Marco paced outside the bar. It took everything he had not to charge in there. If not for the fact that he could see Kat clearly through the front window, he would have.

He didn’t like the way X leered at her. If he put one hand on her, Marco would break his goddamn neck. And if she didn’t emerge in the next five minutes, he doubted he’d be able to restrain himself much longer.

His protective instinct roared inside him in a way he’d never experienced before, not even when they were faced with Roy’s man at Ryan’s apartment or at the cemetery. In those situations, she’d accepted his help. Now she’d cast him aside, like she didn’t need him.

Goddammit. It wasn’t that he didn’t think she was capable. She was definitely a tough woman, but he didn’t want her to feel like she had to be. Her soft side was buried so deep and he wanted her to feel free to let it out. He wanted her to feel comfortable leaning on him, letting him take some of the burden.

And that was worst part. Her going without him was a clear signal that she didn’t need him, and it burned in his gut.

He checked the time again, though only a minute had passed since he’d decreed his five-minute deadline. Putting his hands on his hips, he peered through the window again, the tightness in his chest loosening when he saw Kat walking away from X.

And walking toward him.

When she came through the door, her face was a mask. He pulled her to him, running his hands over her body to assure himself she was in one piece.

“You shouldn’t have come,” she murmured.

He inhaled sharply as her words cut.

“Let’s go.” Releasing her, he gestured to the car.

Marco was normally relatively laid back, but Kat had him wound tight. He could let a lot of things roll off his back, but not her blatant disregard for her own safety.

He ground his teeth and concentrated on the road.

She sighed. “I wanted to see him alone. I needed to prove to myself that I could handle him. And I let you know where I was going. Besides, you look too much like Tony, remember?”

Marco pulled over to the side of the road, not wanting to drive while anger clouded his vision. But still he faced forward, not looking at her.

“Hey.” She touched his arm. “Look at me.”

He wasn’t enough of an asshole to ignore her direct request. He turned, and seeing the rawness in her face softened him a little. It hadn’t been easy for her to do what she did. But dammit, she hadn’t had to do it alone.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I did what I had to do.”

“That’s just the thing,” Marco said, not able to keep the anger and disappointment out of his voice. “You didn’t have to do it alone. That’s what you don’t get.”

She looked down at her lap and fiddled with the seat belt. “I don’t know how to make you understand. The thought of facing X made me feel weak and powerless, like I was when I was with Leo. Leo nearly broke me. I’ve worked hard to get over that and become the person I am today, for better or worse. If I didn’t face my fear with X, then I would end up Katie Morton again. I couldn’t let myself turn back into her. I would rather die.”

Marco closed his eyes. He’d never experienced what Kat had gone through and he wished she hadn’t, either. Hell, he didn’t know the full extent of it and obviously he didn’t understand how it still affected her.

“I just want to protect you,” he said, his eyes still closed. “The thought of something happening to you . . .”

“I’m fine.”

He opened his eyes. “I haven’t just fallen for you, Kat. I’ve fallen in love with you. I know you’re strong enough not to need me . . .”

“That’s not true,” she protested, putting her hand on his cheek. “Just because I did this alone doesn’t mean I don’t need you in my life. As I was leaving, all I could think about was getting back to you.” She took a deep breath. “Getting back to the man I love.”

He pushed the seat belt release buttons for both of their seats and yanked her body toward his. “Promise me you’ll never put yourself in danger like that again.”

She caressed his face and the feel of her hand was heaven. “I promise.”

He raked his gaze over her face one last time, needing the visual confirmation that she was here and safe.

And his.

Then he closed his eyes and crushed his mouth to hers. She returned the kiss with urgency, her tongue parrying with his. He ran his hands over every part of her he could reach, but it wasn’t enough. He could never get enough of her.

She let out a low moan and he groaned in response, tempted to take her right there on the side of the road. Part of his brain started calculating how long it would take to get to Tony’s apartment if they hit all green lights.

When she reached down and felt his hardness through his jeans, he nearly lost it. Panting, he pushed her away.

“Christ,” he said. “If we keep going, both of us are going to get arrested for indecent exposure.”

