Remember? He’d never forget. God, she was beautiful. So serene, so quiet and calm. Nothing like the kick-ass woman he’d traipsed with to hell and back today.

But then he looked into her eyes again, caught the flashing emotions, and saw his Annie.

His Annie? Oh, boy. Not good.

“Well, at least we won’t have that sort of excitement tonight,” Lissa said, smiling into the quiet tension. “No gunmen hanging around here, trying to ruin more wedding plans, not to mention wedding clothes.”

What would Annie say if she knew Kyle had grown rather fond of that ill-fitting pink satin dress? And that it had little to do with its inability to keep her perfect nipples hidden?

It gave him pleasure to remember how strong she’d been. He couldn’t remember respecting a female more, and suddenly his forced smile felt warm and real. He stood, getting ready to make a little joke about how well she cleaned up.

But she stepped forward and stabbed a finger into his chest. “I remember you just fine.”

Really? he wanted to say. Do you remember that first heart-stopping sensation when I kissed you, just before you punched me?

Do you remember how we both melted, for that brief moment?

Or how about afterward, when we were both safe and there was that strange sense of loss because our time together was over.

But Annie didn’t look like she would enjoy a trip down memory lane. Clearly, she was furious.

Confused, Kyle looked at Kevin, who was gesturing to the bartender for another shot. No help coming from that department.

“Why did you let me think you were the groom?” Annie demanded.

He looked at her again. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“Yes, but…I never told you I was the groom.” Because the idea was so ridiculous, he laughed, and she poked him again, harder. “Stop that,” he said, grabbing her finger.

“I made several mentions of the wedding,” she spat out, pulling her finger free. “And you…”

“And I…what?”

“You wore that tux.”

“Yes, but I sure as hell didn’t say I was getting married.”

“Yes, but…” She trailed off, staring at him, wide-eyed.

“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “You’re catching on, now, aren’t you? I was wearing the tux because I’m in the wedding, too. Just like you.”

She made a low sound that managed to perfectly convey that this was still all his fault.

Kevin, on his third shot of liquor now, snickered, but cut it off at a look from Lissa.

“Look,” Kyle said, trying to appease, “I had no idea you had me pegged as the groom.”

“Well you should have figured out what I was thinking and corrected me,” she said with another stab to his chest. “A woman would have.”

He grabbed her finger, and this time held on. “I’m not a woman.”

“I…” She swallowed hard. “I did notice that much.”

6

KYLE STARED AT ANNIE .

Annie stared back.

Kevin lifted his arm for another drink.

Lissa shook her head at the bartender.

Kevin just grinned, already happily drunk. He turned that grin on Annie, who merely lifted a brow at him. For whatever reason, that made him laugh. “So…you really thought Kyle was me?”

“Well…” Annie divided a look between brothers.

Kevin just kept grinning. “Hey, tell me the truth. Now that you see us both together, you’d never make that mistake, right? Because clearly…” He stood and spread his arms. “I’m the best-looking one.”

Lissa smacked Kevin on the back of his head.

“Hey,” he complained, then let out another stupid grin. “She loves me.”

“You should have told me,” Annie said to Kyle.

Frankly, he was still blown away by what she’d assumed, and it took him a moment. “If I’m ever engaged-” God forbid “-I won’t be lusting after a beautiful, scantily clad woman in pink satin while on the run for my life, believe me.”

“You-” She looked confused. “You…lusted after me?”

“And I sure as hell wouldn’t have kissed her,” he finished.

“You what?” Lissa shrieked.

Kevin, who’d just sat down again, nearly fell off the stool. “Whoa.”

“It was nothing,” Annie said firmly, lifting that gold gaze to Kyle’s. “Right?”

The earth had only moved, worlds had collided, hearts had bumped. “Right,” he lied as their eyes connected. Held.

Shimmered.

“Nothing at all,” Annie repeated, more slowly now, her gaze still locked in his. “And…”

Although they all were on the edge of their seats-especially Kyle-whatever else Annie had been about to say didn’t come.

It was as if it was just the two of them. As it had been earlier. Scared and dirty and alone except for each other.

Unable to help himself, Kyle stepped a little closer, just a little.

Big mistake.

She smelled like some exotic flower, and his nose itched to press even closer.

“My God.” Lissa stared at them, then let out a little laugh. “You two…together…who’d have thought that the sweet little princess and the hard-ass cop-”

“Hey, I’m not a hard-ass,” Kyle said.

