by Virna DePaul
“Why? Because you’re a big, strong man and I am just a little woman? Me Tarzan, you Jane?”
“No, because I’m trained to protect myself. From what I can tell, you’re not.”
“Most people aren’t trained by the LAPD,” she pointed out angrily.
“True,” he said. “But when you’re trained by anyone, anywhere, do you know the first thing they’ll tell you?”
“If you’re an attractive woman, stay home?”
He scowled, his chest rising and falling rapidly. A bead of sweat had collected on his brow and although she was pissed, she was oddly compelled to reach up and wipe it off before it ran down into his eyes. She just barely resisted the impulse.
“Not exactly,” he said, ignoring her sarcasm. “The first thing they teach you in a self-defense class, whether you’re a man or a woman, is to be aware of your surroundings. If you sense danger, go the other way. The best way to protect yourself is to use your head and avoid the situation in the first place.”
“Don’t you mean use my pretty little head?” she practically snarled.
He narrowed his dark grey eyes and his jaw clenched as he stared at her. His fists opened and closed as if he was working hard not to reach out and wring her neck. She could see the vein in his neck pulsing rapidly and every muscle from his bicep down was taut and ready for action.
Her anger didn’t abate but it suddenly became difficult to tell where anger ended and red-hot desire began.
She wondered what he would do if she just stood up on her tip toes, wrapped her arms around his neck and hard shoulders and pulled his lips down to meet hers. She’d like to taste him, run her tongue along his bottom lip, suck his tongue into her mouth. They were both breathing heavily, and just when she was about to step forward and reach for him, he turned and walked away. When Bella took off after him, he picked up her leash and headed towards the cabins without looking back.
She stood there, shaking from head to toe from the release of adrenaline, from anger, from desire, and from the sting of what seemed like Luke’s outright rejection.
Chapter Six
An hour later, Kat let herself into her cabin, still well and truly pissed—at Luke and at herself. Not even running twice the distance she normally did had helped subdue her rioting emotions. All she could think about was Luke and how annoyed he’d been with her and how arrogant he’d been and how angry she’d been and how badly she’d wanted to kiss him. She kept thinking and stewing and replaying what had happened—from the fear she’d felt when those men had harassed her to the intensity of her attraction to Luke—until she wanted to scream.
Locking the door behind her, she headed to the bathroom, stripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower. Just like that, standing under the warm spray of the water, she broke down and started crying. In frustration. And in relief.
When she was done, she felt better. She also felt ready to face the truth.
As she went through the motions of shampooing and conditioning her hair, she thought things over more calmly.
She hadn’t appreciated Luke dressing her down the way he had, but she also couldn’t deny he’d been partially right. She had sensed that the men by the boat might be trouble but she’d continued moving toward them anyway. But she’d truly thought, even if they catcalled or said something obnoxious, they’d let her pass. In the absence of obvious danger, she refused to be like her mother, cowering in fear from any and every potential threat. Her independence was everything to her. Even so, contrary to what Luke had implied, she wasn’t stupid or careless when it came to her safety. When her career had exploded, knowing herself and the fact she was careful and only made appearances when absolutely necessary, she’d shunned the idea of having a bodyguard, but Craig had finally worn her down. The bodyguard he’d hired hadn’t protected her, however.
Not the way Luke had.
As soon as she’d realized Luke was there to help her, she’d been filled with relief. She’d been scared, too, afraid that because they were outnumbered, Luke would be hurt trying to protect her. It was one of the reasons why she’d been reluctant to hire a bodyguard even after she’d received death threats. But it had become evident very quickly that Luke was quite capable of taking on the other men. The longer Kat had watched, each time she’d seen Luke’s big hand pushing her harasser back shove-by-shove, she’d felt her relief and fear giving away to arousal.
