She looked down at the hand still wrapped around her arm, at his fingers digging into her skin, and felt a frisson of unease. “Let go of me. Now.” To ensure he did, she shoved him back and then hopped down from the plane, racing out of the hangar.

Asshole. Why did men have to be assholes who ruined everything?

The bright morning sun nearly blinding her, the cool air burning her lungs, she turned toward the lobby. With any luck, she wouldn’t see a soul, and indeed luck appeared to be on her side as she entered the side lobby door and found the room empty.

Even the café was quiet, which meant that everyone had dispersed and gone off to begin their day. Whew. Bypassing her desk, she headed straight for the restroom to freshen up, thinking ha! she’d made it, she was in the clear-

“Dimi!”

Previously Gorgeous Guy. Yelling for her, damn it. With a wince, she turned back, and from across the expanse of the lobby, saw him heading right for her. Gone was any trace of the soft, sexy smile he’d exhibited last night, and in its place was a determination to have a scene.

Yep, she was still a jerk magnet. Good to know. She debated about just dodging into the bathroom and letting him pound on the door, but before she could, he was right there in front of her. Okay, no problem. She’d just knee him in the nads if it came to it, then drag him back to his plane and leave him there for his friends to find-

“Don’t walk away from me.” His brows were furrowed together, assuring her that she wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of a pounding hangover. “Don’t ever walk away from me.”

Was he kidding? She opened her mouth to blast him, but someone stepped in front of her.

Danny; tall, rangy, and lanky, with his blond surfer-dude hair sticking out of his baseball cap, falling to his shoulders. Not handsome, not even take-another-look cute, but he had a pair of clear blue eyes that could cut right through a soul, which she hoped they were doing right now to Previously Gorgeous Guy. Danny held a wrench in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other, which he casually lifted to his lips to blow away the steam before taking a sip. “Problem?”

“Do you mind?” Previously Gorgeous Guy gestured to Dimi. “I’m trying to have a conversation here.”

Not budging-in fact still blocking the view of Dimi entirely-Danny bent his head and took another sip of his coffee. “Oh, yeah,” he sighed. “Charlene can make a cup of coffee. Want one?”

“No,” Previously Gorgeous Guy said through his teeth. “I don’t. I want to talk to her.” He pointed to Dimi with one jerky motion.

Danny nodded, then slowly shook his head. “Unfortunately for you, she doesn’t seem to be that interested in having a conversation.” Without taking his eyes off him, Danny cocked his head. “Dimi?”

“No,” she said to Danny’s back. “I’m not interested in having a conversation.”

Danny nodded and spoke in the same easy voice, though she could hear unbendable steel beneath it. “You okay?”

“Fantastic.” She’d never stood behind Danny before. He was bigger than she’d thought, sturdier. He had himself a set of broad shoulders, and buns of steel, too. All that surfing, she supposed-

“Dimi.”

Lifting her gaze, she realized Danny had craned his neck to look at her. “Give us a moment?”

He was telling her to go into the restroom, that he’d take care of the issue, meaning he’d escort the guy out of the lobby and either back to his plane or off the premises. “Right,” she said, and gratefully made her escape.

Inside the bathroom, she caught a look at herself in the mirror, and stared. Her hair had gone on a party without her permission, she wore no makeup, both an absolute crime in her book. She was pale enough to scare herself, but worse, her skirt and top were wrinkled. She also had four paw-print bruises on her arm where the guy had grabbed her, not to mention a scratch on her inner thigh.

She definitely looked a little rough around the edges, like she’d been rode hard and put away wet, like she didn’t care about herself and where she’d been.

And as that sank in, her eyes filled. Idiot. What she’d done last night had been stupid and careless and dangerous. And it could have had an extremely unpleasant ending.

Yet she’d known all that and had done it anyway.

The restroom door opened and she turned her head, expecting Danny, expecting to have to put a smile on her face and pretend all was well, that she was “fantastic” as always, knowing she needed to thank him.

But it wasn’t Danny at all. Mel stormed in, and Dimi prepared for a lecture, to be berated about her bad choices, to feel an inch tall.

But Mel didn’t even glance at Dimi. She went straight to a sink, cranked on the cold water and bent. Dimi watched in surprise as Mel closed her eyes and slapped water on her cheeks. “Mel? What’s the matter?”

She didn’t answer for so long that Dimi thought maybe she wouldn’t. Finally, she straightened, water dripping off her nose. “Men suck.”

Dimi laughed. “Well, I agree with you there.”

