His head tilted slightly. Through the layers of her starched and stiff clothing, she felt his stare move from the tips of her shoes to the top of her head. His lips curved up as his gaze locked with hers. “I’ll get back to you on that, Mrs Spencer.”After Alaric left, Vanessa quickly gathered up a day or two’s worth of clothing and some personal stuff. She packed it up neatly and exited the apartment after calling for a cab. Paranoia kept causing her to look over her shoulder as she waited for the cab to arrive. She ended up checking into a hotel. She closed the door behind her, locked it, and rolled her suitcase to the bed. Looking around the room, the queen-size bed with square pillows, the desk and the TV, she let out a deep sigh. She plopped down on the bed, wishing she’d had the foresight to grab a carton of ice cream from her freezer. It felt like it was going to be one of those “look at your life, look at your choices” kinds of night, and she needed chocolate to deal with that

“Want me to see if I can track down some of the numbers? I got a friend who’s a friend of a player on the Falcons. And obviously I can’t do nothing else but sit behind a desk.”Alaric laughed as he pushed the list over. “Who do you know?”“Remember the Redskins cheerleader two years ago? The one who was being stalked by that parolee? Well, we’ve stayed in contact. I’m sure she can make a few calls and point us in the right direction.”Alaric shook his head. “Yeah, I bet the contact you’ve been staying in has been totally professional and doesn’t involve your cock.”“I am not talking to you about my cock.”Alaric's eyes narrowed. “Do I need to remind you of the number-one rule?”“Whatever.” Paul pushed himself up. “You don't have to. I'm engaged to a beautiful woman now. I should be the one asking you…. Do I need to remind you about the rule?”“Shut the fuck up.”Paul laughed as he ambled out of the office, closing the door behind him. Looking back at the screen, Alaric let about five

“Hell no. I’m already itching to get back to her, so I’m sure as hell not going to spend half the night away just in case she gets sicker.”“Then you should be home.”Paul glanced at him. “Like I said, she threatened to kick my ass. You know how she gets.”Alaric laughed. Emily was a tiny thing, but he wouldn’t put it past her to make good on her threat. “You should pick her up some ginger ale and crackers.”“Yes, Mom.”Alaric flipped him off as he kicked his leg off the coffee table and leaned back. His thoughts wandered to the phone call he’d made to Vanessa earlier and a small grin pulled at his lips. He’d flustered the unflusterable and didn’t that fill him with a ridiculous amount of smugness? He really shouldn’t be messing with her, considering the situation she was in, but he just couldn’t help himself.His own phone sat like a stone on the arm of the sofa. He hadn’t expected Vanessa to call him, even if she’d said that she would. It wasn’t like her, but damn if he wasn’t secon

A wry grin appeared, barely reaching her eyes. “That’s what they say.”He slid closer, using his knee to slide between hers. The position was intimate, noted by her when her eyes flew back to his. She pulled her hands again and this time he let her go, but he didn’t move away. He knew he was crowding her.“I’m sorry.” She started to rise. “I shouldn’t be bothering you with this—any of this. You only agreed to look into the names I’d given you. You're just doing your job. I can go to a hotel until, well, this blows over. I should—”“No,” he said, his muscles tensing, prepared to tackle her if necessary.She froze and her eyes widened behind her glasses. The haunted look was still there. “No?”“Right now, it’s not safe for you to go back to that hotel.” He almost smiled when her eyes widened. “And this stalker also knows where you’re staying and took it out on your apartment.”Folding her arms over her chest, she lifted her chin a fraction of an inch. “Then what am I supposed to do if I

His lips swept over hers once more as she placed her hands on his chest, prepared to push him away, but then he nipped at her lower lip. A tiny bite that brought forth a wave of tight lust that seemed to come out of nowhere. He nibbled at the corner of her lip as he pulled her against him, trapping her hands between them.Good Lord, he kissed like a man starving for a taste. Working at the tight seam of her lips, he pressed forward, demanding that she open up to him.She couldn’t help her reaction to the kiss, no matter how badly she wished she wasn’t affected by it. She wanted to remain aloof to the sensual assault, to remain in complete control of herself, but a longing rose deep inside her, spreading like wildfire.Her lips parted on a sigh, and Alaric delved inside, slowly probing the recesses of her mouth. He tasted of whiskey and something richer, deeper. The kiss deepened, and instead of pushing him away, her hands fisted in the shirt he wore, holding him in place. He kissed he