by Lori Foster
Luna used the moment to move to Joe’s side. She dropped down next to him, which caused the couch to dip and Joe to groan. Shaking her head, she put her bed pillow over his lap to afford him a little modesty, whether he wanted it or not. “Look at you. A few minutes ago you were wrestling on the floor like a world champ, and now you can barely draw a breath.”
“A minute ago I was on an adrenaline high.” He tipped his head to the back of the couch and closed his eyes tiredly. “And I was worried he might hurt you. Pain became a secondary concern.”
He’d been worried about her? And why the heck did that matter? He’d still been an impossible, pushy—“Really?”
With a grunt of humor, Joe said, “Don’t sound so surprised, babe. Of course I don’t want you hurt. And in the thick of things, the body just takes over.” Without changing positions, he looked at her through slanted eyes. His voice lowered to a rumble. “Anger, lust. They work about the same. You get a rush of endorphins, and it acts as a natural painkiller.”
“But now you’re paying for it.”
He winced and touched his ribs. “Yeah.”
The cops reentered. “Looks like he did come in the window. With the way that dumpster is situated, it wouldn’t have been too difficult to scale the wall and use the windowsill to hoist himself up.”
“That’s what I figured,” Joe told them.
“So if you knew you had trouble, why was the kitchen window unlocked?”
“Are you sure it was?” Luna asked.
“Doesn’t look like it was forced. I think he cut the screen and came right on in.”
Joe shrugged. “I keep them locked. Hell, it’s ninety-five outside and I have air-conditioning, so I never open the windows. But one of the ladies might have opened it earlier.”
“Ladies?” The officers looked at Luna.
Infusing her voice with disgust, she waved her hand at Joe. “He has hoards of women.”
Officer Clark pulled out a notepad. His mouth went crooked as he pinched off a smile and tried to appear serious. “Ah … Would that include you, miss?”
“No.” Luna shook her head hard for emphasis, but Joe said at almost the same time, “Yeah.”
Crossing her arms beneath her breasts, Luna glared at him. “No.”
Joe winked. “Give me a few more days.”
The men shared a conspiratorial glance and laughed. Officer Clark cleared his throat. “Was it a woman who clobbered you? Because I can tell you, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“That’s exactly what I said.” Luna nodded in satisfaction.
Joe rolled his eyes. “Absurd. The women I know don’t want me dead. You can trust me on this. Besides, he sat on me, so I know he was male, not female.” He slanted both officers a look. “Believe me, I can tell the difference.”
Officer Denter laughed. “Never underestimate a woman. They’re clever in setting things up and using men to follow through.” Before Luna could find a suitable way to show her affront on behalf of all womankind, Denter started out of the room. “I’m going to check out the rest of your apartment.”
“Fine. Not that much to check, though. There’s just the bedroom and bathroom.”
“He never made it out of the kitchen?”
“Nope. I was dozing, heard a noise and came to investigate. He’d just gotten to the kitchen door when I found him.”
“I think I’ll look all the same. It’s routine.” While Officer Denter walked off, Joe filed his report with Officer Clark. He told him about Bruno Caldwell, the man he suspected was behind his present ills. He shared his history with Caldwell and gave a generalized description, including height and portly weight, which matched the dimensions of their nighttime visitor. Luna realized that Joe couldn’t be more specific because he hadn’t seen the guy in a while. He said he didn’t know of any distinguishing marks, other than a nasty temper and a very homely mug. He also relayed details of the attack days before, which was still quite visible on his body.
Getting more worried by the second, Luna stood by and listened. Bruno Caldwell sounded like a very bad character, and the fact that he’d hurt Joe once and probably wanted to do so again made her chest tight with anxiety. Maybe Joe was right; taking him with her would be as beneficial to him as it was to her.
Officer Clark closed his notebook. “Stocky, dark and mean describes half the guys we’re after, but we’ll keep an eye out for him.”
“And ugly. Seriously ugly.”
“Got it.” Clark chewed his upper lip in thought, then said, “I don’t think we should rule out other possibilities, though.”
