It was dawn.

Locke kept her eyes tightly shut against both the light and the pain, aware of the fact that her head was drumming nauseatingly, and that her brain felt as if it were sloshing around loose inside her skull.

What had she done?

Her mouth felt as if shead spent the night gagged, but there was nothing in it now but her own tongue.

Her own tongue. Not . . . someone elseas . . .

The world seemed to shift, and a vivid memory of Sam Starrett, gloriously naked, kissing her, sweeping his tongue into her eager mouth, as he thrust, hard, into her as she spread her legs wide for him, up on . . . the kitchen table . . . ?

Locke opened her eyes.

And shut them fast as the brightness of the day assaulted her.

What had she done?

She opened her eyes just a little, squinting against the light and the pain. Oh, God, she was completely naked, with Starrett sprawled next to her, naked as well, amidst the rumpled sheets of his bed.

She was sticky with something that looked like . . . chocolate? With horror, she saw that it streaked the T-shirt that hung off the handcuffs that still connected her to Starrett, too. The shirt shead been wearing yesterday before shead let Sam Starrett undress hera"oh, my God, what had she done?

Another flash of memory ripped through her, this one of her gasps of pleasure as Starrett ran his tongue from her breasts to her stomach and then lower, as he licked chocolate syrup from her body. Shead done the same to him, licking him, and taking him into her mouth and . . .

What had she done?

All of the whiskey shead had the night before churned inside of her and she sat up. The movement made the top of her head feel as if it were going to lift off, and she knew that she was, without a doubt, going to be sick. Dear God, could she even make it to the bathroom? It was impossibly far away and she wasnat sure if she could get her legs to worka"forget about dragging Starrett.

Beside her, he stirred. He stretched, and winced only slightly as he opened his eyes and the morning light hit him.

aUh-oh.a One look at her face and he somehow knew. It was awkward with the cuffs on their wrists, but he got her off the bed and into the bathroom in record time.

Just in time.

Locke crouched naked on the bathroom floor and leaned over the toilet bowl.

It was violent and vile. Her stomach churned and her throat burned, and vomiting took precedence over all elsea"including the humiliation.

Although through it she had patches of awareness, a sense of Starrett holding her, murmuring words of nonsensical comfort. Itas all right. What, was he stupid? This was close to the farthest place from all right that shead ever been in her life.

She felt him wipe her mouth and her face with a cool washcloth. aGo away,a she gasped when the sickness subsided enough for the humiliation to take center stage. aPlease go away!a aI canat,a he told her softly, as if he somehow knew that talking more loudly than a whisper would split her head open. aIam sorry, Lys. Youare stuck with me until we can make it into the living room and get the key.a The key to the handcuffs.

aOh, God,a she groaned, resting her head against her arm as she still leaned against the toilet. It was going to take a superhuman effort to stand up and walk into the living room, but until she did, she was lockeda"nakeda"to Roger Starrett.

Her mortal enemy.

The way she was crouched, she was curled into a ball. That was bad enough, but the idea of having to stand up in front of him and walka"nakeda"into the living room was mortifying.

aThis is the stupidest thing Iave ever done in my life,a she moaned. Talk about self-sabotage. Fifty billion men in the world, and she had to go and have a one-night stand with Roger Starrett. aFool,a she chastised herself. aIam such a fool.a aGive yourself a break.a Starrett rubbed her shoulders and neck with a familiarity that was chilling. aYouare human. You had too much to drink. Itas not that big a deal, Lys.a aDonat touch me!a She couldnat bear it another second and pulled away from him, even though the movement made her head explode. She whipped a towel down from a rack and wrapped it around herself. aAnd donat call me Lys.a Starrett sat on the bathroom floor, much too close, just looking at her. He cleared his throat. aYou liked being called Lys last night.a aYeah, well, I donat like it now.a She couldnat meet his steady gaze, couldnat bear even to look at him. He was completely unconcerned about his own nakedness, completely comfortable inside his own extremely bare skin.

