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Six more military heroes.

Six more indomitable heroines.

One UNIFORMLY HOT! miniseries.

Don’t miss a story in Mills & Boon®’s Blaze®’s bestselling miniseries, featuring irresistible soldiers from all branches of the armed forces.

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Full Surrender

by Joanne Rock

(November 2012)

Uniformly Hot! The Few. The Proud. The Sexy as Hell.

Dear Reader,

This month it’s my pleasure to be part of the Blaze Authors’ Pet Project, a program where the Blaze® writers work to draw attention to animals in need and the wonderful shelters that reach out to them. In Full Surrender, heroine Stephanie Rosen is a pet photographer, so this was a perfect time to showcase some real-life adoptable pets as well as one of the organizations that work tirelessly to find forever homes.

The animals Stephanie photographed in my book are all—as of this writing—at Safe Place, a group that cares for pets when a terminally ill owner no longer can. Since the organization was founded by a Hospice nurse in 1996, it has helped over five hundred pets become part of new, loving families in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado, including Colorado Springs. Thank you to Safe Place for giving me such adorable characters. Please consider this shelter if you’re in the market for a pet, or just want to contribute to a very worthy cause.

Now, I hope you’ll enjoy the story of my final Murphy brother! I’ve had so much fun with this family. Danny captured my imagination the moment he walked onto the scene, and I’ve been eager to write his story. I hope you enjoy this hero as much as I have, as well as this final peek into the world of the Murphy clan.

Happy reading,

Joanne Rock

About the Author

JOANNE ROCK is the author of over fifty books for a variety of Mills & Boon® series. A three-time RITA® Award nominee and former Golden Heart winner, Joanne is a frequent speaker at writing conferences. Bolstered by the kindness of other authors in the writing community early in her career, Joanne enjoys paying back that generosity by helping aspiring writers today. When she’s not writing, she is most often found at sporting events cheering on her three athletic sons. Learn more about Joanne’s books by visiting her website, joannerock.com, or Harlequin.com.

Full Surrender
Joanne Rock

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To all the compassionate and giving souls who make

the world a happier place for animals, and in particular

to the folks at Safe Place who take in animals in need.

Bless you for your hard work and I wish you much

success in your mission.

1

THE USS BRADY cruised into Norfolk, Virginia, at 10:00 a.m. EST, right on schedule. The navy destroyer ship had been deployed for six months, but for Stephanie Rosen, the homecoming had taken five long years.

A military marching band played at the front of the pier, near the ship’s ramp. Flags and banners fluttered in the late summer breeze while overexcited kids crowded the gate for a first glimpse of their arriving moms or dads. A refreshment tent overflowed with reuniting couples and families. But Stephanie had yet to spot the man she’d been waiting for. The man who had no idea she’d be here today.

“I’ve been crying all morning,” a woman next to her confided, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. Smiling through the tears, the older lady searched for her grown son, a fact Stephanie had discovered during the long wait for the sailors. “It’s crazy to cry, but I’m so happy I can hardly stand it.”

Touched, Stephanie squeezed the woman’s arm. She felt more comfortable waiting with a mom than with some of the wives who were dressed in their sexy best despite the early hour. It was apparent a lot of the reuniting couples had seduction on their minds.

“Happy tears are the best tears.” There had been a time when Stephanie hadn’t been able to cry at all, her emotions closed off after a long, mind-numbing ordeal. These days, she was grateful for the return of her emotions.

Now it was time for the return of her snoozing sensuality, the final phase of her recovery from that dark time five years ago. And there was only one man she trusted with the job. A man who’d been honorable and courageous well before his navy days.

Daniel Murphy.

“Oh, my God, there’s my son!” the woman next to her shouted, her voice hoarse with emotion as she launched toward a handsome seaman in dress whites.

Leaving the pair to their reunion, Stephanie stepped closer to the front of the pier as the crowd thinned just a little. She’d noticed that, while some families lingered to enjoy the festivities, most hastened to their cars to catch up privately at home. She had an exit strategy to combat the traffic just in case she could convince Danny to come home with her.

Nervousness fluttered in her belly at the insane plan. She hadn’t spoken with him in years. She wouldn’t even have known his status now—still single, thank you, God—except that she’d gathered her courage to call his mom in Cape Cod for an update, begging Colleen Murphy’s discretion about her inquiry. But his mom had been totally gracious, saying she was grateful that someone would be on hand to greet Danny when he docked in Virginia while his family prepared a reunion for him back home in Massachusetts.

Adjusting the red hibiscus in her hair, she lifted a hand to shade her eyes and scanned the faces of the last few officers exiting the ramp. She didn’t expect an overly joyful reunion with a man she’d only known for all of five days before she went overseas for her former career as a camerawoman. After all, she and Danny had agreed their relationship would be short-term from the moment they’d met. He’d probably wonder what on earth she was doing here.

“Danny, where are you?” Stephanie asked herself, wandering aimlessly through the happy crowd, the full skirt of her polka-dot dress swishing around bare calves. Her outfit was a nod to Donna Reed in From Here to Eternity, the fifties film that was the extent of her navy knowledge.

And then, just when she decided he must have flown back separately, Stephanie saw him.

She didn’t need to see the details of his face even though he stood almost two stories above her on the ship deck. An officer in dress whites moved to the top of the ramp, possibly the last man off the USS Brady. White wheel cap on his head and ribbons on his chest, he walked with more power and purpose than the laid-back guitarist she’d met five years ago at a house party. And yet she somehow recognized the way he moved.

Or maybe she simply recognized a bolt of lightning when it hit her, just as it had so long ago. Her skin tingled. Her body froze in place. She doubted her ability to speak.

It was him.

The man—or the memory of him—who had gotten her through hell and back even though he didn’t know it. Now, she just needed one more favor from Danny Murphy, and it promised to be the most awkward request of her life.

DRESS SHOES CLACKING on the steel bow ramp, Danny Murphy barely saw the crowd of people still milling around the pier below. He’d waited to disembark in the hope of avoiding the worst of the scene. Most of his buddies were hooking up within an hour of arriving back home, the sprint to their women almost laughable if it wasn’t so damn relatable. Imposed celibacy was a drag, but right now Danny told himself he was most interested in sleeping for seventy-two hours straight. His family knew he liked a few days to himself to acclimate to life on land before he had to be social, and for the first time in his naval career they’d respected his wish.

Of course, half the reason they’d been so accommodating was because they were busy getting ready for a Murphy-family wedding back home in Cape Cod. In the last year, his brothers had all found true love. He wasn’t looking forward to treading through their happy world as a single guy. A single guy still messed in the head thanks to …

Stephanie?

He nearly tripped, ass over fancy white cap, at the sight of the hot brunette at the ramp’s end. A woman who’d materialized the instant he’d thought of her. It was the woman he’d been fantasizing about. Right here in Norfolk.

