He’snevermetachallengehecouldn’ttake…

Alexis Yeung did everythingright....onlytowatcheverythinggohorribly, horribly wrong. Brokenand angry, Alexis high-tails it toEurope, determined to face theworld on her own terms andwithout consequence. Which

includes a mind-blowing nightwithasexy,scarredstranger.Except, embittered former

pararescuer Luke Jackson isn’texactly a stranger. He’s supposedto keep an eye on Alexis withouther knowing. Ending up in bedtogether was definitely not theplan. Now he’s chasing her(admittedlyhot)assacrossEurope,a game of cat and mouse thatalways endswith the twoof themtangledupinthesheets.Something in their scarred,

damagedsoulscalls toeachother.And God help them, the sex isunbelievably hot. But if AlexisdiscoverswhoLukereally is,he’lllose the one thing thatmakes himfeelwhole...

TableofContents

ChapterOneChapterTwoChapterThreeChapterFourChapterFiveChapterSixChapterSevenChapterEight

ChapterNineChapterTenChapterElevenChapterTwelveChapterThirteenChapterFourteenChapterFifteenChapterSixteenChapterSeventeenChapterEighteenChapterNineteenChapterTwentyEpilogueAbouttheAuthor

DiscovertheOutofUniformseries…

InBedwithMr.WrongHistoKeepFallingforHisBestFriendComeUndoneseriesWrongBed,RightGuyChasingMrs.RightTwoWrongs,OneRightSeducingMr.RightServeseriesMistakenByFateBettingonFate

ProtectingFateSeducingtheBridesmaidMeetingHisMatchSanctifyseriesTheHighPriestessQueenofSwordsQueenofWands

Ifyoulovesexyromance,one-clickthesesteamyBrazenreleases…

ToTemptaSEALPlayingforHerHeartChasingMr.WrongTwoWeekSeduction

Thisbookisaworkoffiction.Names,characters,places,andincidentsaretheproductoftheauthor’simaginationorareused

fictitiously.Anyresemblancetoactualevents,locales,orpersons,livingordead,is

coincidental.

Copyright©2015byKateeRobert.Allrightsreserved,

includingtherighttoreproduce,distribute,ortransmitinanyformorbyanymeans.Forinformationregardingsubsidiaryrights,pleasecontactthePublisher.

EntangledPublishing,LLC2614SouthTimberlineRoad

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StatesofAmerica

FirstEditionSeptember2015

TChapterOne

he woman in front ofhim ducked into an

alley, and it was everything

LukeJacksoncoulddonottocurse. If he didn’t have thisblasted bum leg, he’d havehad no problem keeping upwith her—or remainingundetected.Anotherglanceatthe photo his ex–squad mateFlannery sent him three daysago, and he gritted his teethandpickeduphispace.Everystride sent a dull pain from

hisknee.Ithadbeenreplacedalmost two years ago afterbeing shot out on what wassupposed to be a routinesearch-and-rescue. The docsaid he’d made a startlingrecovery. She’d called him amiracle.Hesureashelldidn’tfeel likeamiraclewhen theywereservinghimhiswalkingpapers.

But there was no usethinkingaboutwhathelost.Hewas here to keepRyan

Flannery’s idiot childhoodfriend safe. She was thereasonhe’dbeencampingoutin Cork and ghosting aroundBlarney Castle for the lastforty-eight hours. Her sisterwas sure that she’d go herefirst, so this was where he’d

shownuptopickupthetrail.What kind of woman just

upand lefther lifebehind tobackpack through Europealone?Obviouslynotasmartone.It was because of her

impulsivedecisiontotakeoffwith only a text message asgood-bye that he’d beensitting in the rain for so

goddamn long, he was indangerofnevergettingwarmagain.Itwasworseinaway,because it’d just been a finemist all day, rather than atorrential downpour thatwould make it easier tojustify staying indoors. If heand Flannery hadn’t been inthe PJs together and foughttheir way through hell and

back more times than hecould count, he wouldn’t bein this goddamn country,camped out because hecouldn’t guarantee that thiswoman wouldn’t make anappearance.Sureenough,she’dwaltzed

up around lunchtime, andnowheretheywere.He reached the alley

entrance. With his luck, thewoman was going to getjumpedbeforehecouldcatchher. He hadn’t expected herto hike back to Cork fromBlarneyCastle,andhehadn’tbeen able to risk a cab forfearthatshe’dgetintotroublewhilehewasn’twatchingher.He never should have

agreedtothisfavor.

Luke turned the corner—andgotkickedintheface.Hehitthewallhardenough

to bruise, and barely got hishands up in time to deflectthenextblow.Hemanagedtoblock her next few punches,his body going through themotionslikeithadathousandtimes before. He glimpsed aflash of hazel eyes and a

determined expression, andthen Alexis Yeung zeroed inon his damaged knee. Painexploded behind his eyelids,but even that wouldn’t havenormally slowed him down.No, it was the damn kneegiving out and sending himtumbling to the ground thatdidhimin.Luke rolled onto his back

justintimetocatchsightofacan that looked suspiciouslylike pepper spray.Fuck that.“What the hell?” He lurchedup and grabbed her wrist,shoving her armwide so thespray hit the ground next tohiminsteadofhisface.“Why are you following

me?” She tried to jerk away,but he wasn’t letting her go

anywhereuntilhehadcontrolofthecanister.He squeezed the pressure

point in her wrist andsnatched the can as it fellfrom her hand. It was onlythen that he registered herquestion.“What?”“Why are you following

me?” She scrambled back afew steps, but her voice was

low and calm despite thecircumstances. “You knowwhat? Don’t botheranswering that. I’m callingthepolice.”Shit.Thatwasthelastthing

he needed.As he climbed tohis feet, Luke searched forsomething to say that wouldmake her pause enough tolisten to reason. He couldn’t

tell her the truth—Flanneryhadbeenprettydamnclearonthat. If she knew her friendsand sister back home didn’ttrusther,Alexiswouldneverforgive any of them. Whichsounded pretty damnjuvenile, but it was the leastof his concerns right now. Ifshe called the Garda, hewould have no choice but to

come clean. “What are youtalkingabout?”“You’vebeenfollowingme

ever since I left the castle. Imightbeatourist,butI’mnotstupid.”If he didn’t have a bum

knee, she never would haveknown he was there. Thefailure burned his throatalmostworsethanthepepper

spray would have. “You’recrazy. Itwas a nice day so Iwantedtowalk.”“Even with that limp? In

therain?”Well, hell. She’d noticed a

lotmore than hewould havegiven her credit for, evenwithhisstayingwellbackontheroad.“I’mnotacripple.”Though when he compared

hislimitsnowtowhatthey’dbeen before his injury, hesure as hell felt like one.Hescrubbed a hand over hisface. “And you obviouslythought itwas anice enoughday for a walk in the rain.Pot,meetkettle.”She paused, clearly taking

him in. Alexis Yeung, nurseand apparently sufferer of a

mental breakdown when herperfect life didn’t go exactlyas planned. Really, she wasjust throwing a tempertantrum by jetting off toEurope to find herself orwhatever it was that high-maintenancewomendid.She didn’t look likemuch.

Oh,sure,shewasbeautifulina very busty Asian-babes

way,butwhatkindofwomanspent the day hiking down aroadandmanaged to looksoperfectly put together? Itwasn’t natural. Her jeanswere rolled up to show offher hiking boots, and herwhite T-shirt didn’t have asmudgeofdirtonit.Hetriednot to notice how the fabricstrainedoverherbreasts,and

failed.“Stopstaringatmychest.”“Woman,you justattacked

mefornoreason.The least Ideserve is tocheckyouout.”She crossed her arms underbreasts, and he raised hiseyebrows. “You’re notexactly helping myconcentration,darlin’.”“You’reapig.”Thewoman

had a stare on her thatmadehim think of his auntie. Heshovedthecomparisonaway.Aunt Rose wasn’t anythinglike Alexis. She didn’t runfrom her problems—or otherpeople’s problems, for thatmatter—not even when theywereliterallyknockingonherdoor. This woman obviouslydid, or he wouldn’t be in a

back alley in Cork gettinggrilled.Alexis looked like she

wanted to kick him again.“Whydidyou turndown thealley?”This, at least, he had an

answerfor.“You’reawomanalone.Ithoughtyoumightbeindanger.”“Soyoucameridingtomy

rescueonyourwhitehorse?”Andnowshewaslaughingathim.He coughed, hating the

slow heat of embarrassmentworkingitswaythroughhim.He wasn’t the one in thewrong here. “Only an idiotwanders down a dark alleyalone.”“I’mmore than capable of

takingcareofmyself.”AfactFlanneryhadleftout

in his description of her,which made Luke wonderwhat else he’d left out.“Against a man with a bumleg.”Which hurt like a bitchafter the combination of thehike and the beating she’dgivenit.“Whateveryouhave to tell

yourself to sleep at night.”She paused. “Give me backmypepperspray.”“Notachance.”Therewas

nothing to guarantee shewouldn’t try to spray himagain, and he’d sufferedthroughenoughshittoday.“It’smine.”“Yeah, well, you lost the

right to itwhenyouattacked

me.” He sounded like agrumpyoldman,butherverypresence pushed buttons hedidn’tknowhehad.No,thatwasagoddamnlie.

He knew every single one.Hell,hewasmorebuttonthanmanthesedays.She glared. “I’m leaving

now. Ifyou try to followmeagain,we’llgoanotherround

and I’ll come out on top.Again.”Iftherewasn’ttheslightest

wavering in her voice, hemight actually believe shewas an international badasslike she seemed to think.Then again, if this little slipofnothingcouldget thedroponhim,thenhe’dfallenevenfurther than he could have

guessed. Humiliation torethrough him, demanding hewin back some of hisdamagedpride. “Darlin’, yougot the drop on me once. Itwouldn’thappenagain.”“Right.Becauseyou’renot

followingme.”“Nope.”Thoughhekindof

wanted to douse her in coldwater for how smug she

sounded. Luke shrugged outof his pack. He heard morethan saw her tense. “Relax,Rambo. I’m just tucking thisaway for now forsafekeeping.” He shoved thepepper spray into his pack,needing to do something tokeep her from taking off.Hedidn’tknowhowmuchmorejauntingaroundhecouldtake

today. Add in the bonus ofnot knowing where the hellshe was staying—or whereshe was going next—and hehad to do something drastic.“The leastyoucando isbuyme a drink after attackingme.”“Attacking you? That’s

rich.Maybeyoushouldn’tbecreepingintoalleysafterlone

women. When you’re actinglike a predator, expect to betreatedlikeone.”Shehadapoint,whichonly

served to annoy him more.Lukeshiftedandtriedtoholdback a wince when his kneeprotested. “Buy me a drinkand we’ll call it even.” Atleast that would give hercrazy ass a reason to sit still

for a littlewhile. If he couldget her talking, maybe hecouldfigureouthernextstepto self-discovery orwhateverthe hell she was trying toaccomplish over here inEurope. Her sister andFlanneryhadn’tbeentheleastbithelpfulonthatnote.“That’s funny.You should

be a comedian.” She shook

her head. “If anything, youshould buy me a drink forscaringmehalftodeath.”Itwas a seriously perverse

joy to throw her own wordsback into her face. “You cantakecareofyourself.”She threw up her hands.

