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Two

Anna Smith had never been the kind of person who came unglued easily, and never in public in front of a stranger. She had a little stubborn streak. Which was why, even as the little stairwell in Appleton’s General Store was spinning into nauseating darkness, she was absolutely exasperated with herself. This was so pathetic for a twenty-six-year-old woman.

Fortunately, she wasn’t completely out of it. She managed to more or less walk on her Gumby legs, supported by two strong arms and a bright, bracing stream of encouragement: “You can do it, here we go, down the stairs…good girl, good girl…”

He had a nice voice, she thought groggily. And very calm, almost like he was used to dealing with emergencies like this all the time. He dragged her along, finding an unlocked door close to the stairs. He turned on the light, and Anna found herself firmly planted in a hard folding chair.

“You okay?” he asked sharply, clicking his fingers in front of her fluttering, half-closed eyes. “Hello, there! Yoo-hoo! Coming around? You can open your eyes, we’ve got a nice big room here. No windows, but…we won’t think about that. You’ve got a door you can walk in and out of. Isn’t that nice? We still can’t get out of the basement, but…we won’t think about that, either. If you don’t say something soon, I’m going to use up all the oxygen blabbering.” A pause, then in a more hopeful tone, “I suppose I could try artificial respiration.”

“Don’t you dare,” Anna muttered, trying to control her weighty lids. “You know perfectly well that I’m breathing. Of all the idiotic things for me to do, fainting like that…”

Zack watched sympathetically while she tried to bury her swimming head in her knees. He’d been in a similar position himself many times after a rowdy night on the town. “That’s it, take slow, deep breaths. You’ll feel better soon.” Then, with humor, “If it makes you feel better, I have this effect on women all the time. They’re swooning here, there and everywhere.”

Slowly, her white-knuckled hands clutching the seat of the chair, Anna forced herself to sit up straight. She saw they were in a very large storeroom of sorts, which caused her to breathe a great sigh of relief. As long as she didn’t think about the locked door at the top of the stairs, she should be able to keep the demon claustrophobia at bay. “This is so embarrassing. I suppose I should thank you for catching me.”

“Not if it’s painful for you,” Zack replied, hearing the reluctance in her voice. “Something tells me you’re one of those women who don’t need assistance too often.”

She gave him a wobbly smile, her eyes still a bit glazed. “And something tells me you’re used to women who very much appreciate your assistance. I’m doing better now. This chair feels like it’s bobbing on the ocean, but other than that, I’m fine. This kind of thing doesn’t happen all the time, just so you know.”

“Freaking out was understandable in these circumstances,” Zack replied. “We’re all human, you know. Except Captain Todd, the bane of my existence. He’s another species altogether.”

She blinked in slow motion, her brows drawn together. “What are you talking about? Who is Captain Todd?”

Zack grinned, shaking his head. “Never mind. Since you’re lucky enough not to know him, we’ll keep it that way.”

There was a long silence while Anna absorbed the full effect of his remarkable smile. She was clearheaded enough to translate the potent, wickedly sensual message he was delivering. His heavy-lidded gray eyes went along for the ride, as well, curling up at the edges in captivating little sunbursts. She saw sweetness there, and a silky-smooth masculine appeal that no doubt went over very well with the ladies. His thick hair was dark as midnight, a bit damp and carelessly finger-combed back from his face. He wasn’t exceptionally tall, just under six feet, but he had the build of a lean young athlete. Even his well-worn leather jacket couldn’t disguise the hard stretch of well-defined chest muscles beneath the soft gray T-shirt he wore. Anna found her eyes skipping lower, to the low-riding, stonewashed jeans that were more white than blue. She couldn’t help it; he was standing and she was sitting, and the flat plane of his stomach and hips was directly at eye level. Altogether a dazzling and heady package…and here she was without sunscreen or shades. She couldn’t help but shake her head at the voyeuristic trend of her thinking.

