All Worked Up: Pleasure Inn, Book 2 by Cathryn Fox Page B

it’s probably Ginger herself sending those letters.”
    A heavy sigh and then, “I miss you, kiddo.”
    “I miss you too, Dad. Right now I’m swamped with a project but I promise to come see you soon.”
    “Maybe that’s not such a good idea. Not until the police find out who’s been sending the letters.”
    “You don’t want me to visit?” she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
    “You know I do, but—”
    She let him off the hook and gave a breezy laugh. “It’s okay, Dad. I’ll be in New York later this fall for the state marathon and we’ll get together then.” With that they said their goodbyes. Candace slipped her phone back into her pocket and pulled out her iPod.
    When she lifted her chin to look at the house, to take one more longing gaze at the stripper before her run, she noticed he was gone. She darted a glance around, but he’d disappeared without a trace. How very stealthy of him. Oh well. Maybe it was for the best. The less temptation the better.
    Fully aware of the heat rising inside her lascivious body, Candace tightened her laces before climbing to her feet. She strapped her iPod to her arm and adjusted the buds in her ears before taking off for the running park circling Blueberry Lake—named after its super clean, crystal blue water. As she approached the water, she watched the waves lap gently against the embankment, undulating, rippling and reminding her of two salacious bodies coming together, over and over.
    Dear God, her sex-deprived body was definitely showing signs of stress. Sure she had a good imagination, but conjuring up images of naked bodies in motion simply from watching the swell was over the top. Perhaps a trip to Toys4Gals for a few extra accessories was in order. Her thoughts raced back to Mr. Shirtless, and she suspected the only way to tamp down the flames inside her was by taking a dip in the water, now likely frigid from the cool autumn nights.
     
    Marc Collins didn’t like the way she was watching him. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He liked it. A little too much. And therein lay the problem. Jason Krane had hired him to watch over his daughter, not for his daughter to watch over him—with interest in her eyes.
    Sure he needed to get close to her, but there was a fine line between close, and up close and personal, and he knew better than to cross it.
    But did she have to be so damn sexy?
    With her tight athletic body, curvy in all the right places, long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and gorgeous green eyes, she made it hard to remember that he was here on an assignment. And that assignment meant staying alert and aware until investigators found whoever was sending Krane those threatening letters. The last thing he wanted to do was get mixed up with his boss’s daughter. No, Krane deserved better from him. After all, Marc owed his career to Krane, having gone from set designer to security specialist after halting a crazed stalker on the movie set. Krane, grateful for Marc’s quick thinking and bravery, had taken Marc under his wing, had him trained as a security specialist and hired him as one of his own personal bodyguards. He certainly didn’t want to betray his boss or jeopardize his position.
    When Candace plunked herself down on the grass and answered her phone, Marc left his post and decided a short run was in order, to clear his head—both of them. Right now Candace was safe and sound, surrounded by her coworkers and friends, and he desperately needed a moment of reprieve from those flirtatious eyes of hers.
    The soles of his running shoes tapped a steady beat on the path and helped drone out his thoughts of Candace. As a security specialist, keeping fit, alert and healthy was a necessary part of the job, necessary to keep both him and his clients alive.
    Perspiration broke out on his skin as he ran long and hard, exhausting his muscles and focusing his thoughts. He turned his attention from Candace to Pamina, the willowy woman who’d hired