powerful men like Carlos who had the governor’s private number on speed dial.Jack didn’t care about politics. All he wanted was to be a cop. A good cop.But six months earlier, he’d been part of a team chasing down a child killer in Brentwood. They’d found the man covered in the blood of his victims. By the time the killer arrived at Central Booking, he’d also been covered in bruises.Jack didn’t know who’d done it, and he didn’t much care. The fact was Internal Affairs had a file on him now. One more incident and the Rat Squad would be up his butt with a microscope. They’d look at every arrest he’d ever made, every shooting he’d ever been in, and while they were at it, they’d probably suspend him.He couldn’t imagine anything worse.His sister and the brass were problems that he’d have to deal with in the morning. He had something more important to think about. Honey Moore was in his shower, warm water pounding over her bare skin.Standing there in his antique bathtub, she’d have to choose between getting out of the shower to retrieve a washcloth from the closet in the hall or using the bar of soap as it was. He hoped she used the bar. He liked the thought of the hard piece of soap making her body slippery, coating her breasts with white residue before she moved it down across her belly. Would she pause for a second, feeling the pressure of the soap and her own hand between her thighs? Maybe even thinking about him for a long moment before moving on?A bolt of lust made his hands shake. He lifted his legs up onto the overstuffed couch. One ankle banged against the couch arm, and he winced in pain.The noise of the shower filled his head. The sound was soothing, like one of those white noise machines that helps people sleep. Jack could use some sleep. Anything to keep his mind off Honey. But it was a lot more pleasurable to think about Honey�ŚHis eyes slowly flickered closed, and he fell into unconsciousness.Chapter Two� Honey Moore woke with pounding in her head and a curse on her lips.�śDamn it all to hell.”At eighteen, she’d sworn on a stack of bibles she was done lusting after Jack Ogden. It hadn’t been easy getting over him. The man was tall, dark, and handsome, with a soft laugh that could light her blood on fire. He wore combed cotton T-shirts that stretched tight across his broad shoulders, blue jeans that had gone threadbare at the knees, and an occasional sweet smile that melted her insides.With that brown, curly hair, those bowed lips, he might have been too handsome�"almost pretty�"if it weren’t for the inevitable scarring around a nose that had been broken one too many times.Looks weren’t everything. He also had a rough voice like crushed velvet, a catalogue of steamy expressions, and gentlemanly manners he’d learned in the cradle.But she’d made her decision. Sworn her pledge. No more wanting Jack.Waking up with his hand nestled between her knees was a setback.Time for an intervention. �śAll right, Honey,” she whispered. �śStand up. Get off this couch and leave.”The rough pad of his thumb scraped over the soft inner skin of her thigh. He was sound asleep. The future political dynamo would never make a move like that while he was awake, no matter how much Honey might like him to.It was damn annoying. Sometimes she wanted to hit him in the head with a wrench, just to see what his response would be. He’d probably look at her with those soulful blue eyes, shake his head, and let out a soft sigh.�śDeep breaths,” she said. �śEasy, girl.”Jack’s thumb massaged her thigh idly, the circular motion stoking an ancient fire inside her. She sucked air into her mouth, trying to cool down her blood.It didn’t help.Going to sleep next to him had been a bad move. Not that she’d slept much the night before�"she’d spent most of it tossing restlessly, worried she was going to fall off the side of the narrow couch. Worried that the person who’d burned down her house would come after her.The only thing she hadn’t thought to worry about was Jack’s intentions.She turned over on her other side to face him. High cheekbones, tanned skin, and curved lips that were perpetually twisted downward.At least, that was what she’d always thought.Asleep, the man was all smiles. There wasn’t a line of anger or tension in his body. Her stomach tightened in surprise. All this time, she’d known he was a good man. Everyone in Black Palm Park knew that. She hadn’t known he was happy.Honey settled against him, her head falling into the crook of his arm. There was something comfortingly reassuring about the feel of Jack’s body against hers. Hard muscles and warmth. He made her feel safe, even if he did look like something the cat dragged in.His arm tightened around her waist, capturing her. Pulling her against him. If they got any closer, she’d need birth control.Heart pounding, she darted forward to brush her lips against his cheek. The pressure on her waist changed. It was still solid, but this time his hand clenched into a fist, bunching her T-shirt up around her waist.Long fingers brushed over her back.Her skin tingled everywhere his hand touched her. Heat roared through her body before settling low in her belly.She rocked forward against him, her eyes flickering shut. There was no history biting at her heels, no past to trip them up. All she was feeling was the inevitable chemical reaction that came from too many hormones and not enough clothes. Man and woman.His hand dipped down beneath the elastic band of her panties, and Honey came crashing back to earth. Jack Ogden wasn’t just any man. She wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. Not if she could help it.�śJack.” He murmured quietly. He was probably dreaming about a supermodel, a famous actress, or Anne Green, the perky lawyer who’d captained the cheerleading squad so many years earlier.Not her. Never her.�śJack.” A second time, louder now.His mouth descended on hers. The kiss was rough, urgent. Her teeth nicked his lip. She melted into him, accepting the coppery taste of his blood in her mouth. One kiss followed another. He kissed her with his eyes wide open, their color a deep blue like the ocean on a clear day.The most honorable man in a city of millions had his hand splayed across her back, and he knew exactly what he was doing. That knowledge got her blood pumping. He began to kiss his way down her neck, and a soft moan escaped her lips.�śGood morning.” Pearly teeth nipped at her collarbone playfully before he pulled away. �śYou always talk to yourself like that?”�śOnly when I’ve got no one better to talk to.”�śYou didn’t have to sleep with me.”�śI didn’t sleep with you�"”Collapsed on the couch the night before, Jack had looked tired, vulnerable. His body had rolled sideways and�"without thinking�"she’d lunged forward to catch him, pushing him back into the middle of the couch. Then he’d tried rolling over a second time.Not good at all.The man had been completely exhausted. If she’d left him by himself, he’d have been sleeping on the floor in a couple of minutes. She hadn’t seen his injuries, but judging by the way he’d been holding himself, they were bad. The last thing he’d needed was another fall and a night spent on a hard surface.But getting him into bed hadn’t been a possibility. Jack was a big man. Tall, muscular, and heavy. Capable of putting the pressure on her hips that she’d always desired. She liked digging her nails into a solid set of shoulders. Just thinking about it was enough to make her hungry, eager.Standing there the night before, trying to decide what to do next, she’d ended up climbing onto the couch beside him. It definitely wasn’t how she’d imagined spending the night with him. Still, it had been nice to lay next to Jack.Especially when he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in tight. His grip warm and reassuring, telling her that she was still alive.�śI didn’t sleep with you,” Honey repeated. Her cheeks flushed a bright red. �śIt didn’t happen.”Face to face, it was hard to remember why she’d turned him away in the first place. He was exactly her type. �śYou ever wonder what would have happened if we’d stayed together?” she asked. �śIt never would have worked. Ten bucks says we would have burned out within the month. Chemistry like that’s explosive, and�"”Jack was staring at her, shock in his eyes.�śMaybe not.” Honey chewed her bottom lip. �śMaybe we’d have dated for all those years, gotten married, and had two-point-five kids. Maybe everything would be different�"maybe the world would have been destroyed by an asteroid years ago.”She’d made her decision in high school, and now she needed to stick with it.But her long fingers tangled reflexively in Jack’s rich chocolate brown curls. In the dim light from the far window, his hair was so dark, almost black, and it gave him a dashing look. The busted lip didn’t hurt, either.All bruised and battered, he didn’t look like the proud owner of a detective’s shield�"a man who’d made her life a living hell. He looked like one of the charming thugs from her part of town.His hair was soft to the touch, tight curls that kinked at the end. Nothing like her frizzy red hair. She could smell his shampoo, something expensive and manly. It smelled like sex, pure and simple.�śWant to tell me what the hell you’re doing in my house?”Ah, bitter and confrontational. That was more like the Jack Ogden she knew and disliked. He had been grumpy the day they met, and his temper hadn’t improved in the years since. If she’d been anyone else, she might have been offended. As it was, she was relieved. Everything was back to normal.More or less. There was still the small matter of his hand on her ass.�śI told you. My house burned down last night.”�śI wouldn’t call that a house.”He’d grown up in a mansion on top of a damn mountain. The house she’d inherited from her grandfather might be a piece of 1950s tract housing with the structural integrity of a cardboard box, but it was still her home. Or it had been, until the night before.�śHome is where the heart’s at,” she announced in a singsong. �śExcept in my case, home is a burnt-out piece of crud.”She’d lived in that house her entire life, and now it was gone.She’d never go home again. Honey started shaking. Her mouth opened, forcing air down into her lungs. It didn’t help.One moment, the room was quiet, comforting, and the next second, uncontrollable sobs wracked her body. Jack’s embrace was the only thing tethering to her reality, and even that wasn’t enough. All she could think about was the stench of burned plastic. Her lungs tightened in response to the remembered burn.Friday night had been nothing special. She should have been at home in her pajamas eating tomato soup from a can and yellow cheese sandwiches, watching sitcoms on TV. Only, her cousin Brody had called her in desperation. One favor, that was all he wanted�"a ride home from his girlfriend’s house in North Hollywood. When she finally got to him, he was standing naked on the side of Ventura Boulevard, trying�"but failing�"to protect his dignity with a cell phone and a neon-orange traffic cone.The fire must have been set just after she left, because it had already died down when she got home. The firefighters were standing on the corner sharing a pack of cigarettes and a thermos of coffee.She should have been in the house. If Brody had waited ten more minutes before calling, she’d probably be dead. Burnt to a crisp, along with her stuff. Her cousin was a low-down, dirty dog, but she owed him a big fat �śthank you.” If it weren’t for his philandering ways, she’d be a dead woman. Killed by the same fire that had turned her house into rubble.The sun had risen outside, and she was still in one piece. Standing in front of her ruined house the night before, she’d been gripped by a fear like ice in her veins, a certain knowledge that she wouldn’t last the night.But now here she was. With Jack.His palm moved down her back, soothing. �śI’m sure it’s not that bad.”�śYou think I’m overreacting?” He hadn’t seen the fire’s bright embers glowing in the evening light.His headlights hadn’t lit up the car parked at the end of her block, illuminating the man who’d stuck around to make sure she didn’t make it out alive. Driving a boxy sedan with high-intensity lights, the arsonist had gunned the engine, and then he’d chased her old truck to hell and back.After she’d lost the sedan, she’d ditched her truck at a Walmart parking lot, caught a bus over the Sepulveda Pass, and gone to the one place where she’d thought she’d be safe. The one place where she’d known no one would look for her.�śMy house burned down, and I don’t know why.”�śCome on, Honey, you’re a smart girl.” A familiar cynical edge colored Jack’s voice. �śYou must have plenty of enemies. Did you finally take something worth stealing?”�śI didn’t do anything.” Honey sucked in a deep breath. �śI’m not a thief.”�śIt’s called �Śgrand theft auto.’ Not �Śgrand I’m-just-taking-it-for-a-spin-around-the-block auto.’”Honey flinched. Her reputation was a burden. It was also well-deserved. When she was younger, she’d stolen anything with wheels. But she hadn’t stolen a car in a long time. Not since she’d spent a year and a half with her room and board provided by the Los Angeles County Correctional Facility. Eighteen months that she could have spent taking care of the people who depended on her. �śIf that’s what you really think, then maybe I shouldn’t have come here.” Honey jerked away, sitting up. �śI thought you’d help me. Even if you’re not my friend, you’re still a cop.”�śDamn it, Honey.” Jack reached out, tugging her back down into his arms. His voice softened. �śAll right. You’re not a thief. What do you do?”�śI’m a mechanic.” She chose her words carefully, eager to make Jack understand. Things had changed. �śThese days, I fix cars. I don’t steal them.”�śWith your record?”�śRight, my record.” Honey crossed her arms defensively. �śAfter all, I’m just a car thief�"a felon with a prison record. Thanks for that, by the way.”�śNothing you didn’t deserve.”�śSure.” He was right. She’d stolen his car. She’d also gone to prison and paid her debt to society. �śIt’s my garage. I don’t get as much work as I’d like, not in my part of town, but I’m my own boss. I’m honest. I don’t overcharge on parts, I don’t gouge on service. I can do things with an engine you wouldn’t believe. It’s all about classic American muscle.”He gave her a sly smile, almost apologetic. �śThat’s one place where we agree.”Honey bit back a grin. With their bodies pressed against each other, she could feel every inch of Jack’s classic American muscle. The night before, she’d figured that a borrowed T-shirt would be more modest than her �śI’m Sexy and I Know It” pajamas, but she probably should have left on the plaid flannel short-shorts.His blue eyes suddenly went dark, wary amusement giving way to desire, and his hands started moving down her back. Honey’s entire world narrowed to a point. Everything would be all right as long as he kept touching her.Then she was kissing him again. This time, she was the aggressor. Every movement was harsh, rough�"an act of desperation.Sex wasn’t something she took lightly. Her reputation might be less than sterling, but the truth was that she’d never slept with someone until the third date, and she’d run off her last boyfriend two years ago.For a bad girl, she was usually pretty good. But right now, she wanted to tear Jack’s clothes off and screw him silly. Her hands moved down to fumble with his belt buckle. If she could feel him inside of her, penetrating her to her core, she’d know that everything was going to be okay.�śHoney.” He freed his mouth from hers. �śHoney, what are you doing?”�śOkay, that’s not exactly the response I was hoping for.” All she needed was a little cooperation. The hard flesh she could feel nestled against her belly told her he wanted her enough to play along. �śAre you really turning me down?” she teased.Jack stilled her hands. �śYes.”She felt like she’d been slapped.Outside, birds were singing, and people were going on with their lives as if nothing had changed. For them, it hadn’t. For her, nothing would ever be the same. Not with the only home she’d ever had burned to the ground and Jack’s kiss still warm on her lips. Not with his rejection ringing in her ears.�śLook, Honey�"”The scraping of metal on metal interrupted him. A key clicked in the lock. The apartment’s door swung open with a bang.Even injured, Jack’s instincts were good. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, and he rolled sideways hard, pushing himself over her and onto the ground. He landed first, his body hitting the floor with a loud thud. She ended up sprawled awkwardly on top of his torso. �śWhat the hell�"”Jack’s hand clapped over her mouth, preventing her from completing the question.Chapter Three� �śJack Ogden, you son of a bitch!”Years spent working as a police officer meant that Jack had been introduced to all kinds of dangerous people. Monsters, even. None of them were as scary as his older sister in a foul mood.�śI’m a grown woman,” Jessica roared. �śI can take care of myself. What do you think gives you the right to mess around in my business? When I get done with you, you’re going to wish you’d never been born.”Jack had been bracing himself for Jessica’s rage ever since his fist connected with Carlos’s jaw. The rational move would be to stand up, apologize for what he’d done wrong, and take his lumps like a man.Unfortunately, he’d lost the ability to process rational thought twenty minutes ago. Lying on the hardwood floor, the only thing he could think about was how Honey felt on top of him. He couldn’t imagine anything better than burying himself in her warm curves.The way she’d been acting a few minutes earlier, he wouldn’t have had to imagine for long.Glasses crashed together. The refrigerator opened and shut. His sister was making herself at home.Weird.The two of them didn’t hang out. The last time he’d tried inviting Jessica to dinner, she’d laughed at him. Between her classes and her charity work, she was a very busy person. Too busy for the younger brother she’d never been close to. They saw each other at family events and benefit dinners, which meant that he shouldn’t even be in the same room with her for another week. Not until the annual ball that Jessica helped organize as a benefit for the local hospital. The invitation was in his desk somewhere.�śJack!” Her scream was ear-shattering. �śGet your butt out here.”Honey wriggled slightly until she was lying on the ground, her body nestled in the crook of his arm, her head resting on his chest. Soft, supple fingers brushed against his skin, drifting downward across his torso.�śI’m right here.” His tone came out high-pitched. Nervous. He swallowed hard. Everything was hard. If he stood up, he’d expose an erection hard enough to hammer nails.If he didn’t stand up, his sister would come over to investigate.He got up slowly, clambering onto the couch. �śWhat do you want?”�śWhat do I want? You’ve got to be kidding me. I want to talk about why you beat up my boyfriend last night.”�śYour ex-boyfriend.”�śBoyfriend, ex-boyfriend, it doesn’t matter.” Jessica put his kettle on the stove and turned on the burner. Every movement was neat, precise, showcasing a graceful economy of movement. Between marriages to wealthy men old enough to be her father, she taught dance classes to preschoolers at a studio in Santa Monica. �śWhat do you think gives you the right to interfere with my life?”�śYou’re my sister. He was saying things about you. Things he had no business saying.” Jack leaned forward. �śAren’t you even going to ask who won?”�śYou got your ass handed to you.” Dressed in lemon yellow yoga pants and a pair of expensive yellow tennis shoes, she’d obviously been on her way to the dance studio when she’d heard the news. �śYou okay?”�śSome scrapes and bruises. The doctors say I’ll be sore for a while, but no permanent damage. They wouldn’t have released me otherwise.”That was a bald-faced lie, but Jessica didn’t know him well enough to realize.His entire life Jessica had been distant, cold, and competitive. The way they were brought up, the six-year separation in their ages might as well have been sixty.That didn’t mean he was going to let a jerk in a fancy suit say anything bad about her.He glanced at Honey. Her expression had turned calculating. She knew when he was lying. Either that, or she’d peeked under his clothes the night before. He could only imagine the possibilities that were running through her mind. Standing up and tattling on him was only one option. One good poke in the ribs, and he’d be screaming for his mother.Maybe not his mother. Maybe someone with genuine maternal instincts.�śWhat are you making?” he asked.�śTea. I’m on this diet where all you eat is tea and fruit. I’ve had so many oranges in the past week, my skin’s going to change color.” Her mouth twisted up in disgust. �śIt’s supposed to be good for you, and I can have any kind of tea I want. What kind of tea do you have?”�śI’m not much of a tea drinker. Why don’t you start some coffee?”�śCoffee isn’t on my diet.” But she found some beans and started pouring them into the grinder. She moved fast, keeping her back to him.Keeping her face away from him.�śJessica, look at me.” Nothing happened. �śJessica.” He addressed her in the same voice he used to question recalcitrant suspects or give orders to uniformed patrolmen. �śLook at me.”She turned, her long legs closing the distance between them in two smooth steps. Even standing only a few feet away, she didn’t see Honey partially hidden behind by the couch. Not through the tears in her eyes.A dancer, Jessica was used to sweating in the heat. Her makeup was the best. But it couldn’t hide the swollen skin on her cheek, or the slight yellow tinge of a healing bruise.�śForget beating him up. I’m going to bury him.”�śI already broke up with him. Four days ago. It was over�"done with�"and then you had to go get chivalrous.” Her gaze dropped.Her lips spread into a full smile. �śGuess Carlos didn’t knock you around too hard. Who’ve you got down there?” She stepped forward to peer over the back of the couch. �śAnyone I know?”Honey’s hand shook as Jack stood and pulled her to her feet. Heat colored her cheeks, but she forced a smile onto her lips. �śJessica, right?”When there was no flicker of recognition, she extended a hand. �śHey, good to meet you. Nice shiner. You know what works on a black eye? Use a good moisturizer first, then a light concealer and liquid base. That powder stuff makes it look worse, and it stings like nobody’s business.”Jack stared at her.�śWhat? I’ve been in a few bar fights in my day.”Jessica laughed, and the tension in the room relaxed. Or maybe it was the tension in Jack’s shoulders. �śJessica, this is Honey. She’s a friend of mine.”That wasn’t quite right. �śNot exactly friends.”�śMore like enemies,” Honey said.�śBickering kids.”�śTwo gladiators locked in a battle of epic proportion.”�śNot really.” They weren’t enemies, but they’d never be just friends. Not when there was the possibility of something more. Not when he’d give anything to tear the T-shirt from her body and kiss her silly.After his sister left, of course.Impulse made him reach out to cover Honey’s hand with his own.�śWill you look at that?” Jessica said. �śMy little brother finally got himself a girl.” Her smile was eager, genuine. She threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Honey’s shoulders. For a moment, it looked like Jessica was going to squeeze Honey half to death. �śOh, you’re so cute! I could eat you up with a spoon.”That was just like Jessica. One minute on the warpath, the next minute full of smiles.The kettle went off on the stove with a sharp whistle. Jessica walked back into the kitchen to make the coffee. �śIt’s been a long time since Jack had a girlfriend. It’s because of his job. He never meets anyone decent. Just criminals.” Honey flinched, but Jessica had her back turned, oblivious. �śDating in this city is brutal. It’s not like high school. Jack used to date all the time back in high school. Cheerleaders. Tennis stars. Even that one girl�"the one you mooned after for a year. What was her name?”�śI don’t remember,” Jack said quickly.�śYou must. You were head over heels for her. I have a good memory for that sort of thing.” Ever the proper hostess, she retrieved a third mug from the cabinet for the surprise guest. �śActually, come to think of it, her name was Honey, too. Isn’t that peculiar? Honey Moore.”Honey jerked away, stumbling back a few steps. Her eyes had gone wide, and she looked like a cornered animal searching for an escape route.�śShe broke your heart,” Jessica said casually. �śCrushed it into a million little pieces, and she made you look like a fool.” The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the apartment.Her voice had a teasing edge when she continued. �śBut that has to be someone else. Only an idiot would still be hung up on the same girl after twelve years.”�śJack’s not an idiot.” Honey spoke quietly but firmly. �śAnyway, we’re not dating. I needed a place to stay the night, and Jack was kind enough to oblige. He’s a real gentleman.”�śSure, that’s why you were flopping around on the ground in your underwear.” Jessica turned around. �śYou’re her, aren’t you? The same Honey.”�śIt’s none of your business,” Jack said.Honey cleared her throat. �śThere was an accident at my house last night. I don’t have anything else to wear.”�śOh.” Jessica flushed. �śI’m sorry�"I didn’t mean to imply�"” A nervous pause. �śI’m sorry. There are some clothes in my car. I can see what I have that might fit you.”�śI’d appreciate that.”Things had definitely changed. Back in high school, Honey wouldn’t have taken help from anyone. Not while there was still life in her body. A scholarship student who wore clothes bought at a thrift store and carried a canvas backpack with an ink stain on the bottom, all she’d had was her pride. Now she watched quietly as Jessica walked out the door.With just two of them, the apartment should have seemed bigger. Less crowded.It didn’t. Honey’s slight form dominated the space.�śYou were in love with me, Jack?” Her voice was a low murmur, rough like raw silk. �śI thought you’d have more self-respect.”�śSweetheart, there was a time I would’ve walked over broken glass to hear you say my name.”�śAnd now?”�śIt’s been a long time. Things have changed.” Jack wasn’t the same person anymore. Back then, he’d been willing to fall in love at the drop of a hat. These days, he didn’t even know if he could still fall in love at all.Sometimes he thought about what it might be like to go home to a woman who loved him. He couldn’t see it. Too many nights spent pulling double shifts, and he’d come home to find all his clothes on the front lawn. A woman could only put up with so much.Other cops had wives and families. They worked their shifts and they went home. Jack’s problem was that he didn’t know how to leave his work at the office. All he’d ever wanted to be was a cop�"the best cop that he could be, working his way slowly up through the ranks. In another ten years, he’d be a captain, maybe higher than that. Maybe then he’d be able to delegate.�śI’m not in love, but I might be in lust.” His eyes had wandered to her thighs. The sight of all that bare skin only a few inches away had his breath coming faster. His sister’s presence had put a damper on things, but one smile from Honey, and he’d be ready to go all over again.It wasn’t only lust.The Honey he’d been in love with had been young, wild, and dangerous. Not innocent�"never innocent. She’d been the perfect object of affection for a teenager who was desperate to rebel.Now he was older, wiser. He didn’t want a dangerous woman�"an unrepentant car thief�"but he could see himself with a respectable mechanic. A small business owner. For a while, anyway.If she was being honest about her life. So far, she seemed too good to be true.Jack shook his head, trying to clear away the unaccustomed thoughts. He needed a shower. The cold water would reduce his bruises, clean the sweat from his skin, and quiet his raging libido.But he shouldn’t leave the room, not with Jessica coming back any minute. The two women were bad enough apart. He couldn’t imagine the trouble they’d get into if they ever teamed up.He stood, unbuckling his holster and slipping off his coat. He reached up to start unbuttoning his shirt. His arm ached.�śI like you, too.” Honey pushed his hands aside. Nimble fingers made short work of the small fastenings. A sharp tug, and she was pulling his undershirt out of his pants. Another few minutes, and he’d be completely undressed.Completely exposed.So far, Honey had only seen his split lip. If she got any further, she’d uncover the gash on his chest. Seventeen stitches�"the result of a thug wielding a broken bottle�"plus more bruises than he could count.He took a step backward. Leaving Honey alone with his sister might be a bad idea, but staying would be downright dangerous.�śThere’s food in the refrigerator. Help yourself to anything you want. I’m going to take a shower.”�Ś� �śUnbelievable,” Honey said after he’d left the room. Jack Ogden had mooned over her for a year. �śUn�"freaking�"believable.”She spun on the balls of her feet, turning to pace across the empty apartment.Jack’s place was nice. Modern, with an open floor plan. In Venice, it was near the ocean while still being off the beaten path, and�"better�"it was a place where no one would ever think to look for her. His reputation as a cop made it even safer. Extra insurance.Just like the gun he’d pointed at her.It was a beautiful apartment, too. Hardwood floors, wall-length windows, and a king-size bed in the other room with a comfy mattress and creamy Egyptian cotton sheets.She’d broken into his home, helped herself to his cookies, and yet the only time she’d felt like a criminal was while she was stretched across Jack’s bed, luxuriating on top of rich covers.Things were different now. She’d been invited. Okay, maybe not invited, but Jack certainly knew she was here. That meant he trusted her, right?Pipes rumbled. The shower started.She trusted him, too. He could keep her safe.At least, that’s what she’d thought, standing in a Walmart parking lot last night. Going to her family would mean putting someone she cared about in danger. She couldn’t do that. Not again.Her grandfather had died from a stroke while she was in prison. Her uncle had delivered the bad news through the bulletproof glass of a prison visiting room. If someone had found him earlier, her grandfather would have made it. If there’d been someone living at the house.Instead, he’d died gasping for breath on the kitchen floor.Her fault. Hot-wiring Jack’s car had been stupid, impulsive. But that was always her problem. She never thought things through first. She never thought about the consequences�Ś Regret for what she’d done still haunted her.But Jack didn’t need her help, and he didn’t require her protection. He was so squeaky clean, so untouchable. She’d figured that nothing she did could hurt him. She’d hoped his apartment would be a place where she could rest and recuperate while she searched for the person who’d burned down her house.She’d even thought Jack might help with that. Cops had connections. Resources. Jack’s badge could open doors.And it was probably lying right at her feet.Honey bent down to pick up the coat from where he’d left it on the floor. Double-checking what she already knew. Inside left pocket. A shiny metal shield in a worn leather carrying case. Tall letters squeezed awkwardly into the small space: detective.