And why shouldnat he be? Even hungover, with gold-tinged stubble glistening on his chin, with his hair a mess and his eyes rimmed with red, with streaks of chocolate still on his chest and stomach, he was sexy as hell.

He sighed. aWeave reached that part, huh? The part about the regrets and recriminations. The embarrassment part. The light of day, dawning of common sense, morning after part.a He laughed, but it was without any humor. aShit.a Locke hauled herself to her feet, and her head managed to stay on her shoulders, but just barely. aPlease. I need to get the key.a She needed to take a shower, wash the stickiness of the chocolate from her body, wash away the scent of Starretta"the sweet, faint smell of sex.

If she could, she would wash away the bits and pieces of memories that were coming back, stronger and longer, with remarkable clarity. Condoms. Theyad used condoms, at least, thank you, God.

He just sat there, head in his hands, and she tugged on the handcuffs. aCome on.a Starrett looked up at her. aArenat you afraid Iall run away the minute you unlock me?a aPlease,a she whispered. There was no way she could drag him into the living room. She was barely going to be able to drag herself.

He pushed himself to his feet. aGuess not. Guess itas me whoas afraid to unlock you. I wish I had more of an appreciation for irony, becausea"a aJust donat talk, okay?a Locke held the towel tightly around her as she led him into the living room. Her jacket was on the couch, but . . . aWhereas my fanny pack?a Starrett scratched his stomach, then flopped onto the couch, pulling her down next to him. aIam not supposed to talk, remember?a Locke struggled to get free of the soft pillows so that she could look around the sides of the couch, as well as behind and beneath it. She looked under her jacket again. Her head was pounding. aHelp me find it, Starrett.a aGonna be hard to do without talking.a aPlease.a He sighed. aWell, wheread you put it down?a She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead with her uncuffed hand. aIf I knew that, then I wouldnat need you to help me find it.a aThis place isnat very big. Did you leave it in the kitchen? What color is it?a aItas aqua. You know, kind of green.a aI know what aqua is. Jesus.a aIam sorry,a she said. She held her head with both hands, hoping that would keep the top of her skull attached. aThis is very difficult for me.a aIt doesnat have to be,a he countered, his voice suddenly gentle. He sat forward. aLook, letas take a time-out, okay? Letas just take a deep breath and start again.a He took her hand and gently helped her up, and carefully, gingerly, as if she were an extremely fragile package, led her into the kitchen area.

She couldnat look at the kitchen table.

One of the chairs had been knocked over, probably when theyad . . . Oh, God.

Starrett picked it up, set it upright next to the little refrigerator, and gently pushed her down into it. As she sat there, he took out the bottle of Coke from the fridge, and, using only his right hand, poured her a plastic cupful.

aLittle sips,a he ordered her as he handed it to her.

From one of the cabinets, he took out a bottle of painkillera"some nonaspirin hangover remedya"and shook two pills out. She took them, unable to do more than glance into his eyes. It was almost harder to deal with this when he was being nice.

aMaybe we should close the curtains, make the room dark, and go back to sleep,a he suggested. aWhen you wake up, youall feel a little better, and then we can deal with finding the key.a aI want to find it now. Itas in my fanny pack,a she said. Going back to beda"nakeda"with Roger Starrett was not an option.

aWhich doesnat seem to be in the kitchen,a he told her. aIt wasnat in the bathroom or the living room. Is it possible . . .a He broke off.

aWhat?a He was silent.

aIf you have an idea, please donat keep it to yourself.a He shook his head. aI was just wondering if maybe you left it in the bar?a Dear, sweet God. Locke looked at him with horror. If her fanny pack wasnat here, then the key wasnat here, either. Oh, God.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to concentrate. To remember. aI had it on in the bar. No, wait, I had it on in the pool hall. I didnat have it in that other bar, did I?a He shook his head. aI donat remember seeing it.a He laughed. aOh, shit. I think I remember . . .a Her dread grew. aWhat?a aWhen we got to the hospital, you threw a bunch of stuff into the trunk of your car.a aOh, my God!a She had. She remembered now.

