* * *
She was here. That was the only thing he could think about. He barely remembered to breathe.
She'd followed him, and here she was in front of him, and how in hell was he supposed to come up with the strength to walk away again? The wind blew her hair around her head in a dark cloud and caused goose bumps to break out along the little portion of a shoulder that was exposed by her wide-necked sweater.
His eyes searched her face, trying to determine her emotion. It was impossible. She'd plastered a cool, detached mask over her face. Caleb could see the feelings at war beneath it, however. Once again, she was a living, breathing contradiction.
He pulled his gaze away from her face although it felt like it was wedged in cement and looked back out over the crashing surf. "What are you doing here, Professor Greenhorn?" he asked, his voice flat and emotionless. He was amazed at his ability to keep his feelings out of his voice. Inside he was churning like the waves in front of him.
"I came because you're here," she said, turning his own words of last night around on him to devastating effect.
His heart leapt in his chest, excitement rushing through every nerve ending at her words. But he forced his head to take control.
"And what do you want from me?"
He wasn't going to look at her face. He must be cold like ice, and his heart must stay frozen like tundra. One look from her warm eyes and he'd start to melt.
"Didn't you get enough last night?" He hated himself for saying it, but it was the only way to drive her away, to keep her safe.
"Apparently not." She sighed.
Caleb didn't know how to respond. He expected anger at his words, not this gentle patience. What was she playing at?
"Well maybe I did," he said, turning his back on the sea and leaning against the porch railing, his arms crossed, his face staring off into the distance.
"Are you sure?" she asked, taking a step closer. "I know what you're doing, and it's not going to work, so you might as well just stop it now."
"What do you think I'm doing?" He finally met her eyes. He hated himself. But he was afraid of her words even more.
"You think you can't let your guard down, that you can't open yourself up. But you can. You already have. And I'm still here. You're trying to push me away again. But it won't work. So stop trying."
Caleb exhaled heavily, no longer willing, or perhaps even able, to continue his charade. "It has to work," he said, gripping her arms tightly and staring down into her exquisite face. "It's too risky."
He squeezed lightly to accentuate his point. "Together, we're dangerous."
"You keep saying that, but I don't understand."
Caleb growled, releasing her and beginning to pace in front of her. "Isn't it obvious? I've got something dark inside of me, something powerful, and being with you brings it out. Somehow our tempers collide, and it becomes overwhelming. And if it's not you, then it's someone trying to hurt you. The rage claws its way out of me and I hurt people. I'm terrified that one of the people I hurt will be you."
"No."
She shook her head and moved to stand in front of him, stopping his angry pacing. "You'd never hurt me. I know it. And you only hurt others to protect me, because they were going to kill me, kill us both. You're not an animal, Caleb. You can learn to control your anger, and I can try to control mine."
"How do you know?" he groaned. "How can you be so sure of anything you say? We've only known each other for a short time, really. How do you know we'll even be compatible?"
"Well I know we're definitely compatible in one way," she said, her voice lowering purposefully.
"Oh yeah?" He felt the scowl ease from his face. "And what way is that?" he asked huskily, expecting a certain answer.
"We both love the outdoors," she replied with a cheeky smile.
"Smart ass." Caleb pulled her into his arms, his lips descending to capture hers in a passionate kiss. Her lips burned his, and he felt his flesh ignite.
There was no denying their sexual chemistry. She made him feel like no one ever had before. With her he could envision a life of contentment, a fantasy in which they spent each day facing the world together, and each night entwined, making love until dawn.
But the other side of that dream was the nightmare that always lurked within.
He pulled away again.
"It's too great a risk," he whispered against her soft lips. "I'd give almost anything to be with you, but not if it means hurting you. I won't risk you!"
His voice grew harsh, and he ravished her lips again, his kiss desperate. He pulled her swollen bottom lip between his teeth and bit it gently. She moaned, and his tongue dove between her lips and into her mouth, seeking out her own and stroking against it in wild abandon.
"Life is full of risks," she told him when he pulled away for air. "Sometimes you have to take a great risk for the chance of an even greater reward. And there's no greater reward for me than you."
He looked down into her eyes and saw the truth painted there in strong dark strokes. She loved him, unconditionally.
He knew that love could set him free.
Dani wouldn't abandon or neglect him. She would love him, nurture him, give him the affection that had been missing his entire life. She'd cared enough about him to risk her own life. Even now, when he'd pushed her away, over and over again, she was here, proving that she loved him, proving that she wouldn't be put off by his past or his inner demons.
She was his, and he was hers, forever, and it was time he claimed her.
"I love you," he said simply, gripping her small face in his hands and pulling her lips to his again. "I love you, and I always will. I've never met a woman as fascinating or as frustrating as you, and I realize now that I could never spend the rest of my life without you."
"You scared me," he whispered. "You shoved your way into my life when I thought I was doing fine alone and you showed me exactly what was missing. I needed someone to argue with, someone to make up with, someone who makes me harder than stone any time she's in the vicinity."
She laughed then, and he smiled down at her. "Someone to keep me warm at night. Someone to listen." He kept praising her while raining kisses down upon her face, her neck, and her shoulder. "Someone to come after me when I disappear. Someone like you."
Dani's eyes filled with tears. Caleb couldn't stand the separation anymore, even though they were mere inches apart. He picked her up and cradled her against his chest, carrying her through the door and into the beach house. He finally set her down on a soft rug before the roaring fire.
Caleb slid down beside her, pulling her back into his arms and cradling her face in his large hands. "Don't cry," he whispered, his thumbs gently brushing away her teardrops.
"What can I do? What do you want me to do?"
"Just be here when I wake up," she said, and Caleb crushed her to him.
"I will be," he said solemnly. "From now on, I will always be here when you wake." With those words, he claimed her lips in the softest and most sensual kiss either of them had ever experienced.
Slowly he pulled her sweater over her head then unbuttoned her jeans. She helped him push them down her legs, then pulled the little undershirt over her head and tossed it away. She sat before him, a vision in a white satin bra and matching panties.
With a moan of pure lust, he pressed himself against her, at last willing to take a chance on love. This woman was worth the risk.