Excerpt:

Still shaking his head, he began to prowl up and down the narrow aisle that separated the sofa from its twin on the opposite side. "I don't like it," he said at last. "I don't like the thought of you being alone when someone out there wants to hurt you."

"We don't know someone's out to get me and besides, I can take care of myself." He tossed her a dubious glance. "I've got my gun." She patted her purse.

"Have you ever shot anyone?"

"Well, no--"

"Do you think you shoot well enough to do it?"

"It's been a while since I've practiced," she admitted, "but I'll be careful."

"Careful," he echoed flatly. "Hell of a lot of good that will do if the bastard decides to jump you from behind like he did at Roy's."

She huffed and leaned back in the seat with folded arms. "You're starting to sound like ol' Fletch. I am not some helpless, pitiful female."

"I never said you were!"

"Ha!"

He paused in his pacing for a minute to glare at her, then collapsed onto the other couch, dragging his hands over his face. "Why are you so stubborn?"

"I thought you admired my stubbornness."

"Not if it gets you killed." His voice was muffled behind his hands.

She laughed, then crawled off her seat to kneel between his knees. Resting her hands on his thighs she said, "It'll be all right, Reed. Really."

He peeked at her from between his fingers as she smiled up at him. "Swamp witch," he muttered. "Loving you is going to be the death of me, that's for sure."

She froze. "What did you say?"

He froze too. The moment hung suspended in time; an eternity passing before Reed stirred. "I said, you're going to be the death of me, but I think I have a solution to our current problem."

"What solution?" she murmured. She felt both elated and disappointed and it was a struggle to say anything. He'd said he loved her, but he wouldn't admit it, damn him!

"I'll hire a bodyguard."

She gaped at him. A bodyguard? "Oh, Reed, for the love of--"

He put a finger over her lips. "It's either that, or I turn the plane around. Take it or leave it, cheré."

Justine pushed his hand away. "You call that a choice?"

"No, I call it saving my sanity and protecting your sweet ass at the same time."

He reached down to grab her elbows and ease her into his lap. She didn't resist. The way he looked at her now, with such love and tenderness in his eyes, there was no way she could deny him anything.

Author BIO: Rebecca Vinyard, a former journalism major and e-zine editor, is a member of the Dallas chapter of the Romance Writers of America and the webmaster of Romance Central, http://romance-central.com. She has been published in fiction, series fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Visit her personal site at, http://rebeccavinyard.com.