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  Her stomach growled and she remembered that she had eaten very little the night before.

  Sabrina tried to ignore the fact that he wore faded jeans low on his hips and no shirt. His hair was tousled and he was barefoot. Obviously he had just jumped out of bed, put his jeans on and started preparing breakfast. Her gaze unconsciously ran up and down his body, hungrily devouring his muscular arms, firm chest and hard abs. His jeans were just tight enough to accent his butt in a way that reminded her how tight it was. He was in damn good shape and she was practically drooling by the time her stare traveled back to his face.

  Unfortunately, Eric picked that moment to look her way. Caught doing something she had no business doing, Sabrina’s betraying cheeks warmed with a blush she couldn’t hold back.

  Mischief sparkled in Eric’s eyes as his mouth spread into a wide, sexy grin.

  “See anything you like, young lady?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows and pretending to smoke a cigar like Groucho Marx.

  “Not really,” she managed, just barely keeping her pride intact and a smile from her lips. Raising an eyebrow, she tried to look suitably unimpressed.

  Eric kept his wicked grin firmly in place as he let his own gaze run slowly over her. Down to her toes and back up again, sending shivers through her. How was it possible that this man just had to look at her a certain way to turn her on?

  “Well, I see plenty I like,” he said, dropping his gaze to her legs and staying there.

  Sabrina followed his stare, wondering what he found so fascinating. Horrible embarrassment filled her as she realized two things at once. First off, when she got up that morning, she had forgotten Eric was in the house. Second, she wore what she always wore in the morning, a long T-shirt that just covered her butt, leaving her legs well and truly exposed.

  Her options were limited at that moment, and she felt her cheeks grow even warmer. She could keep her modesty and slowly back out of the kitchen. She was sure Eric would chuckle at her embarrassment. After all, though they had never made love, he had seen her legs before. Or she could act like it didn’t matter and help herself to coffee.

  She swallowed hard and made a decision. She could do this. She was a big girl. Doing her best to appear calm and confident, she strode to the coffeemaker. Brushing past Eric, she couldn’t resist telling him the way it was.

  “You can look all you like, Eric, as long as you remember that you can’t touch.”

  Keeping her back turned toward him, Sabrina poured herself some coffee. As she added milk to the cup, she tried not to think about the fact that her shirt only barely covered her behind. And the silk string panty she wore beneath it offered absolutely no modesty.

  Warm air caressing her ear was her only warning. Then she felt Eric right behind her. Placing a hand on the counter on either side of her, he neatly boxed her in. He wasn’t touching her, but his body was so close she could feel the heat emanating from him.

  “Do you recall what it was like between us, gatita?” he whispered in her ear. “You need to remember the chemistry that sparks between us. I will not touch you, but you mustn’t tempt or tease me either, as you’re doing now. If I see you dressed like this again, I will take you. And we both know, despite your words, that you would willingly open your legs and let me in without question.”

  Sabrina gasped but couldn’t speak. The images his words brought to mind left her shaken. She held the countertop in front of her for support. She struggled not to tilt her head back and let Eric run his mouth and tongue over her neck, ears and face, as he had done during the intimate moments they had shared in the past. She fought the incredible urge to push her hips back against the hardness she was sure to find. Taking a deep breath, she tried to get herself back under control. Instead, the scent of him filled her and her knees felt weak.

  Eric took that moment to step back. She heard him leave the kitchen. The minute Sabrina was sure he was gone her shoulders sagged and she dropped her head forward. That had been intense. Too intense. The “feeling” had taken over. Pulsating energy had filled her with the kind of demanding strength she hadn’t felt for a long time. It wanted to be set free, but she refused to let that happen. Just as she had refused it most of her life. She would control it now and always. It would not control her.

  If Eric had stayed another minute, she wasn’t sure what might have happened. He may have seen something she wouldn’t have been able to explain. Just as it always did when the “feeling” took over, her body glowed with an inner fire shared only by those of her kind.

  Sabrina needed to be careful. She had almost lost it. She had almost let go of the restraint she always maintained over herself. That was dangerous. It could even prove deadly.

  She so didn’t want to go there.

  Eric was shaking as he walked back to his room. Shaking with need, shaking with desire and shaking with an emotion he didn’t want to look at too closely. He had wanted to close the small distance between himself and Sabrina back in that kitchen. He had wanted to push forward and press his hips against her soft, round behind. Just the thought of sliding himself up and down along her crease made him shudder.

  He could have undone his jeans, lifted her shirt and slid her silky thong to one side. She would have leaned forward slightly and tilted her hips back for him so he could slip inside her. Then he’d have run his hands over her curvy hips, around to her soft stomach and up past her ribs to her full, lush breasts. He would caress and tease her sweet nipples as he plunged inside her again and again and she would moan his name over and over as she got closer to her peak. When she tumbled over it, her hips would jerk helplessly and he would lose it then. He would plunge into her harder and harder until he also fell over the edge into a roaring, shattering release.

