Keegan paced the dock, cursing and stomping impatiently. What the hell where they doing out there with her?

The small rescue boat pulled up in the slip the larger boat had just vacated. "It's about damned time. How is she?"

Keegan jumped in to the boat, rocking it violently but he ignored the comments of the other men as he scooped Nikki up in his arms and leaped back onto the dock. The woman was shaking violently. He needed to get her to the emergency room. Keegan took off at a run toward his truck, footsteps sounding behind him.

"Thanks, guys!" he heard a voice call out but he didn't stop.

"Keegan! Would you wait for me please?" The same voice was yelling after him but he kept moving.

When he finally reached his truck, he realized his keys were in the pocket of his jeans. "Son of a bitch!"

The man running after him finally caught up. "What's wrong, brother?" Kaiden panted.

"My keys. I can’t reach them. Front right pocket."

His twin reached in and fished out the keyring. "Get in, I'll drive you."

Keegan did as he was told, pulling Nikki across his lap and slamming the door shut. As soon as Kaiden turned the engine over, Keegan turned the heat on full blast. "I've got to get her boots off, don't go anywhere yet." Pushing the door back open, he let Nikki's feet hang down the side of the seat. With one hand, he worked both boots off her feet, dumping ocean water out of them and tossing them into the back seat.

He closed the door again. "Okay, go!"

Keegan held Nikki close, whispering in her ear and rubbing her arms and legs to try and warm her. The cab of the truck began to feel like an oven. Nikki still shook but with less ferocity. As they hit the main road, her eyelids fluttered open.

"Keegan?"

He smiled down at her. "Yes."

"Why were you so mean to me?"

"What do you mean, I was mean to you?"

"You pulled me out of the water then pretended not to be you."

"It wasn't me." Both the brothers laughed heartily as Keegan shifted Nikki a little on his lap keeping the blanket tightly wrapped around her. The shaking was finally tapering away. "Meet my twin brother, Kaiden. He works for Homeland Security and has a few buddies in the Coast Guard. They are the ones that fished you out."

"Coast Guard. Homeland Security. FBI. Border Patrol and ATF. You James people are connected."

Kaiden laughed. "You don’t know the half of it. Wait until you meet our mother."

"Is she in the NSA?"

This time Kaiden and Keegan bust out in laughter. "No," Keegan managed to get out between laughing bouts, "but she is more connected than we are!"

Nikki shook her before letting it fall against his shoulder. "Where are you taking me?"

Her breath warmed his cheek. Keegan bit back a groan that formed with the intimate contact. "The E.R.," Kaiden replied.

"No, you don't have to do that. I'm fine, really. I just need a hot shower and dry clothes."

"I don't know," Keegan said. "That water was cold and you were pretty blue when they fished you out. You passed out on the boat."

"I'm not cold anymore, just achy. You have warmed me sufficiently." Her face turned a glorious shade of crimson when she realized what she had just said.

He'd definitely like to warm her more thoroughly. Every single inch of her cold, damp skin would be burning by the time he was done. Nikki shifted a little in his lap. That was not a good thing. Everything below his waist tensed. She was looking up at him, making Keegan the one to turn red.

"Look, I'm serious. I'm fine. Can you just take me to my place? It's not far from here," She tried her appeal on Kaiden who passed a look to Keegan.

"Fine," Keegan said. "Take her home."

"Where to, ma'am?" Kaiden asked.

"Sandbridge Road."

"Got it." Kaiden turned the truck around at the next light and headed toward the part of Virginia Beach that boasted the most beach front property.

"I'm at twelve nineteen Sandpiper."

"That's a nice address," Kaiden said.

"Yeah. It's my dad's place. He, um, moved and didn’t want to sell so I live there for now."

Keegan detected a hint of sadness in her voice that he didn't understand. A beach house was a nice gig as far as he could tell. He'd have to ask her about it when he had the chance.

