Seduce and Rescue

But fate was calling her toward a different path now.

She wiped at the tears and searched for Ethan Grady. A paramedic approached him with oxygen and a blanket. He wrapped the blanket around his waist, but waved off the oxygen, then stepped forward when a Las Vegas police officer approached him to take his statement.

Another officer questioned her. Without going into details, she explained that the candle had been accidentally knocked over. Every few minutes she glanced back at Ethan to smile in reassurance. This was meant to be. Somehow, this lonely lieutenant colonel’s fate was entwined with hers for a short while along life’s journey.

Eventually the policemen left, the firemen loaded up their equipment and the truck rolled off. The crowd dispersed, except for Lily’s closest friends.

Though he didn’t have room, Mist offered to take her in. Dear Mist, with his waist-length dreads and multiple piercings, eyed Ethan suspiciously. But when she told him about her reading with Sunny this morning, he seemed to relax. Sam and Simone had just returned from their bikers’ rally in Reno, and Simone was deathly allergic to cat dander. Sunny, in her muumuu and wild silver hair, nodded reassuringly with a wink and a wiggle of her penciled-in eyebrows.

And Lieutenant Colonel Ethan Grady … Lily looked over at him, drinking in the firm line of his jaw, the hard glint in his eyes. Even wearing only underwear and a blanket he was formidable. Could she help him?

She’d been so young when she’d married Theo. Just out of high school. But even then she’d known she had a gift. She could sense things in people—whether they were hurting, and whether she could help heal them. Her talent might be unconventional, but she knew she’d made a difference in many lives. And wasn’t that a person’s ultimate goal in the universe? To help each other?

Now, it was Ethan’s turn. The black fog of sadness surrounding him stirred something deep inside her. Oh, yes. He needed her.

Holding her stare with his own, Ethan straightened, as if preparing for battle, and closed the distance between them. His back must have been throbbing in pain, yet he showed no sign of it as he faced her. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Thank you again for saving Humphrey and Rhett. I was so scared. That was the bravest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

“That’s one way to look at it.” He glanced across the street to the charred remains of her shop. “Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?”

She had the perfect place. If he only knew … “Ethan.” She placed her hand on his arm, gentling him to her touch. “I believe this was a sign.”

His mouth quirked in derision. “A sign that you should find another line of work?”

“No, not exactly. I believe karma brought you into my life for a reason.”

His brows drew together. “Karma?” His tone was intimidating.

“Yes, you see, the universe is telling me I’m meant to help you.”

“Please.” He held up his hands as if to ward her off. “Don’t help me.”

“But you need me. And if I live with you for a short while I can bring your chi back into balance, unblock your—”

“Live with me?” His mouth tightened into a thin line and he stepped back. “Don’t you have family—someone you can call?”

She was shaking her head before he’d even finished his questioning. “My only family is my mom, and she lives in San Diego.”

“What about your friends here?” He gestured to the group surrounding her.

“Simone is allergic, Sunny has less square footage than my place and Mist has a pet clause in his lease.”

Ethan shook his own head. “Look, ma’am. I realize this was partially my fault. Let me put you up in a hotel. Why don’t you take—” Ethan reached for a nonexistent back pocket, then his mouth tightened and his jaw muscle ticked. “My wallet was inside.” He eyed her empty arms. “And your purse, too, I guess.”

“Oh, no. My purse is in my car.”

“You keep your purse in your car?”

“Of course. I only need it when I’m going somewhere.”

He blinked. “Fine. You pay for the hotel and I’ll be glad to reimburse your expenses.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I can’t bring Scarlett and Rhett, and Humphrey and—”

“Right,” he interrupted. “No hotel.” As he looked around at all the animals, a hint of panic settled into his expression.

She grinned, triumphant. Of course the cosmos wouldn’t have taken away everything she owned without a reason. “You see? It’s karma. And you can’t argue with karma.”

“Watch me,” he grunted as he half turned away, looking like a man desperate to escape.

“Ethan,” she said, bringing his attention back to her. She was starting to worry. Would he truly refuse her? She had to convince him. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

He made a noise that sounded like a low feral growl. Then he stared at the ground a moment until finally he let out a resigned breath. “I can’t believe I’m going to do this.” He spun on his heel and headed for a large black SUV parked a block down the street. “You can follow in your car.”

