“I think it would be improbable that would happen, but I think any of us can walk away if we decide we don’t want what we have.” He stepped into her space again, his fingers on her chin, tilting her head so she could look into his eyes, eyes that were pure cat. “As to whether or not I would turn into Cordeau without you, I can’t honestly say.” He dropped his hand abruptly and turned and walked out of the room.

Catarina found herself shaking. She walked to the kitchen chair with her coffee, sat down and drew up her legs. What had he meant by that strange statement? He couldn’t possibly turn into Rafe. Eli might be leopard, but he wouldn’t be a part of the DEA if he wanted to commit the kinds of crimes Rafe did. Rafe’s organization spanned three states. He had a large network, and it was growing every day. She just couldn’t see Eli running guns or keeping prostitutes in line or creating a drug empire. Killing maybe, the rest of it no way.

How could she want a man so much when she didn’t trust him? She was very honest with herself. Eli wasn’t Ridley but she was still very attracted to him. Their chemistry was off the charts. Still, sex wasn’t making love. People hooked up all the time for great sex, didn’t they? Couldn’t she just view it like that? He knew about the little hussy inside of her. She could bide her time until her leopard made her appearance, use Eli for great sex and then if things went bad, just walk away.

She sipped at her coffee, surprised to find it was warm, not hot. She’d always been good at figuring things out. She just had to get past the horrible hole in her heart. She still felt as if she’d been ripped to pieces, shredded inside and left empty. The problem was, she only felt that way when she was alone, when Eli wasn’t right next to her, and that, she knew, was a very bad sign.

With a little sigh she got up and checked the fridge and cupboards and then found Eli’s pots and pans. She liked the kitchen and the views it had. She could look out the wide windows while she cooked and watch the wind playing through the trees. It was beautiful country. She had chosen to come to Texas because she was certain the state was so large Rafe wouldn’t be able to find her there.