Luke’s primal ability to protect her, the play of the muscles in his arms and back, the grim set to his expression that highlighted the strong angles of his face—it all called to the most feminine part of her. She’d been scared but at the same time, she could admit it now—her belly had filled with butterflies and her lower body had throbbed painfully. Desire had lit up her every cell, and she had not been able to stop staring at him. He had been so confident, and so sure of himself; that alone had been sexy, but the skill and ease with which he had moved had sent little flashes through her mind, images of what he would be like in bed.
Feeling heated with arousal, Kat turned the water slightly cooler and finished rinsing her hair. Then she grabbed some of her scented cleanser. She tried to focus on the simple pleasure of the water trickling over her face and down her body. Before she knew what was happening, however, she began to imagine it was Luke touching her so gently and so intimately.
She let out a breathy sign. God, it would feel so good to be touched by Luke.
Kat felt her pulse quicken. Her nipples hardened under the flowing water and her skin began to tingle. She imagined Luke pulling her against his naked form, his hard cock brushing against her stomach, and she began to pant slightly. Jeez, she was turned on!
With one hand, she cupped her breast, massaging it roughly even as her other hand slid down her taut belly and through the strip of short hair below. Her fingers slid into her slick folds and she gasped quietly as they reached her clit. She massaged the small nub, gently at first, then more urgently.
In her mind, Luke shifted behind her, covering each of her hands with one of his, urging her to touch herself harder. Deeper. His steely erection pressed against her backside.
Her breathing became more frantic as the scene played out in her head. She shuddered as the sensations of pleasure became overwhelming.
Arching her back, she rubbed harder, with more urgency, bringing herself to the brink. Lowering her other hand from her breast, she slid two fingers up inside herself, pushing against her G-spot, wishing desperately that it was Luke’s cock, long and hard and thick, embedded inside her.
Leaning against the shower wall, she spread her legs wider and with a silent gasp, pushed herself over the edge. She shuddered as she came hard on her fingers. Her eyes stayed closed as she imagined Luke growling his satisfaction in her ear.
“That’s it, Kat. Give yourself over to me. I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”
Shaking, the fantasy of Luke’s deep voice playing in her head, it took her a moment to calm down and realized what she’d just done. Mortification hit her. She couldn’t believe she’d just masturbated in the shower while imagining Luke was with her. And even worse, she’d initially gotten hot and bothered thinking of the way he’d protected her from those men! Obviously, it was she who hadn’t been immune to the whole Me Tarzan, You Jane mentality she’d accused him of harboring.
Quickly, she finished rinsing off then toweled herself dry.
She needed to pull herself together.
She wasn’t some helpless woman who needed a man to save her. More to the point, she wasn’t here to get involved with a man, in bed or otherwise. She was here to feel safe, and reflect on her life and what she really wanted. It was probably for the best that she’d pissed Luke off. He’d put the distance between them that she should have. So be it.
Unfortunately, despite her mental musings that staying away from Luke was the smart thing to do, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. The fantasy she’d played out in the shower seemed to have opened some kind of gate, and oth
er fantasies formed one after another. Fantasies of them dressed and undressed, taking turns caressing one another, licking and sucking and exploring to their hearts’ content.
By the time she was dressed and had her hair braided, Kat had no choice but to accept she was more attracted to Luke and curious about him than she was mad. She even had her lunch and dinner outside, hoping he’d come out to walk Bella or read or eat, and they could talk. But it was as if he knew when she was outside and was avoiding her, because she didn’t see him at all.
That night, when she went to bed, he was the last thing on her mind before she fell asleep.
And the first thing on her mind when she woke.
* * *
The next morning, Kat spotted Bella traipsing along the trail alone. Twenty minutes later, Bella was back. Again alone.
Had something happened to Luke?
Kat headed toward Bella, her mind still locked on that question.
She immediately thought of the men Luke had confronted yesterday. Then of the person that had been threatening her at home. Of the driver that had almost run her off the road. Fear exploded into her veins. What if one of them had come looking for Luke after he’d helped her? Or come looking for her, and instead had found him? Had someone hurt him?