She motioned for her friends to bring the rest of her pets, picked up Bette’s cage and followed.

But the lieutenant colonel stopped short at the door to his SUV. His keys were probably with his wallet in the pocket of his uniform pants, along with whatever else he carried. All of it incinerated now. Of course, the military officer was prepared. He reached under the chassis and pulled out a magnetic spare key box.

Silently directing Mist and Sunny to load her loved ones into her orange 1989 Toyota—affectionately known as The Pumpkin—parked in the alley, Lily rose up on her tiptoes to give Ethan a peck on the cheek. “Thank you.”

He ground his teeth, took Bette’s birdcage from her and placed it in his backseat. “This is just for a couple of days, until we can sort this mess out.”

A couple of days? Oh, she had a feeling this project would take a bit longer than that.

2

LILY OPENED HER EYES slowly and rolled to her back. It wasn’t quite dawn, but enough light filtered through the builder-grade blinds to remind her where she was. Bare beige walls. Plain white ceiling fan. She was in Ethan’s bedroom. Where he’d insisted she sleep last night.

Memories of the fire slammed into her psyche and a pang of grief tightened her throat. Her shop, her home, everything. Gone.

She rolled back over and curled into a ball, acknowledging the ache in her stomach, letting the pain of loss seep into her bones. This was exactly how she’d felt after receiving word that Theo had been killed in Iraq. She’d known before he shipped out that something bad would happen to him. Had tried to warn him. And in the end, she’d given in and married him, hoping that would stop the bad feeling in her gut and let him face war with a positive energy surrounding him. He’d loved her so much, he’d deserved that, at least.

And thinking of positive energy … Acknowledging pain was one thing. Wallowing in self-pity would only produce negative vibes. She sat up, wiped at the tears on her cheeks and looked around the room.

The sleek black, king-size bed was ultracomfortable, but the matching contemporary-style dresser was the only other furniture in the sterile room. The only other thing, period. This room—the entire condo—reflected Ethan’s life. Bland. Empty.

But today she would begin to change all that.

She had to believe that the devastation last night had happened for a reason. Ethan needed her here.

Drawing in a deep, cleansing breath she folded her legs and placed her hands palm up on her knees. As she exhaled she blew out all negative thoughts, closed her eyes and cleared her mind.

Before she could begin meditating Humphrey howled and scratched at the door. Lily opened her eyes to find her black-and-tan basset hound glaring at her expectantly. She sprang off the bed, picked up the cereal bowl that was his makeshift water bowl, and padded into the living area to let him out.

Just off the kitchen was a door that led out to the tiny, fenced-in grassy area. Hardly a yard. But at least there were no stairs for Humphrey to have to limp down, as there were at her place. “Nooo, no mean ol’ stairs for Humphrey,” she sang as the dog waddled outside. She’d take him for a walk this evening.

The kitchen was all black granite and stainless appliances. Functional. Uncluttered. In the stark main room there was more of the same. The dark wood floors were bare. There was a black leather couch—more like a black hole sucking up all the positive energy in the room—a monster-size black television and a silver floor lamp. That was it. No plants, no tables, nothing of color. And no pictures of friends or family, either. It was going to take some shopping to fix the feng shui in Ethan’s condo.

She was tempted to peek in and see if he was still sleeping in the spare room, crammed between a weight machine and a punching bag. The futon couldn’t be very comfortable for someone his size, but he wouldn’t even listen to her protests last night, stubborn man.

What would it take to move him from the futon back to his bed to unblock his sacral chakra?

With a shrug, Lily decided to think about that later. She closed her eyes, pressed her palms together and raised them above her head, and rose up on the balls of her feet: salutation to the sun.

She bent at the waist and flattened her hands on the floor, touching her forehead to her knees. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her breathing. She walked her feet back into the downward facing dog position, stretching out her spine. She held the position a moment, but the T-shirt she’d borrowed last night bunched around her shoulders and fell in her face. Without thinking, she pulled it off and then resumed the pose.

