Kenney, Laina - Overheated [DIG Security] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  DIG Security

  Overheated

  After moving to escape a controlling ex, shy Sara James takes a job with a personal security firm, intent on settling down. But her sudden hot attraction to her dark and dangerous new boss is a complication she cannot afford--or understand.

  Former Army Ranger and Security Specialist Dash Williams takes one look at his new employee and falls hard. But how can he approach a woman who outwardly ignores him while her soft, yearning eyes send another message entirely? His dominant instincts fire to life, and when Sara is plagued by a depraved stalker, he steps in to protect the woman he wants to claim as his own.

  As they work together to stay one step ahead of the stalker, Dash realizes that his need to take over and protect will not help Sara have confidence in her own abilities. So he goes against his own primitive instincts and his training to teach her to protect herself and reclaim her freedom. The only problem is, when the danger is over, how will Dash ever let Sara go?

  Genre: Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

  Length: 22,695 words

  OVERHEATED

  DIG Security

  Laina Kenney

  EROTIC ROMANCE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

  OVERHEATED

  Copyright © 2010 by Laina Kenney

  E-book ISBN: 1-61034-019-1

  First E-book Publication: November 2010

  Cover design by Jinger Heaston

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2010 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Overheated by Laina Kenney from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Laina Kenney’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Kenney’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  To Scott, for supporting all the different things I do, and the ‘different’ way I do things. Thanks.

  OVERHEATED

  DIG Security

  LAINA KENNEY

  Copyright © 2010

  Chapter 1

  “Come on, Sara, don’t give up.”

  Dash looked up from his computer to see his general manager coming down the hall with the newest employee of DIG Security.

  Walking beside his friend and manager was the sweet-faced, curvy little blonde who didn’t seem to realize she had caused havoc with the single men in the company. He had never noticed before what dogs his two partners could be, but all of them were reacting to Sara in ways he hadn’t seen from them since their wild days in the Army Rangers together. They had been young and crazy and had occasionally shared a woman, giving her as much pleasure as she could stand, but there would be no sharing with Sara.

  Dash almost growled at the thought. If Sara James wanted a new man, it would be Dash alone. His cock twitched at the thought, ready and willing.

  He had never run such intensive security checks on one of his employees before Sara. It amused him to see she had never had so much as a speeding ticket. He had never obsessed about a female before, either, but the past four months had changed his outlook. Usually, the women were coming on to him, and he didn’t have to do anything but nod for his bed to be occupied. But little Sara hardly spoke to him. And whenever he spoke to her, she answered politely and precisely and then sidled away at the first chance. With anyone else he might have tried to force the issue, making her acknowledge him as a man, but the truth was Sara was different from the women he had known in the past.

  He had tried to respect her choice and keep his distance until he could figure out how to approach her, but found himself taking lunch at Morrisey’s down the block almost daily because Sara was there with some of his staff. Hell, he left on time every day now just so he could walk behind her all the way to the parking lot. She had the sweetest, roundest ass he had ever seen, and the thought of squeezing those smooth globes while he took her from behind had him in a sweat and battling a raging hard-on. He always watched her drive away and had once even followed at a discrete distance to see where she was living.

  Gotta stop that shit, he thought, even as he jumped up and moved out into the hall to follow the ladies to lunch.

  “I think you should find someone who will actually be nice to you,” Carolyn, his manager, was saying. “Not all men are creeps.”

  Sara shrugged, obviously uncomfortable.

  Dash’s heart sped up. Was Sara having trouble with a boyfriend? He could give the guy a little attitude adjustment, free of charge. Or get rid of him and take his place. Yeah, that was more like it.

  “I’m completely serious, Sara. Look, if your ex is coming on too strong, why don’t you speak to Dash? He’ll understand. Security is his business, after all.”

  Sara looked flustered. “I can’t tell my new boss that I’m scared of my own shadow. It’s nothing.”

  Ah, not a current boyfriend but an ex. Even better. Dash wanted to jump in and tell Sara that he would be more than happy to fix her problem. He would be particularly happy if it involved punching this asshole of an ex. He was already itching to do just that. He pushed his hands into his pockets to keep from grabbing Sara and hauling her into his arms where she would never have to be afraid again. His finely honed sense of timing said it wasn’t the right moment.

