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large house that muffled sound that this wasn't any more safe than his place would have been.

She noticed a dark car, pulled to one side. It was a Volvo, and as she watched, the driver's door

opened and Victor climbed out.

"Oh, no," she whispered. Chance turned sharply to follow her shocked gaze.

Victor strolled toward them, dressed in an elegant navy blue suit. His tie was loosened, white

shirt unbuttoned at the throat, and his eyes glittered like black diamonds.

"Goddammit," Chance growled tightly. He moved fluidly to place himself between her and

Victor.

Victor looked at him and his handsome face twisted.

"I might have known it," he drawled. "You've been panting after her like a dog in rut."

Chance stood at his ease, feet planted apart, but Mary saw his fingers flex, a tiny, violent

movement, and her heart started to hammer sickeningly. "Mary," he said quietly, "do you want to

speak to Victor right now?"

"No" she choked out. "Victor, are you drunk? Go home." But no matter how, offensive he was,

she couldn't let him drink and drive-maybe she should call him a cab.... ,

-Victor sneered. "That would be convenient for you. I spent two years of my life on you, Mary-:-

and you threw it away like garbage. You didn’ t even listen when I told you I could explain. No,

you had to believe that lying redheaded bitch."

Chance stiffened and took a step toward him, the broad angle of his shoulders menacing. "Mary,

get in the house."

"No!" she said sharply, walking up behind Chance to put a hand on his rigid back. "Not unless

you come inside with me. You should be ashamed of yourself, Victor! I'm embarrassed for you-"

"Embarrassed for me!" He laughed furiously. "What about all the times I was embarrassed to be

seen with you! To think I coaxed you along, putting up with your social ignorance and tight-

assed prudish morals. You're a misfit cartoon, Mary, and no amount of money or your family

name will change that."

She recoiled as if she'd been slapped. Chance snarled and sprang forward, his body blurring, and

suddenly Victor grimaced in pain as Chance pinned his arms behind his back.

Chance's features were contorted with rage; but his voice was still low and controlled as -he

clipped out, "He's not drunk, Mary, he's just a son of a bitch, a social climber who got knocked

off his rung." He looked at her, and his eyes softened slightly. "Go on inside, sugar. I'll persuade

Dr. Pretense to leave quietly."

Her hands twisted together. She looked at him numbly and nodded. "All right."

Chance force-marched Victor to the Volvo while Mary hurried up the porch steps. She paused,

hand on the doorknob, looking over her shoulder. Chance opened the driver's door and let go of

Victor, who swivelled to throw a punch at his face.

Almost casually, Chance's powerful body swung into a graceful manoeuvre, dodging the blow

easily and knocking Victor's legs out from under him. The other man fell with a heavy thump and

scrambled to his feet, cursing.

Chance said with what sounded like amusement, "Try not to be such an idiot. I'm not a doctor

and you're not a fighter. You're outclassed, fool. Go home before you get hurt."

Victor stood stiffly, hands fisted. Chance leaned closer and said something to him in a low voice.

Even from that distance Mary could see the other man pale.

Then he turned abruptly, got into his car and sped away.

Chance pivoted, saw Mary frozen on the doorstep, eyes like saucers, and he quickly strode over

to her. She said in a very small voice, "I never thought he would act like that. I never really knew

him at all."

"Forget about him, Mary," he said gently, pulling her into his arms. Now that it was an over, she

started to shake. "Don't look like that, sugar. He won't be back."

She buried her face in his chest. "But I wouldn't have thought he'd come here at all, What else is

he capable of? He turned violent-he knows where Tim goes to school."

Chance rubbed her back, murmuring, "Ssh, now. This was a last-ditch attempt. to get you back, I

think, and when he saw me here his temper blew. He won't try anything else. I promise."

"But how do you know?" she queried anxiously.

