But right then, Mark’s eyes held confusion and worry.
“What are you doing here, Ava? I thought you were staying away.”
Not from him, but from Austin and from the McGuire ranch because that place held too many painful memories for her. But when no place seemed safe, where were you supposed to go?
He’s my haven.
“Ava?”
“I’m not crazy.”
“I never said you were.” His hands dropped and he took a step toward her. “Never thought it, either.”
Others had. How many times had she heard the whispers over the years?
Is that her? Did she do it?
They should have locked her up...
She’s either crazy...or she’s a killer.
Ava swallowed and lifted her chin. “Someone has been in my house.” The little one-bedroom cottage in Houston that she called home.
“What?” Now a lethal fury had entered his voice.
“He didn’t take anything. Nothing was broken, so I couldn’t really report it to the police. I just... I know someone has been inside.” It was the small things that had tipped her off to the intruder’s presence. Things that most people probably wouldn’t have noticed.
A confused furrow appeared between Mark’s brows. He doesn’t believe me.
“Pictures have been moved.” Now she spoke quickly, the words tumbling out as she tried to convince Mark that she was telling the truth. “Like someone picked them up, but put them back down in the wrong place.”
His square jaw locked. He had a faint cleft in his chin. Something else that was sexy about him.
“That’s not all,” she hurried to say because she knew the picture thing sounded flimsy. “My clothes were rearranged.” She felt the heat stain her cheeks. “He went through my dresser and...touched things. Moved them.” Her underwear. Her bras. He’d been in her closet, too. The clothes had been moved—pushed to either side just a few extra inches.
At first she’d thought she was imagining all of these small things. But...then they kept adding up. And she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that someone was watching her.
No, worse.
Stalking her.
Now Mark was just staring at her.
“I’m not imagining this,” she whispered as she gazed up at him. “It’s happening. When I got home this evening, it had happened again. My back door...it was unlocked. He just left it unlocked when he left.” Mark was still staring. He had to believe her! “I triple-checked that door before I went out. I know it was locked, I know—”
His hands wrapped around her shoulders. “Why didn’t you call the police?”
“I did...the first time. They came out, looked around and said there was no sign of any intruder.” The police had basically told her to stop wasting their time...only in a nicer way.
“Your brothers,” he snapped out the words. “They own a PI business, for goodness’ sake! They’d be on this thing in an instant. They’d—”
“Lock me up and throw away the key.” Her words were brittle. “You know my brothers and exactly what they’re like.” Military through and through, and when it came to her...about a million times too protective. “I don’t want to go back to the McGuire ranch. You know that. I never want to stay there again.” Because every time she went there, Ava hurt. “This is just a jerk playing some kind of sick game with me. I want the game to stop. I want—”
Mark was shaking his head and his hold on her tightened. “Breaking into your house isn’t a game. It sounds like someone is fixated on you! Stalking you!”
That was what she feared.
“What if he escalates? What if he decides to break into the house while you’re there?”
Just why did Mark think she’d driven all the way to Austin? That unlocked door had sent her into a tailspin, and she’d been horrified at the thought of staying in that place for even one more night. She’d already put plans in motion to leave Houston, but tonight’s little fright fest had moved up her departure by a few days. “That’s where you come in,” she told him.
His face was just inches from hers.
“I need a place to stay.” He hadn’t seen her car yet. So he didn’t know... “I was already planning to move to Austin... I was offered a job at the art museum. I was scheduled to start in two weeks, but I already turned in my notice at my old job, and...” And she was talking way too fast. “Whoever was messing with me in Houston, he won’t follow me to Austin. It’s a new city.” That’s what she’d been telling herself. “I’ll get an apartment here and vanish.”
“Ava...”
“Until I find that apartment, I need a place to stay.” She licked her lips. His gaze immediately fell to her mouth. Was it her imagination or did his blue stare heat up? “Please, Mark, can you let me stay here just for a few days? Until I find a more permanent place?”
Because she’d always felt safe with him.
But his jaw seemed to lock down even harder. His breath heaved out and he—he backed away from her. “If someone is stalking you...” He took another step back. “You need to call your brothers. They’re the experts at this kind of thing. They’ll find the guy—”
“If they even believe someone was in my place.” She wasn’t so sure they’d buy her story. They treated her with kid gloves as it was, always trying to hide the truth about their investigation into their parents’ death. They didn’t get that she wasn’t some scared teen any longer.
He frowned at that. “Of course they’ll believe you.”
He sounded so confident. The cops hadn’t believed her. Her neighbors hadn’t believed her. “Do you believe me?”
“Yes.” He gave a grim nod. “And you should have come to me immediately. I mean, how long has the joker been doing this to you?”
“A month.” He believed her. Relief swept through Ava, almost making her feel a little dizzy.
