His eyebrows rose. “The Vampire Slayer?”
“Yeah. Anyway, they’re both three years old, and they’re trained as guard dogs.”
“And that means?”
“They won’t actually attack you. But they will let you know if someone is there.”
“They won’t attack?”
She grinned. “Not unless I tell them to.” He was trying, not very successfully, to hide his very real apprehension. “Relax,” she said soothingly. She didn’t like to admit it, but it gave her a lovely feeling of superiority to know he was afraid. Did that make her a bad person? Did she care? She remembered his “Later, Babe” after their kiss and grinned even wider. No, she really didn’t.
He’d been gazing into the pen, but now he turned to face her. He was close, so close she could feel the warmth of his skin. “Stop looking so pleased with yourself,” he murmured.
“What?”
“You love it, don’t you?”
“Love what?” She managed to get her grin under control as she tried to sound puzzled, even though she was sure it was a waste of time. This man read her way too well.
“Seeing me afraid,” he said, lowering his head so the words whispered against her skin.
She swallowed and tried for nonchalance. “I’m supremely indifferent. I’m just doing my job.”
“Yeah, right,” he replied. “Well, wait until I’ve sussed out what it is you’re afraid of.”
“You’ll never find anything.” But there was a catch in her voice.
“Oh, no?” His body crowded hers until she was backed up against the chain-link fence. Her breath caught in her throat as his hands found her wrists and then slid up the length of her arms to grip her shoulders lightly. “So you aren’t afraid of this, then?”
Was she?
Her body wanted to melt into his, plaster itself along the solid length of him. She remembered the feel of his erection hard against her the previous night and fought the urge to press her hips forward to see if he was hard again. Maybe he was always hard.
And she was getting out of control.
What the hell was wrong with her?
But still she didn’t protest as he pulled her slowly toward his body. Instead, she kept her eyes firmly on his broad chest, not wanting to see the expression in his eyes. He smelled faintly of sweat—not unpleasant—mingled with the sharp, exotic scent of expensive aftershave, and he seemed to exude heat until she felt it would scorch her if their bodies actually touched.
No, she wasn’t afraid. She was petrified. But she was also damned if she was going to let him know that.
She didn’t want to want him; it complicated matters. She’d seen the messes other women in the army made over men. It was always the woman’s fault, always the woman who had to pay the price, and it wasn’t going to happen to her.
But she wasn’t actually in the army right now; any mess she made would be an entirely private mess. Except this was her employer, and as such, he was out of bounds.
Also, she didn’t trust him. He was toying with her. He must be. She wasn’t his type, wasn’t anywhere near it, so what were his motives?
A low, rumbling growl sounded behind her, and she felt rather than saw him glance into the pen. His hands dropped away, and he stepped back. Dani gave a silent sigh of relief.
“I don’t think I’m making any friends here,” he said wryly, moving away from her and relaxing visibly when the growling stopped. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”
Zach was actually very good with the dogs once it was a done deal, allowing them to sniff him and get to know his scent.
“You did really well in there,” Dani said as she locked the pen behind them.
“Don’t sound so shocked,” Zach replied and winked at her. “I knew you wouldn’t let them hurt me.”
“No, probably not. Unfortunately, it’s more than my job’s worth.” She didn’t bother to hide the regret in her voice.
Zach grinned. “If you think I’m such a worthless cause, why are you here? Money?”
“I’m on a sort of temporary retirement thing while I wait for my next physical. I was going crazy doing nothing so Jake suggested this.”
“And when is this physical?”
“I don’t know, but soon, I think.” His gaze was boring into her, and she shifted from foot to foot.
“And then you go back?” he asked.
“If I pass.”
“And will you?”
She nibbled on her lower lip. “I don’t know. My leg’s getting stronger, but I’m just not sure if it’s enough.”
His gaze dropped down her body, sending a shiver through her. “You’re not limping today?”
“No,” she answered.
“Gary told me you were injured in an explosion.”
“Gary definitely talks too much.”
“I asked him.” He raised an eyebrow. “Why? Is it a secret?”
“No, just a sore point.” She shrugged. “Look, I need to go. I have things to do.”
“I’ll see you later.” He held her gaze expectantly.
Not if she saw him first, but she kept the words to herself. She reckoned offering challenges to Zach would not be a good idea. He got far too much pleasure from winding her up, and she was determined not to give him more ammunition.
Chapter Four
Zach slid open the patio doors and stepped out onto the terrace. From here, he could see down to the Mediterranean, far below. Dawn was approaching, lighting the deep blue sky to the east, and a sickle moon still hung on the horizon. He raised his hands above his head and stretched, easing the kinks out of his back and neck. He’d been up all night writing. And he felt good.
Now a swim, a nap, and then perhaps he’d hunt down the elusive Danielle and see if he couldn’t persuade her to have lunch with him. It wasn’t going to be easy. Hell, even finding her would be a challenge. He grinned.
A movement over by the wall drew his attention. He turned slightly so he could see. Dani.
Obviously she didn’t expect a “useless playboy” to be up at this hour. She was jogging around the perimeter, one of the dogs at her heels. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, and she wore gray sweats and a sports bra, which left her midriff bare. Her skin was pale, her waist tiny, her breasts…
He took an involuntary step toward her. The dog noticed him first and halted, turned to face him, and barked. Dani glanced across and stumbled. A small cry escaped her as her leg crumpled, and she crashed to the ground.