She somehow knew at least some some of that, and she moved faster and harder, with short, deep strokes that were pretty d.a.m.n close to exactly what he wanted, especially when he pushed himself up to meet her with enough force to make her gasp. of that, and she moved faster and harder, with short, deep strokes that were pretty d.a.m.n close to exactly what he wanted, especially when he pushed himself up to meet her with enough force to make her gasp.

And Jenni came first, and she came with such abandon, it was beautiful to watch, and he tried to hold on, because he wanted it to last forever.

But he couldn't do it, because she started to laugh-it was that that good-and when she smiled down at him with such love and trust in her eyes, he knew once again that he'd finally found what he'd spent his entire life searching for. And he felt such a fierce and joyful rush of possession- good-and when she smiled down at him with such love and trust in her eyes, he knew once again that he'd finally found what he'd spent his entire life searching for. And he felt such a fierce and joyful rush of possession-mine!-he let go.

And it was crazy how primal it felt, as if he were claiming her, marking her, and waves of emotion filled him as he felt his release surge inside of her again and again and again, as she gripped him and clung to him and sighed her pleasure.

And then it was over, but it wasn't over, not really. It was just beginning-their wonderful, crazy life together.

And the magnitude of what he'd just done-what they'd they'd just done-settled gently down around him as he held her tightly, as they both caught their breath. just done-settled gently down around him as he held her tightly, as they both caught their breath.

And it didn't freak him out, didn't frighten him, didn't provide even the slightest sliver of doubt.

On the contrary.

He was awed by the strength of his feelings-by her feelings, too, and by the knowledge that she'd already sacrificed so much just to help him, just to be with him, to be part of his life.

She'd given up her job, her home, put her career ambitions on hold...

And Dan knew, right then and there, that she was not not going to be the only one to make sacrifices for their impromptu little family-or, after tonight, maybe their going to be the only one to make sacrifices for their impromptu little family-or, after tonight, maybe their not not so impromptu slightly bigger family. so impromptu slightly bigger family.

"I love you," he whispered, and he felt her sigh and smile, her face still pressed against his neck.

"I believe you," she said. She lifted her head to look at him and he saw an echo of her words in her gorgeous eyes. "And I love you, too. It feels pretty miraculous, doesn't it? I wish I could go back and hear you say I do I do again. I think I didn't quite believe it at the time." again. I think I didn't quite believe it at the time."

"I do," he told her, putting all of his conviction into the words.

She smiled and kissed him and whispered, "I do, too."

"Hmm," he said, "does this mean we also get to do a replay of the consummating of our vows?"

Jenni laughed at that, pushing his hair back from his forehead as she gazed down at him. "Are you trying trying to get me pregnant?" to get me pregnant?"

"I might be," he admitted, pulling her down to kiss her again.

She laughed as she kissed him back, because, yes, he was starting to get hard again, and she felt it because he was still inside of her.

"I was thinking," he said quietly, "that it's time for me to leave the teams. Maybe go to work full-time for Tommy Paoletti. For Troubleshooters Incorporated-you know, his personal security team?"

He'd surprised her again. Completely.

"That way I wouldn't be gone all the time," he continued. "And we wouldn't have to wait five years. We could go for it, knowing I'd be around when little Phil or Jill was born."

Jenn laughed. "Phil and Jill Gillman?"

"Kids love it when their names rhyme," he told her, unable to keep a straight face, which gave away the fact that he was kidding. At least about the names he'd chosen for their unborn children.

He pulled her down to kiss her again, even as he shifted his hips, pushing himself more deeply inside of her. Another few minutes, and he was going to be fully ready for round two.

"What do you say, Gillman?" he asked her when he let her up for air.

And she smiled at his use of her new last name. But her smile faded as she got serious. "I think," she said, "that you are an extremely romantic and pa.s.sionate man. And I also think you should sit with this idea, and see how you feel about it in a few days or weeks. And I also think," she added quickly before he could protest, "that I'll support you, completely, whatever choice you make. But I went into this relationship with my eyes wide open. I know what it means to be married to a Navy SEAL, and I'm prepared for that. So make sure your decisions are for the right reasons, okay?"