“Ahem.” Zack cleared his throat, more than a little self-conscious. She was studying him in precisely the same way he usually studied an attractive woman. Not in a rude way, but unusually candid. In his experience, and he had quite a bit of it, women tended to be a little flustered around him. He liked being the one who did the flustering, not the one being flustered. Having the tables turned wasn’t nearly as much fun. “You’re suddenly very quiet. Are you sure you’re feeling all right?”

“I’m fine.” Anna stood up slowly, telling herself to get a grip. “Excuse me. I was distracted by…never mind what I was distracted by.”

“If you told me your name,” Zack ventured, “I could scratch our initials in the fire door out there to commemorate our incarceration.”

She smiled at that. “I’m Anna Smith, occasional fainter. We’re in a little predicament here, I guess.”

You guess right, Zack thought with gentle humor. Lucky us. “Nice to meet you. I’m Zack Daniels, catcher of fainting women. You make a very stimulating predicament partner, do you know that? And I’m an expert at predicaments and partners, so I speak with authority.”

Anna decided he was harmless enough, despite his inclination to flirt. And he did provide nice scenery for their predicament. “Well, here’s hoping we won’t be partners for long. No offense, but this place isn’t my idea of a dream vacation. Hey!”

Alarmed, Zack jumped and looked over his shoulder. “What? Who? Hey what?”

“I see a telephone!” She made her way through a pile of boxes, lifting up a bright pink telephone from beneath a sheet of clear plastic bubble wrap. “Of course, they would have a phone down here. Why didn’t we think…” Her voice trailed off. She lifted her head, sheepishly meeting Zack’s dancing eyes. “It’s a Barbie phone.”

Zack nodded, not even trying to hide his grin. This just kept getting better and better. She was a laugh a minute. “The Barbie sticker kind of gives it away, don’t you think?”

“I can’t believe my luck tonight…or absence thereof.” She dropped the phone back in the box with a heavy sigh. “Oh, my goodness. Why can’t anything be easy? Do you think there might be a phone in one of the other rooms? Maybe there’s another exit somewhere, or maybe a basement window we can crawl out of.”

“I doubt it. The sign on the fire door said No Exit.” Zack was enjoying himself immensely. She was pure magic to watch, the way her changing emotions were reflected in her vivid eyes, her lips, the light catching the burnished-gold streaks in her hair whenever she moved. Nothing was hidden, nothing was calculated. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d met a woman who didn’t try to impress him. They liked his looks, which he guessed was understandable. Not so understandable was their starry-eyed fascination with the potential danger involved with his work. The possibility of Zack being on the receiving end of severe bodily harm was inexplicably titillating to them. It wasn’t very nice of them, but then again, Zack had never really focused on nice women. “I’m sure they’ll find us sooner or later. Why don’t you relax?”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “You’ve got to be kidding. I’m not the type who sits around expecting to be rescued. I’m perfectly capable of rescuing myself.”

“An independent and resourceful woman,” Zack said respectfully, settling himself in the folding chair she had vacated. “How inspiring. I’ll sit here and admire your resourceful character while you rescue us. You may begin.”

Obviously, he wasn’t taking this situation of theirs very seriously. Ignoring him, Anna proceeded to explore the room at length, rummaging through piles of boxes, cleaning supplies and office equipment…but no telephone. She went to the door twice, giving the darkened hallway a quick look before scuttling back into the room. “You could do something,” she told Zack irritably, annoyed by his complacent attitude and Cheshire Cat smile. “I’m not keen on exploring the other rooms. I feel trapped whenever I look out there. Would it be too much bother for you to separate yourself from that chair and look around?”

“Well, I suppose I could take a look around,” Zack said after a moment of reflection. He stood up and slowly stretched, his sparkling eyes noting her reaction with amusement. “I do have a little cold and I’m feeling under the weather, but I’ll manage somehow. Still, I hate to leave you in here all alone, you being so delicate and all. Will you be all right without me?”