  “It�
�s not nothing. Instincts are important, Sara. You’re not sleeping and you hardly eat. You can’t deny that. When you spoke to me, it was because you knew something was wrong.” Carolyn was speaking softly now, but firmly, clearly in full protective mode.

  Carolyn had been one of his top agents for several years, until a bad break suffered in a ground chase with an attacker had nearly destroyed her ankle. Four surgeries had made it usable, but nothing would give her the speed she had once enjoyed. She had voluntarily moved into the administrative side of the business, and she was the best damned business manager Dash could imagine. Nothing escaped her notice.

  “Last week, you said some of your stuff was missing. That means he was in your apartment, Sara. And now the dead sparrow? He’s trying to terrorize you into taking him back. Talk to Dash.”

  “No, I can’t tell Dash.” Sara’s voice was thin and too high. Her whole body was tense. She acted like it would be unthinkable to speak to her boss about a personal problem.

  It was all Dash could do to keep from roaring in anger. Some psycho was after sweet Sara? No damned wonder she was so skittish around him. He had thought she just wasn’t ready to acknowledge the sizzling chemistry between them, but it was much more complicated than that.

  “You damn well just did tell me,” he bit out, moving up between the women. Sara visibly started, shocked to see him behind them. Carolyn just looked smug.

  “You can fill in all the sick details over lunch, and don’t bother trying to tell me it’s nothing,” he continued in a harsh tone when he saw Sara’s mouth open. She edged away from him, trying to put Carolyn between them. Dash snagged her arm, keeping her right beside him. With his other hand, he flipped open his cell phone.

  “Isaac, we have a situation. Sara’s ex is a stalker, might have already broken into her place.”

  There was a pause as Dash listened, his eyes fixed firmly on Sara, almost daring her to pull away from him.

  * * * *

  Sara glanced at Carolyn, who was listening avidly to the conversation. Sara felt weak at the thought of her gorgeous boss knowing of her humiliating problem. Dash Williams was so competent, so incredibly in control of his company and his life. How could he understand her inability to deal with one persistent ex-boyfriend? No, she couldn’t involve him in this. He would feel obligated to help her, making it impossible to keep a professional distance from him.

  It would be too tempting to just curl up in those strong arms and hide from the whole world. Sara had enough trouble keeping her inexplicable attraction to her boss hidden as it was. His vivid masculinity brought out all her previously dormant feminine instincts. She felt so magnetically drawn to him she had to coach herself every day not to let it show in the office.

  “Yeah, the son of a bitch left a dead bird for her to find.”

  The memory of that poor little sparrow, neck obviously broken, lying on her bed when she got home, was enough to make Sara queasy. She hadn’t slept last night, hadn’t eaten breakfast this morning, her stomach too anxious to settle. Now she was feeling the effects of exhaustion and shock, her thoughts whirling with this new humiliation, the conversation fading in and out as she concentrated on staying upright.

  “...full investigation on this jerk.” Carolyn’s voice was rock steady.

  Dash was nodding in agreement, his ear still to the phone. “Yes, tell Grange, and pull him off his case. I don’t care. One of the others can handle it. Sara needs round the clock until we can get a handle on this thing.”

  Some of the words penetrated the gathering fog in Sara’s mind. She needed round the clock men? She almost laughed. Round the clock men would be the last thing she needed, especially of the huge variety, like Dash and his partners. No man really needed to be that big, that gorgeous, but the three founders of DIG Security, Dash, Isaac and Grange, were tall, broad, and dangerous former Army Rangers. Except wasn’t there some saying about “once a Ranger, always a Ranger”?

  The bodies these men guarded were the safest people on earth, Sara thought muzzily, because who would dare to cross them? The team of three men was so good that the Army still called them in from retirement to do special training exercises with new recruits. The list of their specialties was long and downright frightening.

  She tugged at her arm still firmly in Dash’s grip. He only pulled her closer until she was almost in his arms. Although her head was spinning, she knew she was exactly where she had most wanted to be. The sensation was too much.

  Really, she needed to sit down for just a minute. There was no air in this hallway. Her eyes rolled back and she drifted out.

  * * * *

  Dash felt another strong tug on his arm and turned to speak sharply, but Sara was ash white and sagging. He swore, quickly tossing the phone to Carolyn, and swung Sara up into his arms.

