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"I don't think this is a good idea."

"Relax. It's going to work. Aim the light higher." Brian slid his fingertips along the trim around the door. "Aunt Mae gave me her blessing and told me where to find the spare." He felt the key with his fingers and slid it off the narrow ledge. "Maybe you're not comfortable with this plan. I have my doubts, too, but it's got to be done. The suspects are unpredictable and their attempts on you have escalated. If we can't draw them into a defensive position, we can't arrest them." Brian searched her upturned face in the glow of the flashlight beam. He needed her with him, a hundred-and-ten percent.

"I know you're right, but it's risky."

"Have some faith in me." He touched her cheek and she closed her eyes for a moment.

Unchaste thoughts drummed into his mind, as she turned into his palm. Her skin was warm, soft, forbidden. "This will end soon enough, then you can pick up your son and go home."

She smiled at him, a slow seductive smile that sent his thoughts into hyperspace. He swallowed his frustration and opened the screen door, slid the key into the lock and pushed it open. "I think this place was compliments of husband number four."

"The spoils of divorce?"

"No...old age, followed by death. Aunt Mae always seems to marry the feeble ones." He stepped into the room and flipped the light switches to the living room fixture and the porch light.

The smell of stale air inside the shut-up cottage was infused with the woodsy scent of the swamp. Slipcovers had been pulled over the living room furniture and a fine layer of dust coated the end tables.

"She'd go into a dust-induced coma if she saw this place right now."

"You think?"

He turned toward Kendall, who'd already moved into the kitchen and opened the cupboard below the sink.

"Neat freak with an eccentric flair. I remember going to her house and sitting on a white sofa, afraid to move."

"Or breathe?"

"You had an Aunt Mae, too?"

"No. An Aunt Joy." She pulled out a can of furniture polish and a rag. "I'll dust the tables, you pull the slips."

"Deal." He followed her into the living room and pulled the fabric covers one by one, to expose over-stuffed couches in a vivid shade of spring green. "We'll be safe here. No one knows about this place." He heard the hiss of the furniture polish can and breathed in the scent of lemon that took over the air in the room. The sway of Kendall's body as she rubbed the cleaner into the wood on the tabletops revved him up.

"You make it sound like these guys know us inside out." She finished the last table surface and turned to face him.

"They do, or they seem to." He fixed his gaze on her.

She shook her head back and forth in denial. "That's crazy. You don't expect me to believe that?"

"That's exactly what I expect. It's the only thing that's going to keep you alive. You can't let your guard down. Your car was fitted with LoJack." He moved closer to her.

"Are you serious?"

"Callahan found a device. They're interested in your travel habits. You're the target."

"This can't be happening..."

"If my hunch proves out, once we surface again, they'll be pissed. I'd bet they do whatever it takes to assure it never happens again."

"What if you're wrong? What if they don't do anything to draw our attention? No warning shots, no waving arms or yelling, 'Hey, you idiots we're over here.' Maybe they just decide it's time for me to die?"

"Woah. I'm never going to let that happen." He put his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. A big mistake, he decided as he inhaled her soft scent and felt the womanly curvers of her body pressed to his.

"How long are we going to hide?" She pulled away.

"Three days, four max. Just long enough for them to realize they've lost track of us."

"This is...scary."

"Let it go for tonight." He took her hand. "We'll get you settled in. There's time to play Suzie Homemaker tomorrow. I want you upstairs in the loft bedroom. Lock the door at the top of the landing. I'll take the couch."

He flicked the light switch at the bottom of the stairs and followed her up to the wooden landing. Being so close to Kendall was a mental exercise in restraint.

She opened the door and fiddled for the light switch. It flipped on with a decisive click. "It's a little sparse, but it'll work."

Wisps of cobwebs dangled from the pitched ceiling and moved gently in the air currents sent out by opening the door. A twin-size bed was pushed against one wall and a tiny nightstand with a candlestick lamp sat next to the bed. Scatter rugs in startling hues of pink dotted the hardwood floor.

"I'll get these. We can't have a spider keeping you awake."

"Gee, thanks." She watched him jump and swat the cobwebs, bringing them down one by one. The motion of his body stirred want inside of her.

"I'll help you make the bed." His back was to her and she watched him pull sheets and blankets out of a cubby closet tucked underneath the eaves.

Focus. She redirected her erotic thoughts and pulled the dust cover off. Underneath a worn patchwork quilt covered the mattress.

"Aunt Mae said this stuff was clean."

She pulled back the quilt and watched Brian scoop up the linens in his arms.

"Here, let me." She spotted a fitted corner. "I've got a sheet. Were there any pillows in there with the spiders?" Her hand brushed his in the pile of linens. The contact sent her heart rate up. She studied him, wondering if the brief touch had jolted him, too.