“Like women?” Luna wanted to know.
Being a diplomat, Clark shrugged. “Let’s just say I’d be very careful if I was you, and no more open windows.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Luna assured him. “I’m not letting any more women in until Joe is back up to speed.”
“Screw that,” Joe said, and pushed himself to his feet with a grunt of discomfort. “We won’t be here, so it’s a moot point.”
“Leaving town?” Denter raised a brow as he walked back in. “Other than an illegal knife on the nightstand, the rest of the place is clear.”
“The knife is mine,” Joe told him.
“You carry it on you?”
“Always.”
“You any good with it?”
“Very.”
“It is illegal, you know.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Denter looked at Clark, and they both shrugged. Luna assumed that meant they wouldn’t call him on the knife. Then Denter said, “If you get caught with it, it’ll be taken away from you.”
Joe nodded. “We were going to take off in a few days, but I’d rather get Luna someplace safe right away, so we’ll be heading out before dawn.”
Luna’s mouth fell open. “But, Joe, you can barely walk …”
He gave her a stony don’t-argue-with-me look. “I can make it to my truck just fine. You can drive. And I can get Zane’s ass up here to help us pack up.” He offered his hand to each officer. “We appreciate your help. If anything turns up, you can reach me on my cell phone.” Joe recited the number while Clark wrote it down.
“Sounds smart to me,” Denter said with a cagey glance at Luna, “if you really think the two incidents are related.”
Clark nodded. “I don’t encourage overreacting, but if you’d planned a trip anyway …” And he, too, nodded at Luna. “It might as well be now, just to make sure everyone stays safe.”
“This is ridiculous.” Luna chased after the men as they all headed for the door in what she viewed as a condescending male fashion. Her sheet trailed behind her, wrapping around her feet and nearly tripping her up. “I can certainly take care of myself. Besides, no one is after me. It’s Joe they want to hurt, and he’s not up to traveling. He’s not up to anything.”
Clark rubbed his upper lip to cover a grin. “Oh, I don’t know that I’d say that.”
“He’s up.” Denter didn’t bother hiding his humor. “From what I saw, he’ll survive.” He thwacked Joe on the shoulder. “But do take it easy and we’ll let you know if we turn up anything.”
Once they were alone again, Luna fumed. “Damn you, Joe, this is not a game.”
He caught her by the back of the neck and stole another kiss. That, too, infuriated her. She’d just drawn breath to curse him when he said, “I’m not taking chances with you, Luna.” His big thumb rubbed her nape, warm and gentle. “I wouldn’t be able to handle it if you ever got hurt.”
She went speechless as he limped past her to the kitchen phone. He sounded so inflexible, she threw up her hands in defeat.
He had the phone to his ear, waiting for an answer, when Luna pointed out the time. “You realize that it’s two A.M., right?”
Joe just shrugged, started to say something to her, then grinned. “Hey, Zane. What’s up, cousin? It is? No shit, I didn’t realize.” He winked at Luna as he gave that audacious lie. “So … You were in b
ed? Yeah? Well, get your sorry ass up because I need a favor.”
Luna could tell Joe thoroughly enjoyed himself. She turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen. Her thoughts churned with a mingling of worry and anticipation and anxiety. She wanted to be with the kids. They needed her now not later. And she wanted Joe safely away from whoever intended him harm. But she couldn’t bear the thought of causing him more pain, and at the same time, she found herself wanting to take care of him.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Just because Joe wasn’t the invincible macho jerk she’d always considered him to be didn’t mean he’d suddenly become tame, ready for commitment and fidelity.
Just because he was worried about her didn’t mean he wanted her to return the favor. From what she’d always known of Joe, the minute a woman got the notion to coddle him, he dumped her.
She’d have to keep that in mind—before she started to fall in love with the big guy. She would not be like Louise, bitter when she realized he wanted only sex. And she wouldn’t be like Amelia, willing to accept half measure. The very idea was disturbing enough that she had to busy herself to block it from her mind.
