motion.
And then a very familiar voice rumbled at her ear. “Shut up, damn it. You’ll wake the whole house.”
Her body went limp in relief. Larkin dragged her like a rag doll to the garden shed at the rear of the building. Pulling her inside, he shut the door and yanked the chain to illuminate a single lightbulb, all the while cursing a blue streak as he checked the safety on her gun and laid it aside.
He glared at her. “What in the hell are you doing?” he demanded, veins standing out in his neck. “I could have killed you.”
Fury replaced the knowledge that she wasn’t in the hands of an ax murderer. “The alarm went off in the house. I told you I’m the one who checks on it.”
His eyebrows rose to his hairline. “You hired me. Remember?” The thumb he jabbed toward his chest emphasized his anger.
Where did he get off chastising her? “I didn’t know you were prowling around.”
“I told you I’d take care of things.”
“Tomorrow. You said tomorrow.” They were both yelling in hoarse, muted syllables that nevertheless escalated in volume.
He scraped his hands over his head. “My team is already here. We were running some preliminary drills to see how much we have to do to lock this place down.”
“You should have told me. You should have introduced them. These women and children are my responsibility. I won’t be kept in the dark.” She was so mad, she shoved him in the chest. It was like pushing against granite. Yanking her hands back, she wrapped her arms around her waist, trembling wildly.
Larkin stared straight at her, remorse in his gaze. “You’re right,” he said softly. “I should have. It won’t happen again. In my defense, none of my clients has ever been as invested in the process as you are. I’m sorry I didn’t keep you informed.”
His genuine contrition deflated her indignation. “Was it you who set off the alarm?”
He nodded. “Probably. To be honest, I assumed you had turned off the monitor in your bedroom now that I’m here. I was intent on bringing my people up to speed or I would have mentioned it.”
Adrenaline winnowed away, leaving her spent and shaky. “I thought you were going to sleep.”
“I said that to get away from you.”
A lump lodged in her throat. “Charming.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“What am I supposed to think?”
“Damn it, Winnie.” He stopped, ground his jaw and stared at the floor. Finally he spoke in a voice that sounded like rough steel. “I find you attractive. That complicates things.” His eyes were impossible to read in the harsh shadows.
Suddenly the oxygen in the shed evaporated. “Is that the truth?” Her heart pounded in her chest. Danger. Danger. Danger.
“Why on earth would I lie?”
His shocking candor made her want to be brave. And that desire gave encouragement to the long-suppressed yearnings of Bad Winnie. Here was a man she wanted. And he wanted her. Reluctantly, but still… Her heart raced. “I find you attractive, too, Larkin,” she whispered. “Very. Attractive, I mean.” Daringly, she reached out and traced the curve of one of his sculpted biceps. His skin was warm to the touch. Though the night was cool, Larkin was wearing a short-sleeve polo shirt that stretched to accommodate his hard, taut body.
His stood rigid as she ran her fingers from his shoulder to his elbow. Arousal sang through her veins and urged her on. Her gaze settled on his lips. Being a good girl all the time was no fun at all. Desperately, she wanted to taste him. But at what cost?
Larkin shuddered when she used her thumb to trace the bend of his arm. “God help me,” he groaned. “This can’t happen.”
“What?” She couldn’t make sense of anything. Not now. Not in the middle of the night when the world seemed strange and conducive to madness.
“This.”
He yanked her into his arms, his big body enfolding her smaller one like a warm blanket. She felt his taut rib cage, noted the ridge of his belt buckle digging into her skin, heard the shallow rasp of his breathing. His mouth took hers unapologetically. No buildup, no foreplay. Just a raw desperation that layered confusion upon desire and dragged a whimper from her starved lungs.
When she communicated her need to breathe, he moved his attention to her throat, her collarbone. Her sleepwear consisted of a silky camisole and thin knit boxer shorts. When one of his big thighs pressed between her legs, her knees wobbled.