CHAPTER 3

         Moments ago, it had taken every ounce of willpower not to pull her against his aroused body and taste her parted lips. And judging by the desire he’d seen flash across her features, he knew Amara hadn’t been immune to their close proximity, either.

          Undoubtedly, Reece was highly attracted to her, but it was more than just her incredible body and their sizzling chemistry that drew him. So much more…

          While she was outwardly intelligent, gorgeous, and sweet, there was more to Amara Rafferty than met his trained eye. There was a certain vulnerability he’d glimpsed a time or two.

          She was a real sex bomb, but she was very private, very reserved. And there were emotional barriers she erected that gave him the impression she was hiding something deeper than feigned disinterest.

“My game, dude!”

          Reece turned around and frowned at his friend Andy, who was grinning triumphantly.

“What?”

“The game’s over, Reece. And I won.”

          Andy leaned a hip against the pool table and shook his head.

“Wow, dude… You really do have it bad for her if you can’t concentrate on a game of pool.”

          It would be ridiculous to deny the obvious, so Reece didn’t even try. Andy jutted his chin toward the front of the establishment.

“Oh, dear Mother of God… She’s on her way out, Romeo. Here’s your chance to impress her with your chivalrous charm and open the door for her which in turn might open the door for you… if you know what I mean,” Andy added winking at his friend.

          Reece certainly did.

“Thank you, Dr. Phil,” he joked, and made his way to the front of the bar, beating Amara to the entrance by three paces.

          He opened the door for her, and Amara glanced up at him in startled surprise. She adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder and smoothed her hand along the jacket draped over her arm.

“Uhm… Are you leaving, too?”

“I sure am.”

          Reece waved his hand for her to precede him, then followed, falling into step beside her on the sidewalk, welcoming the cool evening breeze on his way too-warm skin.

“Actually… leaving the same time as you, Amara, is a shameless ploy to walk you to your car.”

          Abruptly, she stopped, a frown marring her eyebrow, though there was no denying the awareness in the depths of her eyes.

“Oh… I see… Well, I can make it to my vehicle on my own just fine, thank you very much. I really don’t need an escort, Reece Harrow.”

“I’m sure you don’t and I didn’t say you did,” Reece replied gently, trying to put her at ease and lighten the moment between them. “This is solely for my pleasure.”

          Her tense shoulders loosened up, and the corner of her mouth twitched with a hint of a smile. Still, Amara hesitated, seemingly divided between letting him accompany her or telling him to get lost.

          Not wanting to lose the ground he’d just gained, Reece opted for a bit of humor.

“You know, if it makes you feel any better, I don’t usually bite… not unless you ask me to…”

          Amara visibly shivered and slipped into her lightweight jacket.

“Oh, really? And, how can I be so certain of that?”

          She was eyeing him in a way that was more playful than suspicious, and he took his cue from her.

“Because if I did bite, precious, I would have taken a nibble or two out of you by now.”

          Without thinking of the consequences, Reece reached out and lifted her shoulder-length dark hair from under the collar of her jacket. Her breath caught as his fingers delved through the warm, silky mass at the nape of her neck and his thumbs grazed the soft skin beneath her jaw.

          Time seemed suspended as their gazes met, hers reflecting a flare of heat that burned through his veins. People walked past them, but he was oblivious to anything but her.

          It was the first time he’d touched her in any way, and the connection was inherently intimate and wholly sensual. Amara’s lips were parted, and Reece ached to pull her into his arms, lower his mouth to hers and claim the kiss he’d forfeited earlier in the bar.

          As if sensing his intent, she stepped back, and he automatically dropped his hands away and cleared his throat. Before she could flat-out turn him down again, Reece lightly grasped her elbow and ushered her toward the parking lot, which was located across the street from Frank’s ‘Flaming Grill Bar’.

“Come on, I’m walking you to your car, and I’m not taking no for an answer… So, do both of us a huge favor, and don’t waste your breath arguing.”

          Amara relaxed and smiled, and they walked by the other storefronts along the street to the intersection.

“You know, we could consider this nice, casual stroll to your car our first date,” Reece suggested, only half joking.

          He’d take a date with her any way he could get one. Amara thrust her hands deep into her jacket pockets and slanted him a sly look.

“Oh… So, you do have an ulterior motive other than seeing me safely to my car.”