But what if Ethan woke up and came in here? She wasn’t ashamed of her body, but she wasn’t an exhibitionist, either. Well, she’d hear the doorknob turn and could yank the shirt back on before he got down the hall.

With a click the dead bolt turned and the front door whooshed open. “What the—”

Lily looked up just as Ethan slammed the door closed and spun to turn his back to her. She grabbed the shirt as she straightened, and held it in front of her. “Namaste, Ethan.” Her heartbeat raced and her breathing stuttered. She’d always been comfortable with her sexuality, but there was an energy that crackled between her and this remote man. She’d felt it as soon as he’d walked into her shop.

“Would you please put some clothes on?” Ethan growled through his teeth. He was wearing athletic shorts and a T-shirt with a sweat stain clinging to the middle of his back. His black, military short hair was wet also. He’d been running. Before dawn.

Something visceral pumped through her as she breathed in the energy of this large, hard-muscled man. His glutes were taut. His scent was musky. Her body answered the call of man to woman.

“I always practice yoga before work,” she said, sticking her head through the T-shirt and shoving her arms through the sleeves. “But I lost my leotard along with the rest of my clothes.”

He gave a wary glance behind him, then turned to face her.

“Did your friend mean it when he said you wanted to learn?” Lily asked. “During yoga you commune with your body and strengthen your mind. It’s a spiritual quest for unity and illumination.”

“Ma’am?” He raised his left wrist to look at a serviceable watch on a leather band. “I have to be at the base in a half hour.”

“On a Saturday? And please call me Lily.”

He glanced down and gestured loosely at the lower half of her body. “Don’t you at least wear—Never mind.” Taking a step, he almost tripped over Ingrid, who circled his leg, purring and rubbing her head against him. With an expression of annoyance, he gently pushed her away with his running shoe before striding into the kitchen. He reached into the refrigerator for a pitcher of filtered water, poured himself a glass and downed the entire contents in a few gulps.

“My panties are hanging in the bathroom to dry. I washed them out last night.”

Ethan was pouring another glassful of water, but stopped abruptly and closed his gray-green eyes. When he opened them again his gaze held only blank iciness. “I’ll be gone all afternoon. Can you find a store around here to shop for clothes?”

Ethan lived in a fairly upscale neighborhood northwest of Nellis Air Force Base in a newly built, Mediterranean-style condo with an attached garage and—according to the sign at the manager’s office—a pool and spa on the premises. It was a world away from her one-room apartment above the shop on the wrong side of the Strip.

“Oh, yes. I’ll find my way around. What would you like for dinner tonight? Have you ever tried the Raw diet? I have a wonderful recipe for beets. Or I could make—”

“No dinner. I’ll get something on the way home.”

“But I want to thank you for letting me stay here.”

He rounded the kitchen counter and headed down the hall. “No need.”

“But you have to eat. Unless you have plans.” Lily followed him, admiring the flex of his thick quads as he walked. “I didn’t think about that. Maybe you have plans. What about tomorrow?”

With a sigh, he stopped just inside the bathroom, turned and gripped the door handle. “No plans. I usually just pick something up on the way home. And tomorrow I work.” He looked pointedly out into the hallway, then back at her.

“But tomorrow’s Sunday. You work all weekend?”

His jaw muscle ticked as he stared at her. “Sometimes.”

“Oh. Well, maybe Monday.”

His brows lowered and bunched together. “You didn’t call your insurance agent last night. Are you going to speak with them today?”

“Um … about that.”

He took a step toward her and leaned in. “You do have insurance on your place, right?”

Lily breathed in his musky scent and an ache of a different kind spread through her body. “Oh, yes. I do, but …” He should have been intimidating, he was such a big guy, towering over her. A few inches over six feet. A large frame. His jaw was dark with stubble, so utterly masculine.

“But?”

She blinked and tried to remember what they’d been talking about. Oh, yes. Insurance. Oh, Ethan. There’s so much more to life. And I can’t wait to show you. She smiled and waved a hand. “Nothing. I can look it up.” She took a step backward, out into the hallway. “Have a nice shower.”

He studied her with narrowed eyes and then shut the door. A split second later it jerked open and he tossed her thong out.

