Driving Force by Jo Andrews

twiddling his thumbs if there was something that had to be done. Without someone to sit on him, he’d get into trouble in no time, and with both of his brothers gone there was no one to stop him, since he was the boss.
    “Don’t you want me out of your hair?” Ian flung at her. “I’m an inconvenience.”
    “It’s only for a couple of days more.” She shrugged. “No big.”
    He ran a hand over his face, looking almost desperate. “It is for me.”
    “I should feel insulted,” she said lightly. “You keep this up and I will.”
    “You’re cutting your own throat,” he muttered under his breath.
    “Are you still worrying about turning into the leopard? You won’t hurt me.”
    “There’s ways and ways of hurting.” He leaned back on the sofa and groaned. “Most of which I’m going through right now.”
    Which didn’t make any sense at all.
    Nor did the way he suddenly vanished into his room, holing up in there with a couple of fat Tom Clancy novels and hardly ever coming out for the next two days. Doc still had him on liquids, though they were thick soups and eggnogs now. He’d take the mug or bowl from her and shut the door in her face.
    “Once Doc allows real food, I’m outta here,” he growled.
    Sierra was really starting to feel insulted. She scowled at him.
    “You’re acting like I’ve got leprosy or something!” she snapped.
    He gave her a wild-eyed look, then disappeared back into the guest room and slammed the door. She almost kicked it, stopped herself just in time and stomped away.
    She couldn’t understand him. She’d thought they were beginning to become friends. For heaven’s sake, he was the one who had wanted them to be friends. But now he was acting as if he couldn’t stand to be around her. It hurt.
    Coming out of her bedroom the next morning, she saw that his door was open. But he wasn’t in his room when she glanced in. She found him in the kitchen, standing in front of the open fridge and staring wistfully at its contents.
    “What are you doing?” Sierra put her arm out straight between him and the fridge. He moved back automatically and she was able to shut the door. “Doc hasn’t said you can eat solid food yet.”
    “If he doesn’t give the okay today, I’m gonna rip his throat out. I’m starving!”
    “There’s gratitude for you.”
    “I’d be more grateful if I had a full belly.”
    “Go hunt a deer, then,” she mocked. “But I don’t think you’re up for that.”
    His eyes lit. “Oh, I’m up for that.”
    She grabbed him as he turned toward the back door. “Don’t you dare! Not ’til Doc says so!”
    He went rigidly still in her grasp. She hurriedly let him go, flushing.
    “Sorry.”
    “Don’t touch me, Mouse. It’s not safe.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “No, you wouldn’t,” Ian said on a harsh breath.
     
    He could see by the darkening of those wide eyes that he had hurt her feelings. He hadn’t meant to, but when she had put her arms about him like that… God!
    She was just out of the shower and she smelled of soap, shampoo and freshly clean, water-heated Sierra. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, didn’t need any, not with those naturally thick black lashes and softly pink mouth. He had heard her blow-drying her hair and it was falling about her face and shoulders in a rich, heavy, tumbling mass. She would look like that in bed.
    His gut clenched at the thought. His cock stiffened.
     
    Sierra took a hurried step backward, her hands rising involuntarily to thrust her hair back from where it was falling over her face. She must look a mess. Why was he staring at her like that? So fixedly, his pupils dilated so that his irises were only thin rings of blazing green and his eyes were a smoldering blackness of intensity and heat. She was falling into that darkness, drowning in it.
    “Just once,” he muttered suddenly on a harsh rasp of breath.
    Then his arms closed around her. Sierra found herself abruptly locked tight against