Samhain Publishing Ltd, Ebooks and Books in Print

Sallie Archer hovered on the edge of sleep, its tantalizing promise edging closer with each tick of the clock. The familiar comfort of her big bed, combined with mental and physical exhaustion, brought another hectic day to a close. Her muscles went limp and her brain slowly relinquished all thoughts and worries.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar sound jarred her awake again, jerking her back to consciousness. Fighting the pull of fatigue, she lifted heavy eyelids and let her eyes adjust to the darkness of the room.

Movement to the right of her bed startled her and made her go numb with shock. She watched in horror as a man slipped through her French doors, leaving them ajar as he crept past the foot of her bed toward the opposite side of the room. He glanced her way, and she stopped breathing.

Sallie’s chest constricted. He muttered something, his tone low and suggestive, then told her he’d be right back. All her breath got trapped in her lungs and they started to burn. Her stomach alternately clenched and roiled as panic washed over her. Her heart pounded brutally. She watched, frozen with terror, as the sinister figure finally stopped staring her way and disappeared into the living room.

A rush of blood clamored in her ears, deafening her when she most needed to hear. She had to move, to do something before he returned, yet she wasted precious time frozen with fear. I won’t be immobilized by fear! I won’t be immobilized by fear! She chanted the childhood refrain, but she still couldn’t move a muscle.

Calm down. Calm down, she mentally commanded herself and dragged in a soundless breath. Maybe she’d imagined the ghostly image. Living alone sometimes made her feel vulnerable, especially at night, when dreams tended to tangle with reality. She strained to hear sounds from the living room and heard the quiet thud of footfalls on the carpet.

This was no dream.

She needed to call 9-1-1 and get help. With what seemed like superhuman effort, she mustered the strength to lift her arm toward the nightstand and her portable phone.

Damn! It wasn’t there. Swallowing a sob, she remembered carrying it to the bathroom earlier. Her habit of leaving it all over the house was an irritation, but she’d never imagined it might get her killed.

Her next thought was escape. Fear had her momentarily paralyzed, while the instinct to flee warred with the instinct to lie still and not draw attention to herself.

She could get out the same way the intruder had gotten in, and pray he didn’t see her. The security light shone brightly through the sheer lace curtains of the French doors. It beckoned her, suggesting safety.

Before she could make a run for it, she had to unlock limbs that were frozen in fear. Another silent sob clawed at her throat as she forced her reluctant muscles to cooperate. With slow, cautious movements, she eased from the bed. Listening intently, she waited until her trembling legs would support her. She wanted to be able to run once she’d cleared the terrace.

Taking a deep breath, she bolstered her courage and slipped across the room, and then quickly darted through the doors. The warm spring air assaulted her senses as she left the cool of the air-conditioned room. The sudden change in temperature caused goose bumps on her goose bumps. Her feet tingled as rough concrete replaced plush carpeting, the feeling racing up her quivering legs.

n the next instant, she turned and slammed into a very tall, broad-shouldered man. They collided with a thud and she sucked in her breath, her heart pounding frantically in her chest. Her muscles constricted as renewed panic surged through her, and all she could think to do was fight.

Fists balled, she started swinging wildly, pummeling his chest and shoulders until he grasped both her arms and locked them against her sides. He mumbled something, but she was too panicked to hear. It had been years since she’d felt so helpless and afraid, but she’d vowed never to be victimized by another man. With her arms trapped, she started kicking, refusing to succumb to his overpowering strength.

He pressed her against the building, the weight of him firmly anchoring her in place. He was hard and heavy, nearly suffocating her as he tried to still her frenzied thrashing. Her lungs burned, and she struggled for air as his head dipped closer.

“Shh, Sallie, it’s Cade,” he whispered near her ear. “Stop fighting me.”

The sound of her name stalled her rising hysteria. She froze, trying to absorb what she’d heard while struggling to drag air in and out of her tortured lungs. With supreme effort, she stopped thrashing and forced herself to concentrate.

Even though she was pinned to the wall, this intruder wasn’t forcing himself on her. He’d only tried to stop her from lashing out at him. The voice, though a muffled whisper, held the familiar cadence of Cade Langden’s low, sexy drawl.

Once her breathing had calmed a little more, her mind started to clear, too. Her senses began to register the scent and feel of the man whose body pressed fully against hers—chest-to-chest, stomach-to- stomach, thighs-to-thighs.

A whiff of familiar aftershave drained more tension from her. The blinding haze of fear slowly cleared from her vision. His distinct features came into focus; the ruggedly handsome face with strong jaws, a straight nose, sensuous mouth and firm, stubborn chin. Caramel-colored eyes framed by thick, dark lashes stared into hers. They were the deep, warm eyes of a man she’d trust with her life.

Her body went slack with relief. She would have crumbled, but he gathered her close. Sallie exhaled a ragged sigh and slipped her arms around his waist, dropping her head to his shoulder. The pounding of his pulse echoed the roar in her ears. His heat enveloped her, chasing away the chills. She didn’t know why he was here, but she knew she was safe.

After another minute, he put a hand under her chin and lifted her head so that she could see him more clearly. Then he put a finger to his lips, warning her to be quiet. He seemed as tense and primed for battle as she had been just seconds ago. Every muscle in his body felt coiled against hers. She could tell he was listening for sounds from inside her home though his gaze remained locked on her.

For an instant frozen in time, they stared at each other as strangers with bodies meeting for the first time. The male scent of him triggered a deeply feminine reaction. Her breasts were crushed against the rigid wall of his chest. Their hearts hammered a riotous rhythm, pounding against each other.

Never had Sallie been more aware of the differences between male and female. His broad shoulders spanned inches beyond hers. The feel of his hard stomach and muscled thighs was indelibly printed against the softness of hers.

She and Cade had worked together, side-by-side, for the last five years, but they’d never crossed the line between professional and personal. Being forced to do it now, under such bizarre circumstances, had her senses reeling.

Stripped of her usual defenses, it was impossible to ignore the sheer male potency of him. Her skin tingled everywhere they touched. Cade shifted slightly and the movement heightened the awareness of body against body. Heat flooded through Sallie on a wave of erotic sensuality, shocking and scorching in its intensity.

His gaze probed so deeply that it stilled her breathing again. The brief flare of smoldering desire in his incredible eyes was flattering, frightening and totally unprecedented in their relationship.