.

He’d felt the same tug of compassion as a boy as he felt now.

      Well, not the same, exactly. He wasn’t a boy anymore and the pang of sympathy was mixed with something else, something that had to do with how creamy her bare skin looked in the lamplight, especially where the sheet pulled low, exposing the soft curve of her breast just beneath a lacy strapless bra.

      For some odd reason his heart was beating hard again, and this time it had nothing to do with a phone call.

      Ayme looked up and caught the look. She gave him one of her own, but hers was cool and questioning.

      “Where did you say we were going?”

      “I didn’t. Let it be a surprise.”

      She frowned, not sure she liked where this seemed to be headed. “I don’t like surprises.” She bit her lip, then tried another idea. “I could just stay here with Cici until you get back.”

      “I don’t know when I’ll be back. If ever.”

      That startled her. “Oh.”

      “And we don’t know who might be coming for a visit. So you’d better come along with me.”

      “I see.” The seriousness in the tone of his voice finally got through to her. “In that case, can you excuse me for a moment?” she asked, politely but firmly pointing out that she needed to drop the sheet and she darn well wasn’t going to do it until he was out of the room.

      He had the grace to look just a bit sheepish.

      “Of course,” he said as he began to walk out into the living area.

      But then he stopped and looked at her again. What was he thinking? Too much about what she did to his libido and not enough about what she could do to the preservation of his life and limbs.

      “Wait a minute,” he said, turning on his heel and walking back. “Listen Ayme, I’ve got to know, and I’ve got to know right now. Are you wearing a wire or any kind of tracking device?”

      That stunned her. She clutched the sheet against her chest. What was this, spy versus spy? In her groggy state of mind, it seemed very bizarre and she couldn’t make heads nor tails of it.

      “What? What are you talking about?”

      “I’m serious. I’m going to have to check.”

      She backed away, her eyes huge as she realized what he was saying and what it actually meant. She held tightly to her fabric.

      “Oh, no you’re not.”

      “Hold on,” he said gruffly. “I have to do this. I’m sorry. If you’ve got anything on you, we’ve got to get rid of it.”

      She shook her head firmly. “I swear I don’t.”

      “That’s not good enough.” He gestured for her to come closer. “Come here.”

      “No!”

      Her voice was strong but it was determination built on sand. She was struck by his demeanor and her will was beginning to crumble around the edges. He wasn’t a pervert and he wasn’t kidding around. She wasn’t sure how she knew this with such certainty, but she did.

      “You might be bugged and not even know it,” he said earnestly, holding out his hand. “Let me see your mobile.”

      That she could deliver.

      “Be my guest.” She tossed it to him, but pulled the sheet even more tightly around her body and was very sure to stay out of his reach, frowning as fiercely as she could muster.

      He slid open the little compartment, flipped out the battery and checked behind it. Nothing. He put the battery back and switched it off, then tossed it back to her.

      “I’ll have to ask you to leave it turned off,” he told her. “A working mobile is a basic homing device.”

      Funny—and sad, but turning off her cell phone would have seemed like turning off her source of oxygen until very recently. But now it didn’t really faze her. Most of the people she might expect a call from were gone. The people most important to her no longer existed in her life. With a shudder, she pushed that thought away.

      But her mind was finally clearing and she was beginning to realize this whole security exercise was not the normal routine for overnight guests, at least, not in her experience. What the heck was he doing here?

      She set the phone down and glared at him. “Would you like to explain just exactly why it’s suddenly too dangerous here?” she asked crisply. “And why you feel the need to search for bugs and homing devices? Are you expecting some sort of home invasion? Or just being friendly?”

      The corners of his mouth quirked but there was no hint of humor in his blue eyes. “Just being careful,” he said evasively. “Crossing all the t’s, dotting all the i’s. As they say, better safe than sorry.”

      “Hmm,” she said, cocking her head to the side as she gazed at him. “And yet, here I’ve been feeling safe for all these years without ever once submitting to a strip search. Just foolishly naive, I guess.”

      Her tone was mocking and he felt the sting. “Ayme, I don’t like this any more than you do.”

      “Really?” Her tone was getting worse and she knew it, but, darn it all, he deserved it. He took a step forward and she took a corresponding step back, staying just out of reach.

      “Can you tell me what exactly you’re looking for?” she demanded. “Will you know it when you see it?”

      “Yes, I’ll know it when I see it,” he said, nodding. “Now will you just stay put for a minute?”

      “I don’t think so.” She made a sideways move that put even more distance between them.

      “Ayme, be reasonable.”

      “Reasonable!” She laughed out loud. “Reasonable? You call searching me to see if I’m wearing a bug reasonable? I call it unacceptable. And I’m not going to accept it.”

      “You’re going to have to accept it.”

      “Don’t you think any bugs are more likely to be in my clothing or luggage?” she noted quickly.

      He nodded his agreement. She was absolutely right. But there was another element to this situation. Now that he’d alerted her to his intentions, he had to follow through without giving her a chance to go behind his back to get rid of anything she might know about that she had on her. He’d started this train down the track and he had to follow it to the end if this was to be in any way effective.

      “I’m planning to search your things. But first I need to search you.”

      He gave her a stern look as he followed her sideways move.

      “Hold still.”

      Reaching out, she quickly dragged a chair between them and gazed defiantly over it.

      “Why are you doing this, David? Who’s after you? Whom do you suspect?”

      He moved the chair aside and stepped closer.

      “We don’t have time to go into that.”

      “No, wait,” she said, half rolling across the bed and landing on her feet without losing her sheet. Now she’d put the entire bed between them and she was feeling a bit smug about that.

      Not that her success would hold up. She knew that. Still, she hoped it was getting through to him that she was not happy about all this and she was not about to give in.

      “David, tell me what’s changed,” she challenged. “Something must have.” She frowned at him questioningly. “When you first found me here, you were annoyed, sure, but now it’s different. Now you’re on guard in an edgier way.” Her eyes narrowed. “It was that phone call, wasn’t it?”

      He hesitated,