“When I first went to war I knew what could happen. I knew the dangers. You can try and prepare yourself, but you never know, man. Just don’t ever know how you’ll react. How anyone will react. I never thought James would lose it and blow himself up. That he’d ever feel so bad, so hopeless he’d resort to extreme measures. I don’t claim to fully understand the pain it takes to want to kill yourself. I’ve never suffered so deeply I couldn’t crawl out of the darkness. James couldn’t. And maybe that’s on me. That I couldn’t do something, see something…say something.”

-Journal of Dylan Westcott.

Terra stood, and her gaze pinned the cell phone as the message ended. “Damn it.”

Dylan wanted to fix this now and hated the asshole had taken control by harassing her again. He was tempted to call Rivers and tell him where he could shove it. Yet he knew that wouldn’t be wise. It could cause a hell of a lot more problems than it would solve. On impulse he stood and slipped his arm around her shoulders. He drew her against him, savored her warmth and the way she instantly relaxed. For a moment her arms slipped around his waist, and she buried her face in his shoulder. Heat and a desire to protect enveloped him all at once. He cupped the back of her head for a moment and held her there. Silence lingered, and then she drew back a little, her expression showing a little bit of embarrassment. Yeah, she didn’t like that she’d clung to him for a moment.

“It’ll be okay. Take down the number. We’re calling one of my contacts from the police department to trace the number,” he said.

“You have friends in the police?”

“More than one. One is a guy I met in Iraq, and the other is former Delta. Retired after twenty years. He’s friends with my father.”

“I thought your father wasn’t that enamored of the military.”

“He wasn’t enamored of me going into the military, but he respects the institution and his friend is an old buddy.”

Pressed close into his side, she looked up at him with those amazing brown eyes, and he drowned in the trust he saw there. Part of him loved that she felt safe with him, but if he looked into her eyes too much longer, he might do something stupid as hell and kiss her. Before he could lose his mind, he released her.

It didn’t take long for him to look up Andy Walton, his father’s old friend. After Dylan gave the man the details, Andy promised he’d see if he could look up the number.

“Can’t promise much,” Andy said over Dylan’s cell phone. “It’s probably a burner phone. I’ll check on this as quickly as I can.”

When Dylan hung up, frustration ate at him. “This may take awhile.”

Worry clouded her eyes. “How long do you think?”

He shrugged. “Wish I could say.” He rubbed one hand over his chin, caught in his own tumultuous feelings. “Wish I’d kept my dad’s old pistol.”

Her eyes widened. “Do you think we really…that you really need that?”

He didn’t know what to say at first, questioning his line of thought himself. “When you knew him, did Rivers seem interested in guns?”

She sat on a barstool again. “He never said anything about them.”

“He didn’t give you an idea about what he thought of them?”

He could see her wheels turning as she looked away. “No. Never came into our conversation.” She frowned deeply. “Doesn’t mean he couldn’t have developed a fondness for firearms.”

“Right. I’ll keep that in mind.” He planted his hands at his waist. “We need to stay put while Andy works things from his end. Got any board games?”

A mischievous look came over her pretty face. “Several.”

“Damn. A woman after my own heart. I love board games.”

She crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side. “I never would’ve guessed you’d like old fashioned board games.”

“Analyzing me?”

“Would I do that?”

“Yes.”

She laughed. “Maybe a little.”

“Don’t get too cocky. I also like a few video games.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

“Why?”

“Young man, former military and…I dunno. Maybe I’m making stereotypical assumptions.”

“Do you think less of men because they play video games?”

“Not necessarily.”

He leaned forward a little. “Then I still like you.”

She laughed, and the warm, sensual sound of it sent heat exploding in his center. He hadn’t known her more than a couple of days and everything inside him wanted to know her better. Part of him wanted to analyze the hell out his feelings. Maybe he shouldn’t allow anything personal to come into their relationship.

I can keep this professional without being a cold bastard. I need to remember this isn’t a date.

Right. Serious business. Protecting her life was still number one priority.

She headed toward the hallway. “Okay, I’ll get the games.”

While she did that, he peered through the blinds, scanning for any sign of Allan Rivers. Other than a general description of the man, he didn’t know exactly what Rivers looked like. Clouds scuttled across the sky. Wind tossed nearby trees and bushes. The sudden howl of a gust sent a chill rolling across his body. He stayed at the window until he heard her come back with the games.