Danny nodded. "I really-"

"Shh." She cut him off with a kiss. "We'll have a lot of time to talk about this tomorrow. Right now? I'm pretty sure you can't get me any more more pregnant than you may well have already gotten me, so...If you're still thinking what I'm thinking, and I'm pretty sure you are"-she moved against him, and smiled-"Yes, I do believe I can read your mind..." pregnant than you may well have already gotten me, so...If you're still thinking what I'm thinking, and I'm pretty sure you are"-she moved against him, and smiled-"Yes, I do believe I can read your mind..."

He laughed and kissed her. And he knew without a doubt that meeting and falling for Jennilyn was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE.

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2009.

10:04 P.M.

Neesha had learned her lesson and was back to erring even further on the side of caution.

She hid in the shadows, in the courtyard of the apartment building where Ben's sister lived, just watching and waiting in the still of the night, while nothing moved.

In all of the hours that she'd been there, she'd watched plenty of people come and go. All had been in a hurry. But then the foot traffic slowed and lights went off all over the compound.

To her dismay, she'd fallen asleep at some point, and she jerked awake, her heart pounding, as a man and a woman came into the courtyard, arguing loudly. As they went into their first-floor dwelling, Neesha realized that the light was on in Eden's apartment. The bedroom window, which looked out over the courtyard, was aglow. But then, as she watched, the light went off and the window went dark.

She almost stood up, almost crept to the stairs so she could climb up them and scratch at the door before they fell asleep, praying that she was right and that they were on her side and would help her.

Instead, some instinct made her wait. Something-the whisper of footsteps, a shift in the air as large bodies moved in the darkness-made her curl even more tightly into herself.

And she caught her breath as her blood froze in her veins because it was the two men from the mall-the bald man named Jake and the man with the hat-and G.o.d save her, they were with Todd, whom Mr. Nelson had sent to kill her.

They didn't see her. They didn't even think to look around-believing that they were alone in the deserted garden.

One of them-Jake-spoke. His voice was low, but it carried clearly to Neesha. "The older brother and the husband are military, so shoot to kill. But we want both the kid and his b.i.t.c.h of a sister alive. Are we clear?"

The other two men nodded, and Todd, always eager, started for the stairs. But Jake stopped him.

"Masks," he said. "We want them to think we're going to let them go after they give us what we want."

And Neesha didn't understand what he meant, until they all reached into their pockets and pulled on hats that stretched all the way down to cover their faces.

As they started for the stairs, she knew she had to act. She had to stand up, to shout, to scream.

And then she had to run so that they'd kill her now, quickly, with a bullet to the head. Because if they took her alive, she'd die slowly and painfully.

But she couldn't move, couldn't speak. Terror had her too securely in its claws. All she could do was tremble as she watched.

But then the three men stopped before they started up the stairs. They moved quickly, fading back into the shadows because someone was coming.

G.o.d help her, it was Ben, coming swiftly down the stairs, his movement graceful and sure.

And Neesha still couldn't scream through her frozen throat, not even to warn him.

As he reached the bottom, one of the men-Jake-said, "Jesus, it's the kid," and Todd and the other man moved toward him.

Ben realized he wasn't alone, realized who they were, and he scrambled back toward the stairs, even as he opened his mouth to try to scream. The first came out as little more than a squeak, "Help!" But then he drew in air and let loose. "Hel-" "Hel-"

One of them must've hit him in the head, because his shout was silenced and his body went limp.

But lights went on in the apartment nearest to that set of stairs, and Jake and Todd and the other man with the hat grabbed Ben and ran.

Neesha could see the entrance to the street from where she was hiding, and she watched as the three men hustled Ben into a waiting car, being driven by a fourth man. They took off with a squeal of tires, even as that downstairs apartment door opened and an elderly man leaned out.

