“Because I usually don’t.”

“I tend to leave things around.”

She held his gaze. “I tend to put them away.”

“Hmm.” He regarded her thoughtfully, as if she were an experiment he was working on. “Maybe we’ll have to have separate houses .” ,

“Isxi t that a little extreme? You could make a greater effort to pick things up.”

“Or you could learn to leave them lying around The corners of his mouth twitched. “Oh, the arguments we’ll have, Dallas.”

She gazed at him in astonishment. “You sound as if you relish the arguing.” ,

“Arguing’s not so bad.”

“It’s not?”

“Nope. Keeps things exciting: He leaned against the counter and scooped out some ice cream. Her gaze lingered with appreciation on the expanse of hair sprinkled chest revealed each time he took another bite. “After all, you have to argue before you can make up.”

She sank to a kitchen chair in bewilderment. “I thought the idea was to find somebody you could agree with most of the time: ‘

“So did I. Then I met you. I know for a fact we won’t agree on lots of things, but I have to be with you, so the arguing will be part of it, I guess.” He gestured to the ice cream with his spoon. “This isxi t bad refrozen: ‘

He wasn’t bad, either, she thought. The soft jeans molded the lines of his crotch, lines she could now trace in her mind’s eye from memory. She propped her chin on one hand. “We wouldn’t have to argue all the time , you know. You could just give in.”

“That’s not in my nature.”

“No kidding: ‘

“It’s not in yours, either; he said around another scoop of ice cream. “don’t sweat it, Dallas.”

“Two days ago I wouldn’t have believed anyone who told me I’d be having this conversation.”

“Two days ago we hadn’t made love: ‘

“Good point: How she loved to look at him. Even the movement of the muscle in his forearm when he lifted the spoon made her stomach tighten with desire.

“Although saying it’s only been a short time is deceiving” He scraped his spoon around the bottom of the mug. “We’ve been working on this attraction a lot longer than two days. It all started with that shampoo “

“I beg your pardon. I treated you the way I treat every customer. “

“Is that right?” He took a chair across from her and set the mug and spoon in front of him. “Then it was my imagination that you fondled my hair a little more than necessary? “

She flushed. “Well, maybe I-“

“And the way you leaned over me. I swear I could almost read your mind, and you were thinking of something move than washing my hair.”

“Noxisense: ‘

“Really?” He took the spoon from the mug. Droplets of melted ice cream clung to it. He reached for her hand and held the spoon over her wrist until a trickle of ice cream fell with a cool plop on her pulse point. “I’ll admit to you that I was imagining how your fingers would feel on other parts of my body.” He lifted her wrist and licked the ice cream away, send inga tingling shot of awareness through her body to settle in that sweet, aching spot he’d so recently turned into a volcano of sensation. ““Fess up, Dallas: ‘

She struggled to remain calm. “you’re arrogant, Escalante You think every woman is hot for your body.”

“I don’t care about every woman: He dribbled more ice cream in the crook of her arm. “I want to know if you were.” He lowered his lips to her arm. “That first night .”

“Maybe:’ The cool ice cream followed by the warmth of his mouth was driving her crazy with de , sire.

“Just maybe?” he prompted, dripping ice cream into her palm.

“All right. Yes.”

“And now?” He circled her palm with his tongue and followed the tiny rivulets of ice cream that had oozed between her fingers.

She was embarrassed by the ease with which he could arouse her. She turned her face away. “Gabe, we


“


He put down the spoon and caught her chin to bring her back to face him. “Ah, Dallas, don’t hide from me. That’s what I wanted to see. The need in those beautiful gray eyes: Still holding her hand, he stood and came around the table. “Come here, mi querida.”

The soft Spanish endearment swept away whatever small resistance she had. She allowed him to pull her to her feet and open her robe. Reaching behind her for the mug, he guided her up against the table. He slowly dripped more ice cream over her breasts and licked them clean until she was pantqng with need. Then he kneeled before her, and the last of the cool liquid found its way to her heated center. She groaned, shameless now, all inhibitions gone as he replaced the coolness with his tongue.

When she thought she could take no more, he rose and unfastened the fly of his jeans. A condom appeared in his hand, although she was past caring if he used one. The table edge bit into her backside as he thrust forward, but she didn’t care about that, either. He provided enough pleasure to make her forget everything else.