“Forget this. You’reobviously not suffering fromany issues besides being an

ass.Haveanicelife.”Damn it. He’d let his

mouth get away with him—again—andfuckedthisallup.Lukelimpedafterher.“Hey.”Alexispausedatthemouth

of the alley. “You reconsiderthatdrink?”He didn’t want to. Buying

her a drink was all butadmitting that she was right.

Buthispridecouldn’tholdupto the throbbing in his knee.He took a deep breath andtried to wrestle down hisanger. It wasn’t completelyher fault. If he weren’tdamaged goods, theywouldn’tbeinthispositiontobeginwith. “First round’s onme.”

A lexisYeungwasn’tsurewhether to beproudofherself or feel bad for takingout some stranger whoapparently was onlyfollowing her to save herfromsomeimaginedbadguy.Itwasalmostenoughtomakeher feel guilty for attackinghim, especiallywhen hewasblatantly trying not to favor

his knee because of the hitshe’d gotten in. Great job,Alexis.Theguyistryingtobea Good Samaritan and youknockhimonhisass.But every time he opened

his mouth, the guiltthreatening dissolved a bitmore. This guy was nodifferent from the ones backhome—totally sure he knew

better than the helpless littlewoman that shewas.Hewasjust likeherex-fiancéEric—the kind of man whosemasculinity revolved aroundbeing the strongest, smartest,best person in the room.Anyone who threatened thatwas taken down a fewnotches with pointedcomments and, if that failed,

all-outbullying.She pegged this particular

man as onewho skipped therest of the steps and jumpedstraighttobeingabully.It would be smart to tell

himwheretostickhiscrappyattitude,andheadbacktothehostel to shower and searchout food in a less hostileenvironment, but she was

tiredandhungry,andpassingupafreedrinkwouldbesilly.Plus, she was capable ofspending a little more timewith this guy, if only toassure herself that she reallywas growing and strongerthanshe’dbeenwhensheleftWellingford. That was thewhole point of this journeyshe’d started, and shewasn’t

going to be doing anyemotional growing whilehidinginherhostelroom.She’d lived her entire life

bytherules.Nowitwastimeto take chances—just notstupidones.Shewatchedhimout of the corner of her eye.Her one kick alone wouldn’tcausehimlastingharm. If heturnsouttobeacreep,Ican

outrun himwith no problem.Or take out that knee again,andthenrun.Satisfied she wasn’t

making a stupid decision inthenameofbeingstrong,shesaid, “There’s a little pubdownthisstreet.SinÉ.”“Iknowit.”Of course he did. She bet

hejustkneweverything.How

a Southern boy—and therewasnomistaking thataccent—knewhiswayaroundCorkwas a mystery. Even if hewas a world traveler, heseemed more the type toimmerse himself in Dublin’sfrenetic energy and partyingthan the slightly calmerwestern half of the country.Then again, it was Ireland.

Drinking was practically thenational pastime. This guyprobablyfitrightin.Which reminded her—she

had no idea what his namewas.Alexis turned around asthey stepped back onto thestreet and nearly gasped outloud. She’d caught glimpsesofhimontheroadbackfromBlarney Castle, but they’d

beenjustenoughtoplacethetall, lumbering blond whoseemed to cart arounda chipon his shoulder. And then,when he’d come around thecorner of the alley, she’dbeen more concerned withfighting for her life thancheckinghimout.Now…now,shewasforced

toadmitthathewasattractive

in a rumpled, roguish sort ofway. His shaggy blond hairand almost-beard made himlook like he’d be more athome wearing flannel andchopping wood than globe-trotting, but who was she tojudge? She almost laughed.Who was she kidding? Shewas judging the hell out ofhim.Heworefadedjeansand

boots that looked like they’dseen some use. Against herbetterjudgment,sheliftedhergaze to the black T-shirthugging his shoulders andbiceps, highlighting thetattoos crawling down hisarms. Only one side wasfinished, though, but hemoved before she couldpinpoint exactly what the

tattoosdepicted.“Why don’t you whip out

your smartphone and take apicture?It’lllastlonger.”Shedidn’tbothertocorrect

him. Alexis had veryspecifically left her cell backin Pennsylvania when sheleft. She didn’t want hersister, Avery, or any of theirfriendstohaveawaytotrack

her down. This trip wassomething she had to do forherself, and that meantstepping away from herpregnant sister and theoverprotective Flannerybrothers.They’donlybecomemore protective since Averyand Drew got engaged. Shewasn’t anywhere near asclosetothemashersister,but

they were still like stand-inolder brothers when it suitedthem. She had a feeling itwould suit them just fine inthis situation. It had beenannoying when she was ateenager.Now,withRyananexperienced pararescuer andDrew the town sheriff…Yeah, it had passed beyondannoying and into the

downright ridiculous. Thefallout when she got homewasgoing tobeanightmare,butmaybe then she’d finallyfeel centered enough to dealwithit.In the meantime, she had

thisguytodealwith.“What’syourname?”He hesitated, and she

wondered if maybe he’d tell

her to screw off. Getting adrink with him wasn’tmandatorybyanymeans,butshe refused to do it whileconsideringhim“thatguy”inher head. Finally, he sighedas if resigning himself tosomething—probably hercompany forhowever long ittook todownadrink.“Luke.MynameisLuke.”

It seemed too clean-cut anameforhim.Helookedlikesomeone who would becalled Jake, or Murphy, orAdonis. She bit her lip. No,not Adonis. He wasattractive, but he wasn’t thatattractive.Sure. Just keep telling

yourselfthat.“I’mAlexis.”Then, before

she could talk herself out ofit, she turned left toward thecorner where she couldalready hear strains of ajaunty fiddle coming out ofthepub.

AChapterTwo

lexis could feel him ather back all the way

down the street and through

thepubdoor, and shewasn’tafanofhowcrowdedthebarsuddenly seemed as soon asLuke followed her in. Hewasn’t one of those massivemeatheads, but he took upmore than his fair share ofspace. He wasn’t touchingher, but his presencemade ithardtodrawafullbreath.Probably because he was

suchapushyass.Asifherthinkingitwashis

cue, he shouldered past herandledthewaytotwostoolstuckedintothebackcornerofthe bar. She spared a lookaround as she followed,takingintheChristmaslightsstrung across the ceiling andthe band huddled around atiny table, playingmusic and

singinginsuchthickaccents,she could barely understandthe words. But, God, it wasbeautiful music. Itsimultaneously tore at herheart andmade her toe wantto tap in time. She sparedthem a smile as she took theseatbesideLuke.He glowered at everyone,

and even the grizzled old

bartender seemed hesitant toapproach. Alexis sighed,alreadyregrettingagreeing tothis drink. She was going toend up stuck here for hoursbecause he was scaring offthe locals. “Hey, you, tonedowntheHe-Manmenace.”“He-Man was the good

guy.”She eyed him. It just

figured that he’d know that.He’s probably a Supermanfan, too, if the hero complexthatmadehimchaseme intoanalleyisanythingtogoby.“That doesn’t make him lessscary to your average joe—andifyoudon’tknockoffthebitchface,we’renevergoingtogetdrinks.”He blinked, drawing her

attentiontothefactshecouldactually tell his eye colornow. It aggravated her forabsolutelynoreasonthattheyweren’tanythingasmundaneasblueorbrownorevenherownhazel.No,thisasshadagreensolight,itcouldalmostbe termed sea-green. Luke’sbrows dropped, which didn’tdo a single thing to help his

angry expression. “What thehellis‘bitchface’?”“You should know. It

seems to be your permanentexpression.”Andwhatdidhehave to be so angry about?Theywereinabeautifulcity,richwithhistoryandloreanda thousand other things.She’d been here only twodays and she already felt a

little lighter on her feet—something she would havethought impossible even amonthago.Exceptshehad just kicked

the hell out of his knee. If itwas as she suspected, andhehad an old injury there, thatwouldcertainlyexplainsomeof the nasty attitude he wasthrowingherway.

That,andthefactthathe’dshownuptosaveher,andshehadn’t needed saving in thefirst place. Something likethat would piss off her exsomethingfierce.Sheglanceddown at the bar.Damn it, Icame here to move into thefuture,notdredgeupthepast.“Have you ever tried beingnicetopeople?

“We can’t all be dancingthrough the tulips andbreaking into song withwhatever animal happens tobeclosest.”Alexis blinked. “Did you

just compareme to aDisneyprincess?”His grin shouldn’t have

sent a spark through her, butshe rationalized that it was

anger making her perk up—not anything so stupid asdesire. Luke propped hiselbow on the bar and leanedagainstit.“Iftheglassslipperfits.”He looked so incredibly

smug,shewantedtograbthenearest drink and throw it inhisface.Hereallythoughthehad her number. She wasn’t

sure why she was surprised.Sometimes it seemed likeeveryone she came intocontact with, from herjudgmental grandparents allthewaydowntothewaitressat her favorite diner backhome, thought they knew alltherewas toknowabouther.Why would this man be anydifferent?“Youdon’tknowa

damnthingaboutme.”“I know enough.” Luke’s

gazerakedoverher,seemingtotakeherinanddismissherin one smooth move. Shehated him for it. People hadbeendoingthesamethingformost of her life—looking ather for what she could bringtothetable,orwhatshecoulddo for them. All found her

disappointing. They nevercaredenough to lookbeyondthesurface.“What are you running

from,princess?”Everything.But she didn’t have to

come halfway across theworld to cry her heart out tosome man who no doubtcouldn’tcareless.Shewasn’t

looking to be saved, or foroutside fulfillment. Shewantedtogetrightinsideherownhead.He wouldn’t understand

that, though, and it wasdefinitely too deep for bartalk.“I’mheretobeatourist.Sameasanyoneelse.”Hesnorted.“Whateveryou

havetotellyourself.”