Mel stared at herself in the mirror, then at Dimi. And it was a huge testament to how upset she must be that she didn’t mention Dimi was still wearing yesterday’s clothing and looked like shit. “It’s possible I’m going to kill him.”

Dimi blinked. “Who?”

“Bo Black. Who else?”

Dimi pushed Previously Gorgeous Guy far out of her head and went from pissed to panic. Again. “What did he do now?”

“You mean besides being born?” Mel closed her eyes. “He kissed me.”

This was so far from what Dimi had expected, it took her a moment to process. Mel hadn’t kicked Bo Black’s most excellent ass out, but she’d kissed him. “Okay, you win the bad-morning award.”

“Gee, thanks.” But Mel didn’t look like it’d been bad at all, and Dimi took a closer look. “You really let him kiss you?”

“It wasn’t a planned thing, believe me. It started out this stupid dare-”

“What? He got you on a dare? Jesus, Mel, the guy wants to take over our world and you let him goad you into-”

“Did I start out this story with ‘hey, a great thing happened to me this morning?’” Sounding extremely grumpy, Mel reached for a few paper towels to dry her face. “And anyway, he’s busy now, looking at some Stearman.”

“He’s got the money for that?”

Mel shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“So…” Dimi had to ask. “Are the old rumors true? Can he make a woman orgasm with a single touch?”

Instead of laughing, as Dimi had expected, Mel turned away. “It was just a kiss.”

Which didn’t answer the question, Dimi noted. More panic. It jangled inside her belly. “You going to turn into me now, Mel, and fall for the wrong guy?”

“Okay, repeat after me,” Mel snapped. “Just. A. Kiss. And believe me, it won’t be repeated.”

“I don’t know…” Dimi watched her oldest friend pace, which didn’t make her feel any better. “They say that once he kisses you, it’s like a drug. You have to have him again. And again.”

“Whoever ‘they’ are, they’re wrong.”

“Good, because he’s a Black, Mel.”

“Yeah.” Mel rubbed her temples. “I know.”

“He’s been making himself at home, working from here.” She let some of her panic show. “Acting like he has the right. He really believes that deed is real.”

“I know.” Mel closed her eyes. “He has got to go far, far away.” She tossed the paper towels into the trash.

If Dimi had had herself together, she’d have opened her purse and offered moisturizer, but as things were, she didn’t have either her purse or her wits.

“Okay, let’s try this again.” In the way that Dimi had admired for years, Mel drew herself up straight and tall.

“Try what again exactly?”

“The whole damn day. And trust me, if Bo so much as looks at me, he’ll regret it.” With that, Mel stormed out of the bathroom in much the same way she’d stormed in.

Dimi looked in the mirror. “She’s going to need you,” she told herself. “Which means you have to be the strong one for once.”

Her reflection looked worried.

Mel worked her tail off, struggling to stay one step ahead of North Beach’s needs, their customers’ needs, her employees’ needs.

Of Bo Black.

But everywhere she turned, things seemed to go wrong. The morning after the kiss-she refused to think in plurals when it came to the incident, though it had been plural kisses, heavenly plural kisses she’d dreamed about all night long-she came into work and found the front door of North Beach unlocked. Dropping her things, she rushed through the airport, but nothing looked touched. Nothing missing. Nothing bothered.

And yet later, sitting at her desk eating a donut from Char, she’d have sworn someone had been through her things.

Paranoia?

Or reality?

With nothing missing, she had no idea. And still nothing from her attorney on the deed.

At least her e-mail box remained empty of vague threats.

The next morning, the fourth since Bo had shown up, they had a scheduled five thirty AM incoming. Mel had come in early-tired from still dreaming of Bo’s body buried in hers-only to find herself devoid of linemen. Pissed, Mel called Ritchie, and got no answer. She dialed Kellan.

“Yo, dude,” he said groggily. “This’d better be good.”

“Yo, dude,” she shot back, with some sarcasm added in because it was early and she hadn’t had any caffeine yet. “There’s an incoming, and you’re not.”

“Ah, shit.” This was followed by a rustling noise, probably the kid falling out of bed. “Shit,” he said again, breathless.

“Shit on your own time.”

“Yeah, Mel-I’m sorry-”

She hung up. He was sorry, and so was she because she could hear the plane now. Once again she dropped her own job and found herself racing through the lobby, grabbing an orange vest and directing the aircraft herself, a beauty of a Raytheon King Air. She handled the tie-down, greeted the pilot and his guests, then stayed on the tarmac for a moment, enjoying the sun rising in the chilly, purple-blue dawn.