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“You say that as though you think I might want to get rid of you.”

They turned along the plank, heading for the
Nauti Buoy
, the fifty-foot sea-green and white houseboat .

“Not get rid of me maybe.” She stepped onto the wide porch, moving back as he slid open the glass sliding doors before heading into the dim, air-conditioned comfort of the living room/kitchen.

The shades were all drawn, the lights out. As he closed the door behind them, he pulled the heavy drapes closed over it, sealing them inside the intimate, cool comfort of his home away from home.

“Then what?” he asked as he moved to the small kitchen. “Do you think I wouldn’t want you around, Kelly?”

The wheel column sat in the corner in front of the large shaded window beside the glass doors. A six-foot burgundy couch sat to her side, two matching chairs on the other side of the room, behind the wheel. The kitchen was equipped with a mini refrigerator, chest-type freezer and narrow four-burner stove with an overhead microwave and oak cabinets.

The double sink was narrow, but efficient. Across from the work area a circular table with four cushioned captain’s chairs sat beneath a stained glass chandelier. Further along was a small bathroom and shower, berth bed and a walkout to the back diving area.

She loved the
Nauti Buoy
. They had spent the summers on it when she was younger. Upstairs was another larger, opulent bedroom, as well as a master bathroom and deck. Before Ray had given it to Rowdy, there had been two bedrooms downstairs. Now, the second one was a

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Lora Leigh

drying/changing area for the back deck with a small washer/dryer combo.

“I wasn’t sure,” she finally answered, staring back at him, her fingers knotting in the hem of her shirt.

“Your mother helped build the marina.” He turned to her after setting the food on the table. “I wouldn’t take it from you, no matter what happened.”

He hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans, watching her with those eyes. Eyes that stripped her defenses, that sent butterflies crashing to and fro in the pit of her stomach.

She licked her lips, staring back at him. The last thing on her mind now was that of the business. Nerves clashed to and fro as her senses became more heightened; the air in the confines of the craft became heavier, dense with the seductive, subtle scent that was unique to Rowdy.

“I know you wouldn’t, Rowdy.” She cleared her throat, forcing herself to move to the cabinet and the kitchenware there.

As she pulled plates and silverware from where they were held and set the table, Rowdy warmed the food in the microwave, setting it on the table before pulling a bottle of cheap wine from the fridge.

At some point, he had turned on a CD, lowering the volume until the soft, intimate music flowed through the cabin.

“Let’s eat.” The dark throb in his voice was so sexual that the suggestion took on a whole new meaning.

“Eat.” She breathed in slowly. “Okay. We eat.”

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NAUTI BUOY

As they ate, he told her about the Marines. She knew he was glossing over the harder details, the blood and death he’d seen overseas, the friends he had lost. She knew when he was talking about those friends who were no longer alive to laugh with him. His eyes would darken, his expression becoming reflective.

He told her about the desert, made her laugh at some of the pranks he and his buddies had played on their CO or other soldiers. She saw the beauty of the sun rising over a desert landscape, the calm tranquility of the moon rising with his deep voice and reverent descriptions.

But he had missed home. She heard that in every word. How beautiful the moon glistening off the sand could be, but it didn’t compare to the early morning fog that rose from the lake or the moon slicing a path of golden light across the wet surface.

How he would miss the guys he’d fought with, but he dreamed of slipping off into the mountains and making the homemade moonshine he, Natches and Dawg often made.

The silence of the desert, the symphony of the forest. He saw the beauty of the land he’d been in, but he knew the treasures to be found in the land he’d grown up in.

“What about women?” She finally got around to the question that plagued her most as he stacked the dishes in the tiny dishwasher and turned back to where she watched him from the table.

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Lora Leigh

She propped her elbow on the table, cupping her chin in her hands as she watched him curiously.

“I wasn’t a saint, baby.” His lips quirked with that sexy little half-smile that was trademark Rowdy. “But there was nothing serious. Hasn’t been anyone in a while, actually. What about you?”

He was leaning against the counter, his muscular body relaxed. Well, mostly relaxed. He was hard. She could glimpse the bulge in the front of his jeans from the lower portion of her vision and was dying for a full look.