Anna placed a hand over her heart with exaggerated sincerity. “I will do my poor best.”

Zack grinned. “Lady, you’re the most entertaining thing that has happened to me in my entire life. I’ll be right back. Don’t move a muscle.”

He was gone for several minutes. Anna heard doors opening and closing, boxes being shoved around and occasional sounds of exaggerated discouragement. Then she heard him knocking on the fire door and calling out for someone to help them, all to no avail. When he came back, he had an expression of utter dejection, though his keen gray eyes were still lit with enjoyment. “We are doomed, my pretty new predicament partner. No exits, no windows, no way to call anyone. And there’s not a sound from upstairs. I’m afraid they may have locked things up and left. I can’t tell you how upset I am about this. We have ourselves in a pickle here. Or rather, a pickle jar with a very tight lid.”

“Well, this is just wonderful,” Anna muttered, hands planted on her hips over her leather coat. “Absolutely wonderful. What on earth do we do now? I’m not about to spend an entire night locked in some basement, I’ll tell you that.”

“I’m afraid,” Zack said kindly, “you are.”

She stared at him suspiciously. “You know something? I think you like this situation.”

Zack could have told her he was tickled hot pink with the whole thing, but he didn’t think the timing was right. He settled with, “Let’s just be happy it isn’t Saturday night. If it was and the store wasn’t open on Sundays, we could be here all weekend. We wouldn’t have any food except for gummy bears and candy necklaces, and—”

“What’s that?” Anna was instantly distracted from their little problem. Zack Daniels had just mentioned her favorite food group: candy. Besides, it just wasn’t in her nature to be grumpy for too long. “You really found gummy bears?”

Grinning like a proud hunter, home with his kill, Zack pulled a cellophane bag from his jacket pocket, swinging it from his fingers in front of Anna’s nose. “I found a whole case of gummy bears and two cases of candy necklaces. Oh, yes—and games. Candyland, Monopoly, Twister. We can find all kinds of things to keep us occupied.” He slowly uncoiled his teasing, bone-melting smile again, making the room seem suddenly smaller and a great deal warmer. “Trust me, Anna Smith. I’m an expert when it comes to handling predicaments.”

“And now we’ll have sharing time,” Zack announced in his best Sunday school teacher’s voice.

Anna’s baby blues narrowed. She was nobody’s fool; she had nixed the idea of playing Twister right off the bat. Instead, they had spent an hour playing the ever-popular board game, Candyland. Despite Zack’s dark mutterings about “sissy games,” he played along like a good sport and emerged the winner. After that they’d found a chess game. Again Zack won. He never seemed to need any time at all to ponder his next move, yet his strategy was astonishing. The win, he claimed, meant that it was now his turn to choose the next activity.

“And what precisely do you want to share during sharing time?” Anna asked cautiously. She was leaning with her back against the wall, legs stretched out before her. Her boots were off, as was her long black coat. Zack sat opposite, leaning against a four-foot-high box of paper towels with his jacket for a pillow, chewing on a candy necklace he was wearing.

“Stuff.” He grinned, wriggling his eyebrows like the evil villain Snidely Whiplash. He’d been flirting shamelessly throughout the chess game, inspired by the way she slowly ran her tongue along the edge of her upper lip when pondering her next move. Unfortunately, he hadn’t seen much progress. Anna took every teasing comment he made in stride, easily holding her own. She was accustomed to men flirting with her. She didn’t think it was so much her looks that were inspiring the attention as much as it was the basic nature of men. It had become tiresome, to say the least. While in high school, she had first heard the old saying, “Men never make passes at girls who wear glasses.” She had gone right out and purchased a pair of non-prescription eyeglasses, but the old adage had proved false. Glasses or no glasses, she was destined to be the target of masculine interest. She realized early on that very few of her admirers were interested in her fine character, lively sense of humor or steadfast loyalty. Nine times out of ten, it was a purely physical attraction, something along the lines of, “Lie down, I think I love you.”

