"So, what'd you think of my friends?" he asked once they were on the road.

She'd been shy during the day, as usual, but both Jon, Lori and Morris were outgoing people. Of course he thought all of his friends were likable.

"They seemed nice," she gave what sounded like an honest answer. "How old is Lori?"

"She just turned nineteen a couple months ago." Rod turned his head to look at her. Her hands were tightly clasped, the expression on her face unreadable.

"Blackie must be at least thirty," she said softly.

"Thirty-four."

"Thirty-four!"

It dawned on him that the age different between Lori and Blackie, considering their relationship, appalled her. "Oh. They don't sleep together, if that's what you think. Jerry wouldn't allow it. He just lets them. . .hang together, cuz Blackie promised to watch out for her."

"But why would a man want to. . .?" Her question trailed off, as if she realized he might be offended by it.

"See, Lori was pretty wild, when she was like twelve or thirteen. She hung around with these punks who did drugs and were always getting thrown in jail for something. Well, Lori's always been crazy about Blackie, so Jerry asked him to take care of her. Blackie tamed her."

"I'm sorry. It wasn't my place to pry," Bethany murmured, obviously not understanding the relationship any more now than when all she'd had were a.s.sumptions. But it was no big deal. n.o.body understood Blackie. Blackie probably didn't understand Blackie.

She asked him who Morris was as if to ease the tension, and he explained that Morris was his sister's business partner and that he'd put up the collateral for the bike shop he owned with Jon and Blackie.

They didn't talk again, and when Rod glanced at her a half hour later, she was asleep. He smiled because it meant she was sort of comfortable with him.

Turning on the radio really low, he drove back to Stevens Point.

He supposed he should have been as tired as she was. For someone who was used to sleeping quite a few hours later than he had the night before, he should have been exhausted. Yet he was wide awake, thinking about making love to Bethany.

Antic.i.p.ation had always meant the same thing as gratification for him. He understood the difference now, and appreciated it. What reason had he ever needed to get to know a woman before he made love to her? Almost from the start, he'd known nothing serious would come of it.

This was different.

Bethany had to be exhausted, because she didn't even wake up when they got to her apartment building sometime around 10:30. He got out of the car, let Cameron out of the back seat, then went around to the pa.s.senger side. He found the apartment keys in her purse and slung the bag over his shoulder. Lifting her slight weight from the seat didn't wake her either.

She roused as he tried to maneuver the key in her apartment door, but didn't seem to realize or care what was happening. The lack of a blush from her sent a jolt through him. He felt as if she'd opened up a window to her soul for him to look inside without the guards.

Cameron ran in ahead of them, then Rod kicked the door shut with his foot.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--" she started as he entered the living room, flipped on the lights, and sat in the chair with her on his lap.

When she tried to turn, to stand, he held her more firmly. "Don't. Sit with me. I wanna hold you, sweetness."

Bethany looked uncomfortably shy now, but he wasn't willing to step back away from that window yet. Glancing down, she tried to adjust her skirt, which had ridden up considerably.

Rod lifted her chin. "I'm crazy about you, Bethany. I've never felt like this. I wanna spend every minute with you." He let his fingers trail over the shoulder and sleeve of her fuzzy sweater. "Do you like me even a little bit?"

Of all the women he'd ever been involved with, every one of them would have been coy and said, "Maybe a little bit." Not Bethany. She let her lashes cover her embarra.s.sment as she told him honestly, "I like you a lot, Rod. I like spending time with you."

He became suddenly and fiercely hungry for her tenderness, her one-of-a-kind sweetness, when she glanced up at him demurely.

Pulling her up so her b.r.e.a.s.t.s met his chest, he kissed her again. As aroused as he was, he wanted to go slow with her. He didn't know if a woman had ever fallen in love with him during all his brief relationships, but he wanted this woman to fall in love with him. That meant giving her all the time she needed to be sure of him. He wanted it to feel as right to her as it did to him.

Feeling her hands glide lightly up his arms to his shoulders, he tilted his lap to get her closer to him. She responded to the solicitation of his tongue, allowing her lips to open a fraction. Her warmth was like a coc.o.o.n around him.

G.o.d, how she fit him.

She broke away breathlessly, pressing her face to his shoulder. Hugging her in return, he smoothed his hand over her long hair. "Pretty Bethany, I want you to be mine."

Her quick intake of air made him smile. It didn't matter whether she believed him or not, as long as she gave him the time to prove himself.

Bethany woke up annoyed, an emotion she'd only had rare experiences with.

The sound of a ringing phone woke her. Sitting up, she asked herself harshly why she'd never had a line installed in her bedroom. Never mind that she always got up well before anyone would think to call.

When the ringing continued, she flung back the covers and raced for the living room. It seemed to her the telephone had rang for a half hour, but the answering machine would have picked it up after the fourth ring.

Grabbing up the phone from the endtable, she mumbled, "h.e.l.lo? h.e.l.lo?"