�śDamn.”Jack wasn’t going to help her. Even if he’d agree, she couldn’t ask. Not after Jessica’s soap opera confrontation. Oh, you’re the Honey who broke Jack’s heart? Imagine that!Followed by Jack’s fumbling attempt to introduce her as his �śfriend.”He would have walked over broken glass for her, and she’d acted like a jilted lover. A little girl with an unrequited crush. She didn’t deserve the way he’d looked at her this morning. Not after how she’d treated him.He’d been her first love. What she’d felt was pure and true, but she’d shot it through the heart, and she wasn’t that girl anymore. Spending more time in Jack’s company would mean leading him on. She might be able to do that to another man, but she couldn’t do it to him.She had to get out of there before Jack got back. Or his sister.The badge felt heavy in her hand. The full weight of his authority. Her fingers curled inward, squeezing so tight she could feel its sharp edges eating into her palm. Her adrenaline kicked up a notch, making her breath come faster and her heart hum.Her grandfather had always said that running to a cop for help was a fool’s mission. �śBaby girl,” he would announce, �śthe only protection you’ll ever have is your wits.”It had been years since she’d done anything bad. Years since she’d stolen a car or acted on the slightest impure thought.But Jack was right.Nothing had changed. Not really. He was still an upstanding member of society, and she was still a wild child with a smile on her lips and a song in her black heart.She grabbed the badge and headed for the door. Halfway there, she backtracked long enough to pick up Jack’s gun and handcuffs off the kitchen table.He already thought she was a criminal. She might as well prove him right.Chapter Four� Honey ignored the phone the first time it rang. Answering a cell phone while driving was dangerous. Especially when it belonged to someone else. Namely, Jack.She ignored it the second time, too. The third time, she took half a second to think before picking it up. �śJack Ogden’s phone. Jack’s not available at the moment�"”�śDamn right, I’m not available.” A familiar angry growl. �śYou stole my car!”�śBorrowed. I borrowed your car.”Honey let out a satisfied murmur as she shifted Jack’s black 1969 Dodge Super Bee into gear. Classic American muscle with a coupe body and a ramcharger hood. Most Super Bees had been cheap toys, stripped-down versions of better cars. Jack’s was different.Revving the car’s engine, Honey could hear the 426 Hemi purr. There had only been 166 of them made. A few years ago she’d tried to track one down for herself, but most of them had vanished into the violence of stock car races. The few surviving cars were locked up in fancy collections. She couldn’t buy one if she saved every penny she came across for the next ten years. Worse, she couldn’t even steal one.Not that she stole cars anymore.Stealing cars was childish, dangerous. It could get people hurt. Changing her ways hadn’t been easy, though she’d never been a career criminal like some of the other people in her family. The only thing she really missed was the cars.�śIt’s a beautiful machine,” she said. �śThanks for the loan.”�śSure.” Jack’s voice had turned silky, hard. �śYou borrowed the car, and you left the keys. You know, Honey, I almost believed that nonsense you were telling me. �ŚI’m a changed woman. I’ve reformed.’ Liar.”�śNow, now.” Honey shifted easily, getting off the highway. �śI have reformed.”She’d quit boosting cars even before she stole Jack’s police cruiser. That had been a fluke. After sneaking her very first bottle of champagne with her cousin Barney, she’d gone for a walk to clear her head. The patrol car had been sitting there, less than a block from the wedding reception, with a shotgun locked to the cage and a copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude on the passenger seat.She’d known it was Jack’s car. He was the only cop in Los Angeles who liked to read Gabriel García M�Ąrquez.Knowing it was Jack’s was what had made it so exciting.She’d been letting herself through the door when her Uncle Mike called and asked her to pick up an extra case of beer from the house. She’d known better than to steal a police car. If she hadn’t been tipsy already, she never would have done it.Never would have ended up in jail for a year and a half.Jack had done the right thing by sending her up. She’d figured that out after she lost her grandfather.�śYou’re nothing but a low-down, dirty, rotten�"”�śIs that any way for a gentleman to talk?”He snorted angrily. �śDon’t tell me you’ve never heard it before, sweetheart.”�śOf course I’ve heard it,” Honey said. �śJust not from anyone with political aspirations.”�śYou took my badge and my gun.”�śUh-huh.” Honey glanced at the passenger seat, where she’d tossed the items in question. �śSure are shiny.”The crash of the receiver hitting a hard surface was followed by a buzz, then silence.Honey smiled, dropped the phone onto the seat, and shifted into third.The inside of the Super Bee smelled like coffee. Underneath that scent, there was another one, masculine and indefinable. When she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine Jack sitting in the passenger seat beside her.With the windows rolled down and the music blasting, they could drive all the way up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco. They could stop on the way and eat seafood pulled fresh from the ocean.She laughed at herself. What a fantasy.But she could do it alone. She’d never been to San Francisco. After that, she could go anywhere in the world. Chicago, Boston, New York City. Or abroad, maybe. She’d taken French in school, but the Spanish she’d picked up on the streets of Los Angeles was even better. She could go to Mexico.It would have to wait until she figured out who was trying to kill her. Some people might have seen their house burning down as a reason to leave town. Not Honey. She’d only ever run away from a fight once in her life. At the time, it had seemed like her only option.It had been a mistake.She circled her block twice, but she didn’t see anyone lying in wait for her to come home. She parked two houses away, pulling the Super Bee into an empty driveway. At ten o’clock in the morning, most of her neighbors were at work. They wouldn’t mind if she used the space.Honey grabbed Jack’s gun and his badge as she got out of her car. She hustled down the street toward her house, trying to keep her eyes open, alert to anything out of the ordinary. But she wasn’t a cop. She was a mechanic working out of a rented garage bay near her house. An artist with an internal combustion engine who moonlighted as a bartender for her Uncle Mike to make ends meet. Neither of those jobs had trained her to notice evil men lurking in the bushes.Luckily, no one jumped out at her.When she arrived at the house, she remembered that her keys were in Jack’s bathroom, along with the pajamas she’d been wearing the night before. Exactly where she’d dropped them when she changed into Jack’s T-shirt.Opening car doors was easy, especially on older vehicles without modern alarm systems built in, but she’d never been a burglar. She would have been stuck waiting in the hall the night before if Jack’s landlord hadn’t been too distracted by her pajamas to wonder why she needed his key.Even if she had her own keys, they would only have helped her get through her front door’s two dead bolts. They wouldn’t have helped with the shiny new padlock the police had put up to stop anyone undeterred by yellow crime scene tape.Some kind soul had already closed the place up, covering the shattered windows with heavy boards borrowed from the new fence her neighbor had put in a week earlier. It wasn’t a permanent repair, but it would keep animals and teenagers with spray-paint from doing any more damage.The front of the house was impregnable.Walking around the side of the building, she let out a breath. The side window had escaped the fire undamaged, and no one had closed it. Honey put a hand on either side of the screen, lifted herself up, and crashed her way through. Her shoulder slammed into the ground, her body crumpling awkwardly against the remnants of her coffee table. Not exactly the most graceful move she’d ever made, but it got her where she wanted to go.The living room looked like the inside of a charcoal briquette. She bit her lip to keep from crying. If the crater in the floor was any indication, the fire had centered under her couch. The area by the hall door was clearer.Moving forward, she tested each step before putting her full weight down.In the hallway the soot merely stained the walls instead of being embedded in it. The house was a mess. Burned plaster was scattered across the floor. Even the parts of the house that had survived the fire hadn’t escaped completely unscathed. A direct hit from a fire hose had turned her bureau into a sodden mess. Standing next to it, the scent of mildew almost overpowered the stench of smoke. Everything smelled like smoke.Ducking around the corner, she let out a sigh of relief when she saw her dryer. The door was closed. Yanking it open, she took in a deep breath. The clothing inside smelled like citrus dryer sheets. She changed quickly, pulling on clean underwear, a T-shirt, and a pair of short shorts.After changing she resumed the inspection. Except for the flame scars and the water damage, everything was exactly where she’d left it. Right down to the jewelry box she kept hidden in her linen closet under the towels.She opened the box. All her jewelry was still there, everything down to the gold cross she’d been given for her first communion.�śDamn it.” It should’ve been good news, finding her jewelry untouched, but there were only a few things of value in her house, and the jewelry topped the list. If the arsonist hadn’t wanted it�"if the fire hadn’t been to cover up a theft�"why had he burned down her house?One terrifying thought kept circling back to her. The fire wasn’t about her house or her things. It was about her. Someone wanted her dead.She grabbed an old canvas backpack from her bedroom closet and tossed the box inside. Like a thousand other houses in the San Fernando Valley, Honey’s place had been built out of cardboard. It was easy enough to break into. That’s why her grandfather had installed a safe in the crawl space under the house�"to keep his valuables away from prying eyes and petty thieves.Her nose wrinkled at the thought.The safe wasn’t exactly a secret. Honey had lain awake at night as a kid listening to grown men crawling around under her bed. Most of them were relatives.The safe was large and old-fashioned. A metal box with a lock built into the door. How much damage could the fire have done to it?No time like the present to find out. She tucked Jack’s badge into the backpack with an album full of family photos from the top of her dresser and a strand of pearls she’d left on her bathroom sink. She slung the backpack over her shoulder and walked outside, pushing the gun into her waistband. The heavy weight at the small of her back made her walk a little straighter.�śOkay, Honey,” she said. �śYou can do this.”It was worse than she’d remembered. The crawl space hadn’t suffered any damage during the fire, but it was dusty, dirty, and small.Too damn small.The safe was all the way at the back. Honey took one deep breath, then another, struggling to fill her lungs with air.When she reached the safe, she found it undamaged. That was something.Reaching out, her fingers skimmed over the dial, making it spin easily. Four numbers. Not random, the combination commemorated the day that her grandfather had met her grandmother during World War II.What had started as a light flirtation had turned into a marriage that lasted five years and three days, until the morning her grandmother ran off to greener pastures. That was all the old man would say, that his first wife �śran off to greener pastures.”Six months later, he’d remarried, but the combination to his safe hadn’t changed.After wrenching open the safe’s door, she took a quick inventory. A sheaf of paper, some velvet jewelry boxes, and a black address book.Nothing to write home about.Certainly nothing to burn down a home for. It was the same odd collection of artifacts that had been there the last time she’d opened the safe, five days earlier. She tossed everything into the backpack, pausing at the last moment to open the address book. Her fingers fumbled with the heavy envelope she’d slipped inside the safe a week earlier. At the time, she’d thought hiding the envelope in the safe was overkill. Now she wasn’t so sure. She didn’t know what was inside the envelope, but it was important. Important enough to kill for? She tucked it into the backpack and tried to turn around.It had been too long. Her body didn’t work like that anymore.She was stuck, suffocating in a tiny little hole. For one long moment, her lungs burned. As she wriggled backward, her knees scraped over the rough gravel. She bit her lip to muffle a painful cry.�śYou need some help?”Honey’s head jerked upward and smacked into a wooden floor joist.�śThat’s got to hurt.” A warm laugh. �śThink we match?”�śDamn it, Jack.”Unbelievable. What the hell was he doing here?Honey squeezed her eyes shut. She reached around behind her to retrieve his gun before wriggling the rest of the way out of the crawl space.The backpack fell to the ground as she stood up and turned, swinging the gun upward in a smooth, powerful motion.Firearms were dangerous. Given a choice, she’d rather have a sharp knife and a running head start. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t shoot if she needed to. Her cousins had taken her out to the desert in old trucks with big tires, driving off the road to find someplace to shoot at cans until they got bored.Jack’s gun was a nine-millimeter semi-automatic. Heavier then she’d prefer, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She took a perfect shooting stance�"feet shoulder-width apart, hands wrapped carefully around the grip. It was only after she knew she was ready for whatever came next that she allowed herself to look at him.�śYou’re looking good,” she said.Freshly showered and clean-shaven, Jack gave her a cool smile. His sea green T-shirt clung to muscular arms and defined abs, and his blue jeans still had creases in them from where they’d been folded.In a sharp suit and button-down shirt last night�"Jack’s detective uniform�"he’d been the same rich kid she’d wanted so many years earlier, all grown up. Out of her league. But dressed like this, Jack was more accessible. The man of her dreams.She braced herself to meet his deep blue eyes.He wasn’t looking at her face. He wasn’t even looking at the gun. His gaze was locked halfway in between. What the hell?�śWhat are you looking at?” she demanded. �śIs there a spider on my boob?�śNo spider, just your T-shirt.”�śIt’s a uniform shirt.” Honey let go of the gun with one hand to tug self-consciously at the shirt’s neckline. �śI wear it when I’m passing drinks for my Uncle Mike.”�śI like the color.”�śSure.” The shirt was white. The neckline was rounded and low, revealing more than she cared to show on a sunny morning. Two words were emblazoned across her chest: �śDrink Moore.”Blood rushed to her face, making her cheeks hot. The shirt was one of her favorites. She’d always thought of it as slightly naughty, but the way Jack was staring at her made her feel obscene. Not entirely in a bad way.�śWhat do you want?”�śFor you to take off your shirt.”For a moment, she thought he was serious. Then he shook his head, the sudden motion indicating a change in topic. �śWhat’s under the house, Honey?”�śYou really want to know?”�śThat’s why I asked.”�śI was checking for structural damage.” Confidence was the key to any good lie, and there was no way she could tell Jack the truth. The safe had survived for more than twenty years, preserving its secrets from feral cats, burglars, and multiple police raids. She wasn’t about to give it up now. Not even to Jack.The items she’d pulled out of it didn’t look dangerous, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be used to send a friend of hers to prison for life. And the envelope�"well, she didn’t know what to think about that. She needed to make a closer inspection of it without a detective breathing down her neck.�śI’d appreciate your opinion if you think you can fit down there,” she added.�śI’ll take your word for it.” Jack shifted forward slightly. �śI saw inside. The place looks like a war zone. Someone doesn’t like you very much.”�śI can take care of myself.”�śThat’s what I’m afraid of.”�śHow did you find me?” In all the years they’d known each other, he’d only been to her house once before�"the night they’d snuck into the movies.He’d been sixteen for all of two days, still getting used to the Super Bee’s power. The car had stalled twice on the way to the drive-in, and they’d arrived too late to park inside. That hadn’t stopped them from seeing the movie. He’d given her a boost while she climbed over the fence.As far as she knew, it was the only time in his life he’d broken the rules, and he’d done it because she’d asked.�śWhat are you doing here, Jack?”�śI came for my gun.” He smiled. �śYou know how to use that thing?”Her body was beginning to shake. She bit her lip, forcing herself to remain still. Her arms straightened, regaining that perfect shooting position. �śI can hit a bottle at forty paces.”�śBottles are good practice, but it’s not like hitting a man. Sending your bullet into his flesh. The distance we’re standing, my blood would spray all over you.” He gave her a long, appraising look. �śI don’t think you could do it.”�śMy soft heart will be the death of me.”�śYou just don’t want to go back to jail.”Here she was pointing a gun at his chest, and he was treating her like some kind of joke.Damn him for not respecting her enough to think she was a threat, and damn him for not trusting her. Damn him for making her life harder when all she needed was help.Everything was happening too fast, and it was too much. She couldn’t deal with Jack on top of everything else, not with the burned-out shell of her house only a few feet away.Tears began to roll down her face. She bit her lip to keep from crying out audibly, but it was already too late. A cruel sob exploded from her throat, making her entire body shake.�śDamn you.”�śIt’s all right, Honey.” He was trying to be reassuring, but his voice sounded rough and abrasive. �śEverything’s going to be okay.”He took a quick step forward, too fast for her to figure out what was going on. Pushing the gun out of the way, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in tight against him. The minty scent of his toothpaste overpowered the stench of smoke that still hung in the air. The warm chest and strong muscles that had made her feel so safe the night before were stifling in the mid-morning heat.No matter how hard she struggled, he just stood there, blocking out the sun.�śYou left without saying anything. I was worried about you.”�śWorry.” She squeezed her eyes shut. �śYou were worried about your badge, your gun, and your car.”�śDamn straight. Do you know what happens if a police officer loses his gun? It’s not like I can go down to the corner store and buy another with my six-pack of beer. Internal Affairs gets involved. That’s something I can’t have.” Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. A bird cried out. Jack dropped his head closer to her ear. �śI’m glad you’re okay.”One of his hands enveloped hers, taking the gun away. When he finally had the weapon in his grasp, he let out a sigh of relief. �śYou shouldn’t play with guns. You could have hurt yourself.”�śI was going to hurt you.”�śYou weren’t going to hurt me, Honey.” His chest rumbled with silent laughter. �śYou had the safety on.”�śI didn’t know.” Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to calm the screaming in her head.So much had happened, it was hard to keep everything straight. Between her house burning down and the way she’d felt with Jack’s lips on hers, his hands moving across her body, she was finding it hard to concentrate.A soft kiss landed on her mouth, real and reassuring. The flutter of his lips against hers. Nothing harsh or predatory, but it touched her somewhere deep inside. Despite everything else that had happened, Jack Ogden was a good man, stalwart and trustworthy.Damn him.�śWill you help me?” she asked.And then�"because that might not be enough�"her lips formed another word. One she didn’t use often. �śPlease.”Chapter Five� �śWow.” Jack’s first reaction was shock. It was also his second reaction. �śI never thought I’d hear you say that.”Please. One word. Six letters. Jack couldn’t have been more surprised if Honey had gotten down on her knees and begged for his help.�śI need you.” Honey flushed. She wasn’t used to asking people for help.�śI know.” He wasn’t going to let her down. Even if she had pointed a gun at him. Her hands were sweaty, her breath coming fast. She was terrified. That wasn’t acceptable. Not while he had air in his lungs. �śI should take you down to the station. Get a formal statement.”As soon as he said it, Jack knew he’d made a mistake. A formal statement was never going to happen. If she’d wanted to go to the police, she’d have stuck around for the cops last night. Honey was the kind of woman who solved her own problems, and this time she was asking him for help. He wouldn’t let her down, even if it meant waiting and taking her statement back at his house.He nodded toward the burned-out building. �śWere you inside?”�śI was supposed to be.”�śDamn.” So it wasn’t just arson. It was attempted murder.Someone wanted Honey dead.Standing in her backyard, less than ten feet from the husk of her house, she was a sitting duck for any villain who decided to come looking for her in order to finish what they’d started the night before. He had a dozen questions he wanted to ask her about the fire, but first he needed to make sure she was safe.�śLet’s get out of the open, sweetheart.”Nothing happened. �śI’ll take you out to breakfast,” he added.Breakfast seemed to be the magic word, because her head started nodding against his chest.�śI could use some coffee.” She stepped backward, tightening her grip on the backpack she was carrying. The bag was heavy, weighed down by contents that shifted and bulged when she moved.There was definitely something in the crawl space under the house�"or there had been until a few minutes ago. Now it was in the bag.Prying might give him some answers�"a hint as to what was going on�"but it would also make Honey pull away, and he couldn’t risk that. He turned her, slipped one arm around her waist, and began to lead her back toward the parked cars.He’d take care of this. What kind of police officer would he be if he couldn’t figure out who had set fire to one house? What kind of man would he be if he couldn’t keep Honey safe?�śWhere do you want to go?”�Ś� Slumped in the passenger seat of the Super Bee, Honey took one deep breath after another. Her grandfather’s words rang in her mind. The only protection you’ll ever have is your wits.Still, she felt calmer with Jack sitting beside her. Her wits might be powerful protection, but it sure felt nice to be able to count on his broad shoulders and strong right hook.Jack’s hand dropped down to rest on her knee, the move familiar, possessive, and surprisingly reassuring.�śDon’t worry, Honey. Everything’s going to be all right,” he promised. �śI’m not going to let anything happen to you.”He took his hand off her leg long enough to pull the car out of the driveway and throw it into gear. Then his long fingers were back, squeezing her knee, working their way slowly up her thigh.�śEverything’s going to be all right,” he repeated.No amount of kind words could stop the hair on the back of her neck from standing up. �śJack,” she said, a short gasp. �śJack�"”�śWhat is it, Honey?” He drew each word out, like he was talking to a child. �śYou want me to turn on the radio?”They pulled out of the small side street onto a major thoroughfare. Four lanes in each direction, heading toward the freeway.�śSomething’s wrong. Something�Ś” Staring out the window, straight into the side mirror, Honey took a deep breath.The wrongness was only a feeling, an itch at the base of her spine, until she saw a car switching lanes behind them. A boxy sedan in a nondescript color somewhere between beige and green. Aftermarket headlights made it look heavy, ominous. Fog lights that had cut through the darkness the night before like a knife.�śThere.” Honey twisted in her seat to point at the car. �śThat’s the guy who burned down my house.”He sucked in a sharp gust of air. �śWhat are you talking about?”�śThat car. It was outside my house last night. Jack, please�"” He had to believe her. They were in danger. �śIt followed me last night.”�śYou can’t know that for sure,” he said. �śThere have to be a hundred cars like that in this city. Maybe a thousand.” But a second later, he yanked the steering wheel to one side. Making a sharp right without signaling, he sent the Super Bee off down a side street. Two blocks of calm, quiet, and then the sedan turned onto the street behind them.�śIt’s a coincidence,” he said.Neither of them believed it.Another turn.�śWait.” In the mirror, Honey could see the boxy sedan idling at the corner. �śThey’re slowing down.”�śThey’re giving us time to pull ahead.” Jack kept one eye on the rearview mirror. �śThat’s a good thing. The driver doesn’t know he’s been spotted.”�śPut your foot on the gas.” They needed speed. The sedan was getting closer with every passing second. A lead foot on the gas pedal was the only thing that could save them.Last night, she’d darted through traffic for forty-five minutes before finally losing the sedan on a freeway entry ramp. Luckily, the Super Bee was faster than her old truck.�śCome on, Jack,” Her teeth were clenched. �śThat thing’s a boat. You can outrun it any day of the�"”�śI’m not outrunning anyone.” Another quick turn. �śNot in a residential neighborhood.”It was Saturday at eleven in the morning. No one was on the streets. They were all sleeping in.The only person whose safety she was worried about was her own. �śOh, sweet lord, why did I let you drive? Pull over, we’re switching seats.”�śOver my dead body. This is my car. I’m driving.” Jack leaned forward slightly. �śI can lose him on Eucalyptus. This guy’s a good driver, but he doesn’t know the neighborhood.”�śHe’s not the only one who doesn’t know the neighborhood.”She twisted around to look at the sedan and thought of something else. Nothing said they had to run away. If they faced the sedan’s driver now, they’d have the element of surprise.�śLet’s get this over with. Turn around.”�śLike hell.”�śI thought you were going to help me.”�śI am helping you.”�śThen why aren’t you listening to me?” Her voice broke on the last word.�śAll right, Honey.” Jack took a deep breath. �śWhat do you think we should do?”Turn around.A short confrontation and a quick ending. The sedan’s ominous occupants against Jack’s gun. It could all be over in a matter of moments.Rough justice. Her blood sang at the thought.Of course, it could always go the other way. There was no telling how the sedan’s driver was armed. A man who could burn a house down, putting nearby homes and families in danger�Śhe could do anything. He could do anything to Jack.�śRun.” Honey licked her lips. �śNot Eucalyptus. Take Porter.”Porter was narrow, a small alley between two larger roads. It was also a straight shot to the Santa Monica pass. Five minutes, and they could be home free.�śFine.” Jack bit his lip. Porter was still six blocks away, but now the houses were whipping by, one grassy front lawn after another. He reached up to adjust his rearview window for a better view of the following car.Two quick turns, and they were accelerating down Porter.Thunk.The sedan rammed into the back of the Super Bee loud enough to make Honey jump.Jack hurried to shift, taking them up a gear.�śI guess they figured out our plan.” He goosed the gas pedal, and the car let out a low roar.Another collision. This time harder, faster.�śThey’re going to run us into a wall,” Jack growled.�śNot a chance.”Honey’s head was spinning, first with terror and then with dozens of ideas. It was all happening too fast. She took a deep breath, forcing air into her lungs.This wasn’t right.The Super Bee was a classic. Looks, muscle, and speed. The bad guys shouldn’t be able to catch up. This was a race between modern fiberglass and heavy steel, and�"That was it. Steel.�śStop.” Her hand snapped out, grabbing Jack’s bicep. �śThe next time they try to ram us, you need to stop.”�śYou want to let them ram my car?”�śI don’t care what kind of aftermarket engine they’ve got in that car, it’s still a piece of crud. A sedan like that, probably made in the late eighties, early nineties. The front bumper’s all Styrofoam and plastic.”Honey tugged at her seat belt, double-checking to make sure it was fastened securely. This was going to work. Definitely.Probably.�śThis car is made out of steel. The best Detroit has to offer. We stop short, and they’re going to ram straight into us. That car will split in two.”�śYeah, but what’s it going to do to my car?”�śNot much. If we’re damaged at all, it will be a dented bumper.”Jack’s body was tense. His teeth dug into his bottom lip. Being chased through the streets of Los Angeles by bad guys, that was fine. It was the thought that his precious car might get hurt that had him hyperventilating.�śI’ll fix it myself,” she said. Behind them, the sedan sped up, preparing to ram them again. Honey squeezed Jack’s arm tighter. �śI promise.”The Super Bee’s breaks squealed, bringing them to a sudden stop.A second passed.Two.Then the collision.Crash. Bam. Bang.Paint against paint. Metal on plastic. The force sent the Super Bee hurtling forward. Glass rained down around them, the noise of it hitting the top of the car like hail on a cold day. The seat belt dug into Honey’s body hard enough to bruise.�śDamn it,” Jack groaned. �śHoney.” His head slumped forward, his chin resting heavily on his chest. �śAre you all right?”