Reckonings

by Cynthia Eden

Not really, Jamie hadn’t. She’d stayed far away from all the types for too long.

  “He’s got that laser focus, though.” Sylvia had laughed. “Wonder what it would be like to have that focus locked on you?”

  That focus was currently locked on Jamie. She could see it in his eyes, in the widening of his pupils. Feel it in his touch.

  “You’d already been hurt by someone, I knew it. You had the same shadows in your eyes that Ava had.”

  She wanted to look away from him, to hide those shadows, but she couldn’t.

  “So I was trying to bide my time. Wait for the right moment. At the wedding, I thought, maybe it was time then. You danced with me. You kissed me.”

  She hadn’t danced with a man like that in longer than she wanted to remember. She hadn’t lowered her guard. Lowering that guard was too dangerous.

  “And then your past came back. That past is trying to take you away from me now.” His head leaned toward her. “Don’t let it, Jamie. Don’t.”

  “Davis—”

  She heard a door slam. Then the thud of footsteps.

  Davis swore. “My brother has the worst timing in the world.” But he didn’t let her go. He didn’t turn to look toward the thud of those steps.

  “Sullivan called me,” Brodie announced as he drew closer. “Dammit, are you both all right?”

  “Fine,” Davis said, still staring down at Jamie. “Nothing a few stitches couldn’t fix.”

  “This time,” Jamie whispered, her heart aching. “But what about next time?” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Davis, but I have to go.” Then she pulled from him. She kept her head up as she hurried toward the guesthouse and her waiting dog.

  She didn’t look back. She’d learned never to do that. But she was so tempted, so very tempted, to look back at Davis just one more time.

  * * *

  “JEEZ, BRODIE!” Jennifer McGuire hurried down the steps. “Didn’t I tell you to give them a few minutes? Now look what you’ve done.” She gestured toward Jamie’s fleeing back. “The woman is running when they were just about to make out!”

  If only. Davis stared after Jamie. She wasn’t relenting. She was bound and determined to leave him. And with that creep on her trail, the last thing she needed was to be on her own.

  “I was worried about him,” Brodie muttered. “From what Sullivan said, he was nearly killed.” He marched closer to Davis. “And when something like that happens...” His hand curled around Davis’s shoulder, and Davis swung around to face his brother. “You call me.” Worry shone in Brodie’s eyes. Eyes exactly like Davis’s own. “You let me know right away what’s happening with you.”

  “I’m all right,” he said softly. “You know it takes more than a few scratches to slow me down.”

  “And more than a totaled truck?” Brodie asked as his lips tightened. “Because Grant went to the scene. He took pictures and texted them to me.”

  Figured. When one McGuire was hurt, they all swarmed, especially their eldest brother, Grant. After their parents’ death, Grant had taken it upon himself to keep the family together.

  “You’re not just going to let the woman walk away, are you?” Jennifer asked as she pressed closer. Jennifer had been an enigma when she first turned up at McGuire Securities. On the surface, she’d appeared to be a pampered socialite. It wasn’t until much later that they’d all learned the truth. Jennifer had been a secret agent, living a carefully constructed cover life. When she’d been undercover, Brodie had saved her. So when danger stalked her again, she’d turned to him once more.

  And the two had fallen in love.

  Now Jennifer worked with them at McGuire Securities. When it came to ferreting out information, the woman was in a class by herself. He knew that both she and Sullivan had already been digging into Jamie’s past. He just hoped their inquiries hadn’t attracted the wrong kind of attention.

  “Davis!” Jennifer shook her head. “The woman is getting her dog, and she’s about to drive off into who knows what kind of trouble! A fire, a hit-and-run... What’s going to be next? And will she just walk away from another attack? Or will the next one take her out?”

  “I can’t force her to stay with me,” he gritted out. “Hell, I think the woman just fired me.” He’d never been fired before. Davis didn’t particularly like the feeling.

