Page 47 of Lay Down the Law

“She wasn’t in any danger.”

Nick ground his teeth at her denial. “That horse weighs a thousand pounds. He hasn’t been ridden in over three years. Don’t tell me she wasn’t in any danger.”

“Bandito is well trained and even better behaved.” Erin took another step back. “Stephanie wanted to ride, Nick. She begged me to take her riding.”

“So you suggested she hop up on his back and go for a spin? And that’s not irresponsible?”

“It’s compassionate. She loves that horse—”

“She’s a nine-year-old kid with a serious spinal condition. She isn’t qualified to make the decision as to whether or not she can ride a horse. Neither are you.”

“She did great. Nick, she laughed, for God’s sake. She laughed! The instant she got on that horse, she came alive.”

“I’m aware of her wants, McNeal. I don’t need you pointing them out to me.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Nick tried to bank his boiling temper, but she was pushing him too hard. “You don’t know anything about her. You sure as hell don’t know anything about me.”

“Maybe I know more than you think.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I know about the accident, Nick. I know what happened to your wife. I know why. I think that explains a lot about you.”

He paused two feet away from her. If he got any closer, he wasn’t sure what he would do. Kiss her, maybe; he was too angry to be rational. He didn’t have a rational bone in his body when it came to this woman.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with Rita,” he said.

“Maybe this has more to do with her than you realize.”

“This is about you and your recklessness and the havoc that kind of recklessness wreaks on people’s lives. Stephanie and I have been through it once, and I don’t plan to let you or anyone else put us through that same hell again.”

“Life is full of risks,” she said softly. “You can’t stop living because you’re afraid of getting hurt.”

“Don’t get living and living dangerously confused, McNeal. Not everyone has your taste for adrenaline.”

“This isn’t about me. It’s about you and the fact that you’re holding on too tight—”

“This is about you risking my daughter’s safety because you need some kind of personal absolution.”

“Maybe I’m just a convenient scapegoat because you can’t face your own fears.”

Nick’s control snapped with an almost audible click. Anger and fear and another emotion he didn’t want to name burst free, like shrapnel exploding from a bomb. He reached Erin in a single, swift stride. Her eyes widened, but he didn’t stop. Grasping her arms, he moved her backward. “You have a real gift for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.”

She gasped when her back met the wall. “You’re out of control.”

Nick knew he’d lost the battle for emotional distance—if he’d ever had that to begin with when it came to this woman. He’d somehow gotten tangled up with her, physically, emotionally, and the only way he knew how to save himself was to drive her away once and for all.

“Damn right I am,” he said, and lowered his mouth to hers.

* * *

Erin hadn’t expected Nick to kiss her gently. She’d expected urgency and heat and the fire she’d seen in his eyes.

What she got was nothing like what she’d expected.

His kiss spoke of desire. The raw sensuality of it overwhelmed her. He tasted of restraint and frustration harnessed by a tattered veil of discipline that was quickly disintegrating. The combination took her breath away and tested every ounce of control she possessed. A well of unleashed emotions rushed through her like a river bursting its banks. She rode with the current, letting it push her, tumble her, until she barely knew up from down, until she no longer cared.