“What do you have?” he asked as she sat the stack of boardgames on the breakfast bar.

“Monopoly, Clue, you name it. I haven’t played in ages. I almost gave them all away. Maybe I need to start a game night and invite friends to the party.”

“Count me in. Want to play here or the dining table?”

“Dining table.” She planted her hands on her hips. “Let’s clean up the dishes first.”

“I’ll wash.”

The rhythm of them working together added to the growing sense of domesticity. He liked standing beside her at the sink, talking current events and not so current events. Piece by piece he learned more about her, fell more under her spell. When they’d finished cleaning up, they picked Clue for their board game. He hadn’t played it in so long, the simplicity of it reminded him of childhood. Before long he realized how relaxed he’d become. He could almost convince himself Rivers wasn’t out there planning to terrorize or hurt Terra. She won the game. Andy called Dylan’s phone after they’d progressed halfway through an already long game of Monopoly.

“Hey,” Andy said. “I’ve got nothing on the phone. She’d be better off changing her number.”

“Some carriers take a while to get the number changed over.”

“True.”

“And he could still find a way to get her number.”

“True again. Still, something to make it harder for him to bother her,” Andy said. “Have you guys told the cops he’s stalking her?”

“No. We don’t have any proof.”

“Go with your gut then. If this guy has done it twice, it’s sure as hell certain he’s going to do it a third time.”

Dylan’s resolve hardened. “I know.”

After they finished the conversation, he gave the news to Terra. She didn’t look too pleased.

“Change my phone number? What I want to know is how he got it in the first place. I changed my number when I got here.”

“There are a lot of ways for him to get your number. But if you don’t want to change the number, don’t. He knows where you live. If he plans to keep harassing you, changing your number isn’t going to change that much.”

She stared at the game board, and the sadness on her face made him want to gather her up in his arms and remind her that he’d make sure she was safe.

“We can go to the police and make out a report about the harassment,” he said.

She shook her head. “No. It won’t do any good.”

He almost tried to convince her differently, but he understood her reluctance. “You’re sure?”

“For now. Yes. Okay, let’s finish this game.”

Obviously she didn’t plan to allow the situation to get her down. Or at the very least she didn’t plant to show it.

Terra woke from a deep sleep the next morning and couldn’t remember where she was until she smelled coffee.

Board games. Dylan. Coffee.

Between each of those thoughts came a reaction. Board games brought on memories of the enormous amount of fun she’d experienced playing these games with Dylan. She’d learned a lot about him, including that he could also play a wicked game of chess. So did she, though, so they’d battled it out. She lost the first game of chess and he’d won the second. Despite their competitiveness it had never come across as real aggression, and he hadn’t seemed pissed off because a woman had bested him at something. He’d laughed and congratulated her whenever she won.

Dylan himself…each hour she’d spent with him had brought one new revelation after the other. He loved sci-fi movies and books, and so did she, though he wasn’t particularly fond of chick flicks. His politics were moderate, and so were hers. Everything about him seemed open and heart-felt, and the blew her away. She sensed he had more depths, though, and she expected that. Few people could, would, or should reveal too much about themselves on short notice. Only one thing bothered her. She knew he hid something about himself, a little segment she thought came from secret shame. It made her itch because the noisy-as-hell part of her wanted to understand. The therapist in her, she realized, wanted to pick at it until he told her.

Because despite his transparency, the suspicious part of her remembered that Allan had seemed like that when she’d first met him, too. Granted, back then she’d been a young girl and had blown off her intuition, the part of her that had warned her over and over that Allan wasn’t genuine. With Dylan she felt down deep he wasn’t anything like Allan. Fear, though, didn’t relent. She hadn’t been as open with him.

And the coffee…well, she was awake now.

Despite her yearning for coffee, she climbed out of bed and went straight to the bathroom to grab a shower. A short time later she arrived in the living room with damp hair, dressed, and with light makeup on.