  “What?” Jennifer’s mouth formed an O of surprise. Her deep brown eyes showed her shock. Then her lips twitched. “Okay, if she weren’t in danger, I’d say that was seriously awesome. Someone firing a McGuire brother...priceless.”

  Both Brodie and Davis turned to frown at her.

  She just smiled. Her dark hair was pulled back at the nape of her neck, and her golden skin gleamed in the setting sun. “What? You guys really can get too cocky, you know. Sometimes you need a dose of reality to knock you back down to earth.”

  He wasn’t cocky. When it came to Jamie, he was...nervous. “I want her safe. She’ll have no protection when she leaves. She—”

  Jennifer caught his arm. She pushed him. For someone so small, she really packed a lot of strength in her little body. “So stop her. Stop being all stoic, and just ask the woman to stay with you. Don’t even make it about the guy terrorizing her. Make it about you. About Jamie. Ask her for one night.” She nodded. “I’d lay odds that she won’t deny you that. I have it on pretty big authority that when the McGuires want something, they can be quite charming.”

  But he didn’t want to charm Jamie. Didn’t want to lie to her. Didn’t—

  “She’s getting into her car.”

  Hell. He took off running. As he drew closer to her vehicle, Davis could hear Jinx’s excited barks. She’d already put the dog in the backseat and was about to slide in behind the steering wheel.

  He reached out and caught her hand.

  Jamie stilled.

  “One night.” That was what Jennifer said he should ask for, so he’d start with that. Sure, he wanted more—so much more—but he’d take it one step at a time. “You’re not endangering anyone by staying out here for one more night. The sun is already starting to set. You’re safe here. I’m safe.”

  Her eyelashes—the woman had incredibly long lashes—slowly lifted.

  “One night,” he said again. “What’s it going to hurt? Nothing. You can rest here. Stay at the guesthouse. No one will bother you.”

  She seemed to be relenting. He could see it in her gaze.

  So back off and let her think.

  “You can always fire me tomorrow,” he told her.

  She bit her lip. Damn. He’d like to soothe that little pain away. There was so much he wanted to do with her but...

  First, I just want to keep her safe. I want to take some of that pain from her eyes.

  She was silent. Jinx whined a bit in the backseat.

  “You don’t even know that you’d find a hotel room tonight,” he pushed. “We have room here. And no one will get past our security.” Stay. Stay with me.

  Then, after a long, tense moment, she nodded.

  His breath left his lungs in a relieved rush. Well, hot damn. Jennifer truly should be a gambler.

  * * *

  JAMIE HADN’T RETURNED to her clinic. She’d gone...presumably with the man. He knew the man’s identity now. He’d done his research. He’d lingered. Learned from a chatty cop that the man’s name was Davis McGuire.

  Apparently, Davis McGuire owned some kind of PI firm in Austin. So maybe the guy wasn’t involved with Jamie. Maybe he was just the hired help. That made more sense.

  But I’m still angry with you, sweet Jamie. Because she’d lied to him for so long. Lied about him. She would suffer for that.

  But only at first.

  He already had started the process of digging into Davis McGuire’s past. Early on, he’d learned that
no one was perfect. He wasn’t the only one with demons. Everyone had them. Some demons were just stronger than others.

  How strong would Davis’s demons turn out to be? He couldn’t wait to find out.

  Some demons...they could drive a man right to the very edge of reason...and then over the cliff into madness.

  * * *

  NIGHT HAD FALLEN. Again. A night filled with a million stars. Jamie stood on the porch of the guesthouse, and she stared up at those stars. When she’d been a kid, she loved wishing on stars. Closing her eyes and hoping. For so long, she’d believed those wishes would come true.

  Then she’d learned the truth.

  There were some things that even wishes couldn’t change.

  So she’d stopped staring up at the stars and making those impossible dreams.

  But for this night, she was tempted...so very tempted...to try again. To make just one more wish.

  Jamie stared at the stars. I wish...

  She heard the snap of a twig. Her body iced, and she whirled around.