By the time Joe found her some fifteen minutes later, Luna was dressed in black jeans and a silky purple tank top. Her earrings were fashioned from peacock feathers and silver hoops. She was at the bathroom sink brushing her teeth.
With a familiarity that had somehow formed in the last two hours, Joe slid his hand under her hair and curled his fingers warmly around her nape. “Zane will be here in a couple of hours. He’s heading out now.”
Around her toothbrush and a mouthful of paste, Luna gave him the nastiest look she could manage. Joe still wasn’t standing up straight, and dark circles made his blue eyes more mesmerizing than ever. He was physically beat, exhausted, and he needed time to recoup, not a long difficult drive. But he was a bulldozer once he’d made up his mind, and she just didn’t know what might be best. She felt cornered and hated it.
When she didn’t reply, Joe said, “Tamara sends her love.”
Luna concentrated on spitting and rinsing. She couldn’t remember any other man standing around, idly rubbing her neck while she brushed her teeth, but then, she’d never met a man like Joe.
When she’d finished, she walked around him. His hand fell to his side. “I’m packed already. I hadn’t gotten that much out of my car. Tell me what you want me to do.”
Joe nodded. His expression was searching, determined, but also teasing. “All right. Take off your clothes and get into my bed.”
She jerked around to face him.
One side of his mouth curled, as if he’d only wanted a reaction from her, something other than her obvious disgruntlement. “Oh, you mean to get ready to leave?” He flicked the end of her nose. “Sure thing.”
Together they retrieved his suitcases. While Luna packed away several pairs of jeans and Tshirts and shorts, Joe dressed. She noticed that he seemed a lot more limber now, so maybe he was feeling better. His normal masculine grace was missing, but he finished clothing himself without too much groaning and cursing.
Watching him, Luna asked, “Should you take another pain pill?”
“Hell no. I want to stay alert.” He deftly buckled on a thick, black leather belt. “I’m not convinced our buddy won’t return.”
“You don’t have to say that with so much relish, you know.”
He glanced up at her, then picked up the balisong knife on his nightstand and slid it into his front pocket. “Believe me, nothing—other than you naked and willing—would give me more satisfaction at the moment than getting hold of Bruno.”
She almost hit him. “Damn it, Joe, stop with the sexual barbs, okay?”
He turned away, opened the nightstand drawer, and pulled out a box of condoms. He tossed them atop his piled clothes in the suitcase. “I want you to know I want you. That was our deal, remember? I go along, you put up with my attempts at seduction.”
“Seduction? I half expect you to club me over the head and drag me off by the hair any minute.”
“Would that work?”
Her teeth clicked together. “No. And why me, anyway? According to you, you had two willing, adoring women here when I arrived. Why not make it easy on yourself?”
He slanted a cautious look her way and closed the suitcase. “Is this one of those tricky female questions where I hang myself no matter what I say?”
“Probably.” She crossed her arms and stood in front of him, waiting. When he remained silent, she said, “It’s just because I’ve said no, isn’t it? You’re not used to rejection. I’m a challenge.”
His teeth flashed at her. “Your faith in my ability is awesome.”
“Just repeating what you’ve told me, again and again.”
“Well, I wouldn’t lie, now, would I? But maybe I’ve exaggerated.” He looked at her mouth, then didn’t look away. “There have been other women turn me down, you know.”
“Someone said no to Joe Winston, stud extraordinaire?” Luna laughed, but the way Joe watched her so intently felt like a caress. “Really? How incredible.”
“It’s usually not a big deal.” He reached up and touched her cheek, mixing the impact of his hot look with the tenderness of a lover’s touch. “When one woman says no, another says yes. Sex is just sex. But I haven’t wanted any other woman since meeting you.”
That threw her completely off balance. Why, it had been three months, and for a man like Joe that had to be a lifetime. “I’m expected to believe …”
“Believe what you want, babe.” He bent and kissed her forehead, lingering for a heartbeat until her eyes closed and her lips parted. “But it won’t make any difference. One way or another I’m going to get your panties off you, and then we’ll both have a helluva time. I promise.”