And was it her fault?
“Bella! Hey, pretty girl, wait up.”
It was a testament to how well Luke had trained Bella that she stopped and waited. Kat had seen Luke give the dog hand commands on occasion and she held her hand up, palm down, and Bella sat.
Kat immediately approached the little dog, squatting in front of her and rubbing her behind the ears. “What are you doing out here all alone, girl? Where’s Luke?”
Bella’s soft eyes met hers and her pink tongue came out and swiped Kat’s hand. Kat looked at Luke’s cabin, hesitating. After that incident by the lake and her subsequent behavior in the shower yesterday, she’d told herself repeatedly that she needed to stay away from Luke. She was far too attracted to him and didn’t need that kind of distraction.
When Bella whined softly, more alarm bells went off in Kat’s head. Distraction or not, she owed Luke for helping her yesterday. Rising, she snapped her fingers the way she’d seen Luke do. Bella followed as Kat made her way to Luke’s cabin.
She was probably overreacting thinking anything was wrong. Chances were Bella had simply gotten outside without Luke noticing. She needed to make sure though. Even if Luke was fine, she’d return Bella and see if she could patch things up with him. They didn’t have to talk. They didn’t have to be friends. But she’d thank him again for his assistance the day before and hopefully they could at least be civil to one another.
Trepidation filled her belly and she had to force herself to breathe evenly as she walked up to Luke’s cabin. The door was unlocked and there was no sound from inside.
She looked down at Bella, who sat, obviously reluctant to go into the cabin, and that made Kat’s tension tighten another few notches.
Swallowing hard, she stepped into the cabin, Bella beside her.
She started and her mouth dropped open.
If there had been any one word she would have chosen to describe Luke it would have been controlled. And yet, he looked anything but at the moment.
Luke sat on the couch, head tilted back, eyes closed. Although he now wore a button-down shirt rather than his LAPD tee, the shirt was wrinkled, he needed a shave, and there were lavender-hued circles below his eyes. The place didn’t smell like alcohol, but on the coffee table in front of him sat an open bottle of whiskey and an empty shot glass.
Kat took a step back. The last thing she needed to do was get mixed up with a drunk. Only, her mind rebelled at characterizing Luke that way. He didn’t look drunk so much as drained. Empty. In pain.
Her eyes fell to the framed photograph clutched in his fingers. It was the one of him as a child with the man in uniform. It was the cause of the pain radiating from him, she imagined.
Her heart fluttered with sympathy and she was overwhelmed by the need to go to him, caress his cheek, and cradle him in her arms. But he was a stranger. A stranger who, while he’d helped her yesterday, had also been angry with her. A stranger she shouldn’t get involved with.
Just a minute ago, she’d been fearful that the trouble that followed her had affected Luke. She couldn’t let it affect him or anyone. Her life was a mess. She was a mess. Even if she wasn’t in potential danger, that was still true.
But she couldn’t just leave Luke like this.
She took a deep breath. “Luke.”
His eyes slowly opened and he didn’t appear surprised to find her inside his cabin. It was as if he’d almost been expecting her. “Hi, Kat.”
Kat drew in a long breath. “Hey. Uh, Bella got out so I brought her home. I think she’s hungry.”
Luke stood and placed the frame on the coffee table. “Thank you. I actually let her out to do her business in the back yard. There must be a loose board in the fencing or something.”
“Oh.”
They stared at one another silently and Kat fought the urge to squirm. “Well, like I said. I think she’s hungry. If you’ll tell me where her bowls and food are, I can take care of that.”
His eyes narrowed, then fell on the bottle of liquor on the coffee table before meeting her gaze again.
“I’m not drunk,” he said softly. “Just…tired. I had a drink last night.”
For some reason, she believed him. Despite her worry, Kat kept her voice even. “Then I can still feed her. Since you’re tired,” she said.
