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saw you. Well, after I wanted to kick your butt for having such a smart mouth.” He touched her lips with his finger. “Interesting. My first reactions to you all had to do with this.” His forefinger outlined her mouth. “Now I’m finally going to find out what it tastes like.”
    The kiss started out slowly, his soft, sweet mouth on hers. That led to tasting the corners of her mouth with the tip of his tongue, then nibbling on the center of her Cupid’s bow upper lip. After that, he got serious. With a growl deep in his throat, he urged her with the tip of his tongue to open to him, to let him in so he could taste all of her mouth. She acquiesced gladly, moaning a little as his velvety tongue swept through her mouth, expertly exploring every inch of it.
    She melted against him, feeling her insides turn to hot, sweet liquid, wanting more than anything for him to take the next step, make the next move, whatever that was. The heat of his mouth, the passion of his kiss, seemed to have burned away her weariness. She’d never been kissed like this before, with such skill, such desire. She gave herself up to him, wanting nothing other than more of him because, oh, God, this man could kiss.
    He clicked the release on her seatbelt then stroked his hand down her back, urging her to press the rest of her body against his. She went willingly, sliding across the gearshift console between them and snaking her arms up his and circling his shoulders. The kiss went on and on, taking her breath away, clouding her brain more than any fatigue ever had yet at the same time making her feel alert to every delicious sensation sweeping over her.
    Suddenly she felt cool air on her throat. She opened her eyes as he gently kissed her temple, her cheek, the base of her ear as if reluctant to let her go even as he was pushing her away from him. “If you don’t go in now, I can’t promise I’ll ever leave, and you need sleep.”
    She smiled and a small, soft laugh bubbled up. “Right. Sleep.”
    “And a rain check?” He ran his thumb over her lower lip.
    “Yes, definitely a rain check.”
    He came around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door, leaning in for one more quick, soft kiss, filling Danny’s senses again with the smell of his fresh, outdoorsy scent. She accepted the hand he offered and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Then she stopped. She didn’t know what she was waiting for but her feet wouldn’t move.
    “Sweet dreams, baby,” Jake said as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “I’ll call you next week for that rain check.”
    Apparently that was what she’d wanted because suddenly she was able to walk up to her front door. When she got there, she turned to see him still standing by the passenger side of the car. He grinned. She returned the gesture.
    After that kiss, sweet dreams are guaranteed
, she thought as she unlocked her front door. But “baby”? She’d never let anyone call her that. Why hadn’t she objected?
    Maybe because when Jake Abrams called her “baby” it sounded seductively suggestive and she wanted to find out what it was he was promising.
    • • •
    Jake arrived at his townhouse without knowing how he got there which was unusual for him. He was always aware of his surroundings, cautious about who was close to him and what they might be up to. Normally that made him a very safe driver. Not tonight.
    He’d been surprised that first morning by how attractive he’d found Danny Hartmann. She wasn’t the kind of woman he usually noticed, no tiny brunette with long hair and big eyes who looked to him for comfort and protection. Well, the big eyes she had covered in spades. You could get lost in those brown eyes. But her honey blonde hair was only a couple inches longer than his own shaggy locks, and Danny Hartmann looked to no one for protection, he was quite sure, with or without her Glock.
    Although now that he thought about it, he’d never seen her with a