  “Sorry,” Davis said. The lights from the guesthouse spilled onto him. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to check on you before I turned in for the night.”

  Her heart raced in her chest.

  “Do you need anything?”

  Yes, actually, but was she really supposed to say...you? A woman with far more experience would do that. A woman with casual confidence. But Jamie wasn’t that woman. Jamie hadn’t even been with a lover in years.

  Her last two experiences had ended horribly. Tragically.

  She’d been too afraid to get close to anyone else.

  But...

  I want to be close to him. And he was right there. Close enough to touch. Close enough to kiss.

  “All right,” Davis drawled. “Well, if you need me during the night, just remember that I’m nearby.” He turned away. “I’ll come if you call.”

  Stop being afraid! She’d agreed to one night, and...why not have everything she wanted on this last one night? “I need you.”

  He stopped. Didn’t look back at her. “I don’t think I heard you right.”

  “I think you did.” Her cheeks were flaming, and her knees were knocking together, but she’d started this, so she’d have to see where it led. He’d been clear that he desired her before. That kiss they’d shared—right down there near the lake—had rocked her whole system. Why not have this time together?

  One night.

  He’d convinced her to stay. Now she had to convince him that they should spend these hours together.

  One night.

  Then they could both move on—no regrets, no looking back. Just good memories. She could sure use some of those.

  Slowly, Davis turned to face her. Half of his face was in shadows now, and that darkness just gave him a dangerous edge. A sexy edge.

  “What is it that you need, Jamie?” His voice had deepened. He strode toward her. Slowly, like a predator, closing in on his prey.

  She held her ground. Locked her knees. Waited until he was right in front of her. Then Jamie grabbed her courage with both hands. For an instant, she’d pretend to be that confident, assured woman. “You. I want you, Davis.” As she’d never really wanted anyone else. She’d never touched someone and seemed to ignite, the way she did with him. “Stay with me tonight?”

  “Jamie.” Her name was a growl. So low and deep. The rough sound sent a shiver down her spine. That shiver wasn’t caused by fear, not at all, but by a primal awareness within her. He wanted her.

  She could see that need blazing in his eyes. Feel it in the tension around them.

  But he wasn’t touching her. She wanted him to kiss her. To lock his arms around her and pull her close. She needed that.

  He wasn’t moving.

  “Don’t you want to be with me?” Jamie asked. There wasn’t room for pride or games. She didn’t know how to play those games, anyway. She only knew how to tell him the truth about her feelings.

  “More than you can know,” Davis said. The sound of his voice was melting her. A rough, rasping voice. One that she could so easily imagine coming from the darkness of a bedroom.

  She smiled at him. And, because he wasn’t making the next move, she did. Jamie stepped toward him. Her hand pressed to his chest.

  “This isn’t a game.” He’d stiffened beneath her touch. “Be very sure you understand what I want.”

  If her heart beat much faster, her whole body would shake. “Why don’t you tell me what you want?” she asked.

  “I want you, wild and reckless for me. Open completely. Giving me everything that you have.”

  And her body was shaking.

  “I want to take you so completely that we both lose ourselves. But I’m not easy, Jamie. I’m not the kind of guy who goes for soft whispers in the dark.”

  No, she hadn’t thought that he would be. “What kind of guy are you?”

  “The kind who’ll make you scream. The kind who will give you so much pleasure you don’t think you can stand it.” He eased closer to her. And, finally, he touched her. His callused fingertips slid down her cheek, then down her neck. His fingers brushed over her frantically racing pulse. “And when you’re sure that you can’t take any more, that’s when I’ll push you right over the edge.”

  That sounded pretty fabulous to her. “Then what are you waiting for?”

  She saw it—saw his control crack. He lunged toward her, wrapped her in his arms and kissed her. Not sweet and easy, just as he’d said. But hard and deep and with enough passion to make her toes curl. It was exactly the kind of kiss she’d wanted from him.

  And it was just the start.