The key to these handcuffs was in her fanny pack, which was safely locked in the trunk of her car, which was parked in a garage near her sisteras hospital.

All the way across town.

aHow old is your daughter?a Meg jumped, startled. God, shead almost forgotten about the man sleeping in the backseat.

Except he wasnat asleep anymore.

The way John had tied him, she couldnat see him in her rearview mirror.

aMine was eleven when she was murdered,a he told her. aHer name was Ayesha.a Oh, dear Lord. Meg gripped the steering wheel. aIam so sorry.a aI have had a taste of your anger and pain.a Razeenas voice was gentle, drifting bodilessly from the back of the car. aHow old is she? Your Amy?a aTen.a aIt is a good age,a he said. aFor daughters. Is it not?a Meg nodded. aYes, it is.a Razeen laughed lightly. aAh, yes. Ayesha had such a smile, you know? As if life held such joy for hera"and thus she brought joy to others.a He was silent for a moment. aShe was shopping with her mother when there was trouble in the market.a Meg didnat want to hear this. She didnat want to know that Razeen had had a daughter, didnat want to hear of his pain and his loss. She didnat want him to be anything other than a terrorist, a villain, a man deserving of death.

aThey were rounded up by the Kazbekistani Army,a he continued, asimply for being Muslim. Someone protested too loudly, an argument broke out, and the government soldiers opened fire into the crowd. Just like that, Ayesha was gone.a aIam sorry,a she said againa"but it was meaningless. What good did her being sorry do him?

aSeventeen people were killed that day, thirty-nine wounded, and the incident was pushed aside by the government. It was forgotten. No one was ever punished. No one even apologized. Of course, that day the casualties were low. Such incidents have happened many times before and many times since then with death tolls of innocents in the hundreds.a Meg was silent. What could she say?

aThis is a government that is committing genocide,a Razeen continued, abut the world doesnat seem to care. I have tried to make changes politically, but our government cancelled the elections when it looked as if we might take control. I myself was taken into custody and tortured. When I finally escaped, I joined the GIK. And up to the day Ayesha died, I was an advocate of nonviolence. But that day she died, I changed my mind.a In a terrible, awful way, Meg understood. Here she was, with one gun still hidden in her boot, another on the seat beside her, doing things shead never dreamed she could possibly doa"all to protect her daughter.

aI have done some terrible things,a Razeen told Meg quietly. aI have done things that are hard to live with. I have taken lives, just as surely taking away someone elseas Ayesha. And I know that she would not have understood that. Not at all.a He sighed. aNo, not at all.a aWhy are you telling me this?a Meg whispered.

aI want you to understand,a Razeen told her. aIf my death can both save your daughter and bring attention to my peopleas suffering, then perhaps I will be forgiven. Perhaps I will again find peace.a aI received one last letter from Ralph,a Eve told Amy and the Bear. aIt was some months after head joined the British Expeditionary Force, after Hitler had invaded Poland, and the BEF were stationed across the channel, in France.

aHead taken the time to write out a detailed lesson plan for Nicky,a she told them. aHis letter was completely impersonala"he mentioned nothing at all of our marriage, nothing of our friendship.a She shook her head, remembering how her heart had leapt when shead received his packet and how hurt shead been when shead read his tersely worded note. Compared to his other lettersa"and shead kept and read that entire boxful until they were raggeda"this one had been written as if by a complete stranger.

aI used that letter to locate him in France.a The Bear was scowling, but Eve knew the young man was listening as he cleaned his gun in the early morning light. aHe was with the Fiftieth Royal Anti-Tank Regiment, and in the early spring of 1940, I put on my best outfit and my warmest overcoat and I took the ferry across the channel.a Shead used all shead ever learned from her mother to charm Ralphas commanding officer, whoad bent over backward in his attempt to accommodate her, allowing her to use the privacy of his office to meet with Ralph.

Who was terribly stern as he was led into the room, more like a man meeting a firing squad than a man coming face-to-face with the woman head claimed to have loved enough to marry.

His face looked grim, all sharp angles and high cheekbones beneath his military short hair. Of course the chill in his eyes added to the harsh effect.