Ten minutes later they pulled up in front of Nikki's house. While it was a tiny cottage surrounded by oversized beach rentals, it was definitely well kept. As Kaiden shut the engine off, Nikki reached for the door.

"I got that." Keegan pulled the handle and slid from the seat with Nikki still in his arms.

"You can put me down now. I really am fine. Besides, I need to grab my purse from the backseat."

"You aren't wearing any shoes and Kaiden grabbed your bag already." He turned so she could see his brother holding her bag up in the air.

"I can still walk."

"It's too cold for you to be walking around wet and barefoot."

Nikki let out a long breath. "Okay, fine. I still need to get my keys out of my purse."

"No problem," Kaiden said, walking toward them. Nikki accepted the purse, digging in and pulling out her keys as Keegan carried her to the door. He took the key from her and fitted it into the lock. When he pushed the door open, an alarm sounded. Keegan set Nikki on her feet and she punched in the code to turn it off.

The two men followed Nikki into the house, eyes searching the space around them. Nikki still wore the blanket over her clothes. "I'm going to hit the shower, get this funk off of me. You two can make yourselves at home."

Nikki disappeared down a hall, leaving Keegan and Kaiden in the living area. Keegan sort of wished his brother weren't there—he might have offered to assist Nikki if they were alone.

"Anyone tell our cousin we were leaving?" Kaiden asked.

"I think my phone is at the bottom of the bay," Keegan replied.

Kaiden pulled out his phone and sent Will a quick text. While he typed, Nikki returned in a short, terry cloth robe in a purple so dark and rich it was fit for royalty. Every one of Keegan's senses came alive at once. There were no words to describe the way Nikki appealed to him in that moment. He was a breath away from throwing his cousin out when Kaiden's phone rang. After a quick one sided conversation he turned to his brother.

"I need to take your truck. Something has come up at work. Can you grab a cab back to your place?"

"I'll make sure he gets home," Nikki said before Keegan could reply, "Once I shower and change." Turning to Keegan, she held out her hand. In the palm lay his cell phone.

"It was in my pocket when I jumped in the water. I will make sure the agency replaces it. I'm so sorry." She looked so morose that Keegan had to fight the urge to take her in his arms. Instead he just accepted the ruined electronic device.

Suddenly the idea of his brother taking his truck sounded fabulous. "I thought you had already showered."

"Nope. I was getting undressed when I found this in my pocket. I'm really sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's just a phone that can be replaced. I'm just glad you are all right." Keegan held her intense gaze with his own hungry one. They stood that way, looking at each other for so long, that he was sure there was a glow surrounding them from all the electricity they were creating.

Kaiden finally cleared his throat. "About the truck, brother?"

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead. I'll find a way home. Bring it back to me tomorrow," Keegan replied without looking at Kaiden. Nikki moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and his gut clenched.

"All right then, I'll just leave you two alone."

"Bye." Nikki waved to him without breaking eye contact with Keegan.

Kaiden turned and left. "I'll call you in the morning."

"I suppose I should take care of that shower now so I can see about getting you home."

"I'm in no hurry." Keegan's voice sounded husky even to his own ears.

"Good," Nikki replied, her tone taking on a certain sensuality all of its own. "It might take me a bit to get the soap out of my hair."

Keegan bit down on his tongue to keep from offering to help her get that soap out. Instead he just nodded. "It's not like I can go anywhere."

"No, I suppose you can't." Nikki turned and walked away. When she reached the door to her room, she stopped and turned. "Can you go into the laundry room off the kitchen and get me towel out of the dryer? I completely forgot that they are all in there."

"Um, sure." He expected her to wait while he rummaged through the dryer but when he returned to the hallway she was gone. The sound of running water filtered out of the master bathroom. Feeling more nervous than a grown man who has actually seen a naked woman before should, he advanced slowly through the master bedroom. As he stood outside the bathroom door, he could hear Nikki humming quietly as she showered.

"I've got your towel," he called through the space between the door and the frame.