She looked so good, he figured she must be a mirage. She wore a sexy black-and-white polka-dot dress that showed off her tiny waist. Wide shoulder straps and a modestly low neckline framed a heart-shaped locket more than her cleavage, but then again, her curves weren’t exactly disguised. She’d pinned a big red flower in her hair, the bloom tucked behind one ear so that a petal brushed her forehead.

“Hi, Danny.” The vision spoke as he got closer, making him certain she wasn’t a mirage.

All vestiges of tiredness fell away.

He reached the end of the ramp and couldn’t go a step farther unless he wanted to wind up in her arms. Which he did. But he would not allow that to happen no matter how good she looked right now.

“Stephanie.” He’d dreamed about holding her again. Mostly, he’d just dreamed about seeing her again.

She’d gone to Iraq with his cousin, a reporter, to film a series for an online news magazine. But she’d been kidnapped and held captive for six weeks.

Sometimes he still woke up thinking she was still over there and he had no way to find her. His legs would be tangled in his sheets and he’d be sweating like a son of a bitch. Memories of her, and leftover guilt that he hadn’t been able to help, had sabotaged every relationship he’d had since.

Even now, he wasn’t sure if he trusted that she was here. He sure as hell didn’t trust his knees to keep him on his feet.

“I … um.” She backed up a step. “I hope it’s okay I came to meet the ship. I know it’s been a long time.”

“Yeah.” He couldn’t think of a damn thing to say to her, but he didn’t want to scare her off, either. “It’s fine. I mean, of course. It’s good to see you.”

Eloquent as a damn elephant, that was him. He tried to shake off the shock of her appearing out of the blue.

“You, too.” She smiled and five years fell away.

It was almost like meeting her for the first time, back before the nightmare of her abduction started. That is, until a new fear clocked him between the eyes.

“Are you, er, looking for someone?” He glanced around the pier, wondering if she was seeing a guy who had served on the USS Brady with him. What if she was meeting someone else?

“I was looking for you.” She bit her lip and now she was the one whose gaze darted around the people nearby. “Unless you’re meeting someone? I don’t mean to get in the way of anything.”

“No. God, no.” He shook his head, relieved that she was here for him. But damn. Why would she seek him out now, after all this time? “I’m just surprised you’d be in Virginia. Last I knew, you were living in Long Island.”

He’d been to her town house there, in fact. After they’d met at a friend’s house party in Brooklyn, Danny had gone home with her and spent the next four days at her place. They hadn’t been apart for more than five minutes at a stretch during that crazy, awesome time together. They might have had a future if she hadn’t been headed overseas for an extended assignment. Instead, they’d just parted ways, wishing each other well, never realizing how her life was about to implode.

“I moved to D.C. a couple of years ago, so I’m not all that far from here. I started a new pet-photography business out of my home. I just … really wanted a fresh start.”

She didn’t need to say why. The memory of seeing her face on the news a couple of months after she’d gone to Iraq on assignment was burned into his brain. It had taken every ounce of self-restraint he could manage to join the service instead of trying to board a plane with a weapon and hunt down her captors himself.

For a moment, the old fire raged inside him, the fury and resentment that had driven him long after she’d been released. But he wrestled that into submission for her sake, since she was right here in the flesh and talking to him. He knew she’d volunteered at a counseling center for a while afterward, but he hadn’t known about the new photography business.

“I have a car close by,” she was saying now, pointing behind them. A few trinkets jingled on her bracelet and he realized they were all silver charms of different dog breeds, no doubt inspired by her work. “I heard that returning sailors like to eat good food as soon as they return home, so I …” She cleared her throat and tucked her hair behind the ear without the flower. “I wondered if you’d like to have lunch with me and catch up.”

Around them, a military band played, volunteers handed out balloons to kids, and families wept and hugged. Danny was aware of his surroundings, but didn’t really hear anything, the rest of the world operating like a silent film in the backdrop of the main attraction. Stephanie Rosen. Returned stateside four and a half years ago.

Returned to him … just now.

He wanted to wrap her in his arms, to see if she smelled the same, felt the same. But he knew he’d never be able to let go if he touched her now. Instead, he’d play it safe until he found out what she wanted.

“Sounds good,” he managed to say, dropping his bag onto the pier. He couldn’t imagine why she’d seek him out after all this time. He’d tried to get in touch with her once, but his efforts had been met with radio silence on her end. “My car is probably closer, though. I had a buddy park it nearby last night. I know all the shortcuts out of here to beat the traffic.”

“Sure.” She nodded as she accepted a blue balloon from a clown whose white makeup ran in streaks down the side of his face where he was sweating. “No problem. But first …” She opened her arms wide. “Welcome home, Danny Murphy.”

The simple gesture humbled him so fast his throat burned with old emotion. Christ, he should have found a way to be there when she came home so he could have welcomed her. But he’d already been in the service, property of the U.S. military and unable to leave his duty station, determined to make sure no one else suffered the way she had.

It took all the strength and discipline he possessed to rein in his feelings now and give her a hug without crushing her. Folding her carefully in his arms, he buried his face in her hair, breathing in the clean scent. She squeezed back with surprising strength. Her body was so delicate, tall but slender. It was easy to forget it since her personality was big enough to fill a room.

Or at least it had been. Most people who went through that kind of ordeal were changed by it. Who wouldn’t be?

And with that ice-cold reminder, he found the courage to release her.

“Thank you.” His gaze locked with hers for a moment, the scent of her still in his nose.

“My pleasure.” She smiled up at him, holding her balloon. “You look kind of dashing in white.” She smoothed a hand over his chest, skimming his ribbons and kicking up his temperature. “And not at all like the laid-back rock ‘n’ roll dude I met five years ago.”

Did she have any idea what her abduction had done to him? She wasn’t the only one who’d changed.

“It’s been a long time,” he acknowledged, hoisting his bag onto one shoulder and using the other hand to steer her toward the pier’s exit. Yeah, it was dicey to touch her when he still wanted her. Had always wanted her. But his feelings for her were more complicated than that now. Stephanie wasn’t just some woman who’d knocked him for a loop with the best fling of his life.

She was … someone he respected for all that she’d been through. Someone who deserved to be protected.

“Only a handful of years,” she countered, sidestepping a couple of toddlers dressed in sailor suits. Her voice was throaty and sexy. He’d forgotten that about her. “The guy I knew could never leave his band behind for six months at a time.”

He could barely remember what he’d been like back then. It surprised him that she wanted to talk about the past. Talk about them. He didn’t know if he could handle a trip down memory lane. Tough enough just keeping a hand at the small of her back without pulling her against him.

A kid’s cry sounded behind them and she turned to look back at the stragglers still visiting on the pier. He turned, too, sticking right with her. One of the sailor-suit kids had lost his balloon, the spot of red floating higher and higher while the little boy’s lower lip curved into the fiercest frown Danny had ever seen. Stephanie rushed back to hand him her balloon, the magic of a replacement popping the kid’s mouth right back into a smile while the parents thanked her.

The action drew some attention from lingering sailors on the dock. Single frigging sailors from the way the guys looked her over. Danny wrapped an arm around her waist and shot them the evil eye, torqued off at them when he had no right to be.

