At first Yvette didn't understand. "Who?" Then she caught his meaning. "You're talking about Margaret-"

"And Dash. Rowdy, Avery, Logan, Reese..." Steering with one hand, he wrapped his right hand over her knee. "I've relied on all of them plenty of times, and vice versa."

Never would she go crying to his friends, looking for help. If it came to that she'd go back to California. But she was an optimist, so she had to believe it'd all work out somehow.

Now that he'd sort of brought it up, she turned in her seat and gave way to her curiosity. "When you take those long walks at night with your friends, the pole dancers you talk with, all the business people, it's because you're checking up on your neighborhood."

"Something like that."

"An older couple told me that you ran drug dealers away from their shop."

Modest in the extreme, Cannon lifted a shoulder. "I strongly suggested they move along."

"Right. I'm sure that's all you did. A nice, friendly chat."

He flashed a quick grin. "Before meeting Rowdy and his whole entourage, we made things happen by backing up what we said. And yeah, before you ask, that means I got into a lot of fights. Came to the point where it was easier for the street thugs to avoid us than to engage."

"Sounds dangerous."

"It was a few times." His fingers teased over her knee, then behind it. He blew out a breath. "Long ago, my dad died resisting extortion from a local group."

Yvette's heart sank. "I'm so sorry."

"Like I said, it was long ago."

Covering his hand with hers, knowing there was more, she waited.

"After that, some punks tried to give Merissa a hard time. I decided that wasn't going to happen." His brows pinched together a little as he recalled those long-ago days. Only seconds later, he shook off the mood. "That's when I learned I could fight." He glanced at her with a quick grin. "And that there was room for improvement. I started training, got involved in some small venues and kept up with the neighborhood network."

Yvette laced her fingers with his. "You're pretty amazing. You know that, right?"

He lifted her hand to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. "Not amazing, honey. Just appreciative of what I have and the people I know. Including you. And that brings us full circle."

"Should I be dizzy?"

"If for any reason you can't ever reach me, well, Rowdy is the most honorable tough guy I've ever known, followed closely by the lieutenant."

Laughing at that, Yvette said, "A tough guy, huh?"

"Or just tough. And definitely honorable. Dash and the detectives...they're really good men." He let her go and returned both hands to the steering wheel. "But you can always go to Armie, too, or Denver or Stack or-"

"Wow." Mustering a laugh, Yvette dropped back in her seat. "Are you expecting me to rouse up major chaos at every turn? Because seriously, Cannon, I'm hoping Heath takes off and it all just disappears, in which case, why would I need all this excellent backup?"

"I'm expecting you to be beautiful and hot and to keep me crazy with l.u.s.t."

Wow again. She had nothing to say to that, except that maybe it'd be better if she appeased his l.u.s.t. Like... tonight.

"But I'm the cautious sort," he said, "and I believe in being prepared. So humor me, okay?"

It took her a minute to get her thoughts in order, then she leaned in and stroked his shoulder. His body was so incredibly honed. She loved the feel of him under the soft cotton T-shirt. But she loved to touch his hot skin even more, so she slipped her fingers underneath his sleeve.

He went alert in a very masculine way.

"I don't want you to worry, Cannon. I'm not going to let Heath dictate my decisions, but I'm not going to do anything foolish either." He started to say something, but she wasn't done yet. "The thing is, I really don't want this to become your problem. Yes, we're in the same house. And yes, I want..." How to put it? "You." That seemed clear enough. But just to be sure, she added, "In every way."

"d.a.m.n, honey." He shifted, straightening one leg, tugging at his jeans.

"I appreciate how you handled Heath today. He took me by surprise and I was embarra.s.sed. But no matter what he said or did, I wouldn't have gone anywhere alone with him. It might have gotten even more embarra.s.sing, but I could have handled it."

That only made Cannon look more determined. "Glad to hear it."

In no way did he sound convinced, and that concerned her. "I hope you listened to what Margaret said. You don't need to seek Heath out. You don't need to defend my honor."

"I don't, huh?"

Now he almost sounded annoyed. She eyed him. "I'm not saying you have to ignore Heath's insults if we run into him."

"Gee, thanks."

"But you can try letting me deal with him before you get in the middle of it."

He grunted over that.

"Mostly," she said, "I want to thank you."

That got his attention. "For what?"

"For offering to back me up." Again. "For caring." G.o.d, she hoped he did. "For...everything." Mostly, for being you.

He was quiet for a very long time, and that made Yvette even more uncertain about his feelings. Cannon was such a great guy to everyone. He was known for always treating women with respect, even the women he turned down. For as long as she'd known him, he'd been a defender...of everyone.