  They stumbled into the guesthouse. He shut the door. Punched in a security code for her. Then he pushed her up against the nearest wall. He kept kissing her. His hands caught hers. He pinned her wrists to the wall, and his mouth seduced her. No other word for it—his lips, his tongue...seduction. She arched toward him even as a moan built in her throat. She was wearing a pair of jeans, so was he, but she could feel the hot length of his arousal pressing against her.

  He wanted her, just as fiercely as she wanted him.

  But then he pulled back.

  “Davis—”

  He caught the hem of her shirt. Lifted it over her head and tossed it toward the sofa. She wore a light blue bra and when his gaze slid to the curve of her breasts, Jamie’s breath caught.

  She had scars. One scar across the top of her left breast. One on her rib cage. Two on her stomach. One on each side of her body. Lines that reminded her of the past. Lines that she hated for him to see.

  But Davis had stepped back. That hot green stare swept over her. “Beautiful,” he said, his voice guttural, and she felt beautiful in that moment. Her fears vanished because he was staring at her with a ferocious desire, as if he’d never seen anyone else who tempted him so much. And she knew it wasn’t true, but she still glowed beneath his stare.

  He unhooked her bra. Threw it toward her discarded shirt. Then he bent his head and kissed her breast. She sucked in a sharp breath as pleasure seemed to whip right through her body. Her nipples were tight, aching, and when he touched her, with his fingers, with his lips, with his tongue, he pushed her desire even higher.

  Her hips rocked against him. She wanted the jeans gone. Hers. His. She wanted nothing between them. Jamie wanted to feel the hot, hard length of him against her. In her. Her hands jerked down and her fingers pushed between their bodies. She unhooked the snap of his jeans, pulled down the zipper—

  “Not so fast...”

  No, she wanted fast. She wanted him right then and there. Against the wall. On the couch. On the floor. It didn’t matter to her. She just wanted him.

  “I thought about you for so long,” Davis said. “I
want to see you, all of you.”

  She wanted to see him, too. That was why she was trying to get his clothes off. She wanted to see him and touch him and—

  He was carrying her. Davis lifted her up as if she weighed nothing, a huge turn-on, but she already felt as if she was on fire for him. He carried her to the bedroom. Lowered her until her feet touched the floor. Then he backed away and began to strip.

  He grabbed his shirt. Lifted it up. But paused. “I’ve got scars, too,” he said, that deep voice of his rumbling. “Just be warned...”

  Like she cared about his scars. Like she—

  He dropped the shirt.

  She wondered if her jaw dropped, too. Because Davis was seriously built. Wide shoulders. Abs of steel. Not a six-pack. A twelve-pack? Just how often did the guy work out?

  “Do they bother you?”

  Wait, what? Then she realized he meant the scars. And she could see the white lines. Some looked as if they’d been from...from knife attacks. She knew because they were similar to her own marks. Others were bigger—maybe from gunshots? “They don’t bother me,” she whispered as she touched him. Her fingers slid over his abs. Made of hot steel. She lightly caressed one of his scars. “I just hate you suffered any pain.”

  “I’m not suffering now.” And his head bent. He pressed a kiss to her neck. A white-hot touch that had her toes curling.

  She reached for the snap of his jeans again, but he beat her. He shoved the jeans down. Kicked out of his shoes and was standing there, naked, as he pressed a kiss to the curve of her neck.

  And then he took care of her clothes. Carefully, sensually, he pushed down her jeans. She’d kicked away her shoes while he was carrying her to the bedroom. Her jeans fell in a puddle on the floor, and she stood there, clad in her panties before him.

  “You are so beautiful.”

  The back of her legs brushed against the mattress. His fingers curled around her hips even as his eyes blazed down on her.

  He kissed her again, a hot, deep, openmouthed kiss that had her holding tightly to his shoulders. They tumbled onto the bed together, and the mattress dipped beneath them. His legs slid between hers, and Davis kissed a scorching path down her throat. She arched toward him, her whole body taut and ready. “Now, Davis, now!”