Page 75 of Rastor

"Which one?"

"Both."

"Well, you did a pretty good job ofhalf-killing them, so that's gotta count for something, right?"

Obviously, she didn't get it. This was no joke. I gave her a serious look. "I can laugh at a lot of things, Chloe. But seeing you hurt isn't one of them."

"Except Iwasn'thurt." She grinned over at me. "I wasn't even touched. So there."

I recalled Creed's girlfriend – the one who'd been coming onto me way back when. I'd happened to see her a month later. She'd been sporting a black eye that she'd tried to hide with make-up. The work of Creed? Or someone else?

Either way, shit like that shouldn't happen. And with Chloe, what if I'd been ten minutes later? I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about it. I heard myself say, "But you could've been."

"Hey," she said, her tone growing serious, "I want to ask you something, and I hope you'll be honest with me."

At that point, I'd have answered her anything. I turned to look at her. And there she was, the sweetest thing I'd ever known. I loved her. And there was part of me that thought she'd be better off with someone else – maybe a nice accountant or something. That had been her college major, right?

What the hell was she doing with a guy like me?

If she wanted to ask me a question,anyquestion, I was ready to answer it. Slowly, I nodded.

She leaned close and lowered her voice to just a whisper. "By any chance, are you Lawton Rastor?"

What the hell? Was she making fun of this? It was nothing to joke about. But damn it, I felt my lips twitch anyway. And then, I couldn't help it. I smiled over at her. "Me?" I said. "Nah.I'mthe guy with Chloe Malinski."

"Oh her?" Chloe gave a dramatic sigh. "But she's just a nobody."

I gave her a good, long look. Chloe Malinski wasn't a nobody. She was the first thing I thought of every morning, and the last thing I thought of every night. She was the reason I'd come home, and the reason that returning to Vegas was the last thing I wanted to do.

I'd be flying out in six hours. She looked sexy as hell, sitting there in the passenger's seat. Her jeans hugged her hips, and the top of her blouse was unbuttoned just enough to make things interesting. I couldn’t see much, but what I did see had me wanting to see more.

Chloe Malinski, a nobody? If she weren't driving me to distraction, I might have laughed.

I leaned closer. "Baby, she's somebody, alright." Slowly, I moved my lips close to hers. But I didn't kiss her. Not yet. "Matter of fact, she's everything to this guy I know."

She was breathless now. "Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah."

I closed the distance, kissing her hard and hungry. She was here. And she was mine.

I felt her hands on my head, running her warm fingertips through my hair as our lips, our tongues, and our breaths combined.

She pulled away, flushed and trembling. "I want you," she breathed.

I wanted her, too. I always wanted her – physically, emotionally, and – I couldn’t help but smile – legally.

Except,somethings I wanted to do to her might not be legal in all states. I moved my lips lower. I kissed her cheek, her jaw, her neck. I moved aside the fabric of her blouse and kissed her shoulder. It was warm and smooth, and she smelled like spring after a long, brutal winter.

I moved my lips lower, trailing kisses until she gave a whimper that made my breath hitch and my hardness surge. I wanted to rip open that blouse and keep on kissing her until she begged me to take her, right here, right now.

But I'd made enough mistakes tonight. I wanted to get her alone, but someplace safe. I asked, "Ready to go home?"

"I feel like I'm home right now," she said, looking toward the rear of the car. "Hey, look a back seat."

I laughed into her shoulder. "No way."

"Aw c'mon," she said. "I know you want to."