Her Enemy Protector by Cindy Dees

in this house is dangerous,” she retorted.
    He’d love to reassure her, to tell her to be patient and he’d have her out of here as soon as possible. But he dared not. There was no guarantee that a microphone couldn’t pick up what they were saying. He settled for mumbling, “Hang in there. He’ll come around.”
    Joe did give in to the temptation to loop his arm around her waist, though. Gently, he drew her slender frame close. She was shivering.
    “Cold?” he murmured.
    She made a noncommittal noise.
    “Let’s go inside and get some rest. It has been a big day.”
    Her mouth twitched. “Indeed. My wedding day.”
    “ Our wedding day,” he corrected.
    Her gaze lifted in surprise to meet his.
    “You’re not alone anymore, princess. I’m in this with you now. Till the very end.”
    Their eyes met. And something passed between them. It was more than shared relief that they’d lived through the confrontation with Eduardo. They were in this together. And it drew them close in a way that reminded him of how he felt about the rest of the guys in Charlie Squad. Facing danger together bonded a bunch of guys faster and stronger than anything else in the world. Good Lord, the same damn thing was happening between him and Cari. Cold alarm coursed through him. This wasn’t about bonding; it was about getting her out of here alive!
    A momentary but genuine smile touched her lips. “You’re a good man, Joe.”
    He was a lot of things, but good was not one of them. Dangerous, yes. Smart, calculating, good in a fight, maybe. But in his line of work, men didn’t have a lot of time for emotions like empathy or compassion—the things that made them truly good or even human. He measured himself by skills mastered or missions accomplished. But good was definitely not part of that equation.
    And to prove the point, he said, “C’mon. Let’s go to bed. Time to put on a show for your old man. This is our wedding night, after all.”

Chapter 6
    C ari’s head snapped up. Was he actually suggesting they go to bed and have noisy sex for the benefit of the listening devices in her room? The idea of having noisy sex with Joe had been on her mind for most of the last few weeks, but when he put it that way, he could forget it!
    His mouth tilted into a crooked grin. She stopped. Frowned. That almost looked like an apology. And then it hit her. This was more of the clueless but love-struck routine he’d pulled on her father downstairs. Knowing what a bright, sophisticated guy he actually was, she’d been shocked to the point of laughter when he’d done it the first time.
    Joe took her hand to lead her inside. To her bed.
    Oh, God. Her bed. She balked against the tug of his hand before she even reached the French doors.
    He looked over at her with concern and mumbled, “There are cameras out here. Even if it is dark, they can still see some of what we’re doing. You need to look a little more willing to go to bed with me. I won’t pull anything with you, I swear.”
    Her first impulse was to do a little swearing herself in response to that promise. But that wasn’t the point. She was scared to death of her bed. Not of being in it with Joe, but of the bed itself.
    And he wanted her to climb into it. To lie where Tony had lain, where his blood had soaked her clothes and skin…. Horror bubbled through her.
    “Come inside, princess. Please,” he coaxed her under his breath.
    Taking a deep breath, she bolstered her courage and stepped through the door. She could do this. Her freedom— heck, maybe her life—depended on it. It was just a stupid phobia. She could overcome it. She was stronger than her fear.
    Joe closed the French doors behind her, bathing the room in darkness. And the memory of that devastating spill of blood flooded Cari’s mind’s eye, creeping across the floor to reach out and grab her. She barely suppressed an urge to jump up on the couch like a woman on a chair, hiding from a mouse.
    She made out Joe’s