Good God, the man waspricklier than a cactus. Shewasalreadytiredofbeingonthe pointed end of hisquestions—especially whenevery answer she gave wasmetwitharesponselikethat.“Whataboutyou?Youdon’tstrikemeasthetypetoenjoyhistoricalmonuments.”“Now who’s throwing

stones?”Thebartenderfinallygot up the courage toapproach, and Luke orderedtwo beers without evenasking her. Before she couldcorrect him, the man wasgone.High-handedmuch?Luke turned his attention

back on her. “Maybe I wentuptokisstheBlarneyStone.”Her gaze dropped to his

mouth. She could almostimagine those wickedlycurved lips pressing againstthe cool stone…and otherthings. His mouth twitchedup, and she jumped. Crap,had she really just beenchecking him out? Andworse, he’d caught her.Alexistriedtopushdownherridiculous reaction. “If you

did, the gift of gab didn’ttake.”“Soquicktokickmewhile

I’mdown.”Histonedroppeda full octave and took on adownright sinful edge. Theanger didn’t go away,exactly, but it focused in onher like a laser. “It makes aman think unforgivablethoughts.”

She couldn’t get overhow…Alexishadahardtimeputting it into words. Howmalehewas.Hetookupthatstool like he owned it, as ifhe’dneverbeenunsureofhisplace in the world. And thataccent—she’d bet he couldcharmthebirdsfromthetreesif hegot that stickoutof hisass longenough todo it.But

T

she couldn’t afford to forgetjust how little he obviouslythought of her. Strangeattraction or not, she wasn’tgoing to touch him with aten-foot pole. “Do theyinvolve a hacksaw and a pigfarm?”

hat was what shethought of him? A

goddamn serial killer? Lukegrowled. So maybe hedeserved the judgment, butthatdidn’tmakeitstickinhisthroatanyless.He’dbeenanassandhedamnwellknewit,but there was somethingabout Alexis that got underhis skin—like an itch hecouldn’t reach. “That’s richcoming from a woman who

goes around attackinginnocentbystanders.”“Oh, please. There’s

nothing innocent about you,andwebothknowit.”Yeah, he did.Hewouldn’t

beoverhere inIrelandin thefirst place if he didn’t haveulteriormotives.Thefactthatthey weren’t his ulteriormotivesdidn’tchangeadamn

thing. He owed Flannery hislife a couple times over. Amandidn’t forget a debt likethat. So when Flannerycalled,Lukedidn’thesitatetodrop everything and hop thefirst plane over here, noquestionsasked.Last time he was in

Wellingford, Luke had metAlexis’s sister, Avery. The

sisters shared somesuperficial similarities—bothChineseandbeautiful—but itended there. Averymight bebrash,butshedidn’thavetheability to hit below the beltlikeAlexisdid.AndAlexis…she looked like she’dwandered out of a fairy tale,yet there was none of theinherent sweetness of those

princesses he compared herto. But when push came toshove, she’d seen as little ofthehorrorsoflifeastheyhad.It must be nice to sit on hergoldenthroneandlookdownher nose at broken men likehim.Andyet…Hewantedher.Luke paid the bartender

and took a long pull of his

beerwhile he dealtwith thatunwelcome realization. Hehadn’t had the time for orinterest in women since hisnearly full recovery from theIED hit. No, that wasn’t thetruth. He’d tried, that singletime,withthewomanhemetat his local watering hole.Anger and shame burnedthroughhimalloveragainas

he remembered the disgustedlookon her face right beforeshe hightailed it out of hisroom.Itwould be his shitty luck

that his cock would perk upin the presence of thishaughty woman who didn’thesitate to hit him where ithurt—physically andotherwise. He couldn’t deny

that she was gorgeous, withher long black hair and herbody that justwouldn’t stop.But then she opened hermouthandshotitalltohell.“Stop looking at me like

that.”Heshouldbackoff.Poking

atherwasjustgoingtomakethe animosity between themgrow,andhewassupposedto

be keeping track of her untilshegotthebugoutofherassandwentbackstateside.Untilthen, likeitornot, theywerestuck with each other—evenifshedidn’tknowit.Considering the runaround

she’dgivenhimover the lastfew days, he’d have to be adamn fool to complicatethings further. Even if she

were interested, she’d reactthesamewaythelastmistakehad. Pretty princesses werelookingforknightsinshiningarmor to ride out and savethemfromtheirproblems.Hewasabattle-scarredold

wolf, far more likely to eather whole than give her thesweetkindofsexshecraved.But he couldn’t stop himself

from leaning a little closerand crowding her. “Likewhat?”“Like you’re about to start

a brawl or…” She hesitated,licking her lips. There wasdefinite interest sparking inthose hazel eyes. So theprincess liked to play on thedark side? She wasn’t stupid—inthemiddleofsomekind

ofquarter-lifecrisis,sure,butnot dumb. She knew hecouldn’tgiveherthesunshineand rainbows that anothermancould.Let it go. He couldn’t.

“Or?”Another swipe of her

tongue over those pale pinklips that he’d been doing hisdamnedest not to stare at

since she sat down next tohim. Alexis looked away,seemed togatherherself,andmet his eyes. “Or drag somewoman out of here by herhair.”Just like that, he could

picturehaulingherassoutofhere.Notbyherhair,no.Hewasn’tthatmuchofasavage.But it was all too easy to

imagine dragging her behindhim and pinning her againstthe nearestwall to teach thatmouthofherssomemanners.Christ, he was in serious

trouble. He’d bet the lastthing Flannery had intendedwhenhecalledLukewas forhim to get into acompromising position withAlexis. But the brakes were

gone,andhewasdangerouslyclosetolosingcontrol.“Whosaid I’m not planning ondoingjustthat?”She raised her eyebrows.

“Well, it’d certainly be incharacter, wouldn’t it?You’re not exactly a bundleofsurprisesatthispoint.”Thiswomanhad takenone

look at him and acted as

judge, jury, and executioner.It made him twitch, thoughhell if he could decide if hewantedto tossheroutonherass or kiss her until she gotoff her high horse—or justgotoff.Thoughtshecouldn’tafford to be thinking,especiallyabouther,butLukecouldn’tletitrest.Therewassomething about this woman

that scraped at his control,andhe’dbedamnedbeforehelet her get the last word.“Says the woman who’s onegiantclichéafteranother.”“Excuseme?”“Lookatyou.”Hewaveda

hand in her direction andsomehow managed not tofocus on her breasts again.“You have no connection to

reality.Ibetyoujustwokeuponedayandthoughtit’dbealovely idea to jaunt halfwayacross the world and seesomeofEurope.”“Ihadmyreasons.”Warning bells went off in

his head, but he was too fargone to shut up now. “Soyou’re running fromsomething—in the most

cliché way possible. What,didyoureadEat,Pray,Loveand figure that if it workedfor her, it’d work for you,too?”Alexis’s mouth went tight.

“Please.You should listen tothat old saying aboutthrowing stones from glasshouses. You have ‘runner’written all over you.” Her

eyesdropped tohiskneeandthenrosetohisface.“ThoughI doubt you could outrun aturtleatthispoint.”He wanted to shake her

until some degree of sensepopped into that gorgeoushead of hers. His injury hadbeenlife-ending,evenifhe’dkept right on breathingthroughtheworstofit.There

were days, dark days hedidn’t like to think about,wherehewondered ifmaybeit was all a mistake. IfwhateverpassedforaGodinthisworldhadlostinterestforthe few seconds it took forthe doctors to pull him backfrom the edgeandpatchhimup. Aunt Rose would whuphis ass to know he thought

likethat,sohedidn’ttellher.Hedidn’ttellanyone.But he sure as hell wasn’t

goingtoopenupaboutthattothis woman who seemed tolike taking him out at theknees. “I fucked upmykneesaving aman’s life.Runningmarathonsmightnotbeinmyfuture,buthegetstogohometo his family because I was

there.”Saved thepatient,butletmybrother-in-armsdie.Agreat fucking legacy to have.Not that hewasgoing to tellherthat.Shedidn’tdeserveawindow into the private painhelivedwith.Lukebracedhimselfforthe

sympathyor,worse,pity thathe got when he told theabbreviated version of how

hegothurt.Butshesurprisedhim. “Heroic thing to do.”She raised her eyebrows.“But ifyou’reatpeaceaboutit, then why the hell do youstomp around, dragging yourknuckles and glaring ateveryone? No, I don’t thinkso. Luke, I do believe yournose is growing by thesecond.”

Voices raised on the othersideofAlexis,twoburlymenshoutingabout…Hecouldn’tquitecatchit.Butthewritingwas on the wall when thetaller of the two shoved theother. Shit. Luke moved asthe short man shoved back,hauling Alexis into his lapandgettinganarmupintimeto deflect the man’s fall. By

that point, several other guysgot involved, dragging theoriginal two outside. Aheartbeatpassed,andanother,andthenthemusiciansstartedup again, a slow, hauntingmelody that raised the smallhairsonthebackofhisneck.Hestartedtobreatheasigh

of relief that the situationhadn’t gotten truly out of

control,whensheshiftedandhe realized that they wereseriously up close andpersonal. Her dark hair wastousled, and her chest roseand fell with each harshbreath.Hestared,knowingheshould say something or dosomething to break thetension building betweenthem, but all Luke could see

wasthewayherlipspartedasifininvitation.Goddamnit.