The detailed lines of his face were shadowed in the dim light coming from the fixture overhead, but there was no mistaking the wicked smile on his lips. Desire, like liquid fire, coursed through her veins, but she held back. He hated her, didn't he? Hated her family? So why did she feel so willing to give herself to him...now...tonight? Everything slowed to half speed when he tossed the bedding onto the mattress in one giant heave. His arms were around her before she could move. She breathed in his scent, a combination of clean skin and musk.

His essence invaded her mind and she raised her mouth to his. He kissed her long, slow, deep. A lover's kiss. Laced with the promise of things to come. Satisfaction of a need drove her beyond her physical body and into a state of ecstasy. Mind blank, her thoughts erased by the sensations that pulsed through her. She'd lost her perspective, lost her will to resist...lost her heart? The kiss ended. It took her a moment to realize he'd pulled away. First his lips, then his body. She opened her eyes, plopped down on the end of the bed and took a deep breath.

He stared out the window, his hands on his hips. "I'm sorry, Kendall." He turned to face her, the burn of desire smoldering in his eyes. "I'll be the first to say it. I'm out of line."

She managed to smile at him and hung on to the warm afterglow enveloping her body. "I goes both ways. I'm not some innocent flower." She searched his face and tried to see beyond the decisive set of his jaw. Only the glimmer in his pale blue eyes told the truth. He wanted her, too; he was on fire.

His arms dropped to his sides and he sat down next to her. "Tension. We're both venting. this is the first night in weeks we can relax. No one knows we're here, it's as good as a bottle of wine for cutting loose inhibitions."

"I've never had an inhibition feel like that."

"Me either."

Their connection cemented, but didn't cure. Could she tell him about that night in May? Put herself on the line? He was sure to hate her more. Distrust her every word from now on. But the moment she found herself in was too perfect.

"Help me make the bed." She stood up.

"Sure." Brian pulled the sheet taut and slipped it onto the corner of the mattress. They finished the task together and she walked him to the bedroom door.

"Lock it when I leave...don't open it for anyone."

"Okay."

"Get some rest. Think of this as a vacation."

"I'll try."

Brian stepped onto the small landing outside the door and listened to her turn the lock. He was glad it was there to prevent him from going to her in the middle of the night. He wanted to be inside with her, holding her body, stroking her skin. Damn the professional straightjacket. His badge. The rules. She'd managed to drag his heart over the line in a game of tug-of-war. Could he drag it back to the right side? Did he want to?

Moving down the stairs, he tested the weight of his new reality. He hadn't felt this alive in a long time, but an emotional stake in Kendall's life could make him careless. Take away his edge. Once his emotions were hooked up to the circuit, anything could happen. He'd have to guard against it, fight it anytime it surfaced.

The low-pitched moan of a board on the front porch stopped him at the bottom of the stairwell.

Someone was outside?

He turned the light off and poked his head out in time to catch a glimpse of a shadow as it stalled at the front door, outlined on the light curtain over the window. Popping the snap on his shoulder holster, he slid his service revolver out of its cradle. Sweat formed on his forehead. His nerves twisted tight. The dead air in the room seemed to suffocate him as his heart rate cranked up and his lungs demanded more oxygen.

He was the only one between Kendall and the front door, and he was already worried about her.

Shaking it off, he stepped into the hallway and stayed close to the wall. He'd made sure they weren't followed. Not even his supervisor knew exactly where they were. Standing ready at the mouth of the hall, he watched the shadow pause at the door. He raised his gun and aligned the sight on the dark target.

Knuckles on wood broke his concentration.

"Knock, knock! Mae?" a male voice called out. "Are you home?"

Brian relaxed his stance, but didn't put his pistol away. Moving forward, he stopped at the front door and brushed the curtain aside.

An elderly gentleman stood outside on the front porch. "Hi, I'm Fred Picard, your next door neighbor."

"Just a minute." Brian dropped the curtain, holstered his weapon and opened the door, but left the screen closed as precaution.

"I saw the lights on over here and wondered who'd arrived. Mae always calls us if she's coming to the cottage. We're part of a neighborhood watch program." He seemed to puff up a bit. "I like to check before I call the police."

Brian managed a friendly smile, but kept his caution. "Brian Littrell, Mae's nephew. I'm spending a couple of days here with my girlfriend. With Aunt Mae's permission, of course."

"Come over from the city?"

"Yeah." He hated nosy people, but he was glad his aunt had a neighbor like Fred Picard.

"Well, welcome to our little place on the planet. Let me know if I can give you any assistance. There are some terrific places to eat in Slidell and there's a little grocery store, cafe, half a mile down the road."

"I appreciate that. There's not much here in the way of food."

Picard turned to leave. "I'll see if the missus has any extras and bring them over in the morning. That should hold you until you get to the grocery store."

"Thank you, Fred."

"Be talking to you in the a.m."

"Bye now." Brian watched him mosey down the porch steps and disappear into the darkness beyond the fringes of the porch light. He closed the door. So much for being incognito. He'd seen Picard types. By tomorrow afternoon there wouldn't be a single person along the stretch that didn't know Mae's nephew from New Orleans was in town, and he had a girlfriend.