“A very harmless motive, I swear.”

          Reece held up his hands and attempted to look innocent.

“We could head over to a nice coffee shop, get a nice cup of coffee, and just talk about the weather if you’d like…”

          An incredulous burst of laughter escaped her.

“Talk about the weather?! Are you being serious right now?”

          He shrugged and winked at her.

“I wouldn’t want our first date to be too… personal.”

          She chewed on her full bottom lip, looking quite torn.

“Reece, I can’t go on a date with you…” she then said. “I really can’t.”

          The light at the intersection was red, and Reece pushed the button to give them the right of way, unwilling to give up on her so easily this time.

“Not even for one little cup of coffee? I promise no hand-holding or kissing…”

          That made Amara smile again, but her next words shot down his hopes.

“I’m really sorry, but I’ve got a big test on Monday and I really need to study.”

“We could have a study date,” Reece suggested. “There are a few things I’m really good at teaching.”

“Oh… I’m not going to touch that one,” she murmured huskily.

          Hearing someone approach from behind, Amara glanced over her shoulder briefly, then back at Reece.

“You don’t give up, do you, Reece Harrow?”

          Something in her expression had changed in those few seconds, and there was now a troubled glint in her eyes that snagged his attention, but Reece didn’t understand its source.

          Wanting desperately to soothe her sudden anxiety, he picked up her hand and drew a lazy pattern on her palm with his index finger.

“I’d give up if you told me to get lost and really, really, totally meant it.”

          Amara stared at him, then shook her head, sending her soft dark waves brushing across her shoulders.

“You’re way too…”

“Irresistible? Fun? Handsome? Perfect?”

          He graced her with one of his enticing grins that never failed to score him extra points with the opposite sex. The light changed to green, the cars on the street stopped, and they stepped off the curb to cross, severing the contact of their joined hands.

“I was thinking more along the lines of persistent… kind of annoyingly arrogant…”

          Reece laughed.

“Hey, I do have a few faults.”

          She seemed distracted enough not to hear or appreciate his attempt at humor. The footsteps behind them sounded closer, and this time when she looked behind them, Reece saw her stiffen, then she hastened her steps.

          He lengthened his stride to keep up. She’d piqued not only his concern but his P.I. instincts, and he glanced back, too, and saw a man about ten yards away, wearing a sweatshirt, jeans, and a baseball cap.

          The lighting in the area was acceptable, but the bill of the cap cast a shadow over half his face. The hairs on the back of Reece’s neck prickled with awareness, and every investigative intuition he possessed came to full alert.

          By the time they reached the other side of the street, Amara was nearly jogging, trying to escape a danger he didn’t understand. His only thought was to grab her to keep her close and make sure she felt safe with him.

          Whatever had set her off, there was no way he’d let anything or anyone harm her…

          Latching onto her upper arm, Reece forced her to stop. The street lamp overhead illuminated the sheer panic etched on her face, and he felt her tremble in fear. His gut tightened in unease.

“Amara… Precious, what’s wrong?”

          Her gaze shifted over his shoulder to whoever was approaching them, and her complexion paled.

“Oh, dear God… no!” she said on a helpless moan and tried to tug her arm free from his grasp so she could bolt.

          He refused to release her, knowing in her near-hysterical state she wasn’t thinking straight and could hurt herself. He wanted to shake her out of her stupor but didn’t want to scare her even more. He decided on verbal force.

“Dammit, baby, talk to me!” he growled in a low tone.

“Reece… It’s him!” she said in a soft, keening cry, her eyes wide and filled with alarm. “He found me…”

          She wasn’t making any coherent sense, nor was she giving him any information he could act upon.

“It’s who? Baby, who found you?”

          Amara shook her head frantically and gripping his shirt in her hands, she pulled him into a small alcove built into the back doorway of a shop. Stunned and confused by her abrupt action, Reece braced his hands on the door behind her to catch himself before his body slammed into hers.

“What the hell is going on, Amara?”

          He turned his head to get a better look at the person who’d sent her into such a tailspin, but Amara wrapped her arms around his neck and fisted her fingers tight in his hair, which kept him in place. Her eyes pleaded with him to help her, to do as she requested.

“Just kiss me, Reece… Kiss me like I’m your woman…” she demanded in a hoarse voice.

          Before he could say another word, she crushed her soft lips to his.