�śI’m okay.”The Super Bee hadn’t crumpled, but the crash had been worse than Honey expected. Turning in her seat, she could hear screams over the ringing in her ears. Crying.Sobs coming out of her own mouth.The sedan’s front bumper had torn off entirely. The windshield was gone. The doors had crumpled.Honey’s head was pounding. Her muscles ached.The world spun awkwardly for a long moment.It must have been longer than she thought, because when she came back to herself, she could hear sirens out the car’s open window.Things had gotten very serious, very fast.Her entire life, she’d never once called the police. Not as a criminal. Not even as a law-abiding citizen. Calling the police meant putting herself out there, putting herself in danger. It would draw attention to her actions and to her neighborhood.She wiped away her tears. �śWhat are you going to tell them?”�śThe truth.” Jack cleaned his face on the edge of his sleeve, frowning.He shook his head. �śI can’t tell them the truth, can I? Not without admitting you stole my gun. My badge. Is that three strikes?” His nostrils flared. �śIt doesn’t matter, even if I don’t tell them. They’ll want to know why you didn’t make a statement last night. Things will get really complicated really fast. You could end up going to jail for a very long time.”Honey’s stomach turned.Outside, it was a beautiful day. The sun hung high in the sky, bright gold against a cerulean sky. Inside, she felt tired, hurt, and sick. Jack was the most honest man she knew. A shining knight on a white horse. A genuine hero. And he was willing to lie to the police for her.�śI’m sorry,” she said.�śYou better be. You know what’ll happen if Internal Affairs finds out about this? They won’t stop at suspension. I’ll be finished. Forever. I’ll be lucky if I’m fired. They might stick me on a traffic detail for the rest of my life.”Jack climbed out of the car, swearing under his breath as his shoulder slammed against the top of the car door.�śI’m so sorry,” she repeated, if only to herself.Chapter Six� In the daylight, Jack’s apartment was bright and cheerful.Honey hated it.Why did he get to live in a pretty place when her house looked like charcoal? She was a good person. Most of the time.She went to church. Occasionally.She deserved something good to happen in her life, not a damn fire.Her head throbbed. Frayed nerves made it hard to think. Someone was trying to kill her. She took a deep breath, struggling to stay focused on what was going on in front of her.With a sigh, she ate a cookie. Chocolate chip. Dry. Brittle.If she was going to spend any real time at Jack’s, she’d have to make a grocery run. She’d been through his kitchen�"twice�"and the results were distressing. All he had was fair-trade coffee and organic fruit. She was going through junk food withdrawal.�śStop that.” A big hand grabbed at the box she was holding. �śYou’re going to ruin your appetite.”�śI still can’t believe you cook.”It had been her idea to go back to Jack’s apartment when they finished giving their statements to the police. Apparently, a badge was good for more than asking questions. It had also been a �śget out of trouble fast” pass with the uniformed officers who’d responded to the car accident. There’d barely been enough time for Honey to retrieve her bag and Jack’s phone from the Super Bee before one of the patrolmen gave them a ride home.After the morning’s excitement, she’d figured all she needed was a cup of coffee and a handful of cookies�"good cookies�"and she’d be back on top. Jack was the one who’d insisted on cooking.It wasn’t fair. Good looks, great apartment, and the ability to bring her breakfast in bed. All those times she’d thought about him as the perfect man, she’d been joking. Mostly. But it wasn’t a joke. He really was perfect.�śI think I hate you,” Honey said.�śIt’s not like I’m making crème br�lée. I’m reheating waffles, frying some bacon, and poaching a couple of eggs.”That was true. With a little time and a lot of effort, she could make a better breakfast, but she hadn’t been on a grocery run in weeks, and what was left of her raw supplies was a pile of sludge. Besides, her bacon never lasted until breakfast. No matter how hard she tried to maintain her self-control, she always ended up eating it while watching the eleven o’clock news.�śWe could get married. I could live here, and you could cook.”Jack stilled, his entire body frozen in place by her words.Fine. She knew they weren’t going to get married. He didn’t like her, and she was trying to avoid death by fireball. The idea had been insane, an off-handed comment intended to provoke a laugh, but that didn’t mean he had to look like he’d seen a ghost.After a long moment, he finally let out a breath. �śAren’t you getting ahead of yourself, Honey?”�śRight, you don’t even like me.”�śOh, I like you.” Jack’s grin was cocky. Self-satisfied.He went back to cooking, using a spatula to remove bacon from the sizzling frying pan and placing it carefully on the plate he’d already prepared with two layers of paper towels. Even that small action was enough to make muscles shift, drawing her attention to the way his shirt pulled across his biceps.�śI really like you,” he said. �śBut there’s still the little question of how we’d be in bed.”She put down the cookies and leaned forward to snag a piece of bacon. The long strip of meat was juicy. It burnt the tips of her fingers. She took a quick bite, downing it hungrily.Heaven.She licked her fingers clean. �śMaybe we’d be better off as friends. I’m not very good at sex.”Jack dropped his spatula. �śExcuse me?”�śI’m not very good at sex. At least, that’s what my ex said.” He’d said a lot of things during their last fight. Some of them were even true.The rest of the bacon sat on the plate, glistening, begging her to eat it. A quick reach, and another piece was in her hands. This time she ate it a little slower, nibbling daintily. �śI’m frigid.” She held her breath, daring him to correct her.�śTrust me, sweetheart. You’re not frigid.” He turned off the stove’s burners and began to arrange the food on plates. Piling it on in a show of excess. �śNo one who kisses the way you do could be frigid.”Her mouth was watering, but it wasn’t for waffles, or even bacon. Not when Jack was staring at her with lust in his eyes.His tongue darted out to moisten lips she knew were firm and luscious, capable of making her forget all her problems.He was a double fudge sundae with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and cookie crumbles. Beautiful. Rich. Bad for her.That didn’t stop her from wanting to take a big, gooey bite.Heat rushed through her body. Hoo boy.Lust made her forget about the bumps and bruises she’d earned earlier in the day. Her face got warm. Her toes started tingling. Pressure grew deep in her belly. She didn’t feel frigid. Not at the moment.�śSex is disappointing.” That much was true. �śAll that heaving and moaning without getting anyplace. I’d rather have a fast car and an open highway.”She was leaning against the kitchen counter, the butcher-block work surface digging into her back. Only a few feet separated them.Jack had a devilish glint in his eye. �śSometimes it pays to take things slow.”With his long legs, it took him only a single step to close the gap between them. This time, his kiss wasn’t just wild and passionate. It was purposeful. A sure sign of things to come.His hand moved to her hip, fingers pushing up her T-shirt to touch bare skin, his thumb dipping beneath the waistband of her shorts.This wasn’t the morning’s sleepy confusion, small motions amplified by proximity, curiosity, and Honey’s desperate need to feel something. This was something else entirely. Slow. Thought out.Jack Ogden wanted her, and she’d be damned if she didn’t want him back in a way that she couldn’t begin to understand.He moved with painful patience. His kisses tasted like the orange juice and coffee he’d been drinking a moment earlier. One arm wrapped around her back to support her while the other reached up under her shirt. His breath caught in his throat when he discovered she wasn’t wearing a bra. The pads of his fingers were rough against her delicate skin.�śDamn.” He tugged the T-shirt off over her head in one quick motion.When he kissed her again, she could feel his lips tilting upward into a full smile, and then his mouth began to move down her neck, across her collarbone, until his breath was hot against her breasts.His free hand moved between her legs, cupping her through soft denim, then dropping to toy with the frayed edge of her shorts. Searching up underneath.Too much fabric between them.Her hips jerked forward, desperate for his touch, but he kept teasing her, bringing her closer and closer to the point of pleasure without pushing her over the edge.She dug her hands into his back, trying to pull him closer. His desire was hard against her hip. Muscles tensed in his back. His arm tightened around her waist, lifting her up and depositing her on the counter with a thud.His mouth never left her breasts.His hand moved up to the waistband of her denim shorts, unbuttoning the clasp in one quick motion. The sound of her zipper being pulled down became audible over her panting breath and the passing traffic on the street below.�śThe food’s getting cold,” he said. �śYou’re going to have to ask me to stop.”�śDon’t stop.”That was all the encouragement he needed.He stroked her. Gently at first, then harder. A quick move backward, tugging her shorts off, and then he was back in position.His hand slipped under her cotton panties, resting there possessively for a long moment. When he glanced down, his body began to shake with pent-up laughter.�śIce cream cones. You really have panties with ice cream cones?”�śThey came in a set. Sweet treats. I have ice cream cones, lollipops, donuts, and muffins. I used to have a pair with strawberry shortcake, but I lost them skinny dipping at the beach.”Why was she babbling? This wasn’t the time to be babbling. It was the time to be focusing on the way he made her feel. Special, like she was the only woman in the entire world.She closed her eyes, enjoying the way he was touching her. Gently, slowly. A finger pushed its way inside her. She let out a sharp gasp.�śJack?”�śYes?”What did a woman say to a man with his finger on her clitoris?You can push my button anytime.She felt like she was flying, floating above her body, forced into the air by a wave of pleasure so intense it made everything else simply melt away. He’d been right�"sometimes it was better to take things slow. But it wasn’t only his attention to detail that had her feeling like there were fireworks exploding under her skin. It was Jack Ogden. The man she’d wanted but could never have. The fantasy made flesh.All her regrets over the years, all her mistakes, and she was finally where she’d always hoped to be. In Jack’s arms. Rocketing toward oblivion.�śI want you.” Why was he still wearing so many clothes when the only piece of her clothing left was the pair of panties pulled down around her thighs? She grabbed for his T-shirt, giving it a sharp tug and pulling him even closer. �śI want you inside me.”�śNot yet.” His hand moved down, leaving her feeling empty.Fingers splayed around her thigh, making her muscles tense. He held her in place while he knelt on the ground, a penitent before some pagan altar.She closed her eyes, preparing for what came next.�śNo.” His fingers dug into her thigh. �śI want you to watch.”It took everything she had to open her eyes, and then he was slipping her panties further down. He kissed his way along her hipbone, following a decades-old scar.His curly brown hair was dark against the pale skin of her belly. She could feel his teeth grazing her skin, nipping at her thigh, and then his tongue was on her, and she gasped desperately for air. Honey arched her back, needing to feel him closer, and she groaned when he caught her with his strong hands. Shoulder muscles bulged as he pushed her down against the counter, hard.In a few hours, they’d have matching bruises, but it would be worth it.His tongue moved inside her. Connecting with her core, tasting her, touching her in places she’d never been touched before. Places she hadn’t even known existed.When she finally came in a rush of heat and passion, the pleasure made her scream.Her bones turned to jelly.A deep smile carved itself permanently on her face.She reached down, curling her hands in Jack’s shirt. Tugging at the soft cotton, she felt hard muscle and something else.Something wet.Her eyes opened. She pulled back, concentrating on what was right in front of her. A dark stain on the front of his green T-shirt.Chapter Seven� �śWhat happened?”Jack pushed himself to his feet. It took him a moment to figure out what Honey was talking about.Seeing the blood on his shirt made him feel all the aches and pains he’d been ignoring while she was in his arms. The fight the night before wasn’t something he could recover from with a few hours’ sleep. It would take time, rest. Maybe some fresh stitches.�śJust a little cut. I’m fine.”She tugged up his shirt, taking a quick peek underneath. �śIt’s just a little gaping wound. Why didn’t you tell me how bad the damage was?”�śIt’s not that bad.”Pain was the kind of thing a man liked to be quiet about�"especially a man who’d been raised never to show weakness. People wouldn’t vote for someone they considered weak. He didn’t want the great American political career his mother had always planned for him, but the lessons she’d taught him applied equally well on the mean streets of Los Angeles. Never let them see you bleed.Besides, Honey was depending on him to keep her safe. He needed her to believe in him.�śI’m fine.”�śStay here,” she told him before moving out of reach.Jack closed his eyes and listened to Honey’s footsteps padding through the apartment. What had he done?Standing next to her in the cramped kitchen, every motion had been intimate, bringing them closer together. Taking her in his arms had been inevitable, although he hadn’t actually planned to get all the way to third base with her on the countertop.He’d been following some primal, animalistic instinct. In another couple of seconds, he’d have dragged her down to the floor. He would have entered her easily, hot and hard, his mouth descending on hers so she could taste herself, salty on his lips. Breathing in unison, panting, gasping. His hips would have rocked against hers until she came a second time with his final thrust.Jack shook his head, trying to clear the ringing in his ears.Not in his ears. His cell phone. It rang three times, then stopped. A few seconds later, he heard the distinctive bell that meant he had a voicemail.His eyes opened. He leaned over, retrieving his phone from the floor beside Honey’s backpack.Fourteen messages. Starting the night before and continuing on into the morning.He sank to the floor, listening. The first was from his boss. Hell. The man must think Jack didn’t have a personal life.He was right, according to Jack’s last few girlfriends.Bare feet sounded out against wood floor. Honey was back, his first aid kit in hand. Somewhere along the way she’d found a clean T-shirt, and when she moved, it rode high over her bare thighs.The skin of her throat was still flushed pink, and Jack felt a wave of remorse. A gentleman wouldn’t have pushed her down on a kitchen countertop. He should have taken her to bed. But when she’d told him her ex-boyfriend had called her frigid, he hadn’t been able to help himself. Honey was a sexy, vibrant woman, and the fact that nobody had told her that was a travesty.Jack addressed her over the yammering in his ear. �śI want to apologize. You deserved better. I should have taken my time.”�śAre you kidding?” Her eyes widened in surprise. �śThe sex was amazing.”�śSweetheart, that wasn’t sex.” He grinned. �śBelieve me, when we have sex, you’re going to know it.”�śRight.” Honey flushed all over again.After sitting down beside him, she opened the first aid kit and began to rummage through the contents. She pulled up his T-shirt and tugged at his bandage, slowly tearing it off to take a closer look at last night’s damage.�śI’m the one who should have been more careful,” she murmured quietly. �śI didn’t know.”Trying to hold back the rush of pain, Jack concentrated on the noise from the phone and the way Honey bit her lip when she was nervous.The fingers on his chest were cool, capable. The sharp sting of antiseptic made him groan, but then he was too busy listening to his messages, hearing reports from the field about one travesty after another. The world outside was falling apart, and he’d been too busy fulfilling his own primitive desires to notice.There’d been a fire the night before. His body stiffened when he heard the news. Not at Honey’s. Someplace else. Someplace a whole lot closer to home.Fresh gauze covered his cut, followed by sticky tape that would hurt like nobody’s business when he pulled it off.The last call was from his sister, reminding him that the hospital fund-raiser was in a week. It was going to be Jessica’s shining moment, and he would be attending if she had to stuff him into a tuxedo and nail him to the front of her car to get him there.Jack closed the phone, tossing it to the side in irritation. He had more important things to think about than where he’d left his tuxedo.�śAll right.” His voice was dark. �śI need an answer, now.”�śYou got a question?”�śYou stole something out at Black Palm Park, didn’t you?”�śExcuse me?”�śYours wasn’t the only place torched last night. The police are investigating a fire in Black Palm Park. One of the big houses near the ocean. A man almost died. Logan�"”�śBurrows.”�śHell, you’re not even going to bother denying it.”Logan Burrows. The name was enough to conjure up a wrinkled face and a forceful spirit�"a crotchety old real estate developer with a bad temper and enough money to be dangerous. When he’d moved to Black Palm Park, the bluffs near Malibu had still been known simply as �śthe Palms.” He’d built the roads, the houses, the country club, and the private school Honey hated so much. Rumor was that he’d built the housing complex on a whim because his wife loved the view.These days he spent most of his time giving speeches to civic organizations and writing checks for worthy causes. Jessica loved him.There was no reason for Logan and Honey to be connected, but Jack didn’t believe the fires were coincidental either. Not on the same night.�śThey’ve done some interviews already,” he told her.The job at the Moore house had been a drive-by�"fast, sudden. A crime committed by someone who knew how to blend into the background in a neighborhood where people didn’t pay attention to what was going on in their neighbors’ homes�"not when it could get them hurt.The beach house was another matter entirely. People knew their neighbors in Black Palm Park, and they paid attention. How else would they get to be the first with a juicy piece of gossip down at the country club? The police should have been able to compile a rough sketch, but so far, they’d come up dry.�śYou stole something, didn’t you?”�śI didn’t steal something. I took something.”She was splitting hairs, and they both knew it. �śYou stole something important. From Logan Burrows.”Honey flinched like she’d been slapped. �śI don’t steal things. Not anymore. How could you even think that? I took it, and I never took anything from Logan Burrows.”�śWas it a car?” It had to have been a car to catch Honey’s interest after so many years. Grand theft auto was the first of her sins. She had an addiction to speed and mayhem that she’d never be able to break.He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the pounding in his head. �śI can’t believe I’m sitting here with a criminal. I thought you were the victim. I can’t believe�"”He couldn’t believe he’d practically had sex with her, or that he still wanted to. Even knowing she was up to no good.�śI am the victim,” she insisted. �śMy house burned down. Anyway, I didn’t steal anything. It was already stolen.”�śWhat the hell are you talking about?”�śLast week, Logan came to me. Someone had stolen a car from him, and he didn’t have the skills he needed to retrieve it. I tracked her down to a chop shop in West Hollywood.”�śHer?” Leave it to Honey to give a car a gender. The damn thing probably had a name, too.�śCars like that are always female.” Honey began to put the first aid kit away. One leg was curled under her body, the other dangled in front of her. �śTemperamental, unpredictable, and sexy.”�śUh-huh.”Honey’s brow furrowed slightly. Her lips pulled up into a silent snarl.Her free leg swung idly. All that skin stretching smooth and golden from her neatly turned ankle to her borrowed T-shirt.Jack was finding it hard to focus.�śSo you found out where the car was being stored. You snuck in, and you took it.”�śI told you, I don’t steal anymore, and I don’t sneak. I asked. Nicely.” Back and forth, her leg moved in time with the rhythm of her words. �śA little sweet talk, a case of beer, and the owner handed me the keys. Easiest job I ever pulled.”�śWait, some greaser just gave you the keys? And all you did was flirt?”But it made sense. Honey could flirt like nobody’s business. If she asked him for his keys�"staring up at him with those big green eyes and fluttering ginger lashes�"he’d probably hand them over without a fight, too.But she’d never ask. She didn’t need car keys. Not for the Super Bee.�śWhy didn’t you hot-wire the car?”�śBecause the keys belonged with the car. Because I was paid twenty thousand dollars to find her and get her back to Logan without a scratch. I didn’t even drive the damn thing. I loaded her onto the back of my truck and brought her home. Without a scratch.”Twenty thousand dollars wasn’t a fortune, not in Black Palm Park, but it was a lot of money in Honey’s part of the city. Enough to keep her in spark plugs, funky T-shirts, and ice cream for years. Even so, he didn’t believe there was enough money in the world to keep her from driving a car�"especially the kind of car that earned a twenty-thousand-dollar retrieval fee.�śTwenty thousand bucks? What was it, a Rolls-Royce? A Lamborghini? The actual Aston Martin used in the filming of Goldfinger?”�śA Volvo.”�śA Volvo?” Jack couldn’t keep the laughter from pouring out of him, though it hurt to laugh. All this trouble for a car that any soccer mom would be happy to drive.�śWhat was so special about it? Was it made out of solid gold?”�śFiberglass and polyester. Baby blue finish. Leather interior.”�śThat’s a lot of money for a Volvo. You didn’t think anything was hinky?”�śIt’s not just any Volvo. It’s a Volvo Sport, made in Sweden. Originally designed by a boat builder. Twin carburetors. Three-speed manual gear box.” She talked about the car the way another�"less interesting�"woman would talk about diamonds. He had the sudden impulse to go out and empty his savings account. A Volvo Sport. He’d never even heard of it.�śBetween 1956 and 1957, there were only sixty-seven made,” she said. �śOnly a handful survive today. This one was number sixty-seven. I didn’t believe it, even when he�"even when Logan told me. I had to check the serial number myself. Number sixty-seven. Rumored to be lost sometime in the sixties. That car’s one of a kind. Priceless. Seeing her in a chop shop in West Hollywood was like finding a unicorn in a glue factory.”Maybe it would take more than the contents of his savings account to buy the car. He might have to raid his trust fund.�śI still find it hard to believe you didn’t drive it.”�śNot even a spin around the block. I returned her to Logan’s house, collected my money, and went home.” Her leg stilled. �śI didn’t even talk to Logan when I dropped the car off. He was busy. I left her in the garage and took the money he’d left on the table. Twenty thousand dollars, just like he said, a nice chunk of change for two days’ work. He was so pleased with my efficiency, he threw in a bonus.”�śThat doesn’t sound like Logan Burrows.” The man was known to spend hours grinding his opponent down during negotiations on even the most trivial matters. He paid people for the job they’d done and nothing more. Logan wasn’t the kind to give anyone a bonus, and he wouldn’t have paid Honey twenty thousand dollars to find a car, no matter how nice the vehicle was. Not when she’d do the same thing for a cool five hundred dollars and a night on the town.�śAre you sure it was him?”�śOf course I’m sure. I might not know the man close enough to walk up to him at a party, but he gave the graduation speech my year at the academy. Tall guy, steel-gray hair, big ears.”The description was accurate, if crude.Jack put a hand to his chest, checking her patchwork. It would do. He pulled his T-shirt back down into place. �śWhy didn’t you tell me about this earlier?”It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. All this fuss over a car. He loved the Super Bee, but he wouldn’t kill someone for it.�śThe thief must have set the fires,” he said. �śThe man who stole the car from Logan originally. He must have been angry when he got back to the chop shop. He didn’t get his money. He didn’t get the car. He got screwed, and he wanted revenge.”�śSee, that’s the part I don’t get. I’m not an idiot. It’s not like I handed out business cards. There are a lot of car thieves in Los Angeles, and they’d all like to get their hands on the sixty-seventh Volvo Sport, but this guy didn’t know what he had. He was planning to chop her down for parts.” She frowned. �śIt was like the thief stole the car just to have it destroyed. It’d be like torching�"what’s that famous painting? The one with the woman in the ugly dress.”�śThe Mona Lisa?”�śNo, the other one.”�śWhistler’s Mother?” Jack’s mind scrambled, trying to come up with possible paintings. �śGirl with a Pearl Earring?”�śMarilyn Monroe. With the colors. Who’s it by? Andy Warhol?”�śThat’s not a painting. It’s a print.”For a moment, Jack almost believed the act she was putting on. Just another kid from the inner city who stole cars instead of cracking library books. He caught himself, though. Honey might have shown up to high school with a knack for getting into trouble, but she was smart. More intelligent than most of the trust-fund brats he’d grown up with. And she’d gotten a first-class education at the academy.�śYou know you don’t have to do that, right?” He reached out to smooth a lock of strawberry hair back behind her ears. �śYou don’t have to pretend you don’t know things. I know how smart you are, Honey.”�śI’m not that smart.” Her laughter was a little too loud. �śNot smart enough to stay away from Logan Burrows. I knew better.” She smacked her palm on the floor, a little too hard. �śI knew he was trouble. They’re all trouble. All those rich, spoiled brats from Black Palm Park who think the rules don’t apply to them. Those trust-fund types think they can get away with whatever they want.”Rich, spoiled brats. Trust-fund types. Jack’s entire body stilled. There was a force behind her words�"more than annoyance. Real anger. Rage at the system she didn’t quite understand and the people she’d been forced to deal with for so many years.He was one of those people. Captain of the high school soccer team, dating the head cheerleader, prom king. He knew he’d had certain advantages, but he’d never known how much Honey resented him for it. �śYou don’t like rich guys?”�śAs far as I’m concerned, the world would be a better place if they were all at the bottom of the ocean.”�śI never knew you felt so strongly about it. A lot of your friends have money. You chose to attend Black Palm Park Academy.”�śThose people aren’t my friends. The only reason I went to the academy is because�"” She caught herself. �śNever mind. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”�śNo.” Jack couldn’t let her stop. Not while the force of her words was making her shake with something between anger and despair. �śHoney.” An emotion stirred in his chest, something he’d never felt before. Not about Honey.It was worry. A deep sense of caring. He wanted her to be all right. No matter what else happened, he needed her to be okay. It wasn’t only her physical safety he cared about, either. Her emotional well-being mattered to him. �śYou can talk to me about anything.”This wasn’t something that could be patched with antibacterial ointment and gauze. The only thing that would help Honey was to talk this thing out. Even if it made him feel like death warmed over. �śWhy did you go to the academy?”�śWhen my father died�"” Honey bit her lip. �śMy father’s death knocked me sideways. I had a hard time dealing with it.” She swallowed a ragged breath. �śHe wasn’t a criminal. Did you know that? Everyone knows the Moores are rotten to the core. As bad as they come. He was a college professor. He taught English at UCLA. Byron and Shelley. He wrote poetry.”Poetry. Jack wouldn’t have guessed that. Not in a million years.The entire time he’d known Honey, she’d always been her grandfather’s little girl. Jack had never thought about the man who’d given Honey the Moore name.A college professor who wrote poetry.�śWas it any good?”�śHe got published in some anthologies. He’d just finished a book when he died. Orange Blossom Innocence by Henry Moore.” Honey’s voice shook. �śHe walked into a liquor store robbery. Freak thing. The thief was some druggie looking to finance his next high. No way that anyone could have known. One moment my dad was there, and the next I’m moving from Brentwood to the Valley.”�śIt must have been a hard transition.”Honey swallowed hard, choking back a sob. �śI started acting out, misbehaving and skipping school. I failed eighth grade entirely. They were going to hold me back. Then my grandfather goes out one morning, and when he got back I was enrolled in the academy. Full scholarship.”�śDo you know how he managed that?”�śNo, but I know Logan Burrows had something to do with it.”It made a strange kind of sense. Logan’s name was synonymous with money and power. If anyone could break the rules to get a girl with bad grades and a worse reputation into Black Palm Park Academy, it was Burrows. It would also explain the bonus he’d given Honey for bringing in his car. They had history together.�śYou were lucky.”�śLuck didn’t have anything to do with it. Logan did. They forgave my bad grades, found me a tutor, and let me skate through classes until I got my feet back under me. You helped with that.”Had he? He’d never been able to tell what Honey was thinking�"not the week they’d been together, and definitely not afterward. Not when she’d been more interested in making his life a living hell than pouring out her heart.