"Keep it down out here," he called crossly. "People are trying to sleep!"

He slammed the door shut, and the sudden sharp sound freed Neesha, unfreezing her.

She stood up, careful to stay in the shadows, as she moved down that entrance toward the street.

It was deserted. There were no cars idling, no one there.

And even though she knew the right thing to do was to run upstairs to Eden's apartment and hammer on the door, terror still coursed through her veins.

And when she ran, it was down the street, away from the apartment, as fast as her trembling legs could carry her.

SAt.u.r.dAY, 9 M MAY 2009.

OH DARK HUNDRED.

Izzy awoke with a start, and a very solid sense that something was wrong.

He was instantly alert, and even though it was dark, he knew immediately where he was: on the cheap foam mattress on the floor of the living room in Eden's Las Vegas apartment.

He also knew that he was, absolutely, alone in that bed. And And that it had been his choice that put him out here, and not with Eden, in her bedroom. that it had been his choice that put him out here, and not with Eden, in her bedroom.

No doubt about it, he was a f.u.c.king idiot. And yeah, that that was wrong. If he'd caved and gone in there with her, was wrong. If he'd caved and gone in there with her, then then he would've been a f.u.c.king idiot. Instead, he was a decidedly he would've been a f.u.c.king idiot. Instead, he was a decidedly non non-f.u.c.king idiot, but an idiot just the same.

Over by the window, the air conditioner was roaring, working desperately to cool the place down and not quite succeeding. The clock on the ancient VCR told him that it was four minutes after midnight. He hadn't slept that long-only about two hours-but he'd slept hard, and he already felt more like himself, i.e., significantly less angry and enormously more h.o.r.n.y, which was dangerous, considering Eden was in the next room.

Still, he had to take a leak, so he pushed himself off the floor and headed toward the bathroom, careful not to b.u.mp the air mattress where Ben was fast asleep, a silent, motionless lump beneath the covers.

He didn't bother to turn on the light-there was plenty coming in from the streetlamp outside the narrow bathroom window, so he just pushed the door closed and locked it.

It wasn't easy to whiz with a b.o.n.e.r, but Izzy didn't believe in having to think about death and destruction simply in order to keep from spraying the bathroom floor and walls-even though he'd witnessed more than his share during his adult life. He'd been there, done that, and had learned to process it ASAP, so bringing it back into his focus was never an option.

He hadn't yet, however, processed his current problems with Eden and it shouldn't have taken more than a quick replay of the way she'd driven the rental directly into that truck to give him a total freak-out softie, but that didn't work, either. So he set to work alleviating the problem the old-fashioned way, with a little bit of soap and water from the sink on his hands, and a fantasy of Eden running like a silent movie through his brain.

His fantasy version of Eden looked like Eden and smiled like Eden and moved like Eden and f.u.c.ked liked Eden. And as long as he kept her in the imaginary apartment in his mind, where she could cook and clean and perpetually wait for him to come home so she could rock his world, like some kind of a Stepford wife, he didn't have to imagine her putting herself into harm's way to create a diversion that would save the littlest hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold in Vegas.

Except the problem was, when he tried to imagine that version of Eden? She wasn't Eden.

And Izzy recognized with a flash of insight that came from no longer having a completely sleep-deprived brain, that he hadn't been angry with Eden merely because she'd put her life in danger by behaving foolishly and impetuously. Because Jenn had been right. What Eden had done was incredibly courageous. And while it wasn't what he he would have done had he been behind the wheel of the rental car-he would've gone after Neesha, gotten her into the car, and gotten them all the h.e.l.l away from the bad guys-it was pretty d.a.m.n close. would have done had he been behind the wheel of the rental car-he would've gone after Neesha, gotten her into the car, and gotten them all the h.e.l.l away from the bad guys-it was pretty d.a.m.n close.