  By the time he reached his room he was breathing heavily and his cock was so hard it hurt. Slamming the door behind him, he paced, trying to calm down. But the image of Sabrina facing away from him with that T-shirt just covering her ass kept playing over and over in his mind, as did all the things he’d like to do to her. He knew her body well, though they’d never made love, because there had been times they had come pretty close.

  Eric knew the voluptuous figure hidden under that shirt. He knew the way Sabrina’s full breasts stood out proudly, her dark, berry-red nipples tempting him mercilessly. He knew the way her soft stomach tightened and quivered when she was excited. He recalled the flowing curves of her hips leading down to a perfectly round ass, topping beautifully tanned legs that he dreamed about wrapping around his hips when they made love. It was as if she had been made just for him.

  Eric cursed softly.

  Why had she worn that damn shirt into the kitchen? She should know better than to taunt him like that. He wasn’t a monk, damn it, far from it, although he had known monks as well as saints during his long walk on this earth. And he knew he would never be one. He was a man. A man with needs just like any other man, and Sabrina knew that too.

  After getting his libido reined in, Eric got ready to go. Quickly showering, he dressed comfortably because he knew he would spend much of his day sitting, waiting and watching. He was used to it now, after so many years it had become natural. Observing surroundings and the people in them was a big part of security. It wasn’t just all action-packed fighting and intrigue like they portrayed it on the television and in movies. There were many boring and tedious parts of being a security specialist. And he had learned that sometimes the smallest details, if observed, were often vital to solving a case.

  So he would sit through Sabrina’s classes as she lectured. Truth be told, he was interested in observing her teach. He had never seen her do so and it intrigued him to imagine her in a different mode than the one he was used to. Even when they had dated, he hadn’t watched her teach. He wasn’t sure why. Sabrina had never invited him and he had never asked.

  Eric was also curious to learn more about what Sabrina taught after their conversation last night. Her defensiveness when he had probed a littl
e into her privacy sparked his curiosity. Her response had been too strong. In his experience, when someone protested something inconsequential so strongly then it wasn’t really inconsequential. She was hiding something, and he would find out what it was one way or another.

  Sabrina came out of her bedroom and stopped short at the sight of him. She wasn’t in that damn T-shirt any longer. Instead she looked every bit the professional in a camel-colored tweed pencil skirt and matching jacket. A lacy cream camisole peeked out of the top of the jacket, softening the look. She always managed to appear very put together but also extremely feminine at the same time.

  “I thought you’d be gone by now,” she said.

  “Gone?”

  “Yes, to the office. Don’t you need to go to Sundown and work?”

  “I am working. You’re my client, Sabrina. My job is to ensure your safety. That’s why I’m going to campus with you today and sitting in on your lectures. Your class size is so large, anyone could walk in and you wouldn’t notice anything different. It would be an easy time for your stalker to pick you off, especially if he decided to use a gun as his weapon this time around.”

  Sabrina looked at him like he had suddenly grown two heads.

  “Excuse me? I don’t think so. I need some space. I need to work. I can’t teach a class knowing you’re out there watching and listening. I won’t be able to concentra—”

  Sabrina stopped short as she realized just how much she was revealing.

  Eric smiled with satisfaction. The fact that she couldn’t concentrate was one he would save and tuck away. He liked knowing he had that effect on her, because she had the exact same effect on him.

  “What I mean is, uh, that I need a certain atmosphere in my classroom and I don’t know if that can be maintained with you there,” she hurriedly explained. “I think it would be better if you didn’t sit through my class. I’ll be fine once I’m on campus. I’ll make sure security is with me every step of the way. Why don’t we just meet after classes tonight, like we did last night?”

  Eric folded his arms across his chest and met Sabrina’s stare with his own determined one.

  “I’m going with you and staying with you, whether or not you want me, gatita. Get used to it, because until this case is solved, I’m going to be stuck to you like glue.”

  Sabrina’s chin lifted stubbornly.

  “I don’t remember discussing any of this with Vlad. I understand the need to watch over me, but stuck together like glue? Isn’t that going a little overboard?”

  “Overboard or not, that’s how it’s going to be.”

  They stared at each other in silence for a several seconds until Sabrina finally threw up her arms in frustration.

  “Fine. Whatever. Let’s go. Just don’t get in my way, Eric. I take my work and my classes very seriously.”

  “I understand, Sabrina. I’d have you no other way.”

  That stopped her in her tracks.

  “You don’t have me at all, Eric. Don’t forget that,” she said, glaring over her shoulder before walking out the door.

  “For now, gatita, for now,” he said under his breath as he followed close behind.

  Chapter Seven

  The day passed fairly quickly for Sabrina. Her normal routine was only slightly altered by Eric’s presence. He tried to sit unobtrusively in the back of the class as she lectured. Although she appreciated the gesture, she was more than a little aware of his presence. How could she not be? Just the thought of what had happened in the kitchen that morning kept running through her mind.

  At lunchtime Sabrina let Eric know she had made plans to eat with Ruben. He wasn’t happy about it.

  His eyes narrowed with suspicion.

  “Who’s Ruben?”

  “My friend Ruben. You met him a couple of times when we were still together,” she answered vaguely.