"Bethie? Where the h.e.l.l have you been? I was worried sick."

Suddenly she felt like she'd been caught in something, especially when Rod rose from the couch and moved tiredly down the hallway to her bathroom.

He'd spent the night! Oh gosh. Even if it wasn't. . .in her bed, it was more than she'd ever allowed before.

"Randy, I'm sorry. What time is it?"

"Eight o'clock. Where were you last night? I called until nine o'clock."

Her brother sounded unusually upset, he was such a laid-back guy normally.

Bethany couldn't seem to think clearly. Again, she'd hardly gotten any sleep, and she was more exhausted than she'd ever been in her life. She hadn't even consumed any alcohol yesterday.

Moving around the couch, she perched on the sofa, rubbing her eyes. "I went to Milwaukee. It's a long drive, so I got back late." Her last three or four words were punctuated by a yawn she couldn't stifle.

"What were you doing in Milwaukee? You've always been terrified of that place."

Bethany was embarra.s.sed to be reminded of that. Milwaukee seemed like such an. . .unchristian place. But she was too tired to explain or try to cover up.

"I had a date. I'm fine, Randy. You don't need to worry. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you called."

Randy wasn't about to change his colors just because she was obviously exhausted. When it came to his loved ones, he was a dog on a bone. "You had a date in Milwaukee, Bethie? There are things to do in Point, you know. Who is this guy?"

By the way he expressed it, she suspected that he already knew and dreaded her answer. "It's Rod Summers, but don't worry, Randy. He's not like Scott Reeves. I promise."

Rod stumbled back out to the living room. Seeing her on his "bed" didn't deter him. Slipping around her, he laid down again. He wrapped his arm around her from shoulder to fingertip before she could get away. He became a human clamp.

Unable to breathe, to understand a word of Randy's urgent advice filling her ear, Bethany glanced down at her nightie. In her haste to get the phone, she hadn't put on her robe, and her flesh was only a thin slash of silk away from his. He'd taken his vest off.

They'd fallen asleep together in the chair. She'd awoken at some point and gone to bed, leaving her door open. Rod wasn't a threat. After last night, how few liberties he'd taken with her willingness, she trusted him so implicitly. It should have frightened her. She'd never trusted Scott, even in the beginning.

Unlike Rod, Scott had taken what he could get and always pushed for more.

"Bethie? Are you listening to me?" her brother's deep voice penetrated the paralysis she was in.

"I'm sorry, Randy. I'm so tired, I'm not thinking straight."

Pausing, as though her fatigue was also cause for worry, he finally relented. "I'll call you later in the afternoon."

"OK.".

After the usual farewells, she leaned over as much as Rod would allow, to replace the receiver. As soon as she returned to a straight position, Rod wrapped his other arm around her hips, tucking her into him. Shocked, uncomfortable, on fire with longing, Bethany finally glanced down at him. He was asleep, with his head almost in her lap, looking so sweet she wanted to kiss him.

But she was really exhausted, it hadn't just been a ploy to get off the telephone. In this state, she was liable to do anything. Anything she'd surely regret later.

Taking hold of his arms, she attempted to extract herself from his hold, but he only cinched his arms tighter around her. He wouldn't let her go, she realized with less panic than she would have experienced at any other time in her life. If she wanted to go back to sleep, she'd have to do it here.

Glancing around, she acknowledged that the sofa was wide enough to hold them. He accommodated her easily when she lay down with him.

Her blush had no time to surface before she was asleep.

CHAPTER FOUR.

Bethany woke warm and comfortable, with no idea where she was. Her bed wasn't this hard and. . .

With a start, she realized she lay on top of someone. Rod. She was in his arms, in her bed. As silently as she could, she panicked, freezing up, afraid to move. Afraid he was awake and expecting. . .

Oh gosh, how had they gotten in here? Why was she sprawled on top of him?

She remembered nothing after she'd laid on the couch with him. As the world's lightest sleeper (unless she stayed up past her bedtime), she couldn't believe anything. . .intimate had happened without her remembering it. They were both still dressed. His zipper pressed into the skin just beneath her ribs hard enough to be as painful.

The click of nails in the hallway drew her gaze instinctively, and she saw the dog standing in the bedroom doorway.

The movement of her head had brought no reaction from Rod. Carefully, she raised her face to look at him. Sound asleep and looking as comfortable as he would in his own bed.

Bethany was mortified. In her twenty-four years, a man had never shared her bed, had never held her while she slept. Since he was asleep, she could admit to herself she liked both of the new experiences. His body was so warm and muscular, and she fit into him perfectly. Embarra.s.sed as she'd be if he woke, she couldn't help smiling as she looked down at him.

Nicole Martini had probably been right, last night, in saying Rod was a bad boy with a short attention span. But he also looked like an angel when asleep.