“Yes, you are,” Kevin said.

“And call me sweet little princess at your own risk,” Annie said. “But back to this.”

“You mean you and Kyle,” Lissa said.

“Yes. No! There is no me and Kyle.”

“But about the kiss-” Lissa started.

“Yeah, about the kiss-” Kevin said.

“Forget the kiss,” Annie said tightly. “It lasted only a second.”

“So there was a connection,” Lissa clarified.

“No,” Annie said, glaring at Kyle. Don’t you dare tell them about what happened between us, her eyes demanded.

Too bad Kyle didn’t respond well to demands. Never had. “Now there’s no reason to get anyone’s panties tied in knots.”

Annie shot him another silent dagger.

Oh, yeah, that anger in her eyes was a definite turn-on. “Kevin and Lissa just want to know what happened, right?”

Lissa’s and Kevin’s heads bobbed in collective agreement.

“But nothing happened!” Annie said through her teeth. “Nothing.”

“Okay,” Kyle said with a shrug. “Whatever. I was only there. What do I know?”

“Really,” Annie said, weaker now in the face of Lissa’s open curiosity.

Ooh, if looks could kill, Kyle thought as he absorbed Annie’s staggering death look, he’d be dead as a doornail right here on the spot. “At least you remember who saved who, right? Because I definitely came to your rescue, Princess.”

Annie fisted her hands in her hair and let out a strangled scream of frustration.

“And as the victim,” Kyle went on, feeling pretty damn pleased with himself for some reason, “it’s understandable you’d want to grab on to the person that saved you. It’s a hero-worship thing, very common. Just try to restrain yourself.”

“Oh, this is ridiculous! Leave it alone, all of you!” Annie let out a slow breath when Lissa blinked in hurt surprise. “I’m sorry. It’s just that it was nothing. He is nothing.”

“Hey,” Kyle said.

But Lissa was standing in front of him, blocking his view as she hugged Annie tight. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Annie. Not one thing. Forget about Kyle. Focus on the good news. I have five seamstresses working around the clock to replace your dress. Everything will be fine. Just fine.”

Annie paled at the mention of the dress being remade, and Kyle thought maybe he enjoyed that even more than bickering with her. “Oh, Annie?” he called as she was led away by Lissa. He lifted Kevin’s shot glass in a silent salute. “Can’t wait to see that dress again.”

She sent him a roll-over-and-die look before she allowed Lissa to pull her away.


HERO WORSHIP, MY EYE! Annie thought, so furious she could hardly see. She stormed out of the bar and through the restaurant, toward the wall of French doors at the far end. She figured fresh air would help cool her temper.

It didn’t.

She figured the gorgeous view of tall mountains and mesas would help soothe her.

It didn’t.

Unbelievable how riled up he could make her. He was just a cop. A tough, remarkably quick-witted and sharp cop, yes. Traits that under any other circumstances she might even admire.

Might. If he didn’t drive her so crazy.

And he thought she worshiped him. Ha! “The only thing I feel for him is the insane need to wipe that smirk right off his face,” she muttered, gripping the balcony railing with white knuckles.

“Careful,” came a low, unbearably sexy, unbearably familiar voice. “You’re talking about the guy who rescued you.”

“You,” she fairly spat out, refusing to look.

“Yeah.” She didn’t have to look to see his smug expression, she could hear it in his voice. “Me.”

Her fingers gripped the railing even tighter as her mind and body warred. One wanted to look at him and the other wanted to-damn it-look at him.

She refused. “I came out here to be alone. As in just me.”

He didn’t take the hint, instead came forward and leaned on the balcony right next to her. So close his arm brushed hers. His face, when he turned it toward hers, was still smug, and so close she could see the setting sun dancing in his eyes.

Her breath backed up in her throat because he was so gorgeous. Too gorgeous. And incredibly sure of himself.

And damn, if that didn’t make him all the more attractive.

“So…why are you so upset?” he wondered, reaching out with one finger, rubbing it over the crease she knew appeared in her forehead when she got herself worked up over something.

To say she was worked up now was the under-statement of the year.

“Annie?”

“What?” she whispered.

“Why are you so upset?”

“Because…” Because you do something to my insides and I don’t like it. Because I’m melting over the way you’re looking at me, and I don’t like that, either. “I’m not harboring some secret hero fantasy over you,” she said defensively.