"Who was that?"

Brian spooked and looked up to see Kendall coming down the hall toward him. She was a vision in a gauzy white nightgown that did little to conceal what was underneath it. His blood heated in his veins. "A neighbor. Saw the lights on and decided to investigate."

"You don't look so happy about that."

"It's great if you're elderly and alone, but not if you're trying to hide out. I'd bet he has my aunt on the phone right now. Never mind that it's close to midnight."

"It'll be okay. I doubt he rolls in the same circle as our stalkers." She ran her hand down his forearm, sending shockwaves into his body, but before he could reciprocate she turned and walked back down the hall. He listened to her hesitant steps up the stairs, heard the door close, but not lock. The invitation had been telegraphed in her touch. It rocked him like an explosion deep inside of him.

He closed his eyes and fought the burn of insatiable need. It would be so easy to go to her, but he couldn't let it happen. The minutes stretched as tight as his nerves until he heard the lock slide into place.

"Goodnight...Kendall." He crashed onto the sofa to wait for dawn.

***


Kendall awoke to the aroma of fresh coffee and the smell of bacon. She rolled over and looked out the bedroom window. The sun was beginning to crest the tops of the cypress trees around the cottage. It had to be ten or later.

Slipping out of bed, she put on her robe. It was going to be tough to face Brian this morning, she decided as she finger combed her hair. She'd made an idiot of herself last night. The invasive thought of his body next to hers in the narrow bed had only kept her awake and added to her sexual frustration.

She couldn't let it happen again. Couldn't let lust drive them into a situation they'd both regret. She headed downstairs expecting to see him at the kitchen table, but the kitchen was empty. A neat stack of blankets sat on one end of the sofa.

The smell of coffee pulled her into the kitchen and she poured a cup. The small cottage was quiet, peaceful. He must be outside. She pushed out of the screen door.

"Good morning, sunshine."

She started, jostling coffee everywhere. "Don't do that!"

He sat in an oversized rocking chair near the end of the porch, grinning at her, a pleased-with-himself smile that enhanced his good looks and made her knees weak. She increased her grip on the wet mug and moved toward the rocker he pulled in closer to his own.

"You snuck up on me last night. I had to return the favor."

"Very funny." She sat down next to him, feeling his heat even though a hint of breeze stirred the air.

"This is the life, don't you think?" He touched her hand for an instant.

She eyed the layout of the place now that daylight had arrived. "Near perfect, I'd say. The only thing missing is Kaden. He'd enjoy throwing rocks in the pond and playing on the tire swing." She looked him over. "Don't tell me you're thinking retirement already?"

"No, but since you mentioned it, this would be a great place. You could bake cookies for the grandkids, I could pal around with the neighborhood geezer squad, enforce lights out at eleven. Teach them to nail a silhouette target in the center of mass with big guns. What could be better?"

Contentment had softened the hard edges of his face, giving her a rare glimpse into his soul. She resisted the need to touch him, to explore his heart. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were serious."

"Who's to say I'm not? Don't you want those things in your life? Family, home...a husband." The question and his inquisitive stare bored into her.

Drawing a sip of coffee, she wished she could hide the flame of heat she felt in her cheeks. "Yes. Yes, I do. But I haven't found the one I want to share it with."

"I did...once, but I let it slip away."

"You were a good father and husband...I know it. I feel it."

He closed his eyes, then opened them again. They'd taken on a misty quality. "I could have done better. I could have protected them."

"No one knows what life will bring." She reached for his hand and they locked fingers. "We're here today, gone tomorrow and all we have in between are the little moments we can fill up with life, with love. It's not the big things we do, it's the energy we put into making special moments every day. That's what counts."

"How'd you become an expert?"

"Do you know a single kid who races to school to tell his friend his dad works fourteen-hour days so they can live in a nice house? What sticks is...my dad taught me to ride my bike. We made s'mores in the backyard over the barbecue and burned them to a crisp. That's what gets remembered...and what counts. It's life, Brian. And love. Children just have a way of sharpening the point."

"Megan had those moments with me." He smiled and she felt his fingers relax.

Her heart flexed in her chest. She had to tell him. She didn't want her secret wedged between them. It would only hold them apart. "I have something to tell you."

"More life philosophy?" He leaned forward in his chair. "I'd like to get your take on second chances."

His eyes had taken on a sleepy half-lidded look that made her breath catch in her throat. Her mouth went dry. She took a sip from her coffee cup and watched him over the rim. They'd come so far together. This confession could be their end.

"It's about that...night."

Brian's emotions dammed to a stop and bunched into knots. He swallowed hard as her words penetrated his brain. A confession?

He stared at her, watched her lick her lips and witnessed the flare of heat in her cheeks. His heart accelerated in his chest, racing like a freight train. He needed to hear her confess, but he also wanted to slam his fists against his ears and shut it out.

"I boosted a car that night, in your neighborhood. I'm the McKinley you've been chasing."