If she was surprised by the sudden close contact, she didn’t show it. She fit against him just as perfectly as he remembered, her hip the ideal height for him to rest his hand on as they walked.

And in no time, he was thinking about how else they fit together. Memories bombarded him like rogue torpedo fire.

“So where are we going?” she asked as they left some of the crowd behind. “Is it far?”

“No.” He could see the Gran Torino already, parked in a private lot behind his favorite local restaurant. “There’s my ride. Looks like my buddy had it washed, too.”

She murmured appreciatively. “I remember you telling me about this vehicle. You were restoring it yourself.”

He swallowed hard, recalling that conversation. It had taken place in the huge claw-foot tub in her condo. Her on top of him. Naked. Sated. Covered in bubbles.

“Yeah. I don’t put many miles on it since I’m hardly ever home.” He’d kept it garaged at his folks’ place up until this past spring. Then he’d moved it to Norfolk so he could use it when he wasn’t at sea.

“Looks like you outdid yourself.” She hurried a step ahead of him to get a closer view. “Nice wheels.”

She eyeballed the 1972 classic while he popped the trunk and found a pair of shoes he kept in the back. He could deal with the dress whites, except for the damn shoes that went with them. He set his cap in the trunk, too, and then went for the buttons on the tunic.

Stephanie’s whistle stopped him cold. She stood there, at the back of the car now, her eyes roaming over him while her lips quirked in that wry smile he recalled from their first meeting long ago.

“Undressing already, Danny?” She cocked her hip and fanned herself with one hand. “This lunch is going to be more fun than I thought.”

2

AS SEDUCTIVE EFFORTS went, it wasn’t much. But Stephanie needed to get the ball rolling and she was mega rusty when it came to flirtation.

Still, she’d expected more reaction than the frozen stare Danny gave her now. Fingers stilled on the buttons of his white shirt, he didn’t move a muscle. His body was so tense he might as well have been carved from marble.

Damn it, this had been a bad idea. She was about to withdraw her comment and change the subject when his green eyes went a shade darker. His strong chest rose and fell, his jaw flexing. A handful of subtleties made her realize he felt the same heat as her. He was just a whole lot better at hiding it.

“Uh, that is, sorry,” she apologized hastily, stepping away from the trunk to admire the vintage Ford instead. She wasn’t sure why he’d want to suppress an attraction, but she hadn’t meant to put him on the spot by assuming any kind of connection still existed between them. “I didn’t mean to invade your space.”

She forced her gaze to the car’s burgundy-colored paint, admiring the way the metallic flecks caught the light and hoping she hadn’t overstepped too soon and too much. Her skin felt as hot as the sun-warmed metal looked, her pulse throbbing so fast she felt it vibrate right through her skin.

“I don’t have any sense of personal space after sharing a 500-foot ship with 300 people for 180 days,” he said slowly, the soft swish of fabric assuring her he’d started undressing again. “But if I did, you’d be more than welcome to it.”

Oh. Warmth smoked through her, chasing away the embarrassment with another kind of heat—the kind she never seemed to feel anymore. Yet Danny Murphy could call forth that delicious response in no time flat.

Apparently, she’d come to the right person to reawaken her libido. Now, if only she could convince him to sign on for the mission she had in mind.

“Thank you. I didn’t mean for that comment to slip out, but I guess for a minute it felt like old times.” She couldn’t help the smile that started in her heart and worked its way to the surface. And she couldn’t stop smiling, even as he came over to her side of the car and opened the passenger door. He wore a gray T-shirt and a pair of loafers with his white uniform trousers. “I think I’m probably putting the cart before the horse to flirt with you when I don’t know your official relationship status. Danny, are you seeing anyone?”

His mom hadn’t mentioned anyone special in his life in their brief phone conversation, but then again, it seemed as though Danny kept some distance from his family these days. A lot could happen in six months while the USS Brady stopped in ports all over the Atlantic.

He stood in the open door after she got in, his green eyes briefly skimming her legs while she adjusted her skirt around them.

“I’m unattached.” The way he said it lent the words a slightly ominous quality.

Or had she imagined that?

“Me, too,” she admitted, her voice failing her a little at the thought of how very unattached she’d become in the last handful of years. Some days, it seemed that she connected more with the pets she photographed than actual human beings.

Danny lowered himself so that he was eye-to-eye with her.

“Do you mind waiting a minute while I run inside and finish changing?” He held a pair of khakis in one hand. “The restaurant doesn’t open to the public until noon, but I know the owner and he’s got something for me.”

“Sure.” She nodded, hypnotized by the sight of him after so long. With the partial change of clothes, he looked more like she remembered already, except perhaps for his clean-shaven face. When they’d met, he’d worn a dark soul patch trimmed beneath his lower lip and the shadow of short hair at his chin.

She still remembered exactly what that scruff of bristles felt like against her when he kissed her. What would he feel like now?

“Good.” Rising, he pressed the old-fashioned lock on the door. “You should keep the doors locked even though this is a good neighborhood, okay? I’ll be right back.”

She tried not to think about that small protective gesture as he slammed the door shut and jogged up the back steps of a dockside restaurant. The day had started off so well. She didn’t want to lose the pleasantly flirtatious vibe by remembering the time she hadn’t been behind a locked door and a man had grabbed her right off the street, yanking a bag over her head.…

Panicking, she rolled down the window for fresh summer air. Claustrophobia was more of a problem right now than the likelihood of getting kidnapped two blocks away from a huge U.S. military installation. She dragged in deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She refused to end up like her mom—perpetually nervous about everything. And, thinking of her mother’s constant worries, Stephanie checked her cell phone to make sure it was off. Phone calls from a nervous parent were not welcome when she was trying to seduce a man.

“Hey,” a familiar voice called from nearby, sooner than she expected. “Are you okay?”

She watched Danny descend the wooden steps, his white trousers in hand now that he wore a pair of faded khakis that conformed to muscular thighs. He also carried a couple of huge take-out bags, one of which was topped with three baguettes that stuck out of the paper sack. Hauling in one more deep drag of the salty sea breeze off the harbor, Stephanie wiped a little sweat from her forehead and gave him a thumbs-up.

“I’m good to go,” she called back, not wanting to ruin this reunion with stupid stuff from the past that did not rule her life anymore. “And I’m dying for a ride in this baby.”

She patted the side of the Gran Torino through her window. Then, recalling he was still locked out, she leaned over and popped the door on his side.

“Fair enough.” He slid in beside her, tossing the take-out bags and his extra pair of pants in the backseat. Then he dropped a set of dog tags into the console with a bunch of coins. “But will you be disappointed if we eat lunch at my place?” He started the engine and then jerked a thumb toward the bags of food. “I’ve had an order in at this place for six months and I hate to miss out on homemade manicotti.”

By now, the scent of basil-laden tomato sauce wafted her way. She peered back at the huge bags and frowned.

“I don’t know. Are you sure there’s going to be enough food for me in there?”

