She choked out a laugh, and for some reason it made him feel...proud. Like he'd done something good for a change. "I mean, I don't know you."

He studied her out of the corner of his eye. She was slim, but full breasts pushed against a thin white T-shirt. She sat with one long, long leg crossed over the other, wearing jeans and a pair of pointy-toed shoes, one of which hung from the toe of the top foot in a sexy, inviting way. He couldn't take his eyes off that foot, gently swinging in time to the music. Even though she hated country music. Her green eyes had little flecks of gold that made them sparkle. There was a lot of life in those eyes, even though her face was serious.

Now what? It had been a hell of a long time since he'd tried to make conversation with a girl in a bar. Not that he was trying to pick her up. He was just curious.

"You look like you need cheering up," he commented, changing the subject and taking another swig of his Pale Ale.

One corner of her mouth turned up. "I don't think that's possible."

"Wow. Sounds pretty bad."

"My life is shit right now," she said. "You don't even want to try to cheer me up. You should go find someone else if you want to have some fun."

He looked back at her steadily. "I'm not looking for fun," he said. "My life is shit right now, too. Maybe we could just keep each company in our misery."

He had her attention again. Her lips curved into a reluctant smile. "We're pretty pathetic, aren't we?"

He grinned. Saw her eyes widen in response. Liked it. His body responded with a tightening in his groin. "Yeah."

"Listen, would you at least tell me your name?"

She pursed those pretty lips, and his cock twitched. "It's Marli."

"Marli," he repeated. "I like it."

"I really shouldn't be doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Talking to you." She bit her lower lip in a sexy nibble. "Look, you seem really nice and...well, really hot." She closed her eyes, putting a hand to her forehead. "Damn."

He stared at her, arousal comingling with bemusement.

"I like talking to you," she continued, "but I can't do this. I can't be...having fun."

He knew only too well what she meant. "Yeah, I know. You're not allowed to have fun or enjoy yourself. The world should just stop and know your pain. Isn't that right?"

She drew in a long breath. "Yes."

"It seems weird that normal life goes on, doesn't it?" He lifted a hand to all the people around them, laughing, dancing, oblivious.

"Will it...get better? Will that feeling ever go away?"

"I'll let you know if it does." He paused. "I'm kidding. It's a cliche, but life does go on, Marli. I've been wallowing too long. You aren't the only one who's been enjoying yourself tonight."

He didn't want to scare her away. Christ, she was jumpy as a grasshopper. But he had to admit he was interested and attracted.

"This is the first time in a long time I've felt...well, felt anything," he continued. "Felt hungry. Felt amused. Felt...turned on." He met her eyes steadily.

"I really have to go." She grabbed her purse and stood up. Then she stopped. "'Bye, Trey. It was nice to meet you."

Damn. He'd said too much. Disappointment settled over him, slow and heavy, but this time he didn't try to stop her as she threaded her way through the crowded bar and out the door.

Chapter 2

Sheldon lay on the bed in his dingy motel room, arms behind his head. When he'd left the bar that night, he'd turned around and looked at Marli--that bitch--and he'd seen her eyes widen in response. She'd had no idea what he'd been about to do.

Oh, man, that had been sweet. Krista had been so utterly terrified when he'd pulled out the knife. She'd tried to run, but he was too fast. He'd grabbed her... He replayed the video in his mind, almost enjoying it more the second time around.

He put a hand to the hard-on behind his fly and rubbed. His cock twitched and thickened, his balls drew up and his skin tingled. He was getting excited all over again. The power. There was no greater power than completely dominating someone, inflicting pain. And she'd deserved it. She was a woman, not as much of a slut as her friend Marli, but all women were whores.

He couldn't stop thinking about Marli, that tall, blonde bitch. Krista's friend. What a slut she was, flirting with all those men. But when he wanted to flirt with her, she'd cut him dead. Ha. Dead. A laugh gurgled inside him. That was funny, considering what happened to her friend.

Marli'd flirted with him, then rejected him. She'd laughed at him, laughed at him being a cowboy. Heat built in his chest and in his head at the memory.

