Her Enemy Protector (20 page)

She crawled between the smooth, cool sheets, more grateful to have dodged disaster in the pool than alarmed at the prospect of sleeping in her own bed again.

“Way to go, tiger,” Joe murmured. “I told you. Spine of steel. You’re a brave woman.”

She smiled up at him. “Don’t be too impressed. I only borrowed some courage from you.”

“Consider it a gift,” he replied. Joe pulled the covers up around her chin and leaned over to turn off the little lamp on her bedside table. The room went dark.

Beneath the blaring music, she murmured, “Hold me?”

“Are you sure?” he replied cautiously.

“Please.”

Thankfully, he didn’t require any more invitation than that. His warmth encircled her even before his arms did. Oh, my, he felt nice.

His hand cupped the back of her head as her cheek found the perfect spot to nestle at the base of his neck. He’d pulled on a T-shirt and a pair of dry shorts and the soft cotton rubbed lightly against her skin. Her palms itched to get under it to the warm man beneath.

Why not? They were technically married, after all. All the cameras were gone and nobody was going to hear anything over that music channel. Besides, tonight she’d earned a little of what
she
wanted for a change.

She reached down and ran her hand up inside the front of his shirt. Joe tensed.

“I don’t bite,” she commented.

“Damn,” he mumbled. “I was hoping you did.”

“Don’t tempt me,” she laughed. “You look pretty tasty.”

“Be my guest,” he replied. “I’m all yours. Anything you want.”

That comment shot her pulse up. A lot. Going to sit back and let her call the shots tonight, was he? Whoa. Well, that was just fine. She knew
exactly
what she wanted from him.

Chapter 12

“A
nything I want?” Cari echoed. She wanted to make sure she’d heard him correctly before she made her request.

“Well, within reason,” he amended. “It’s not like we can walk out of here tonight, for example. The hornet’s nest is too stirred up for that.”

“That’s not what I want anyway.”

“What do you want, princess?” He sounded extremely wary as he asked that.

“Tell me your real name,” she said.

“It’s Joe.”

“Seriously.”

“Seriously,” he repeated. “My real name is Joe.”

“Joe what?”

“Ah, Cari. Let’s not go there.”

“Why not?”

“Some things are best left alone. If you knew my last name, you could research all kinds of unpleasant things about me and my past. And trust me, you don’t want to know the details.”

“Are you a criminal?” she asked.

He answered reluctantly. “I suppose in some people’s minds I am. I’d like to think there’s always a good reason for anything I do. I certainly don’t think of myself as a criminal.”

That was an interesting answer. Open to several possible interpretations. She cut to the chase. “Are you a member of Charlie Squad?”

He leaned back far enough to look down at her.

Stalling, was he?

“If I were a member of that group, I’d have to say no, and if I weren’t a member, I’d say no, too. So my answer to that one is…no.”

That had to be the most unconvincing no she’d ever heard. And maybe that was as close to an honest answer as he was allowed to give her.

“Where did you learn how to do spooky stuff?”

“Spooky stuff?”

Stalling again.
She clarified. “Finding weaknesses in security systems, climbing off balconies and lurking in the bushes with high-tech cameras.”

He chuckled. “You make me sound like the perfect paparazzo.”

She smiled against his neck. “Believe me, I’ve been the target of paparazzi before and you’re not nearly aggressive enough to be one of them.”

“Wow,” he responded. “That bad?”

“If you want to see firsthand, go out in public with me. By now, the rumors of our secret wedding have to be flying like crazy.”

“You know, that’s not a bad idea. I wonder if daddy dearest would go for it.”

“After tonight’s little expedition, probably not. He’ll want to yank the leash hard for a couple of days. Make us remember who’s in charge.”

Joe shrugged beneath her ear. “If you pull the leash too short, the dog can bite you.”

She raised herself up on one elbow in alarm. “Don’t do anything stupid, Joe. You’ve gotten away with the surfer bum act so far, but he’s got plenty of bite of his own.”

