Playing for Keeps Read Online Free PDF Page A

in the same old way.
    Nerve endings sat up and begged for attention.
    Girl parts melted.
    Rational thought took a vacation.
    Damn him!
    All her parts shrieked as Danica moved, and she couldn’t help a moan of pain. Jon reacted as if she’d screamed at the top of her lungs in agony.
    Gentle hands shot out to grip her shoulders as he searched her face with eyes glowing like the hot coals of hell. “Where does it hurt?”
    Everywhere. But body aches were overshadowed, in spades, by the ache in her heart caused by seeing him again. She realized that she’d been a whole hell of a lot more immune when he wasn’t in the same geographical area as she was. Clenching her teeth, Danica put up a hand in a wait-a-second motion. “I’m okay.”
    Of course, she was okay. Pain meant she was alive. She gritted her teeth and tried to push herself higher on the pillows. “A few muscle relaxants are druggi—Hey! What are y—” He slid his palms under her arms to help her sit up straighter, then held her carefully by bracing a hard, muscled arm across her chest as he leaned her forward, readjusting the pillows behind her back.
    She closed her eyes, trying not to breathe in the achingly familiar scent of him. They were close enough for her to feel the heat of his body, close enough for his breath to wash over her upturned face. She felt the memory imprint of his fingers skimming the sides of her breasts. Her nipples grew tighter and harder. She fought it for all she was worth. No. No. No.
    Jon lifted his head. With just scant inches between them, his eyes held hers. And asked a question.
    Yes. God, yes. “Forget it,” she told him flatly.
    He straightened, his mouth curved slightly in a slappably smug smile. He, better than anyone, knew her body. Generally, better than she did herself. He knew how much his touch affected her. Knew that breathing against her ear would force a moan from her lips. Knew how, when, and why her breath caught.
    He indicated the pillows behind her. “Comfortable?”
    “With the pillows? Yes. With you looming over me? No. Mind giving me some room to breathe here?” She kept both her gaze and tone steady.
    He rose, hands up in surrender-as if-and took an elaborate step back. “Good enough?”
    “DC would be better.” Right here in my bed would be best. She gave herself Brownie points for sticking to her promise to herself-absolutely no physical contact with him again. Ever. It was a life sentence. Nevertheless, for self-preservation she had to stick to it.
    “You’ve been dealing with the wrong kind of people too long,” she told him. “The pills were to help me sleep so I can heal. I might not have broken anything, but every muscle and tendon was traumatized by the—the—” Spiraling out of control, heart stopping— “crash.” Her stomach lurched as her memory filled in the sounds of screaming, the hideous rending noise as the body of the craft ripped and twisted in the air like tinfoil. The stench of jet fuel. . .the screams.
    “Yeah?” Her ex looked furious as he raked his fingers through his too-long, dark hair and stalked around the room like a caged panther. “Well, my every muscle and tendon was traumatized when I heard about the crash as well. And until I get you back stateside, have you looked at by every conceivable specialist, I’m going to make damn sure you don’t get near anything that’s going to hurt you.”
    “Yeah? Guess you’d better leave then, huh?” She didn’t say it with as much heat as usual. Despite her every mental protest, she was overwhelmingly happy to have him here in South America with her. Besides, she wanted to go home. Even if it meant being escorted by her surly almost ex. “News flash, buddy,” she added, working up a bit more heat. “This is about me. Not about you.”
    “No shit, it’s about you, Dani.” He shoved both hands through his hair again, stalked to the window on the far wall, then spun around and came back again. “I heard about