Dylan sat at the dining table with a cup of coffee and writing in his journal. He wore nothing but his jeans. In those few seconds she couldn’t tear her gaze from his ripped torso. Broad, muscled shoulders, strong biceps and forearms. A light dusting of dark hair over toned pecs. Her gaze snagged on his great abs. God, he was mouthwatering. A delicious man wrapped in a fantastic package. She didn’t want to find him this damn desirable, but at the same time she couldn’t lie to herself. He was hot, kind, highly-intelligent, and sexy as hell.

And she wanted him.

When he looked up, his eyes were haunted.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“You’re sure?”

“That the therapist asking?”

She smiled, but it felt weak. “Yes. And the friend.”

He nodded. “Sometimes, when I write in my journal it makes me feel sad before it makes me feel better.”

Half afraid of where this conversation would go, she went into the kitchen and grabbed her coffee.

As she stirred cream into her mug, she said, “So it does make you feel better?”

“Yeah. I can say things to this book I won’t say to another human.”

“You don’t let anyone read it?”

He chest rose and fell on a deep breath. “I might let you.”

Her mouth popped open, surprised. “You would?”

He rose from the table slowly, journal in hand. As he walked around the table and came closer, her breath caught. He stopped nearby, so close she could feel his heat. They had little personal space between them, and her body pinged with arousal. She drew in a breath and dared meet his gaze. Naked attraction filled his eyes. It was the look of a man who wanted her in the deepest way possible. What would it be like to kiss him? Heat swirled low in her stomach, and the draw toward him made her abandon the coffee cup in favor of lightly touching his left forearm. For those few moments, she abandoned all precaution in favor of appeasing the driving curiosity inside her. She wanted…no she had to discover his kiss.

“Terra…”

He leaned forward slightly, and she did the same, wanting his mouth on hers with sudden hunger. He cupped the back of her neck, drew her toward him. Her eyelids fluttered closed as his mouth touched hers. Warm. Soft. Exquisitely gentle. Not demanding. Asking and searching. That heat in her belly expanded, reaching lower until it pulsed. Oh, my God. Feels so good. She touched his chest, fingers splaying over that incredible expanse of muscle. Her mouth tingled, as if their kiss was fueled by something electrical.

Her cell phone rang and she jerked. He released her quickly, stepping back. Her heart slammed in her chest, and she reached for the phone. A different number but still without an identifying name.

“Don’t answer,” Dylan said.

“Right.”

She regained her senses and returned the phone to the countertop. After a few rings it cut off. She held her breath.

“You okay?” he asked, touching her shoulder.

“Waiting to see if there’s voicemail.”

The voicemail chimed.

“Damn,” he said.

She played it back, speaker on. Allan’s voice came over the line. “Hey Terra. You really must think I’m dumb. I know where you are. You can’t escape. You think that boyfriend you’ve got living with you can protect you? You don’t know shit. If you agree now to come with me, to go away with me, your worries will be over. We’ll be together forever.”

The call dropped.

Her breath caught. “He’s raising the stakes. I think his idea of be together forever is some twisted thing. Maybe even that we’ll be dead together.”

When their eyes met this time, the sizzle in Dylan’s eyes had turned to concern and anger.

“Yeah.” He shoved his hands through his hair, making a mess of it. “We need to take these messages to the cops. At least get it down on paper.”

She sighed. “It didn’t work before.”

“I know. But we need to make this official. We’ll also hit the grocery store again. I’m eating you out of house and home. I also need to bring in more clothes if I’m going to be staying here long term.”

Their gazes locked again, and the sizzle returned, traveling all over her body. She could see it in his eyes. He wanted more. The heat between them had banked for now, but it hadn’t escaped entirely. He squeezed her shoulder gently and stepped away.

“Think about it. I’ll get a shower,” he said quietly.

She watched him walk away, delicious shivers making her wish he’d turn around and come back. Her imagination leapt forward to deeper kisses, to caresses she had a feeling would set her on fire. God, the man already set her aflame and he’d only shared a gentle kiss with her. Caution also emerged. This so wasn’t what she expected or wanted. She hadn’t said okay to him being a bodyguard so they could hook up. She really liked him as a person, but then she’d liked Allan Rivers when she’d first met him. She’d thought Allan was something special. With that idea in mind, she shut down an idea of a deeper relationship with Dylan.

On top of her attraction to Dylan came a new worry. Allan was out there ready to hurt her, and it would only be a matter time before he made a move. Dylan and other people might be hurt if that happened. Dread filled her.