Her lips were parted and desire was in her eyes. She buckled her seat belt with a resounding click. “Then drive. Quickly.”

* * *

The apartment door wasn’t even fully shut and Kat was tugging at Marco’s jeans as he pulled at the buttons on her shirt.

“Too many clothes,” he muttered.

Kat laughed against his mouth. “It’ll be summer soon enough and then I’ll be wearing next to nothing.”

“I prefer you in nothing at all,” Marco replied.

“Then let me oblige you.” Kat pushed him away gently, then walked backward into the living room, crooking her finger at him.

He followed, the heat in his gaze making her feel more desired than ever.

Making her feel bold.

She pointed to the sofa and he sat. The she slowly finished undoing the buttons on her shirt.

Marco groaned but he didn’t take his eyes off her, nor did he get up. “You’re killing me.”

Kat’s response was a coy smile as she let her blouse fall to the floor. Next she undid the hook on her pants and eased the zipper down ever so slowly, wriggling her hips as the pants slid down her legs. She stepped out of them, then kicked them aside along with her shoes.

“Take off your shirt,” Kat told Marco. “Then your pants.”

He did as she instructed and Kat took a moment to marvel at his physique—all hard lines, taut tanned skin covering sinewy muscles. Staring at him warmed her all over, and not simply because she desired him but because she knew he’d use his strength to protect her.

Kat hooked a finger under her panties, pushing them down to join the other clothes on the floor. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before reaching around for the clasp of her bra.

Marco had already seen the scars on her breasts, but she was still shy about them—they were a cruel reminder of the worst time in her life. Yet Marco had told her they were a sign of her strength.

She made the decision once and for all to let go of the past and not let it affect her present and her future. Because her future was right in front of her, and he thought she was beautiful.

She removed her bra. Totally nude, she walked toward Marco. Leaning down to kiss him, she stripped him of the last layer of clothing separating them and then she straddled him.

He cupped her face in his hands. “You’re everything to me.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck as her mouth devoured his, tasting and claiming Marco as her own.

At a deliciously slow pace, she lowered herself onto him, accepted him inside her inch by inch until he filled her. He gripped her hips but didn’t hurry her—he seemed to understand she needed to take control.

She rode him as he gripped her ass, his lips and tongue stroking the sensitive skin behind her ear. Rays of pleasure shot through her as she closed in on release, but though the muscles in her core quaked, she held off, wanting to extend the ecstasy as long as possible.

Her fingers dug into his back and he pulled her close against him. As she shattered, she tilted her head back and cried out. He bucked his hips one last time and joined her.

Aftershocks hit her hard and she panted, her body still wrapped around his. He healed me. She hadn’t realized how broken she still was until Marco had come into her life.

He nuzzled her neck, a content sigh escaping his lips, and Kat amended her thought.

We healed each other.

* * *

The address Roy gave them turned out to be a strip of abandoned office space. The building and the surrounding area seemed just as deserted as when they’d checked it out earlier this morning. Kat couldn’t decide if that worked in their favor. There would be no witnesses, but that wasn’t always a good thing.

She just wanted this over and done with.

There were so many things that could go wrong. What if X didn’t show? What if Roy didn’t show? What if Roy did show but he wasn’t satisfied? All she had was his word that he’d leave her alone if she handed over X or the money. Was his word worth anything?

It had better be. Knox had said there was an honor code of sorts and he seemed nearly certain Roy would be true to his word, but Kat didn’t trust him. Why should she? He was a criminal.

If this didn’t work, she’d have no choice but to go to the police, which could potentially make things much, much worse. Roy—like X—was rumored to have cops on his payroll. But she was running out of options. She hadn’t gone to the cops about Leo and she’d always wondered if that had been a mistake.

She glanced over at Marco, who was scanning the building and surrounding areas with military precision.

She had so much more to lose now than when she was in Florida.

He’d agreed to stay hidden, but he was armed and she knew he wouldn’t hesitate to take someone out if they posed a threat to her. If it came down to that, he wouldn’t have to decide about whether or not to return to the army because his military career would be over. His life would be over. She couldn’t stand the thought of him doing time because of her. For that reason, she wished he could have been convinced to stay out of it. But truthfully, she was glad he was here.