She knew he cared for her, but then, he cared for a lot of people.

d.a.m.n it, she wanted to be special.

Because he was so very special to her.

Finally he said, "I'm going to leave my truck at Rissy's until we get the garage cleaned out. Then we'll both be able to park inside. I don't want to leave it sitting out there like bait."

"That makes sense." Another thought occurred to her. "You spend most of your time in Harmony, Kentucky, right?"

Suspicious, he asked, "Why?"

"You have a house there?"

"Yeah." He glanced at her. "I'll show it to you someday, okay? It's not that long of a drive. Maybe three hours."

Realizing he had an entire life set up elsewhere did a lot to dampen her mood. Out of necessity, his time here would have to be limited. "I'd like that. Thank you." Going back to her original train of thought, she asked, "Your house has a garage?"

"Three-car, yeah." Again he glanced at her. "And a pool. I'd love to see you in a bikini."

She should have smiled at the wolfish way he said that, but guilt had a stranglehold on her again. "If you weren't here, playing house with me-" most likely because he worried about her being alone "-then your truck would have already been safely locked in a garage instead of-"

"Don't think like that." Frowning again, he worked his jaw. "I'm glad you're here, d.a.m.n it. Despite everything going on, I want you to be glad, too."

How could he not know? She was so happy to be home. To be with him.

But she'd so badly wanted it to be different.

Because she couldn't do much about Heath right now, or his tires, she adjusted her att.i.tude instead, smiling, leaning toward him to again stroke his hard shoulder. "I am. Very much so."

Briefly, he turned his head to kiss her wrist.

"I'll work on the rest of the boxes first thing tomorrow." She was anxious to see everything she had, and to get the best stuff moved to the shop. Though she loved all the time she spent with Cannon, it was his time-his training, his contribution to the rec center, his friends. She wasn't used to being idle for so long. She needed to be busy.

Once she opened the shop, she'd get back in the swing of working. That'd do a lot to help her regain her emotional balance.

"What do you think about a dog?"

"I'm not sure." She'd always wanted one, but her apartment in California didn't allow pets. And even if it had, her s.p.a.ce was too small to fit in an animal.

But a pet...it was such a sign of permanence. Wasn't it? She hedged by saying, "I like animals."

"Me, too. With my travel it hasn't been possible, but you're staying now, right?"

"Yes."

"And the backyard is plenty big enough. I could even put up a fence."

More and more he made plans that seemed so permanent, without ever really telling her his long-term intention. But however life rolled out, she would love having the company of a dog. "Okay."

"Great." Decisive, he said, "How about we visit the shelter the Sunday after I work at Rowdy's?"

Thinking about taking such a big step with him made her nervous, uncertain and utterly euphoric. She started smiling and couldn't stop.

When she looked at Cannon, he was smiling, too.

"Happy?" he asked her.

"Very."

They turned the corner to her house. The last rays of the summer sun splashed brilliant colors over the horizon.

With her focus on Cannon, thinking about so many things, she saw the exact moment he frowned. "What's the matter?"

His hands flexed on the steering wheel. "You know there's something between us, right?"

Since he'd just recently said so, she guessed, "l.u.s.t?" And she was only half teasing.

"h.e.l.l, yeah. The l.u.s.t is there in spades. I think about you and I want you. I see you and I salute."

Confused, she repeated, "Salute?"

"My johnson stands up and takes notice."

"Oh." Her gaze automatically went to his lap, and her eyes widened.

"But it's more than that, too."

It was his tone, more than anything, that shot her attention back to his face.

Warmth filled her heart. Recalling how patient he'd been, even when she'd told him about her hang-ups, she bit her lip. "More?"

Looking far too grim, Cannon said, "No matter what, I want you to remember that."

What did he mean? He seemed to want an answer, so she nodded. "All right."

With a demeanor of determination, he pulled into the driveway, turned off the engine and stared at the front door.

Yvette followed his gaze and blanched at what she saw. Fury mixed with defeat.

The spray-painted message destroyed the front door. Bloodred drips trailed down to the small porch.

"Go home, b.i.t.c.h."

Shaking her head, she denied the command.

Someone wanted her to go-when she'd only just decided to stay.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

together theY got out and moved closer.

Avoiding the paint-still fresh and sticky-Cannon unlocked the front door and helped her inside. "Stay put one second, okay?"

With a nod, she stood there, looking a little numb, a lot defiant.

So proud.

He did a quick surveillance of the house, but everything was in order. He checked on the garage, the small backyard, each window.

When he returned, she had her cell phone in her hand. Without him having to ask, she said, "I was ready to call for backup if we needed it."

"Smart." Wishing he could have shielded her from this, he drifted his thumb over her cheek. "Nothing else seems disturbed, though."