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somewhere.
    The thing chattered what Liam was sure was a warning.
    “I think it’s a raccoon,” she said.
    He relaxed a notch. “A raccoon?” An oversized rat. Rats were all over New York City. Big ones. Ones so big they chased away cats. Raccoons weren’t so different. Liam loosened his hold on her and eased to the side, expecting to see some cute little masked woodland creature, its head cocked over the intrusion.
    Yeah, not so much.
    As he stepped toward the island, Claire shuffled to stand directly behind him. Having her pressed to his front had been one thing; having her against his back was another, and no less erotic. The woman was clinging to him, giving him all kinds of bad ideas. He almost forgot about the stupid raccoon, even as he edged around the piece of furniture blocking his view.
    The raccoon apparently hadn’t forgotten about him. The critter had fallen strangely quiet—something he hadn’t heard over the noise of the rush of hormones attached to full-body contact with Claire—but it must have seen him before he saw it because the growling and hissing came back in force. Demonic force.
    He voiced a string of profanity that would have made Sawyer proud. Raccoons were supposed to be cute and friendly. This fat, mangy, fanged thing with the crazy eyes hadn’t gotten that particular memo. “Do you have a broom?” he asked Claire.
    “Yep. Right in that pantry beside the raccoon.”
    After a few more choice words, he asked, “Do you know how he got in?”
    She edged to stand beside him, staying close. “If I knew of an opening for something that big to get in, don’t you think I would had done something about it? Besides, I think they can open doors.”
    “ Locked doors?” The woman was from New York City, where all things needed to remain locked at all times. Otherwise, even the shit that was nailed down would walk away.
    “Why would the door be locked?”
    He shot her a sideways look that backfired. Instead of getting his are you kidding me message across, he found himself drowning in an endless sea of blue. He would have been content to drift there if not for the nasty hissing, so astutely fierce that it almost sounded like a joke. But Liam knew a raccoon could tear a person up. One thing he hadn’t rescued from his truck was a first aid kit, and along with his intention of keeping his appendages to himself, he wanted them intact. Which meant not sharing space with wild, angry animals. “Maybe you could lock it to keep raccoons out. I don’t know…that might be a start.”
    She glared. “Because I absolutely expected this to happen.”
    The raccoon stared, less defensive now, then oh-so- epically -casually climbed first to a stool, and then to the counter, then ripped into a candy bar that had been lying there.
    “Do you see that?” Claire said, edging to stand beside him. “He’s sitting there on his haunches looking me in the eye while he eats my chocolate.”
    “The door isn’t open,” Liam said, trying damned hard not to sound amused. “Do they open and close doors? Is this the politest raccoon of all time?”
    “No, I don’t think he is,” she said, turning toward Liam to give him an indignant stare. “Because as I previously mentioned, he’s staring right at me as he steals my food.”
    Liam was sorely lacking in a smartass reply, probably because when she’d looked at him, her face tipped toward up his, he didn’t see the annoyance. He saw a delectably expressive mouth, and he wanted to taste it. Probably as much as she wanted her chocolate.
    The raccoon sat, watching, his beady-eyed, crooked-masked face displaying what appeared to be mild curiosity. Either that, or some kind of dare to do something about his intrusion. Whatever it was, it didn’t stop him from calmly eating that chocolate bar.
    “Is there another entrance to this room?” Liam asked. “Besides the two I can see?” The hallway at his back went to the front of the lodge, while the door straight