He cradled her face as he moved easily within her. “I love you; he said, his voice hoarse. “I love you, Dallas :’

Tears of happiness filled her eyes. “I love you, Gabe : ‘

“Forever.” He kissed her as she shuddered in his aims. Then with a muffled groan he found his own release.

GABE WASN’T HAPPY when he saw the small bruises on Dallas’s bottom as she toweled off after their shower the next mo ming

He pulled her over to the bed where he’d sat to pull on his boots. “We can’t have this happening, he said, bending to inspect the marks. “We’ll have to get all our furniture padded.”

“I kind of like them. They’re like the brand you talked about wanting to put on me.” She laughed as his lips tickled over the bruises. “Every time I sit down today I’ll think of you.”

“I’d rather have a different reminder than that.” He released her and reached for his shirt. “And I thought you wanted to go riding today. Can you?”

She gave him a look of scorn as she stepped into her panties. “I’m no hothouse flower. I believe I told you that .”

“Yeah, that was when I discovered you had a gun. That set me back some. Which reminds me, I should call Diego and Jasper, find out what Pamell’s been up to recently.”

Dallas snapped the front catch on her bra. “You still have them following him?”

“Not every minute, but they’re keeping track of him. Why?”

“Because I think it’s silly, that’s why.” She pulled a T shirt over her head. “He’s not doing anything wrong.”

“You have a short memory, Gabe said, buttoning his shirt and standing to tuck it into his jeans. “What about the times he followed you? What about Friday night? If I weren’t around, you’d be in hot water, lady.”

His tone sent her hackles up. She paused in the act of reaching for her jeans. “I think you’re exaggerating the situation. “

After all they’d shared, she didn’t think he’d react with the same closed-down expression as before. She was wrong. “Gabe, for heaven’s sake, what is it? Why do you get this way? “

He shoved his hands in his pockets and gazed out the window.

“Dammit, what aren’t you telling me about Neal? There’s more to this, isn’t there?”

He seemed to be struggling with whether to confide in her or not. Whatever thoughts he had, they were obviously painful.

A horrible suspicion arose in her mind. She tossed the jeans aside and walked over to lay a hand on his arm. “Gabe, is Neal related to that man who killed your parents?”

He shook his head and glanced down at her. Then he looked away again. His words, when they finally came, were filled with fury. “Neal Parnell raped my sister.”

DALLAS HUGGED HERSELF against the sudden chill that engulfed her. She stared at Gabe, who kept his back to her, his head bowed. “Your sister is Celia Martinez?” she asked, her voice little more than a whisper.

,


He nodded.

“Oh, Gabe. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I thought it would make you question my judgment about Parnell.”

“I’ve been questioning it, anyway.” And now she doubted he had any objectivity at all. Her heart ached-for him, for her, for the tender emotions that had been created between them and now seemed in jeopardy. She forced herself to say the words. “You weren’t at the trial.”

His jaw clenched. “I didn’t have to be. Celia told me he did it. That’s enough for me.”

“But the evidence-“

He whirled, his expression dangerous. “Damn the evidence! She knows it was him. And you would, too, if you weren’t so caught up in the details! Everything has to be lined up and neat for you, doesn’t it?”

She had to grit her teeth to keep them from chattering’ That how the system works.”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. It didn’t work.”

“It did! He had a fair trial. I agree he’s not the most appetizing guy to have around, and I’ve gone along with you and Amber because I didn’t like the way he seemed to be fixating on me. But twelve intelligent people studied the evidence at that trial. He did not commit that rape .”

“Like hell .”

They stood as if a ten-foot wall separated them. And perhaps it did, she thought. They were never going to agree on this. And it was no longer a philosophical discussion , as she’d thought before. Hisnarrowed eyes and the arrogant tilt of his head told her he wa sing full warrior mode again. Her stomach churned as she realized what she had to do. “you’re sure he’s a rapist and his next target is me , right?”

“I’d bet my life on it.”

“But he seems to have backed off now that yodre around all the time.”

“That’s right. I could have protected Celia, too, if I’d been here. But I wasn’t. That’s something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life.”