His mother's face flashed through his mind, her laughing mouth and mocking eyes.

That wasn't how it worked. When he wanted a woman, he got her. Then he could do what he wanted with her. Like all the others.

They all deserved what they got. Krista had changed her mind about going with him the moment they'd gotten in his car. She'd tried to get away, and he'd had to stop her. It hadn't gone the way he'd planned it. He glanced over at the closet in his motel room. Ah, well.

He sat up and punched the crappy cheap pillows, then stuffed them back behind him. He gave some thought to his plans. He didn't want to wait around too long because they were looking for him. He knew it. He saw the news on TV. Usually, he left town right away, but this time Marli's taunting smile had kept his anger simmering. Marli was going to pay for laughing at him. Just like his mother.

It was dangerous, staying here. He never stuck around after he was done with a woman. His blood sizzled through his veins.

If he was going to stay in Rocky Harbor, he had to change his appearance. He hadn't had much cash. The fifty bucks he'd taken out of Krista's purse he'd used for a trip to Long Drugs for some hair dye and a pair of scissors. But the money hadn't lasted long and now he'd been hit with a genius idea.

He could kill two birds with one stone--get a job and keep an eye out for Marli.

He grinned up at the ceiling.


Marli emerged from Cactus Jack's onto the dark sidewalk and glanced around. There were a few people on the street, but her stomach quivered and her muscles tightened. Guilt, anger and lack of sleep had shredded her nerves over the past two weeks, eating away at them until she was on edge all the time. She hurried to her car, parked in a nearby parking garage. Damn, she hated parking garages.

Sounds bounced off the concrete floors and walls, and twice she stopped to listen, heart in her throat, convinced she'd heard another set of footsteps behind her. But it was just the echo of her own shoes on the cement.

She locked the doors as soon as she got into the car, having quickly assessed the back seat to make sure it was empty. She sat there for a moment, gripping the steering wheel, taking deep breaths and trying to slow her racing heart.

Usually a young kid worked in this parking garage, but tonight she was glad it was a man around her age. It made her feel minutely safer as she handed over her money and waited for the arm to rise so she could exit.

Tonight her anxiety levels were escalated by the sexual tension that had simmered between Trey and her for the last two hours. She hadn't been running; there'd been nothing to make her heart beat more quickly, no trigger for her rapid breathing in the bar. It was him. He'd gotten her all agitated, even more than she already was. That was the last thing she needed right now.

He made her curious. He was interesting. Dangerous, yet protective. A cop, a big jock football player, but with intelligence and hints of pain in those intense blue eyes. He made her feel warm and shivery, and damn it, watching those long, sexy fingers of his made her think about having those hands on her body.

He was a stranger passing through town, and she'd never see him again. Instead of calming her, the thought was strangely disappointing.

She drove home and parked in the driveway in front of her duplex condo, lit up like an office tower in downtown LA. She'd left all the lights on, to hell with the electricity bill she was going to get. For the last few weeks, she'd even slept with the lights on.

She slipped in through her front door and locked it behind her. Usually she took such pleasure in walking into her small home. She'd finally made enough money to buy her own place and she loved it. Sleek and modern, it was just her style, with open rooms, pale maple floors and chrome accents. But tonight she didn't feel pleasure because it looked nice. Tonight, she just felt relief at locking the door behind her and closing out the world.

Taking a deep breath now she was in the sanctuary of her home, she dropped her purse on the side table and went up the stairs to her bedroom, leaving the lights blazing. In her bedroom, she kicked off her shoes and shimmied out of her jeans. In her T-shirt and panties, she walked into the adjoining bathroom. Slate tiles in warm shades of grey and taupe covered the floor and walls. The huge spa tub occupied most of the space, with a separate shower enclosed in glass walls. Her own private retreat.

She was so wound up she knew she'd never sleep. She'd only been sleeping a couple of hours a night for the last few weeks, and when she did sleep, nightmares jolted her awake. A bath would help relax her. Soon steam filled the room and she slipped into the blissful, warm embrace of the water, the muted rumble of the jets blocking out all other sound.