She was also armed, her gun tucked into a cross-body purse. She’d already shot two men in her lifetime. Hopefully today wouldn’t add a third to that list.

“It’s clear,” Marco said. He parked the car in a prominent spot right in front of the door. They’d debated on hiding the car, but in the end they’d decided it was better to have it close by in case they needed to get away quickly. Besides that, everyone was expecting them. They did not have the element of surprise on their side.

Roy was the only one who had that where X was concerned. He’d better show. Otherwise she was screwed.

They got out of the car and Kat opened the back door to retrieve the package from the backseat. They’d stopped by her apartment this morning and she’d sorted through some of Gram’s things, which had been tough. When she’d packed them up she’d been in such a daze she barely remembered what was there.

The item that drew her attention was a little carved figurine of a dog. Gram had kept it in her nightstand drawer and the wood was smooth and slick from years of handling. It looked like a high school shop project or something, and Kat was betting that it was. Instinctively she knew X had made this for his mother back when he was still a teen or younger, in much more innocent days. Though, based on what she knew about him, she doubted he’d ever been truly innocent.

Anyway, she’d put it in a box and wrapped it in white butcher paper, tying a blue ribbon around it as a final touch—Gram’s favorite color. X might not even ever open the thing, but she’d made the effort just the same.

But this place . . . it wasn’t where a normal person would schedule a meeting. She would certainly be suspicious if someone asked her to meet them here, but then again, she wasn’t a career criminal. Hopefully it would seem normal to X.

They were nearly an hour early, wanting to make sure Marco could find a place to hide. They walked up to the strip and Kat read the worn numbers on the doors.

“It’s that one,” she said, pointing to a unit that had brown paper covering the windows. “Suite one-oh-seven.”

“I’ll go in first and check it out,” Marco said.

Kat nodded, putting her hand on her bag that safely contained her gun. Marco disappeared inside and Kat scanned the parking lot, hoping Roy and X didn’t have the similar idea of coming early. But there weren’t even any cars on the road. The area was deserted.

It was kind of sad, actually. The south side of the city was crumbling before their eyes, but the city council did not to try to revitalize it. Perhaps if they did, crime wouldn’t be such a problem.

The seconds ticked by and Kat grew anxious. Where was Marco? She suddenly knew how he must have felt waiting outside the bar for her last night.

Marco opened the door so Kat could enter. “It’s empty.”

Inside there were rusty desks and torn office chairs covered in dust. On the walls were various maps of both the city and tropical destinations like the Florida Keys and Cancún. This appeared to have once been a real estate office doubling as a travel agency. She picked up a stray business card from the floor.

Roy & Paulson Agency. We find your habitat!

She showed it to Marco. “This must be Roy’s connection to the city.”

Marco squinted at the card. “That actually sounds familiar. I think they were in business when I was a kid. They had an annoying commercial with a jingle.”

“Maybe his parents’ company.”

“Probably.”

Marco picked up a chair that had been upended, wiping the dirt off it. He gestured to Kat to sit.

She shook her head. “I can’t sit right now. I’m too keyed up.”

He pulled her against his chest, kissing her forehead. “Everything will work out okay.”

She wished she had his confidence. Coming here like this was a gamble. Now that they were only minutes away from everything going down, she was having second thoughts about not calling the police.

No, she’d made the right decision. The cops didn’t have the manpower to protect everyone close to her and she knew how men like these worked—they had endless resources to relentlessly pursue what they wanted.

“You should probably get in position,” she said reluctantly. Though she’d needed to go to X by herself yesterday, she’d feel much better today if Marco was by her side. But that wasn’t possible. X might recognize him and she wasn’t taking that chance.

Roy’s man, on the other hand, had specifically mentioned she could bring him. That was another reason he should stay out of sight. That couldn’t have been a benign request.

Nothing about this situation was benign.

She wondered if Roy himself would show. So far, she’d had no direct contact with him, only his men.

“You’re strong.” Marco put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “You can do this and don’t forget I’ll have eyes on you the entire time.”

She nodded, her hands starting to shake.

With one last desperate kiss, Marco was gone.

And she was alone.