He laughed and the sound soothed her like a hug. The last of her claustrophobia disappeared, carried away by the warm breeze drifting through the windows as they drove past pawn shops and pizza joints toward the main road.

“Jerry packed enough grub to feed six people, which should be about right for the two of us.”

He cranked the radio and lowered his window. She realized the song playing was one his band used to cover, a ballad with hard-core guitar harmonies and a screechy lead vocal. For a moment, the years rolled away, a weight lifting from her chest. It had been easy to be with him five years ago, too. He could be charming when he wanted, but more often he was quiet. She’d liked that about him because she was the same way with a public personality and a private one. And both sides of her had felt comfortable around Danny.

She lifted her voice to sing along while he drove. On a quiet stretch of access road before they met the highway, he stuck his head all the way out the window, letting the wind whip through his hair. She was tempted to copy him, it looked so fun. When he ducked back into the car, his dark hair stood straight up in the center, as though he’d been through a wind tunnel.

They took turns singing on the way home, maybe because it was easier than talking. Sometimes that public party persona was simpler to deal with than the moodier private one. But she half dreaded asking him to have a fling. Something told her he wasn’t going to jump in with both feet the way he had five years ago. He struck her as more serious now, for one thing. She’d seen it in that powerful stride when he’d walked down the boat ramp, felt it in the way he’d tensed when she’d flirted with him.

Half an hour later, they were on the far side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, rumbling over coastal roads. They passed a sign welcoming them to Cape Charles.

“It’s beautiful out here.” She’d grown up on Long Island, but it had been easy to forget you lived anywhere near the water with the dense urban sprawl from the city. Here, the scent of the bay hung in the air and patches of beach were occasionally visible through the trees. Blue water sparkled under the early afternoon sunshine.

“When I left Cape Cod, I tried to choose a place that felt like home. My house here is a pretty good compromise.” He hit his turn signal just then, pulling into the driveway of a gray, cedar-sided house that would have been lovely even if wasn’t overlooking the water.

Perched on the beach as it was, she couldn’t imagine what the Nantucket-style home had cost him.

“Oh, wow.” She’d known that his family was wealthy. But she hadn’t really pictured this. “If this is a compromise, I can’t imagine what the house you were raised in looks like.”

He turned off the engine and tugged the bags out of the backseat.

“Before my dad formed Murphy Resorts, he was a real estate developer at a time when property rates were growing exponentially. So yeah, my folks live well these days.” He hit a button on a key-ring remote that lifted a garage door off to one side. Two weathered Adirondack chairs sat on a deck off the room over the garage.

“Do you have someone take care of things while you’re away? It must be hard to leave such a beautiful place.” She followed him into the garage, which was empty except for a bicycle and a scooter as big as a small motorcycle. He’d left his car outside.

“A property manager has it cleaned and watches it while I’m gone.” He used his keys to open an interior door that led them into a modern kitchen full of whitewashed cabinets and stainless-steel appliances.

But her eyes didn’t stay on the kitchen. The open floor plan drew her attention to a huge family room with a wall of windows that overlooked the water.

“This is incredible.” She walked toward the windows, drawn by the view. “I can’t imagine how relaxing it must feel to come home to this.”

The beach was empty even though a few boat ramps were visible down the shoreline, suggesting other houses were nearby through the trees that lined the property.

He dropped the bags onto the counter and shuffled through the take-out lids, so she returned to the kitchen to help.

“After growing up near the water, I get a little stir-crazy if I can’t see it now.” Turning on the oven, he slid some foil containers inside to reheat. “Would you like to take a walk out there while this warms up?”

“That’d be great.” She wanted to feel the sand between her toes, but walking out on that shoreline with Danny would be the ideal time to come clean about what she wanted from him. Her heart rate jumped into a higher gear as an attack of nerves set in.

“This way.” He nodded toward the French doors off the living area and they walked past overstuffed blue couches to reach the patio.

Stephanie took her shoes off and left them on the wooden deck before she followed him down the few steps to the beach. Sea grass bent in the breeze on a couple of low dunes close to the house. Beyond that, a few patches of dried black seaweed clumped in piles while the surf rolled onto the shore with a rhythmic whoosh.

“My dogs would love this.” She tipped her face into the salty air.

“You have pets?” He stretched his arms over his head and arched his shoulders like he was working out some kinks.

She tried not to stare. But then again, how could she not? It had been a long time since looking at a man incited the kind of sensual interest she felt right now. That spark of excitement made her feel alive. Healthy. Whole.

“Yes. A couple of cats.” Her voice cracked, her throat dry. She licked her lips and tried again. “I meant the dogs I photograph would have a blast out here. I love taking pictures in natural settings like parks, or at the owners’ homes. But I’d get some great shots if I had this in my backyard.”

Water really brought out the personality of some dogs. Labs and retrievers. Newfies, Porties … And maybe if she kept thinking about her job, she’d forget about what she really needed to discuss. The oh-so-awkward reason she’d made the three-hour drive from D.C. to Norfolk.

“I’d like to see your work sometime.” He toed off his loafers and socks, then headed into the shallow surf. “But first, I’ve got to ask—”

“Uh-oh.” She waded in after him, gathering her excess skirt material in one hand so that it didn’t blow in the breeze off the water.

“What?”

“I know what you’re going to ask, but I’m still working up the nerve to answer.” She flexed her toes into the squishy sand, which fell away beneath her feet as a wave rolled back out to the bay.

“Are my questions that obvious? We haven’t seen each other in five years and you’re already reading my mind?”

“It doesn’t take a mind reader to guess that you’d be curious about why I popped up out of the blue today.”

He frowned. “That wasn’t what I was going to ask, but now that you mention it, learning that is actually a high priority for me.”

Crap. Crap. Crap.

Why hadn’t she let him just finish his thought? Because she was nervous and antsy and … oh, God. This was a stupid idea.

Nevertheless, she’d been imagining this moment for a whole year and she’d hate herself if she chickened out now.

“Are you familiar with the idea of—” she cleared her throat “—sexual healing? You know, recovering lost mojo by having sex with someone you trust?”

Silence met her question. Can you say … awkward?

Danny looked as if she’d hit him with a two-by-four. But there was no turning back now, so she took a deep breath and summed it up for him.

“Well, my mojo hasn’t been the same since … you and I were together last. I’ve been waiting for you to return from your deployment so I could proposition you. What do you say to re-creating our affair?”

DANNY WASN’T SURE if he stood there for ten seconds or ten minutes after Stephanie posed the question. He couldn’t have been more stunned if a rogue wave rose out of the bay, knocked him on his ass and dragged him out to sea. In fact, he probably would have recovered faster if that was the case.

“Danny?” Her voice sounded far away because of all the thoughts that came rushing into his head. She stepped closer, her hand landing on his wrist.

Her request echoed in his mind on an endless loop. He didn’t know whether to pump his fist in victory or cry that she needed to ask. Yeah, knowing why she wanted that kind of healing ripped him raw. In her public account of her abduction, she’d denied being … assaulted. She’d written a book about the experience afterward, and he’d read the whole thing cover to cover a few times. But he had no way of knowing the deeper damage of what she’d really been through—the things she hadn’t put into print.

