THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

brush the hairs away from her cheek. “Talk to me, Angel.”
    The softer he spoke the more he hypnotized her, but she didn’t want to talk. Clouds diffused the late afternoon sun sweeping her along in the moment.
    His aftershave teased her senses, blended with the salt air to draw her towards him. She wanted to erase the stern line of his wonderful mouth.
    Angel raised her hand then lost the nerve to touch his lips.
    He caught her hand, wrapping it in his long fingers. “You said I couldn’t help. What can someone else do that I can’t?” 
    His deep voice kept reeling her in closer and closer.
    “Nothing,” she whispered, not thinking about her answer beyond mumbling a response born of fatigue. If she curled up in the safety of his arms, would she finally sleep through the night? She couldn’t think clearly. His large, warm hands had moved to her arms where he stroked slowly up and down, waking up her skin.
    One kiss. She’d never wanted to kiss a man more than right now.
    He leaned forward a tiny bit, their faces only a whisper apart. She softened her lips, anticipating.
    “The truth, Angel, just tell me the truth so I can help you. Why are you avoiding the law?”
    That broke the spell.
    She flinched and backed away, cursing herself for letting her guard down when she should be vigilant. He still thought she’d committed a crime and had tried to seduce her into saying something she shouldn’t. She managed to keep her temper in check. Only it wasn’t just temper this time. It hurt.
    So much for trusting men.
    He asked, “What’s wrong?” 
    Did he really expect her to believe he hadn’t been trying to pull something? “Nothing.”
    “ Nothing is female talk for something. I don’t understand what I did wrong.”
    He was kidding, right? “Other than making me feel like a fool?”
    “How’d I do that?”  His surprise was too sincere to be faked.
    Now she’d talked herself into a corner. “Never mind.”
    He lifted his hands. “Never mind is like nothing. Loaded with hidden meaning. Why’re you angry?”
    She’d wanted someone to ask her that for years so she could rant about all the injustices she’d suffered in silence. Maybe it was time to speak her mind. “You were trying to trick me.”
    “How?”
    “By acting like you wanted to kiss me when that wasn’t what you wanted at all.”
    “Like hell. I do want to kiss you.”
    She’d have enjoyed a moment of thrill over that admission if he hadn’t shouted it. “Really? Does the idea of kissing a woman always make you this angry?”
    “No, just you.” 
    She couldn’t think what to say to that. Well, the hell with him. She would not let him see how that had stuck a splinter in her heart. “Glad we got that straight.”
    He lifted his fist and thunked his head. “That didn’t come out right.”
    Taking a breath, she composed herself to answer calmly. “I think it was perfectly clear.” Before he could say another word, she changed the subject. “I hope a shower comes with my room-and-board deal, because I’d love one right now.”
    A muscle in his cheek jumped. He didn’t make a sound. To his credit, he wasn’t shouting at her.
    Not that he intimidated her. Far from it.
    She hadn’t realized until meeting Zane just how much she liked large men. Or maybe she just liked this one.
    When he finally spoke, it came out with resignation and acceptance. “You still have the yellow shorts and T-shirt?”
    “Yes, but I need to wash them.” 
    “Tell you what. Give me those, then take off what you have on and drop your clothes outside of the bathroom over there.”  He pointed down the hall before continuing. “Take your time. Soak in the Jacuzzi if you want while I toss everything in the washer. There’s a dispenser with soap and shampoo. Linens are in the tall cabinet. The bottom drawer of the middle cabinet has new toothbrushes, disposable things and female stuff you’re welcome to use.” 
    Oh? She made a sound of surprise before she caught herself. Celibate, my ass . His sister clearly wasn’t up on just how much female traffic ran through this apartment.
    “Don’t give me that look, Angel.”
    “What look?”  She could do innocent.
    “Like I’m a man ho. My sister hates to be alone and, as you witnessed, she shows up whenever. She put that drawer together for when she spends the night here. There’s a hairdryer and whatever in there, too.”
    She experienced a moment of relief for no reason, at least none