“No one for me,” she finally answered with a self-mocking grimace. “I couldn’t get over you. You left and broke my young heart.”

“Better your young heart than my neck.” He grunted. “I was twenty-two years old, Kelly. I should have been shot for even looking at you then.” His eyelids lowered. “But it was damned hard not to look. You filled out a pair of shorts almost as good as you fill them out now.”

She felt the flush that rose over her face, her gaze flickering away from him for long moments as she breathed in deeply.

“You know, those loose clothes are going to have to go,” he finally sighed. “One of my favorite parts of coming home was watching you run around in those snug little shorts and tank tops. Made my dick harder than hell, but it was a sight I sure as hell miss, Kelly.”

Her gaze slammed into his. The green was darker now, his expression heavy with hunger.

“I…” She swallowed tightly. “I’m more comfortable…”

“Bullshit.” The whispered retort was delivered with a knowing smile.

“You’re scared. I’m home now, Kelly. Trust me.”

He had promised her, so long ago, as long as he was around, no one would hurt her. It was the bully, she remembered. She was terrified of staying in the park after school while her mother worked, after the

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NAUTI BUOY

bullies had started picking on her. Unless Rowdy was there. He had taken care of her. And sometimes one of the others. If Rowdy couldn’t be there, Dawg or Natches had been.

“Remember when I promised I’d always take care of you?” he whispered. “You were the littlest bit of thing I had ever laid my young eyes on. Those tears on your face when those bullies stole that frippery in your hair made me madder than hell.”

“You saved my hair bows.” She restrained her teasing smile. “And saved Mom a ton of extra money. I loved my hair bows.”

“You still love your hair bows.” He grinned. “I saw them scattered all over your bathroom last night when I got up for a drink. Damned things own your sink counter.”

She lifted her brows. “They’re pretty though.”

He pushed from the counter, moving with a predatory ease, a shift of bone, muscle and sinew that had her breath catching in her throat as he walked to the table.

“No.” He reached out, the backs of his fingers smoothing over the side of her face. “You’re pretty. Too damned pretty for those loose clothes.

Take them off for me.”

Her eyes widened. “I didn’t bring a change—”

“You have a bra on and panties, I presume?” His fingers wrapped around her wrist, drawing her to her feet. “I bet they cover you better than that damned bathing suit did when you were seventeen.”

The air was suddenly too thick to breathe, her sight dazed, filled with the color of Rowdy’s eyes and the desire she could see glowing in them.

Her thighs tightened as she felt the tingle of response racing through her womb, rippling through her vagina.

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Lora Leigh

“I’ll head the boat for the cove,” he whispered. “We could do some swimming, watch the moon rise over the lake. Would you like that, Kelly?”

“A bra and panties isn’t exactly a bathing suit.” She drew in a deep breath, moving away from him as she tugged at the large shirt.

“It’s not exactly naked, either,” he said as he moved to the wheel column. “Think about it. So do we go to the cove anyway?” He glanced back at her, lifting a black brow suggestively.

Kelly breathed in deeply.

“The cove sounds like fun.” She finally nodded firmly.

“And the clothes?” His gaze dropped over her body before coming back to her eyes.

She lifted her brow mockingly. “You haven’t done anything to deserve it yet, Rowdy,” she purred sweetly. “I guess I’ll just have to think about it.”

She was going to have to think about it?

As he maneuvered the
Nauti Buoy
toward the hidden cove he and his friends had partied in when they were younger, Rowdy found a smile tugging at his lips.

He might not deserve to see those loose clothes coming over her perky little body, but he was going to. The long, thin, denim shirt fell to her thighs and draped over her slender shoulders. Even her jeans were loose, a protective shell to cover herself with.

His jaw clenched at the thought. Kelly had never had a problem wearing clothes that emphasized her slender body and pert breasts, until now. The attack had changed that, she was nervous now, where before she had been confident of herself as a desirable, pretty young woman.