Anna had learned to cope quite well, and wasn’t thrown a bit by Zack’s obvious interest. When he complimented her on her glorious, waist-length hair, she told him his own razor-cut style was very flattering for his square-jawed face. Appalled, he immediately went on the defensive. He did not have his hair styled, he had it cut, plain and simple. Anna had opened her big blue eyes very wide and innocently apologized. It seemed to her that the man wasn’t used to being frustrated by women.

“Whatever.” She shrugged. “At least this is one game you can’t actually beat me at. I’m a kindergarten teacher, so I’m very experienced when it comes to sharing time.”

“I never, ever had a kindergarten teacher who looked like you. If I had, I would have put off going into first grade for a few years. So, anyway, we’ll take turns asking each other questions. If we choose not to answer, we have to take a dare.”

“That’s not the way we have sharing time in kindergarten.”

“Of course it isn’t. We’re adults, darn it, and we’ll have sharing time like adults.”

“Says the man who is wearing a candy necklace. Okay, you won Candyland and the chess game, so I get to go first. Yes?”

“Well…” Zack nodded, somewhat suspicious. “I guess so.”

Anna tipped her head back against the wall, popping another couple of gummy bears into her mouth. “Okay. When was the last time you cried?”

“What?” Zack immediately gagged on his candy. This was completely unacceptable. Despite the fact he was wearing a necklace, he was a macho kind of guy through and through. He usually carried a gun, for Pete’s sake. Men who wore guns did not admit to crying. He couldn’t think of a single male friend who would even admit to having tear ducts. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right?”

“Wrong. I’m serious.”

“That’s ridiculous! No way am I answering that.” If he did, he would have to tell her he shed a couple of tears a week earlier when he saw Where The Red Fern Grows on late-night television. “Ask me something else. Anything.”

She shrugged, cheerfully biting the head off a gummy bear. “No way. You can’t pick and choose your questions.”

“Oh, but I can.” He took off his candy necklace for emphasis, throwing it over his shoulder. “I don’t care what you ask me, it can’t be as bad as the first question.”

“You don’t think so?” She tilted her head sideways, studying him with mischief in her electric-blue eyes. For the first time since leaving Grayland Beach, she was actually having a good time. Zack Daniels was more than just a pretty face—or rather, good-looking face. He was funny, incredibly quick-witted and an entertaining verbal sparring partner. Anna had never made the mistake of thinking good looks were an indication of a good nature, but she did appreciate the diversion. What woman wouldn’t? “I’m going to enjoy this,” she said, rubbing her hands together with great anticipation. “Okay, I’ll take pity on you and ask you another question. When was the last time you lied?”

Zack winced. Actually, the last time he’d lied had been about two hours earlier, when he’d told her how upset he was that they were locked in the basement. “Having sharing time was a bad idea. I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to play anymore.”

“Don’t be such a chicken.”

“I’m not a chicken, I’m a dignified male who refuses to look stupid.” He paused, giving her an “I dare you to make me” look. “Keep this up and I’m going to start chipping away at the concrete wall with my pocketknife to escape from here. You’re a threat to my masculinity, do you know that? And I’ve only known you for—” he consulted his watch “—one hour and fifty-five minutes. You’re scary.”

Anna laughed, throwing back her head and slapping her palms on her jeans-clad thighs. “And you’re easy. Round one goes to me. Finally I win at something.”

Zack opened his mouth to deliver a delightfully witty comeback, then promptly forgot the words. She made a heart-stopping picture, this vibrant, light-filled creature with soul-piercing eyes and clouds of bright hair swirling around her shoulders. Her sweater was tight enough to show she was a woman and loose enough to show she was a lady. His eyes slid over the entire fetching picture, lingering on her shoeless feet. Here was another surprise. Her black stockings were shot through with glittering silver question marks. And her toes curled when she laughed. She was an original.