�śI hated it. Everyone in that school�"they all knew I didn’t belong. My family didn’t have money, power, or influence. We weren’t from Black Palm Park, and no one ever let me forget it.”The experience Honey described was completely foreign to Jack. But then, he’d belonged, in every sense of the word. He’d never really thought about what might happen to the kids who didn’t. �śI never treated you like an outsider.”�śYou were different,” she said. �śYou were special.”If he was so special, why had she turned him away after one kiss? It was a question he’d wanted the answer to for years.Nine days. Three dates. One kiss. Then his entire world had turned upside down.He’d asked her once why she’d left him, but she’d never answered. The possibilities were endless. Insanity, homosexuality, a vow of celibacy.Or he was a really bad kisser.Jack’s cell phone rang, providing the distraction he needed. He leaned sideways to pick it up off the floor, wincing at the pain in his ribs. �śHello?”The call was from a doctor he knew at St. Anne’s emergency room, where the other car’s driver had been taken after the morning’s crash. The doctor was calling to tell him who the victim was: a low-level thug. Not a name that Jack recognized. Not the kind of person who could orchestrate a villainous plot involving fires on two sides of town. The sort of guy who could be hired on a street corner and trusted to do something bad.The police weren’t interested in him. With Jack’s encouragement, they’d classified the morning’s crash as an accident. The most they could charge the thug with was reckless driving.A broken collarbone and a mild concussion meant the driver was one bad guy who wouldn’t be bothering them again for a while, but he could still use the phone. Jack could only imagine the kind of information he would pass on to his compatriots. Detailed descriptions�"maybe even a license plate number or a name.Jack was a police officer, an active member of the community.He was in the phone book.�śWe need to go.”�śWhere?”�śSomeplace safe. Someplace with security.” His head was pounding. He desperately needed a cup of coffee and an Advil. Or twenty. There was only one place he could think of where he knew they’d be safe.�śYou’re not going to like it.”Chapter Eight� Honey Moore had been going to hell for most of her life. Sitting poolside at the Ogden manse meant she’d arrived.Jack had promised he’d be gone less than half an hour, taking a cab back to the Valley to pick up the Super Bee. She could wait inside.She wasn’t a kid anymore. In another couple of months, she’d be twenty-eight, a fact too bizarre to believe. But walking through Jack’s palatial childhood home, she’d felt like she was five years old and someone was about to yell at her for getting smudges on the polished table or�"worse yet�"breaking a vase.At least no one here was trying to kill her.After forty minutes spent pacing through the house, she’d gone outside. Now she was stretched out on a wooden lounge chair in a scarlet one-piece bathing suit the housekeeper had insisted on finding for her. It probably cost more than her truck.The pool was beautiful�"clear blue water laid out like a blanket, long enough to make an Olympic swimmer happy�"but she was more interested in the view. Across the backyard, down a small hill, and over a six-foot fence, Logan Burrows’s castle smoldered ominously.She’d never realized how close the two men lived before.She’d never seen Jack’s house from this perspective before, either. Some other time, she might have snooped in his childhood bedroom, looking for any indication that they had similar interests.But that probably wouldn’t be the polite thing to do. For the moment, she was content playing the guest, enjoying the relative safety of the Ogden mansion, and wondering what the hell she’d gotten herself into.Retrieving the Volvo for Logan was supposed to have been an easy job. More money than she’d ever seen in one place for a few hours’ work.Too good to be true.Her grandfather had always said that if something seemed too good to be true, it was probably a setup. �śRun away, baby girl,” he’d chortled. �śSomething seems too easy, it means the police are around the corner waiting to bust your butt.”He should know. The old man had been taken down for everything from illegal discharge of a firearm to possession of stolen property. Not the best role model in the world, but the only one she’d had. He’d taught her loyalty to family and friends, a mean right hook, and always to follow her heart, no matter where it led her.The night Jack drove down to the Valley in the Super Bee for their big movie date, her grandfather had been waiting, preparing to pass judgment on a rich brat who was too big for his britches. He’d just ended up laughing. He’d liked Jack. He’d never understood why Honey had turned the older boy away.She’d never told him.That was something else Honey had learned from her grandfather. How to keep secrets from the people she loved. Especially if it was for their own good.The fire had been out for hours, but police cars and fire engines were ringing the Burrows house in every direction. Police officers walked purposefully around the property. Billionaires in Malibu were more important than retired car thieves in the Valley.For a brief moment, she considered going down there. Snooping.With her luck, she’d be caught crossing the yellow line and arrested for obstruction of justice.She stayed where she was and unzipped her backpack. She dumped the contents out onto the lounge chair’s white webbed seat. Photographs and the jewelry box. Her fingers skimmed across thick paper and thinning velvet.The envelope had settled near the bottom.The paper was good quality, heavy. Creamy cotton rag. A red wax stamp with the initials �śL.B.” sealed it shut, and a message crossed the back flap in elegant script.Honey, please keep this safe. With apologies for past behavior. Logan.The envelope had been waiting for her when she’d dropped the Volkswagen off at the house, a paper clip securely attaching it to her check for services rendered. She didn’t know what �śpast behavior” the old man was talking about or why he’d suddenly elected her his secret keeper, but that hadn’t stopped her from taking it.There was something about the fancy paper and the weight of the envelope that made her think it was important. The heavy wax seal on the back said it wasn’t supposed to be opened.Maybe if she’d broken the seal, she’d know what was going on. Instead, she’d put it in her safe and waited for Logan to call.Please keep this safe.That meant he’d ask for it back. Didn’t it?Breaking the seal with her thumbnail, Honey opened the envelope and dumped the contents out onto her lap. A sheaf of papers, small type crowded onto sharp white pages. Her eyes took a minute to focus.The last will and testament of Logan Burrows.Air disappeared from her lungs. This definitely wasn’t what she’d expected. Why the hell would Logan give her a copy of his will?She scrambled through the pages, trying to concentrate, but it was confusing. Logan Burrows was a rich man with a battery of lawyers. He could afford to leave a will full of unfamiliar legal terms.Something on the fourth page caught her eye. Honey Moore. Her name, right there in black and white.To Honey Moore, I leave the trust that I have established on her behalf, my house in Black Palm Park along with its contents, and my collection of fine automobiles.�śHoney.”She jerked to one side, shoving the papers into her backpack at the same time. Not just any papers. A will that gave her everything she’d never wanted.That wasn’t exactly true. She could have a lot of fun with Logan Burrows’s �ścollection of fine automobiles,” but the house would weigh around her neck like an anchor.�śHoney,” Jack repeated, and this time it wasn’t her name at all. It was an endearment spoken in the husky tones of a lover.�śYou shouldn’t be out here.” He closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds. �śSomeone could see you.”�śI’m too far away,” she insisted, even as fear made it hard for her to breathe. She wasn’t used to being a victim. Someone who couldn’t show her face without risking imminent danger or�"worse�"death. �śNo one would notice.”�śI would notice.”�śYou always notice me.”It was supposed to be a toss-off, a snappy statement made to annoy him�"but it was also the truth, real and unavoidable. It hung heavy in the air, making Honey suddenly aware of the tension that snapped and crackled between them.She’d been angry with Jack for so long�"angry with him because he had money and opportunities she could only imagine. Since last night, she’d let go of that and started appreciating him on a deeper, more fundamental level.He always saw her, whether she was sneaking in someplace she didn’t belong or walking down the street.If she really inherited the house down the hill, he’d be able to stand up here and watch her swimming in the pool. Just thinking about it was enough to make her body tingle.She’d never been much of an exhibitionist, but she could imagine standing on the patio, shimmying out of a pair of shorts, tugging her T-shirt off over her head, and smiling with the knowledge that Jack could see it all.�śHow’s the car?” she asked.�śNot bad. I made it all the way out here.”�śBlack Palm Park. The middle of nowhere.” Up in the Malibu hills, they were isolated, cut off. �śYou sure we’re safe here?”�śSure.” Jack shrugged, powerful muscles rippling beneath his black suit. He’d changed into his detective outfit before they left the apartment. �śThis isn’t the Valley. No homegrown bad guys. Out here, they’d have to import thugs, and I’ve put the security guards at the gate on notice.”�śI’m sure there’s some bad element in the neighborhood.” Someone with the guts to burn stuff down and the stupidity not to know what he was taking. �śMaybe a kid who needs money to pay for something he shouldn’t have?”�śTyler Beckman’s got a reputation for doing drugs, but I don’t think he’d come after you.”�śBecause only third-class reprobates from the other side of the Sepulveda Pass would ever think of attacking someone for money?” Honey snorted in disbelief. �śThere are no criminals in Black Palm Park?”�śNot really.”�śThere must be a dozen bankers who live in this complex. You think they aren’t thieves?”�śThat’s not what we’re talking about. Anyway, Tyler Beckman got shipped off to military school. Not everyone in Black Palm Park is getting away with something.”�śNot everyone.” She was only slightly mollified.Someone else might have apologized, but she didn’t bother. If Jack hadn’t actually accused her of anything, he’d get around to it soon enough. That was the way their relationship had been for over twelve years.Only, something had changed in the past twenty-four hours. It wasn’t simply the sexual connection�"though that was pretty fantastic. It was in the way he looked at her when he thought she wouldn’t notice.Jack cared about her, and she was beginning to realize how important that was.She reached out a hand to touch him. Not a pat on the arm or even something more intimate. Just a flutter of fingertips against his knee.�śWhat’s it like to live here?”�śExcuse me?” Surprise moved across his face. �śYou want to know what it’s like to live in Black Palm Park? Why?”�śBecause I want to know more about you.”The way his eyes flickered and his hand clenched, Honey saw that Jack knew she was lying. It didn’t matter. She couldn’t tell him about the envelope, not without answering a lot of other awkward questions. Whatever they’d built between the two of them would be lost in a sea of confusion and mistrust.�śIt’s not like you think.” Jack took a minute to martial his thoughts. �śNot entirely. I know you don’t like it here, but it’s actually kind of nice. It’s certainly beautiful, and there’s a real sense of community. Everyone knows everyone else.”�śYou mean they know everyone else’s business.”�śLook, the view’s good, the ocean’s walking distance, and the people are friendly. It’s a little insular, but most communities are insular. That’s a fact of life.” Jack bent down slightly, leaning forward on the balls of his feet. �śWhat’s this all about?”�śNothing.”�śSweetheart?” A deep, gravelly rasp.Heat ran down her skin before settling low between her thighs. Suddenly, she wasn’t thinking about what it might be like to live in Black Palm Park. The only thing going through her mind was the way she’d felt with Jack’s mouth on hers, his hands rough against her breasts.What Jack would feel like inside her, filling her over and over again.�śYes?” She bit her lip, hoping he would sweep her up into his arms and carry her off for an afternoon delight. Like Snow White, Cinderella, or some other fairy-tale princess.�śDid you put sunscreen on? You’re starting to look a little pink.”Honey closed her eyes and moaned. Here she’d been thinking about sex, and he’d been worrying about her getting skin cancer.Though at least it meant he was looking at her body.�śI like the sun.” She stretched her feet out toward the end of the lounge chair, enjoying the heat across her skin and Jack’s sharp intake of breath when she crossed and uncrossed her legs. He was right. She was beginning to look a little pink.�śI burn easily.”The words left a dry taste in her mouth. If she’d been at home when the arsonist arrived, she’d be dead.She changed the subject, following the direction of her thoughts. �śHow do you think Logan survived?”�śHe’s got a panic room built into his study. Besides, the arsonist wasn’t interested in doing any real damage. He was looking for something.”�śAny idea what that is?”�śNo idea, but it’s interesting. The arsonist wanted something from Logan. You, he just wanted dead. But you wouldn’t know anything about that.” This was it. Her opportunity. Her big chance to tell him about Logan’s mysterious will.Jack was a good man, a trained investigator. He’d figure out what was going on if it was the last thing he did.But her breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t bring herself to give him the information. It wasn’t even about them�"not really. Her body, her laughter was all his for the taking, but this was something else entirely. This secret wasn’t hers.She didn’t know what was going on, but until she talked to Logan, she wasn’t about to betray the old man’s trust. Even if she hadn’t earned it in the first place.�śMoney, art.” She forced herself to laugh. �śLogan probably has the lost treasure of the Sierra Madre in his bedside table. How should I know what would interest a firebug?”A breeze nipped playfully at her legs. Somewhere in the distance, birds were singing and firemen were reassuring worried multimillionaires that the long-dead fire wouldn’t suddenly jump to their cookie-cutter mansions. She could smell salt water and hear the ocean.So much trouble in the world, and she just wanted to tear Jack’s clothes off and have her merry way with him. �śAre you feeling all right?” she asked.�śOf course.”�śYou’re not sore?”�śYou’re worrying about my health?”�śI’m worried you’ll be too banged up for my purposes.”�śThat sounds ominous.” Jack laughed. �śWhat purposes did you have in mind?”�śSinful, wicked, deviant purposes.”Honey stood slowly, pivoting so they were face to face. Only, his face wasn’t looking at her face. His face was looking at the way her borrowed bathing suit supported her breasts, lifting them up in a feat of engineering that had almost nothing to do with reality.�śI hate this swimsuit. I look like an extra on Baywatch.”�śI love that swimsuit.”�śYou would. The color’s all wrong. They say redheads should never wear red.”�śThe color’s perfect. You should wear red all the time.”It would be a cold day in hell before Honey wore red where people could see her. The only reason she’d chosen the bathing suit was because the housekeeper’s other options had offered as much coverage as postage stamps connected with dental floss.�śShouldn’t you be off looking for clues, detective? I thought you were a fully-trained investigator.”�śI’m finding plenty to investigate right here.”Great, more questions. She bit her lip to keep from swearing. �śI don’t know anything, Jack. I swear on a stack of carburetors. The only time I talked to Logan Burrows, it was about a car, and the only reason I wasn’t in my house when it burned down was happenstance and hormones. You’ve already asked me a bunch of questions. I don’t know what else there is.”�śYou’re right. I’ve asked a lot of questions.” A cheeky grin erupted across Jack’s face. �śThere’s only one thing left that I need to know.”With her luck, he’d use this opportunity to accuse her of yet another crime she hadn’t committed, something violent and messy. �śWhat’s that?”�śDo you want to see my bedroom?”Jack’s bedroom. Jack’s childhood bedroom. �śDoes it have black silk sheets and a champagne fountain?”�śYou’re kidding, right?”�śI guess the rich aren’t that different after all.” The champagne fountain was a stretch, but she’d always wanted to try out silk sheets. �śI’d love to see your room.”Now that they had a plan, Honey found herself moving faster than she’d thought possible. She stood, slinging her backpack up over her shoulder and following Jack into the house. The air-conditioned interior raised goose bumps on her arms after so much time in the sun. The housekeeper who’d been omnipresent earlier seemed to have vanished.Two sharp turns, and they were racing up the stairs, across a long balcony, and into a huge bedroom.�śThis is your room? It’s enormous.”�śNot really.”�śUh-huh.” She snorted. �śThis room is bigger than my house.”It was a masculine room, full of glittering metal, glass, and blue upholstery. An expensive stereo system sat on the dark desk beside a rack of CDs. The bookshelves along the side wall held books that were required reading at Black Palm Park Academy, beautiful hardcover editions completely unlike the paperbacks Honey had scrounged at used bookstores. Above the books, two solid rows of trophies and medals were on display, showcasing Jack’s talent at everything from tennis to boxing to kindergarten attendance. A poster advertising one of his fights hung framed on the wall above them.It was a perfect room, a shrine to Jack created and carefully curated in perpetuity by his doting mother.Not Honey’s Jack, though. The Jack who lived in Venice Beach, worked long hours, and played pool for penny stakes�"that was the Jack she liked. The Jack she was beginning to fall in love with.This room belonged to a different man, a stranger from the past who would never spend a lazy day in bed with her drinking coffee and reading the New York Times. Until a few hours ago, she hadn’t even known that was something she wanted, but now it was all she could think about.Until he kissed her, and the entire world fell away.Chapter Nine� Jack pushed Honey back onto his bed and ran his hands down over her body. Muscles contracted against his fingers, making her quiver.All that time they’d spent fighting each other tooth and nail when they could have been doing this.The fact that he still didn’t know what had started the fighting scared him. If he didn’t know what he’d done wrong, he could make the same mistake a second time. One day, he could wake up and she’d be screaming her head off, filling his shampoo bottle with maple syrup, or�"worse�"missing from his bed.�śTake off your clothes,” Honey ordered.Even when they weren’t fighting, she was always making demands. �śYou don’t want to see my body.”�śYes, I do.”�śNormally, I’d be more than happy to play this game, but at the moment I look like a slab of meat.” Rare meat that had been pounded in preparation for cooking. Rub a little salt on him, maybe some garlic, and he’d be good to go.Jack rolled sideways until his back was flat on the bed and stared up at the smooth, white ceiling. �śCan’t we just make out?”�śNot a chance.” Honey rolled over on her side, her body curving toward his. A hand reached out. Nimble fingers went to work undoing the buttons on his shirt. �śI want a show.”His lips twitched into a grin. �śYou’re going to drive me straight into an empty grave.”�śYou want me to stop?”�śNever.” Honey might be the death of him, but what a way to go.Big as life and twice as bold. Honey was more than just some teenage rebellion. She was smart, funny, and quick on her feet. She made him feel alive.His entire life, he’d been struggling for independence. The fancy car, college education, and career plan his mother had given him when he was younger had all been steel shackles locking him in a single place. So much of what he’d done�"dropping out of college, boxing professionally, even becoming a cop�"had been an attempt to free himself.And he had it, finally�"the freedom to drop everything and backpack across the country if he wanted to. The freedom to drink too much, stay out all night, or start a fight for the hell of it.The freedom to be with a woman who’d give outrageous orders, call him on his bluffs, and kick his ass when he was late for dinner.The final button on his shirt popped open. To take it off, he’d have to stand up. He’d have to give in to her demands.During all that time spent earning his independence, he’d never promised a woman anything past the next few weeks. Being a cop didn’t leave much room for dating. But maybe they could try it out. Walks on the beach, laughing in the rain, and beers on Saturday night with her cousins.He’d just have to make sure not to run their names for any open warrants.It wasn’t the life he’d planned when he signed up for the police force, and it certainly wasn’t the life he’d dreamed about when he’d stared up at his bedroom ceiling so many years earlier. He’d wanted to be a pirate. But the idea of having Honey next to him in bed for the foreseeable future was gaining appeal with every passing second.The aches and pangs he’d been feeling most of the afternoon disappeared, replaced with energy that popped and fizzled in his veins like good champagne.He turned to face Honey. �śIf I’m going to do this, I need some music.”By the time he levered himself off the bed, Honey was already moving toward the stereo. He dropped his jacket to the ground, undid his shoulder holster, and placed his gun carefully on top of his bedside table. Then he waited, patiently, for the music to start.After a few minutes, he heard the thrum of an electric guitar. Supple fingers spun across the volume dial, turning the music up until it was pounding in his head. Standing ten feet away, waiting to see him strip off his clothes, Honey bobbed her head up and down in time with the beat. Fire-colored hair and a fire-engine-colored bathing suit. The combination was spectacular. When she shimmied, her breasts floated up and down. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips.He couldn’t breathe, but that didn’t stop him from being able to smell the smoke that clung to her hair and the hint of citrus she always carried on her skin.So much sex appeal packed into one tidy container. If she kept moving like that, he’d explode.A hot-blooded rock anthem blasted through the stereo system, his pulse pounding in time. His already unbuttoned shirt came off, dropping to the floor. He kicked his shoes into the corner, trying to concentrate on the way his body moved.Honey wanted a dance, and he wasn’t about to let her down.His hips rotated in time to the music, the fast beat like the rumbas he’d learned during ballroom dance lessons at the country club. He’d hated those lessons. At eleven years old, he’d been a foot shorter than all of the girls, and his fancy shoes always pinched.Honey watched him, her gaze strong, steady. Wandering across the bedroom floor, she tried to mimic his actions. One step forward, one step to the left, a step back, and a step to the right. A neat box step made exotic by the sway of her hips. �śLike this?”�śThat’s the man’s part,” Jack murmured. �śThe aggressor.”He reached out with his right hand to touch her waist, guiding her until they were moving together. �śThe man pushes forward, and the woman takes him. That’s what my dance teacher taught me.”�śHmm.” Honey’s hands dropped down to move at his waist, unbuckling his belt. �śWhat if I want to push?”Damn, she was beautiful. Her crazy red curls floating in the air.�śHoney.” He leaned forward, so that when he spoke, his lips brushed her cheek. He kissed her softly, waiting for her to make the next move before drawing her tongue in to his.For a long while they stayed like that, kissing and dancing in his childhood bedroom as the music changed. Then his hand dipped to run across her tight butt. He pushed his fingers underneath her red spandex bathing suit. �śHow do you take this off?”�śOne sharp tug.”The suit wasn’t the only thing that got off that way. The way Honey’s hands were moving between them, unzipping his pants and running along the length of his cock, all it would take was one sharp tug to finish him.That was fine, but he wanted to do something first.His free hand moved up, skimming her body, to pull the bathing suit’s straps off her shoulders. He was supposed to be the one getting undressed, but she didn’t object when he pulled the suit down and tossed it aside. His hand came to rest on her belly, fingers curling possessively through naturally red curls. He could hear her sharp intake of breath in the pause between songs.�śWhat are you doing?”�śNothing,” Jack lied. His thumb reached down, stroking her.�śPlease,” she begged.Please, for the second time in as many days. The word made his heart beat faster in his chest. It made him want her even more.�śI want to feel you inside me. I need to feel you�"” A ragged gasp escaped her lips as his hand’s easy motion slowed, his fingers resting near her innermost crevices. �śOh, god.” She moaned, half to herself. �śI need to sit down. I need�"” A sharp swallow. �śI need something to lean on.”�śLean on me.”Her legs shook. Her knees were weak. He held her steady, wrapping one arm around her waist. He watched her face, the sharp intake of breath, the way her lips bowed and her eyelids fluttered as he brought her almost to the precipice, over and over again.Sex with Honey was going to be amazing�"almost unimaginably so�"but first he wanted to hold her. To watch her face as he brought her over the edge.Sharp nails dug into his shoulders, trying to pull him closer, but Jack held still. Every move was slow, savoring her desire and the way she moaned with delight as his fingers moved deeper inside her.When she finally came in a flood of ecstasy, her pleasure blocked out the music.�Ś� Hard muscles bulged as Jack stood, lifting her easily, and carried her over to the bed. He’d taken off his shirt, kicked off his shoes, but a soft white tank top still clung to his chest. Unacceptable. This entire exercise was supposed to have been about giving her a chance to look at his body.It was also supposed to let him know that she was in control. He could bark orders all day long, telling her it was for her own safety, but when it got right down to it, he had to listen to what she wanted.Instead, he’d turned everything upside down. Again.Her throat went dry watching the way his arms moved as he reached down to pull off his pants. Tanned skin pulled tight, revealing solid muscles. Arms had never done it for her before. She liked looking at a man’s chest, his butt, but arms were different. They were just appendages hanging off a torso.Except when she looked at Jack’s arms, thinking about the way they’d held her the night before, lust shot through her body like lightning.Then there were his hands. Strong hands with lean, supple fingers, capable of running gently across her body or digging in tight to hold her.With his pants on the floor, his cock sprang free, long and hard beneath his boxers. Her eyes widened. �śThat’s not going to fit.”�śThanks for the compliment, babe. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”�śSure.” But she wasn’t. She closed her eyes, trying to recapture the afterglow from her orgasm. She waited a beat.Nothing happened.�śWhat’s the hold up?”�śThis is the bedroom I had when I was a kid.”She was definitely losing the afterglow. If he didn’t start moving soon, she’d have to take matters into her own hands. �śI’m aware.”�śI stay here sometimes after family dinners or tournaments at the country club.”�śUh-huh. What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?”�śYou’re the first woman I’ve brought back here. I don’t have any condoms.”Damn. Honey’s eyes fluttered open. Damn, damn, double damn. �śYou don’t have any condoms?”�śNo.” An edge of desperation colored his voice. �śWhat about you? Do you have one?”�śAre you kidding? How would I have a condom? It’s a miracle I have pants.” She stood up and made a decision. �śI don’t care.”The statement was bold, reckless, and impulsive. It was also true. She wanted to feel him inside of her, and damn the consequences. �śI need you. Now.”�śYou need to watch what you’re saying.”Temptation made her open her mouth. A single word of encouragement, and he’d break a land speed record pulling off his boxers and burying himself deep inside her.It was everything she wanted, and he was giving her the chance to turn him away. The chance to do the smart thing, the right thing, even if those navy boxers showed her exactly how much he wanted to do otherwise.She closed her mouth and swallowed, hard.Kneeling down in front of him, Honey reached out. Her fingers curled into the waistband of his shorts, dragging him forward.�śWhat do you think you’re doing?” Jack asked, his voice rough.�śWhatever I want.” Honey grinned. �śNecessity is the mother of invention.”She gave the boxers a sharp tug, pulling them down. This was what she’d wanted to see when she’d asked him to strip for her. It was rock-hard and solid, with a slight curve at the tip. So inviting. She wrapped her hand around his girth, feeling him twitch.�śI don’t want you to miss out on the fun,” she said.�śHoney, I have fun every time you smile. Baby�"” He groaned.Honey liked that. She’d never been someone’s baby before.She leaned forward, licking the taut skin. A tiny droplet escaped from the head, and her tongue darted out to catch it. The salty tang made her lips turn upward into a smile.All of her boyfriends had asked her to do this, and she’d always said no. There was something about the way they asked that was too commanding. Giving in would mean letting them know they’d won, that they were in charge. But Jack hadn’t asked.That, more than anything, warmed her heart.His fingers ran through her hair, pushing her head down closer to him. She licked her lips, moistening them carefully, then dropped her hands to her side and took him inside her mouth until he hit the back of her throat.For a moment, it was too much. He was too large, and she was too inexperienced. Then he began to pump�"once, twice�"and she lost herself in his momentum. Time dragged on around them, but for Honey it was all happening so fast.A low groan. He was almost there.Honey couldn’t stand it anymore. She pulled away.�śWas�"” Jack swallowed, struggling to control his breathing. �śWas I being too rough?”