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Was her mother’s killer and the person who attacked her just lying in wait? Looking for a weakness in Jacque’s protection that could be breached? Was that person now someplace nearby, plotting and planning on how to get to her again? And this time with deadly results? It was these kinds of thoughts that kept her afraid.

When they reached the swamp, he walked closely beside her until they reached her shanty. “Why don’t you have a seat?” She gestured toward her sofa. “This will only take me a couple of minutes.”

As he sat on the sofa, she went into her bedroom closet and began to pull out clothing that would be appropriate for work. In another bag, she placed a couple pairs of jeans and some more casual clothes. She always washed her clothes at the laundromat in town, and she assumed Jacque did, too. But he hadn’t mentioned a trip there, so she wanted to have plenty of clean clothes with her. Once she had everything gathered together, she called out to Jacque.

He came into the bedroom.

“I was wondering if you could help me carry some of this,” she asked.

“Of course.” He stepped closer to her, so close that she could feel his warm breath on her face. Their gazes locked, and it was as if time suddenly stood still.

A crazy energy snapped in the air between them, and his eyes glowed with a fiery green light that sent her heartbeat racing. “Kiss me, Jacque.” The words escaped her on a whisper.

His eyes flared, and he pulled her into his arms and took her mouth with his. White-hot fire raced through her veins as the kiss continued. She opened her mouth to him, and their tongues danced together in sweet unison. His lips were demanding and hungry, yet soft and definitely hot.

With a small groan, he dropped his arms and stepped back from her. His eyes still blazed with green flames before he broke eye contact. “That will never happen again,” he said brusquely. “Now, tell me what all I need to carry.”

A few minutes later he walked behind her with her stack of clothes in his arms. She held one of the bags and thought about the kiss they had just shared.

It had been incredibly hot and wonderful. But it had been far too short. She wished it had gone on much longer. It was hard to believe his pronouncement that he would never kiss her again, for she had seen the hunger in his eyes, and she had tasted his sizzling desire.

Despite her pain, what she really would have liked was if the kiss had been followed up by her pulling him to the bed where they would make mad, passionate love. Somehow, she knew that he would be an incredible lover.

She chided herself for these kind of thoughts. She told herself she just needed him for his friendship and protection. What she didn’t understand was why she was so eager for more?

Jacque was pissed at himself and at her. He was angry at himself for losing control and kissing her, and he was angry with her for looking so damn kissable. He just hadn’t been able to stop himself.

He’d known instinctively that her lips would be pillowy soft, yet incredibly hot. Now he knew for sure that was the case.

Kissing her had been intoxicating, but he’d sworn he would never kiss another woman, he’d vowed that he would never desire another woman. All he could do now was admit his mistake and make sure it never happened again.

When they reached his shanty, he followed her into her bedroom, placed the clothes on her bed, then he left. She stayed behind to put everything away.

He walked over to his back door, opened it and stepped out on his porch. He drew in a deep breath, needing to rid the sweet scent of her from his head. He needed to clear his mind from the very hot kiss they had just shared.

After a few minutes, he went into his bedroom and closed the door. He sank down on the edge of his bed, opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out the framed photo that was inside.

As he stared at it, the pain he’d worked so hard to get past rose up and squeezed him tight around his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. He ran a finger over the glass that protected the photo, touching the images of people who were gone forever.

This was the reason he would never invite another woman into his life. This was the very reason he never wanted to kiss Monique again. He didn’t want to care for her other than keeping her safe. He didn’t deserve a woman’s love.

He placed the photo back into the drawer, got up and went into the living room. Monique was still in her bedroom, which gave him some more time to breathe.

Closing his eyes and settling in his chair, he wrapped himself with old memories. He rarely allowed himself to go back in time. It hurt too much when he had to come back to the present.

However, for now he went back to a time when he was the happiest and had felt like he was on top of the world. There had been laughter and so much joy, and then there had been nothing but the aching grief that had consumed him.

Before he could get too swept away in the past, Monique came into the room. She had changed clothes and now wore a pair of jeans and a purple T-shirt advertising her sister’s shop, Mystique’s Magic. She sat down on the sofa and offered him a smile. “Mission accomplished. All my clothes have been put away and all is right with the kingdom.”

He sat up straighter as he suddenly realized something. “I nearly forgot, but tonight is when the men usually come over for their lessons. I need to call George and see if he can let the men know it’s canceled.”

“Why cancel it? I can just stay in my bedroom while they’re here.”

“You wouldn’t mind that?” he asked.

“Definitely not. Jacque, I don’t want you to give up all of your life because of my presence here.”

He stood. “Then I’m going to head in and make us an early dinner. The men usually start arriving at around five.”