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“Oh yeah. It’s fine. Ryan and Vicky both gave their permission before they left for the airport. They won’t be back from their trip for two weeks, and they liked the idea of someone keeping an eye on things while they’re gone.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “You don’t think I’ll have to be here for two weeks, do you?”

“No, but at least you have the option. Shailene can stay here too, if she needs a place to crash when she gets back in town.” He stepped farther into the room, the pet carrier in his left hand and a duffel bag hanging off his shoulder. The kitten mewled from inside the carrier to voice its displeasure about the confinement.

Dorcas bent to peer into the cage, and the kitten stared back at her with big, unblinking eyes. “Where should we put him? I’d feel bad if he clawed up the furniture.”

“I don’t know. I’ll leave him in the carrier for now. Once we get settled, we can figure out a place to keep him.”

While Nate headed down the hall, Dorcas wandered to the kitchen, where stainless-steel appliances and cherry wood cabinets gleamed under recessed lights. Pots and pans hung from a metal rack suspended from the ceiling. Arms tired, she set the grocery bags on the black granite countertop by the stove.

Oddly curious, she opened the refrigerator to see that yes, rich and famous people ate the same stuff as regular folks. However, there wasn’t very much of it, which made sense considering their plans to be out of the country for two weeks.

As Dorcas unloaded the bags, her thoughts inevitably strayed to her sister, and a fresh round of guilt ripped through her. The logical part of her brain understood there was only so much they could do with the limited information at their disposal. Yet she felt as though she should be doing something—anything—to find her sister, not hide in a celebrity’s house. It seemed irresponsible, cowardly, and that flew in the face of her values.

Restless, edgy, she switched on her phone as she walked out of the kitchen and sent Rita another text. More likely than not, it wouldn’t do a damn bit of good. She’d already sent at least a hundred, and all of them had gone unanswered. But who knew, maybe one hundred and one would be the lucky message to elicit a response.

“Relax, babe,” Nate said, and she jerked at the sound of his voice. She’d been so consumed by her thoughts and worries that she hadn’t noticed him entering the room.

Dorcas shifted to face him, and her heart fluttered in a way that was becoming all too familiar. But what really disturbed her was the fact that she was starting to welcome the sensation. “Sorry. Just thinking about Rita.”

“I know.” One side of his mouth curved up.

She frowned, bothered by his ability to read her so easily.

He surprised her then by gathering her into his arms and simply holding her close. He felt so warm, so strong,so right, and she softened against him, breathing him in, her cheek on his chest and her arms wrapped around him, grateful for the comfort he offered.

Yeah, comfort. That’s what she wanted. If she repeated the lie enough times, she might actually begin to believe it.

How long he held her, she honestly couldn’t say. But eventually, he pulled away far enough to peer down at her.

“Dorcas.” His voice was low, barely above a whisper. Gently, he brushed her hair away from her face and tipped her chin up with his finger so their gazes met. “I care about you. A lot. I have to admit that scares me. But I was thinking, you know, once this is all over, if you’re willing to give us a try...”

He didn’t finish the sentence. Didn’t need to. The raw vulnerability she saw in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. This wasn’t some cheesy pick-up line, or a ploy to get her naked. He was taking a chance, venturing miles outside his comfort zone, and it charmed her to know he was willing to take that risk for her.

Still, her first instinct was to say no. This was Nate the player, the guy with a reputation for burning through women faster than Kleenex during the height of pollen season. But now that she’d gotten to know him better, had gotten to know therealNate Flint, she realized there was more to him than that. Beneath the smooth talk and polished exterior was a decent man with his own set of demons that he battled every single day.

She offered a smile, and something clicked inside her, something exhilarating and terrifying. “I’m willing to try as long as you promise not to subject me to hair bands again.”

Relief spread over his features, followed by a smolder in his eyes that she felt all the way to her toes. “Not even Twisted Sister?”

“Especially Twisted Sister.”

“How about Def Leppard?”

“Nope.”

He pressed his lips together and made a disgruntled noise.

“Can’t knock a guy for trying, right?” He gave a slow, sexy grin, and heat pulsed between her thighs. “In that case, I accept your terms.”

The humor faded away from his face as he lowered his head and kissed her. His mouth felt warm, soft. Enticing. He tasted like pure heaven.

Dorcas closed her eyes on a whispered sigh and surrendered to the moment. She arched against him, reveling in his hard strength against her soft curves. Little by little, the world melted away, until only sensations remained. The feel of his lips. The scent of his skin. His strong arms wrapped around her. A fierce ache started deep in her core and spread to every nerve in her body.

Nate took the kiss deeper, a moan in his throat as his mouth plundered hers in heated passion and insatiable hunger. One of his hands moved up to cup her breast, and a wave of heat raced across her skin at the feel of his thumb caressing her nipple.

She was about to suggest they move to a bedroom when she heard a high-pitched chirp in her periphery. It took a few seconds for her brain to catch up and register the sound as coming from the security keypad in the garage. That meant...Oh, shit.Panic froze her in place when she suddenly realized they were about to have company.