Fury darkened his face. “You wait this long to tell me? You only come to me when you’re terrified. You don’t—”
“I changed the locks. My brothers had installed a security system—a top of the line system. I tried to stay safe.” On my own.
“You have to tell them.”
“My brothers haven’t exactly been living the easy life lately,” she muttered. Grant had nearly died a while back when he was working a case. He’d wound up in the hospital. And as for Brodie—he and his girlfriend had both just battled a monster from their past. They’d barely made it out of that nightmare alive. “They’ve had enough to deal with, okay?”
“You’re their sister. They’d drop everything for you.”
She glanced away from him. “I just need a place to stay tonight, okay?” Did he want her to beg? Because she was close to it. She couldn’t stay in a motel. The walls in places like that were thin. “It’s too late to call them now.” If he’d just let her stay the night, she could figure out another plan for tomorrow.
“Bull. You came to me this late. Their ranch is just down the road.”
Her gaze fell to the floor. “I wanted to be with you.” But now that seemed foolish. He sure hadn’t greeted her with open arms. “I shouldn’t have come.” She turned away and started heading back toward the door.
“No, you can’t leave.”
And he was touching her again, spinning her around to face him. Staring at her with fury and—and some other dark, turbulent emotion shining in his eyes. “You come to me,” Mark continued, “telling me that some bozo is stalking you...and you expect me to just watch as you walk away in the night?”
She swallowed. “No, I expect you to give me a room...for old time’s sake.” Tomorrow, when she wasn’t dead tired from fear and exhaustion, she’d work on another plan. One that didn’t involve her brothers totally flipping out.
He gave a c
urt nod. “You can stay as long as you want.”
Yes! That relief was so strong that she was definitely feeling a little light-headed. Or maybe that was just because she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. “Thank you.” Impulsively she stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around him. His rich masculine scent filled her nose. “You’ve always been a good friend to me.”
Mark’s body was rock hard against hers—hard and hot and so incredibly strong. His hands settled along the curve of her hips. “Is that what I am?” His voice was deeper, almost a growl.
She lifted her head and stared into his eyes. “Yes.” Her own voice came out too husky, so she cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes, but you’re also...more.”
“Am I?” His gaze had locked on her mouth.
Her heart thundered in her chest. “You’re almost family.”
“No.” An instant denial. His hold urged her even closer to his body. “I’m not family. Don’t ever think that I am.” His eyes were still on her mouth. And his head was lowering toward hers, closing that last little bit of space. “I’m not your brother, and I’m not some safe friend.”
She trembled against him. “Mark?”
His gaze slowly lifted and met hers. “You should be careful with me.”
Her drumming heartbeat seemed to shake her chest. She’d never worried about being careful with Mark. Mark was good, solid and dependable. The light in the dark. He was—
“Because I’m not sure how much longer I can be careful with you.”
He was going to kiss her. Ava was sure of it. Mark was so close to her, the tension in the air had turned blazing, and she wanted him to press his mouth to hers. She’d wondered if he would ever actually—
He backed away. Again.
She suddenly felt very cold.
“You know the guest room is down the hallway.” He pointed to the left.
Yes, she knew where the guest room was.
Just as she knew that Mark’s room was on the other side of the sprawling ranch house. Far enough away...that he won’t hear me scream.
She thought about going out to the car for her bags, but figured she’d just save that for another time. Her car was parked near the entrance to Mark’s house, and the bags would be safe there for the time being.
For now, she’d crash...because she needed to slip away from Mark and his too-watchful gaze.
She turned on her heel and headed for the hallway.
“Tomorrow,” he called after her, “we call your brothers.”
She reached out and touched the door frame. “They don’t want me near you.” Not now. She didn’t know what had happened, but she’d been given that warning by more than one McGuire. Ava looked back at Mark.
He hadn’t moved.
Had he even heard her? Sighing, she took a step forward.
“What do you want, Ava?” His low, rumbling words stopped her.
And an instinctive response...you...rose to her lips. But she managed to choke that word back.
“Ava?”
“I don’t want to be scared anymore,” she said, and those words were the truth.
Or at least, as much of the truth as she was willing to share right then.
Ava kept walking, and Mark didn’t say anything else.
* * *
AVA WAS BACK.
Mark glanced down at his hands. There was a faint tremble in his fingers. He almost hadn’t been able to let Ava go. Not when her sweet lips were so close to his.
Once it had been easy to stay away from Ava. But...Ava wasn’t some scared sixteen-year-old girl any longer. She’d grown up and transformed into the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
When Ava was near, he ached. Because he wanted...what he shouldn’t have.
He sucked in a breath and could have sworn that he tasted her. The scent of strawberries seemed to cling to Ava. A light, sweet scent. She’d been in his arms, her body pressed tightly to his, and he’d wanted to devour her.
