The Pirate by Katherine Garbera Page A

together so he could figure out the mysteries that were Daphne. But that would have to wait. And in all reality he’d probably never get to know her.
    â€œTrust me.”
    â€œThat sounds like an order,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she finished bandaging him up.
    â€œIt was. I don’t have time to coax you into trusting me. This is a life-and-death situation and I’m your best chance of making it out of it alive.”
    She tipped her head to the side. “I know that. I’m trying, but trust doesn’t come easy for me. But if I’m going to trust any man…well, it’s you, J.P. Lazarus.”
    She put the last bandage on the worst of his cuts and then stood back to study him. Unlike Daphne, who brought him a sense of comfort and quelled his longing for home, he doubted his looks did anything for her.
    He was a rough-and-ready guy who’d been beat up one too many times. He was solid muscle and he knew he could handle himself in any situation, but his kind of living had left marks on him. And despite the trauma Daphne had seen in the operating room, she was too innocent for a man like him.
    That didn’t mean he wasn’t dying to kiss her. To have that little taste of home that he’d earned getting his ass beat and keeping her name quiet. She’d never know what he’d done to protect her. What he’d continue to do and that was as it should be.
    He closed the gap between the two of them and standing toe-to-toe realized her head came to his shoulder. Perfect for dancing or holding her. He wanted to know what she felt like in his arms. But not now.
    He cupped her head in both of his hands, tipped her mouth up to his, and kissed her. Just a quick rub of his lips over hers. She exhaled and parted her lips the tiniest bit, and he tasted the sweetness of her mouth.
    That was all he wanted. All he needed. He felt like a knight of old who’d received a token from his lady. He pulled back.
    â€œThank you.”
    He walked away from her and rejoined Hamm, pretending that Daphne was nothing more than that glimpse of home. But he had never lied worth a damn and especially not to himself. Daphne wasn’t a taste of home, she was a glimpse of the home he’d always longed for and he knew that it was right in his grasp if he could only reach out and take it.
    He glanced back over his shoulder and saw her watching him and knew that no matter what else happened while they were on this mission, he wasn’t going to be able to walk away easily from her.
    Â 
    Daphne stood there watching Laz walk away. She held bandages in her hands and felt like she had lost her mooring. Being a doctor was the one thing that Paul hadn’t taken from her when he’d walked away from their marriage.
    But Laz…he’d shaken her. She’d never met anyone like him before. Never experienced the gamut of emotions she had before she’d met him. It wasn’t a power thing, because living in D.C. and being a Senator’s wife she’d come into contact with powerful people before. With Laz it was something different. He had a calmness in the face of danger.
    The cuts and bruises on his body told her that he’d been beaten. Another person—someone from their group—wouldn’t have fared as well as Laz. His body was honed into a machine. She’d felt the strength in his body and from a purely scientific point of view she wanted to explore him.
    Yeah, right.
    She wanted to explore him because he was hot. And there was something primal about him that called to her on her most basic level.
    â€œYou okay?” Franny asked.
    â€œYes, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
    â€œUm, you just had your socks kissed off,” Franny said with a laugh.
    And Daphne had to smile. “You are so right. I’m in over my head here.”
    â€œI think you can handle him,” Franny said.
    Daphne wasn’t too sure. When