LChapterThree

uke was going to kissher.Alexiscouldreadit

on his face. Now was her

opportunity to laugh again,slideoffhislap,andretreattoher own stool. She hadn’tmeant to be so harsh withhim, but her lack of controlthese days was part of whatspurredhertotakethistripinthefirstplace.Her inability to say the

right thing was part of thereason she’d started her

journey here in Cork withvisiting the Blarney Stone.Her mother used to regaleboth Alexis and Avery withstories of Ireland and thefaeriefolkandallthemagicalthings that happened on thegreenisle.Shewasn’tachildanymore,andhermotherwasdeadandgone,butthemagicof those stories still held a

special place in Alexis’sheart.Herlifehadbecomesodull

and heartbreaking that everydayseemedtosinkherdeeperinto a mud pit of depressionshecouldn’tescape.Soshe’dcomehere,toarguablyoneofthe most magical places onearth, to begin to wash themuck away.To learn to love

her life again, the way hermother had loved life…evenwhen death was knocking atherdoorstep.Andnowhereshewasina

situation that never wouldhave come about at home,sitting on the lap of a manwho was barely more than astranger and consideringkissing him—considering

doing a whole lot more thankissinghimifshewashonest.Therewassomethingabout

this painfully attractive,brooding man that set herteeth on edge and made herrestless, all at the same time.She hadn’t pulled herpunches, and he certainlywasn’t holding back for fearof hurting her feelings. He

was the first person she’dcome across in a long timewho didn’t dance around herfor fear of saying somethingthatwouldhurther.Itwasasrefreshing as it wasaggravating. The barb aboutEat, Pray, Love hit entirelytooclosetohome.She’dreadthatbookjustlastmonth,andit had felt like such a

profound step in her journeyto take control back in herlife.None of that seemed to

matter now, not when hewatchedherasifshewerethemost important thing in theroom,asifhewerelosinghismind just being this close toher. Before she could talkherselfoutofit,Alexistipped

her face up, inviting him tofollow through on thepromise in his pale greeneyes.Kiss me, please kiss me,

andmakemeforgetallaboutthe countless things trying todragmeunder.Luke froze, and for one

eternal second she thoughtshe’dmisreadhissignals.But

thenhismouthcrasheddownon hers, erasing any chanceof misinterpretation. Histongue speared between herlips, stroking along hertongue once, twice, a thirdtime.Shecouldn’t fightbackamoan as he raked his teethover her bottom lip beforesuckingitintohismouth.Thespark of attraction inside her

burst into an all-out bonfire.Alexisshiftedhergrip,lettinggoofhis shirtwithonehandsoshecouldtwineherfingersthrough his longish blondhair. She pulled it sharplyenough to make him groanagainst her mouth, and thenhewaskissinghiswayalongher jaw and nipping herearlobe. “You taste so

goddamngood,darlin’,likeaGeorgia peach. I can’t getenoughofit.”Thank God, because if he

stopped rightnow, shemightnot recover. She’d never feltsuch all-encompassing needpounding through her veins,pushing her to do somethingshe’d never even consideredbefore.Icouldtakehimback

tomyhostel.Hedoesn’tknowme. I don’t know him. I’llnever see him again, andthat’s okay. Why not takewhat this man was soobviouslyoffering?Hedidn’thavetoknowthatthiswasn’tsomething she ever did.“Please.”He ran one hand up her

thigh, his heat seeming to

branditselfthroughherjeans.“Tellmewhatyouwant.”A thousand answers flitted

through her mind, but onedwarfed them all. Still, shehesitated.She’djustmethim,and he was an ass—notexactly the prime candidatefor someone to take to bed.But then he kissed down herneck, sucking on a spot that

made the whole pub goblurry. God, how was shesupposed to pass a man likehimup? It’s just sex. It’snotlike I’m going to marry theman. The Old Alexiswouldn’tthinktodothis.Which meant that was

exactlywhat theNewAlexisshoulddo.Shewassupposedto be learning to take what

shewanted.Rightnow, therewas one need and one needalone dominating theforefront of her mind. Shetook a shuddering breath.“You.Iwantyou.”“This wasn’t supposed to

happen.” Before she couldprocess his words, he keptgoing,hishandslidinga fewinches higher, until he

pressedagainsttheveeofherlegs. “But fuck, I’m not asaint.Ineverhavebeen.”She didn’t know what he

was talking about, but itsoundedlikehewastryingtoconvincehimself tobackoff.Ijustputmyselfoutthereforthe first time ever—no wayarewestopping.Therehadtobesomethingshecouldsayto

gethisheadbackinthegame.Shetuggedonhishairagain,guiding himup until her lipsbrushedhiswitheveryword.“Takemenow,Luke,or I’mgoingtowalkoutofthispuband find the first man whowill.”A bold-faced lie. If herejectedher,she’dwalkbackto her hostel with her tailbetweenher legs.But in that

moment, she almost believedherself. She wasn’t the shyand polite and obedientAlexis.Shewaswildandfreeand could do whatever shedamnwellpleased.Whomever she damn well

pleased.His eyes narrowed. “Like

hellyouwill.”Oh, he didn’t like that at

all. Power, overwhelming asitwasunfamiliar, sweptoverher.Thismanwasn’tgoingtoturnherdown—notwith thatlook on his face. From thesharpgleaminhisgreeneyes,he appeared ready, willing,andabletofollowthroughontheir earlier conversation andhaul her out of this bar. Ohyes.

Sheneverthoughtshe’dbeinto something like that. Sexhad always been in the dark,beneath the covers, andcompletely as expected. Shehad a feeling sex with Lukewouldn’t be any of thosethings.She wanted that. She

wantedhim.Allshehadtodowaspush

him over the edge he wasobviously teetering on. “Goahead.” Alexis dragged hernailsoverhis jawas she slidoffhislap.“Callmybluff.”When he just sat on the

stool, seeming to consider, awave of apprehension rolledthrough her. Had shemisjudged the wholesituation? Embarrassment

beat in time with her heart,scalding her skin. She tookanother step away, testinghim,buthedidn’tmove.Washereallygoingtoletherwalkout of here? The Old Alexistried to surface, to dosomething to relieve thetension strung between themso tightly she could almostseeit.

No. I’m not going to beghimtowantme.Irefuseto.She lifted her chin and

grabbed her pack off thefloor.Pridemightbetheonlything she had left to herself,and she sure as hell wasn’tgoing to sacrifice it now, tosome man who meant lessthan nothing. She hadn’tsurvived everything she had

tobreaknow.With one last look at the

still-unmoving Luke, sheshookherheadandstartedforthe front door, refusing toglance over her shoulder.Over theyears,she’d learnedthe hard way that lookingbackatwhatcouldhavebeenwasthebestwaytobreakherownheart.She’dduckaround

thecornerandmakeherwaybacktothehosteland…takeacold shower or something.She most definitely wasn’thurt enough by his rejectionto cry. That would bedownrightpathetic.She barelymade it out the

door when she felt hispresence at her back,unmistakable despite their

minuscule time spenttogether. “Goingsomewhere?”Iwasn’twrong.Whenwasthelasttimeher

instincts had actually beencorrect? She couldn’tremember and was grinningtoo hard to care. This wasconfirmationthatthetripwasthe right answer. Two days,

and she was alreadyreclaiming a little piece ofherself.The night wasn’t over yet.

Forcing a disinterestedexpressionontoher face, sheturned around. God, he wasmagnificent. Tall and leanand glowering down at herlike she’d gone and kickedhis puppy. He wanted her,

and he just as obviouslydidn’t like that, and hell ifthat didn’t make her wholenight. She raised hereyebrows, unable to helppokingathim.“Ihearthere’saplacedownthestreetwherethe local football teamhangsout.”His brows slanted down,

sending a delicious thrill

through her. “You’re testingmypatience.”Whatishewaitingfor?He

was like a big, mean grizzlybear,andshehadtobeinsanetowanttogotobedwithhim.But she did. She wanted itmore than she’d wantedanything inavery long time.Whatwill it take topushhimover the edge? Maybe she

needed a really sharp stick.Obviously the thought of herjauntingoffwithanotherman—ormultiplemen—botheredhim, so she’d just run withthat. She shrugged. “Youbought me a beer. I’m nolonger your concern. Have anicenight.”Alexis got three steps

before Luke swept her into

his arms and tossed her overhis shoulder. Her heavybackpack flopped down andsmacked her in the back ofthehead.“Whatthehell?”“YouthinkI’mgoingtolet

some crazy soccer playerstrip you out of those jeansand taste you when you’rewet for me? Not fuckinglikely,darlin’.”

W

Yes.Shegrinnedagainsthisback,thoughsheputasmuchsnarl into her voice as shecould. “Then stop runningyour mouth and actually dosomethingaboutit.”

hatever intentionsLuke had upon

meetingAlexishadburnedupin the attraction that flamed

up between them. Shethought she could just walkawayandletsomeothermanbetween those sweet thighswhen they were shaking forhim?Thevery ideamadehisblood pressure risedangerously.Shewantedhim.She’d been all but beggingforitwhenshewasinhislap.Thetimeforhesitationwas

longgone.Heturnedhisheadto thesideandsankhis teethintoherass,justhardenoughtomakehersquirm.“Areyoulistening,darlin’?”“Yes, goddamn it. Put me

downandletmewalk.”So she could walk away

fromhimagain?Hetightenedhis grip, feeling like a manpossessed. Reason reared its

uglyheadtopointouthewascarting around a woman hebarelyknewinaforeigncity.Damn it. As much as hewantedtohaulherbacktohisroom and follow through onthe promise of their kiss, thelocal authorities might labelthat kidnapping. She mighthave given him what heconsidered a green light—

several,infact—butitpaidtobe extremely clear in thisscenario.Withagrowl,hesetheronherfeet.Alexislookedflushedandshewasbreathingheavily, but he needed morethanthattomoveforward.Heneeded her words. “What doyouwant?”“Why do you keep asking

me that?” She pushed at his

chest,herhairfallingintohereyes.“Stopgloatingand takemetobed.”Couldn’t get much clearer

thanthat.“It’snotgoingtobenice,and it’snotgoing tobesweet. If you want romance,you’vegotthewrongfuckingman.”“No, really?”Sheglaredat

him, but her desire was

written all over her face.“You’re wasting both ourtimerightnow.”There wasn’t much more

he could do—except walkaway. And that was the onething he sure as hell wasn’tgoingtodo.Henoddedonce.“Come on.” Luke took herhand and dragged her downthe street, each step spiking

the need and jealousytangling inhis system.Thesegoddamn Irish guys wouldlove to get their hands on awoman like this. Hell, thetourists in town would, too.And she was just going towaltzoffandgiveawaywhatshould be his? A little voicewhispered that he had nogoddamn business thinking

likethat,buthetoldittoshutthefuckup.He needed Alexis naked

andinhisbed,andheneededitnow.She stayed silent as they

crossed the river, though herbreathpuffedoutinthechillynight inhereffort tokeepupwith him. His knee groanedin agonywith each step, still

not recovered from thecombination of earlier hikeandassault.Luketookadeepbreath and forced himself toslowhispace.“Doyouknowwhat I’m going to do to youwhenIgetyouupstairs?”“Tell me.” No hesitation,

nowaffling,nothreateningtogoelsewhere.It should have calmed him

downa little. Instead, it onlyserved to push him closer totheedgethatwashisholdoncontrol. “After I get you outofthoseclothes,I’mgoingtosit you in my lap facing themirrorsoyoucanseeexactlywho is driving you out ofyour mind. Thosemagnificent breasts of yoursare practically begging for

my attention, so I’ll startthere.”Thewords felt forcedout of him. He wanted tomarkher,brandher,untilshewasasconsumedwithhimashe was with her. “Then I’mgoing to spread those sweetthighs of yours and strokeyou until you’re begging forrelease.”“WhatifIdon’tbeg?”