Ralph waited until his commander left, closing the door behind him, but then he lit into her, his voice low but filled with a terrible intensity. aYou must be insane to have come all this way by yourself!a She was sitting in a chair in front of the commanderas imposing looking oak desk, and she crossed her legs with a hiss of silk.

The muscle in his jaw jumped, and he turned jerkily away to look out the window instead of at her.

aYouare right,a she said, her heart dropping clear down to her fashionable Italian leather pumps. aIam insane. But I had to see you.a He didnat say a word, didnat look at her.

aHow can you still be mad at me?a Eve whispered.

He laughed harshly, turning to face her. aYouave seen me.a He held out his arms and turned in a complete circle. aAll right? So go home. And go quickly. This is no place for a child.a Eve didnat move. aIave been following the newsa"reading the paper to Nick, and listening to the radio.a He was back to looking out the window. She supposed she had to be grateful that he didnat just walk away. At least he was listening to what she had to say.

Still, his hostility was daunting. This was, without a doubt, the hardest thing shead ever done.

She took a deep breath and lifted her chin. aHitleras not going to be content with Poland and Austria,a she told him. aI donat care what anyone says. War is coming. And youare going to be smack in the middle of it, here in France.a aAnd thatas what youave come all this way to tell me?a His voice was oddly flat. aThanks so much for the news.a aI came all this way because I wasnat sure Iad ever get another chance to see you. People get killed in wars, you know.a Her voice shook. aI came to tell you that . . .a She closed her eyes and said it. How could he hurt her worse than he already had? aI love you.a He didnat say a word, didnat move, and, as far as she could tell, he wasnat even breathing.

aMaybe that doesnat mean anything to you,a she said, her voice suddenly sounding very, very small in the large room. aMaybe you think it doesnat count because Iam so young. But Juliet was barely fourteen when she fell in love with Romeo.a She wanted to fall to her knees in front of him and beg him to forgive her, to hold her, to love her again. Her voice broke. aOh, Ralph, donat you remember Juliet?a He still didnat move. aJuliet didnat lie about her age to Romeo. What you did was unforgivable. And look at you.a His voice shook as he glanced only briefly at her. aYouare still pretending to be someone youare not, still lying.a Eve steeled herself as she stood up. She crossed to the window, stood directly in front of him.

aLook at me,a she said, forcing him to do exactly that. aIam sixteen and everyone thinks Iam twenty-one. I canat help how other people choose to see me. I do what I have to to survive in this worlda"and that includes taking advantage of other peopleas misconceptions. And Iam lucky that I can do this. Iam lucky that peoplea"including my stepmothera"believe that Iam old enough to take care of Nick.a He didnat respond, and she kept going, desperately now.

aYou know, if I could wave a wand, Iad magically make myself older, but I canat. I can only wait. Given enough time, though, I win, because every minute that passes I am getting older. I know in a few years that Iall actually be eighteen and then, yes, twenty-one. And I hope that in a few years youall be able to let yourself forgive me, and that youall love me again. And I pray, God, I pray, that in those same few years this war will end, and youall come safely home to me.a Ralph shook his head. aI wonat,a he said bitterly. aI canat. How could I ever trust you? Why would I even want to?a His words ripped her heart open, but Eve refused to flinch.

aYou know, half the time you were Nickyas tutor, I dressed in blue jeans and pigtails and didnat wear any makeup,a she accused him. aI dressed like a fifteen-year-old girl. But you saw what you wanted to see. And you wanted me to be twenty or twenty-five or whatever you thought, so thatas who you saw.a Instead of ice, there was guilt in his eyes now. It was almost harder to face. aYouare right,a he said. aGod forgive me.a aWhy should God have to forgive you for loving me?a she asked. aIad think head have more of a beef with you for walking away.a He was looking at her, really looking at her now, for the first time since head come into the room.

aPlease stay safe,a she told him desperately. aAnd remember that I love you. That Iall always love you.a For one heart stopping moment, Eve thought that he was going to reach for her, that he was about to pull her into his arms and hold her tightly. That he was going to whisper that he loved her, too.