"Can you come in and put it on the counter for me please?"

Clearing his suddenly clogged throat, Keegan pushed the door open and stepped into the unexpectedly large bathroom. He intended to just toss the towel to the counter and hightail it out of there but the smooth glass of the shower, coated with steam, stopped him in his tracks. Despite the fogged over shower door, he could make out the definite outline of Nikki. She had her arms up over her head, massaging grapefruit smelling suds into her thick hair. The position accentuated the shadowy curve of her breasts and hips making his mouth go dry.

"Keegan? Did you leave it on the counter?" Nikki called, her back now to him.

"Yes," he croaked out over the lump that had formed in his throat.

Nikki jumped at the sound of his voice, dropping the bottle she held with a loud crash. "You scared me."

"Sorry. My brother always said my ability to sneak up on him was a mad ninja skill."

Nikki laughed. He watched as she leaned her head back into the steady stream of water and worked her finger tips through the wet strands of thick, dark hair wishing those were his fingers.

"I guess it’s a skill that served you well in the FBI."

"I suppose." It used to drive Margot crazy that she never knew when he was approaching.

"I like surprises."

Damn. The way she said that made Keegan want to tear off his clothes and show her all of his secret talents. Why the hell not? His fingers went to the hem of his shirt when the water in the shower suddenly shut off. He was halfway out of it when Nikki cracked the shower door open, letting out a squeal when she saw him. Keegan froze.

"What are you doing?"

"Um, it was hot in here?"

Nikki smiled; a small knowing smile, lacking the shock and annoyance he had expected. "Hand me the towel?"

Keegan obliged, his eyes never leaving hers. The steam was beginning to dissipate enough that he could start to make out a few details through the glass. His self-control was dissipating at the same rate.

Nikki pulled the towel into the shower and wrapped it around herself. He knew this because he watched her every movement through the still opaque glass, his feet rooted to the tile beneath them. A memory of Margot doing the same thing passed through his mind but there was nothing sexy about it the way there was with Nikki. For the first time ever, he was beginning to think his entire relationship with Margot had been a mistake of epic proportions.

Yeah, but if he hadn’t been through the hell with his ex, he never would have quit the agency and most definitely wouldn't be standing there in Nikki's bathroom right then.

She pushed open the door, knocking him in the knee cap with the beveled edge. White hot pain shot through his leg in both directions dropping him to the tiles.

"Oh Keegan! I'm so sorry! Are you all right?" Nikki leaned over him, clutching the towel closed.

He looked up and straight down into the gaping towel between two smooth, creamy breasts and let out a groan.

"I did hurt you!"

Oh, she hurt him all right, just not in the way she thought. A certain other part throbbed a hell of a lot more than his knee did.

"I'm fine," he ground out between clenched teeth as he pulled himself upright using the vanity.

Nikki used her free hand to help him. At least she thought she was helping. What really happened was his gut clenched with an overwhelming desire to feel her still damp skin pressed up against his. As he struggled to maintain his composure, Nikki turned him to face her, concern darkening her eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

He shook his head. "No. No, I am not sure."

Without thinking through his actions, Keegan put his hands on Nikki's shoulders. Oh my God, her skin was softer than it looked. In one swift motion he backed her into the shower pressing her body against the slick tiles and moving his hands to the wall on either side of her head, he crushed his lips to hers. No more dancing around each other. No more teasing and flirting. No more arguing and no more Margot taunting him from the depths of his mind. After their earlier forays, he knew what she tasted like and he needed more. So much more. He was like an addict that carried his drug around to torture himself. That ended now. Being with Nikki all night, watching her fall into the icy water, feeling her cold, wet body shake so violently—it had shredded his soul in a way even his ex hadn’t done. To hell with waiting until the case was over. She knew he wasn't involved and that was enough for him.

Nikki quickly melded her body to his, her arms sliding up and around his neck as she parted her lips to his insistence. The only thing that held her towel closed was the pressure between them. Keegan was torn between not wanting to ever let her go and stepping away just to see what that piece of cotton hid from him.

