Lover Beware

nape of her neck, and dragged her to him. His mouth fastened on hers hungrily. Sarah melted into him. Merged. Became liquid fire. Went up in flames. Her arms crept around his neck. The cane dropped on the floor and they were devouring each other. The world fell away until there was only Damon and Sarah and raging need.
    “Sarah!” The name shimmered in the air, breaking them apart so that they just stood, clinging, staring into each other’s eyes, drowning. Shocked.
    Sarah blinked, trying to focus, then looked around and blushed when she saw Jonas Harrington gaping. “Close your mouth, Jonas,” she commanded, her tone daring him to make a comment. She’d known Jonas all of her life. Of course he couldn’t pass up the opportunity. She waited, cringing.
    “Holy smoke.” Jonas held out his hand to Damon. “You’re a god. Kissing a Drake woman is dangerous, kind of like taking a chance on kissing a viper. You just dove right in and went for it.” He pumped Damon’s hand with great enthusiasm.
    “Ha ha.” Sarah glared at the sheriff. “Don’t you start, and don’t you spread any rumors either, Jonas. I’m already annoyed with you for giving Hannah a ticket.”
    The smile faded from the sheriff’s face. “I don’t think because a woman is drop-dead gorgeous she should be treated any differently. She has everything too easy, Sarah. You all treat her like a little baby doll.”
    “You don’t know Hannah at all, Jonas, and you don’t deserve to know her. She wouldn’t expect you to let her slide because of her looks, you idiot.” Sarah threw her hands into the air. “Forget it, I’m finished trying to explain anything to you. If you don’t understand friendship by now you never will. Let’s get on with this. Damon and I have a busy schedule today.” She gestured toward a chair.
    Harrington was looking toward the stairs.
    “Sit!” Sarah demanded. “This is business. Murder. Right up your alley, Jonas.”

Chapter 6
    JONAS HARRINGTON LISTENED calmly while Sarah told him the events that had taken place the night before. His dark features hardened perceptibly while she talked. He flicked a smoldering glare toward Kate and Abbey. “Why wasn’t I called last night? I might have been able to do something last night. Damn it, Sarah, where’s your head? You could have been killed!”
    “Well, I wasn’t. I saved the rifle for you, hoping you might get prints off of it, but I doubt it.” Sarah smiled at him.
    Jonas shook his head. “Don’t do that; you’ve been giving me that same smile since kindergarten and it always gets you out of trouble.” He gestured toward her face. “Take a long look at her, Damon, because that’s going to be her answer every time she does something you don’t like.” He leaned forward in his chair, his eyes slashing at her. “What about your sisters? Did it even occur to you that you might bring these people down on your own house?”
    Furious, he rose, a big man, moving like a jungle cat, pacing restlessly through the long living room. “These men are professionals. You both know that. Whatever you did to bring this on…”
    “He worked in a high-security job, Jonas, nothing illegal. It isn’t drug related so get that right out of your head.”
    Damon leaned back in his chair, torn between worry that he’d placed the Drake family in danger and feeling pleased that Sarah had turned protective. She immediately had become a fierce tigress ready to spring if the sheriff continued to cast aspersions on his character.
    “I want to know what we’re up against. And don’t start throwing words around like security clearance to me. If we have a couple of men willing to break into a house with a high-powered rifle—”
    “They had a tranq dart in it,” Sarah interrupted hastily.
    “I was kidnapped, along with my assistant, nearly a year ago. My assistant was killed and I barely escaped with my life.” As Damon spoke, a dark shadow fell across the room. Outside, the ocean waves thundered and sprayed into the air. “They wanted information that could have affected the security of our nation and I refused to give it to them.” Damon passed a hand over his face as if wiping away a nightmare. “I know that sounds melodramatic, but…” He slowly unbuttoned his shirt to expose his chest and the whorls and scars left behind. “I want you to know what these people are like.”
    The shadow lengthened and grew along the wall behind Damon. The shadow began to take