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Zach’s mouth twitched.
“Well, it’s just not happening. He’s made me too angry. Instead of running scared, I’ve decided to notch things up a bit. Turn up the heat.”
He watched her over the rim of his glass.
“I’m going to go to the press and I’ll start with the newspapers.”
“Fine.” His eyes crinkled at the corners.
“Don’t you care?”
“What? About the bad press? Hell, no. What I care about is that you don’t get hurt.” His gaze drilled into hers and she had to look away. “Call a damned press conference for all I care, but watch your back. Better yet, have someone watch it for you.” He took a long pull on his beer and his eyes narrowed on her in a way that made her stupid heart skip a beat. “You know what you need?”
She nearly groaned. “No, but I have the feeling you’re going to tell me.”
“A bodyguard.”
“What? You’re joking, right?”
“Not a bit.”
He was suddenly so serious, she nearly laughed. “Give me a break. I can take care of myself. Remember, I grew up on a ranch in Montana and—”
“And you’re getting threatening letters.”
“From a coward.”
“Who plays with dead animals. Wake up, Adria. This is serious.”
She felt a chill as cold as midnight pass over her skin and swallowed hard. “So…Danvers…Are you suggesting that you become my bodyguard? Are you applying for the job?”
He didn’t reply but gazed straight back at her with such an intensity she felt as if her diaphragm had slammed up against her lungs. Breathing was suddenly all but impossible.
“Don’t you think it would be stupid of me, I mean really stupid, to have someone named Danvers protecting me?”
“You can’t fight the world alone.”
“Not the world, Zach. Just the Danvers family.”
“They’re powerful.”
“You mean you’re powerful, don’t you? You’re part of the family whether you like it or not.”
He hunched over his beer. “For the record, I don’t like it.”
“But you’re tied to them, aren’t you?” she said. “Because of Daddy’s money.”
His arm shot across the table and he clamped his work-roughened fingers over her wrist. His words came out in a low, menacing growl. “Listen to me, lady. I’m trying to do you a favor here and all you’re doing by fighting me is pissing in the wind.”
“I don’t want any favors.” She inched her chin up but she couldn’t ignore the five warm impressions where his fingertips pressed against the sensitive skin of her inner wrist. Her throat seemed as dry as smoke and his gaze lowered, resting for what seemed an endless second on the pulse throbbing above her collarbone.
“I’m trying to help you. After the threats you’ve been getting I’d think you’d take a hand when it’s offered.”
She wanted to believe him, but she knew that he was probably lying, that he’d been sent on a mission to render her harmless. He’d come from the family—whether he admitted it or not—and that thought, of the Danvers kin deciding how to manipulate her, caused her temper to ignite. For as long as she could remember, someone was trying to dictate to her, bend her will, and this time, by God, she wasn’t giving in an inch. Gritting her teeth, she yanked back her arm and scrambled to her feet. “Back off, Danvers. I know I’m on my own here, so you don’t need to be playing the part of the hero.”
“Is that what I’m doing?”
“You tell me.”