�śYou were just right.” Her voice wavered slightly. She stood until she faced him straight on, her eyes level with his muscular chest. Another moment, and she’d lose her nerve. �śI need you inside me.”�śHoney�"”�śDon’t talk. I’m clean. I’m on birth control. I know you have no reason to believe me, but I am. So, just�"”What? Have sex with her, ignoring all the possible consequences?Yes.�śNever mind.”�śI’m clean, too.” His mouth met hers, and she could taste her earlier orgasm on his lips.Jack pushed her back against the wall, lifting her slightly and entering her slowly. One hard inch at a time. She raised her feet off the ground, the force of his body against hers giving her the support she needed as she wrapped her legs around his waist, forcing him deeper.Every move Jack made was slow, purposeful. His hands moving across her body. His fingers digging into her skin. Her eyes widened. Then she was looking straight ahead into his face. Seeing his gaze locked on hers.She kissed him hard, desperate to feel his body moving against hers, harder, deeper�"�śFaster,” Honey said.�śNo.”�śFaster,” she begged.�śNot a chance,” he promised. �śWe’re going to take this slow.” He moved against her, friction taking him deeper. Making her feel every inch of him at once.�śDamn,” she swore as flesh on flesh caused another orgasm to rock her body. Was she imagining things, or could she actually feel the pulse of him inside her?�śShh.” Jack kissed her again, silencing her for a long moment.He kept moving, faster now, in time to the music. A hand reached up, the callused pads on his fingers rough against her tender skin. He circled her nipple once, twice, before tweaking the hard nub. For a brief moment, pain made her cry out. Then she gasped as pleasure took over.No, no more crying out, she told herself. He was right. She was being too loud. She leaned into him, biting down on the top of his shoulder when he slammed forward again and she could feel the entire length of him pushing against her.It was Jack’s turn to moan. Sweat dripped down his back.�śYou are so fucking beautiful. You know that, right?”Jack thought she was beautiful? Her cheeks burned. He was having sex with her, but it took his words to make her blush.�śTell me.”�śYour butt is gorgeous. Your breasts�"” Another tweak made her squeal. �śYour breasts are enough to make me lose my mind. Then there’s your hair.”�śMy hair?”�śIt’s so damn bright. And your lips. I love your lips. I could eat them up.”He pressed his lips against hers, his teeth nicking her tongue and proving his point. �śI don’t know if I can last any longer.”He wasn’t the only one. She could feel her body convulsing, his motions filling a need inside of her that she hadn’t known existed. She bit her lip to keep from crying out.�śDon’t fight it.” An order, harsh and grating. �śI like to hear you scream when you come.”She opened her mouth, calling out as a tsunami of pleasure engulfed her. Jack’s yelp was just as loud. Together, they made enough noise to block out almost anything�"the music from the stereo, the sound of birds in the trees, and the air conditioning unit outside his window.But not the bang of the bedroom door opening.�śJack Ogden, what are you doing?” Amelia Ogden’s patrician tones were the equivalent of a bucket of ice water.�śDear lord!”The bang of the door closing.There was a long pause, then a call through the door. �śDinner will be ready in twenty minutes. I assume that your friend will be attending?”Chapter Ten� �śSo, this is awkward.” Sitting at the end of the table, picking at his salmon, Jack tried to think of something to say next. Anything to fill the silence.His mother wasn’t talking to him, his father never said more than a dozen words to anyone, and Honey’s mile-a-minute mouth was closed.The things she could do with that mouth. His fork slipped in his hand, the heavy metal clanging against crisp porcelain.After a very tense introduction, Honey had been directed to a seat at the far end of the table. She was a beautiful, smart, vivacious woman, but perched on the edge of her chair, she looked like a scared kid who knew she’d done something wrong.Reassuring her was the first thing on his to-do list, but somehow he couldn’t find the words.Dinner at the Ogden house was a formal affair. The housekeeper had strict instructions to put a crisp white linen cloth on the table every night. The silverware gleamed brightly underneath the leaded-glass lamp.The food was exceptional, but that was to be expected. Everything in the house was exceptional�"nothing else would do. As a child, Jack had longed for the kind of family where dinner consisted of a pizza delivered in a greasy box and devoured around a battered kitchen table.It had never happened.Now that he was an adult, he could appreciate the fact that he’d always had a healthy, balanced meal, but he still savored the nights when he could pick up a burrito on the way home from work and eat it balanced over his knees while watching the news.He had to say something. He couldn’t let the silence go on. Honey was important to him. If they were going to spend any real amount of time together, she would have to get along with his parents. And they were going to spend time together. When this horrible dinner was over, he would ask Honey to stay with him while she was rebuilding her house.It made sense. She needed a roof over her head, and he needed her warm in his bed.�śSomeone told me you were fighting with Carlos,” his mother remarked. �śOf course, it’s not true.”�śHe deserved it,” Jack said.�śA common brawl.” A quick shake of her head did nothing to dislodge her impeccably styled curls. �śYou really must apologize, Jack, otherwise things will be ever so awkward at the hospital fund-raiser next week.”It would be a cold day in hell before Jack apologized to Carlos, but he didn’t bother telling his mother that. Arguing with Amelia Ogden was like trying to drink the sea dry. It couldn’t be done, and the attempt would leave him with a nasty stomachache.Anyway, Carlos wouldn’t dare show his face at the fund-raiser. If the man tried to ruin Jessica’s big night, Jack would arrest him for assaulting an officer.�śYour friend looks familiar.” Eric Ogden was a smart man, a named partner at one of Los Angeles’s most powerful law firms. People paid almost two thousand dollars an hour to hear him talk, but he’d never been one for polite conversation.�śDoesn’t she look familiar, Amelia?” He didn’t wait for his wife’s reply. �śYou, girl, what did you say your name was?”�śHoney.” Her voice was small, slight, scared. Her hands crossed defensively in front of her chest like she was bracing herself for whatever came next. �śHoney Moore.”�śI don’t know anyone named Moore. Where are your people from, Honey?”�śI�Ś” Honey’s face blanched white. Her teeth dug into her upper lip. �śI’m from the Valley.”�śWhere?” Eric asked.Jack knew his father wasn’t being purposefully obtuse. The older man didn’t inhabit the same world as Honey.�śShe went to the academy, Dad. We overlapped for two years. You probably saw her there.” Not that Eric Ogden had ever attended many school functions, but he’d shown up for the big ones.�śI’m sorry, young lady. I’m getting forgetful in my old age.” He had been an older father. Now, he was rapidly approaching his eightieth birthday, and the years were beginning to show on his face.Staring at Honey, his normally harsh features softened slightly. His hands shook as he removed a pair of slender gold-rimmed glasses from his jacket pocket and balanced them on the tip of his nose.�śCherry Jubilee.” Eric nodded firmly, as if that explained everything. He took his glasses off and returned them to his pocket. �śShe looks like Cherry Jubilee.”�śIt’s the hair,” Amelia Ogden snapped at her husband. �śYou think all women with red hair look like Cherry Jubilee.”�śIt’s not only the hair. They have very similar features. The nose, the eyes, the lips�"”�śEric!” Amelia raised one hand, running nervous fingers over her own hair. �śThis is not appropriate dinner conversation.”Jack leaned forward, suddenly paying full attention. �śWho’s Cherry Jubilee? Isn’t that the name of a desert?”His father nodded. �śSweet and frothy, with just the right amount of tang.”�śCherry Burrows,” his mother said. �śYou must remember her. Logan’s wife. She died while you were in high school.”Jack couldn’t summon up more than a vague memory of a petite woman in a witch’s costume handing out Halloween candy when he was younger. There’d been a hat, he remembered that much. A traditional black witch’s hat with a wide brim and a pointed tip. The damn thing had scared him silly. After that, his memory was blank, only whispered rumors and quiet condolences. The death of Logan Burrows’s wife had thrown him into a deep depression.�śWasn’t she sick?”�śA weak heart,” Eric said. �śShe was bedridden near the end, but when she was younger�Ś Cherry was a gorgeous woman, so vibrant and energetic.”Maybe Honey looked like Logan Burrows’s dead wife, but that was where the similarities ended. Honey was a singular creation, with her bright hair, curvy body, and spicy personality. In a city full of interchangeable women built in factories by plastic surgeons looking to earn their next luxury car, Honey was an original.The idea that there could be two women like her in the world was laughable, but he couldn’t tell his father that.�śCherry danced beautifully.” Eric emitted a heartfelt sigh. �śCan you dance, young lady?”It took a moment for Honey to realize the question had been meant for her. �śNot really. I can move around to music, but I’ve never taken any ballet lessons.”�śOh, Cherry wasn’t a ballerina.” Eric laughed. �śShe was a�"”�śThat’s enough.” Amelia cleared her throat. �śThis entire conversation is absurd. Cherry was a lovely woman. She was nothing like this�"this�"this girl.”Jack’s jaw dropped. �śMother!”Amelia Ogden might not be the nicest woman in the world, but she was never less than civil. It was the way she’d been raised, and it was the way she’d raised her children. He’d be the first to admit that his mother could be strong-willed, manipulative, and controlling, but she only did what she thought was best, and she was never rude.Not until now.There was a long pause, the stillness of the room broken only by the sound of Eric chomping on his asparagus.Amelia’s mouth opened. Her eyes flickered toward Honey. �śYou’re right. I apologize.” She turned slightly in her seat to face Honey straight on. �śMy manners must be lacking. After all, I can’t think of a single possible reason why we shouldn’t be friends. Can you?”Jack glanced and forth between the two of them, confused. What the hell was going on?�śHoney Moore.” Hands that only ever touched the finest things in life slammed down against the dining room table. Long nails painted a vibrant peach to match her favorite cocktail dress trailed across the crisply starched linen. �śArrested at eleven years old, grand theft auto. Arrested at twelve years old, grand theft auto, possession of stolen property, creating a public nuisance. Arrested at thirteen years old, grand theft auto, grand theft auto�"”She stopped short and laughed�"light, easygoing, the same sound of polite amusement Amelia used when one of her country club friends made a joke. Only, this wasn’t a joke. This was serious. Very serious.How the hell did his mother know about Honey’s criminal record? �śGo to hell,” Honey said.�śThe last time we talked�"” Amelia’s voice wavered slightly. �ś�"I thought I made things clear. I thought we had an understanding.”Jack didn’t know how he got to his feet, but his chair was flying backward across the room. His hands curled into fists. Whatever was going on, he didn’t like it. For a moment, his vision telescoped, so that all he could see was Honey’s face. Pale, shaking. Then he couldn’t see anything. The entire world had gone red.�śWhat the hell are you talking about?”�śShe’s talking about me.” Honey’s voice was so quiet, he almost couldn’t make out what she was saying. �śShe’s talking about us. Last time. Back in high school.” A sharp intake of breath, a sob like something was breaking deep inside of her. �śYou were meant for something better than this, better than me. Everyone knows it. That’s why it never worked out for us back in high school, because you’re going to be a freaking senator, and I was just a two-bit car thief.”She stood up slowly, shaking in her short shorts and suggestive T-shirt. �śThat’s why it can’t work between us now.”�Ś� Honey almost made it to the door before Jack’s fingers closed around her arm like a steel vise. �śDon’t you even think about walking out like that.” His voice was harsh, brutal, but underneath the cruel exterior there was a hint of pain that cut bone deep. Her words had hurt him.Who even knew that was possible?�śLet me go.” She tried to pull away, jerking against him. �śPlease let me go.”For the past twenty-four hours, she’d been running scared, afraid for her life. This was the first time she’d been hurt.If she stayed, he’d want to talk about things. The truth she’d been trying to hide for all these years would come out, and he’d finally hate her.His hatred would make things so much simpler.At least that was what she’d thought in high school.If he hated her there’d be no risk, no way she could possibly change her mind and take him back. His hatred would make him untouchable, invincible, like the shining armor worn by a virtuous knight to protect him from the world’s barbs.But the last day had changed things. In the last twenty-four hours, she’d felt more passion and more love than she’d known existed, and if he started hating her now, her heart would shatter into a million pieces.The most she could hope for was the chance to run away and let her love die a slow, natural death.�śGo to hell,” she said.�śNot without you.” His sexy mouth tipped into a boyish grin, white teeth gleaming against tanned skin. Despite everything that had happened, Jack’s sense of humor was still intact. He pulled her tight against him. �śMother, Dad, I’d like you to leave.”�śDon’t be absurd.” Amelia laughed. �śWe’re still in the middle of dinner. We’re not going anywhere.”�śAmelia,” Eric said. �śGet up.” The older man raised himself from his chair carefully. �śI don’t even like salmon. We’ll go to the country club and get a nice steak.”Their marriage had to be better than Honey had given it credit for, because a moment later, both of Jack’s parents were leaving in a cloud of expensive perfume and anger that was almost palpable. Jack’s grip only relaxed when their footsteps could no longer be heard ringing off the hardwood floors.�śHoney Moore.” His use of her full name made her stand up, shoulders back. �śWhat the hell is going on?”Sixteen years earlier, it had been her grandfather asking that exact same question. Honey Moore, what the hell is going on?She’d been sprawled across a chair in the backyard, working on her tan in a time before people worried about getting skin cancer while walking to their cars. It had been a perfect day, and she’d been basking in the afterglow from the best date of her young life. Sneaking into the drive-in with Jack had made her feel like a princess. Caviar and champagne couldn’t have tasted better to her than the cherry cola and fresh-cut fries they’d shared while watching the movie on the big screen. Then again they hadn’t been watching the movie, they’d been kissing�"and that had been even better.�śYou’ve got company,” her grandfather had said. �śWaiting for you in the living room.”Company. A single word that sent a shiver down her spine.An angry teenager, she’d alienated most of her friends after her father’s death, and her grandfather wouldn’t have bothered to introduce a family member.That left only one person it could be�"Jack. The king of Black Palm Park, a place as foreign to her as another planet. The boy who was going to take all of her troubles away and make her feel whole again.Hustling into the living room, she’d taken the time to let her hair down from its high ponytail and bite her lips in an effort to color them without raspberry gloss.She hadn’t changed her clothes.The idea of talking to Jack while wearing her little black bikini�"showing off skin that glowed a deep caramel from the sun and stretched over adult curves she’d only just gotten used to�"scared and excited her in a way she didn’t quite understand.Her heart had beat fast inside her chest. She could still remember the force of it leaving her breathless. Taking that final step into the living room, she’d thanked any higher force that was listening. Jack’s presence in her life was a sign: her luck had finally changed for the better.Only, it hadn’t been Jack waiting in the living room. It had been a tall woman in an elegant sapphire sundress and an absurd picture hat with feathers and flowers trailing down the back. The hat was stylish�"Honey had seen one exactly like it on the cover of Vogue at a local newsstand�"but it was also absurd. All that stuff on top. It had to weigh a ton.�śYou must be Honey Moore.” The woman’s quiet sniff left no doubt that her impression was less than favorable. �śI’m Amelia Ogden. Jack’s mother.”�śJack’s mother,” Honey choked.After that, she hadn’t been able to say anything. She’d sat there quietly and listened while Amelia did all the talking.The conversation couldn’t have lasted more than twenty minutes, but it felt like an eternity passed while Amelia explained in careful detail that Jack was going to be a politician, a senator. While other people went along with their ordinary lives, Jack was going to change the world for the better. Surely, Honey could understand why her presence would not be appreciated.At the end of Amelia’s tirade, Honey had steeled her spine and said, �śIf Jack doesn’t want me around, he’ll tell me.”�śJack doesn’t know what he wants,” Amelia said. �śI want you to think about this carefully. If you insist on seeing my son, I will have to take steps to separate the two of you. You may have tricked your way into the Black Palm Park Academy, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be staying.”�śI’m not going anywhere.”�śA girl with a criminal record? The board will have a thing or two to say about that. Logan Burrows got you in, but he can’t keep you there, especially if you’re in foster care.” There had been a gleam in her eyes as she explained. �śI’ve done my research, young lady. Your grandfather can’t be your guardian if he’s in jail, and believe me, if that’s what it takes to keep you away from my son, then that’s what I’ll do.”Standing in the mausoleum that was the Ogden dining room, Honey’s voice broke, and she rushed through the story of that afternoon so many years earlier. Shame washed over her as she explained to Jack how she’d let a single vague threat get in the way of their happiness. That this was why she’d done the things she’d done�"all those pranks. Because she hadn’t trusted herself to keep away from him otherwise. It was easier to cultivate an air of anger and mistrust than it was to admit the truth.�śI’m sorry,” she said. �śI’m so sorry.” Tremors ran through her body. �śI was a kid. An idiot. I didn’t know what I was doing. I should have fought for you when I had the chance.” She grabbed at Jack, fingers twisting in the collar of his crisp cotton-linen shirt. �śPlease forgive me. Please don’t hate me.”�śHell, Honey.” Jack’s arms wrapped around her, warming her. �śI don’t hate you.” He bent down slightly, pressing his lips against her neck. Kissing her softly, tenderly. �śI could never hate you. I�"”A sharp ring interrupted his words.Slowly, Jack dropped one hand from her waist and pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket. �śOgden.”Whoever was on the other end of the line had Jack straightening up. His jaw clenched.�śYou gave me the day off, remember?” Jack’s free hand balled into a fist. �śI’m recovering from a bar fight.”His step backward should have left Honey feeling cold, unwanted. But his gaze never left her face. �śI plan on spending the entire night flat on my back.”Honey took two ragged breaths, drawing air into her lungs. �śDon’t worry about me,” she said. �śIf it’s important�"”�śClay Parsons is Burrows’s cousin. He’s a state senator and the old man’s heir.” Jack’s words came fast. His expression was all business. �śThe house is a museum. Great art, fantastic security. You go in there looking for a reason that someone might target Logan Burrows, and you’ll be running down every cat burglar in the northern hemisphere. It’ll take months.”There was a long pause while he listened to the man on the other end of the line. �śCan you keep Burrows on ice for a couple of minutes? I’m just around the corner. I want to be in on the interview.”Jack didn’t wait for the answer, ending the conversation abruptly. His eyes closed.�śThat was my boss.” His eyelashes fluttered upward to reveal soulful blue eyes. �śHe wants my opinion on the Burrows case. Parsons is starting to throw his weight around, and the captain thought I might have special insight on why someone would want to burn the man’s house down.”�śAnd?”�śI don’t think that the fires were about the car. The Volvo Sport. The fire originated in his study, not the garage.”That made sense. The Sport was valuable, but the last will and testament of Logan Burrows would be priceless. Honey took a deep breath, trying to calm her shaking nerves.�śWhat do you think it’s about?”Jack stepped away, pacing. In his black suit and crisp blue shirt, his gun nearly hidden by his jacket and his badge glittering at his waist, he was everything a detective should be. If he couldn’t figure out what was going on, no one could.�śI have to ask you a question.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, his expression suddenly grave. �śAn important question. You have to tell me the truth.”�śWhat do you want to know?”�śWhat is your relationship with Logan Burrows? How does he know you?”�śI don’t know.”�śI find that hard to believe.”�śYeah, well, strap me to a lie detector, because it’s the truth,” she said. �śI’ve met Logan Burrows exactly two times. He spoke at my high school graduation�"Black Palm Park’s first citizen�"and he shook my hand when I crossed the stage. Then last week he showed up at the garage where I work to ask for my help. That’s it.”�śCan you describe what happened? Exactly?”Honey ran her fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. �śLogan was driving a black car. A new Ford Mustang.”�śHe drove himself?”�śYeah.” Honey’s eyes flickered open. There was a frown on Jack’s face. Apparently Logan didn’t drive himself very often. Just one more thing she didn’t know about the man who was going to leave her millions of dollars in property.�śHe drove all the way into the shop, which got me all excited. I thought I’d have a chance to work on that car. Mustangs aren’t usually so high-end, but this one had been given a good once-over by someone who knew what they were doing. A lot of custom work.” The engine had sounded like a jet thundering down an airfield.�śHe was wearing tailored khakis, a gray sweater. It’s hotter in the Valley than it is on the coast. He had to be boiling.”�śDid he ask you to retrieve the car right away?”�śNo, he was mumbling, nervous. Not ready to get down to business. He asked for something to drink. I was done for the night anyway, so we shared a couple of beers on my couch. He smoked a cigar. He said that he missed the days when men could smoke at the country club without being harassed like criminals. He reminded me of my grandfather.”They’d talked for an hour at the most, about silly things that had no relationship to reality. At the end of their talk, he’d asked her to find the car almost like it was an afterthought, but it must have been why he’d come to the Valley in the first place. Men like Logan Burrows didn’t pay twenty thousand dollars to find an afterthought.Only she was beginning to realize there were no �śmen like Logan Burrows.” The old guy was definitely one of a kind. Had he decided to leave her the house because she’d been nice to him, taking the time to sit down and talk in a world where people moved too fast? Or was there another reason he’d shown up at her garage under cover of darkness?�śDid Logan have any ideas about who stole his car?”�śHe said it had gone missing.” That had been strange. Things didn’t go missing in Black Palm Park. There was always a culprit. Back when she’d gone to school in the area, she’d been the usual suspect. Just because she’d left was no reason to think things had changed.Honey shoved her hands in her pockets, wishing she had something else to wear. Something nice, put-together. Anything more than a pair of short shorts and an obscene T-shirt.�śLet me grab my backpack, and we can go.”�śWe can go?” Jack asked, his face registering shock and confusion. �śYou’re not going anywhere.”�śNo�"” Her voice cracked. �śNo, please! You can’t leave me. I can’t stay here. Your mother could be back any minute. I need to be safe, and the arsonist is still out there. This address is listed in the phone book. Right under yours.”�śHow do you know that?”�śHow do you think I found you?”When Jack stood there, his brow furrowed, she repeated, �śPlease.”She could understand why he didn’t want her company at a crime scene. Taking her along was a bad idea. It would mean answering awkward questions, and it could get him in trouble. Real trouble.Part of her wanted to run away. Fleeing the city�"maybe the state�"not just to get away from the arsonist but also to get away from Jack. After so long apart, suddenly they were together. In every possible way. It was overwhelming.But staying with Jack was the only way she’d feel safe.�śPlease don’t leave me.”Chapter Eleven� �śThis place is crazy.” Jack was having trouble finding a place to park outside of Logan’s house. He finally gave up and parked the Super Bee illegally in the middle of the street behind a dozen different news vans, a fire truck, two ambulances, and more patrol cars than he cared to count.Malibu Police Department. Los Angeles Police Department. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Logan’s place was filled to the brim with cops�"uniformed, plain-clothed, and department brass. A real who’s who of the Los Angeles law enforcement community.Jack opened the car door. �śCome on.”�śI can wait here.”�śSomeone’s trying to set you on fire, and you want to wait in the car? Like hell.”Jack tapped one foot impatiently. Honey was the one who’d insisted on coming to the crime scene. After her little revelation, he could have used some time alone to think.It wasn’t that he cared that Honey had rejected him so many years earlier, turning what had seemed like a beautiful possibility into a knock-down, drag-out war. It wasn’t even that he cared that Honey had caved to his mother’s threats. Amelia was famous for taking down even the strongest opponent. An out-of-her depth teenager would have been a piece of cake.The only thing he cared about was spending more time with Honey, exploring the growing closeness between them.He held open his door until Honey finally got out a minute later. He grabbed her arm and marched her quickly past the long line of reporters. A local anchorwoman in a tight red suit turned in their direction, trying to decide whether they were worthy of her time before going back to watching the plumes of smoke still lingering around Logan’s palatial manse.Six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and a formal ballroom, all wrapped up in a tidy four thousand square feet. Small compared to the eight-thousand-square-foot pied-� -terre a movie star had built down the block a year earlier.Jack lifted the crime scene tape, pushing Honey across into Logan’s front yard. Her body stiffened. Her legs slowed.�śCome on,” he growled.�śI’m just looking around.”�śWhy? You must have seen it when you dropped Logan’s car off.”�śThat was before.” She dug her teeth into her bottom lip. Sharp. Petulant. Her head shook, red-gold curls streaming down her back. �śThings are different now.”�śNot really.”The house had suffered some damage in the fire, but most of it was smoke or water related. The flames themselves had been caught early, dealt with quickly.The fire might have been set by the same arsonist who’d attacked Honey’s house, but if so, he’d done a much less thorough job.He dropped Honey’s arm when they entered the police perimeter, ducking underneath a strand of yellow crime scene tape. �śI want you to stay here.” One of the sheriff’s officers was passing out snacks. �śGrab some coffee. Eat a donut.”�śOgden!” Captain Michaels’s greeting rang across the large area.Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and walked over to talk to his boss.�śI know you’ve got the day off, but really�Ś” The big Irish cop grinned. �śWhat are you doing bringing a woman to a crime scene?”�śI was with her when you called.”�śYour current fling?”�śShe’s not a fling.”Jack didn’t know what Honey was exactly. She wasn’t his girlfriend or his wife, and she definitely wasn’t a fling. If he had to sum up their relationship in one word, he’d say it was �ścomplicated.”One word wasn’t enough. A hundred words wouldn’t be enough, or a thousand. All he knew was that he could spend the rest of his life studying her every move, and he still wouldn’t be able to figure her out. Of course, he was beginning to wonder if he should even try. Maybe he’d jumped the gun thinking they should move in together. There were still a lot of things he didn’t know about Honey. Maybe they should take things slow. Dinner on Friday night and movies on Tuesday.�śDon’t talk about her like that.”�śThey’re all flings with you, Jack.” The captain’s blond hair was flying in every direction. His suit looked like it had been slept in. �śYou should give me a call when you’re ready to settle down. I’ll have Shirley arrange a dinner, invite over some of her friends. My wife’s not much of a cook, but she’s a hell of a matchmaker. Of course, that’ll mean cutting back on your hours. Respectable women don’t put up with that crap.”The captain was crude, but he wasn’t wrong. Jack worked sixty hours a week. Even when he was off the clock, he never really stopped working. The lifestyle didn’t leave a lot of time for relationships.He turned slowly, surveying the scene. Maybe he couldn’t give Honey what she needed, but he could make sure she was safe.�śWhy don’t you tell me what’s going on?”Logan stood on his front stoop in a dark silk dressing gown with his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his hair gleaming like a freshly minted ten-cent piece.Another man stood at his side. Slightly younger, wearing a designer suit and a disgruntled expression. Clay Parsons. The heir apparent. Distinguished, wealthy�"although not wealthy enough to catch Jessica’s attention�"and powerful.