No way would he he have left a little girl at the mercy of two men who were hunting her, even if he didn't know why. So really, why be so angry with Eden for doing what he would have done? have left a little girl at the mercy of two men who were hunting her, even if he didn't know why. So really, why be so angry with Eden for doing what he would have done?

No, she didn't have his training or his experience or his size or his strength. But her choices had been limited. Stand there, wringing her hands and watching while Neesha got grabbed or gunned down? Run to get him to help, which would've come too late? Or do what she'd done-act and, yes, put herself at risk, because not to act was unthinkable, despite her lack of training, experience, size, and strength.

Although as far as strength went? What Eden didn't have in muscle ma.s.s she more than made up for in sheer will.

And the truth was, when it came to the real Eden versus his appallingly unattractive and plastic Stepford wife version? It was her very impetuousness and crazy-a.s.s courage that had attracted him to her, right from the start. No shrinking violet, she. She was who she was-with plenty of swagger and att.i.tude, and d.a.m.n, just thinking about her-the real her-made him hot.

Hotter.

And yes, while watching her take those crazy risks tonight had d.a.m.n near given him a stroke, the real problem here was his, not hers. "Whoops, sorry-whoa."

And...f.u.c.king fabulous, it was Eden-although if Izzy had to make a choice between Eden or Ben, as to who was the better candidate to walk in on him in the bathroom while his d.i.c.k was in his hand...? Well, it was probably best that it was Eden.

Of course, being Eden, she didn't beat an immediate retreat. She just stood there, looking at him through the now half-open door. Any other woman on the planet would have been embarra.s.sed for both of them-yes, mostly for him, the masturbating loser-and would've at least averted her eyes. Not so much Eden. She was absolutely checking him out, probably because-Izzy being who he was-he refused to try to hide what he'd been doing and fumble himself back into his shorts. Instead, he just stood there, temporarily on pause, and stared right back at her.

"You really should learn to lock the door," she told him.

"I did did lock it," he whispered back. "Do you lock it," he whispered back. "Do you mind mind? I'd like a little privacy...?"

He turned his back on her-conversation over-but she didn't take the social cue, a.s.suming social cues worked in this situation. Although yes, she eventually closed the bathroom door, but only after she put herself on his side of it. She locked it, checked that it was securely latched-a step he'd apparently missed when he'd first come in-and then sat up on the sink counter. "Do you you mind if I watch?" mind if I watch?"

He laughed his surprise. "This isn't exactly a spectator sport."

"I'm curious," she said. "Plus, it's unbelievably hot."

"You think that me, jerking off in the bathroom, is hot," he said, lacing his voice with his disbelief.

"I think that you, anywhere, is hot," Eden told him, which was such a freaking line, especially coming out of a woman who looked the way she did. She was wearing an old T-shirt and a pair of boxers, with her face scrubbed of all makeup and her hair back in a braid, and she still still managed to be hotter than ninety-nine-point-nine percent of all human beings who walked the earth. "Plus, I couldn't sleep, either-and maybe I can get some pointers. I mean, your technique must be pretty good if you'd prefer this to...being with me." managed to be hotter than ninety-nine-point-nine percent of all human beings who walked the earth. "Plus, I couldn't sleep, either-and maybe I can get some pointers. I mean, your technique must be pretty good if you'd prefer this to...being with me."

And just like that, all of her c.o.c.kiness and bada.s.s att.i.tude vanished, leaving her vulnerable and uncertain. Izzy could see her hurt in her eyes-she didn't try to hide it as she gazed at him.

And looking at her like that triggered something in him-a wave of sorrow so intense, he had to sit down. So he put himself away and he lowered the lid of the toilet and he sat.

Of course, she immediately apologized. "Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to-"

"No," he stopped her. "Don't. Because it's me, Eden. It's all me. And I'm the one who's sorry."

Her face caught the light from the window, and he could tell from the way she was looking back at him that she knew exactly what he meant. But she didn't want to understand, so she shook her head. "I don't-"

"I can't be who you want me to be," he told her honestly. "I just can't do it anymore."