“Trust me, darlin’, whenI’m done with you, you’regoingtobeonyourkneesandbegging for my cock to fillyour tight little pussy.” Asoundsuspiciouslyclose toawhimpercameoutofher,butwhenhelookedback,shehadthat unflappable expressionon her face that he wasalready starting to resent.

Luke stopped walking andpulled her into his arms.“Don’tbelieveme?”She licked her lips and

pressed against the front ofhisbody.Christ,howwashesupposed to make it back tothehotelwithherbodyfittingso perfectly against his?Alexis slid her hand up hischest. “All I’m hearing is a

lot of talk. Put your moneywhereyourmouthis.”Evenasasmallpartofhim

admired her refusing to berailroaded,hewantedtocurseher for not feeling as franticashim.Lukegrabbedherass,usinghisholdtoliftheruntilshe pressed against his hardlength. “Careful there,darlin’, or I’m going to put

mymouthonyourighthere.”Her breath caught, and heallowed himself to grind onheronelasttimebeforehesether back on her feet. “We’realmostthere.”Hefocusedongettingupto

hisroombeforehegaveintoher challenge and put hismoney exactly where hismouth was. Who knew that

allittooktodrivehimoutofhisdamnmindwastohaveawoman who refused to pullherpunches?Shehadn’theldback since shemet him, andhe sure as hell wasn’t goingtoholdbacknow.Theelevator ridepassed in

a blur, and he towed herdown the hall to his room.The door barely shut behind

him when he pinned heragainst it. “You’re minenow.”Even as she wrapped her

legs around his waist, sheshook her head. “Fortonight.”He wanted to rail against

the limitation, but Luke wasmore concerned with gettingher out of her clothes. With

onepunishingkiss,hemovedtothebedanddroppedheronit.Beforeshehadachancetoright herself, he yanked offher boots and tossed thembehind him. “Unbutton yourpants.”“Bossy, bossy.” But her

voice was breathy, and herhands shook as she followedhis order. He helped her get

them over her hips and thenpeeled them off her legs,leavingher inonlyherwhiteknit top and a thong with ashamrock that read LuckyYou.“Luckyme,indeed.”“Don’t let it go to your

head.” She sat up, and hestrippedoffhershirtandbra.The panties could stay…for

now. Alexis propped herselfonherelbowsandraisedoneslim leg to poke him in thechest with her foot when hestartedtocrawlontothebed.“Yourturn.”All he could see was her

smooth skin and dark pinknipples.Whenshepokedhimagain, he finally focused onherface.“What?”

“Your clothes. Get rid ofthem.”Forthefirsttimesincehe’d

kissed her, Luke paused. Hehadn’tbeenwithanyone inalong time. Hell, he couldpinpoint the exact timebecausethewomanhadtakenonelookathismangledkneeand taken off. And that wasafter she cringed at the sight

of his scars elsewhere. Hecouldn’t stand the thought ofAlexis flinching from him.“Notyet.”First,hewasgoingtodrive

her so far out of her mindwith pleasure that shewouldn’t have the ability toremember her own name, letalone worry about hisdamagedbody.

AChapterFour

lexis didn’t get achance to argue,

because Luke grabbed her

ankle and towed her closer.“Do you remember what Itoldyou?”How could she forget? It

feltlikeeverywordhe’dsaidontheirwayfromSinÉtohishotel was branded on herskin. It had been everythingshecoulddotokeepherwitsabout her and her repliessnarky instead of breathless.

If he’d made a move, shewasn’t sure she would havehadthestrengthtotellhimtowaituntiltheygotbacktohisroom—and even now shewasn’t sure if she’d havecared if he’d taken her rightthere in the street. Dorothy,we are not in Kansasanymore.Luke was obviously still

waitingforananswer,soshenodded.“Iremember.”“Tellme.”Hewas going tomake her

say it? It was one thing tolisten to it from a man whomade her blood heat—itwasentirely another to speak itherself.She shifted, trying topullherankleoutofhisgrip.“You’re still wearing too

manyclothes.”“Changing the subject

won’t distract me, darlin’.”Hegaveanothertug,bringingher to the end of the bed.“What am I going to do toyou?”She swallowed hard,

acutely aware that she wasnearlynakedandhewasstillfully clothed and watching

her as if he would drink herdown. She’d never talkeddirty before, but this entiretrip was about newexperiencesandtakinglifebythe horns. She could do this.All she had to do was openher mouth and speak. “Yousaid…”He waited, his thumb

tracingmaddening circles on

her ankle. God, he reallywasn’tgoingtogiveaninch.Alexis cleared her throat.“Yousaidyouwouldstripmedown,sitmeonyourlap,anddrive me crazy…” Her gazelanded on the dresser acrossfromthebed.Sureenough,ithad a giant mirror on top ofit.Oh wow. “Where I couldseeexactlywhowastouching

me.” She could alreadypicturehowitwouldlook,hisbig hands on her body,spreadingherandstokingherdesire and driving her out ofher mind. Hell, he had herhalfway there and he hadbarelytouchedheryet.Maybe there was

something to be said for thisdirtytalkingstuff.

Luke’s eyes seemed todarken. “And afterward I’mgoing to press you againstthat window and fuck youfrom behind where anyonewholooksupcanseeyou.”She whipped around so

fast, she almost fell off thebed.Asdistractedasshewas,she hadn’t noticed the floor-to-ceilingwindows taking up

the wall opposite the door.Heatspreadthroughherbodyatthethoughtofhimpressingher against that window.She’d never thought ofherselfasanexhibitionist,butshe was leaving Corktomorrow, so it wasn’t as ifshe’d run into someonewho’dseethepeepshow.Orthemanwhoplannedto

putherondisplay.The thought sent a pang

through her, which shepromptly ignored. Luke washot as hell, but he and shecould barely sit next to eachotherfortwominuteswithoutmaking painfully snarkycomments.Thiswasn’tmeanttolastmorethananight.Thiswasn’t even about him, not

really. This was about hertaking back control of herlife. Though if she only hadtonight, she sure as hellintended to make it count.“Yes.”“Yes?”“Yes.Iwantthat.”“Darlin’, I wasn’t asking

yourpermission.”Hewenttohis knees in front of her and

used his hands to spread herlegswider. “You’re going toloveeverysinglethingIdotoyoutonight.”“And if I don’t?” Not that

she doubted him, but shedidn’t exactly have a stellartrack recordwhen it came tobeingintimate.Herex-fiancé,Eric, had called her boringandbemoanedthelossof the

woman he’d had before her.Justanotherwayshe’dbeenadisappointment.She couldn’t stand the

thought of seeing that samelook in Luke’s eyes, even ifshewasprettysureshedidn’tactuallylikehim.Onceagain,theOldAlexistriedtowrestleback intocontrol.What am Idoing here with this man I

barelyknow?Thiscouldbeahorrible mistake. He’s goingtobedisappointedinme,justlikeeveryoneelseIcomeintocontactwith.“Openyoureyes,darlin’.”Alexis hadn’t realized

she’d closed them to beginwith. She hesitated to obey,fearingwhatshemightseeonhis face, but there was no

denying the command in hisvoice. Feeling a whole lotlikeshewasabouttofacethefiring squad, she opened hereyes.He frowned. “Whatever is

goingthroughyourheadrightnow,letitgo.”Letitgo?Ifsheknewhow

to do that, she never wouldhaveneededthistriptobegin

with.“Easiersaidthandone.”Thiswasit.Thiswaswhere

he’dshakehisheadandstandup, or maybe go pleasurehimselfintheshowerbecauseapparentlythatwaspreferabletoher inhisbed.She startedtopullaway,todosomethingto protect herself from thepending rejection. Thoughreally, therewas nothing she

coulddotocombat thesting.She’dlearnedthatthroughfartoomanyexperiences.Luke’s brows dropped, the

forbidding expressionstrangely comforting. “GuessthatjustmeansIneedtostepupmygame.”Hisfingersduginto her thighs, and shecouldn’t stifle a gasp ofsurprise.

Before she could reconcilereality with what washappening in her head, heleaned down and pressed anopenmouthed kiss to herwhisper-thin panties. She satboltuprightas ifhe’dhitherwith a cattleprod.While shewas trying to relearn how tobreathe, Luke nuzzled herpanties to the side and

dragged his tongue over hercenter.Oh my God, this is really

happening.Hehadn’twalkedaway, and he hadn’t rejectedher.Hewasherebetweenherthighs,hismouthonthemostprivate part of her as if he’dnever tasted anything asdecadent.Awhimper slipped free as

hediditagain.Hepausedandmet her gaze, the fire in hisgreen eyes searing her to thecore. “You taste likepeacheshere,too.”“I—”“Darlin’, as flattered as I

am that you’re trying to talkright now, the only thing Iwanttohearisyouscreamingmy name.” He leaned back

long enough to pull herpanties off, and then he wasback, spreading her legs upand out, baring hercompletely. “Fuckingbeautiful.”As he went to work

exploringherwithhismouth,she didn’t have the breath topoint out…anything. Insteadsheletherselffallbackonthe

L

bed and be consumed withhow good his mouth felt onher. But one thoughtresonated even through thedelirious pleasure he wasdrawingfromherbody.Noonehas ever calledme

beautifulbefore.

ukecouldn’tgetenoughof her taste—or the

noises coming out of hermouth with each lick. Shewrithed and moaned as ifshe’d never had a man takehis time and savor her likethis. The thought thatmaybenomanhadbeforehimdrovethepossessive feelinghehadno right to higher.As selfishasitwas,hewantedtobetheonesheneverforgot, theone

she compared every sexualencounter to for the rest ofher privileged life. Evenconsidering her with othermenmadehimgrowlagainsther skin.The jealousy takingthesteeringwheelwasasoutof place as thepossessiveness, but hecouldn’t have stopped if hewanted to. And he sure as

fuckdidn’twantto.“Who’s making you feel

like this?” When she justmoaned louder, he set histeethagainstherclit.“Sayit.”“You are.” She laced her

fingers through his hair, herhipsjerkingagainsthismouthuntilhehad topinher to thebed.Themoveonlydroveherwilder, her moans turning

intocriesthatevolvedintohisname.“Luke,ohmyGod,oh,oh,oh,Luke.”“That’s right,darlin’.Me.”