If she was brave enough to ask him for something like that, however, he was humbled to be the one she went to. He’d damn well do whatever she wanted. Even if it ripped apart the crappy patch job he’d done on his memories of that whole time.

“Come here.” He would have gone to her, but he was still a little numb. He was also wary of spooking her by showing her how much he wanted this. “Please. Will you just come here?”

Between her uncertain step forward and his arms reaching out, he caught her. Drew her against him. She stumbled a half step, but then she was tucked tight to his chest, the top of her head just below his chin where he could rest his cheek and breathe in the scent of her hair. Her arms went around him and her skirt wrapped around his legs in the sea breeze.

He held her that way for ten steadying beats of his heart before his body reminded his brain what she’d just asked of him. All that numbness evaporated. Like a fireball shot into an oil spill, there was sudden ignition everywhere and a tremendous rush of heat.

“Is this your way of letting me down gently?” Stephanie wiggled free of his arms, backing up a step. The flower that she’d stuck in her hair was starting to wilt, no doubt a little crushed from when he’d held her. “Because if this is just a nice attempt to say no—”

“Yes.” He bit out the word more sharply than he’d intended. “I say hell yes. I have to leave in three weeks for another six-month deployment, so I won’t be in town for long. But if you’re cool with that and don’t mind that this is short-lived … I want to be with you.”

He straightened the red flower, tucking the stem more securely behind her ear and trying like hell to smother the inferno threatening to consume him from the inside out.

Her eyes went wide. A smile started, but she lifted her hands to her face, hiding it.

“Seriously?” She sounded happy. A little breathless. “I hope you’re not saying that just because you feel bad for the awkward girl who sucks at seduction. It’s just that I feel safe with you and—”

Danny kissed her. No hesitation this time. His blood still simmered for wanting her, so it wasn’t exactly a chore to seal her lips with his and cut off that line of thinking in no uncertain terms.

She sank into him, her body pliant and warm. She tasted like cinnamon, her lip gloss as edible as the woman. Her soft, yielding mouth reminded him of other kisses, other times she’d given herself to him. And as much as he loved those past days together, he wanted this kiss to be all about the present for both of them. A moment belonging so fully to the here and now that they’d never confuse it with the past.

Edging back, he whispered, “Not a chance.” He stroked up her spine to thread his fingers through her hair, the water swirling higher around their legs as the tide came in. “This is about me and you and new beginnings.”

“Yes.” She nodded fast, obviously liking that idea. “A do-over.”

“Exactly.” They’d be safer that way, he thought. The more they focused on the present, the easier this would be for both of them. “Are you ready to leave the past behind and enjoy the moment?”

Using her hands, she steadied herself on his shoulders as a wave rolled past them, splashing up to his knees.

“Very ready.” Her affirmation was all the encouragement he needed.

Lifting her against him, he tipped his forehead to hers.

“Here’s to a clean slate,” he said softly.

He twirled her in the surf with him, her damp skirt twining around his legs. Too late he saw a high wave speeding toward them. He turned to shelter her and take the brunt of the water on his back, but the force was too great, pulling them down, submerging them both in the Chesapeake Bay.

3

AS THE WATER CLOSED over his head, Danny kept Stephanie pressed tight to him. He hadn’t meant to haul her into the surf without warning. But Stephanie had always had a sense of adventure and spontaneity, just like him.

Or so he thought until she started to struggle in his arms.

Blasting straight to the surface, he pulled her high out of the water, arms locked around her waist and shoulders.

“Are you okay? I didn’t see that wave coming until it was too late.” He scanned her face, trying to get a read on what was wrong. “Is it too cold?”

Water sluiced down her face and shoulders, her dress straps sagging on her arms. Her flower had disappeared and her dark hair was plastered slick to her head. What scared him most was how pale she’d gone.

“I’m fine.” Her eyelids fluttered. Her heartbeat throbbed fast in the blue vein that stood out sharply against her pale throat. “I just … It was dark and I couldn’t see for a second.”

He frowned. Fear of the dark?

She’d never been freaked out by not being able to see before. So it only made sense something had happened between now and then to give her that kind of phobia. No doubt it had to do with her abduction. In trying to distance them from the past, he’d unwittingly thrown her right back into it. It would kill him thinking about how she might have developed that new fear, but he’d be damned if he’d ask her about it now, when they were supposed to be focused on a fresh start.

“I’m so sorry,” he muttered against her forehead. Being with Stephanie was going to be filled with landmines for both of them. “I should have gotten us to the surface faster. I didn’t realize …”

It never occurred to him she might panic. He cursed himself for his insensitivity.

“It’s all right.” Her pupils were wide despite the sun still high in the afternoon sky. She wrapped her arms around herself, her teeth chattering. “I was just surprised.”

“Come on.” He draped an arm across her shoulders and steered her toward the shore. “You can dry off inside.”

“Thanks.” She wrung out a fistful of wet hair as they trudged toward the shore, soaked clothes weighing them down. “I promise I’m not usually spooked that easily. I love the water.”

Yeah. He remembered that about her. They’d taken midnight swims in the pool at her town house those days they’d spent together on Long Island. Sat in the Jacuzzi tub for hours.

“Maybe we can hit the beach sometime when it’s not such a surprise.” He scooped up his shoes as they reached the shore, then guided her back toward the patio and into the house. “Let me get you a towel.”

He saw a blanket on the back of the couch and grabbed that instead. Wrapping her up in blue fleece, he assessed the damage. Her eyes were focused. Clear. Her color seemed better. And he would make damn sure it stayed that way.

“You want a shower while I put the food on the table?” He gestured down the hall while they dripped on the rug near the French doors. “There’s a bathroom off the spare bedroom on the right. It connects to a walk-in closet that has some extra clothes. You can grab a T-shirt or whatever you need out of there.”

“Sounds good.” She gave a firm nod, as if she was as determined as him to put the incident in the water behind them. “Thank you.”

Her gaze roamed over his face, slowing at his mouth, lingering there. Was she thinking about that kiss they’d shared, too? He still couldn’t believe what he’d agreed to out in the bay with her. In a perfect world, they’d take things slow and easy. Not rush into anything. But if she kept up those long looks of hers … he’d find it hard to be the sensible one.

SLIDING INTO ONE of Danny’s T-shirts, Stephanie paused to bury her nose in the cotton at one shoulder. Granted, she probably only smelled laundry detergent. But there was something about wearing a man’s clothes that made her feel sexy and safe at the same time. Like having some of Danny’s strength around her 24/7.

Wouldn’t that be addicting if she wasn’t careful?

She pushed the wicker basket full of clean shirts back into the closet cubby, reminding herself that part of the reason Danny seemed like a safe choice right now was that he’d only be home for a few weeks. She hadn’t known that his stay would be quite that short, but she’d realized it was inevitable he’d go back to sea for his job. No chance of getting in over her head with a guy due to leave before the month’s end.

