I could leave now. Andrew hesitated before ringing the doorbell. However, if my presence here is a danger to Helene, how safe is she anyway? I can’t walk away before I know who would hurt her and why.
Recon without engagement is no longer an option, but I’m not going in blind. If there is a lurking threat, I will find and neutralize it. Helene Franklin is not dying on my watch.
He squared his shoulders and rang the doorbell.
The door flew open, revealing the woman he couldn’t shake from his thoughts. She wore a navy blue dress that was modest and sexy at the same time. The excitement in her eyes accompanied by the pink flush on her cheeks made him want to pull her to him and kiss her soundly. The presence of the suited man at her side, though, kept Andrew in check. He looked the man over from head to foot and frowned. This wasn’t her uncle. This man was heavier, older, and had the polite air of someone who was paid to be welcoming.
“I have it, Paul,” Helene said in a rush.
“As you wish,” the man said before retreating into the home.
Helene smiled at Andrew, and he felt a surprising warmth. “You look beautiful,” he said.
“Thank you.” Her smile widened. “I never know what to wear to dinner here. My uncle is on the formal side. I grew up on a large animal rescue and rehab facility. Back there, we wiped our feet, washed our hands, and that was good enough.”
The more he learned about her, the more she fascinated him. She took sweet to a level that bordered on unbelievable. In his experience, people pretended to be good, but if you scratched their surface you discovered an entirely different side of them. An animal rescue? Seriously? She was hard selling not only her uncle’s good nature, but a positive image of herself as well. No one was that good. Instead of sharing any of those thoughts, he chose to keep their conversation light. “You washed your hands? That’s considered a luxury in some of the places I’ve spent time.”
She opened the door wider. “Come in.” She bit her lip and looked uncertain. “My uncle isn’t here yet. He said to start without him because he’d be late. I should have called you when I found out. I hope you don’t consider this a waste of your ti—”
Her huge-eyed innocence act was too much. He had to know how much he knew about her was an act and how much was real. There was one surefire way to find out. He held the door with one hand and backed her up against it with one strong move, digging his other hand into the back of her hair to hold her head still for his plundering kiss. Her arms slid up to loop around his neck, and she arched against him. He was rock hard and loving every place her body touched his. Her mouth opened for him, and he lost himself in the sweet taste of her.
The reason he’d initiated their kiss fell to the wayside as fireworks shot through him, overwhelming him. He’d been numb for so long that feeling anything, even something this good, was painful. Desire for her cut through his guilt, his shame, and made a mockery of his willpower. Sinner or saint, he didn’t care which she was. Whatever she wanted, he wanted to give her as she kept rubbing herself back and forth against his cock.
Her hands slid down his chest, across his stomach, and he thought he might come from the unexpected pleasure of them gripping his ass. She was bold in her exploration. It was difficult to believe she was a virgin, but, holy shit. Now, he wanted her to be. He wanted to be the first one to taste her, the only one. His completely primitive and possessive desire to own her fueled his need for her. Lost in the heat of their passion, he could have taken her right there in the hallway of her uncle’s home. She kissed him with total abandon that said she wanted the same.
Her hands moved upward over his belt. He knew the exact moment she grazed the gun because she tensed and broke off the kiss.
Between ragged breaths, she asked, “Is that a—do you have a—?”
Where he was, pressed up against her, he felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. It wasn’t only passion he saw in her eyes; there was also fear. “Yes.”
She kept her eyes focused on his neck and dropped her arms away. “Why would you bring one here?”
He gripped her chin with more force than he meant to and brought her face upward until her eyes met his. “You said you weren’t afraid of me.”
“I’m trying not to be.”
Her honesty brought a small smile to his lips. “But your instincts tell you I’m dangerous?”
She looked away then back. “Sometimes,” she whispered.
He released her chin and brought his hand down her neck, marveling at the delicacy of it as he caressed it. “Do you know who everyone says are the most deadly people to deal with?”
“No.” She swallowed visibly, looking both turned on and more than a little afraid of him. He didn’t mind either reaction.
She needed to be careful when it came to him. He was damaged, and if she was half as innocent as she portrayed herself to be, the right thing to do would be to help her without giving in to the temptation of her. His need for her was battling with what was left of his moral code, and it was winning. He continued, “A man who has nothing left to lose or one willing to give his life to protect someone. I am both.”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t understand. Who do you feel you need to protect?”
“You.” His answer hung in the air for a long moment.
Chapter Six
Me?
Maybe it was the sensation of being so physically close to him or the strength he exuded—and good Lord can the man kiss—but she believed him. She didn’t think she was in danger, but she believed he thought she was. Was this what was referred to as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? She didn’t know. She had no experience with it, at least not in humans, but she knew how animals dealt with stress. Some withdrew. Some lashed out. Often the brutalized ones saw an enemy in every extended hand. They were the most dangerous ones.
And he has a gun.
“Who do you think I need protecting from?” she asked and held her breath as she awaited his answer.
“I’m not sure.” There was the slightest falter in his confidence, one she would have missed if she hadn’t been watching his r
eaction closely.
She let out a slow breath and spoke in the tone she used at the rescue whenever she approached a volatile resident. “You don’t have to protect me, Andrew. I’m not in any danger.”
His only answer was a clenching and releasing of a hand at his side.
In a calm tone, she suggested, “Why don’t you give me the gun?”
He ran his hands down her arms in a final caress then stepped back. “What time is your uncle expected?”
A chill passed through her, and she considered calling the authorities. But what would I say? He hasn’t threatened my uncle or me. He’s here because we invited him. “He didn’t say, but I think you should leave.”
He frowned and studied her face. “I would never hurt you.”
She kept her shoulders squared and held his eyes. “I don’t want you to hurt anyone. Please leave.”
He rubbed a hand roughly over his chin. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I can’t leave until I know you’re safe.”
“You said you were here to find out about your brother. Was that another lie?”
“No. That’s what brought me to Aruba, but my presence here has put you at risk. I just don’t know how yet.”
She nodded slowly as her mind raced. The man before her was waging a battle with himself. “Andrew, something happened to you, didn’t it? Something traumatic. How you’re feeling is normal, but what you don’t want to do is act on fears that aren’t based in reality and yours aren’t.”
“I’m not afraid,” he said in a cold tone.
No. He clearly wasn’t. “Neither am I.” It was a standoff of sorts. They simply stood there, painfully sexually aware of each other, breathing deeply, while also completely at odds. “We had a bull elephant come to our rescue once. He’d mauled the owner of an amateur traveling circus who had purchased him. He was angry, and even my parents wondered if he could be saved. He never charged at me because he knew I wasn’t afraid of him. I respected what he’d been through. I knew all he wanted was to find his herd again. I believe you don’t want to hurt me, but I do think you’re dangerous, and you will be until you talk to someone about whatever happened to you.”
