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this wasn’t fair, she wailed silently. This was Rowdy. He wouldn’t hurt her. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her.
    “Rowdy…” Her throat tightened as she fought herself, the fear and the needs warring inside her.
    “It’s real easy, baby,” he crooned, his dark velvet voice washing over her. “You just lift your arms and put them around my neck.” He let go of her hair, fingers curling around her wrists as he lifted her arms, urging them up until they curled around his neck. “Then you come up real close to me, so I can hug you back.” His arms went around her, slowly, so slowly, pulling her against him until her head rested on his chest.
    “There we go.”
    -36-

    NAUTI BUOY
    She was shaking, but was it fear or something more? She didn’t know what she was feeling, didn’t know how to assimilate the sensations and emotions washing through her.
    “I came home for you, Kelly,” he whispered, his breath caressing her ear as she jerked against him. “I came home to touch you, to taste you, to claim you. Do you know what I would have done if I had known you were home when I pulled in?”
    She shook her head, a jerky movement as a small whimper left her lips.
    “I would have come to your room and kissed you awake. I would have seen your pretty eyes opening, knowing it’s me beside you, my lips touching yours. I want that real bad, Kelly. Even though I know if Dad caught me he’d skin me alive.” He breathed in roughly; the feel of his chest rasping against her breasts sent a shudder racing through her.
    “Now,” he whispered, “I really don’t care if does skin me.”
    She stiffened against him, needing to draw away, needing to get closer to him. God, she hated this. Hated the fear holding her back, hated not knowing, not understanding the emotions raging through her mind and body.
    “Rowdy…”
    “Shh.” He stilled her protest as he rubbed his head against hers.
    “Just settle here against me, baby. Let me hold you for a minute; let me know you’re okay. Just that.”
    “But I’m not okay.” Her hands clenched in the fabric of his shirt as she finally admitted it to herself. “I’m scared, Rowdy. I’m so scared.” She pressed her head against his chest, the words slipping free after nearly a year of burying them. She was terrified.
    -37-

    Lora Leigh
    “I know, baby.” He kissed her head, his hands running over her back.
    “But I won’t let you be scared of me. You know that. I’d never hurt you.
    I’d die before I’d hurt you, Kelly.”
    She heard the pain in his voice, felt it tighten her chest. No, Rowdy would never hurt her, but fear was an insidious disease, and fighting it took more courage than she thought she had.
    “We’re going to take this nice and easy,” he crooned. “We’re going to go upstairs and you’re going to sleep, baby. I’m going to lie right beside you so you know no one can get to you, no one can hurt you as long as I’m there. Okay?”
    “In my bed?” She jerked back, staring up at him. “Ray will skin us both alive.”
    “Dad will deal with it.” His expression hardened, determination glittering his eyes. “He already is. You’re not sleeping, you’re not eating.
    We’re going to change that, starting tonight.”
    “Oh, are we now?” The highhandedness in his voice pricked at her.
    “Kelly.” He tilted his head, staring down at her, a smile quirking at his lips. “Are you going to fight me, baby? Really? Remember the last fight we got into?”
    “You put another snake in my drawer, and I’ll start calling you Douglas,” she sniped. “I can’t believe you’d threaten me like that.”
    She stared back at him, incredulous. She hated snakes, any kind of snake, especially those mean little green snakes.
    He smirked, his gaze drowsy, his expression so sensual it was enough to make her panties damp. And they were damp. Yeah, she was scared spitless at times at the thought of touching him, having him touch her, but he could make her so wet,