Pulling through her tangled hair with a wide comb she’d found in a drawer by the sink, Stephanie peered into another wicker basket and found a stack of running shorts. She dug deeper until she spied a gray pair with a drawstring waist that might cinch enough to fit. Her underwear was soaked, so she’d have to go commando. Which might be fine down below, but up top? She stepped from the closet back into the bathroom and checked her reflection. A second T-shirt was definitely in order if she wanted to give the girls halfway decent coverage.

Snagging a second white T-shirt, she pulled it over her head, determined to enjoy her time with Danny from this moment forward. She’d freaked out in the water, but she was done with that now.

Yes, she’d been traumatized when her assignment in Iraq had turned hellish. The family who’d grabbed her and reporter Christina Marcel had been coerced into doing so. Apparently, the family had angered Iraqi insurgents the week before when their oldest son had met with Christina to be interviewed for a story on the effects of the war on the Iraqi people.

Furious that the young man had talked to American reporters, insurgents had killed him and demanded the family use their connections to abduct and hold the reporters or risk seeing another one of their sons gunned down. Her captors hadn’t been as cruel as seasoned rebel soldiers might have been, but Stephanie had still been terrified of them, knowing they would do whatever the insurgents wished.

She hadn’t been raped, although she’d been beaten when she was first taken, to keep her from trying to escape. She’d been scared to death and she still had nightmares about being kept in the dark.

But she’d dealt with it. Put it behind her. And now, years later, she was finally ready for this. For Danny Murphy, the last great memory she had before she went to Iraq. Keeping that in mind, she padded through the hall toward the big, open kitchen.

“It smells fantastic,” she observed lightly, hoping to get this day back on track. She’d survived the worst of her awkward request of Danny, so now she only had to enjoy the fruits of her embarrassment.

He’d said yes, after all. She shivered just thinking about what that meant.

“I hope you brought your appetite.” He stood by the coffee table, arranging plates and glasses on the heavy plank top so they could eat on the sofa. Steam wafted from the plain white dishes loaded with manicotti and red sauce. Salad bowls were heaped with fresh greens and grated cheeses. And a bread basket held several slices of the baguette, some that were plain and some slathered with butter and lightly broiled.

He’d changed into dry shorts and a worn black concert T-shirt for some obscure band, the lettering peeling. His dark hair was still damp and sticking up in a few places as if he’d just used his fingers to shove it out of his eyes.

Her mouth watered for the man as much as the meal.

“I didn’t realize I was hungry until now.” She edged around the sofa to take a spot in front of the low table. “The view is pretty great, too.” Realizing she happened to be staring at him at the moment, she pointed hastily out the window. “I mean, of the bay.”

He sat beside her on the sofa.

“I like the view, too.” He never took his eyes off her. While that comment sank in, he lifted a glass of water and handed it to her, then raised his own. “Here’s to old friends.”

Her heart beat fast. She resisted the urge to tug at the layered T-shirts she wore, knowing her body would be sending obvious signals about how much he affected her. The soft cotton created a pleasurable friction against her breasts.

“Cheers to that.” She clinked her tumbler to his and sipped the water, hoping it would help cool her off. “Don’t let me slow you down, Danny. You must be starving.”

She gestured toward his plate and he grinned.

“I’ll try not to inhale it,” he said as he picked up a fork and dug in.

Following suit, she tasted the manicotti and promptly realized what he liked about the simple dish. The cheese filling was light and amazing. The pasta obviously homemade. And the sauce—yum. She’d polished off half of it before it occurred to her that, delicious as the food was, she wasn’t coming close to fulfilling her real hunger.

Setting her fork down, she wondered how to move things forward with Danny.

“So …” she began, watching him help himself to more of everything. “I don’t mean to sound overly practical about this, but I wondered what you thought of the logistics of … er … you and me?”

He eyed her over a forkful of pasta.

“I may have been out to sea for six months, but I’ve still got a pretty good idea of how the logistics work.”

His wolfish grin stirred her more than the earnest touches of her last—and only—boyfriend after what had happened in Iraq. She had thought something was wrong with her for months while she’d dated Josh, a guy who worked for the agency that had helped with publicity for her book and that vetted the responses she still received on her memoir. She’d thought she wanted to pursue a real relationship with him and had blamed her lack of sensual interest on her ordeal. After all, she had shut down emotionally in a lot of ways afterward.

But maybe the truth was that spark just hadn’t been there with Josh. Not the way it was with Danny. She got back to hammering out the details for a fling, hardly daring to believe it was really going to happen after all this time.

“I mean, where should we conduct this liaison? Here? Or would you like to come with me to my place in D.C.? For that matter, we can find a neutral location if you want to go out of town for a few days.”

He seemed to ponder the idea while he ripped off a piece of bread.

“Can you take some time off from your work?” He passed the bread basket to her, but she couldn’t eat another bite.

“I’m in a good position with work. A friend is filling in for me at the studio and I cleared my personal appointments for a couple of weeks.” She finished her water and then realized how that sounded. “Although, I was also giving myself a vacation. I don’t expect you to hang out with me all that time. I know you must have things to do here since you’re not home all that often.”

“Actually, I promised my folks I’d head home in a couple of days. I’m spending ten days back in Cape Cod so they can invite all the family and throw a big shindig for me the weekend before my brother Jack’s wedding. It’s the only reason they didn’t meet the ship when I came home.”

“So you don’t have much time.” She bit her lip, wishing she had him to herself a little longer. Plus, knowing he’d only be here a few days put an awful lot of pressure on her to get this affair off the ground in a hurry. “Unless we could do this after you get back to Norfolk?”

She was already mentally rearranging her schedule. Beside her, Danny put down his fork on his empty plate.

“Why don’t you just go to the Cape with me?” He finished his water and set the glass on the table, his full attention back on her.

“With all your family? For a wedding, no less?” She knew a little about the Murphys thanks to her friend and former coworker Christina, Danny’s cousin—Stephanie and Danny had met at Christina’s house all those years ago.

The Murphy family was huge, with five biological brothers and a sixth who they’d fostered. They were also wealthy beyond her imagining, owning a hotel conglomerate with interests that spanned the globe. Danny’s father was a Fortune 500 executive, and he’d always expected Danny to go into the family business. She’d read a little more about the Murphys in the past year, which was how she’d worked up the nerve to phone Danny’s mom a week ago. No matter that his dad sounded like a driven business guru, the articles online had depicted Colleen Murphy as a dedicated humanitarian and down-to-earth person.

“Why not? There’s lots of room back home, so it’s not like we’d be right on top of everyone else. I usually stay in the gatehouse, so I’ve got some privacy while I’m there. And two of my brothers have places nearby so they wouldn’t be underfoot anyhow.” He propped an elbow on the back of the couch, facing her. “They’re not a bad group. Competitive as all hell, but they’re good guys. And the thing is, I hear they’ve all got women in tow now. So if you don’t go, I’d be the only stag Murphy in the bunch.”