  He waited silently for her to continue but she didn’t. He didn’t have a right to know more than that. They were no longer “together” in that sense, so he could just wonder all he wanted.

  His jaw tightened and his eyes became stormy.

  “You shouldn’t be wandering around any more than you have to, Sabrina. Your life is in danger, or did you forget that?”

  She lifted her chin proudly.

  “Of course not. But I refuse to stop living my life because of this. I want to have lunch with a friend. I assume you have to eat too, so why don’t we just all go out together? Then you’ll be there to watch over me, and I can meet with Ruben. Does that work for you?” Sabrina smiled.

  Eric looked like he was about to argue but didn’t. He ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled loudly.

  “Yeah, that works. But let’s keep it short. No extended lunches.”

  “Of course not, I have to be back in time for my next class.”

  Eric groaned inside. Sabrina’s smile had a way of turning him inside out. If she knew the power she had over him with just a tilt of her mouth, he would be in big trouble. He didn’t want her going to lunch with some guy while she was vulnerable like this, but at the same time she was right. He would be there with her. And he would watch over her.

  Whenever and wherever her stalker attacked, he would be ready for him.

  As they walked through campus to the restaurant, Eric thought more about what he had learned that day. He had called Sabrina’s publisher and found out her book was due out in stores the following week. The psycho after her might be aware of that, and if he was, he would most likely make his move then, possibly when she was doing publicity appearances and signings. But since she hadn’t mentioned any scheduled appearances he wasn’t that concerned. He’d deal with that the way he always did, with preparation and caution. He wouldn’t let anything happen to Sabrina.

  He and Sabrina met Ruben at a mom-and-pop pizza place close to campus called Papa’s Pizzeria. It was one of the best pizza joints around. The owners made everything from scratch and you could tell. The fact that the place was little more than a shack didn’t matter to the people lined up to get in. Luckily, they went early enough to beat the rush and got a table right away.

  After seeing Ruben, Eric remembered that they had met before. He had forgotten about her childhood friend. Eric sat with them at the table but didn’t participate much in the conversation. He kept his eyes on his surroundings, watching for any unusual activity.

  Ruben had tried to draw him into the conversation a couple of times, but he just responded in noncommittal grunts or curt nods of his head then went back to surveillance. Sabrina and her friend spoke about everyday things, including gossip from Ruben’s workplace.

  The fact that Ruben was gay didn’t faze Eric. Everybody had a right to be who they were and live the kind of life they chose. As long as they weren’t endangering those around them he had no problem with it. Considering the group he worked with at Sundown Security as well as his own existence, he had no room to criticize or judge someone else for how they lived their life.

  After lunch, Sabrina kissed Ruben on the cheek and told him she’d call him later.

  “You better do that, girlfriend, or you and I will have words,” he warned her with a half-serious frown. “And it was nice to see you again, Eric. Make sure you take good care of Sabrina. She’s counting on you.”

  Eric held out his hand and Ruben and he shook.

  “Don’t worry about that. I plan on keeping her safe, Ruben,” Eric assured him.

  Sabrina and he didn’t talk as they walked back across campus to her office. The day was sunny and bright. He saw all the couples sitting on the grass enjoying the day. The sight of them holding hands and laughing together brought an ache to his chest. Rainbows and summer days. Eric could imagine spending just this type of day with Sabrina. Either picnicking somewhere together, or just taking a long walk together hand in hand.

  Shaking his head, he tried to clear the image from his mind. That would never happen. He wasn’t meant for rainbows and summer days. He was meant for gray winter d
ays and endless killing. That was his duty. That was his life.

  As soon as they got back to Sabrina’s office, she gathered her briefcase and papers together.

  “I need to get to my next lecture. I take it you’ll be attending my classes the remainder of the day?”

  “Yeah, every single one,” Eric said, nodding his head and waiting for an argument.

  Instead she sighed and rolled her eyes.

  “Fine. But please try not to distract me.”

  “You mean you can’t concentrate with me around?” he asked with a teasing grin.

  “Well, I-I, uh, n-no, that’s not what I meant. I, um, oh just forget it. I’m going to class now.”

  And with that, Sabrina stormed out of the room in a huff.

  Eric chuckled softly, following close behind after shutting her office door. He loved it when she got flustered. And he especially liked to see her blush. She was always so put together and with it. He liked to shake her up sometimes. He wished he had been able to do that to her more often while they were a couple.

  He loved seeing the playful, sexy side of her that she didn’t show to many people. He would have enjoyed making love to her, setting free that part of her that he felt was so restrained inside of her. He wished she would have trusted him enough to show him the woman inside. And beyond all that, he wished he had made love to Sabrina at least once, so he could have seen her lose control and go wild in his arms.

  Just the thought of it made him hard. He needed to stop thinking about it, or he’d never get through her remaining lectures. Instead he’d imagine undressing her, kissing her senseless, exploring her body with his hands, mouth and tongue, then bringing her to her peak over and over again.

  Enough! He commanded his body, but it took a while for him to get control of himself. Images of Sabrina played over and over in his mind until he finally managed to push them away.