�śYou see that idiot?” The captain indicated Parsons, his voice thick with rage. �śThat moron called the governor�"at least his secretary�"and now nobody will go near Burrows. Can’t get any damn questions answered.”�śWhat about you?” Jack asked.�śMe?” The captain shrugged. �śI’m not getting within ten feet of that guy. Not without bulletproof armor. Political bastards, all too concerned about their own careers.”Jack’s suit might not have been made out of Kevlar, but it had been custom tailored, the cloth imported from Italy at great expense. In a city like Los Angeles, money was power, and a good suit could command attention from across a city block. �śParsons is a jackass.”�śI couldn’t agree more. You say that to his face, and you’re suspended. Five days at least. Turns out I’m a political bastard, too.” The captain let out a hoarse laugh. �śOf course, if you knock the guy out, there might be a commendation in it for you.”�śI’ll see what I can do.”Michaels might imagine he was a political, but he always came back to solid ground after a few minutes.From where Jack stood less than a hundred feet away from Logan, he could tell that the older man’s eyes were half shut, like he didn’t have a care in the world. Ignoring the police officers streaming in and out his door, he clearly wasn’t afraid of what they might find inside.Maybe there was nothing to find.No. Jack bit back a grin. There was always something to find. Maybe that was the kind of thinking that made him a cynical bastard, but it also made him a good cop. �śYou’re looking in the wrong place.”�śUh-huh.” The captain’s eyes narrowed. �śWhere should I be looking?”�śThe outbuildings, the garage, the pool house, the�"”�śThis is no time to be a blushing schoolgirl, detective. If you know something, tell me. What exactly am I looking for?”�śA car. A baby blue Volvo Sport. It was stolen last week.”Captain Michaels frowned, disgruntled. �śThere was no police report.”�śHe used private retrieval.”�śA detective? Private investigator type? Someone we can talk to?”Jack had never lied to his commanding officer, had never withheld information, but he couldn’t talk about Honey. Not without putting her at risk.Michaels was a good man and a good cop, but he’d think Honey was responsible for the arson�"that she’d set fire to her own house to cover her tracks. It was a reasonable assumption. If Jack didn’t know her so well, he might be inclined to think that way himself.Setting fire to her own house, moving into a new neighborhood�"it would be a way to start over. For Honey, it might be her only chance at a fresh start. But he’d seen the look on her face as she stood in her backyard, stained with the smoke and ash from her home. The pain in her eyes had been real.His jaw clenched slightly, biting back a full account. The captain trusted him to tell the truth, to report everything he knew in a clear, concise manner. But Jack couldn’t see that pain in Honey’s eyes again. Not because of something he’d said.�śI don’t know.” He sucked in a deep breath, trying to settle his stomach. �śLet’s get this over with.”Shoulders back, legs straight, deep breaths. Don’t let them see you flinch. That was the advice his mother had given him on his first day of elementary school. She’d repeated the advice before he ran for student body president in high school and a few minutes prior to his college interview. Shoulders back, legs straight, deep breaths. Don’t let them see you flinch.�śYou.” Clay frowned, watching Jack approach. �śI know you, don’t I? You’re someone.”�śNot much of someone.”Logan sniffed. �śAmelia Ogden’s boy, right? Jack Ogden. Glad to see they finally called out someone with a brain. You going to get things done?”�śI’m here to ask you a few questions.” Logan leaned forward on the balls of his feet. �śI understand the fire wasn’t the only trouble you’ve had recently. Someone stole your car? A blue Volvo?”�śHumph.” Logan’s eyes narrowed. He crossed his arms. �śNeighborhood gossip. You hear that from your mother, boy?”His mother. That stung.Fine. If Logan wanted to play rough, it was about time Jack threw a real punch. Something he knew would land.�śIf Mr. Parsons could excuse us.”�śAnything you want to say to Logan, you can say in front of me.” Clay Parsons drew himself up to his full height, still a few inches shorter than Jack. �śI’m his lawyer. His family�"”�śGet lost,” Logan ordered.Parsons’s face colored a bright red, and his mouth fell open. He couldn’t have been more surprised if the older man had physically attacked him.�śGo on, Parsons, you’ve had enough excitement for today. I’m sure I can handle Amelia Ogden’s boy all by myself.”Jack could taste blood. He’d bitten his lip.Logan Burrows was a jerk, a real bastard who’d managed to drag Honey into his world and put her life in danger, but he wasn’t an idiot. The man was smart, capable, and a master negotiator. As a businessman, he’d been feared and reviled in boardrooms across the country, and he hadn’t grown soft in his old age.Jack waited until they were alone on the front stoop before he took a deep breath and continued. �śMr. Burrows�"”�śCall me Logan.”�śLogan, someone doesn’t like you very much.” A few soft words, some conciliatory remarks, and Logan would come around. All witnesses eventually came around, no matter how disgruntled they were to start with.�śI’m a real estate developer. If people like me, I’m not doing my job right.”�śSure, but there’s a difference between picketing your latest project and setting your house on fire.”�śIs there? I hadn’t noticed.”Okay, clearly things weren’t going the way that Jack had hoped. He took a deep breath and tried to start over again. �śYou were at home when the fire started. That must have been terrifying. How are you doing? How’s your housekeeper?”�śI haven’t had a housekeeper in ten years. I have a girl who cleans once a week.” The old man’s eyes were a pale blue, filmy white around the edges. Every breath he took was slow, ragged, and audible. But Jack would be foolish to underestimate him. Logan’s lips twisted into a thin smile. �śIs there something you actually want to talk about? Because if it’s just going to be this touchy-feely nonsense, I have better things to do.”Jack’s nostrils flared. He turned slowly, staring into the crowd, searching until he found exactly what he was looking for. A gleaming head of red-gold hair, curling and dancing in the light.�śI want to talk about Honey Moore.”�śI don’t know her,” Logan said. But his breath came faster, and Jack took note of his tense shoulders, his stiff jaw. A million tiny micro expressions, each one signaling a shift in Burrows’s mood.�śYou’re kidding.” Jack’s hands curled into fists. �śYou’re saying you don’t know Honey?”�śHoney Moore.” He snorted. �śSilly name.”The old man kept talking, and every word out of his mouth was a lie.There was no way Jack would be able to prove any of it. People didn’t get to be as rich and powerful as Logan without breaking a few rules along the way. The old man had a problem, and he’d obviously decided to deal with it by himself.Jack could almost understand it. Strength, confidence, problem solving�"those were all qualities he valued, too. Still, it pissed him off that Logan insisted he didn’t know anyone named Honey Moore while blood rushed to his face, turning his cheeks a bright red.�śHoney Moore,” Jack said, his voice grim. �śYou hired her to find your car. You put her life in danger. Someone burned her damn house down. She’s standing right over there.”�Ś� �śHell.”Honey knew the exact moment Jack lost control.Everything was going fine, and then his back straightened. His arm swung wide. For one brief moment, she thought he’d be able to swallow his anger, get everything under control, and then his mouth formed an angry snarl.She couldn’t hear what he was saying, but she could see the rage on his face.So could everyone else. Cops, criminalists, and reporters all turned in Jack’s direction to watch the virile young detective rip into Logan, his broad shoulders looming over the older man’s crumpled form. Watching as Jack reached out to snag Logan’s arm and turn him forcibly toward the crowd.�śThere.” Jack was shouting loud enough for her to hear now. He extended a hand in Honey’s direction. �śThat’s who I’m talking about.”Honey’s purloined donut slipped out of her hand, smashing awkwardly into her shirt. The cup of coffee she’d been holding hit the ground, hot liquid burning her knees.Why the hell was he pointing at her? Her heart pounded. If she felt any smaller, she’d disappear. Invisibility was a good superpower. Unfortunately, she didn’t have it.Luckily, no one was turning to stare at her. They were all too focused on Jack and Logan.Jack kept shouting, yelling about truth, honesty, and other things Honey didn’t really believe in.A dozen cops rushed toward him. The suited man he’d been talking with earlier grabbed his arms, pulling him off Logan. Two uniformed officers led Logan quietly away, getting him out of the danger zone.And then the uniformed man was the one shouting, yelling about �śstandards of behavior” and �śprofessionalism.”Jack ignored the man, starting toward Honey instead. Descending on her like some antique warrior, righteous in his anger.�śCome on.” He kept walking, passing her by on his way toward the car.�śWhat’s going on?” Honey spun, hurrying to catch up. �śWhat happened?”The crowd parted in front of them. People hurried to get out of Jack’s way.�śI’ll tell you what happened.” It took Honey a moment to realize the speaker was the suited man who’d greeted Jack on his way in. �śYour boyfriend made a big mistake.”�śA mistake?” Jack turned back, eyes flashing. �śI’m the one who made a mistake? Like hell. Logan’s the one lying to a police officer. I’ll arrest him for impeding an investigation.”�śYou got proof?” the stranger asked.�śSort of.” Jack glanced at Honey, his gaze guarded. �śProbably.”�śWhatever you think he’s lying about�"whatever �Śimpediment’�"it won’t matter without proof.”�śI don’t care. The man lied.”Honey cleared her throat nervously. �śI’m sure it’s not that bad.” She stepped forward, reaching out to lay a hand on Jack’s arm, trying to still him with a reassuring gesture, a soft touch. �śWhat did he say?”�śLogan Burrows claims never to have met you.” Jack’s nostrils flared. A bead of sweat ran down one cheek. �śAccording to him, he’s never seen you, never spoken to you, and never heard of you.”Logan had never heard of her, but he was leaving her a fancy house and a �ścollection of fine automobiles.” Honey shook her head in disbelief. �śHe’s lying.”�śThrough his teeth.” Jack snorted. �śHe definitely knows you. He definitely�"”�śOgden,” his captain interrupted. �śWhat the hell are you talking about?”�śI’m talking about Logan,” Jack raged. �śHe knows Honey. He’s the reason her damn house burned down!”�śAnother arson?” There was a slight pause. �śAnd you think they’re related?”�śOf course.”�śAnd when were you planning to tell me about it?” His voice was low, angry, with an edge of an East Coast accent. �śYou need to give me a full statement at the station house. Along with your badge and your gun.”�śExcuse me, captain?”�śDamn it, Ogden. You know I have to suspend you. A bar fight. Threatening a suspect. Withholding information. You’re out of control, detective. Internal Affairs is going to have to be called in. You’ll be lucky if you’re just suspended.”Suspended. Honey’s breath caught in her throat. Cold realization suddenly washed over her. This was all her fault.Whatever was going on, whatever was happening, it was because of her. The blame was hers.So was the responsibility.Fleeing her house the night before, she’d been desperate to find somewhere safe to hide. A place where she wouldn’t be in danger, and�"just as important�"a place where she wouldn’t put anyone else in danger. The idea that one of her family members might get in trouble because of her, that one of her uncles or cousins might get hurt, was enough to make her feel genuinely ill.Jack’s place had seemed like the perfect solution. No one would think to look for her there, and even if they did, Jack was a cop, with a badge, a gun, and the ability to handle himself against any threat that came his way.She hadn’t realized how much her presence would threaten Jack’s way of life. Suspension was bad enough, but if she stuck around, something worse could happen. An Internal Affairs investigation could end with him being fired or�"worse�"arrested. If anything happened to him�ŚHoney suddenly felt drained, tired, ready to collapse into a puddle at the slightest opportunity. But that couldn’t happen until she’d left Black Palm Park. There was an arsonist gunning for her. The smart thing to do was get out of town.It was what she should have done years earlier, but she’d never had the guts.�śCan I borrow a couple of dollars for the bus?” she asked, not caring that she was interrupting the police captain’s tirade.�śThe bus?” Jack frowned. �śWhat are you talking about? Where are you going?”�śThere are some things I need to do.”Packing wouldn’t take long. The fire had destroyed most of her things. She could stop at a thrift store on the way out of town and grab a few changes of clothes. All she needed was her backpack and a map of the West Coast. She could finally go to San Francisco. The Bay Area was famous for its ability to swallow strangers whole.No one would be able to find her there.�śI’ll take you,” he said.�śLike hell,” the police captain snarled. �śI need that statement.”�śHoney, you’re coming�"”�śYou’re kidding, right?” Honey sucked in a breath, forcing a smile onto her face. �śI’m not going to the police station. Don’t ask me.”�śFine.” Jack dug into his pocket. �śYou can take the Super Bee.”Honey’s eyes went wide. She was going to object, but he was already pressing the keys into her hand.They were heavy and solid, the metal cool against her skin even after so much time in Jack’s pocket. Surprise made her fingers numb, clumsy. The keys almost dropped from her hand before she managed to get a real grip on them.The entire time they’d known each other, Jack had never trusted her with any car in his possession. It made sense. She’d been a car thief. A gasoline junkie with a need for speed.Back at the Ogden house, she’d thought he would never talk to her again. With her dark secret revealed, he’d kick her out into the cold. But he’d brought her with him to the crime scene instead�"even though it meant putting his job in danger. Now, he was trusting her in a way she never could have imagined. She couldn’t have been more surprised if he’d gotten down on his hands and knees to declare his love in front of Logan Burrows and his boss.Too bad she couldn’t return the gesture. She was going to take the car and run. It was the only way she could be sure he would stay safe. Look at what she’d done already. In the day and a half they’d spent with each other, Jack had fought with his family and yelled at a witness. He’d lied to his boss. He’d been suspended. Removed from the job he loved.If she stayed another day�"another hour�"she’d really ruin his life. Then he’d start to resent her. Whatever trust they’d built together�"whatever love�"would be ripped apart by bitter anger.�śThere’s a coffee shop across the street from the station. You’ll be safe there,” Jack said. �śI’ll get you when I’m done making my statement. It shouldn’t take long.”�śSounds great,” Honey lied.She pushed herself up onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, savoring the affectionate motion and knowing it might be the last chance she had to touch him.Slipping the keys into her front pocket, she headed for the car. As she wrenched the heavy metal door open, the weight of her situation suddenly came crashing down.Logan Burrows was leaving her his house in Black Palm Park and the money to take care of it. She’d heard somewhere that the man was a billionaire, and she knew it didn’t take as much as a billion dollars to get people riled up. Men would fight over the last cold beer as easily as they’d war over a multi-million-dollar inheritance. The game was the same. Only the stakes had changed.If she ran away now, she’d always be running. She’d never be able to settle down and build a home like the one her grandfather had made, or find another man who knew all her secrets and still trusted her with his keys.But if she wanted to keep Jack safe, running away was her only choice.Chapter Twelve� After the fire, Logan Burrows did what any smart man would do in his position. He ran and hid like a vampire at sunrise.Someone with connections might have been able to find him in a day, or maybe a few hours. Honey’s only connections were a friend from down the block who cleaned rooms at the Beverly Hilton and a second cousin who’d been lucky enough to get his hands on a master key at the Sunset Tower. Neither was much help.It took her an entire week to find out there was a man holed up in the penthouse suite at the Chateau Marmont who wasn’t a rock god or a movie star. That meant an entire week spent sleeping on the cement floor of her garage�"stretched out next to the Super Bee with a tire iron in one hand�"terrified that the arsonist would surprise her in the night.An entire week spent missing Jack.She knocked on the door to the suite. Once, twice.This was a mistake. Her head was pounding, and Logan wasn’t answering. Her plan had been to cut and run, but she just hadn’t been able to bring herself to leave Los Angeles�"the city where she’d been born and raised. Still, if this didn’t work, she’d have to get out of town. That thought hurt more than anything else. Her entire life, she’d only run from one thing, and that had been a mistake. Jack would never forgive her for giving up on him so many years earlier or for lying to him the week before.The door opened.�śHello?”It had only been a week, but Logan Burrows looked smaller than the last time she’d seen him. The events of recent days had shrunk him, turning him from a legend of epic proportions into an elderly man with gray hair, wrinkles, and bright eyes that reminded her of her grandfather’s.�śHoney Moore. Do you take your coffee with cream and sugar?”�śExcuse me?” She stepped forward. �śMy house burned down because of you. Someone chased me across the city. I’ve been living out of a car for a week. Jack�" You’re the reason Jack’s suspended, and you want to know how I take my coffee?”�śI thought it might be a place to start.”�śOh.” Honey shifted backward. Her stomach flopped back and forth.She’d give anything to hear Jack’s voice, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay. Telling her that no matter what happened with Logan, she was still going to be the same person. That nothing could change that. The events of the past week were a short detour on the road to true happiness.When Jack was done comforting her, his hand would drift down to rest on her waist, the motion at once possessive and intimate.�śCream and sugar are for kids,” Honey said. �śI take my coffee black. Unless you’re ordering from room service, in which case I’ll take a large double mocha with extra whipped cream.”�śOf course.” Logan stepped backward, giving her room to enter the penthouse. �śWhy don’t you come in and sit down? Make yourself at home. I’ll call down to room service, and then we can talk. Do you want anything else while I’m at it? Some pasta? Maybe a salad? This is one of the few places in town where they still put anchovies on their Caesar salad. It really has much to recommend it.”Anchovies. Honey was ready to tear him to pieces, and he was talking about anchovies. Surreal.On the other hand, she hadn’t had any lunch. �śA salad sounds good.”�śI’ll go order that.” Logan disappeared into the mammoth suite.Honey crossed the threshold and moved gingerly into a large living room with a fabulous view. If the hallway had been opulent, the living room was pure decadence. Dark wood furniture and bottle green velvet. She wanted to bury her toes in the thick Oriental rug. The art on the walls was beautiful stuff, museum-quality originals in gold frames.Stopping in front of a Matisse sketch, she bit back a giggle. Matisse had been one of the greatest artists of his time, but just because the sketch was an original Matisse didn’t mean it was any good.�śIt’s not very good, is it?” Logan was back.�śNot really.” Honey turned to look at the old man. �śYou know why I’m here,” she said. �śSomeone’s fucking with my life, and I’ve got a feeling it’s you.”�śYou’re just like her, you know?”�śI’m like your wife? That’s what this is about? My life’s in danger�"someone’s trying to kill me�"all because I look like some woman who has been dead and buried for years?” It was idiotic, absurd, but she didn’t feel like laughing. She bit her lip to keep the tears from trailing down her face. �śI’m sorry, Mr. Burrows, but I never met your wife. I only ever heard about her last week, and I’ve got a feeling she wouldn’t have liked me anyway. Rich old ladies tend to hate my guts. Now, I never asked you to put me in your will, but I’d be beholden to you if you took me out.”�śMy wife was a beautiful woman.” Logan’s voice was soft, barely a whisper, like he was trying to remind himself of something he already knew. �śSo damn beautiful. Ginger hair and emerald eyes. What is it that you kids say? Great body? She had a great body, but I didn’t fall for her body. I fell for her smile. It was crooked. Like she knew she’d done something wrong, and she didn’t give a damn. You probably see the same smile every time you look in the mirror.”�śI’m sorry that your wife died, but�"”�śIt was love at first sight. Right here in this very hotel. I was closing my first big business deal at the bar, and she was singing with the band. She couldn’t really sing, but no one cared as long as they could watch her dance. I bought her a drink, and I bought her dinner, and I asked her to marry me.”He reached up, smoothing his hair. His hands shook. �śCherry Jubilee. That was her stage name. She laughed in my face. Told me I was a sweet boy, but I didn’t know what I was getting into. She was married, a wife and mother.”A polite knock sounded, and the door to the hotel room opened. A waiter in black pants and a white jacket pushed a rolling tray in. He didn’t say anything, didn’t even ask for a tip, but his presence served to break whatever spell Logan was under.The old man smoothed his shirt, a red linen number with fraying cuffs and bone buttons. �śYour lunch is here. I hope you don’t mind room service.”�śAre you kidding? I love it.” She’d never been in a hotel with room service before. Most of the places she stayed didn’t even have a shower. Walking over to the tray, Honey took a deep breath. The food was mouthwatering at five paces.�śWhat was I talking about?”�śMeeting your wife. You were in love, and she was married.”�śYou never know what you’ll be willing to do for love until it’s right there in front of you. I didn’t let up. I courted her, I seduced her, I wouldn’t take no for an answer.”�śSounds like a lot of fun.” Honey picked up the mocha and took a sip. It tasted heavenly, like real chocolate, not the sugary syrup used in most places. The whipped cream was fresh, wilting slightly as she drank it. If this was what opulence tasted like, she could get used to it.Was this what Jack had given up, moving to the apartment in Venice? The man was an idiot.�śHer husband didn’t mind?”�śHe was in jail. A six-month stretch for petty larceny, and by the time he got out, I’d already hired her the best divorce lawyer in the city. That was back when divorce was a lot less common, and the laws were hard on women. Cherry was smart and capable, but her husband was a man. He got custody of their son. She cried for days.”It had been more years than Honey could comprehend, but the thought of his wife’s pain still made him hurt.�śWe tried to have children of our own, but we couldn’t. Something about a doctor error when she delivered her son. It was a great tragedy.”For the first time in days, Honey felt sympathy for Logan Burrows. The man had caused her more trouble than she knew how to deal with, but she couldn’t imagine the pain he’d gone through.�śWhat does any of that have to do with me?”�śSurely you’ve worked it out by now. You’re a smart girl, just like Cherry.”Cherry Jubilee. Honey ran over the facts in her head.The woman had been a married dancer with a single son. She’d been smart, with red hair, a crooked smile, and a criminal husband.Most important, Logan Burrows was looking at Honey like she was the answer to life, the universe, and everything. The expression in his eyes said she was his salvation. She’d never been anyone’s salvation before, and she didn’t care for the idea.�śCherry was my grandmother.” The mythic dancer who’d been married to her grandfather for five years and three days before running off to greener pastures. Honey couldn’t imagine any pastures greener than the hills of Black Palm Park. �śYou married my grandmother. You broke my grandfather’s heart.”Logan reached out a hand slowly to touch her, but she flinched away. �śI am sorry.”�śHe couldn’t have known. He never would have let me go to school in Black Palm Park if he knew.”�śHe knew,” Logan said. �śSixteen years ago, your grandfather came to me and asked for my help. You were doing badly in school, and he didn’t have the money or the pull to send you anywhere else. He was a proud man, your grandfather, but he got down on his knees and he begged me to help him.”�śLiar. You’re lying.”�śHe loved you very much.” Logan sat down, limp on a fancy couch that almost swallowed him whole. �śI took care of everything. I got you into the school, I paid the tuition, and I arranged for tutors to help you catch up. I would have paid for college if you chose to go, but I didn’t tell Cherry about you. Her heart�"her heart was already weak. You have to understand that it might have killed her.”His head dipped slowly until it was resting in his hands. �śShe would have wanted to know. She’d have done anything to see you, and I couldn’t even tell her that you were driving past the house every morning on the way to school. Have you ever loved someone like that, Honey? Loved someone so damn much that you lied to them because you thought it was the right thing to do?”His name slipped out. �śJack.”She didn’t want to sympathize with Logan Burrows. The man was cruel, mean, a monster. But sixteen years earlier, Logan had lied to give his wife more time to live.Honey had lied because she wasn’t strong enough to face down Amelia Ogden. Then she’d lied again when she’d accepted the keys to the Super Bee, letting Jack think she’d meet up with him at the coffee shop near his police station.�śHe’ll never forgive me.”�śYou’re talking about Jack Ogden? Amelia’s boy? He’ll be fine.” Logan glanced up, cleaning his face on his sleeve. �śI never imagined revising my will would get you in so much trouble.”Right. The will. The reason she was homeless and dressed in borrowed clothes.�śWhy did you do it?”�śWhen my car went missing, I thought I could hire you, give you some money. That sort of thing. But when I saw you, you had your grandmother’s smile, her laugh, and then we were talking for hours. I know we’re not family, but I was hoping we might be friends.”She remembered their conversation. It had been simple, easy. They’d shared a couple of beers and watched the sun go down. It had been a nice night, but not one of her top ten.Certainly no reason for him to give her all that money.Clearly, it had meant more to Logan than it had to her�"but then, she had a full and busy life. She wasn’t a retiree whose wife had been dead for more than ten years.�śYou don’t have to pay me money to hang out with you.”�śIt’s what your grandmother would have wanted. Anyway, it’s my money to give away. You might as well have it. Otherwise, it goes to my third cousin twice removed.”The man who’d been written out of the will. �śDo you think that’s who set the fires?”�śClay Parsons? He couldn’t set a fire with a match and a gallon of gasoline, but he could hire someone to do the job. He always was too ambitious for his own good. I know he’s the one who stole the Volvo. He’s been having money problems recently, and the dumbass thought I’d never notice one missing car.” An angry snarl. �śHe didn’t even have the good sense to hock it for what it was worth.”�śYou should tell the police.”�śThe police?” Logan snorted. �śI have a private investigator looking into things, and he’s got a few solid leads. Everything should be back to normal soon.”�śNormal? My house burned to the ground.”�śI’ll pay for it to be rebuilt, of course. Do you have a place to stay for now? This suite does have an extra room. I’m going to a party tonight,” Logan hurried on eagerly. �śYou can come with me.”An hour earlier, Honey had been all alone, a single drop of water at sea in the raging oceans that made up Los Angeles. Business had died down since the arson. People were changing their own oil instead of taking the chance that their cars would get torched. The only money she’d had coming in was from a bartending job over the weekend.Now she had a comfortable place to stay, money to rebuild her house, and a party invitation.Like her grandfather always said, if something seems too good to be true, you’re probably about to get shot. She could feel the bull’s-eye being painted on her heart already.But something about the way Logan looked at her made it difficult for her to disappoint him. Difficult, but not impossible. �śI can’t.” She swallowed a sigh. �śSomeone’s trying to kill me, remember? I can’t just go to a party.”�śYou’ll be perfectly safe. It’s the hospital fund-raiser at the Black Palm Park Country Club.”�śThe hospital fund-raiser.” Ice wrapped around her heart, making it hard to breathe. �śI definitely can’t go to the hospital fund-raiser. Jack’s going to be there.”�śWhy would his presence deter you from attending?”Honey licked her lips, buying herself the time she needed to decide what she was going to say. She didn’t need to tell him everything, but then her mouth opened, and the words began to pour out.Logan blinked, obviously surprised, but she couldn’t stop herself. She told him about the date she and Jack had gone on back in high school, how happy she’d felt, and what had happened when Amelia Ogden showed up the following day. She told him about the jokes she’d played, the petty theft and the blue hair. She told him that when her house had burned down, Jack was the first person she’d thought of going to for help, the only man she’d felt safe with.After all the years they’d spent fighting, the few hours they’d been together had made her hope for something more. She’d allowed herself to dream about a different sort of future for the first time in years. And then it had all come tumbling down.The scene at the house. The knowledge that she’d put Jack’s career in jeopardy. The fact that she’d endangered his well-being. Anything could have happened, all because she didn’t think things through.Just like she hadn’t thought stealing Jack’s patrol car would lead to her grandfather’s death.Jack would never forgive her. And even if he did, how could she forgive herself?Logan listened without interruption. He didn’t make any crude jokes like her cousins or offer the kind of folksy wisdom her grandfather had been able to recite on cue. He just heard her out, listening to everything she had to say, his expression bright and attentive. When it was all over he brought his hands together, turning the gold band on his left ring finger.