Through the door she heard the shower door open and the water turn on. She pictured him tugging the T-shirt over his head and stripping out of his shorts, and had to press a hand to her stomach. A strident feline yowl was followed by a low male grunt, and a moment later the door opened just a crack and Rhett was pitched out. The orange tabby landed easily on his feet and stalked away.

Lily chuckled. Poor Ethan.

While he showered, she let Humphrey in, then pulled the towel off Bette’s cage and filled her water dispenser. “Good morning, Bette,” she greeted her cockatoo.

“Life is like a box of chocolates,” the bird squawked.

Lily smiled. “It sure is, sweetie.”

As she went back to the bedroom to look for Scarlett, the bathroom door swung open and Ethan strode out with only a towel wrapped around his waist. It reminded her of last night, except this time he didn’t even have the boxer briefs underneath. His jaw was clean-shaven now and she caught a whiff of some woodsy aftershave.

He stopped short when he saw her, and cleared his throat. “My clothes.” He gestured at the walk-in closet on the opposite wall.

“Of course.” She spied Scarlett with her twitchy nose beside the dresser, scooped her up and headed for the hallway.

Lily cuddled the quivering guinea pig under her chin for a few minutes, then busied herself finding the coffee, filters and mugs, and got a pot going. Within ten minutes Ethan emerged from the bedroom dressed in a sharply pressed uniform complete with an air force tie pin and shiny black shoes.

As he stood before the door adjusting his tie Bette squawked. “Fasten your seat belts.”

He looked over at the bird and scowled. “It talks?”

“She talks. Sometimes. That’s Bette. And she must like you because she doesn’t talk to just anyone. She was telling you to stay safe today.”

Ethan blinked at Lily, his dark look seeming permanent. “I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your menagerie confined to the bedroom at night,” he said, glancing away. “The black cat tried to sleep on me and the rodent scratched around on the floor all night.”

Lily moved into his line of vision. “Scarlett is not a rodent, she’s a guinea pig. And Ingrid likes you, too. That’s a good sign.”

“Just keep the cats away from the leather, and get something to confine the rodent.”

“Don’t you like animals, Ethan?” Lily stroked Ingrid’s soft black fur.

“Not particularly.”

“Well, no wonder your aura is so dark. Do you have anybody you really love?”

He looked blank. “Love?”

“You know.” Lily moved closer, tilting her head back to look up at him. “People you care about. Who care about you? Who would be there no matter what? Who love you, warts and all?”

Still no response.

“You know. Like a mom. A mom loves you no matter what. You love your mom, right?”

In a heartbeat his expression turned icy and he glanced at his watch again. “I have to go. Your clothes are in the dryer. There’s a spare key in the third cabinet on the right. Lock the door when you leave.”

Before she could say anything more, he was out the door.

Lily stared after him, still caressing Ingrid. Wow. He wouldn’t even talk about his mom. This might be her worst case yet.

Before she left, Lily wandered about the condo, getting a feel for what would help Ethan the most. Sad. Lonely. Cold. She shivered and rubbed her arms. It seemed desperate measures might be in order.

PAIN SHOT THROUGH ETHAN’S neck and back every time he moved. It had been a long day. Like the city it was located near, Nellis Air Force Base was never quiet. After briefing his students on their training sortie, he’d taken them out to the test range, flown four runs and then debriefed back at the office.

Now, after hours of sitting hunched over at his desk, filling out reports, he found himself wishing for Lily’s talented fingers to massage away the kink in his neck. He could imagine her standing behind him kneading the tense muscles of his neck and shoulders, murmuring soothing words in her soft, oh so feminine voice.

Naked.

He swallowed as the memory of how she’d looked this morning invaded his mind. Bent over to reveal she shaved … everywhere. Her white breasts tipped with pale pink nipples. And he’d caught a glimpse of a tiny jewel in her belly button… .

Ethan groaned and shifted in his chair. Even the brief glimpse he’d gotten had burned the image in his brain forever.

Then he remembered she was the reason he hurt.

