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combined with the grinding surge of his
hips over hers, or his hand on her butt was enough to send heat pooling low in
her belly again. If he popped up in front of her and pinned her to the tree she
was leaning against, or the grass she was sitting on, and tried to take her
right there in view of everyone at the resort, she wouldn’t stop him. Hell, the
idea was kind of exciting.
    Get a grip, girl. Really, whatever had possessed Darr to react to her like that, she knew in her
gut it was a fluke. Maybe it was just a man’s ‘morning hormones’ combined with
a terribly long dry spell. She often wondered—or worried, rather—that he spent
many of the nights away with another woman while she slept, but the few times
she’d prodded for information about what he did in reality hadn’t left her with
any solid conclusions. To hear him tell it he stayed and simply stood guard in
the house all night long. Every single night. All by himself.
    “Why aren’t you at the beach?”
    Izzy jumped a bit, realizing she’d been so lost in thought
she hadn’t sensed his approach. How
embarrassing. “Didn’t feel like it,” she replied on a sigh. Which was about
as honest as she could be. She didn’t want to say she couldn’t stop thinking
about their morning, let alone convince her body to get past it.
    “Are you feeling all right?” Darr knelt down at her side,
the concern in his voice breaking her resolve and pulling her gaze to his.
    She could spend all day drowning in those ashen eyes.
    Swallowing heavily, Izzy nodded. “I am.” She fell silent
and the moment became awkward. What should she say? Was he still thinking about
their kiss? Did it even mean anything to him?
    The brush of his touch startled her back into the moment
and she found he was sliding her sleeve back, apparently in order to study her
shoulder. Still, the tips of his fingers grazed her bare skin and she fought
not to let the shiver show.
    “Your shoulder looks good,” he said. His gaze lifted back
to hers but his hand didn’t move. “So what’s on your mind?”
    Damn him for knowing her so well.
    Forcing a semi-smile, Izzy caught his wrist and brought his
hand up to cup her cheek. He offered no resistance. “I was … thinking about
this morning.” Not what she’d meant to say, but she’d always found it so hard
to lie to him. And, really, how bad could acknowledging something that had
happened be?

 
    Chapter Four
     
    “Why would you do that?”
    Izzy didn’t really know how to take that question. Was that
better or worse than some expression of regret? “Why wouldn’t I?”
    Darr pulled his hand away and rested his knuckles on the
grass. “You know why.”
    Was he serious? Izzy choked on a confused laugh and sat up
properly. “No, actually. I really don’t.”
    This time he frowned as if he thought she was being
deliberately oblivious. “Izzy, look at the facts. I’m a demon. I’m sworn to
protect you from any and all harm, but otherwise we’re incompatible.”
    Her heart lodged in her throat, Izzy swallowed and shoved
to her feet. “I refuse to accept that.” She spun on her heel, not wanting to
see the frustration her response would surely generate. Not wanting him to see
the tears she was fighting back. Now she wished she had gone down to the
lakeshore with her friends. Playing in the sun and the cool water despite her
once-raging headache would surely have been better than this.
    A strong hand latched onto her wrist as she started up the
wooden steps to the cabin. “Izzy.”
    Closing her eyes and releasing a breath, Izzy forced
herself to turn to face him. She owed it to him—and probably herself—to hear
him out. Only he wasn’t interested in talking, apparently.
    Darr closed the distance between them with one large step,
releasing her wrist in favor of sliding one hand behind her head and anchoring
the other on her butt in order to lift her to his lips. Like earlier, his kiss
was demanding. He took full possession of her