now on the scene. Then he moved until he was standing right in front of her, in the low, colorful glow of the town’s ancient Christmas lights. His face was tilted down so that he could look into her eyes, and she froze as he lifted his hand toward her, only to pause for a moment, as if unsure he should do it. Then he reached up and gently pushed her hair back from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. Her breath sucked in on a shallow gasp, desire pumping so heavily through her body she felt filled with it, the lush sensation only growing as his hooded gaze got darker and he cupped the side of her face with his big, masculine hand.
His lips parted, and he made this wonderfully low, rumbly sound deep in his chest that made her shiver. And even though Skye knew it must be a trick of the light, his dark eyes suddenly looked as if they were glowing with a thin ring of gold around the outer edge of his irises.
Oh, God, was he...was he going to kiss her? Or...was she just imagining it? After all, guys like Elliot Connors didn’t get all hot and bothered over girls that looked like her. So, um, yeah...like what was her problem? Seriously? She normally wasn’t this crazy, but this whole night so far had been a giant case of bizarre, and now she was projecting her lust onto this poor guy who had done nothing but help her.
“Skye,” he whispered, and though she’d just scolded herself for letting her imagination get away from her, it sounded like he wanted to kiss her. Like he wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her until she forgot her freaking name!
“Yeah?” she breathed, loving the way his smoldering gaze followed her tongue as she nervously licked her bottom lip. Sure, she didn’t know this guy from Adam, but she...she wanted to know him. And strangers or not, she already trusted him. Hadn’t he earned that when he risked his life to save hers? And when he’d stood up for her to the guy who’d once broken her girlish heart?
Do it...yes...please, she begged with her eyes, her lips trembling with anticipation.
They swayed a little closer together, and it was like some invisible line between their chests was drawing tighter...pulling them in. She made a soft, needy sound, and his eyes went so bright they burned, just before he squeezed them shut and lowered his head, pressing his forehead against hers. His warm breaths pelted her parted lips, and she was ready to grip him by the shoulders, press up on her toes and do it herself. Just rub her tingling lips against his, kissing him as she gasped for air, desperate to sate this aching need that was growing inside her, making her dizzy with want. With emotions she’d never felt in her entire life—not even at the height of her infatuation with Derek.
“Christ,” he rasped, his thumb sweeping across the corner of her mouth, and she started to lift her hands, only to have the moment broken when his phone suddenly started buzzing in his pocket.
Nooooo! she wanted to scream, as he shifted back from her and reached for the phone. He grimaced as he read the text on the screen, and she knew that whatever it was, the news wasn’t good. He typed in a quick response, then shoved the phone back in his pocket, his beautiful gaze shadowed with worry as it locked with hers.
“Where are you parked?” he asked, looking down the mostly empty street, as if he would be able to tell her car just by looking at it.
“Why?” The cold wind howled around them, and she huddled deeper into her cheap coat. “Do y-you need a ride?” She normally wasn’t in the habit of offering rides to men she didn’t know, but this one...well, he’d saved her life. It was the least she could do for him, right? Especially when she’d only been a second away from shoving her tongue in his mouth. “Because I can drop you off somewhere if you need me to,” she added lamely, feeling like the world’s biggest dork.
He stabbed his fingers back through his short, caramel-colored hair, and released a sharp breath. Then he slid his dark gaze back to hers. “We need to talk, Skye. And this isn’t the place to do it.”
It didn’t make any sense, but something in his stark tone made her believe him. And with the belief came a churning sense of dread. “Why? What’s going on?”
“You and your friend, the one you live wi—”
“Wait!” she gasped, cutting him off. She grabbed his arm, and knew that at any other time, she’d be melting over how hard his muscles felt under her touch. But right now she was too worried to appreciate it. “How do you know that? Have you... Ohmygod, have you been watching me?”
“No. I’m one of the good guys, Skye. I swear,” he said in a deep voice that was low, urgent and full of conviction. “But you and Vivian, you’re both in trouble.”
“Trouble?” she whispered, covering her mouth with her fingers. “Oh, God. Does this have anything to do with Viv’s new job at that club? You’re not here to try to make her strip there, are you?”
His eyes went comically wide, and she would have laughed if she weren’t so freaked out. “No. You’ve got it all backward. My partner and I, we’re not here to cause trouble for the two of you, and we don’t have anything to do with the club where your friend works. We’re working on a criminal case, and we’re here to make sure that both you and Vivian stay safe.”
“What?” she breathed, thinking she had to have heard him wrong.
“Think...think of me and Max like bodyguards. Because that’s essentially what we are.” His chest lifted as he pulled in a deep breath, and then her freaking heart was in her throat as he took her hand in his, gave it a gentle squeeze, and told her, “Baby, I’m here to protect you.”
Glancing at his watch, Elliot swore under his breath. It’d taken a good ten minutes to persuade Skye to trust him enough to lead him to her car so they could head to her apartment. In the end, it was the PI license he always carried with him that had convinced her he was telling her the truth, and using it was definitely going to come back and bite him hard in the ass. The damn thing was a forgery, and based on the argument he’d heard between her and the cop, Skye Hewitt had a thing about cheats...and liars.
It felt all kinds of wrong to trick her that way, but what choice did he have? It sounded like Max had somehow lost track of Vivian, and he had a feeling this night was going to get a hell of a lot worse before it got better.
“Sorry, but it’s kind of a piece of crap,” she said, as they neared a beat-up-looking, powder-blue VW Beetle.
“Naw. It’s cute.”
“Thanks.” As she opened the driver-side door, she gave him a brief smile that damn near buckled his knees. “I thought so, too, when I bought her.”
Elliot waited until she’d climbed behind the wheel, then somehow managed to fold his six-three frame into the cramped confines of the car.
“Um, before we go,” she murmured, sounding adorably rattled as she watched him from the corner of her eye, “you should know that I carry a weapon in my purse. And I’m...I’m not afraid to use it.”
“That’s smart. You should always be ready to protect yourself. But I swear, Skye, you don’t need to worry about my intentions. I only want to help you.”
She gave him another brief, but strained smile. Then she started the engine, and he tried not to wince at how awful it sounded. Someone needed to put this poor car out of its misery.
“So, you aren’t nervous about letting a girl drive?” she asked, looking into her rearview mirror as she reversed out of the tight space. It was kind of a weird question, but he figured she was trying to keep herself from freaking out about what he’d told her, and he couldn’t help but think she was adorable.
“Nope, I’m not worried at all. I trust you not to wreck my body.”
She glanced his way, flicking a quick look over his torso, and he wanted to growl with satisfaction when he saw that she had that glazed look of lust in her pretty eyes again. Her smooth skin was flushed pink across her