A bruise the size of an ostrich egg had formed between his shoulder blades where the beam had hit, and trying to sleep on that futon had given him a crick in his neck. Thankfully, he would only have to stay there a couple more nights. Maybe she’d already found another place that would allow pets. He would offer to pay her rent for a month or two until she received her check from the insurance company.

He couldn’t have her staying with him indefinitely. But he was honor-bound to help her out, at least temporarily. He had been the cause of her losing not only her living quarters, but her livelihood, as well.

Guilt wrenched him. In twenty years with the air force, during countless tours of combat duty, he’d done his share of blowing up structures. But those missions had had a purpose. Destroy enemy outposts. Secure an area. Ensure safety for the ground troops. But not this.

All because he’d lost control of his reactions.

“There you are.”

Ethan recognized the voice and winced. Captain Mitch McCabe lounged against the door frame, still wearing his flight suit from this morning’s training session.

“Thought the massage was supposed to help with that kind of thing,” McCabe said as he pushed off the jamb and sauntered in.

Ethan realized he was rubbing the back of his neck, and snatched up some papers from his desk. “Need something?”

“Yes, sir.” McCabe saluted. “I need a SIT REP, sir.”

“A situation report?” Ethan couldn’t think of anything new to report. Well, nothing McCabe needed to know about.

“About last night, sir. Since Jackson won the wager, he asked for a … Well, how’d it go, sir?”

McCabe’s barely contained smirk grated on Ethan’s nerves. “It went.” He directed his attention back to the papers and shuffled them around.

But instead of leaving, McCabe planted his scrawny butt on the desk and folded his arms across his chest. “I heard that things—” he cleared his throat “—heated up fast.”

Ethan’s gaze shot up to the captain, and pain pierced his neck again. “Where’d you hear that?”

He shrugged. “Jackson heard about it on his police scanner. What the hell happened in there?”

Ethan bit back a curse. This crazy situation … “That place broke so many fire codes it was only a matter of time. But the lady will be out of my place by Monday.”

“Whoa, you got that delicious strawberry to go home with you? I prefer to stay at a woman’s place myself, but whatever works for you, man.”

Ethan shot up from his chair. “I am not sleeping with that whack job.”

The captain was chuckling and shaking his head before Ethan had even finished his sentence. Too late, he realized McCabe had been baiting him. And it had worked.

Ethan had to take control. Regaining his seat along with his temper, he went back to studying the papers in front of him. “We’re done here, McCabe. Have a nice weekend.”

“You want to shoot some pool tonight? When Jackson’s not on cop patrol he’s all wrapped up in Keno girl. And Hughes has been a pain in the ass ever since she got back from Langley.”

Ethan sometimes stopped by the officers’ club on a Saturday night for a game or two with his buddies. But he probably shouldn’t leave the kooky lady alone in his condo for any longer than necessary. “No. I’m heading home.”

“Hey, it’s cool.” McCabe nodded and winked. “I understand.”

Ethan didn’t take the bait this time. He stared his friend down until the man known at Nellis as “Casanova McCabe” finally saluted and headed down the hall.

After sending an email to his commanding officer that he’d be late Monday morning, Ethan headed for home. He’d stopped by the bank this morning, but he still needed to replace his driver’s license.

Within fifteen minutes he pulled his SUV into the garage. He opened the door to his condo and stared around the room as he slowly stepped inside. A leafy tree as tall as the ceiling sat in a clay pot beside his television. The sofa was covered in bright yellow, orange and green pillows. And a neon pink beanbag chair sat in the center of the room.

What had she done? Irritation burned through his insides like acid. His stomach growled at the aroma of barbecue wafting from the kitchen. He looked to his left to find the culprit of this reverse home invasion.

Lily was pulling something out of the oven, head banging to the beat of a song only she could hear on her iPod earbuds. Her hair was parted on either side of her head and tied with ribbons beneath her ears, and she wore a baggy pink shirt and a pair of plaid men’s shorts that looked as if she’d stolen them off a retiree at a golf course.

She glanced up and saw him, and her eyes widened. “Ethan.” She flashed a dazzling smile. “You’re home.”

Her million-watt grin hit him like blowback from an F-16. Something caught in his throat and he had to clear it. No one called him Ethan. And no one had ever been glad he was home.