.

bodyguard needs his rest. Go to bed. We can worry about this again in the morning.”

      He was ready. The few minutes he’d been talking to Kate, he’d been farther from Shelby than he’d been since he was assigned to protect her. His instincts were to go to her and make sure she was all right. Not that much could happen to her in the relative security of the Winston Estate. Still, he didn’t trust anyone but himself to ensure her safety.

      Kate drifted off toward the kitchen for a cup of tea while Daniel hurried up the curving staircase and along the landing to the door to Shelby’s bedroom. He leaned his ear against the thick wood paneling and heard nothing. He tested the door. It was unlocked, and he debated whether or not to knock or barge in and demand she lock the door. Instead, he opened the door, reached in and twisted the lock, then closed the door again. No use alarming her. She was probably already asleep. Daniel went to his own room to get ready for bed.

      As he closed his door behind him, he heard a noise from Shelby’s room.

      He crossed to the connecting door and listened.

      The noise sounded again…and he could swear he heard Shelby calling his name. He could be mistaken; the sound was so soft he could have imagined it.

      Then the noise sounded again and Shelby’s voice called out, louder this time.

      He tried the door and discovered it was locked and cursed himself for locking the other door before checking to see if Shelby was okay. Pulling his weapon from the holster beneath his jacket, he performed a hard side kick with his heel close to the locking mechanism. The door frame splintered, but the door didn’t give. He kicked again and the door flew open, the frame shattering.

      “Daniel?” Shelby called out from inside the bathroom. “Please tell me that was you,” she said, her voice breaking as if it caught on a sob.

      “It’s me,” he responded, arriving at the door to the bathroom as she opened it and threw herself into his arms. He caught her and held her against his body with his free hand, his gaze panning the room. Nothing moved; the room was empty except for the two of them.

      “What happened?” he asked.

      “I’d just gotten out of the shower when I heard a noise in my room. Then the doorknob twisted. I got to it in time to lock it.” She looked up, her eyes wide, her fingers digging into his shirt. “Please tell me it was you.”

      He shook his head. “Sorry, sweetheart, it wasn’t.”

      Shelby closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his shirt. “I could have been imagining it. With all that’s happened, my mind could be playing tricks on me.”

      He didn’t believe it for a minute. “Had you locked your bedroom door?”

      She nodded. “I’m pretty sure I did.”

      “Wait here.”

      Her fingers tightened on his shirt. “I’d rather not.”

      With her tucked in the curve of his arm, he led her through the connecting doorway to his bedroom door. He gripped her arms and moved her to the side of the door. “Lock this behind me and don’t open it until I tell you to.”

      Opening the door, he pointed his weapon out into the hallway, then poked his head out, glancing in one direction and then the other. The hallway came to a dead end to the left, and the right led toward the staircase. No one stirred; nothing moved.

      Carefully turning the knobs on the other doors in the hallway, he checked inside. Two of the rooms were empty. The room Patrick was to stay in was empty, as well. Daniel hurried down the hallway to the staircase and stared down at the floor below.

      Kate Winston walked toward the stairs, carrying a cup. She glanced up and gasped. “Daniel? Is something wrong? I thought I heard a crashing sound.”

      “I don’t know.”

      “There must be, or you wouldn’t be carrying a gun.” She looked around her and back up to him. “Is Shelby all right?”

      “Yes. If you don’t mind, I’ll do a security check of the house.”

      “Please, by all means.” She waited at the bottom of the stairs as he checked the other rooms on the second floor. When he returned, she met him halfway up the stairs. “Anything I can do?”

      He shook his head. “No. I’ll finish my check. You can go to bed. Your room is clear.”

      “Thank you, Daniel.”

      The sound of a key scraping in the lock on the front door echoed across the foyer, Daniel turned toward the sound.

      The ornate door opened and Patrick O’Hara entered, closing the door quietly behind him. When he turned, he started. “Oh. I’m sorry, did I wake you?” His gaze went to Kate, his look one of longing.

      “No, we were up.” Kate held up her cup, descending the stairs. “Can I interest you in a cup of tea? Daniel was doing a last-minute check of the house.”

      “Shelby?” Patrick asked.

      “In my bedroom for the moment. She’s okay.” Daniel descended to the first floor. “I’ll only be a few minutes.” He left Kate and Patrick in the foyer and checked all the rooms on the main floor, testing the windows and door locks to ensure they were secure. When he passed the kitchen on his way back to the stairs, he saw that Patrick and Kate sat at the bar, talking softly, mugs of steaming tea in front of them.

      Daniel hurried back up the stairs and knocked softly on his bedroom door. “Shelby, it’s me, Daniel.”

      She opened the door.

      He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, then opened his arms.

      Shelby went to him, burying her face against his chest, her body fitting close to his. She wore nothing but a sheer nightgown that barely covered her bottom, and he could see teasing shadows of her breasts beneath the thin fabric.

      Holy hell. If he’d thought he could resist her, he was sorely mistaken. Once he had his arms around her, there was no going back.

      She ran her hands across his chest and around his middle, hugging him closer, her hips pressed against his.

      His groin tightened, blood rushing to his head and lower to his throbbing member. The warmth of her skin beneath the sheer nightgown burned through, igniting flames inside him.

      He lifted a hand to the back of her head, twisting his fingers in her hair, tugging her head back. “I didn’t want this to happen.”

      “So why are you letting it?” She lifted her full, plump lips toward his.

      “I can’t help myself.” He took her mouth, crashing down on her, thrusting through her teeth to caress her tongue with his. She tasted minty and fresh, warm and wet.

      He reached down, cupped her bottom and lifted with one hand, the other still holding his pistol.

      Her legs curled naturally around his waist and her arms went around his neck.

      Her silky panties and his denim pants were all that stood between them.

      Without breaking their kiss, he walked her to the bed and let her slide down his front to her feet.

      Shelby pulled the weapon from his hand. “Can we set this aside?”

      “I don’t know. I think I’m in dangerous territory.”

      “Damn right you are.” She shoved his jacket over his shoulders and he let it drop to the floor. When she reached for the buckles on his shoulder holster, he shoved her hands aside and worked them himself.

      Meanwhile, she unbuttoned his trousers and ran the zipper downward, releasing his member into her palm.

      Daniel jerked the holster off and tossed it onto a nearby chair. Then his hands slipped beneath her nightgown, cupping the full roundness of both breasts—so warm, soft and tipped with