He shook his head. “It’s okay. I’ve got it. You should go.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Is that an order?” She cocked a brow then smiled to indicate she’d been joking.
He blinked then frowned. “More like a suggestion. I’m not in a great place right now.”
“No. It doesn’t look like it. Can I help?”
He hesitated. Shook his head.
“Right.” She looked around, spotted Bella’s empty food bowl and picked it up. There was water in the other bowl but she grabbed that one too so she could freshen it.
“What are you doing?’
“Filling Bella’s bowls.”
He stared at her. Even unkempt he was the sexiest man she had ever seen. That he was not used to people seeing him this way was obvious. He was confused and trying to get his head clear and he wanted her gone, but she wasn’t going anywhere. Not until she knew he was okay, and that Bella was taken care of.
“I can do that.”
“I know you can. Why don’t you go take a shower instead,” she said as she turned away and set the bowls down on the counter. “You helped me, now let me help you. That’s only fair and it would make me feel bad, not to mention insulted, if you say no.”
She reached to turn on the water when Luke’s hands gripped her upper arms and he turned her, gently but firmly. His hands left her arms and landed on the counter on either side of her.
Her breath caught, her eyes widened, and a beat of desire throbbed low in her body.
His scent washed over her, and his eyes held hers. She couldn’t look away. The urge to run her hands over his shoulders, to squeeze the muscles and test their strength, was so strong her hands came up but she halted them just in the nick of time.
“You shouldn’t be so bossy, Kat. Especially with a man you barely know.”
Kat swallowed hard. The pulse at the base of her throat raced and jumped, and her knees were weak. She’d never been so excited. Her lower body tilted toward his but he stepped back. As she watched in disbelief, he began to unbutton his shirt, his eyes still locked on hers.
“Wh—what are you doing?”
“Getting ready to take a shower, like you told me to.”
“Ah. Well…that’s probably not going to reinforce your message that I shouldn’t be bossy. Not when this is the result.” Nervously, she licked her lips.
He followed the movements of her tongue cl
osely. A naughty smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You sure about that? You haven’t really seen everything yet.”
Shirt unbuttoned he pulled it off and as his magnificent chest came into view, she exhaled loudly. “Nope,” she said. “That’s not going to make me less bossy.”
He laughed. “Then I’ll just have to get used to you being bossy. As long as you’re willing to take orders yourself, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
She gasped.
His rippling muscles shone in the soft light coming in from the windows. Shadows created craters under each individual muscle, defining them even more. A soft, thin line of hair trailed down from his belly button, disappearing under his jeans. There were several scars on his body that intrigued her. A long scar on one side of his stomach, and a rounded scar just below his shoulder. Not that she was any expert, but it looked like a bullet wound of some sort.
He’d probably been shot in the line of duty.
Her heart clenched at the idea of him being hurt. Almost dying. As a cop, it would be a possibility he’d face every day. The knowledge should have eviscerated any hint of desire she felt for him. Instead, it made her more desperate for his touch. For his kiss. For indisputable evidence that this gorgeous man was healthy and alive, blood flowing, heart beating, lungs filled with air.
Luke stared at her, eyes hooded and drowsy. Heat curled deep in her belly and the sheer intensity of her reaction had her grasping for control.
“Shower,” she blurted out.
He grinned wickedly, hesitated for a tension-laden moment, then stepped back. Turning away, he left her standing there, caught in a web of desire and wanting.
* * *
In the bathroom, Luke turned on the shower water, stripped, then stepped under the spray. Head bent, palms braced against the shower wall, he let the cool water sluice over his body and closed his eyes, trying to get his rioting emotions under control.
What the hell had happened? Yesterday morning, he’d helped Craig and Brandon pack up their stuff so they could head back to LA. Afterward, he’d had every intention of telling Kat who he was and why he was really here. He shouldn’t have waited. He should have headed back to the city, and as far away from Kat as possible.