Instead he wheeled away from her, nearly running for the door.

It took every ounce of control she had not to burst into tears. Instead she chased after him, out past the commanderas secretary, past the commander himself, who looked up, startled, as they rushed past.

She followed Ralph down the stairs and out of the building, her heels clattering on the walkway.

He broke into a dead run as he hit the street, and she had no prayer of catching him. Not in these shoes.

aIam not just young,a she shouted after him, aIam also a fool! I canat change that about myself either! And fool that I am, I do love you! Iall be there, in Ramsgate, waiting for you. Iall wait for you forever! So you better come home to me! You better!a Ralph didnat stop running, didnat look back.

aPlease, Ralph,a Eve whispered, sinking down to sit on the steps of the building. aJust come safely home. It doesnat have to be to me.a

Nineteen.

STARRETT LAUGHED. aIaM sorry,a he said. aI know you donat think this is funny, buta"a aThis is so not funny.a Locke stared at him, amazed and angered that he could be laughing about something so dreadfully serious. aThe keys to these handcuffs are locked in the trunk of my car, which is in a parking lot on the other side of town! And you think this is funny?a aWell, yeah.a She stood up so fast, she knocked the chair over again. Her brain sloshed hard against the inside of her skull, making her want to scream. aHow the hell are we going to get the key?a Her own raised voice hurt, and she lowered it, using tone rather than volume to convey her anger and disgust. aI donat even have a shirt to wear. Look at this!a She took her stained shirt from where it was hanging around the cuffs and shook it at him. aI need a shower, Iam covered with this . . . this . . . chocolate. But how am I supposed to take a shower handcuffed to you?a aActually, I can think of a number of ways that woulda"a She cut him off. aAre we supposed to just hail a cab wrapped in towels? How are we going to get through the hotel lobby without everyone seeing usa"God, without everyone knowing?a aWell, shit,a Starrett said. Head finally stopped laughing. aI guess weave hit on the real problem here, havenat we? God forbid anyone find out that Alyssa Locke is human. Well, sorry, sweet thing, you kinda let that little secret slip with me last night.a It was all she could do not to hit him. aDonat you ever, ever, call me that again.a aWhat, human?a Her head pounded and her stomach was churning. She yanked him with her, hard, toward the bathroom. aYou know, Starrett, this is a perfect example of how completely stupid it is to drink alcohol. What was I thinking last night? What was I possibly thinking? I mustave been completely out of my mind, because youare the dead last man on earth Iad sleep with if I were sober. But, no, a little too much whiskey, and letting you take off my clothes suddenly seems like a good ideaa"instead of the biggest mistake of my stupid life!a He caught her arm, pulling her back toward him, his face taut with anger. aThis wasnat entirely my idea,a he told her. aYou were on board right from the start, babe. And enthusiastically, might I add? In fact, you were the genius who found the chocolate sauce in the kitchen anda"a Locke closed her eyes, remembering the kitchen table. aI know exactly what I did,a she told him through gritted teeth. aYou donat need to go into detail, thanks.a aYou remember. Great. But do you remember if that was the second or the third time we made love last night, Alyssa? Or was it maybe the fourth?a She forced herself to meet his gaze. aWhat we did last night wasnat making love.a He flinched as if shead slapped him, but he recovered so quickly, she wondered if shead imagined it. He laughed. aPoor choice of words. Let me rephrase the question. Was it the second or third time we fucked? Is that better, sweet thing?a She didnat answer. She just turned and dragged him the rest of the way into the bathroom.

aYou know, you were all over me,a he continued, not taking his cue to shut up from her silence. aI wouldave been fine with doing it once, but you just wanted more and more. Iam actually a little surprised you havenat tried to jump me again this morning.a aIam going to shower,a she told him as matter-of-factly as she could, as she turned on the water. aYou can stand out here, outside the curtain. With your eyes closed.a She stepped into the shower and slipped out of her towel, tossing it over the curtain rod, where she could quickly grab it again when she was done. The warm water was just what she needed, and combined with the headache medicine Starrett had given her, she was starting to feel as if her head werenat in quite so much danger of being detached from her shoulders.

