Her Enemy Protector by Cindy Dees Page B

in delight as he swayed back and forth. She might die right here, on the spot, from wanting this man so bad she could hardly stand it. She still tasted their kiss in her mouth and savored the spicy, clean flavor of him. It made a girl want more of him. Much, much more.
    For all of her wild ways, she really had very little experience at seducing men. They had always come on to her, the rich, spoiled brat they were sure would spread her legs for the right man with the cash or the cool to earn the privilege. God, she was jaded. How had she gotten that way at twenty-four? She felt a hundred years old.
    For a change, she went with her instincts and went on the offensive with Joe. She wanted more of what they’d just done. A lot more. She ran her fingers up the back of his powerful neck into his silky hair and undulated her body against his.
    Her feminine intuition was right on target. Joe half growled, half laughed and pulled her even closer. He maneuvered her into the thick of the crowd of dancers, out of sight of her bodyguards. His mouth descended, capturing hers again. He kissed her with his entire body this time, surrounding her in his strength and grace as they danced, locked together in a sizzling embrace.
    She was so dizzy she could hardly stand by the time the song ended. Another tune cranked up and the people around them gyrated as Joe tore his mouth away from hers and stared down at her. He looked as thunderstruck as she felt.
    In the din, she barely heard him say, “We definitely have to get married right now.”
    He sounded like he was talking about a whole lot more than their plan to escape her father. Her heart stuttered in shock. Was he really as attracted to her as she was to him? The thought sent her head reeling even worse than it already was.
    “C’mon,” Joe shouted over the music.
    She followed along as he tugged her hand. He led her quickly off the dance floor and toward the back exit of the club.
    They cleared the dance floor and the direct blast of the speakers. “What are you doing?” she asked him.
    “Getting out of here,” he replied as he hustled her toward the door.
    “But Neddie…”
    “Is still wading across the dance floor with Freddie. C’mon, hurry!” he urged her.
    “But the others… They’re in the limo….”
    “Exactly. They’re still in the limo. Out front.”
    “How do you know that?” she demanded. “They could be in the alley out back right now.”
    “Only one way to find out. C’mon!”
    The wildness he’d set loose in her still prowled in her veins, hungry. Insistent. She wanted this man. No matter what the cost. No matter what the consequences.
    This was really dumb. Dangerous at best, suicidal at worst. But damned if she hadn’t let him lead her off the dance floor quickly, and was making haste beside him for the exit.
    They burst out into the muggy warmth of the night. The sultry air stoked the lust zinging across her skin.
    “This way,” he murmured.
    She broke into a run beside him as he raced toward a side street. They ducked around the corner, out of sight of the club. She didn’t have any illusions about being safe, though. Freddie and Neddie were bulldogs who’d never let go of their bone.
    But when Joe yanked open the door of a dark Cadillac with tinted windows parked at the curb and urged her inside, that did surprise her. The vehicle’s driver pulled away quickly. She looked out the tinted glass of the back window in time to see Freddie careen into sight, huffing. But then their car turned a corner and her bodyguard disappeared from view.
    She turned around to face front. Joe lounged casually beside her. He lifted an armrest and pulled a soft drink out of a concealed mini-cooler. “Thirsty?” he asked.
    Joe had this escape planned before he came inside the club! Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had this car waiting for them. She ignored the soda, outraged. “You knew all along you were going to pull me out of there tonight, didn’t you?”
    He