Hegentledhiskissesuntilhershaking stilled, and thenraised his head. Whateverdark thoughts had plaguedher earlier were gone now.Because of him. Alexiswatched him through eyes

gone dark with passion, andthough she looked sated, hergaze dropped to his mouth.Not quite sated yet. With agrin,hecrawledontothebednext to her. “You’re notdone.”It took her two tries to

smile, but she somehowmanaged.“Goodthing.Iwassure you were a one-trick

pony.”Helaughed.Godhelphim,

buthe liked that theprincesshad claws. Even if half thetime, she was sinking themintohim.“Lord,woman,youalways have a comebackready,don’tyou?”Afrown flickeredoverher

face.“Notalways.”There it was again—

whatever imagined burdenshecarried,tryingtoforceitsway back to the forefront ofhermind.Hewasmore thanintimate with exactly howthatshitworked.Itstruckhimthat he didn’t really knowmuch about her, other thanthe fact that her sister andfriendsdidn’tthinkshecouldhandle herself alone in

Europe. What hadn’t theytoldhimbeforetheysenthimoff on this protectionmission?It didn’t matter. Her

worries could wait foranother day. Tonight, Alexiswashis.Hehooked thebackofher

neck and kissed her. Herhands immediately went to

his hair again, which wouldhave amused him if heweren’t half a second fromripping off his pants andsinking into her.Once again,reality spoke up. Luke brokeaway with a curse.“Condoms.”“What?”“I don’t have goddamn

condoms.” The one thing he

hadn’t prepared for, becausethis was supposed to be ababysitting mission, and onedid not fuck around on ababysittingmission.Unless,apparently,onedid.Alexis’seyescleared.“Oh,

Ido.”He went still, refusing to

move when she pushedagainsthisshoulder.“What?”

“Condoms. I have them inmypack.”“Why in God’s name

would you have condoms inyour pack?” He didn’t carethatitsavedthematriptothemarket down the street. Allthat mattered was that she’dplanned on having sex withsomeone.The thought of herwith someoneelsemadehim

crazy, and he had the totallyinsane need to mark her ashis.Itwasn’tsomeothermanhere, chasing the shadowsaway.Itwashim.She watched him with an

unreadable expression on herface.“Iliketobeprepared.”“Prepared to let some idiot

soccer player between yourthighs.” As he spoke, he

pinned her wrists above herhead.“Has anyone ever toldyou

that you’re unnaturallyobsessed with soccerplayers?”Sherolledhereyes,her levity calming him alittle. “You sure you’re notharboring some guy-on-guytendencies?”Luke didn’t get it. He’d

never once, in all his thirty-three years, reacted like this.Hewas the jokester, the onewho ran his mouth, thefootloose and fancy-freefriend who was good for abang and then moved onbefore anyone could getattached. Or at least, he hadbeen, before his injury. Hedidn’t get jealous, let alone

this, whatever the fuck thisemotion could be called.“Alexis—”Hereyeswenthard,andhe

could practically hear herclaws unsheathing. “Don’tyou dare! Whatever the hellyou’reabout tosay, justshutup.I’mhere,naked,withyou.Tonight I’m yours, andyou’re wasting it worrying

about what-if scenarios thatare, frankly, none of yourbusiness.”He didn’t miss the part

where she limited this totonight.“Look—”“No, you look. I already

cameagainstyourmouth.Areyoureallygoingtotalkthistodeath?”Shewasright.Tonightwas

for leaving all their baggagebehind.Hell, thiscouldn’tgofurther than sex, because hecouldbarelystandtobeinthesameroomwithherunderthebest of circumstances. Thatfeeling wasn’t going to getbetter when he was chasingherassalloverEurope.Lukekissed her again, pushing allhis annoyance and issues

fromhishead.Shewasright.Theywerehisproblems—nothers.There was only the here

and now. When he finallybroke away, they were bothbreathing hard. “You betternotplanonsleepingtonight.”“Iwouldn’tdreamofit.”

AChapterFive

lexisyankedtheboxofcondomsfromherpack

and thanked God she’d been

optimistic enough to bringtheminthefirstplace.Atrulyimpressive dry spell andcrippling self-doubt didn’texactly lend themselves tohot one-night stands…Or soshe’d thoughtbefore shemetLuke. A lot of things she’dpreviously thoughtwerehardtruthsdidn’t seem toholdupto the harsh light of his

presence.He pulled her back to the

bed and into his lap. Aspromised, they faced themirror, where she could seenearly her entire body andmeet his eyes. The sheerintimacy of the position wastotally and completelyunexpected, and she wasn’tsure she liked it. “Whydon’t

we skip straight to thewindow?”“Nice try.” He hooked her

thighsandspreadthemtotheoutside of his legs, using hiskneestoopenherevenwider.After plucking the condomsfrom her hand and droppingthem on the bed, he reachedaroundhertocupherbreasts.“Perfect, just like the rest of

you.”The insane urge to argue

with him rose. I’m notperfect. I’m so flawed andbroken, it isn’t even funny.Some days she was halfsurprised that her issuesweren’t there on her body,marked out for all to see.“Actually—”“Woman, enough.” He

pinched her nipples, sendinga zing of sheer lust throughher that stole her breath. “Idon’t need your pretty-girlinsecurities clouding up themoment.Isayyou’reperfect,and that means you’refucking perfect. The onlything I shouldhear fromyouin response is ‘thank you.’Understand?”

She lickedher lips.Partofherstillwantedtoarguewithhim,butitwastheOldAlexiscreeping in. He was right—arguing with him oversomething like this wasstupid.“Yes.”“Now, where were we?”

He squeezed her breasts onelast time before smoothinghishandsdownhersidesand

over her thighs. As shewatched, one hand dipped todrag a finger over herglistening center. She couldactuallyseehowwetshewasfrom here, and Alexiscouldn’t help shifting andtrying to close her thighs.Luke, of course, was havingnoneofit.“Ilikeseeingyou,darlin’.” He spread her folds

andworkedafinger intoher.“Christ,you’re tight.Haven’tlet another man inside in alongtime,haveyou?”She tried to liftherhipsas

a second finger joined hisfirst,butheeasilyheldherinplace. Admitting that it hadbeen well over a year and ahalf since she was withanyone would give him too

much ammunition to useagainst her. Even as thethoughtcrossedhermind,shegave herself a mental shake.What did it matter if Lukeknewhewas theonlyone inrecent memory? It wasn’t asif she’d stick around longenough for the inevitablebarbs. “Not since my ex-fiancé.Eighteenmonths.”

He cursed again and thenpressed a kiss to her neck ashe worked her with hisfingers.“I’mgoingtomakeitgood for you, darlin’. Sofuckinggoodthatnooneelsecancompare.”Emptythreats.Shehoped.Whatever his faults, Luke

saw her as a woman—and awomanhewantedsobadlyhe

couldn’t seem to get enoughof touching her. A beautiful,sexywoman.For tonight,shecouldsetherissuesasideandmaybe even see herself thatway,too.Not to mention, he made

herfeeltoogoodtostop.Stopthinking so much and justfeel. She let her head fallback to rest on his shoulder,

butkepthereyesopensoshecould see exactly what hishands were doing. When indoubt, she fell back to theattitudethathadgottenhimtohaulherbackhereinthefirstplace. “There you go again,making threats you have noway of following throughon.”His laughter rumbled

againstherback.“I’llpickupthatgauntletyoujustthrewatmy feet.” Before she couldrespond,he twistedhiswrist,hitting that spot just insideher, and used his other handto stroke over her clit. “Butfirst, you’re coming for me.Again.”She tried tomove, to arch,

todosomething,buthisarms

around her held her pinnedagainst his chest. All shecould do was take thepleasure he gave her andwatchhisfingersslideinandout of her as his circled herclit.“OhGod.”“That’s right, darlin’.

Almostthere,aren’tyou?”“Yes.” She twisted blindly,

andheobliginglygaveherhis

mouth. Or more accurately,he took her mouth much thesame way he was taking herpleasure. Luke’s tonguethrustbetweenher lips in thesame rhythm as his fingersintoherbody.Shewaspoisedon the precipice, the desirerising inherbodyalmost toomuch to bear. “Please. OhGod,please,Luke.”

