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always worried that I’d end up like him, you know? So when Jed said he was going into the military I figured I’d follow.”
    “Jed always wanted to go into the military.”
    “I know. He’s good at it too. But while I appreciate the skills and the control the military taught me, it’s not the life I want anymore. I want a home.”
    Pity for that little boy had her blinking back tears. He should have been busy thinking up mischief, not worrying about ending up like a monster. “You could never be like him, like your dad. You’re not a violent man.”
    “I can be a real bastard at times.”
    “Granted.” She smiled. “But you’d never hurt someone, never hit them. You’d never hit me.”
    “How do you know? When I saw that asshole attacking you in the parking lot I was possessed by a blinding rage. I wanted to kill him. If that van hadn’t come flying toward you I may never have stopped. And don’t think I don’t dream of harming the lowlifes who attacked you four months ago.”
    Shivering, memories of groping, bruising hands, of hot breath against her skin, helplessness and terror assailed her. She swallowed, pushing it back so she could concentrate on Cord.
    “But you didn’t. You stopped to protect me. If someone was threatening you, I’d want to tear their balls off. Doesn’t mean I’m going to turn abusive.”
    “Honey, you couldn’t hurt a fly.”
    His thumb ran over her mouth, leaving tingles of heat.
    “Wanna bet?” she asked, her voice a little breathless. “I’m capable of violence, same as you. But I wouldn’t abuse someone, I wouldn’t harm an innocent. You are not a bad person, Cord. You are not like your father.”
    He stared at her. “You sound really sure of that.”
    “I am,” she replied huskily. He placed his hand on her thigh, massaging. Her clit pulsed, reacting to his closeness. She leaned toward him, seeking his touch. A strange look crossed his face as if he were in pain.
    “Want to watch a movie before you go to bed?”
    Kayla quickly pulled back, berating herself. She couldn’t afford to get close to him. His touch did something to her brain, scrambling all her common sense. She shook her head.
    “No, no thanks,” she said, standing. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed now.”
    Kayla beat a hasty retreat. But the feel of his touch lingered and it was a long, long time before she drifted off.

Chapter Three
     
    Fear-filled moans woke him—so quiet at first that Cord thought he’d imagined them. But then he heard them again. Rolling off the sofa, he moved into the bedroom. Kayla thrashed around on the bed, obviously caught in the grasp of a nightmare.
    “No, no, please.” The quiet, frightened entreaty pierced something solid and cold inside him. A loud cry filled with pain and terror further widened the crack.
    Time to put a stop to this before he completely broke apart.
    “Wake up, Kayla.” Cord shook her, alarmed as her trembling increased, her legs kicking out at an imagined assailant. Her breath was sawing in and out as though she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs.
    “God, don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me. Pleaassse.” The last word was a scream that had him shattering into a million tiny pieces.
    “Kayla, wake up now!” His voice held zero flexibility. This nightmare would not continue. Shaking her harder, he sighed with relief when her eyes opened. She shuddered and he pulled her tight against him, crooning to her. Meaningless words, but they seemed to have some effect as her shaking eased, sobs ceasing to rack her delicate body.
    “That’s it, baby. Come back to me now.”
    He loosened his hold, but as soon as he did the trembling returned. Clasping her close again, he surrounded her with his body, sheltering her.
    He brushed his hand down her face. She felt fragile, delicate, and he knew a harsh touch could easily bruise her. Yet she let him hold her when she was so vulnerable. Her trust humbled him. He only hoped he wouldn’t let her