She Who Dares, Wins. Candace Havens

lay beside her sideways, their legs hanging off the edge. Normally Katie would have felt the need to cover herself, but the way he looked at her as if she were a big piece of chocolate he couldn’t wait to devour made her comfortable in her own skin.

      He put his arm behind her and pulled her closer to him. “Trust me when I tell you we were on that ride together.”

      She snuggled into him, but couldn’t stifle a yawn.

      “You’re tired.” He turned so he could see her face.

      “Nah, that was a sign of contentment, nothing more.”

      “Hmm.” He pulled away. “I think maybe we should get you ready for bed.”

      She sighed. “We are in bed.”

      He chuckled at that.

      “True,” he said as he sat up, and then he reached down and slid her boots off.

      Another yawn escaped. Damn. She didn’t want to fall asleep.

      Mac picked her up with one arm so she was nestled against him. Using his other arm he pulled the covers back. “Let’s at least get you warm.”

      Carefully he put her back down and moved her legs under the covers, intimate and sweet at the same time.

      Something clicked for Katie. “Oh, wow. I’m probably keeping you from one of those quick exits guys like to make. Sorry, I don’t do this—uh, well, I’ve never slept with a guy I don’t really know.” She grinned. Katie wondered why she couldn’t shut up. Normally she wasn’t the talkative type, but her nerves had returned.

      Mac touched her cheek. “No, I can promise you I don’t want to go right now.” He held her tighter and nuzzled his nose at her neck.

      Katie sighed with contentment. Mac spoke the truth for now. She was good at reading people. Maybe he wouldn’t leave right away, but he would eventually. The idea made her a little sad.

      “I have to say I’m kind of glad the professor wasn’t there tonight.”

      A weird look passed over his face. “What do you mean?”

      “I wouldn’t have met you, and we’d have missed this crazy-good night together. Thank you.”

      He leaned down and kissed her. “It was definitely crazy good.”

      She yawned again. “I’m about to fall asleep.” Her eyes were so heavy she could barely keep them open. “Damn you for being so good with the sex. You wore me out.”

      This time he laughed out loud. He sat next to her, brushing the hair away from her face. “You have to take some of that blame, you know. You’re pretty damn good with the sex, too.”

      Katie smiled with satisfaction. No one had ever said she was good in bed. Not that she’d had many lovers.

      “I like you,” she said.

      He kissed her again tenderly. “I like you, too.”

      YOU’RE AN ASS. Mac couldn’t believe he’d failed to tell Katie the truth before she fell asleep. He’d made mad, passionate love with her, and then he’d lied to her.

      Not so much a lie as an omission. He had a feeling she wouldn’t see it that way. What he’d done was wrong, and he knew it. The opportunity to tell her had come about more than once during their evening together, but their evening had been so perfect, he didn’t want it to end. This had been one of the best nights of his life, and not just the sex. Though that had been incredible. He’d enjoyed their chat during dinner. She was honest and forthright, and he was absolutely charmed by her.

      Sitting there for a moment on her bed, he watched her sleep. She was nothing short of gorgeous. From her head down to those purple-painted toenails he’d seen when he slipped her boots and socks off her feet.

      Those boots. He took a deep breath. Katie’s lithe body, naked with only those boots, was a memory burned into his brain for a lifetime.

      That’s good, since she’s probably never going to speak to you again when she finds out the truth.

      He’d figure something out. He had to, because after finding the woman of his dreams, he wasn’t about to let her go. Katie was everything he hadn’t known he wanted, and she was perfect. A combination of strength, femininity and sensuality, which stirred his baser instincts in a way no other woman had.

      I need a strategy—a plan to keep Katie McClure in my life.

      At least until he could see where this thing between them was going. She thought it a one-night stand, but he’d heard the disappointment in her voice. She still wanted him, and that was something perhaps he could use to his advantage.

      His lab. He needed those familiar white and gray walls in order to think.

      Macon left the Dorchester determined to find a way to make Katie forgive him.

      3

      FOR SOMEONE WHO THRIVED on punctuality, Katie had made a mess of her appointments the past twenty-four hours. After waking up at five in the morning, naked in her bed, it had taken her a few minutes to discern where she was. Mortified, she realized she’d fallen asleep while Mac was still there. By the time she’d opened her eyes he was long gone.

      At first she was disappointed he hadn’t left a note, but she quickly admonished herself. It was about the moment and having some fun—hadn’t her friend Mar told her to do exactly that? Once this case was over, she’d been ordered to take some time off and relax. It had been years since Katie had had a vacation—she wasn’t sure she remembered how.

      In fact, she might stay at the Dorchester and enjoy the amenities. The two-bedroom suite Mar had insisted Katie stay in was bigger than her entire apartment in Texas, and it was the most luxurious place she’d ever slept in. There were two bedrooms in case she had to move the professor to a safer location. The bathtub alone was as big as a boat, and in the daylight she’d explored the cavernous suite to discover everything from state-of-the art electronics to a showerhead with so many different spouts it felt as if she was getting a massage.

      She’d called the university at eight to set an appointment with the dean and the professor. The dean’s assistant told her he wasn’t in, but she did set a meeting with the professor. The appointment was for nine, and Katie was stuck in traffic that was worse than midtown Manhattan during rush hour.

      Great. She couldn’t call the school from the car because in her foggy state earlier in the morning, she’d accidentally plugged her phone and computer into the socket before she realized she’d used the wrong adapter. A zip and a pop later, both were fried.

      Katie had congratulated herself for not tossing both of the electronics out the French doors of her suite. Using the hotel phone she’d called Mar and told her what had happened. Her friend had laughed.

      “Even if you use the right adapter, half the time it’ll fry your electronics. I should have warned you,” Mar apologized.

      “It’s not your fault. I picked the package of adapters up at the airport, but I must have read the instructions wrong.”

      “No worries, Katie. We’ll have new, fully loaded electronics to you by tomorrow.”

      Mar didn’t know Katie’s entire life was on her phone and computer. She felt naked without them. The upside was her busy family couldn’t contact her. She’d find a way to phone or email her mom later and let her know she was safe. Otherwise, that would be all she heard for the next two months. No less than ten voice mails a day about what an ungrateful daughter she was.

      Katie chuckled. More than once Mar had told her to appreciate how lucky she was to have a family who cared so much.

      The McClures cared too much, as far as Katie was concerned.

      While she waited in the cab she ran over the mental notes she’d made the day before. The professor’s research had something