“I’ve got you.” He didsomething with his fingersthat sent her hurtling under,screaming his name. AllAlexis could dowas cling tohimasherorgasmtookover,shivers ripping through herbody. He stopped strokingher, but kept his handbetweenherlegs,cuppingherin a move that screamed

possessive male. When shefinally managed to pry hereyes open, his green eyeswere focused on her face, asif drinking in every littlereaction.She slouched against him,

boneless with pleasure,though her body alreadypulsed with a building need.Asgoodasthathadbeen,she

N

needed him filling her,needed to have his bare skinagainsthers.“Luke—”“Hush.” He kissed her

again. “Enjoy the afterglow.We’renotevenclosetodoneyet.”

owwasthetimetotakeoff his clothes, when

Alexis was languid with

pleasure. Luke took a deepbreath, trying to fight downthe stupid insecurity. If hekept his clothes on, thatwould bring even moreattentiontothebullshitinsidehis head than if he juststripped and got it over with—but that meant letting herget a look at his scars.Fuck,he’dneverbeenthiskindofa

coward before that IED, andhewasn’tabouttostartnow.He pulled off his shirt and

wasn’tabletocontainagroanwhen her smooth backpressedagainsthisbarechest.Ithadbeensogoddamnlongsince he’d touched anotherpersonlikethis,skinonskin,thatitwasalmostpainful.Hewrappedhisarmsaroundher

and tried to adjust to it. Butshe was already shifting,rocking her ass against hiscock.Tohellwiththisidiocy.He scooted her forwardenough to unbutton his jeansand then held onto her as hejerkedthemdownandkickedthem off. It wasn’t smoothand it wasn’t pretty, but theendresultmadebothofthem

moan.Ashe rolled a condomon,

hecouldn’tkeephiseyesoffher in the mirror. He hadn’tbeenlyingwhenhecalledherbody perfection. She was sobeautiful it actually hurt tolook at her, a sharp stabbingpain somewhere in thevicinityofhischestthatmadehim want to both look away

and never take his eyes offher. The fact that she didn’tseem to agree was baffling,though not unexpected whenhe really thought about it.Very few women looked inthe mirror and saw reality,anditwasadamnshame.“Nomorewaiting.”Alexis

lifted herself and reacheddown to position him at her

entrance. “Now, Luke.” Shebarely glanced down at hisknee and its mass of scartissue.“Asyouwish,darlin’.”He

grabbedherhipsandbroughther down as he thrust up,sheathing himself to the hilt.“Christ.” Even his stretchingher earlier hadn’t done awholelot.Shewassotighthe

had to press his forehead tothe back of her neck to keephimself from blowing rightthenandthere.“You feel so good.” She

tried to move, but he kepttheirhipssealed.“God,Luke,Ineedtomove.Please.”He lifted her and brought

her back down slowly,watching as his cock

disappearedinsideher.Whenhe raised his gaze, he foundher eyes pinned to the samespot, and shebither lipwitheachupwardthrust.“Youlikethat. Seeing me fuck you.Watchingmy cock slide intoyourwetlittlepussy.”“Yes.”“You want me to pin you

against that window, where

anyone can see those perfectpink nipples pressed againsttheglass.Youwantpeopletosee.”A shudder passed through

herbody.“I—”“Tellmethetruth,darlin’.”She lookedupandmethis

gaze in themirror, her hazeleyes a little dazed. “I wantyou to take me against the

window.”“Andyou’regoingtocome

knowing everyone in thestreetbelowcanseeyou.”Her breath hissed out.

“Yes.”Fuck,hewasabouttocome

just talking about it. Ormaybe it was the squeeze ofher around him, flutteringwitheachwordhespoke.He

lifted her off his cock andstood, walking them to thespace where the curtainsparted. They hadn’t botheredto turn on any lights whenthey came through the door,relying on the single lampnext to thebed, sohewasn’tworried that anyone wouldactually see more than theoutline of Alexis against the

window.Ashot as it seemedto get her knowing thatanyone could see them, hewasn’t about to put her ondisplayforthewholeofCork.Heguidedherhandstothe

glass on either side of herhead.“Don’tmovethese.”She gave a husky laugh.

“Thereyougoagain,thinkingyou’retheboss.”

“Darlin’, tonightIam.”Herefused to think of aftertonight,when he had to dealwith the consequences ofwhathewasintheprocessofdoing. Luke kicked her feetfarther apart and reachedbetweenher legs. “You’re sodamnwet.Youlovethis.”“Maybe.”“No maybe about it. Your

body doesn’t lie.” Hecouldn’tresistslidingafingerinto her before he bent hiskneesandreplaceditwithhiscock. The position wasn’t acomfortableoneforhisknee,but he could give a flyingfuckwhen shemade a sweetlittlecry.He twinedher longhair aroundone fist andbenther backward, the move

pressing her breasts againsttheglassandallowinghimtopush deeper. He shoved intoher, the crazed feelingreturning, as if he couldn’tgetdeepenough,couldn’tgetenough of her, couldn’t doanything but chase thepressurebuildinginthesmallofhisback.“Thisiswhatyouwant,isn’tit?”

“Yes.OhGod,don’tstop.”“I won’t.” He shoved into

her again and used his freehand to reach around andstroke her clit. “Not untilyou’re coming around mycock.”Shearchedherback,taking

himdeeper.“Good.”She was almost there. The

sounds coming out of her

mouthwereindicationofthat,the same way she went wildaround him. Luke gritted histeeth and kept up his pace,determined to see her comeonemoretimebeforehegaveintohisownoblivion.“Now,darlin’. I know you’re close.Comeformenow.”“Luke.”Sheshuddered,her

pussy milking his cock,

stealingawayhiscontrol.Hegrabbedherhipsandpoundedinto her, needing his releaseasmuchashe’dneededhers.Hisorgasmtorethroughhim,makinghiskneebuckle.Lukecaught them both at the lastsecond, but he had to bracehimselfontheglassandwithan arm around her waist tokeep them off the floor.

“Fuck.”“Ican’teven…”Yeah,himeither.Hehadn’t

expected this. Evenwhen hewas tossing her ass over hisshoulder, he hadn’t reallyconsideredthatthesexwouldbemind-blowing.When she started to

straighten, he tightened hisgrip, not ready to break their

contactyet.Atsomepointhewasgoingtohavetofacethathe’d made a mess of things,but he wasn’t ready to. Notyet. “Where do you thinkyou’regoing?”“Ashower?”“Not fucking likely. I’m

not done with you yet.” Hepicked her up and set her onthe couch next to the

windows. After tossing thecondom in the garbage, heknelt in front of her andspreadherlegs.Her eyes went wide.

“Again?”“Woman, I’m haven’t had

evenclosetoenoughofyou.”He leaned down and suckedher clit into his mouth. “Ihope you don’t have any

plans until tomorrowafternoon, because you’regoingtomissthem.”

AChapterSix

lexis woke up as thesun hit the curtains

across the room. She

stretched, loving how soreand used her body felt. Trueto hisword, Lukemade sureshe didn’t get much sleep atalllastnight.Helaysprawlednexttoher,hisheadburiedinhis pillow. She proppedherselfuponherelbowsandfinallyallowedherselftolookherfill.Lastnight,he’ddonea damn good job of making

sure she was so distracted,shecouldn’tgetagoodviewof his body. When they’dfinally collapsed in bedtogether,hetuckedthembothin and flipped off the lampinside of ten seconds. It wasunreal.As she shifted the sheet to

theside,sherealizedwhy.Anangry scar wound its way

down his side to his legbefore exploding over hisknee. The flesh lookedstrange,asifit’dbeengraftedin. That’s exactly what it is,she realized. Something hadtorn into him with suchviolence that she couldn’timagine there was much leftof this leg when it wasthrough with him.

Considering what she knewofthewaroverseas, ithadtobeanIED.When he’d given her the

curt answer about his kneelast night, she’d pegged himfor military. Apparently shewasright.Something inside her

softened to think of the painandagonyhemusthavegone

through—was still goingthrough, if his limp was anyindication. It didn’t excusehis shitty attitude—plenty ofmenwalkedawaywithworseinjuries and managed to stillseethecupashalffull—butitgave her an unwelcomeinsight to everything Luke.Shedidn’tlikeit.Thiswassomuch easier to chalk up to a

strangerinastrangelandwhoblew her mind and, as aresult, gave her back a littlesliver of what she’d beenmissingforsolong.A step in the right

direction.She glanced at the clock

next to the bed andmentallycursed. She’d have to hurryor shewasgoing tomissher

flight.Plus,shewantedtocalland check in with Avery.Maybeapologizeforskippingtownbeforethebabyshower.Even thinking about it had

her throat closing. Her sisterhadn’t done anything the“right”way—planning touseher best friend as a spermdonorandgoitalone,despitetheplannearlygivingYé-yéa

coronary—but she’d stillmanaged to find happinesswith her now-fiancé. Andthey were expecting a baby,the one thing Alexis hadwantedmorethananythingintheworld.The one thing that was

foreverbeyondherreach.She’d survived the same

cancerthatkilledhermother,

but the cost had been sogoddamnhigh.Her ability tohave children, her potentialmarriage with Eric, theacceptance of her traditionalChinese grandparents. All ofittakenawaywiththesurgerythatendedupsavingherlife.She supposed she should

feel lucky tobealive,butonthe dark days, when her

grandfather was telling herwhatafailureofawomanshewas, shehadahellofa timeappreciatingthatfact.Allshecouldseewasthestarkrealityofwhatshe’dlost.Maybe if Mom were still

alive, she would see thingsdifferently. Her mother haddied when she was sixteen,butshe’dbeenbrightandfull

of life right up to the veryend,evenwhentheenditselfwas unavoidable. Alexishadn’t managed that. Thecancer was gone, but shecouldn’t shake the feelingthat she’d lost somethingirreplaceablealongtheway.She sat up. God, she

shouldn’tbedwellingonanyof these things. She was in

Ireland—alandofmagicandpossibilities, where being inthe right place at the righttime was enough to shove aperson into awhole differentworld. And hadn’t shestumbled onto both with thisrough-and-tumble man whomade her forget her ownname? The past shouldn’t beable to shoulder its way into

the now and leech anyhappiness shehadas a resultofhim…butitdid.Timetogo.She dressed as quietly as

possible and paused by thedresser mirror that he’dpleasured her in front of lastnight. Her body heated fromthe memory, and shemanaged to dredge up a

smile. Her time in Cork hadbeen positive, even if heremotional baggage hadn’tmagically disappeared as aresult. She’d found someonewho actually saw her as awoman—asexywoman.Thatwasagiftshe’dneverforget.This is only the first step.

I’m moving in the rightdirection, and that’s all that

matters. Luke was part ofthat, and I’ll always cherishthismemory.She scrawled a quick note

onto the hotel stationerybefore she walked out thedoor.A few blocks down from

the hotel, she found a payphone that would serve herpurpose. After jumping

through the necessary hoopsfor an international call, sheheldherbreathwhile it rang.Maybe Avery wouldn’t pickup. That would be easier.She’d drop a “Hey, I’m stillalive”voicemailandgocatchaplane.Of course, the universe

wasn’t feeling soaccommodating.