Joe reached up and urged her head back down onto his shoulder. She subsided, but reluctantly. She
had
to convince him not to push her father too far. And then it hit her. He’d done it again! He’d adroitly turned the conversation away from whether or not he was involved with Charlie Squad. Dang, he was good. She could reopen the subject and push the matter, but he’d just distract her again. He’d probably given her all the answers he was going to. And maybe, ultimately, that was more revealing than hearing him actually admit to being in Charlie Squad.

She lay there thoughtfully and started when Joe’s hand closed over hers. She hadn’t been paying attention, but she’d been stroking his chest beneath his T-shirt and twining her fingers in the sprinkling of chest hairs there.

Sudden vibrating tension raced up her arm and down to her core. Without a word and hardly a movement, he’d totally changed the tenor of the moment. It was as if he had flipped on a sex-appeal switch and, all of a sudden, steaming sensuality was rolling off him. Not that she was
complaining
about it, of course. But as distractions went, it was pretty bloody effective.

An answering surge welled up inside her, rising to meet him halfway.

“God Almighty, woman,” he muttered as he half rolled to face her. “What am I going to do with you?”

He felt it, too, huh? “Do you want me to actually answer that question?” she replied laughingly.

He laughed ruefully. “No, I don’t. I’ve got too many ideas of my own already.”

A chink in the gentleman’s armor, eh? “Really? Like what?”

His free arm went around her and he gathered her close. “Nothing I’m going to act on right now. You’ve had a rough night and I’m not going to pile more emotional baggage on top of everything else.”

Her right hand crept around his waist. This guy didn’t carry an ounce of fat on him. He was solid muscle. “Look. That Slav was a bigger asshole than most of them, but it’s not like stuff like that hasn’t happened to me before. And I’m still okay.”

“Are you?” he whispered. “Are you really?”

The pain in his voice arrested her. He was really upset by the incident.

“Yes, Joe, I really am.” She leaned back and wormed her arms free so she could reach up and put her hands on either side of his face. “I’ve survived worse.”

“Oh, Lord. Don’t tell me that. I’m going to have to go out and kill every bastard who’s ever laid a hand on you.”

“My own knight in shining armor,” she murmured. “You can’t slay all the dragons by yourself, you know.”

“No, but I
can
kill the biggest, baddest one of the bunch,” he growled. “You just say the word.”

She froze. If she wasn’t mistaken, he’d just offered to kill her father for her. The thought sent a cold chill down her spine. Her father was just doing business, using all available tools at hand to get the job done. It was nothing personal.

“Joe, my father has always used my looks to distract men in meetings. It’s no big deal.”

“Honey, I’m sorry, but I have to disagree. It
is
a big deal. That guy was all over you. And your father
let
it happen, even implied it could go further. No parent who loves his child would use her in that way.”

Joe broke off sharply as if his anger was about to get the best of him. He took a couple of long, deep breaths, exhaling hard.

“It’s okay, Joe. Really.”

“No, it’s not okay!” He exploded, sitting up abruptly and yanking his arm out from beneath her.

“Shh,” she cautioned him in alarm, sitting up as well.

“I’m serious,” he continued in a lower voice. “At a minimum, it should infuriate you.”

Should it? She looked inside herself. Was there a kernel of anger inside her somewhere that she’d missed or ignored?
Anger
wasn’t the word for it.
Hurt
was a better description. She wanted to please her father, to do what made him happy. She wanted his approval. If letting his business associates paw her a little made her father proud, then she would put up with it. Except, tonight her father had gone further than before. But she was sure he didn’t mean it. And he would have made sure the Slav kept away from her once the meeting was over. Of course, he would have. She frowned. Viewed through Joe’s eyes, it seemed like she was letting her father prostitute her body in a calculated and debasing way. Maybe she
should
be angry.

“Maybe I’m not strong enough to get mad over it,” she said carefully.

“Bull,” he snorted. “I wasn’t kidding when I said you’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met.” He shoved a hand through his dark hair. “You just don’t know to get mad about it. That bastard has you believing he loves you because you do crap like that for him. And it’s a lie. He’s using you. He’s treating you with no more respect than a cheap hooker. Jeez—” Joe broke off and took a deep breath “—Cari, that’s not love. It’s—”

Anger flared in her. “It’s what, Joe? Go ahead and say it. What does that make me?”

