“No, I just—”

To shut him up, she kissed him. A deep, thorough kiss that, if only he realized it, showed the love she felt for him. It was the first time she’d initiated things, and it made her feel powerful. She’d been wanting that kiss ever since they captured the cat.

Right now, with her heart full and her eyes misty, seemed like as good a time as any. It fed her soul and hopefully would help to ease Jackson’s tension.

He continued to resist her, until she licked over his bottom lip.

On a hungry groan, he dragged her closer and turned her a little so he could take over the kiss. One big hand sank into her hair to hold her head still, and the other went down to her bottom so he could snug her up tight against his body.

He ate at her mouth, consuming her, bruising her lips and raising her temperature…

Until someone tapped on the window.

So fast that Alani didn’t get a chance to protest, he had her in her seat and his gun drawn.

Outside the window, his arms in the air in comical surrender, Chris sneered at him. “If you shoot me, Dare won’t like it.”

Today Chris wore ragged khaki shorts with a faded T-shirt sporting a musical logo that looked as if they’d been worn swimming in the lake. And they probably had.

At six-two, lean and athletic, Chris was gorgeous in his own right. His feet were bare, his black hair disheveled by wind and water, his blue eyes as irreverent as always. Beside him, Dare’s dogs—Sargie and Tai—wagged their tails in excitement over company.

Hand to her heart, Alani groaned, but the sound turned into an embarrassed giggle. Good grief, poor Chris. Not only had he found them making out at the gate, but Jackson still had the gun pointed at him.

Unlike Dare, Chris didn’t cook, and he had no fashion sense beyond comfortably sloppy, but as Dare’s good friend, personal assistant, manager, computer whiz and housekeeper, Chris was used to guns and the edgy defense of Alpha men. In most cases, his sharp wit matched Dare’s overwhelming protectiveness.

When Chris leaned down to see her better, Alani mouthed, “Sorry,” to him and got a wink in return.

Ignoring the gun, he said, “There’s an empty room inside if you two would like to move this little lovefest from the driveway to the house.”

She waited for Jackson to give some retort, but he sat there, chagrined, bemused, comically hostile, as Chris moved away.

“I didn’t even hear the gate open.”

“It’s kept well oiled.” The priceless look that remained on his face had Alani choking back a laugh. “It’s all right, Jackson. I’ll tell Chris it was all my fault.”

“The hell you will.”

The cat came out of the box to stand with his front paws against Jackson’s seat back. His emerald gaze went back and forth between them, and, after one deep gravelly meow, he leaped up and over into Jackson’s lap.

A horn beeped, and Alani turned to see that Dare had pulled in behind them. Trace wouldn’t be far behind.

Still breathing hard, Jackson stowed the gun while giving her a glowering look that promised retribution. As if he handled a longtime favorite pet, he pulled the cat up to his chest and, ignoring Chris, drove through the gate.

The silence lasted for a few seconds more before he said, “I hope you plan to finish what you started.”

“Absolutely.” She could hardly wait. Now that she’d made up her mind on what she wanted, she intended to go after it full force.

“Sex,” he stated. “Without all that mushy bullshit thrown in.”

“Mushy bullshit?”

“Yeah.” He scowled at her. “That nonsense about me being wonderful.”

Their first night together, Jackson had claimed to love her. She knew now that it had likely been the drugs talking, the same drugs that muddled his senses so much he hadn’t thought to use protection. The reality was that she could be pregnant. If that was the case, she wanted Jackson to return her love before she told him.

She wanted Jackson. Now, always. If he didn’t feel the same, then pregnancy wouldn’t change that. But he was honorable enough that he’d probably want to marry her.

She didn’t want him trapped. She wanted him willing.

She wanted to hear him make another declaration of love but this time, without the influence of drugs.

Careful not to block the entrance Dare would use, he parked outside the garage. She knew he’d been stewing, waiting for her to argue with him, but she had no intention of doing so.

“It’ll have to be a quickie.”

“Okay.” Alani smiled toward him.

He scowled some more. “Not that I don’t want to make it last, but I’ll be heading back out soon as possible.”

He’d be leaving—but she wouldn’t? “Heading back out where?”

“When I return,” he told her, “I promise to be more thorough.” He left the car without answering her question.

Not giving him a chance to open her door, Alani hurried to follow him. She wanted Jackson to know that she understood the work he did and was strong enough to deal with it.

She wouldn’t get in his way, but she would share it with him.

If he didn’t accept that, they couldn’t share a future together. What he did was too much a part of him for him to cut her out of it.

“You’re going after Arizona, aren’t you?”

He gave one abrupt nod while petting the cat on his way through the garage. “Too much has happened, and now she’s not answering the phone. I have to know that she’s okay.”