“They’ve got women in tow?” Stephanie wondered if she should be offended. “Will I be in tow?”

“Okay. Poor choice of words. Technically, I’ve got two brothers engaged, one getting married and two more sapped out over women they’re dating.” His hand strayed close to her shoulder and she imagined its weight on her skin. Its warmth smoothing over her bare flesh. “I haven’t even met Kyle’s or Axel’s new girlfriends so that’ll be a trip.”

“Won’t it be a lot of pressure for you to show up with me?” She wasn’t sure she was ready for family scrutiny when she’d only just barely worked up the courage to reclaim her sleeping sensuality after all this time. “I mean, will people expect us to be a real couple?”

“No one is going to expect anything.” He frowned. “But if it makes you uncomfortable—”

“No.” She didn’t want to miss out on the time with him. Family or not, she preferred to have more time with Danny since she didn’t expect to solve her intimacy issues overnight. As much as she wanted to test the waters with him, she worried she might take two steps forward and one step back. “I’d love to go to the Cape with you. Thanks for asking.”

“Great.” He settled deeper into the couch cushions, his fingers finally straying closer to her shoulder. He smoothed a touch along her upper arm, just below the seam of the white cotton fabric of the T-shirt. “That settles that. Now we just need to figure out what to do for the next couple of days until we leave.”

Was it her imagination, or had his voice grown softer? Seductive. The hooded look he gave her revealed nothing, but it sure heated her insides.

“I can go back to Norfolk.” She knew it was a foolish offer as soon as she made it. She’d asked him to re-create their affair, hadn’t she? Why back away like a scared rabbit now that he’d said yes? “I mean, I don’t want to infringe on your downtime if you’d like a few days to rest and … whatever.”

“I think it would be great if you’d stay with me. Right here.” His thumb circled a small patch of her skin, giving her goose bumps everywhere else.

“Ooh.” She cleared her throat to cover her sigh of pleasure at his touch. “That would be nice. I left my car back near the base, though. My bag is in the trunk.”

“Do you keep a spare key in the wheel well or somewhere underneath?” His fingers skimmed higher, hitching up the seam on her T-shirt to touch the top of her shoulder.

“No.” She couldn’t help the shiver that went through her. “Why?”

“I have a friend who would drive it up here if I let him take my boat out in return. That is, if you don’t mind someone else driving your car.”

She had all she could do not to stretch like a cat under his lightly stroking hand. Why was it that she could let her guard down around him so easily when she’d been tense and agitated every time Josh came near her back when they’d dated? Was it that another year had passed? Or was it one hundred percent Daniel Murphy?

“Actually, I have one of those models where you can call the company and they’ll bounce a satellite signal down to make it unlock or some crazy trick like that. Although I guess that won’t help him start the car.” She frowned, wishing she could have taken him up on the offer. The trip from D.C. had been more than enough time behind the wheel for her in a day.

“Umm … this guy’s a ship mechanic. I give him ten-to-one odds he can hot-wire your car with his eyes closed. I’ll have him pick it up in the morning, unless you really need your things tonight.” His whole hand cupped her bare shoulder now and that seemed to be the only thing she could think about.

With no bra to get in the way, he could be touching her bare breast with the slightest movement. Better yet was the realization that she really, really would like that.

“Yes.” She tipped her neck to one side, giving him all the more room to touch her. “That would be perfect.”

He quit touching her.

“You want me to have it brought here tonight?” Danny reached for his phone on the coffee table.

She shook her head, confused for a moment until she recalled what he’d asked. “No. I don’t need the car.”

“You’re sure?” He still held the cell phone when she wanted him to hold her.

“Positive.” She left the rest of the words unspoken, the request for him to put his hands back on her.

“Okay. Cool.” He set the phone down again and met her gaze.

She could have sworn that heat flared in his eyes for a second before he scrambled to his feet.

“I’d better put the food away.” He picked up the dishes and glasses, whisking them into the kitchen while she tried to recover from the sharp bite of longing she hadn’t felt in years.

Seducing Danny could take a little more ingenuity than she’d thought if she had intimacy issues and he was going to insist on taking things slow. Just because she’d received an invitation to spend the night didn’t mean she’d be sleeping in his bed.

ACCEPTING STEPHANIE’S INVITATION didn’t mean he could fall on her like a sailor on dry land for the first time in months. He would restrain himself because she deserved better. Hell, she might not even be ready to be with him like that given the way he’d freaked her out back in the water. As much as she might be sending him the green-light signal, chances were good that she didn’t know exactly what she needed.

Which was why he would be a gentleman if it killed him. Which was also why he cleared the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen with a speed and dedication he usually reserved for his job.

He had no idea how things would go between them tonight, but his blood still simmered. He’d be back out in the bay to cool down if he couldn’t get himself under control.

In the living room, Stephanie wandered around checking out his book collection on one shelf and old CDs on the other. He’d chased her out of the kitchen twice, mostly because he needed the space to get his head on straight. He looked over again, and saw she was scrolling through his iPod playlist while the device was docked in the stereo. When she cranked up a Doors tune, the house filled with dark, moody music. She sang and twirled absently, occasionally running her finger down a book spine or drifting past the open French doors to breathe the fresh air.

Seeing her like this, full of song and a bounce in her step, brought him right back to that night they’d first met.…

MUSIC STILL POURED through him, the echo of his show in the city humming in his head. Danny had booked the gig in Manhattan three months ago, knowing his band had what it took to make it on a big stage. And sure enough, the well-connected club owner had declared their show a success. The other guys in the band had expressed doubts about his level of commitment to music given the prominence of his family—and his dad’s seemingly never-ending thirst to expand Murphy Resorts, Inc. while strong-arming all his sons into corporate positions. But maybe the fact that Danny had set up this gig would quiet his detractors.

His bandmates certainly looked happy enough as they mingled at a house party hosted by Danny’s cousin, journalist Christina Marcel. The timing had been nice for him since Christina was headed overseas for a six-month-long news feature on the war in Iraq and she’d wanted to throw a little going-away party for her and her camerawoman, Stephanie Rosen. She’d been more than happy to expand the event into a reception for the musicians.

“You were awesome!” Christina threw herself into Danny’s arms as soon as he walked out onto her balcony, her energy a formidable thing. “You’ve got to cut yourself free from the resort business and pursue your music, Dan,” she whispered in his ear. “You’re so talented with that guitar.”

“Thanks.” He kissed her cheek, liking the view from her Brooklyn apartment. The city glowed across the water, reminding him his dreams were all right there for the taking.

Except that, more than music, he wanted to follow Christina over to Iraq. He hated sitting at a desk job and carrying on, business as usual, while a war unfolded. He needed to get involved. To use his smarts for something beyond making another dollar for the old man. He liked music, but even that had been making him feel restless.

“Have you met Stephanie?” Christina asked, oblivious to his dark thoughts as she blew kisses to someone who had just come out onto the balcony.

