Ghostwalker 06 - Predatory Game

it?”
    “Go,” he ordered.
    She walked across the hardwood floor to the bottom of the stairs and paused to look back at him. In the dim light he could see her perfect profile, breasts thrusting invitingly against the thin material of her pale blouse. His body tightened even more, hardened into a painful, familiar ache that wasn’t going to go away anytime soon. Jess cursed beneath his breath, knowing he would spend another endless night, like so many others, craving the feel of her soft skin and haunting blue eyes. He’d never had a reaction to a woman the way he did to Saber. He couldn’t keep her out of his mind, and if she was anywhere near, his body hit overdrive in seconds.
    Hell, she didn’t even have to be near to him. The sound of her voice over the radio, her scent lingering in the air, her laughter, and God help him, just the thought of her turned his body into one painful ache.
    “Thanks, Jesse, I knew you wouldn’t let me down. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
    He watched her walk up the stairs, thinking about her words. It was the second time she had made that statement to him tonight. And there had been a new note in her voice. Wondering? Was she finally noticing he was more than a man in a wheelchair? That wasn’t fair; half the time she didn’t seem to notice the wheelchair, but she didn’t seem to notice the man either.
    He ached for her, fantasized about her, dreamed about her. Sooner or later he was going to have to claim her. Ten months was long enough to know she was wrapped inextricably around his heart. He Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    might be in a wheelchair, his legs useless below the knees, but everything above was in top working order, demanding satisfaction, demanding Saber Wynter.
    He sighed aloud. She had no idea she had knocked at the devil’s door and he’d invited her in. He had no intention of giving her up.

    Saber turned on every lamp on her way through her sitting room to her bedroom. She stood at the window, staring up at the stars. What was happening to her? Jess had taken her in—against his better judgment, she was certain. They had become best friends almost immediately. They liked the same movies, the same music, they talked for hours about everything, anything. She laughed with Jess. She could be the real Saber Winter with Jess. Outrageous, sad, happy, it never seemed to matter to him what she said or did—he simply accepted her.
    Lately she had been so restless, lying in bed thinking of him, of his smile, the sound of his laughter, the width of his shoulders. He was a handsome, athletic man, wheelchair or not. And living in such close proximity to him often made her forget the wheelchair completely. He was totally self-sufficient, cooking for himself, dressing himself, driving himself all over town. He bowled, played Ping-Pong, and every day without fail, he lifted weights and went swimming. She had seen his body. It was that of a top athlete. His arm muscles were so developed he could barely touch his fingertips to his shoulders; his biceps kept bumping. Jess had told her the nerves below his knees had been damaged severely, and were irreparable.
    He disappeared for hours into his office, the one room she never went into, and he kept it locked up tight. She’d caught glimpses of high-end computer equipment, and she knew he liked gadgets, that he had been in the Navy—a SEAL team—and still received countless calls from his friends, but he kept that part of his life away from her and it was just as well.
    Did he think of women? They certainly thought of him. She had seen dozens of women flirting with him.
    And why not? Good looking, wealthy, talented, the sweetest man in Wyoming, Jess was a great catch for anyone. He owned the local radio station where she worked, and he did other things as well, things he wasn’t so forthcoming about, but it mattered little to her. She just wanted to be close to him.
    Her fist closed over her lacy curtain, bunching material in her fist. Why was she thinking these stupid thoughts about a man she could never have? She didn’t deserve to be with a man like Jess Calhoun. He never complained, never talked down to her. He was arrogant, used to being obeyed, no question about it, but he always made her feel special. He was exceptional, extraordinary, and she was…she was going to have to leave soon.
    Idly, she let her gaze stray to the road. For a moment her