THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

patronize our clinic would breathe a word to a rogue. He will not find us quickly, and when he does, we will be prepared.”
    “ When he does? Not if he does?”
    “As passionate as I am about creating this vaccine, that’s how determined he is to prevent it. He won’t stop until he destroys the research.”
    Ainsley felt a cold frisson of fear skitter along her spine. “And you.”
    “What about me?”
    She shot him a reproving look. “You know what I mean. He can’t rest until he’s eliminated you, too. He knows the research won’t die until you die.”
    “I was rather planning on not letting that happen, but yes, that sums up his intentions quite fairly, I should think.”
    “But all he needs to do is find out where you’re staying, right? He can launch another military-type attack and take the top floor of this high-rise right out. Probably the entire building, if he wanted.” In her mind, she saw a replay of the Twin Towers collapsing.
    “No.” Delano shook his head decisively. “He won’t use the same approach again. Even if he were inclined to, by the time he finds us, he’ll know we’ll have sophisticated anti-aircraft capability in place.”
    “Anti-aircraft capability?”
    Those heavy eyebrows drew together again in a fierce frown. “He won’t catch us napping again.”
    Oh, man, was he for real? Probably. After all, he owned a freaking stealth helicopter. And she hadn’t even known such a thing existed. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “Sitting on an oil well, are we?”
    “An oil well?” His eyebrows drew together.
    “It’s an expression, Del. An idiom. I was alluding to your seemingly bottomless pockets.”
    “Ah.” His frown cleared.
    “So, is there no limit to your resources?”
    His eyes glinted with humor again. “There’s a limit to everything, Ainsley, but I’m happy to say not even I shall live long enough to exhaust my resources.”
    “Shut up!”
    He laughed. “Ah, another idiom. I know that one.”
    “No, I mean shut the hell up ! That’s appalling. You’re saying you have more money than you can spend in a century? Centuries? Omigod, that’s obscene.”
    Again, he laughed. “When one has a surfeit of time and a sufficiently long look at human behavioral trends, you’d be amazed what the markets will yield. Oh, and yes, I am sitting on an oil well. Or twenty.”
    It was her turn to laugh. Dammit, she was supposed to be grilling him, but she couldn’t help herself. “Why does that not surprise me?”
    His smile faded. “Not much throws you off stride, I’ve noticed. You’re very … resilient.”
    She sobered too. “Resilient, yes. Bulletproof, no. I don’t like this, Delano.” She held up a hand when it looked like he might interrupt. “I don’t have nine lives like you appear to have. Maybe I should go back to St. Cloud, look for more conventional work. Or maybe I could pack up my stuff and go west. Pay scale’s much better in Alberta or British Columbia. Or maybe south of the border, although that would take paperwork…
    “That sounds like a very reasonable plan.”
    His easy acquiescence was like a blade, slicing into her with no forewarning. He was going to send her on her way just like that, with no protest?
    “But not quite yet, I’m afraid,” he continued. “There’s still the matter of your possible infection. Beginning a new job for a new employer in a new city is not where you want to start getting all toothy around a bloody trauma case.”
    “Oh, right. That.” She glanced away. “Surely it won’t be much longer.”
    “A few weeks, I should think. If you’re not evidencing antibody activity by then, I think we can declare you unscathed from your adventure.”
    “Unscathed?” She snorted. “My life has been threatened twice, once by bite and once by bomb. I was whisked away in the night and left to deal with the knowledge that my boss is playing for the skins team when I thought he was playing for the shirts, and now—” Her voice broke. Mortified, she turned away.
     
    Damn, damn and damn again. She was going to cry. No, she was already crying. He detected the betraying salt smell of her tears.
    “I’m sorry, I’m suddenly not feeling all that resilient.”
    He suppressed a groan. Every chivalrous instinct he owned urged him to take her in his arms, offer her the physical comfort she so clearly needed. Except there were other instincts to be considered. Like the call of her blood to his, the