His arms tightened and he said in a hard voice, "Because I told him what I would do to him if he

did. He got the point. I can be a mean bastard when something I care about is threatened, and he

not only hurt you badly, he insulted Cassie." He nuzzled her hair and she could feel him smile.

"Nobody slams my sister except me."

But Mary couldn't laugh yet. She felt furious pain for what Victor had said about her, and another

wave of outrage for Cassie's sake.

Chance said softly, "Let's go inside, precious. I could use a drink, and I think you could, too."

She hugged him swiftly and they went into the house. He followed Mary to the kitchen, leaning

back against a counter as she asked without looking up, "Would you like a soft drink, or we have

wine and brandy?"

"No beer?" he asked.

She smiled a little at that, glancing sideways. "No, sorry." She made a mental note to ask Janice

to pick some up next week. "But the wine's good."

"That sounds fine."

There wasn't any in the fridge, so she pulled a bottle of dry French white from the rack on the

wall and looked for a corkscrew in the drawer.

"Here," he said, "let me open that while you get the glasses."

She handed it over to him, went to the counter and got two wineglasses from the cupboard.

Tight-assed, prudish morals, he'd said. Absently she reached for a chocolate chip cookie from the

jar nearby and munched on it. A misfit cartoon.

Chance popped the cork while he watched Mary eat four cookies broodingly. He poured wine

into the two glasses, then reached for a cookie himself. "You know," he remarked, "I can tell

you're thinking about what Victor said outside."

Mary looked at him guiltily. He suppressed a smile. Her face was so easy to read. "I know he

said some hurtful things, but don't grant them any validity. He meant them to hurt."

She sighed. "I know. There was just enough accuracy in it to make it sting all the more."

He finished his cookie, then reached out smoothly to pick her up and set her on the counter,

bringing her gaze more on a level with his, He planted his hands on either side of her hips and

came nose-to-nose with her. "Mary Newman," he said sternly, "you are a gorgeous, refreshingly

honest young woman. It's a compliment that Victor sees you as a misfit-who'd want to fit in with

him?"

Her eyes stated to brighten. She'd begun to squirrel away all of the things he'd said to her:

"sugar", "precious", and now, "gorgeous", to be pulled out and marvelled over in private. She fiddled with a button on his shirt and admitted, "You have a point."

He raised a hand and laid the palm against her cheek. "And I don't think you're a prude. Not at

all. Ever since I bumped into you on Monday, I haven't been able to get you out of my mind. For

God's sake, Mary, I'm almost thirty-eight years old, I've been all over the world, and I was on

that Ferris wheel this evening acting like a lovesick teenager."

Face flaming, her gaze dropped to the button she was playing with. It fell open and she caught a

glimpse of the dark brown skin underneath, dusted with gold hairs. She snatched her hand back

quickly.

"There's something I wanted to tell you," she said in a low voice. "I’ve not-I've never..." Her

breath shuddered in her throat. "You see, Victor called me a prude for a reason."

Silence. His hand dropped to her shoulder and gripped her hard. "Never?" he whispered. "Not

even with Victor?"

Mutely she shook her head, then peered up to see his expression. His eyes were wide, wondering.

Of all the things she'd been afraid to see in his face, she'd never expected to see such vulnerability. Impulsively she cupped his lean cheeks and said unsteadily, "I never wanted to

before. It was always easier to be safe, to say I'd wait until I had some kind of commitment. But

now I'm so attracted to you I can't see straight. I'm not even prepared-"

He moaned and bent forward to kiss her, his mouth already. open. She met him halfway,

feverishly wrapping her arms around his neck, and he thrust his hips between her legs and

crushed her torso against his. She sighed, arching against him. He bit her lower lip, one hand

splayed at her lower back as he slowly, roughly ground his pelvis hard against her.

Pure animal need bolted through her. She was overheated, ravenous. She raked her fingernails

across his back, and he yanked up the jersey material of her top to cup her breast. She didn't have

on a bra and he inhaled sharply as he connected with bare, soft flesh.