“Hello?”Sheclosedhereyes,awave

of homesickness rolling overher that was so intense italmost brought her to herknees. Through all her hillsand valleys and liferepeatedly kicking her in theteeth,hersisterhadbeenoneof the constants.She’dneverleft Alexis’s side, never

hesitatedinherbeliefthatheroldersisterwouldgetthroughthe treatments and come outvictorious. Alexis swallowedhard.“Hey.”“Alexis? Oh my God,

where are you? We’ve beenso worried! You disappearedand all you left was a textsaying not to worry aboutyou. What the hell is with

that?”Therewas a smackingnoise. “Yes, Drew, it’sAlexis. No, I don’t knowwhere she is. If you’ll justshutupforhalfasecond,I’llget some answers.” Averyclearedherthroat.“Whereareyou?”Now was not the time to

falter. Even if her issues hadpoppeduptopunchherinthe

facethismorning,heroverallexperience in Cork had beenenoughtoproveshewasrightto take this trip in the firstplace. “Europe. I have somethingsIneedtodo,butI’llbehome…when I’m home.Before the baby.” That, atleast, shecouldpromise.Shewouldn’tletherpersonalcrapget in thewayofbeing there

when her niece or nephewcameintotheworld.“Wow, that’s some serious

detailyou’regivingme.Howaboutyoutryagain?”Itwouldn’thurttogiveher

a little information. Itwasn’tlike there was a whole lotAverycoulddowithit,beingpregnant and all. No waywould Drew let her catch a

flight here—and hewouldn’tleave her, either. Not tomention, it was selfish toleave them completelyhanging. She took a deepbreath. “Remember that cliffthat’s been my screen saverforthelastsixmonths?”“The one in Norway that

scares you shitless evenlookingatit?”

“That’s the one.” Anotherbreath.“I’mgoingtohikeupthereandseeit.”“Why? You’re terrified of

skyscrapers, and that’s awhole lot higher. What areyoutryingtoprove,Alexis?”There itwas, the thing her

sister didn’t understand.Avery had been scaredenoughoflosingherabilityto

have biological children thatshetookmattersintoherownhands andmade lifemold toher expectations. There wasnoobstacleshecouldn’t lookat and figure out a way toovercome.Alexis had never had that

kind of courage. No, thatwasn’t true. She’d beendownright fearless growing

up. But then Mom died andeverything changed. Her daddid the best he could, but hewasn’tMom.AndthenYé-yéand Nâinai moved in andtookover.Some days she felt like

she’djustbeengoingthroughthe motions since then. Sheneeded this, needed a resetbutton, together life figured

out so she didn’t go to herdeathbedwishingshe’dmadedifferent choices. The firststephadbeenIrelandwithitsmagic and population thatwas so in love with life, itwashardforsomeofitnottoruboffonher.JustlikeMomhaddescribed.Next, it was time to face

herfears.Iftherewasnothing

lefttobeafraidof,maybeshecouldstart to reclaimher lifethe way their mother wouldhave wanted her to. She’dspentsolongdancingtootherpeople’s tunes, it was aforeignconcept.Alexisbitherlip.Itwasn’t

about proving something. Itwasabout reclaimingherself.She couldn’t set that aside,

even for her sister. “I loveyou,Avery.GiveDrewakissforme.I’llcallinafewdaysoraweekorsomething.”Shehung up before her sistercould say anything else.There was nothing to say.The decision had alreadybeenmade.Shewashere,andshe was going to see thisthrough.

L ukewokeuptothesoundofhis satellite phoneringing. He rolled over,reaching for Alexis andcoming up empty.Only thendid he open his eyes. Emptybed, empty room, open doorto a dark bathroom. Shewasgone. And he had no ideawhere she was staying, so itwasn’tlikehecouldcampout

in frontofherhotelandwaitfor the princess to showherself. He’d well and trulyfucked up. “Shit.” He rolledback over and grabbed thephone.“Yeah?”“Wherethehellareyou?”Flannery. He closed his

eyesandcollapsedbackontothe bed. “You knowwhere Iam. You’re the one who

bookedmy ticket.”Andnowhehadtoadmitthathe’dhada line on Alexis and let hergetawaybecausehewas tootired from fucking her allnight to wake up when sheslippedout.On second thought,maybe

he’dleaveoutthatlastpart.“And now you’re making

jokes.”

Becausehedidn’thaveitinhim to do much else. Everypartofhisbodyhurtfromthehikeyesterdayandwhathe’ddone toAlexis last night.Hewanted to roll over and gobacktosleepforafewhours,butthatwasn’tintheitinerary—notwhenshe’dghostedonhim.“Ilosther.”“Noshit.Iknewthatbefore

youdid,apparently.”He opened his eyes.

Flannery knew where shewas? What the hell hadchanged between yesterdaywhen they’donlyknown shebooked a flight forCork andnow?“How?”“Shecalledhersister.They

onlytalkedforafewminutes,but it was enough for her to

let us know where she’sheaded.”Thatgothimmoving.Luke

stood, and flinchedwhen hiskneevoiced a protest. Stupidgoddamninjury.Hewouldn’tlet it slow him down. Hecouldn’t.“Tellme.”“Look, I wouldn’t have

asked you to do this if Ithought you couldn’t handle

it. But…what the hellhappened?”What happened was that

he’dbeenassaulted,andthenturned around and lost hishead over this woman. Itcrossedhismindthatshewasonto why he was here andhad played him, but hedismissed the thought. If sheknew he’d been sent to keep

her safe, she would havegivenhimapieceofhermindand told himwhere to shoveit.Thatsaid,hewasn’taboutto tell Flannery how badlyhe’dbotchedprotectionduty.“She just got away fromme.Whereissheheaded?”Flannery hesitated so long,

he was half sure the manwouldcallhimoff thewhole

mission.“Norway.”The problem with Europe

was that it had far toomanyplaces within easy reach. Hehad a list of destinationswhere Avery thought hersister might go, but nothingmore than his best guess atthe order. Norway hadn’tevenbeenonthefuckinglist.“What thehell is sheafter in

Norway?”“EverhearofPulpitRock?

It’s called Preikestolenlocally.”No,buthewasabouttoget

educated. “Why wasn’t thison the list of possible placesshe’dgo?”“Because it’s a goddamn

mountain, and her sister isafraidofheights.”

More self-discovery shit?Of course. “Wheredo Ineedtoflyin?”“Stavanger.”Goodenough.He’dreadup

on his way. “I’ll be on thenextflightout.”“Thanks, man.” Again, a

hesitation. “Thank you fordoing this. We’re all reallyworriedabouther.”

Which only drove homethat there was somethingFlannery wasn’t telling him.Shemight be a princess, buthe still had a hard timewrappinghisheadaroundthefact that she knew she hadpeople worried sick abouther, and she’d just droppedeverything and taken off.Normalpeopleplannedatrip

likethis,gavetheirfamilyanitinerary with the expectedday they’dbeback, and thenflewtoEurope.He hesitated, torn between

wanting to know what thehell was going on and notwanting to waste any moretimeonthisphonecall.“Youdidn’t tell me a whole lotaboutherwhenyoucalledfor

help.” And he’d owedFlannery enough that hehadn’t bothered to ask. NowLuke was wondering if thathadbeenamistake.“She’simportanttous,and

we’re worried about her. Iwasn’t aware you needed agoddamnprofile.”He didn’t, not if his only

goalwastokeephersafe.He

shoved down his irritation.Mostly. “Don’t worry aboutit. I’ll keep her out oftrouble.”Hehungup.Yeah,he’dkeepheroutof

trouble,butshewasgoing toget an earful when he foundher. Who the hell did shethink she was, bouncing outonhimlikehewassomekindofdirtyone-nightstand?

Thefactthatshe’dbeenup-front about calling themexactly that didn’t change adamnthing.Luke stopped next to the

dresser,hisgazefallingtothepiece of paper there. Therewas no explanation, no wayto get a hold of her, just ahastily written, You gave meback a piece of what I was

looking for. Thank you. Yetanotherindicationthathewasswimming in deep waters,and no one had thought towarn him that there weresharksabout.Whatthehellisshe running from? Hefrowned at the note. Orrunning toward? He wantedtorip itupandflushitdownthe toilet, buthe stuffed it in

hispocketinstead.He had a plane toNorway

tocatch.

TChapterSeven

wo motherfuckingmiles.Lukecursedagain

as his knee cried out. Two

milesup.Because apparentlyAlexis the Princess simplyhad to climb to the top of agoddamncliffandstareoffit.Maybeshewascallinginthebirds from thearea todohercleaning à la her Disneycounterparts, or she justwanted to feel closer tonature, but Christ, she coulddo either of those things on

flatgroundthatdidn’trequirehim to bust his ass up apath…He stumbled to a stop,

lookedup…andkeptlooking.“You have got to be fuckingwith me.” The path turnedintoagoddamnmountain, sosteep he’d have to use bothhis feet and his hands toclimb,anditwasriddledwith

boulders.He’dbeluckyifhemade it to the top withoutspraininganankle.This all could have been

bypassed if he’d caught anearlier flight. But the earlyone—the same one hesuspected Alexis was on outofCork—had already left bythe time he made it to theairport.Sohewasstuckwith

the evening flight. By thetimehemadeittoStavanger,it was well past dinnertime,andhehadnoideawhereshewould have picked to spendthe night. The helpfulstewardess had told him thatthe hike to Pulpit Rock—orPreikestolen as most peoplecalled it—was an all-dayevent. So at least he’d been

sparedfromchasingafterherinthedark.Which was why he was

here, at the ass-crack ofdawn, ready to riskpermanentinjurytogettothetopof thisshit. IfAlexishadkept on the phone longenoughtotellhersisterwhereshe was staying, this wouldhave been unnecessary, but

noooooo.He leaned down to rub his

knee,knowingdamnwellthathis anger was misplaced. Itdidn’t make it miraculouslydisappear toknowthesourcewas a combination of thephysicalaggravationfromhisknee and his bruised pridefrom the fact that she’dslipped out of bed without

himsomuchasstirring.He’ddroppedtheball.Lukebracedhimselfforthe

pain that was about tobecomehisworldandstartedup.Facedwiththischallenge,hecouldn’thelpthinkingthatthiswouldhavebeenaneasyhikebeforethatIEDblewoffhalf his right leg. He wouldhave spent it joking and

laughing.Now…Now,itwasa struggle to take the nextstep.Andhell if thereminderof

all the ways his life wasdifferent didn’t piss him off.Hewasn’twholeanymore. Ifhe had been, the Air Forcewouldhavekepthimonasapararescuer. But he couldn’tmeet the physical

requirements—hedidn’tevencomeclosetheonetimehe’dtried.Todohisjob,hehadtobeatthetopofhisgame,andthat’s something he neverwou