  He started back to his office with his precious bundle, cursing luridly in the gentlest voice he could manage. Carolyn put the phone to her ear and joined the conversation with Isaac without missing a beat, just as he knew she would. She understood security, knew what to expect, and would be pleased that her new friend would finally be getting the help she so desperately needed.

  Chapter 2

  Striding into his office, Dash nudged the door shut with his foot before depositing his armful of woman on the leather sofa. The poor little thing was coming around now, moaning and rolling her head. He got an ice-cold lime soda out of his fridge and popped the top. Easing her up with one brawny arm behind her head, he put the can to her lips.

  “Try to take a sip, honey,” he murmured, keeping his voice to a deep, soothing rumble..

  She managed to swallow some soda as he tipped the can repeatedly, eyes fluttering open as the sugar started to hit her system. She gazed at him with such trust, letting him support her head, his hand buried in her silky hair.

  She had the most beautiful hair, he thought absently, so soft and baby fine. The golden wisps moved with each breath because he was so close to her, but he couldn’t move away. Not now, maybe not ever. She needed him now, not only to protect her, but to show her how much pleasure a man could bring to his woman. And make no mistake, she was going to be his.

  It might take some time to convince her, but he was in her life to stay. The only thing that could stop him was if she said no. Then he would back off, but he had seen the hint of warmth behind the shyness in her eyes, and he didn’t think she would refuse him if he could just find the right approach. He sometimes caught her watching him, and the combination of curiosity and feminine heat in those big, dark eyes was enough to drive him out of his mind.

  * * * *

  Sara pushed herself up against the back of the couch, taking the cold can of soda from Dash’s hand and sipping cautiously. She studied the can, refusing to look at her most perfect fantasy on his knees before her.

  Her hands were trembling, but it wasn’t from fear now. Not with Dash so near that she could count his lush, black eyelashes. Those angel-blue eyes had lured her in the very first day. Eyes like that, a deep, dark voice, and the widest shoulders of any man she had ever seen. It was overkill. And he towered over her five-four frame by nearly a foot.

  The shivers that his large size caused in her were not from fear, though—not remotely.

  Sara had been hiding her deep attraction for him, knowing firsthand how the act didn’t live up to the advertising in the sex game. Oh, Martin had seemed to enjoy it well enough, but not Sara. It was only one of the reasons she had finally left Martin. He had blamed her for the failure, and she had believed he was right. She wasn’t like other women, he said. She was too delicate, too refined to be truly passionate, he said, and he liked her that way.

  But she didn’t like it, didn’t feel comfortable with it, and so she had left, thinking to live alone. The idea held some appeal. Martin couldn’t seem to understand that she was serious about their break-up, so she eventually changed cities, changed jobs, and generally tried her best to disappear. Out of sight, out of mind, she was hoping.<
br />
  But when she looked at her new boss, or stood close enough to feel the heat from his big body, or smelled his musky male scent when he came in from his morning run, she didn’t feel refined. She felt...overheated. She was starting to wonder if maybe she had been wrong about her lack of reaction as a woman. The warmth of her constant response to this man felt strangely good after a lifetime of feeling cold. And his nearness now was making those new sensations so hard to ignore.

  * * * *

  Dash took the empty soda can and set it aside. His eyes never left Sara. He watched her pull herself up, trying to put some mental distance between them again, and his instincts rebelled. He had carried her back to his cave, and he was keeping her. He felt just that primitive about it. She belonged to him, and it was time to let her know it.

  He leaned in close to her face, and when her wide, dark eyes flew to his, he smiled slowly, reassuringly. He touched his lips to hers gently, so gently, brushing back and forth over her soft mouth. He settled in right there, taking his time.

  She was effectively trapped between the sofa and his body, unable to move away, so he took care not to frighten her. He just continued to move his mouth over hers, waiting long moments until she sighed before he deepened the kiss.

  When he slipped his tongue into her mouth, Sara went limp from the shocking pleasure. He’s tasting, she thought incoherently. He’s tasting me. And his own taste was dark after the bright lime of the soda. His unexpected tenderness was compelling, coming from such a big, utterly masculine man. Her thoughts grew hazy as she surrendered to a depth of feeling she had never before experienced.