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NAUTI BUOY

She didn’t tease him like she had for far too many years. She was more contained, quieter. And he realized he missed the spitfire she had been. By now, they should have been arguing loud enough to draw attention, while she drove him crazy with a combination of lust and exasperation.

Instead, she was standing at the glass sliding doors, staring into the distance reflectively as her fingers gripped the drapes at the side.

“I think you’re wrong, Kelly.” He leaned into the back of the barstool he was sitting in, one hand gripping the wheel as the boat plowed through the water toward the cove.

“About what?” She turned back to him with a frown, her gray eyes twinkling with good humor.

“I think I deserve to see you stripped down to something decent.” He scowled. “Stop hiding baby.”

She rolled her eyes before turning back to the scenery outside the boat.

“You don’t know everything, Rowdy,” she retorted, but there was no conviction in her voice.

“I know you.” He began unbuttoning his own shirt as he glanced at her, his cock throbbing in delight as her eyes shadowed with interest.

Within seconds he’d stripped the shirt, tossing it back on the chair behind him as he flashed her a wicked grin.

She turned to him then, crossing her arms over her breasts as she lifted her brow.

“You could at least lose the jeans,” he pointed out. “That shirt is big enough to cover two of you. No one would know.”

Four years ago she had worn that tiny little bikini all damned day, flipping around him like a wood nymph intent on driving mortal men insane. Now, he couldn’t even get her out of her pants.

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Lora Leigh

“You’re pushing,” she warned, her voice holding a subtle snap.

“You haven’t seen me push yet, baby,” he growled in return. “Do you think I didn’t take the time to find out just far you’ve been hiding since that bastard attacked you? You stopped dressing like the girl I knew and started dressing like your damned grandmother instead. You’re scared.”

“Well duh!” she mocked him. “Go figure. Maybe I should just prance around naked for you, Rowdy.” She wasn’t really angry, yet. Her eyes were sparkling though, her cheeks flushing with irritation.

“That would work for me.” He grinned wolfishly. “Let’s try it and see if it will work for you. Take yours off and I’ll take mine off.”

“You would take yours off anyway.” Her laughter was soft, knowing.

“For you baby, anytime.” He winked.

“A far cry from your answer in the past years.” The shade of mockery in her voice wasn’t lost on him. “Why now? You come back and suddenly can’t wait to get into bed with me? It’s enough to make a girl suspicious.”

“No doubt,” he agreed, grinning back at her. “There’s no secret there, sweetheart. I wasn’t about to take a kid to my bed. Being a virgin will be hard enough for you, I at least wanted you to be mature enough to know what the hell you were getting into. But I had no intentions of not coming back for you.”

Surprise reflected in her eyes.

“And if I decided I wanted someone else?” Her eyes narrowed, her lips thinning at the confidence he knew she was reading in his tone.

“Then Dawg or Natches would have taken care of it until I made it back on leave.” He shrugged easily. “I put claim on you a long time ago, Kelly. You just didn’t realize it.”

“Somewhere between the little sex games that your buddies shared in?” Ohhh, now was that just a little shade of jealousy there? He watched

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NAUTI BUOY

her closely from the corner of his eyes as he kept the teasing grin in place.

“Sex games are for adults.” He scratched at his chin as he glanced back at her. “You couldn’t handle them.”

And that could very well be the truth. Not that he couldn’t do without them, but damn, the Kelly he had known four years ago had been wild, impetuous and filled with hunger. He had always liked the sex games, played them carefully and in deadly earnest.

“Who says I couldn’t handle them?” She frowned back at him as she straightened and placed her hands on her hips. “You never gave me the chance to try.”

He snorted. “Don’t let your mouth write checks your body can’t cash, baby. Don’t dare me.”

He gave her a dark, warning look, one she immediately recognized.

He wasn’t playing here. Not yet. And before he started, he wanted her aware of the rules.

“I’m not stupid.” She pushed her hands into her jeans pockets, staring back at him with an edge of anger, of arousal. “I paid attention to your reputation a long time ago.”

She wasn’t shying away from him. That was good. He didn’t want her shying away from him; he wanted her curious, interested. He wanted her horny.