He slid one hand slowly on the tile until his fingers touched her cheek. Trailing the now wet tips along her jawline, down her neck and on to her bare shoulder, Keegan followed that pattern with tiny kisses where his fingers had been. Nikki responded by pressing herself more tightly against him. So much for letting the towel drop. He wouldn't break the contact between them now for all the money in the bank. He let his fingers dance a little toward the top of her breast. This time the moan came from Nikki who lowered her hands from where they had been threaded in his hair to the waist of his jeans. She tugged his shirt out and slipped her hands up under the material. His skin burned at her touch, setting every inch of him on fire. Grasping the towel she wore with both hands, he yanked it down between them, letting it fall to the shower floor.

Not breaking their kiss, Nikki started frantically working the buttons on his shirt. Keegan loved a woman who wasn't shy about what she wanted but he was as impatient as she was so he stepped back a little, reluctantly separating their lips so he could pull the offending clothing off letting it hang over the shower wall. In the process he caught a full glance of what had been hidden from him before and he sucked in a breath.

"No talking," Nikki command as she pulled his lips back to hers. She didn’t wait for him to deepen it either, rather demanded entrance to his mouth which he readily gave her. Nikki's approach was refreshing and hot as hell.

His hands roamed everywhere they could reach, memorizing the contours of her hips, her waist and the firmness of her abdomen. He had just discovered the heaven that was her perfectly sized breasts when a loud voice boomed through the house.

"Nikole!"

"Oh, shit! It's Henry!" Nikki pushed him away, reaching for her towel. "You have to get out of here."

"Your boss has a key to your house?" he asked with disbelief. "You sure there isn't something—?"

"No! Now move, please!"

She was in such a panic, Keegan decided to pursue the matter later. He grabbed his shirt and went to step out of the shower stall when the voice sounded again, this time from the doorway.

"Nikki!"

Not knowing what else to do, Keegan grabbed the door and slammed it shut locking them both in the shower, placing his half naked body in front of Nikki's totally naked one. It didn't occur to him that the entire thing was made of glass and the steam had disappeared a long time ago. Henry, red in the face with worry, stood on the other side staring through the glass at them.

"What the hell are you doing in there with her? Did he hurt you, Nik?"

"Um, no, Henry. Can you please step out for a minute? Then we'll talk, I promise."

"I'm not leaving you in there with him! I knew I couldn't trust him."

"Henry! Leave!"

"What? Oh." Understanding suddenly lit in Henry's eyes and his face turned the color of a candied apple as he backed out of the bathroom. When the door was closed, Nikki collapsed against his back.

"He's going to tell my father. Humiliation at its finest."

Keegan turned slowly and gathered her in his arms. Kissing the top of her head he whispered against her ear, "You're a big girl, Nikki. And a very beautiful woman. You have a right to make your own choices. Unless, of course, that choice is you regret what just happened. In which case—"

She pressed her lips to his in a quick but forceful kiss. "The only regret I have is that Henry showed up."

"Good." He grinned at her. "To be continued then?"

"I wouldn't miss the ending for all the ice cream in the world."

"Mmm… ice cream. I can think of a few ways you could have your ice cream and I could eat it too."

She slugged him lightly. "I like the way you think, Agent James."

"If you don't come out of there, Nik, I am coming in after you!" Henry yelled through the door. Nikki groaned.

"It's all right." Keegan pulled his shirt on as he stepped from the stall. "I'll just wait in the kitchen. I need some water. To drink." He winked at her and left the room.

"Hi, Henry, nice to see you again." The older man was fuming but held his tongue as Keegan walked out of the bedroom without closing the door behind him. He wanted to hear every word they said to each other and he wasn't even a tiny bit ashamed of it.

With the taste of Nikki on his lips and the touch of her on his fingertips, he went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water and wait. Henry couldn't stay all night.