Danny turned to see one of his older brothers, Jack, who’d made the trip to New York with him. Danny couldn’t help but think that Jack was his designated watchdog this weekend. In a family full of high achievers, Danny had always been the crazy one, whereas Jack was Mr. Responsible. Long ago, the guy had been charged with watching over the younger brothers while the oldest learned the ropes of the resort business.

“No.” Danny looked around the balcony, more than ready to meet anyone that wasn’t related to him. Sometimes, when you had a big family, it was damn tough to escape their expectations. “Is she here yet?”

“Are you kidding?” Christina laughed and tugged him closer to whisper in his ear. “She’s been looking forward to an introduction ever since your first set back at the club.”

Danny waited while Christina waved her hand over the crowd.

And summoned a woman who damn near floored him.

It wasn’t just one thing about her. It was everything. Pale and delicate with wide blue eyes and fairy-tale dark waves that hugged her shoulders, she looked as though she belonged to another era. Except she wore a red silk scarf, tied pirate-style around her forehead, and her lips were quirked in a wry, knowing smile. She danced her way over to the jazz tune piped through an outdoor sound system.

“Hola, Christina,” she greeted his cousin, toasting her with the drink she held in one hand. Then, never taking a sip, she set her glass down on the railing twined with pink-flamingo-shaped decorative lights, which surround the balcony. “And hola to you, Daniel Murphy. I’ve been anxious to tell you that you play guitar like a god.”

She didn’t say it like a groupie. She said it like someone who genuinely loved music. And then she launched into an air guitar riff, her head thrown back and her fingers flying over imaginary strings. Danny was surprised, charmed and yeah, totally taken with her.

And he’d known her for all of two minutes.…

HOW THE HELL WOULD he ever be able to resist her now? He’d been a sucker for her then, before he’d ever touched her. This time, he knew exactly how good they were together. More importantly, she’d finally sought him out after all this time. When she’d ignored a couple of phone calls from him a few years ago, he’d left her alone, figuring she’d moved on. But now?

She needed him.

So what was he doing in the kitchen drying the same glass for the last freaking five minutes?

He set the tumbler on the counter with a force that threatened to shatter the thing on the granite. Stephanie peered his way.

“All done?” She took a step in his direction but paused at the stereo to turn the music down a few notches.

No. He was only just getting started.

“Yes. I have been for a while, actually.” He tossed the towel on the breakfast bar and met her in the middle of the living area. “I’ve just been looking at you and wondering … where to go from here.”

She hugged her arms around her waist and shrugged. Her blue-black hair was glossy in the sunlight that streamed through the windows that lined half the room. Her eyes sparked with some of the old light, the mischief he’d always liked about her. She had a playful spirit that really worked for him.

Or at least, she used to have a playful spirit. Protectiveness surged through him at the thought of anyone daring to take that from her.

“Funny you should say that, because I’ve been over here thinking the same thing.” She combed a strand of hair away from her forehead with one hand.

“Really?” He told himself to take it slow. No matter how she flirted with him, he was going to take this easy. One day at a time. “For the woman who set this whole thing in motion, I’m surprised you don’t have some idea what to do next.”

She quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Yes. Well. Like you, I remember the logistics, even if it’s been a while.” She tossed his words from earlier back in his face, an irrepressible smile drawing him into the sphere of her spell.

And yeah, he could call it that because she had that kind of power over him.

“Would you like some help figuring it out?” He sifted his fingers through the dark waves curling around one of her shoulders and twined a lock around his thumb.

“I’m all ears,” she assured him, swaying closer.

His heart slugged so heavily in his chest it felt like an alien force trying to fight its way out. He wanted her. Badly.

“We could try the kiss again,” he suggested, his voice dipping into a predatory rumble no matter how he tried to keep things light. “Maybe this time, we could christen the do-over better than what I managed out in the bay.”

Bright blue eyes shifted downward, her glance settling on his mouth.

“I’d like that.” Her hands found his arms and gripped them lightly. She dragged him down to the couch to sit beside her.

Every instinct he possessed urged him to wrap her against him and hold her there. He’d let go of her five years ago and lived to regret it sorely. How the hell could he resist squeezing her tightly to him now?

But the battle raged inside him and he wrestled that hungry beast to the ground, giving Stephanie the barest brush of his mouth on hers. She tipped her face higher, providing him with more access, so he increased the pressure slightly.

Slowly, he learned the taste of her all over again. Recalled the nuances of her kisses and the way she arched into him for more. His soap on her skin didn’t dilute the more feminine essence beneath it—her fragrance, her lip gloss, her everything. He cradled her face in his hand, enjoying the moment.

That would have been enough for hours. For days even. Except that she closed the space between them, pressing her breasts to his chest with nothing to separate them but his T-shirts—one on him and two on her. She wore nothing underneath his clothes. He’d thought as much earlier when he’d watched her move around the living room. Even before that when he’d touched her shoulder and didn’t feel a bra strap there.

But now, knowing for certain how easily he could cup the gentle swell of her breasts in his hands …

Slow and easy went out the window.

Sliding his arms around her back, he hauled her against him and hoped he never had to let go.

4

SWEET SENSATIONS FLOODED her so fast, Stephanie couldn’t begin to appreciate all the ways Danny’s touch made her feel … extraordinary. His lips on hers were gentle, thorough, stirring a need that she’d been running from for years.

Now, she welcomed it.

Nerve endings came to life virtually everywhere as she inched closer to him on the couch. Pleasure spiraled just below her skin, a soft tickling up the backs of her thighs and a small shiver down her spine. Her breasts ached at the feel of his hard chest, her nipples so tight with need there was no way he could miss her response.

She felt sexy. Sexual. And yes, safe. Nothing could touch her when Danny held her. It was a soul-deep surety that made her relax and let her guard down. That knowledge, along with her trust in him, made everything else easy. Pleasurable.

God, she should have found him a long time ago. She needed him.

The iPod soundtrack switched from the Doors to Elvis Costello, the late afternoon sunlight slanting through the French doors to warm her shoulders while Danny warmed all the rest of her. She cupped his face, keeping his lips to hers so she could savor every teasing stroke of his tongue.

His hands smoothed down her back, pausing just before her hips and starting the slow journey up again. Broad palms and long fingers left no square inch untouched. Better yet, the slight pressure molded the rest of her closer to the unyielding muscles of his chest. She could still remember how it had felt to be naked against him. To trade touches and sexual favors, their moments together all the more frantic and precious because they’d known they wouldn’t last.…

“What’s wrong?” He pulled back, green eyes instantly clear. Alert.

“Nothing.” She shook her head, fingers skimming his shoulders. She wanted to lose herself in him. “Why?”

He tipped her chin up, as if to see her better. “It’s hard to explain. You drew back somehow. I didn’t know what you were thinking and I don’t want to upset you, like back in the water.”

“No. That won’t happen again.” She brushed a hair out of her eyes. “I won’t let it.”

She wouldn’t allow the past to rob her of one more day. Not one more minute. She’d already rebounded in every way except this … the whole intimacy thing. And the time had come to conquer that, too.