�śYou could stay here and hide from Jack. I’d stay with you. I’ve already made my donation for the year. We could watch a movie and order more room service. Or you could go to the party and tell Jack how you feel about him. It all depends on what you want.”�śI want Jack to be safe. I want him to be happy.”�śOf course you do. You’re a good girl. But Jack’s safety isn’t your concern. As for happy, he’ll be happy either way. If you decide to stay here, he’ll think about you. He’ll wonder what might have been, but eventually he’ll get over it. If you go after him, he might need a few weeks to forgive you, but eventually he’ll love you as much as I loved your grandmother, if he doesn’t already.”Honey had no reason to believe what Logan was saying, but something about the steady weight of his voice had her paying attention.�śIt all depends on you,” Logan said. �śDo you want to let Jack get away because it might not be the right thing? Or do you want to fight for the man you love? I fought like hell for your grandmother. Sometimes it hurt more than I thought I could handle, but it was all worth it when I held her in my arms.”�śI want him to be safe,” Honey repeated.�śSafety’s overrated. Any time you get close to a person there are going to be risks, but that’s what makes it worthwhile.”With the choices laid out in front of her like that, there was only one decision she could make.Staying away might be the best thing for Jack, but when she closed her eyes at night, he stalked through her thoughts like a lion across the savannah. She would lay there, tossing and turning, trying to forget the warmth of his arms wrapped around her and the sweetness of his kiss. The way he laughed at her jokes, his whole body rocking with amusement, and the way he smiled at her when he thought no one was looking.A long time ago, she’d promised herself she was going to stop stealing cars and loving Jack Ogden. Time had brought fresh knowledge and experience.Now, she knew she could only keep one of those promises.�śI want to fight for Jack.”�śGood to hear.” With the decision made, Logan became all business. �śI’ll have to call for another ticket, and then we should get ready. Do you have a dress?”�śA dress? I don’t have a dress.”Even before her house had burned down, she hadn’t had a dress she could wear to the Black Palm Park Country Club for lunch, let alone a formal fund-raiser. For an event like that, she didn’t need just any dress. She needed a gown that swished when she walked and made grown men babble like three-year-olds.�śI also don’t have shoes or a purse.”�śJewelry,” Logan said. �śA girl can dress in rags and tatters, but if she’s wearing the right baubles, everyone will listen to what she has to say. I still have your grandmother’s emeralds. You can wear them.”Emeralds that would weigh heavy around her neck like iron chains she’d have to return before she could do anything else. �śNo thanks.”If they were going to be friends, it wouldn’t just mean Logan listening to her problems and giving her good advice. He was an old man, with no one to look out for him. Sure, he might have been tough when he was younger, but that didn’t mean someone with a slick computer and a forceful personality couldn’t convince him that the world was a living organism about to be sucked dry by a giant spider.�śI’m from a bad bit of town, Logan. You shouldn’t loan someone like me emeralds. For that matter, you shouldn’t go around telling people like me you have emeralds to loan. They’ll take advantage of your good nature.”�śI don’t think anyone’s ever accused me of having a good nature before.” Logan’s smile was bright, reaching all the way to his eyes. �śI’ll loan you the emeralds, and I won’t take no for an answer. Now, can you find a dress?”�śNo, but I know someone who can.”Chapter Thirteen� This was it. No matter how much he fought for a real life�"one with good food, great company, and a girl to call his own�"Jack would always be stuck here. Standing in the middle of the Black Palm Park Country Club’s grand ballroom, sipping champagne, and wishing he were anywhere else.If he lived to be a hundred, he’d never understand the country club lifestyle.His sister, on the other hand, was in her element. Buzzing around the room in a lemon cocktail dress, she had a big, beaming grin on her face. When she saw him, she laughed out loud.�śJack, you look like someone ran over your puppy with their car.”�śI don’t have a puppy.”�śFine, you look like someone gave you a puppy and then ran over it.” Jessica turned slightly so she could keep an eye on the rest of the room. �śNot a bad turnout, if I must say so myself.”�śYou look beautiful.” The compliment was a bit of polite fluff, but it was also true. Jessica had her chocolate curls pulled up into a fancy arrangement accented by a pale yellow rose. Diamonds that had been a gift from her second husband glittered at her throat.�śOf course. I was going to wear red, to go with the �ŚStrawberry Fields’ theme, but I changed at the last minute.”�śThe theme is Strawberry Fields?” That explained the strawberry shortcake on the dessert table and the garnish in his champagne.If he’d been thinking clearly, he would have noticed the theme. He’d have complimented Jessica on her hard work, taken his mother on a tour of the dance floor, and left already. Instead, he was stuck there with his feet glued to the floor and his tongue flopping around awkwardly in his mouth.Things had been going wrong for him all week. Ever since he’d loaned Honey his car, expecting to see her a few hours later across the street from the police station, and she’d vanished into the night.He’d looked for her all over the city, rousting assorted family members who’d been less than thrilled to find a police officer at their door. They hadn’t known where Honey was, or they weren’t willing to tell them.Either way, Jack had been left feeling frustrated and angry. Where the hell was Honey? Why had she run away? What if something had happened to her? He swallowed hard, struggling to keep his breath even.�śI’m sorry. I’m not very good company tonight. I’ve been out of it for a few days.”�śI had the most bizarre afternoon imaginable. Would you care to guess what I did?”�śA dishwasher broke a plate, and you had to track down a new set of china.”�śBite your tongue.” Jessica smiled. �śLogan Burrows took me out for ice cream.”Jack’s throat went dry. Hell. It had been a little over a year since his sister’s last husband died. It was about time for her to start looking for a new one, and Logan was just her type�"smart, old, richer than god. They’d have a few good years together, traveling the world, and then he’d keel over on a golf course somewhere.Jessica looked good in yellow, but she looked great in black.�śPlease tell me you’re not going to marry him.”Logan might be her type, but he was tougher than her previous husbands. When he died, he might take her with him.�śThere’s an idea. I hadn’t even considered that. Mrs. Logan Burrows. I wonder if you can still wear a white dress the fourth time out.”Jack’s dismay must have showed, because Jessica laughed. �śJust kidding. You should see the look on your face.”He could only imagine. �śYou skipped out of party preparations for ice cream with a man, and you’re not getting married?”�śWe went shopping first. He bought me this rose.” She reached up to pat her hair. �śHe was very sweet.”Sweet. Jack’s eyes swept the crowd, trying to find the �śsweet” man who’d bought his sister a rose. His boss had agreed not to suspend him, but only if Jack promised not to go looking for Logan.His gaze moved back and forth before spotting Logan over by the punch bowl with his arm around the waist of a woman dressed in scarlet.The woman’s back was to him, her body half hidden by Logan’s tuxedoed form, but that didn’t stop Jack from recognizing the shape of her muscular legs and her curvy behind.Brilliant curls fell down her back, glistening like an autumn moon.�śHoney,” he murmured before he even realized his mouth was open. �śShe’s here with him?”�śYes,” Jessica said. �śWe had a grand time looking for that dress.”The dress was beautiful, with a low back that showed off acres of smooth skin and a skirt that swung above dimpled knees. When she turned toward him, the top of the dress cupped her breasts. Jack was no expert on women’s fashion, but he knew what that neckline was called. Sweetheart.A sweetheart neckline for his sweetheart.Make that the woman who had been his sweetheart. Now, she wasn’t objecting to the grip the old man had on her arm.�śHoney’s going to marry Logan?”�śWhat?” Jessica’s yelp drew attention from all corners of the room. Honey focused her gaze on him. A familiar smile spread across her face, one side slightly higher than the other. Even her smile was crooked.The last time he’d seen her smiling like that, he’d been inside her. He’d been so damn happy, he’d felt like he could fly�"just like that morning so many years earlier when he’d walked up to her outside the high school with the taste of her kiss still on his lips.Cherry cola. It was still his favorite soft drink, but he hadn’t ordered it in years. Too sweet, too sugary. It might taste like sunshine and young love, but he knew it was bad for him.Honey was the same way�"bad news. Standing in his kitchen a week earlier, wearing his T-shirt and those damn lollipop panties, she’d been original sin. Eve in the garden. She’d offered him the apple, and he’d taken a big, juicy bite.But it had ended with pain and confusion, just like always. He had to keep remembering that, or he’d walk over to her and ask for a dance that lasted a lifetime.Jessica was talking, babbling, but he couldn’t quite hear the words.�śWhat are you saying?” Swallowing hard, he took a deep breath. �śSorry, I wasn’t listening.”�śFor that, I should leave you to squirm. Fortunately for you, I’m a good person.” Jessica gave him a small pat on the arm. Just a little harder than was necessary. �śHoney called me this afternoon. She needed help finding a dress. We went shopping. We talked. I like her a lot. I think the two of you will be great together.”�śShe’s here with Logan.”�śYou’re a moron. She’s here with Logan, but she’s here for you.”Honey was here for him. The room blurred for a long moment before he swallowed hard, focusing on the woman in red. She was here for him.Across the dance floor, something Logan said made her laugh, and her entire face lit up. She shimmied in place, dancing to a beat that was faster than the orchestra’s elegant concerto. Dark jewels glittered around her neck. Floaty red fabric swayed with her, tantalizing and exotic.�śIt’s a beautiful dress.”�śThank you,” Jessica said. �śShe wanted something a size smaller and three inches shorter. Pretty enough, but not really the thing. Consider it an apology.”�śAn apology?” Jack must have been distracted again, because he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what his sister had to apologize for. �śYou haven’t done anything wrong.”�śYes, I have.” A raw quality to Jessica’s voice made him pay attention, even if he couldn’t take his eyes off Honey’s lips. �śMom ran off a dozen of my boyfriends before I started dating men she approved of, but you never had that problem. You always did the right thing. I should have warned you.”This was certainly a day for firsts. Honey Moore stood in the middle of the Black Palm Park Country Club looking like she belonged, and his big sister had admitted she’d done something wrong.�śThat’s why�Ś” Damn, he should have realized. Jessica’s attraction to older guys made more sense now. Her husbands had been exactly the kind of men Amelia Ogden would approve of. Even Carlos�"the walking, talking domestic assault charge�"had his mother’s stamp of approval.�śIt’s my fault as much as it is yours,” he said. �śI should have tried harder. With Honey and with you. We’ve never had the best relationship.” His entire life, he’d always seen Jessica as his perfect older sister. A statue on a pedestal, not a real woman. That needed to change. �śWe should do something. Do you want to have dinner together sometime next week? I’m free on Friday night.”�śWe’ll never get reservations for Friday night.”�śWho needs reservations? You can come over to my place, and we’ll order in pizza or Chinese food.”�śPizza’s not on my diet.” She smiled. �śBut I think I can make an exception for a family dinner.”�śGood to hear.”His gaze refocused on Honey, caught by the way light reflected off the curve of her neck. Letting her walk away a week earlier had been a mistake, but he wasn’t sure if it was one he was willing to rectify anytime soon, no matter how soft and inviting she looked. The woman was trouble. Hell on his heart, and pure poison when it came to his career.�śDo you think I should go talk to her?”Too late. Honey was already walking his way, with Logan at her side. The only option Jack had if he didn’t want to talk to her was to run away. He didn’t need his sister to tell him that would be a mistake.Stalking across the dance floor, Honey reminded him of a cat treading gingerly through someone else’s territory. Not a barn cat hunting mice, but the kind of feral cats that populated Los Angeles alleys.�śJack Ogden,” she purred, her head held up high, defiant. �śImagine seeing you here.”A laugh, light and warm. It took Jack a moment to realize the sound had come from his own throat. Of course she’d known he was coming to the fund-raiser. He’d spent a week hunting for her, and now she’d come looking for him. There could be no other reason for that dress. It was red, a color she thought looked bad on her. A color he’d complimented.Instinct was pushing him onward. He wanted to take her with a kiss, bruising her lips and hearing her moan. Finally his.Except that wasn’t true. Despite the red dress. Despite what Jessica said. This was another one of Honey’s games. A half-baked plot cooked up in the steel trap that passed for her mind. Completely incomprehensible to anyone with a little common sense.�śHoney Moore.” His lips flared upward into a feral smile. �śWhere did you steal that necklace?”�śI don’t steal,” Honey said. �śI don’t sneak, and I don’t steal.”�śYou stole my car.”�śI borrowed your car.” Her voice stressed the difference between stealing and borrowing, even if they both meant she’d had the car for the last week and he hadn’t.�śWe were supposed to meet up after I gave my statement.” He struggled to maintain some semblance of control. To keep from bellowing at her in front of his parents’ friends. �śWhat do you have to say for yourself?”�śI�" I’m sorry. You can have the Super Bee back anytime you want. All you have to do is ask. Nicely.”It almost sounded like a polite offer, but Jack knew better. He knew it was a challenge.Asking for his car back nicely would mean admitting he’d loaned it to her in the first place. It would mean admitting she hadn’t done anything wrong. He was willing to believe there’d been some confusion when he handed over the keys, but he wouldn’t proclaim her innocence. Not yet.�śMr. Burrows, the last time we spoke, you said you’d never even heard of Miss Moore. Would you care to revise your statement?”�śDon’t be a jackass,” Honey said. �śYour parents were right. I look like Logan’s wife because she was my grandmother. She left my grandfather for him, and he paid for me to go to the academy. Now he’s changed his will to leave me a boatload of cash. It’s all very confusing, and at the moment I could care less. We need to talk.”Jack blinked in surprise, taking a moment to digest the information Honey had given him. She was right. It was confusing, and it didn’t explain why Logan had lied to him. Jack had managed to convince the captain not to suspend him, but it had been a near thing. He’d spent the last week stuck on the night shift in the worst part of town, answering 911 calls and riding herd on a bunch of fresh-faced police academy grads while he searched for Honey in his spare time.He kept looking not because he wanted her, but because he wanted answers. He wanted to know who had stolen the Volvo Sport. He wanted to know what was going on with Logan. Most important, he wanted to know why Honey had run off with his damn car.Her hand extended to rest on his arm, fingers grasping his bicep.Honey Moore stood in front of him, talking to him for the first time in a week, and he was trying to pick a fight. Not exactly the smartest move in the world. Experience told him that if he wanted to escape their encounter with his original hair color intact, it would be better to keep quiet.But that wasn’t possible. There was no treading lightly. Not after the week she’d put him through. Late-night shifts and worrying.�śWould you care to dance?” he asked.This was something he could do, something he’d been training to do since he was eleven years old and attending his first ballroom dancing class.�śLogan, hold my purse.” She pushed the small bag into the other man’s hands.�śCome on.” He put a hand on her waist and pulled her out onto the dance floor.�śCan you keep a secret?” she asked.�śAre you about to confess to a crime?”�śI have no idea how to dance.”Jack turned to face Honey straight on. He tightened his grip on her waist.�śI know.” Her secret was old news. She’d told him the week before in his bedroom. She’d told him she couldn’t dance right before they’d done the rumba, in every possible sense of the word.An experience he’d remember until the day he died.She simply needed a little reminder. �śThe man pushes forward and the woman takes, remember?” He picked up her hand, allowing his arm to fall naturally into the perfect frame it had taken him so long to learn. �śOnly, you like to be the one who pushes. Always pushing.”�śMaybe you’re just stubborn.” She stepped forward, closer than was proper for the dance. When he took a breath, the scent of oranges filled his lungs, the same way it had back in high school.�śYou smell like oranges,” he said, his voice rough and dark.�śTangerines,” she corrected. �śThe shampoo at Logan’s hotel is supposed to smell like tangerines.”Tangerines. Small, sweet fruit with a tangy bite. That made more sense. Still, Jack didn’t like to think about Honey showering in some other man’s hotel room. Not that he’d have any say in what she did after tonight. A swift turn around the dance floor, and they’d go their separate ways. She’d go back to her cars and her cousins, never more than one step ahead of serious trouble, and he’d get back to what was really important. His career. The career he’d almost tanked by withholding information from his captain.He gathered his thoughts, trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t end in violence. �śLogan was really married to your grandmother?”�śYeah, I think he’s lonely. They didn’t have any kids, and I’m the closest thing he has to family.”Right�"there was no one else except Clay Parsons. Jack couldn’t imagine the senator being happy about Honey’s new status in Logan’s life. But he couldn’t imagine the senator starting house fires, either.For the moment, he didn’t care if the arsonist was a one-armed man straight out of summer movie madness. Honey had leaned her head against his chest. She felt so damn good there, almost like she belonged.�śYou’ll have to stop making fun of Black Palm Park if you’re friends with Logan. He built this neighborhood.”�śI can like the man without liking what he did.” She sniffed. �śAnyway, I don’t �Śmake fun’.”�śThat’s right. You don’t �Śmake fun.’ You attack. I�"”He sucked in a breath. He’d been so caught up in Honey’s closeness�"the feel of her silky hair on his hand and her head against his chest�"he’d almost forgotten all the barriers that still stood between them. Honey might fit in his bed, but she didn’t fit in his life. She couldn’t put up with the late nights and the long hours. And he couldn’t put up with her devil-may-care attitude about the things that were important to him. His work. His community. They weren’t just affectations to be dismissed. They were his life. His entire identity. Who he was.�śI was born here, Honey. I grew up here. My parents still live here. It’s not something I chose�"”�śWho would?” A throwaway response.�śHoney, I still belong to the country club. I still do things in the community. I don’t live in Black Palm Park, but I don’t hate it either. I�"”�śThe truth is,” she interrupted, �śI don’t know how I feel about Black Palm Park anymore. I’m not saying I want to go to any high school reunions anytime soon, but it’s only a neighborhood. It’s not a bad place.”�śI think hell just froze over.”�śI’m not saying it’s perfect. There’s definitely some room for improvement. For instance, you can’t get a decent beer in this place.”�śThat’s why they call it a champagne fund-raiser.”�śYeah.” Honey sniffed again. �śWell, I’m definitely not a champagne kind of girl.”�śYou’ve got that right.”�śExcuse me.” A tuxedoed man inserted himself between the two of them before Jack could say anything. Rough and determined, like he had something to prove. �śMind if I cut in?”Carlos. His sister’s ex-boyfriend.The smug bastard had a smile on his face and a laugh on his lips. �śI should have known this lovely lady was with you, Ogden. You always did have an eye for a figure.”The look he gave Honey was bold and lascivious. �śMy name’s Carlos Green. Why don’t I show you what it’s like to be with a real man?”There was a cool retort waiting to be made. A brilliant joke about how Carlos wouldn’t know a real man if one hit him in the face.Jack couldn’t think of it.Rage warmed his body like aged whiskey. His hands balled up into fists reflexively. �śYou might want to think about what you’re doing, Carlos. Your friends aren’t here to back you up today.”�śPlease.” He snorted. �śLook around you. I’ve got friends everywhere.” Carlos grinned, bright and cheerful. Anyone looking would think they were having a pleasant chat.�śYou really think they’re going to take your side in a fight?” Jack snorted. �śLet’s be honest, you need the help. You couldn’t take me by yourself.”�śYou think so?” A second later, Carlos struck, his fist careening into the same spot on Jack’s chest that his buddy’s beer bottle had met a little more than a week earlier. The force of the punch sent Jack staggering back against Honey.That was all the encouragement Jack needed.He gave no warning. He just hauled off and hit Carlos on the jaw, hard.His first day learning how to box, his trainer had told him never to hit someone with a closed hand, but the crack of Carlos’s head slamming backward was damn satisfying.It also hurt like hell. He’d used his right, the same wrist he’d sprained. The same wrist he’d shattered when he was trying to fight his way to the top. The steel pins seemed to be holding, but it was going to be a while before he could feel his fingertips again.Carlos swung wildly, a sloppy roundhouse to the jaw.Rage flooded Jack’s veins. This wasn’t the hot anger and confusion he’d felt when Logan lied to him. This was the cool fury he needed to get the job done. He moved forward, grabbing Carlos’s arm and twisting it hard to the side, forcing the other man to the ground.�śOkay,” Jack said. �śIt’s time for you to leave.”Chapter Fourteen� �śWell, that was anti-climatic.” Honey crossed her arms in front of her chest, watching Jack frog march the other man out of the ballroom. She was happy Jack hadn’t been injured�"any more than he already was�"but a fight would have helped liven up the party.Across the glittering ballroom, waiters let out sighs of relief, glad the confrontation was over and no one had asked them to break things up.They were probably the only ones who were happy that the fight was over. There were more than a few disappointed looks in the crowd. They might try to act fancier than everyone else, but all it took was the hint of blood to turn these Black Palm Park snobs into kids on a playground, eager for a showdown.Carlos was struggling to get away, calling out for assistance, but Jack didn’t appear to notice. The look on his face was one of grim determination.�śJerk,” Honey snarled. �śI hope he gets tossed in a cell with a seven-foot biker with �ŚCrazy’ as his first name.”A laugh. The man standing next to her must have heard. �śCarlos isn’t going to jail. They’re just boys letting off a little steam.”�śOh, he’s going to jail.”And Jack would be going with him. Honey had been arrested enough times to know that there were hours of paperwork involved. Jack would be tied up for the rest of the night, which meant her big night was effectively over. Any chance at reconciliation had disappeared the instant Carlos walked into the room.Twenty minutes ago, she’d been full of hope and all the vibrant possibilities that came with wearing a good dress and better shoes. Turning around and seeing the look on Jack’s face, the way he was staring at her with lust in his eyes, she’d felt so damn powerful.This was why women wore sexy dresses.Walking over, she’d had every intention of telling Jack the truth. She loved him more than words could truly express, and if he’d agree to love her back, then everything would be all right. But the words had caught in her throat. Those few short syllables had been enough to choke her.Then they’d been dancing, talking, and his anger had been palpable. A physical force that scared her more than any death threat could. What if he pushed her away? What if they never saw each other again?She should have told him how she felt while she had the chance, but she’d thought they would have more time. They should have had more time. At least until the end of the song.�śOgden looks pretty angry,” the man standing next to her said. �śRemind me not to get on his bad side.”�śMy advice? Don’t hit his sister.”�śI could have told Carlos that was a bad idea, although I really would have expected Amelia to take care of it. Some poison, a knife to the gut, maybe a little pleasant conversation.”Honey bit back a laugh.Maybe the man next to her was more than a fitted tuxedo. She glanced sideways, taking in a lethal combination of golden skin, tawny hair, and white teeth. He was older than she’d expected, the silver streaks at his temples and wrinkles by his eyes belying his youthful voice. Something about him seemed familiar. Like she’d seen him before, but she couldn’t quite figure out where.�śHoney Moore.” She stuck out a hand.�śNo need for an introduction.” His smile didn’t make it to his eyes. �śYou’re the woman with her hands on Logan Burrows’s family jewels.”�śExcuse me?”�śThose emeralds have been in the family for almost two hundred years. They’re passed from father to son and worn by strong, capable women who commit themselves to the Burrows name. They are not trinkets for floozies and whores.”Two digs in less than a minute. Any more and Honey would think the guy didn’t like her.The stranger’s friendly mask slipped. �śYou might think you hit the mother lode, taking him to bed, but I know what you are. Trash, pure and simple.” His hand latched onto her arm. �śWe’re leaving.”�śNot a chance in hell.” A sharp bolt of fear drove its way through her body. �śYou’re him, aren’t you? Clay Parsons.” �śI’ve come too far to let you get in my way.” His breath came out cloying and sweet, thick with the alcohol he’d used to marshal his courage. �śWe’re going to walk to my car, and you’re going to look happy about it. If you don’t, I’ll kill Logan. A man that old is vulnerable. If he skips one pill, he could have a heart attack. You’re his mistress. You’d know that. You’ll be a suspect even if they don’t arrest you. They’ll never let you inherit.”It took every ounce of self-control Honey had not to break the man’s nose. It would be so damn easy. Throw a punch, cry out, fall down. If she did anything to attract attention, this horrible event would be over. Jack would arrest Clay Parsons, and everything could go back to normal.Her head turned slightly, following the path that Jack had taken across the room. He was already gone, vanished through wide double doors.Besides, what if Parsons was right? He was a state senator, and everyone knew she was a bad apple. She’d tell her version of the story, and they’d laugh.Then Parsons would go after Logan.It had been less than eight hours since Honey had knocked on Logan’s door, unsure of what kind of man she’d find on the other side, but in that short time she’d grown attached to him. He wasn’t her grandfather, and he never would be, but that wasn’t going to stop her from adding him to the chaos that was her family. In her mind, she’d already planned Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas surprises. There was no way in hell she would let some two-bit state senator in a tuxedo mess with his medication. Not if she had anything to say about it.�śYou’re a jackass.”�śAnd you’re a fool fighting something unavoidable.” He adjusted his grip so that anyone watching would think they were friends, maybe even lovers. His free hand ran up her arm, making her skin crawl, and for the briefest moment, he cupped her face in his palm.�śYou’ll come quietly. Won’t you, Honey?”�Ś� Arresting Carlos was supposed to make Jack feel better. It was supposed to provide him some much-needed satisfaction and closure, the same catharsis he’d felt years earlier when he’d been fighting in the boxing ring.It just made him feel old and tired.He didn’t want to be taking the other man down to the station. Spending his night filling out paperwork and explaining things to his boss. He wanted to be with Honey, exchanging rough barbs and verbal blows. Explaining to her the difference between �śborrowing a car” and �śgrand theft auto.”�śYou should have just stayed home,” Jack muttered angrily. Forcing Carlos down the country club’s long foyer and out the front hall, he took a deep breath of cool night air. He could smell the ocean. Salty. Tangy.He wasn’t going anywhere.�śGo on.” Jack shoved the other man forward, biting back a laugh when Carlos stumbled on the gravel drive and fell to his knees. �śGet lost.”�śYou idiot�"”�śShut up, Carlos.” Jack blocked the doorway, preventing the other man from coming back in. The view from the Black Palm Park Country Club was incredible. In the daylight, he would be able to see all the way down to the beach. At night, he could just make out the streetlights that lined the Pacific Coast Highway. �śJust be grateful I’m not dragging your ass downtown.”