“What do I have to lose?” I asked.

“You don’t want to go up against Darius. You do, since we made our positions clear last night, that puts us against him. That means war with you caught in the middle and the middle is an uncomfortable place,” he got closer and his voice dropped, “Jules, we’re talkin’ war between Lee and Darius. You don’t want to be the cause of that.”

Again I opened my mouth to speak but he kept going, voice even lower, eyes intense. I’d never seen him so intense (well, he was normally always a trifle intense but this was something else). I stared at him.

“It’d be like Sniff goin’ bad and Roam challengin’ him to a death match. In that situation, nobody wins. Do you understand what I’m sayin’ to you?”

I kept staring at him and it came to me. Eddie Chavez, Lee Nightingale and Darius Tucker, all friends, all close, just like Park, Roam and Sniff. I guessed that somewhere along the line, Darius turned, went bad. Regardless, Eddie and Lee stayed close to him, such was their bond. It was precarious, something would eventually test it, something just like this was bound to happen. You couldn’t have a cop, a PI and a drug dealer remain friends without it going sour somewhere along the line.

But I didn’t want it to be me that made it go sour.

I nodded to Vance. “I’ll take the meet,” I said.

He lips turned up at the ends and I knew he approved. I got that warm feeling again but kept my face blank and he moved away from me.

Lee and Luke were watching me, not amused anymore.

“Is everything okay with Jermaine and Clarence?” I asked.

“Vance took care of you,” Luke said. “You need to be safe, though.”

“You get in a situation like last night, you call backup before going in,” Lee added.

“Backup?” I asked.

“Vance will give you the number,” Lee said but didn’t answer my question.

I turned to Vance. “Backup?”

“You call the Nightingale control room,” Vance said. “One of us will take your back.”

Oh my God.

Were they serious?

“That isn’t necessary,” I announced.

Lee was making a move to go. “You’ve been smart so far, don’t be stupid now,” he warned then our talk was over. He jerked his head to Luke and Vance and Luke made a move.

“In a minute,” Vance said.

They glanced at him. Lee nodded. Luke grinned. They closed the door when they left.

Vance turned and with his eyes on me and us being alone I totally forgot why I asked to talk to him in the first place.

“Jules?”

With effort, I cleared my head. “Um, I just wanted to say…” I lost it then got it back again, “thanks. You didn’t have to go that far with Roam and I appreciate it.”

The air changed. Vance’s macho man forcefield clicked on and, I could swear, my body leaned into him a bit.

Then his eyes got soft and sexy. My belly fluttered.

His voice came at me, smooth as silk. “You want to thank me, you ever want to thank me, you don’t say it to me. You show me.”

I stared. “Sorry?”

He didn’t explain, he just said, “Come here.”

Without hesitation, I went to him such was the power of the forcefield.

When I made it to him, one of his arms went around my waist, his other hand twisted around and around in my ponytail, fisted and he pulled my head back gently.

Then he said, “Kiss me.”

My belly plummeted.

“Sorry?” I repeated, this time in a whisper.

His face came so close I could feel his lips against mine. “Kiss me,” he said there.

Oh crap.

I wasn’t sure I even knew how to kiss someone.

“Vance –” I breathed.

“Kiss me. Now,” he ordered.

I kissed him. I had no idea what I was doing but I just went for it. I figured it was better to get it over with because I was learning fast that Vance wouldn’t let it go.

I put my arms around his neck, grasping my right wrist in my left hand; I lifted up on my toes a bit, just as I put pressure on his neck. I opened my mouth under his, going for the gusto, but in the back of my head wondering if I should start small.

Apparently I made the right choice. His mouth opened immediately, my tongue slid inside and that was all I had to do. That was the extent of “my” kiss.

He walked me back quickly. I slammed against the wall, his fist tightened at my hair and his other hand slid down over my bottom and pressed me against him. He forced my tongue out of his mouth and slid his in mine.

It felt so damned good, I fit my body to his, pressing in close, one hand curling around his neck and the other hand pushing inside his jacket, my arm wrapped around his waist then it went tight.

It got a little hot and heavy after that. There was some groping (on Vance’s part) and maybe a few throat moans (on my part) and then his mouth tore free.

He pulled back, just an inch, and he stared at me, his eyes intense, something strange there, almost like surprise.

I stared back. We were both breathing heavily.

Finally he muttered, “Jesus.”

He could say that again.

I felt hot, everywhere, and I was pretty certain my stomach had evacuated my body.

“I should have broke in last night, woke you up, f**ked you until you couldn’t breathe. I thought about it. I should have f**kin’ done it.”

Oh my God.

He said this like he was talking to himself, still, I heard it and it flipped me out.

“Vance –” I whispered.

“Save it,” he cut me off. “Tonight. Six thirty.”

Then the tractor beam switched off, his chin lifted, he kissed my forehead and he said, “Wear something nice.”

He let me go but his hand wrapped around mine. The warmth of his hand in mine, the strength I felt there, the intimacy of the gesture took me off guard.

Okay, so we’d necked, groped, laid in my bed (of all places) and talked. I’d held him at gunpoint and he’d beat me at wrestling. Even though this had all passed between us, his holding my hand made a statement that went beyond the cat and mouse game we seemed to be playing since we laid eyes on each other.

I didn’t know if you held hands with a woman you intended to sleep with and then leave which Crowe had a reputation for doing. He saw, he conquered, he left.