aFuck this,a Starrett said, stepping into the shower with her. aIam not standing out there.a aHey!a She quickly turned her back to him.

aAnd Iam not closing my eyes, either. Itas not like I havenat seen you naked. Jesus. Itas not like I havenat licked chocolate syrup off every inch of your body. I need a shower, too, this is my hotel room, so just . . . tough shit, Locke. Youare stuck with me for a little while longer.a Locke tried to be efficient and quick, lathering the soap and using her hands to wash herself clean. But her right hand was attached to Starrettas left, and his fingersa"intentionally, no doubta"kept skimming her until she wanted to scream. aStop it. God forbid you should start acting like a gentleman at this late stage in your life.a aPass the soap. Iall wash your back. With pleasure.a With an exhale of frustration, she put the soap down far from him. aArenat you even the tiniest bit ashamed of taking advantage of the situation last night? You knew Iad had too much to drink. You havenat even tried to apologize.a aThatas because I have no intention of apologizing,a he told her. aIt was amazinga"what we did last night, what we shared. Shit, it was great. I refuse to apologize. And I refuse to regret one fucking second of it. Yes, I knew you had too much to drink. And maybe that means I took advantage. But you wanted me, Alyssa. Badly. How the hell was I supposed to turn you down?a She stepped under the water, letting it flow over her head and her face so that she wouldnat have to hear him. But it was only a temporary respite. They were handcuffed together, and would be, probably for the next few hours, God help her. He was right. She was stuck with him for now.

And she had wanted hima"he was right about that, too. The really stupid thing was that a part of her still wanted him. She was trying to pretend otherwise, but it was back there even now, eating away at her, like some kind of sick craving or addiction.

She wanted him to touch her again.

She wanted him to wash her back. She wanted . . .

She squeegeed her hair back from her face with her hands, aware of the weight of his arm next to hers, angry with him for being there, for being too damned sexy, for getting to her, even now when sex should have been the last thing she wanted.

She rinsed out the white T-shirt that was still hanging between them like a sodden and defeated flag of surrender.

aCan we switch places, so I can have a little water now?a he asked.

Silently she moved past him, trying to put as much space between them as possible, but he slipped and caught himselfa"by grabbing on to her in a full body hug.

aOh, my God!a Locke yanked herself away from him. He was completely aroused. Extremely aroused. Enormously aroused. Suddenly it was very hard to breathe.

She jerked her eyes back to his face, angry at herself, twice as angry at him for making her angry at herself. aWhat is wrong with you?a He was indignant. aWhatas wrong? Excuse me, but this is the correct response to this situation. Iam human, Iam male, youare female, youare naked. Iam standing here watching you rub soap all over your body. If I didnat have a hard-on, thatas when something would be seriously wrong with me.a He rinsed himself, his movements jerky with anger. The way they were cuffed together, it was impossible for her to turn her back to him. She was forced to stand there and watch him.

He was male perfection, all hard, sleek muscles, long, powerful legs, narrow hips, and . . .

Oh, God, she remembered . . .

He opened his eyes and looked at her. aYou say you remember what we did last night, but how could you remember and not want to do it again? We were smoking, Lys. We were off the charts. How could you not want more of that incredible magic?a He touched her cheek with his hand, his fingers gentle. She couldnat pull away.

aI could stay cuffed to you for two months,a he whispered, aand never once think to look for the key. The hell with the key.a He moved toward her, and she knew that he was going to kiss her. If she let him get close enough, he was going to lower his head and cover her mouth with his.

She had to do something. She had to grab her towel and step out of this shower. She had to . . .

But she didnat.

She couldnat.

And so he kissed her.

His lips were so soft and so sweet, but it took only a matter of seconds before what started as a tender kiss exploded into passion.

It was her fault. She was the one who tried to inhale him, who pulled him tightly against her, who nearly ate him alive.