Read We're One for Free Online Page B

on with false expectations. She’d have to deal with that situation if or when it came up. New priorities overrode her personal space issues. Keeping Ash safe, away from Arnie and unaware that he’d become the intended victim, was foremost. Concern over fostering a wrong impression in his soft head about her sentiments had to come in second.
    “I’ve thought things over and decided you’re right. I’ll come with you. I just talked to Joey and told him I was the batboy, and he suggests we get out of town as soon as we can. He figures since Arnie’s close to finding out where I live, he’ll come calling sooner or later. We need to be far away by then.”
    “I’m glad you’ve come to your senses. I’d pretty well decided guarding your hallway would be my plan for tonight, and let me tell you, I didn’t look forward to it one little bit.”
    “You’d do that for me?” Her voice turned husky. The widened grey eyes glistened. Her top teeth bit down on her trembly bottom lip. She swallowed and looked away.
    His hand reached out to smooth her flyaway curls. “I’d do anything for you, sweet girl.”
    Too emotional to reply, she leaned her forehead on his chest, a transfer of control more telling than she knew.
    “First, we go to your place to grab Daisy and the gang, plus the rest of your zoo. You can pack a bag, and we’ll go back to my penthouse at the Parks...”
    “You wouldn’t mind? About the animals, I mean?” Astonishment rang in her voice. She moved a step back to read his expression, disbelief entwined with hope etched on hers.
    “What do you take me for? Of course we have to save them. If Arnie gets into your place, and I have no doubt he will, there’s no knowing what he’d do to the brood. We don’t have a choice, do we? Now there’s a good girl. Organize the stuff you need from here, and let’s move. I’ll have one of my staff cover us during the rescue mission. He can give us a heads-up if Arnie shows his face anywhere near your place.”
    The childish kisses she plastered over his face shocked him into freezing, but only for a minute. Not being a total fool, he took advantage of her affectionate display and sealed his lips to hers in earnest. His moaning unravelled her indifference.
    She stopped trying to pull away, and held still for him to do what he wanted to her, a first for her. Putting her trust in the actions of another person, especially a male person, had never happened previously.
    All the time his lips moved gently, searching for a response, she watched him. His lashes curled on his cheeks, and the pained expression she saw from her rather close vantage point made her sigh. He obviously took that as a sign of enjoyment, as he gathered her more firmly in his arms, and notched up the pressure of his tongue against her closed lips. When he growled with annoyance, she couldn’t help herself. She smiled. It was all the entry he needed. His tongue rubbed against her open lips and stimulated, coaxing hers to meet with his in this playfulness. She had to follow, had to see where he’d lead—curiosity and fascination gripped her almost as tightly as he did.
    Oh, God! It was fantastic. When he sucked at her lips, she fell in love with kissing, when he rubbed against her body she fell in love with his maleness, but when he put his hands on her, she fell in love with surrender.
    Pliant and willing, she tantalized with her mouth, wanting more. Her eyes drifted shut as her blood congealed to the consistency of jelly. His waist fit her clutching arms perfectly, a hold fated to keep him locked close while her sleeping e-zones came to life.
    He tore out of her embrace, breathing hard. “Damn it all to hell, we don’t have time for this right now. I don’t want that ape getting within ten feet of you. We have to leave now. But trust me, sweet baby, we’ll pick up where we left off as soon as I know you’re safe.”
    It took a few moments for her heavy, languid eyelids to unplaster