He’d also wanted to destroy whoever was out there terrorizing her. Because Ava had been afraid. Her body had trembled, her breath had caught in her throat and her green eyes had been bright with fear. Some jerk had been stalking her for a month, and she was just now telling him about it?
He spun away. Grabbed up his glass of wine and downed the contents in one fast gulp.
First thing tomorrow he’d be calling her brothers. Once upon a time he and Davis McGuire had been best friends. There was no way he’d let Ava keep this dangerous secret from her family.
First thing tomorrow...
But for that night, Ava would rest. She’d be safe.
He started to pace. He’d keep watch over her now, same as he’d done years ago.
The night she’d first run to him was burned in his memory. How could a man forget a night of death? It was impossible, as impossible as forgetting a woman like Ava.
She’d grown up before his eyes. That terrible night had destroyed the last of her childhood. At first she’d been so brittle, so very breakable. He’d wanted to pummel anyone who looked at her too hard, and there had been plenty of accusatory stares. Sure, he’d heard the rumors.
Some folks thought it was suspicious that Ava had escaped from the killers without even a scratch while her parents had died.
He paced toward the window on the right. Suspicious? No, there was nothing suspicious about her survival. She’d been lucky. He had no doubt that if the killers had seen her, Ava would have died, too.
Years had passed since that night. Bubbly, happy Ava had vanished. She’d become controlled, withdrawn and beautiful as she finished her college years. She’d gone to grad school, and she’d kept away from Austin.
But she’s back now.
Back with him. In his home, but not in his bed. Though for the past two years, he’d sure imagined her there plenty. Ever since the night he’d tasted Ava for the first time. It had been a kiss that shouldn’t have happened. A kiss that had changed everything for him.
His eyes squeezed closed. It was really going to be a long night.
* * *
AVA WAS IN the stables, stroking Lady’s mane. She was humming a bit as she groomed her horse. Working kept her mind off the fact that she and her boyfriend Alan had broken up just hours before the homecoming dance. Because he was a serious jerk with delusions. And now she was there, alone with her horse, while all of her friends were out at the party.
Ava stopped humming. There would be other dances. And plenty of other guys—guys who weren’t creeps and who—
Thunder cracked through the night. At the sound, Ava’s whole body jerked. There wasn’t supposed to be a storm that night. As the sharp crack died away, goose bumps rose on Ava’s arms.
Was that thunder?
She whirled from the horse, ran from the stable. That loud blast still seemed to echo in her ears. As she ran, she looked up at the star-filled sky. There was no sign of clouds or lightning. Nothing at all.
Fear thickened in her veins. Something is wrong. I don’t think that was thunder. She rushed toward the ranch house. All of the lights were blazing inside. She could see her dad standing a few feet in front of the picture window.
Only he wasn’t alone.
Ava staggered to a stop. The lights were so bright in that house, and she could easily see the men with her father. Two men wearing black ski masks were pointing guns at her father.
Where’s Mom? Where’s Mom?
She inched closer, and when she saw her mother lying on the floor, a pool of blood gathering near her body, a sob tore from Ava. In that instant, her father whirled toward the window. His gaze locked with hers.
Dad!
“Run.” He mouthed that one word at her.
Ava shook her head, too terrified to move.
r /> But then her father whirled around to face the men in masks. He shouted something at them, words that drifted through the open window.
“I’ll never tell you. No matter what you do. I’ll never tell.”
Boom! That time, she knew the sound wasn’t thunder. She saw her father’s body jerk. Ava watched in horror as he fell, and she was screaming, screaming—
“Wake up, Ava.” Warm, strong hands wrapped around her shoulders and shook her once, gently. “It’s okay. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”
Her eyes flew open. She saw that the lights were all on—and so bright—in that guest room. Mark was on the bed with her, his body curled protectively over hers.
“It’s just a dream,” he told her, his deep voice rumbling. “Dreams can’t hurt you.”
No, it was the men in black ski masks who did that. Those were the men who appeared and wrecked your world.
Ever since that stalker had started playing games with her life a month ago, she’d been having the dreams—every single night. Before that, she’d been doing so much better. She’d even been able to go a few months without the nightmares.
But since the first time she’d noticed her pictures rearranged...it was as if the past had come rushing back to her.
His thumbs traced little soothing circles on her arms. “I didn’t know you still—”
“Still woke up screaming.” Her voice sounded raspy. How long had she been screaming before he’d rushed in? “That’s why I could never have a roommate in college.” Why she’d gotten the little rental house close to the campus. Her brothers had put in a security system there to keep her safe...and she’d really thought everything would be fine.
But someone still got in.
“The stalker, he brought it all back.” She sat up in bed, but Mark didn’t let her go. “I was getting better.”
He didn’t speak. His hands were so warm around her.
He’d come to her before, comforting her in the middle of the night. But she’d been a scared sixteen-year-old then.
She was still scared, but she wasn’t sixteen.