�śCome on�"” Carlos stopped short, suddenly aware of the gravity of his situation. �śFine.” He spat on the ground. �śI’m leaving. Give my best to your sister.”�śUh-huh.” Jack didn’t move an inch. He stood there and watched the other man walk away, enjoying the scenery. The flicker of lights in the distance. The soft rustling of palm fronds moving in the breeze.A car drove past. A luxury sedan zipping around the side of the building. Jack couldn’t make out the driver, but he could see the passenger.Honey. Shoulders slumped forward. Her eyes wide. Her face pale. Fear making it so she didn’t even recognize him.That couldn’t be right. Why would she leave now? And what could make her look so scared?Jack spun, no longer caring what happened with Carlos. He raced back into the ballroom. He had to be mistaken. His gaze swept the crowd for Honey, searching for a flash of blazing hair or a scrap of that ruby dress. No such luck.All he saw were the disapproving looks of the Junior League. Fine. He’d been disappointing them since he was nineteen years old.It hadn’t been a mistake. It had been Honey in the car. Scared. Terrified. Logan stood beside Jessica. The perfect guest, drinking champagne, holding Honey’s purse, and making polite conversation.�śLogan.” Jack’s throat was dry. He swallowed, trying to regain the ability to speak. �śLogan, who did Honey leave with?”�śLeave? She didn’t leave. She’s right here. Right�"” Logan glanced around, too, his lips pulled downward by worry. �śHoney?” A gnarled voice that had commanded captains of industry and conversed with presidents twisted itself with confusion. �śHoney?”Hell. A dozen possibilities raced through Jack’s mind, none of them good.Maybe his mother had finally gone homicidal.Maybe aliens had attacked.Or maybe he’d been wrong when he’d believed Honey had changed.Returning a car for money was one thing, but the emeralds around her neck were worth millions. She might not be able to fence them for their full value, but there’d still be enough left over to start her off in a new life.Only, he couldn’t imagine Honey anywhere except Los Angeles, where it was hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk and dogs roamed street corners. She was a California girl, like the song.And the look in her eyes when she’d told him she’d given up theft had been determined, unyielding. She was a different person than she’d been in high school, or even a few years ago. She had a house she needed to get fixed, a garage she ran herself, and a position she’d carved out for herself in the community.If he crossed her, she’d probably dye his hair blue again, but she’d stick around afterward to make sure he didn’t get any dye in his eyes.He could count on her. He knew it.�śJessica, something’s happened to Honey. Who did she leave with?”�śAre you sure she isn’t in the bathroom?”�śShe wouldn’t go to the bathroom while there was still the possibility of a fight.”No, she wouldn’t miss a chance to watch him fight. Closing his eyes, he remembered the last time he’d seen her smiling after a fight. It hadn’t been a boxing match. They’d both been on the playground. There must have been a hundred kids shouting, cheering him on, but the only one he’d seen was Honey.Jack Ogden, she’d hollered, hands on her hips. You beat the tarnation out of that man.That’s one way to put it.I could take you. She’d held up both hands in loose fists. I know you’re bigger than me, and I know you’re a man. It doesn’t matter. I could still take you. Do you know why?Because you cheat?Because you don’t know what you’re fighting for. You’re good, but you won’t be great until you find something worth fighting for.In retrospect, Jack knew it was true. As a kid, he’d been fighting for recognition and to prove he was something more than his mother’s son. At the time, it had been enough.His breath caught in his throat. This entire week he’d been so angry, so mad at Honey for leaving. He’d never thought about the good times. He’d never wondered what had made her go.There was more to life than his name in lights. There was the quiet time in the morning before the world was awake when Honey nestled back into his arms. That was something worth fighting for.�śShe’s gone. I saw her in a car outside. Someone else was driving,” Jack said.She’d looked so damn scared pulling away from him.�śTake a deep breath.” His sister’s voice.Impossible. He wouldn’t be able to breathe until Honey was back, safe in his arms.�śEverything’s going to be all right,” Jessica said.�śShe wouldn’t leave with anyone dangerous,” Logan said. �śShe’s a smart girl.”�śThat’s a major understatement.” Jack said. �śHoney’s brilliant.”She knew things he couldn’t even imagine�"and not just street smarts, either. There’d been an essay competition every year at the Black Palm Park Academy. Honey had won twice, and English wasn’t even her favorite subject. She liked science, knowing how things worked.She could have gone far.College, graduate school. The fact she’d stopped with high school was a tragedy. When he found her, he’d offer to send her back to school.Honey was a great mechanic, but she’d be great at anything she did. She deserved to be an engineer or an inventor, someone who did more than take things apart. She deserved the chance to build something new.�śShe’ll be okay. She has to be okay.”All of the confusion he’d felt over the last week left him, replaced by the certainty that he needed Honey in his life. If something happened to her, he’d never be able to live with himself.�śWhat kind of a car was it?” Jessica asked.�śExpensive. A luxury sedan. A cream-colored BMW, a couple of years old.” There had been something else. Jack closed his eyes, concentrating. �śThere was a parking sticker on the rear window. A gold medallion.”�śThe state seal?” Logan demanded roughly. �śClay has a car like that.”�śClay Parsons, you’re sure?”What the hell was going on? Parsons was powerful�"a state senator�"and rich.Only, he wasn’t actually rich, was he? He dressed well and drove a fancy car, but everyone knew he wouldn’t have any actual money until Logan died.Damn. Jack’s breath started to come faster. That was a possibility he hadn’t considered. But he hadn’t known how deep the connection between Logan and Honey went until a few minutes ago.This possibility was worse than all the others put together. If Parsons saw Honey as a threat to his future inheritance, he’d have a motive for murder. More like a billion motives for murder. There was no telling what he’d do.�śHell,” Jack swore.He needed his gun, but he’d left the weapon locked in his apartment. The only resource had had to draw on was the badge in his back pocket, a solid reminder of the power he could summon.Jack pulled out his cell phone. Dispatch was the third number on his speed dial.It took him a long minute to explain the situation, but it was time well spent. The call would reach a dozen different law enforcement agencies. Every cop in the area would come running. They had to. Attacking a police officer’s girlfriend�"his family�"was as bad as attacking a police officer. In a lot of ways, it was worse. Family members were vulnerable, unarmed, and off-limits.But Honey wasn’t his girlfriend. Ten minutes earlier, he would have happily thrown her to the wolves.Things had changed. The fear that gripped Jack was all encompassing. It didn’t matter that she was a fighter, one of the rough-and-tumble Moores. He wouldn’t be able to breathe right until she was safe.�śI need a car.”Without the Super Bee, he’d been stuck using a department car at work. To get to the party, he’d called a cab. His grand plan for the evening had involved catching a ride home from his sister. �śLet me borrow your car.”�śWait.” Logan fumbled in Honey’s purse for a moment, retrieving a valet slip. His hand shook when he dropped it into Jack’s hand. �śWe drove the Super Bee. Please�" Please bring her back safely.”All this trouble because of a lonely old man. It was Logan who’d gotten Honey into this mess in the first place, drawing her into a world she didn’t understand without even warning her.Jack wanted to rage at the man, to scream and gnash his teeth, but that wouldn’t be helpful. He grabbed the slip from Logan’s leathery hand.�śI’ll do my best.”He just hoped his best would be good enough.Chapter Fifteen� �śI didn’t think senators went in much for kidnapping these days.”The moment Honey climbed into Clay’s car, she’d known she’d made a giant mistake. Screaming in the country club might have put Jack and Logan in danger, but it also would have given her the opportunity she needed to escape. She could have thrown her arms around Jack, begged him to help her, and started planning the best way to defend Logan against Clay’s attacks.Instead, she’d followed the state senator out to the parking lot and folded herself neatly into the BMW’s front seat. Did that make her a willing participant in her own kidnapping? Everything was spiraling into chaos around her. Sitting in the driver’s seat, Clay hummed, the sound bright and cheerful.The bottom had dropped out of Honey’s stomach the second the sedan’s engine came to life with a throaty purr. There was no going back now, no matter how much she wanted to�"no way she could attract attention from the people still floating around the country club’s ballroom like pale moths gathering at the light.She was on her own.No one could find her to rescue her. Not even Jack�"the hero who haunted her dreams.�śI didn’t want to have to do this. But you had to be stubborn.”�śWhat can I say? I’ve got a real yen for staying alive.”Honey tried to calm herself with a few deep breaths. Her uncle had always insisted that was what tripped people up more than anything else�"when things started to go wrong, they forgot how to breathe. They’d squirm, stall, and their faces would turn bright red. She’d seen the signs a dozen different times, in barroom fights, holding cells, and fancy dinner parties where people knew they were in over their heads.Honey knew how to breathe. She just didn’t know what to do next.Clay kept humming, steering the car along the dark road. With every passing second, they got farther from the country club’s glittering lights.What had started out as an unpleasant experience was rapidly turning into her worst nightmare.The steering wheel spun beneath his hands, and the car rocketed out of Black Palm Park onto the dark Pacific Coast Highway.With mountains rising on one side and the ocean glistening wickedly on the other, the PCH was no place for an angry driver. The stretch of California’s Route 1 that traveled through Ventura, Los Angeles, and Malibu counties was known for hairpin turns, blind corners, and celebrity car crashes on the six o’clock news.It was the kind of road Honey loved to drive�"one foot hard on the gas pedal, classic rock blasting on the radio, and the breeze rushing through her hair.She hated being in the passenger seat. Her hands curled into fists, nails digging into her palms. All she could think about was the number of times she’d turned on the radio at work and heard about some jerk driving straight off the side of the road.The posted speed limit was forty-five, but Clay’s car was pushing seventy, whipping back and forth along the two-lane highway to move around traffic. The idiot would get them both killed.Where the hell was the state highway patrol when she needed them? She paid her taxes. Why weren’t there lights in the rearview mirror and sirens blaring? A burst of righteous indignation gave her the strength she needed to shift her head sideways and look at her captor.Clay�"freaking�"Parsons.Her lips twitched uncontrollably. The part of her that didn’t want to scream at the top of her lungs wanted to laugh.�śStealing the damn Volvo was supposed to give me the money to pay off my debts. And you had to go and steal it back for him. All that money. All that power. You know how hard I’ve worked? All those years spent bowing and scraping for handouts. Asking Logan for just a taste�"a glimpse�"and when he finally shows me the will, it’s got your name on it.”Clay laughed quietly. �śYou know how hard it is to find a murderer in Los Angeles? The crime rate this city has, you’d think they’d be hanging out on every corner. All that time, all that effort. All that money�"I had to pawn my wife’s pearls. Who knows what she’ll do when she finds out?”A long pause. The quiet was almost scarier than his maniacal ranting.�śWhy couldn’t you just die?” he asked.�śI didn’t know. You should have asked!” Honey’s hand lashed out before she could stop herself, and she slammed her fist against the BMW’s gray dashboard in time with her shouted statement. �śI would have talked to Logan if you asked. He could have redrafted his will.”That was going to leave a dent. Not that anyone would notice after Clay crashed the car into a million pieces.�śLiar.” His hand fumbled, shifting gears. �śNot that it matters much. You wouldn’t have given up the will anyway�"all that money�"not after you worked so hard to get it.”That was a laugh.�śI’m not interested in money.” She liked the things that money could get her�"fast cars and fancy food�"but after a while, even they got old.Walking into her garage each morning, she took pride in the fact that she’d worked hard to earn everything she had. If that meant she had to work a few extra shifts slinging beer for her uncle to pay off her electric bill, so be it.�śIt was a complete surprise.”�śYou really expect me to believe that?” Parsons’s voice cracked and sputtered. After a moment, he got command of himself. �śIt doesn’t matter now. Arson, kidnapping. There’s no way I can let you live. You know too much.”What did she know? How to rebuild an engine without looking at a manual? The best way to throw a barbeque? The look on Jack’s face when he came inside her, his glistening muscles relaxing for one brief moment?Her body warmed at the thought. Jack Ogden smiling down at her. That was definitely something worth living for.A ringing noise interrupted her thoughts, once, twice. Not a popular song or a sound effect, but a real old-fashioned ring. Clay dug into his pocket, driving one-handed while he retrieved the cell phone. He jammed a thumb clumsily at the touch screen, hitting the talk button half a dozen times before the ringing finally stopped.�śClay Parsons here.” There was an oily, practiced edge to his voice, and not even the bizarre circumstances could prevent him from completing his standard introduction. �śYour state senator, hard at work. How can I help you?”The voice on the other end came through high-pitched and tinny, but Honey couldn’t mistake the familiar cadence. Jack Ogden�"big and bold�"always sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong and trying to be the hero.�śI don’t know what you think is going to happen, Parsons, but you’re not getting away with this. I’m coming after you.”�śJack. What a pleasant surprise. I was just talking to your mother the other day. She was recommending we get together for eighteen holes, talk about your future.”�śWhere the hell are you? If you damage one hair on Honey’s head, I’ll�"”�śYou’re worried about this whore? I guess my cousin’s not the only one with his finger in the Honey pot.” Clay laughed, obviously pleased at his own joke. �śI was planning on killing her fast, but now I think I might take my time. A woman who can keep you happy and get those emeralds off of Logan? This Honey must be something really special in the sack.”Clay had obviously lost touch with reality. It was one thing to kidnap a woman�"even to threaten murder and mayhem�"and another thing entirely to tell a cop you were planning to do it. The man was crazy, and that wasn’t good.A desperate man could be reasoned with. She could offer to tear up the will, move to Belize, and give him the emeralds that were hanging around her neck like a noose. But a crazy man wouldn’t listen to reason or accept bribes.A crazy man would kill her without a second thought.�śThe PCH! We’re on the PCH!” she cried, hoping Jack could hear her. �śCome quick! The PCH!”Clay wrenched sideways�"a move that never would have been possible if he’d been wearing a seatbelt. He punched his finger wildly at the screen and then tossed the phone into the backseat, hard.�śNot very smart. You had a couple of hours to live. Now I have to kill you before he comes looking.”She was dead.Finished.The End.She’d never see Jack again, never run her hands across his chest, feel his lips against hers, or tell him how she really felt. Jack was everything she’d ever wanted�"solid, dependable, and drop-dead sexy. If she failed to make it through the next few minutes, she’d never be able to have him. To live her dream.Unacceptable.Her entire life, Honey had only ever backed down from one fight, and in the end she’d made up for that when she told Jack the truth and took responsibility for her actions. She wasn’t about to let Clay Parsons murder her without causing some serious, irreparable damage.�śI’m not sleeping with Logan.” One last attempt at an explanation. Probably delusional, but she had to try. �śI never slept with Logan. He’s a nice guy, but I’m not interested in him like that. He’s old.”�śHe’s old, but he’s rich. A woman like you�"”�śYou don’t know anything about me, do you?”Maybe if he saw her as a real person, more than an impediment on his way to power, he’d find it harder to hurt her.�śMy name is Honey Moore. I’m twenty-seven years old. I fix cars for a living. I work in the same neighborhood where I live. When I was younger, I wanted to be Mario Andretti. Then I wanted to be Mario Andretti’s pit boss. Now, I like the fact that I’m fixing my friends’ cars. Not that I can charge them much. Most months, I end up pouring drinks to make ends meet. I’d never sleep with someone for money.”�śThat’s why Logan brought you to the fund-raiser. Because you’re not sleeping with him.”�śLogan brought me to the fund-raiser because he’s lonely. Hell, that’s why he changed his will. He probably wouldn’t have done that if you bothered to call him up every once in a while, but that’s your mistake. It’s not mine.” Her cheeks had gone hot with anger. �śLogan’s a good man, and he’s trying to make up for his mistakes.”�śAnd I’m supposed to believe you’re not sleeping with Jack, either.”�śJack’s different.”The car was still moving fast, jerking from side to side. Nothing had changed. �śI’m sure he is. I’m sure your affair with him has nothing to do with the fact that he’s richer than God or that he’s going to be a hotshot politician?”Honey bit her lip to keep from swearing. The man was clearly insane. There was no use trying to reason with him, trying to explain to him that with Jack it had been lust at first sight and now�"now it was a whole lot more than that.�śPlease don’t kill me.” Outside the window, the street flashed by, long stretches of asphalt interrupted by the occasional rock, discarded beer bottle, and forgotten flip-flop. �śPlease.”No response. Not even a laugh. That wasn’t a good sign.Behind them, lights flashed.A patrol car exactly like the one she’d stolen from Jack so many years earlier was following them, racing down the PCH at seventy-five miles an hour.A blaring siren interrupted the calm, air-conditioned interior of the BMW. A few seconds later, another siren joined in. Then a third.Honey turned to look. An entire convoy of police cars followed them, trying to box them in. One car stood out from the pack. Black instead of white. There were no words on the side and no lights blazing overhead.It darted easily through the sea of other cars until it was driving along directly beside Clay’s BMW and Honey could see Jack riding high in the driver’s seat.Her entire life, she’d never asked for a knight in shining armor, but there he was, like something out of a storybook.�śStop. There’s no escaping now.” A warning blared over one of the police cars’ loudspeakers.The only response was the roar of the BMW’s engine being pushed to the limit.The next turn was coming up fast, the side of the mountain outlined eerily in the moonlight. At the speed they were going, the car would never make it. The wheels wouldn’t stay on the ground.They’d skid sideways, crashing into Jack in the opposing lane. Both cars would spin out of control, their combined force sending them through the concrete barricades on the left side of the road and into the water.Even if she somehow managed to throw herself free of the crash, Jack would die on the rocky coast below.Her hands fumbling, Honey buckled her seatbelt. A breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding ghosted out from between her lips when the catch finally slipped home.If anything happened, she’d be strapped safely to her seat.And something was definitely going to happen.�śI’m telling you to stop now!”Behind them, the police cars edged closer. The noise was a pounding roar, the sound of one siren indistinguishable from all the rest.Honey reached out a hand and grabbed the steering wheel. She yanked hard, trying to tear the wheel out of Clay’s hands. The car skidded, once, twice.Clay’s elbow thrust out, hitting her in the side.She used her free hand to scratch at his face. Harder and deeper, she clawed at him, pulling at the steering wheel at the same time.The wheel wrenched free from Clay’s grip and spun wildly.Honey squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself in her seat as the BMW went careening away from Jack’s car and crashed straight into the mountainside.Her body jerked forward, slamming against the seatbelt, and then she was forced backward by the air bag. Was it the force of the blow that had her ears ringing? Or the growing noise from the sirens as the patrol cars got closer?She tasted blood.When she got up the courage to open her eyes, broken glass shimmered across her skin. Her arms were sore, and there was going to be a bruise on her chest in the shape of the safety belt, but she was still breathing, still alive, and still in one piece.The same couldn’t be said for Clay.He was gone, and so was the windshield.That explained all the glass.The air bag began to deflate, allowing her escape. She reached into her lap and tried to unbuckle her seatbelt.The door to the BMW stuck when she tried the latch. She had to throw her entire body against the crumpled steel before it popped open, allowing her to climb out and run away from the vehicle.She didn’t know where she was going, but she knew she had to run.�śEasy.” Strong arms closed around her, holding her still. �śEasy.”It took her a moment to recognize Jack, the familiar weight of his body and the smell of his shampoo. �śEverything’s going to be all right. I promise. Everything’s going to be okay.”�śJack?” A strangled sob escaped her lips. �śI couldn’t help it. He was going to run into you, and he was crazy�" He thought�" He said�"”�śIt doesn’t matter what he thought.” Jack smoothed her hair back behind her ear. He turned her slowly until they faced each other, standing toe to toe only inches apart. �śThe only thing that matters is your safety.”Honey pulled away slowly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. It had been a hot day in the City of Angels, but now it was over. The sky was dark, the ocean only a few feet away. The cold wind nipped at her skin. She lifted her chin. �śYou need to get your priorities straight, Jack Ogden. There are more important things in life than personal safety. Sometimes having feelings for someone means that you have to take risks.”Other police officers were climbing out of their cars. Some were walking over to the BMW. Others circled around her and Jack. �śYou have feelings for me?” Jack beamed down at her, grinning from ear to ear.�śHatred is a feeling.”�śUh-huh,” Jack teased. �śTell me you hate me.”�śI don’t hate you, I love you. I’ve always loved you, Jack, and just because I’m not the kind of woman your mother approves of is no reason to treat me badly. I made a mistake when I left your butt back in high school, and I made a mistake when I took off last week. People make mistakes. I don’t need your forgiveness. I don’t need anything�"”�śI love you.”Jack wasn’t laughing anymore. He was dead serious. His voice held a warmth that completely blindsided her, a heat that set her skin tingling.�śBack at the country club�"I’m sorry. I thought I knew what I wanted. My work, my career, that’s all important to me. I just didn’t realize what I needed, not until you were already gone. I love you, Honey Moore, and I need you in my life. You stole my heart a long time ago, and I never really got it back.”Honey’s bright laughter rang out like a bell under the rising moon. They needed to get one thing straight.�śI don’t steal anymore, remember?”�śFine, I gave you my heart, and I don’t want it back.”�śThat sounds better,” she said, slightly mollified. She launched herself into his arms, laughing when the force of the impact made his body falter.�śI love you.” She kissed him hard on the mouth. Fast, rough. Soft was all well and good for daydreams and lazy afternoons, but at the moment, she needed to feel him against her. �śI love you so damn much.”Epilogue� If Honey lived to be a hundred, she’d never understand how she had ended up tending a barbecue for an entire yard full of police detectives and hoodlums.Even more surprising, the cops were just as loud, rude, and boisterous as her family. At the moment, she could hear Jack’s captain telling a dirty joke to her uncle Mike.This was the third weekend in a row everyone had gathered in the San Fernando Valley to help rebuild her house. They weren’t only repairing the damage that had been done, either: Jack was overseeing the installation of a new bathroom, and Logan had insisted on buying all new kitchen appliances.The way things were going, it wouldn’t be too long before she’d be moving from the apartment in Venice back to the Valley. Only, this time she wouldn’t be running away from Jack. His stuff was already packed among the sea of boxes that filled the apartment’s living room.Jessica was taking over the lease on the Venice apartment, excited about living by herself for the first time in her life.A hand snaked into her field of vision, long fingers trying to grab at a hot dog.�śNot a chance.” She leaped forward, knocking the hand aside with her tongs.The worst part about working the barbecue was the high incidence of hot dog theft. It was despicable. Everyone knew they weren’t allowed to eat until all the food was ready, but they all thought their hard work made them the exception to the rule.Logan had tried it a couple of minutes earlier. After catching him salivating over a sausage, she’d sent him packing to ask Captain Roberts about his new alarm system. In the six months since Clay Parsons had been arrested in his hospital bed, Logan and Jack had become close friends. Logan came over at least once a week for dinner, but he still found it hard to believe a man as young as Jack knew what he was talking about when it came to personal security.She glanced up, blushing when she saw Jack staring down at her.�śYou think you can put one over on me?” She grinned. �śI was stealing hot dogs when you were still dancing at cotillions.”�śCome on,” Jack pleaded. �śI’m not stealing a hot dog. I’m borrowing it.”That was just about the dumbest argument she’d ever heard. Borrowing was all well and good, but a hot dog was a hot dog. When he was finished with it, no one was going to want it back.Still, his grin was bright and eager, and the hands that had covered her body when they’d made a run to the hardware store an hour earlier were reaching out for her. Briefly, she gave in to the sense of pure bliss that came from knowing she had everything she’d ever dreamed about and more. This amazing, wonderful man loved her, and she couldn’t love him back any more if she tried.Even his mother was coming around. Amelia had been almost civil the previous week when they’d run into her at the country club. She’d been upset when Jack told her he was never going to run for political office, but eventually she’d stopped trying to force the issue. Now she started every conversation by asking when they were going to give her some grandchildren.Babies and bunting were still years in the future, but Jack had started dropping hints a few weeks earlier that they might get a puppy soon. A little dog with big brown eyes and a good-natured disposition.He made a quick lunge, too fast for her to combat with the tongs, and managed to snag a hot dog.�śThanks for working the grill, sweetheart.” He slid the hot dog into a bun before wiping greasy fingers clean on his T-shirt. �śWhere’s the mustard?”Mustard. Honey began to sputter angrily.Now that Jack had a hot dog, everyone was going to want one. They’d never get anything done if they spent all their time hanging around, eating meat and drinking beer.Then she glanced up and saw the dopey grin on Jack’s face.She was never going to stop loving him.�śGrand theft hot dog. You better watch out. There are cops crawling all over this place. One word from me, and they’ll arrest you.”�śUh-huh.” Jack ate the hot dog. �śI think there’s about to be a crime wave.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. When he kissed her, his mouth tasted like burned meat. �śTell me you love me.”�śWith all my heart.” �śEnough to marry me?”The world stopped. Honey’s heart fluttered excitedly in her chest. �śOf course�"”Jack kissed her again, his mouth covering hers and silencing her squeal of delight. When he finally came up for air, his features were split by a wide grin. �śI don’t have a ring, but there’s something I think you’ll like even more.” He slipped a small object into her hand. It took her a moment to identify the cool metal in her palm. A car key.�śThe Volvo Sport. I bought it from Logan. It’s going to be delivered tomorrow. Or�"” He wiggled his eyebrows, daring, enticing. �śWe could drive over to his house right now. Take her for a spin.”A hot rod and a sexy man.�śPerfect.”Acknowledgments� Special thanks to my biggest fan (and sister), Helena, who has read everything I’ve ever written�Śno matter how terrible.Thanks to my mother, who taught me how to live life to the fullest.Thanks to two of the most supportive, encouraging people I know, John and Henry. You have always believed in me.Thanks to Ruth, my awesome, amazing, incredible editor. I appreciate everything you do.Conor�"if you made it to the end of this book, then I owe you dinner. Codeword: yummy.About the Author� Aleah Barley has lived all over the United States, but she recently moved to Motor City. She shares a studio apartment with a big fluffy cat who is constantly trying to use her computer for his own nefarious purposes. You can find out more about her by visiting her blog: aleahbarley.blogspot.com.Table of ContentsChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter SixChapter SevenChapter EightChapter NineChapter TenChapter ElevenChapter TwelveChapter ThirteenChapter FourteenChapter FifteenEpilogueAcknowledgmentsAbout the Author