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his hunger for her. He took a long breath. “Hell!” He laughed harshly. “I’m a loner, have you forgotten? None of this is easy for me.” He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it with a flick of his lighter. “I wanted to know that I could arouse you, that I could make you stop being afraid of me, all right?” he asked irritably. “Only that?”
    “No. You know, you must know, that I want you so much I can hardly bear it.” His eyes dropped to her mouth. “Don’t let me get that close again, for your own sake,” he said finally, turning away.

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    “There’s no future in it. Let’s just say that I wanted to see if tenderness had any selling points.” “Does it?”
    At the doorway he turned, the knob already in his hand. He didn’t answer the question. He looked at her with quiet desperation. “Tess, I’m set in my ways, too jaded and hard for a little puritan like you. I’ll probably always want you, but I don’t want commitment. That being the case, you can’t let me seduce you. Let’s keep some distance between us, okay?”
    She forced a smile. At least he was honest. And some of those old scars were smoothing out, because of what had just happened. “Okay. Thanks for taking care of me, when I needed help.” “I’ll always be around if you need me, baby,” he said gently.
    The casual endearment made her pulse race. She couldn’t hide her reaction to it from him.
    “You remember the last time I called you that, don’t you?” he asked quietly. “Despite the way I just was with you, in bed I’m rough and quick and my pleasure comes first,” he said with brutal honesty. “Virgins aren’t my style, and I’m sure as hell not yours.” He drew in a slow, regretful breath and his lips twisted. “So let’s quit while we’re ahead. Good night, Tess.”
    He went out and closed the door. She went to it, her fingers touching the doorknob with exquisite care, as if she could still feel the warmth of his hand there. He’d just walked out on her for the second time, except that now she wasn’t afraid of him anymore. She was back in her old rut, teetering on the knife-edge of love, with no way to go but down.
     
    Chapter Four Dane hadn’t relented on the subject of Tess’s bodyguard. One of the operatives, a free-lancer named Adams, was two steps behind her all the way to work.
    Helen grinned when she came into the office. She sang a few lines from “Me and My Shadow” and did an impromptu tap dance.
    “Oh, shut up,” Tess grumbled. “Dane thinks I’ll be killed in broad daylight, I guess.”
    “He can’t take the chance,” Helen whispered, wiggling her eyebrows. “Think of the damage it would do the agency’s reputation if our own secretary bit the dust with us guarding her!”
    Tess burst out laughing. “You raving lunatic.” She hugged the other girl warmly. “It’s good to be back to work.”
    “We missed you,” Helen asserted. “Nobody hid under my desk all week.” “I don’t hide under your desk.”
    “You would have, but there isn’t room, what with my feet and the trash can I keep under there. I’m really sorry I forgot to tell you about that stakeout,” she said with a grimace. “Dane in a temper is a sight to behold, isn’t he?” She sighed. “Although sometimes I think it’s too bad I’m committed to Harold. I could go for Dane in a big way.” She frowned thoughtfully. “He hasn’t dated anyone since his ex-wife left him, has he? Do you think it’s because he got shot?” “What do you mean?” Tess asked curiously.

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    “I mean, he limps sometimes,” the other girl replied, careful to make sure they weren’t being overheard. “It might cramp his style in bed.”
    Tess cleared her throat. “It doesn’t cramp it on a horse,” she said. “He was out helping round up new calves while I recuperated at the ranch.”
    “Good point.” Helen shrugged. “Maybe he thinks he’s unsightly. Or maybe