It was his turn to look at the walls in alarm and shush her.

“Don’t go telling me to be quiet. You’re the one who brought this up. You can damn well finish this conversation.”

His eyes closed in acute pain. When he finally opened them, sorrow shone in their dark depths. He spoke gently. “I’m sorry, Cari. I was wrong to open this can of worms. It’s your life and I have no right to intrude. I just hate to see you get hurt.”

And that did it. The dam broke and the tears came. Thank God the room was dark because she had never learned how to cry prettily. Her eyes turned red and swelled and her nose ran, and she snorted ungracefully while ugly sobs racked her. She didn’t even make decent crying noises. She sounded like a bull moose with a cold.

She
wanted
him to claim the right to intrude! Why did he refuse to see that? Why did he make her face this pain? What purpose did it serve? It all closed in on her—the hurt, the fear and the shame—and she sobbed all the more.

But through it all, Joe held her, offering her tissues and pushing her hair off her face to wipe away the tears.

“Better?” he finally murmured.

“God, I don’t know,” she mumbled. “I’m not even sure what I was crying about.”

“Why don’t you just chalk it up to stress relief,” he suggested.

A comforting thought, but there was more to it than that. Much more. Tonight, Joe had torn away part of the blinders she wore to get through her life with a measure of sanity. She didn’t want to see her world as it really was, dammit! Didn’t Joe understand that? She had to let a layer of fog obscure the sharp corners and harsh realities of it all. Her illusions were all she had.

“Come here, baby,” Joe murmured.

She rolled into his arms and clung to him tightly. She ought to be embarrassed by her complete breakdown, but Joe seemed to have taken it in stride.

“I’ll make it better, I swear,” he muttered into her hair.

Was he saying that to her or to himself? She couldn’t exactly tell.

“You already have,” she mumbled against his chest.

“How’s that?”

“Just by being here. By caring enough to make me face something ugly about myself.”

“There’s nothing ugly about you, Cari,” he said slowly. “Your father has brainwashed you into believing his bull. But now you’re growing up. You can look at what he says and does and see it more clearly.”

“You make me sound like some kid.”

“You
are
a kid,” he replied.

“I’m twenty-four. That’s not so young. And you have to admit that growing up in this house has exposed me to stuff most twenty-four-year-olds never have to deal with.”

He drew her even closer in a protective gesture. “In some ways, you’re more worldly than most fifty-year-olds. But your life has isolated you from certain lessons, as well. I don’t mean to insult you. You’re incredibly bright and wise for your age. But there’s no way around the fact that twenty-four is damned young.”

Too young for him? Was that what he was saying with such regret in his voice?

“How old are you?” she asked.

“Thirty-seven.”

“Wow. You’re just about ready for the old-folks’home. Do you need help taking your teeth out and brushing them or can you still manage that by yourself?”

“Hey!” he laughed. “I still get around. It’s just that—”

“I’m too young for you?” she suggested with a certain edge in her voice.

“Well, thirteen years
is
a big age difference.”

“Thirty years is a big age difference,” she retorted. “Thirteen isn’t that huge a chasm. Besides, when has love ever stopped to look at birth certificates? It happens where it wills. If two people are meant to be together, age is meaningless.”

“Aha, the truth comes out. She’s a closet romantic!” Silence fell between them.

“Joe?”

“Hmm?”

“There’s something else I want tonight.”

Instant caution zinged through his voice. “What’s that?”

“Make love to me.”

He jolted beneath her.

She raised herself up on one elbow and stared down at him in the dark. “You know, by refusing to make love to me, you might just give me more of that emotional baggage you mentioned earlier. It would probably be best just to give in to what’s between us.”

He frowned at her. “There’s something between us?”

She raised her eyebrows. “Not much experience with women, Joseph?”

He scowled and she laughed at him. And then she leaned down and kissed him. That was more like it. The wildness she’d been feeling ever since she first met this man surged to the fore once more. Her hands skimmed across Joe’s shoulders, his neck and his face as her tongue swept into his mouth, inviting him in no uncertain terms to come play with her.