He walked away, leaving Luna befuddled and too warm and suddenly … curious. What would it be like to—No.
She couldn’t start thinking that way. This trip was meant to gain her two children, not a man. Definitely not Joe. If she dallied with him, she’d end up with a world of hurt; she had no doubts about that.
For whatever unfortunate reasons might exist, Joe had already impacted her more than any other man she knew. Despite her outward appearance of flightiness, Luna prided herself on remaining grounded in reality, and her current reality was the responsibility of two emotionally needy children. Even if she wanted to risk her own heart, she couldn’t let the kids become attached to him because she knew Joe wasn’t ready to settle down. The most she could hope for was that he’d get along with the kids, befriend them, help her get things settled, then move on without too many hurt feelings.
And that meant she had to keep things platonic, despite what Joe wanted, and despite what, deep down, she wanted.
“Luna knows all and sees all,” she whispered, mocking herself, “and Luna sees a lot of heartache headed her way.” Shaking her head and shoring up her determination, Luna lugged the overstuffed suitcase off the bed and began dragging it into the living room.
By six A.M. they were ready to go.
Chapter Five
Joe stood beside Luna while Zane slammed the tailgate shut on the truck and again checked the hitch where they’d chained Luna’s small Contour. They would have already been on their way if Luna hadn’t insisted on taking her car, too. She claimed she wanted her own transportation, not to be dependent on Joe. Since Joe felt the same, Zane had stopped and rented an appropriate hitch, and they were now towing Luna’s car behind his Dodge Ram.
Their plans hadn’t made Zane happy, but then, Zane had arrived grumbling and hadn’t stopped yet. His brown hair was disheveled, his eyes tired, proof that Joe had gotten him out of a cozy bed and taken him away from his even cozier wife. Zane had always been an insatiable hound dog, but since marrying Tamara, he’d only gotten worse, much to Joe’s amusement.
To further annoy his cousin, Joe said, “Damn, Zane. You’re more fretful than an old woman, I swear. Tamara has you whipped, doesn’t sh
e?”
Both Zane and Luna scowled at Joe, almost making him laugh out loud. At the moment, he seemed to be the only one in a good mood. But then, he was heading off for an adventure with Luna. From his perspective, things were looking up.
“Well, shoot me for caring,” Zane grouched. “I still don’t understand why the hell you didn’t tell anyone you’d been beat to a pulp.”
“What would you have done, cousin? Come up and played nursemaid? Served me soup in bed? Held a cold compress to my head? Checked me for fever?”
Zane pokered up in indignation. “I could have put you out of your misery.”
That made Joe chuckle. “Thanks but no thanks. I’m fine, getting finer by the minute actually.” He blew a kiss to Luna, who appeared to search for a rock, presumably to hit him with. Damn, but she was adorable in a snit, and she’d been in a snit since he’d told her they were leaving.
Before that, though, when he’d lost his senses and nearly taken her against the wall, she’d been so hot he could have made love to her for hours without a single notice given to his aches and pains. The feel of her satiny bottom was burned into his brain. And the way her inner muscles had clamped onto his finger when he’d pressed into her … Damn. He couldn’t wait to feel that hot, hungry hold on his cock.
“Earth to Joe.”
With a start, Joe returned his attention to Zane. His voice was rougher, warmer, when he said, “If I bugged you every time some son of a bitch got in a lucky punch, you’d never see the end of me.”
Zane shook his head in disgust. “You’re what—almost forty now?”
“Bite your tongue! I’m thirty-six.” And he was feeling every cursed year. Why, in his twenties he would have already bounced back from a similar beating. Now, however, it took all his concentration to stand up straight.
“You’re old enough to stop playing the tough guy and settle down before someone gets lucky enough to kill you.”
“If I settled down, I’d be bored to tears in a week. No thanks, Zane. I like what I do.” But he wouldn’t mind taking an extended break with Luna.