She needed-she needed something more. She needed him. She sank her hands into his hair as he

gently flicked her sensitized, erect nipple and ran his tongue down the side of her neck.

He stilled, gasping as if he'd run for miles. She burrowed closer, legs wrapped around his hips.

He buried his face in her neck, grabbing hold of her waist as he groaned, "No-no, baby. Stop-be

still now. Stop;"

She sobbed out a whimper. His hold on her tightened to the point of pain.

"I know-baby, I know, but it's been years-"" A violent shiver racked through him and he said

raggedly, "I'm not prepared either-and if you do that sexy little wiggle with your hips again, I

swear I might lay you down on the floor and take you right here and now." She froze, feeling his

heartbeat thud against her chest in great, rapid strokes. After a moment his arms loosened

somewhat and he sighed,

"And that's not how it should be, precious. Not your first time. Your first time should be slow and

tender. I want you to feel safe with me."

"I love you," she heard herself say, and caught up with it a moment later. Panic washed over her.

As soon as she'd said it, she realized it was true, but she hadn't thought it through and had no idea

what his reaction would be. Isn't that just typical, she thought with horror. No brakes between

brain .and mouth, everything I'm feeling and thinking right out there for anyone to see. She hid

her terrified face in his shirt.

One large hand came up, trembling slightly, to caress the back of her head. He took several deep,

even breaths. "Precious Mary," he whispered, enfolding her as he bowed to brush his lips against

her temple. A pause. "I'm very much in love with you."

Tears sprang to her eyes, and she pulled back to search his face frantically. Had she heard that

right? His expression was sober, still razor-edged with arousal, and his eyes were stripped. "My

goodness, you mean it," she blurted out.

His face creased in a smile. "Of course I mean it. I love the way you can't hide anything you're

thinking, and how much family means to you. I love the way you light up with pleasure at the

simplest things, and your enjoyment at the fair. I loved watching you pet the horses, and how I

could open up to you, and I even love the storm clouds and how bossy you can be."

' 'Bossy,'' she murmured, even as a sunburst of joy streamed through her. "I'm not bossy."

"You are, too, when you're feeling self-confident enough. You can't fool me, Mary-I can see right

through you, and I love your pretty little bones." He brushed the hair off her forehead, turning

intense.

"And I especially love your innocence. I'm glad you've never been with anyone else. You belong

with me."

She quickly turned to nuzzle his hand, whispering, "I love everything about you. I think I did

from the very first day. I just couldn't believe that it could happen that quickly and still be

something that would last."

"We can make it last," he said huskily. "Marry me."

She sighed and closed her eyes, resting her cheek in his palm. "Okay."

His hand jerked spasmodically. Then he muttered "You'd better mean that."

"I do-I know it's awfully soon, but we'll be careful-we'll make sure it's right." She whispered, "I

trust you."

He kissed her hard, a long, luscious, sensual mixture of tenderness and desire, and then he

growled, "I want to make you pregnant. I want you to quit that damn job, and marry me, and

have my baby. I want to watch you sleeping in the morning, with your hair spread over my

pillow."

She groaned, loving the images he painted, running her hands greedily over his chest. "I want it,

too."

He shuddered. "Dammit, we've got to stop this. I can just see Tim or your grandfather wandering

down here for a midnight snack." He pulled back and gripped her hands. "Listen to me, baby.

We've got time. I want you to think about this. I know you're saying that this is what you want,

too, but you'd be giving up a lot and I have to know that you're sure. If you marry me, it's

forever. I won't let you go again. Do you understand?"

I am sure, she almost said. But something in his taut posture made her stop. "You're right," she

said gently. For his sake, she would think about it, even though she knew her answer wasn't

going to change. "We have time."

He pressed a kiss to her fingers. "I'll call you. And don't hang up this time. If you do, I won't be

responsible for my actions. One corner of his mouth crooked up. "Talk to you tomorrow." He

turned and left quickly .