His brows were fine, silky arches over his closed eyes, and his lashes lay long and thick against his dark skin. This wasn't a dangerous man. When they got home last night, he'd been a perfect gentleman and he was even a gentleman in her bed. He hadn't tried to force her or seduce her in any way. She trusted him, frightening as it was.

Running into the woman Rod claimed to have dumped for her in the restroom had been quite a surprise to Bethany. To be honest, she'd been a little afraid.

Nicole was a woman who looked like she could take care of herself. She wouldn't relish losing. Yet Bethany's impression of her changed when Nicole said, "He's gonna break your heart, you know. It's what he does best, honey" in a protective tone of voice. "You're a sweet kid, and you don't deserve to be hurt without a forewarning. You're not in love with him, are you?"

Bethany had lowered her gaze at the bold question, only to find herself even more shocked by the dress Nicole wore. A dress that could better have served as a rubber band.

Why would Rod want her? Bethany had wondered. Nicole was certainly his type. "I. . .I just met him. . ." she stammered before remembering that Nicole knew exactly when she'd met Rod.

Turning from the mirror, Nicole replaced the cap on a tube of vixen red lipstick. "You deserve better than a couple nights in his bed, sweetie. He's a rogue, you're an innocent. I can understand why he'd be interested and why you'd be looking for a little danger. But take my advice, kid: Guys like Rod Summers are more interested in the flame than the fire. They run when the heat is on.

It's not worth it."

Unable to respond, because she didn't know the other woman's intentions, Bethany had only been more surprised when Nicole squeezed her hand. "We're on the same side, baby. I've been around the block, so I've seen my share of losers. Rod Summers is the kingpin."

Bethany didn't know what that meant, but she didn't believe Rod was a loser. He was so sweet to her, she couldn't believe he could hurt and use her as thoughtlessly as Nicole Martini implied.

Looking at him now in the morning sunshine, she couldn't believe he'd be anything except the man of her dreams. Already he meant too much to her to accept Nicole's warning.

He was beautiful and sweet. Innocent, like a child, yet a s.e.xy, sensual, and virile man. For Bethany, it was the highest praise that he reminded her of her brother. It didn't matter to her what anyone said to denounce him in her eyes. Maybe he was different with her.

Still, it wasn't in her to rush things or to push them to the limit. As wonderful as his body felt against hers and his arms felt around her, she wasn't ready for it to become any more than that.

As carefully as she could, she eased herself away from him, hoping he was asleep soundly enough not to grab on to her and refuse to let go again. She managed to escape without disturbing him and retrieved some clothes from her closet.

While she showered, she wondered what his friends thought of her. Lori had become a little more friendly as the day progressed yesterday, and Bethany liked her. Lori's father was sweet and gruff. Morris had been too inebriated to a.s.sess.

Jon was funny and likable, though he'd embarra.s.sed her by coming on to her.

(She was sure he hadn't been serious.) Blackie hadn't said a dozen words to her or anyone else. Despite how much she disapproved of any kind of relationship other than a sisterly friendship he might have with young Lori, she'd liked him.

She sensed that, beneath the dark exterior of the man, goodness existed beside the torment.

None of Rod's friends treated her like an outcast. But she suspected it wasn't because they were too polite to be that rude, as much as it was that they were accustomed to Rod's undeniable instability with women. They'd simply learned to adapt quickly.

As she fixed her hair, she realized it was Sunday. She hadn't missed church . . . ever. It was 10:30 already. The morning service started in fifteen minutes. But what to do about Rod? Leaving him in her apartment alone would be rude.

After debating for a minute or two, she decided he'd most likely sleep until she got back at noon. She left him a note and gave his dog water before leaving for the church only a few blocks away.

The sermon was appropriate to her mood. 1 Corinthians 13--the "love chapter." She felt no embarra.s.sment or shame remembering the feel of Rod's lips against hers throughout the pastor's allocution.

Following the service, she stayed only long enough to talk a little with the pastor. He was young, and she'd gone on a date with him, years ago, though she wasn't attracted to him. His wife had died of cancer a year after he'd finished seminary and came to pastor the church. Bethany had felt bad for him, because he was lonely and heartbroken. He hadn't asked her out again after the first date, something she might never have given a second thought to if Randy hadn't asked her why.

She suspected her brother would approve of her dating or marrying a pastor, unlike his reaction to Rod Summers. How was she going to explain things to him when he called later in the day? She couldn't lie to Randy, and disappointing him. . . Well, the only time she'd sensed disapproval from him was when she'd told him everything about her relationship with Scott Reeves, after the fact. He hadn't liked being closed out of her life, even though what she'd had with Scott only lasted two weeks.

On her way home, she stopped to buy a can of dog food. Her apartment was quiet when she unlocked the door. Cameron ran to greet her, refraining from barking, thankfully.

For such a big dog, he was unbelievably gentle. He did everything short of melt onto the floor in ecstasy when he finished eating and she brushed and groomed his coat. Rod continued to sleep.