He pushed away a lock of hair from her eyes. “I’m hard inside and out, Gwen. And you’re a princess who deserves a prince.” Not someone like him. Someone who couldn’t sleep at night because his past wouldn’t let him.

She cupped his face in the palm of her hand and her smile dropped. “The princess wants the knight and not the prince. She wants someone who knows what he wants and takes risks to get it.”

“There are no guarantees with me. I’m a risky gamble.”

She kissed him briefly. “I’ve already rolled the dice, Neil. You can’t talk me out of you.”

“Is that what I’m doing?” He knew he was.

She nodded. “Besides, if I wanted guaranteed boredom I would have dated someone in my father’s polo club.”

“Motorcycles versus ponies?”

“You do drive one, right?”

Not in years but he wasn’t about to ruin her fantasy. “At least now I know where you got the leather fetish.”

“Oh, no. That stems from all the adult films I’ve watched.”

“Not a proper princess after all,” he said laughing.

“Certainly not.” Her hand ran down his chest and moved between his legs. “Would you like to see how improper I can be?”

His smile fell and desire shot through him. “Tent. Now.”

She scrambled off his lap and he kicked dirt on their fire before joining her to light hers.

Chapter Twenty-One

Everything moved slowly. Boomer, Robb, and Linden followed Billy through the dark heat. They approached each guard from behind, took them out without a gunfight, and slid their bodies to the ground. Their silent deaths robbed the terrorists of the glory they wanted and for that, Neil was grateful.

Once the guards were eliminated, Neil signaled for Boomer and Robb to move in first, with Linden close behind. Their job was to flush Raven out and give Billy a clear shot.

Somewhere in Neil’s head, he felt the dream take hold. He told himself it was just a dream. A distant memory. But worry crawled up his spine as he tried to change the outcome of what came next.

Boomer and Robb hit the door first, Linden and Billy next. From behind, Mac was sandwiched between Rick and Mickey.

Raven jumped from a chair at the same time a child ran to him. They spoke rapidly to each other in a language Mac didn’t understand.

There was a split-second hesitation and Raven yelled an order to the kid and another child joined the room.

That’s when Mac noticed the bombs. Strapped to the children. And the kids ran toward them.

“Take the shot,” Mac ordered. Raven went down, his eyes in a death stare. Billy, Rick, and Mickey ran past Mac. One of the kids grabbed Boomer. Robb pulled the kid off.

Raven, with his last act in his f**ked-up life, reached for something inside his robes. Mac dived to the ground as both bombs strapped to the children went off.

“Shhh. It’s OK. I’m here.” Gwen’s soothing voice woke him. Her lips sought his with brief kisses. “I’m here.”

Her slender body snuggled around his in the sleeping bag they shared as she coaxed him awake and chased the dream away.

At least the dream spared him the image of her blowing up. Still, he felt physical pain in his chest from the memory of his lost friends.

Gwen kissed him again, tracked her hand down his hip and thigh. “Let me make it better, Neil.” Her fingers wrapped around him.

She already was. The dream faded faster than the night before. As if sensing his needs, Gwen slid a condom over him and rolled on top. She wasn’t looking for foreplay. And if he had to guess, she wasn’t even looking for her own fulfillment. And that tore at his heart. He’d never known anyone like her.

Neil took her hips in both his hands and guided her onto him. Her tight sheath drove away his dream. All that was left was Gwen as her body opened to him. Accepting all that he was.

Their pace was slow. Gwen coaxed him with sultry unladylike moans as her body moved with his. The hours before they slept had been hot and fast passion that left them sated and exhausted. This was steam and smoke with the promise of prolonged pleasure in the end.

Gwen sat up on him, making him find an even deeper place inside her. The night air cooled their bodies, but Gwen didn’t seem to notice. Neil took her br**sts in his hands and pinched her ni**les. “Oh, Neil. Yes.”

He smiled and replaced his fingers with his lips. Gwen moved faster, until she couldn’t sit up any longer.

He took advantage and kissed her, all tongue and heat. His balls drew tight and he thought of ice-cold streams in an effort to hold off for her release. The wait wasn’t long. Her nails clawed into his shoulders and her breath held. Her body shuddered around his and the cold stream shot into hot lava.

He met her moan with his own and floated slowly back to earth.

Michael was on location for the next week, which gave Karen more time alone than she preferred. Tony, Michael’s manager, offered to accompany her to the Tarzana house so she could gather more of her personal belongings and some of the Alliance files.

Tony was a friend as well as a manager to Michael’s career. The Italian man stood at five eight and talked with his hands. En route to the Tarzana home, he talked obsessively about Michael’s latest movie. “You’ve met the leading lady, right?”

“Sandra? Sexy little brunette?”

Tony eyed her. “Not jealous?”

Karen snorted a laugh. “Not in my DNA.”

“You know he’ll be kissing her for the camera.”

“Nothing says intimacy quite like a crew of what, twenty or more spectators?”

Tony laughed, pulled onto her street. “You’re a rare woman, Karen.”

“So Michael keeps telling me.”

It was early, and the street was free of the many cars the neighbors parked in front of their houses.

Still, her nerves were a little jumpy as they pulled into the driveway and pushed out of the car.

The house was quiet as she stepped inside. The alarm buzzed, and she moved to the panel to disengage it. Karen glanced at the camera pointing at the front door and waved. “Hi, Neil…or Dillon…or whoever.”

Tony stepped in behind her. “Who ya talking to?”

She glanced at the ceiling. “The camera.”

It was the first time Tony had been in the house. He turned in a circle, checked out the monitoring equipment outside and inside the front door. “You’re serious about your security.”

“I’m starting to think everyone who lives in this house finds themselves in need of it.”