She spoke softly. He barely heard the words, yet it was as if she’d slapped him. Her blue eyes darkened with disappointment and she seemed to shrink into the chair.
“All right,” she told him. “Just get the cat supplies together. I’ll figure out something.”
He’d led men into more dangerous parts of the world than most people knew about. He’d killed to stay alive and had been left for dead more than once. Yet never had he felt so out of his element than he did at this moment.
What the hell did he care what this woman thought of him? It was a damn cat. Let her take it.
He went into the kitchen and put the food into a grocery bag, then carried it into the living room. But when he glanced at Willow, he saw she’d fallen asleep.
Her head lay on the armrest, her long blond hair a contrast to the dark leather. One leg curled up under her while the other one was stretched out, ice still strapped to her injured ankle.
“Willow?”
She didn’t stir. In addition to being a wimp about pain, she was also a lightweight when it came to painkillers. No wonder the doctor had told her not to drive after taking it.
The room was silent, except for the quiet purring of the mother cat and loud thudding of his own heart.
Willow woke up and had no idea where she was. As if that had never happened to her before, she immediately sat up and thought about panicking. But before the adrenaline could really get pumping, she remembered the whole Kane-ankle-cat thing and decided she was probably still in his house.
A quick glance at the clock on the nightstand told her it was nearly midnight. Wow—that pill had knocked her out for hours. She sat up and looked around. A night-light from the bathroom allowed her to see the shapes of the furniture, including the bed she’d slept on. The guest room, she thought, noting the bed wasn’t huge and the furniture looked more neutral than masculine. Too bad. She really wouldn’t have minded waking up in his bed…with him.
Smiling at the thought, she looked down at herself and saw that except for her shoes, she was completely dressed. Kane had been a gentleman. Wasn’t that just her luck?
Willow sighed. She was never really like this about guys. But there was just something about Kane that got to her and made her want to be wild. Maybe because being around him felt safe. As if no matter what she did or how she acted, nothing bad would happen to her. He would be there, protecting her.
No one had ever been safe before.
She swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood carefully. While her ankle was still sore, it was a ton better. She could almost walk normally.
After visiting the bathroom—where she found a brand-new toothbrush and toothpaste conveniently waiting—she made use of the facilities, washed her face, brushed her teeth, then went in search of her host.
Kane was in the living room, reading. He glanced up as she entered.
“Sorry,” she said. “The pill knocked me out.”
“I noticed.”
“So, you, um, carried me to bed.”
“Yes.”
“I slept through that.”
“Apparently.”
“You kept my clothes on.”
“It seemed the polite thing to do.”
“Okay.”
One corner of his mouth twitched. “Should I have stripped you naked and taken you while you were unconscious?”
“Of course not. It’s just…”
He kissed her before. Hadn’t he meant it?
He stood and walked over to her. In less than a second, the humor was gone and he looked…predatory.
“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he told her. “You don’t know anything about me.”
It was true. The sensible part of her brain told her to quietly back away, retreat to the guest room and lock the door behind her. Only, he’d wanted her before. Really wanted her. The sensible part of her brain needed to remember how rare that was.
He reached up and fingered a strand of her hair. “Like silk,” he murmured.
And then it was back—the fire that had thrilled her so much. She felt the heat burn between them, drawing her closer, making her promises, tempting her into the path of possible destruction.
Three
“I don’t get it,” Willow said. “I’m not your type.”
“You said that before. How do you know?”
“I’m not anyone’s type.”
Kane shook his head. “I don’t believe that.”
“It’s true. I have the sad, painful romantic history to prove it. I’m the best friend, the one guys confide in.”
“I don’t confide in anyone,” he told her.
“You should. It’s very healthy. Sharing problems make them seem more manageable.”
“You know this how?”
“I read it in a magazine somewhere. You can learn a lot from magazines.”
His dark gaze never left her face. “Go back to bed. I’ll take you home in the morning.”
No! She didn’t want to be sent to bed like a child. “But then where will you sleep?”
“You’re in the guest room. I still have my own bed.”
“See, that was flirting. I was flirting. Wouldn’t it be nice if you just went with it?”
He moved so fast, he was like a human blur. One second he was several feet away and the next he was right in front of her, one hand on her waist, the other wrapped around her hair. He eased forward that last inch, so they were touching everywhere.
She had the feeling he was trying to intimidate her and it would have worked, except she couldn’t seem to be afraid of him.
“You won’t hurt me,” she whispered.
“Your faith is foolish and misplaced. You don’t know what I’ll do.”
He bent his head and claimed her with a hard, demanding kiss. He pushed into her mouth and stroked her tongue, then sucked on her lower lip.
She wrapped one arm around his neck and gave as good as she got, stealing into his mouth and dueling right back. She felt him stiffen with surprise. He pulled her hard against him and she went willingly. The hand holding her hair tightened, drawing her head back.
He broke the kiss and stared into her eyes.
“I am dark and dangerous and I don’t play the games you know,” he said. “I’m not anyone you want to get involved with. I’m not nice, I don’t call the next day and I’m never interested in more than a single night. You can’t fix me, reform me, heal me or change me. You are so far out of your league, you don’t know enough to run scared, but you should. Trust me on that.”
His words made her tremble.
“I can’t be afraid of you,” she told him again.
“Why the hell not?”
She smiled and rubbed her index finger against his lower lip. “I’ll agree that you’re tough and you probably scare other people, but Kane, you rescued me and kittens and you were nice to my mom and my sister and when you put me to bed, you didn’t even think about taking advantage of me. What’s not to like?”
He