“You know he’s got his sights set on you and that he’s determined.” Kam stroked her hair again, then tunneled into the warm silk and curved his hand around her nape. “I told him to leave you alone, but he said he couldn’t because he loved you.”
Closing her eyes, she groaned. “Just as I don’t know him, he doesn’t really know me. If he did, he’d know...” She gave a firm shake of her head. “Never mind.”
What had she been about to say? “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
The sound she made disproved his assertion. “You don’t know me, either, Kam.”
Not as well as he’d like to. “I’m trying.”
“It’s absurd, all of it.”
That he was interested? Maybe a little absurd, given when he’d first met her she’d been aloof. “Have you told Callie any of this?” If Callie knew, Tanner probably knew, which meant Glory wouldn’t need him at all.
“No way.” Giving him the full force of her stare, she added, “Callie just got married. She’s taking a week to celebrate. One lousy week. I’m not about to intrude on that, so promise me right now that you won’t say anything.”
Since he’d rather be the one helping her, he agreed. “No problem.”
His easy agreement threw her, until he added, “So here’s what we need to do.”
Glory drew back. “We?”
Did she have to sound so skeptical? Sure, he’d already ingratiated himself into her life—not in a sick way like Mike the Stalker, but still. He had her best interests at heart, and unlike Mike, he wouldn’t pressure her.
Except he might pressure her a little to accept his help.
If she insisted that he get lost anyway, then he’d talk to Tannerand Callie and let them know what was going on. But he wouldn’t coerce her, and he wouldn’t manipulate her.
That meant he needed to use good old-fashioned persuasion.
Kam couldn’t remember the last time he’d had to deliberately turn on the charm with a woman. Hopefully, he hadn’t lost his edge.
4
Glory was almost relieved when a knock sounded on the door. Not quite, because the play of emotions over Kam’s features had fascinated her. At first, he’d appeared annoyed by her doubt.
Here’s what we need to do.
Other than Callie, no one had ever offered her that kind of backup, as if they would tackle a difficult issue together. Mike most definitely wasn’t his problem. She didn’t even want him to be her problem. Why she’d unloaded on him, she wasn’t sure, except that she was used to sharing everything with Callie, and with her cousin out of the immediate picture, she felt adrift in a big way.
That didn’t mean she should burden Kam, though. Hadn’t he already done enough?
Feigning relief, she stepped away from him and said, “Oh, what do you know? A surprise visitor.”
Kam kept pace with her until she stopped in the livingroom and looked at him over her shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“Going with you to get the door.”
“You’re not dressed.”
“Dressed enough.” He stepped around her. “Besides, it’s probably Ronna and her brother.”
Suffering some bizarre form of possessiveness, she all but jumped in front of Kam, barring him with her open arms. “At least fasten your pants.”
“You’re hissing at me. This ferocious side of you is worth experiencing.”
“Decency isn’t ferocious,” she pointed out, while trying to erase all emotion from her face. Where was her cool detachment when she needed it?
His sexy mouth did that little twitching thing again. “Coming from you, it is.”
