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Authors: Jayne Castle
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errands for Donna and trying to help her hide from Radburn?" he probed relentlessly.
"Donna is my cousin,"-she told him shortly, refusing to volunteer anything else.
He nodded. "Why is it necessary for Donna to hide? Has Radburn threatened her?"
A corner of Kendra's mouth lifted in disgust. "You saw that little weasel he sent after me. What do you think?"
"Why doesn't she go to the police?" he asked reasonably.
"There's . . . someone else involved." The words came slowly. "Who?"
"Donna has a son. If Austin Radburn gets his hands on the boy, he can force Donna to return. She's got custody, but that wouldn't mean much if Austin managed to get
hold of Jason. He could make Donna do just about anything with that sort of leverage."
"Like come back to him and bring her inheritance with her?" Case hazarded grimly.
"Exactly." She lifted her head, eyeing him narrowly. "And that, in a nutshell, is that. End of story. As you can see, it really has nothing to do with you. May I go now?"
"In the morning," he told her absently, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.
"Case, I don't want to stay."
"I make you nervous?" His mouth twisted in a crooked imitation of a smile. "Frankly, yes."
"You have nothing to fear," he soothed, his voice dropping to a deeper, warming note that made her even more tense. "You're safe here."
She shut her eyes in a small, frustrated movement, and then gave him a direct look. "I don't feel safe here."
"You're afraid I'll force myself on you?" he asked softly.
She blinked, startled. "Of course not," she told him quickly.
He hesitated, and then said probingly, "No . . . you're not physically afraid of me, are you? You weren't afraid of Phelps tonight, either. Merely concerned that you might have seriously hurt him. You're one very self-confident woman, Kendra Loring. As I told you before, you intrigue me."
"Is your pet wolf still guarding the door?" she inquired acidly, ignoring his words.
"All night long," he assured her gently. "You may as well relax. You're not going anywhere."
"I've satisfied your curiosity," she reminded him pointedly.
"But I'm not satisfied you'll be safe tonight if I send you
out into the streets. I'm going to keep you here and then see you safely on the plane in the morning." "Against my wishes?"
"It needn't be that way," he said meaningfully.
Kendra picked up the sexual innuendo and once again considered that approach. Slowly, invitingly, she smiled at him.
"Meaning?"
"You know what I mean," he said calmly. But she could almost feel the sensual heat in his gaze. If Case were not around, Wolf could be handled, her agile mind reflected. The big man couldn't watch all the exits. She could mingle with the crowd in the casino, leave with a large group . . .
"Are you thinking of making me more resigned to my— er—fate?" she taunted.
"Is this how you lured poor Phelps to his doom this evening?" Case asked, ending with a note of soft male laughter. "Did you smile at him like that and invite him into your room, then bop him on the head?"
"Not quite. He didn't wait for an invitation, you see."
"Unlike me?"
"Are you waiting for one?"
"Perhaps," he growled seductively. He got to his feet, setting down his brandy and coming to stand in front of her.
She sat very still, a faint smile on her lips as he drank in the sight of her lounging on his sofa. The masculine anticipation in the dark gaze was doing funny things to her insides, but she summoned up all her will to ignore the effects. What happened next would have to be handled with a clear head, or it could end in disaster.
"Are you issuing the invitation, Kendra?" he rasped huskily, taking her hand and lifting her lightly to her feet beside him.
She felt the tension of male desire in him, knew beyond
a doubt that he wanted her. A man was weak when he was in the throes of sexual desire, she told herself.
Her lashes fluttered down onto her cheek, and she lifted her face for his kiss.
"I thought you might," he congratulated
"Donna is my cousin,"-she told him shortly, refusing to volunteer anything else.
He nodded. "Why is it necessary for Donna to hide? Has Radburn threatened her?"
A corner of Kendra's mouth lifted in disgust. "You saw that little weasel he sent after me. What do you think?"
"Why doesn't she go to the police?" he asked reasonably.
"There's . . . someone else involved." The words came slowly. "Who?"
"Donna has a son. If Austin Radburn gets his hands on the boy, he can force Donna to return. She's got custody, but that wouldn't mean much if Austin managed to get
hold of Jason. He could make Donna do just about anything with that sort of leverage."
"Like come back to him and bring her inheritance with her?" Case hazarded grimly.
"Exactly." She lifted her head, eyeing him narrowly. "And that, in a nutshell, is that. End of story. As you can see, it really has nothing to do with you. May I go now?"
"In the morning," he told her absently, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.
"Case, I don't want to stay."
"I make you nervous?" His mouth twisted in a crooked imitation of a smile. "Frankly, yes."
"You have nothing to fear," he soothed, his voice dropping to a deeper, warming note that made her even more tense. "You're safe here."
She shut her eyes in a small, frustrated movement, and then gave him a direct look. "I don't feel safe here."
"You're afraid I'll force myself on you?" he asked softly.
She blinked, startled. "Of course not," she told him quickly.
He hesitated, and then said probingly, "No . . . you're not physically afraid of me, are you? You weren't afraid of Phelps tonight, either. Merely concerned that you might have seriously hurt him. You're one very self-confident woman, Kendra Loring. As I told you before, you intrigue me."
"Is your pet wolf still guarding the door?" she inquired acidly, ignoring his words.
"All night long," he assured her gently. "You may as well relax. You're not going anywhere."
"I've satisfied your curiosity," she reminded him pointedly.
"But I'm not satisfied you'll be safe tonight if I send you
out into the streets. I'm going to keep you here and then see you safely on the plane in the morning." "Against my wishes?"
"It needn't be that way," he said meaningfully.
Kendra picked up the sexual innuendo and once again considered that approach. Slowly, invitingly, she smiled at him.
"Meaning?"
"You know what I mean," he said calmly. But she could almost feel the sensual heat in his gaze. If Case were not around, Wolf could be handled, her agile mind reflected. The big man couldn't watch all the exits. She could mingle with the crowd in the casino, leave with a large group . . .
"Are you thinking of making me more resigned to my— er—fate?" she taunted.
"Is this how you lured poor Phelps to his doom this evening?" Case asked, ending with a note of soft male laughter. "Did you smile at him like that and invite him into your room, then bop him on the head?"
"Not quite. He didn't wait for an invitation, you see."
"Unlike me?"
"Are you waiting for one?"
"Perhaps," he growled seductively. He got to his feet, setting down his brandy and coming to stand in front of her.
She sat very still, a faint smile on her lips as he drank in the sight of her lounging on his sofa. The masculine anticipation in the dark gaze was doing funny things to her insides, but she summoned up all her will to ignore the effects. What happened next would have to be handled with a clear head, or it could end in disaster.
"Are you issuing the invitation, Kendra?" he rasped huskily, taking her hand and lifting her lightly to her feet beside him.
She felt the tension of male desire in him, knew beyond
a doubt that he wanted her. A man was weak when he was in the throes of sexual desire, she told herself.
Her lashes fluttered down onto her cheek, and she lifted her face for his kiss.
"I thought you might," he congratulated
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