“Eban?”

“Yeah?” He was scanning the trees, constantly on alert.

“Will you have sex with me tonight?”

He jerked around to look at her with wide eyes and she steadied the wheel so they didn’t slide off the road into a tree.

She didn’t want any more shadows or uncertainty between them. If the answer was “no” at least she’d know sooner rather than later.

“You want to?”

She laughed softly. “Er, yes. That’s why I asked.”

“Are you sure?” His eyes were full of concern when she wanted desire.

“Only if you want to,” she assured him. “You know I’ve wanted to since I asked you that night in Quantico.”

“That was too soon after your attack.” He turned his attention back to the road and pulled up near the cabin. “Let’s talk about it inside.”

He rested his hand on his Glock as he jumped out and first attached the extension cord to the block-heater, so the vehicle’s engine didn’t freeze solid. Then he ran around to assist her out of the SUV.

He was in bodyguard mode. The idea he would put himself between her and danger scared her. The last thing she wanted was for something to happen to him.

She hurried, grabbing her laptop case and almost running for the door through the whipping storm. Eban made her stand to one side while he went in and quickly scanned the main parts of the structure. Then he urged her into the cabin, handing her his backup weapon before locking the front door behind them.

“In there.” He indicated his bedroom.

Not quite the seduction she’d had in mind.

He quickly looked in the closet and under the bed. Came back to stand beside her and whispered in her ear.

“I’m going to make sure the rest of the place is secure. I’ll be right back. Close the curtains.” He slipped into the living room and turned on all the lights. She watched his reflection in the windows as he systematically searched the place. Darby closed the drapes, making sure there wasn’t even a minuscule gap to spy through.

She flinched away from the idea of voyeurs. She didn’t want past horrors to invade this space. She wouldn’t let them.

She waited by the door, the heaviness of the gun weighing like lead in the palm of her hand. Handling a weapon was a great responsibility. She’d killed a man once in self-defense. Could she do it again?

She wasn’t sure.

It sounded so easy and logical, but what if she’d been able to access the gun when Tim Carstairs had assaulted her in grief and ignorance? Although she had no desire to be physically attacked, she had zero desire to add to the Carstairs family’s pain either.

“All clear,” Eban called.

She turned off the light and headed into the main body of the cabin. She handed him his gun before kneeling to light the fire.

“You don’t want to hold on to it?” he asked.