He sighed heavily, for the moment giving up on being witty. He was certainly man enough to show he wasn’t immune to her extraordinary charm. Besides, he wanted to further distract her from sharing time. “I have to tell you something,” he said, tilting his head sideways in a pantomime of thoughtful consideration. “You are definitely the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life.”

She lifted her eyebrows curiously, as if waiting for him to make his point.

“That was a compliment,” Zack explained, in the tone of one speaking to the mentally impaired. Never had he experienced so much trouble trying to get into a little trouble. “What is it with you? You never react to anything quite the way I expect.”

She shrugged, finishing off the last surviving gummy bears. “Who says how someone should react to things? I have this friend named Frank, and he has the most amazing analytical mind. He always tells me the world would be a much saner place if people acted and not reacted. It makes sense, don’t you think?”

“Frank?” Zack said, reacting for all he was worth. “Who is Frank?”

“I told you, he’s my friend. He’s a judge, so you can imagine how interesting he is. When he sits on the bench, he looks just like an avenging angel, with his black robe and silver hair.”

“Silver hair?” Zack seized on that one immediately. “Then he’s old?”

Anna frowned at him. “No, he just has prematurely silver hair. It’s beautiful. As I was saying, Frank contends that emotions are something to be governed, not something that governs us. He talks like that, kind of stuffy. But he’s fascinating to listen to, and the stories he tells—”

“I don’t like Frank,” Zack told her, sounding a little stuffy himself. “I don’t want to talk about Frank. If I had a really ugly dog, I would name him Frank.”

“You don’t even know Frank. I swear, you’re just like Davy.”

“Oh, hell.” Zack stood up, mentally adding frustrating to the list of words that described this surprising woman. “And Davy would be…?

“Davy is also a friend. He’s what you would call a man’s man, someone who lives for hunting season and fishing season and any other manly season you can think of. He also likes to climb very high mountains. My point is, like you, he has a tendency to—”

“Don’t you have any friends who are women?”

“Not many, actually. My father was a high school football coach. The players were always coming to the house. I met some of my best friends that way. Anyway, when Davy isn’t off hunting elk or climbing mountains, he takes his shirt off and models for covers of romance novels. You might have seen his picture.”

The light of battle flared in Zack’s eyes. “Are you suggesting I read romance novels?”

“No, although I don’t know why that would bother you. The point I am trying to make—”

“Wait a minute,” said Zack. “Do I look like a model to you?”

“This is ridiculous. Will you put a lid on your testosterone and listen? Like many macho men, Davy is someone who has been known to react emotionally rather than think things through.”

A tiny muscle went tic-tic-tic in Zack’s hard brown cheek. “Well, I am not someone who reacts emotionally. I am in complete control of myself at any given moment. Cool, calm and collected. Ask my buddies how well I discipline my emotions if you don’t believe me.”

“I see,” she said in a sweet voice. “You never do anything impulsively.”

“I’m saying that I have incredible self-control.” Reflecting on this, Zack realized that anyone who knew him well would be rolling on the floor and laughing hysterically about now. Especially Captain Todd. “How did we get on this subject, anyway? Considering we just met, don’t you think you’re making way too many assumptions about me?”

“I’m sorry. I do that, draw conclusions about people right off the bat. I don’t really judge them, I just look in their eyes and…sort of feel what they’re all about. It’s a gift I have.” Humming beneath her breath, Anna picked her way through boxes, files and crates, searching for something more nutritious than candy. “People usually give off vibes, and I really do believe you can look into someone’s eyes and read them.”

Zack followed her zigzag pattern across the room, bound and determined to make his point. “I want you to understand something. In my line of work, I can’t afford to be affected by personal emotions. I’m told that I’m very good at what I do, so obviously I have the ability to remain calm and focused on my objective. Also, unlike your friend Delbert—”

“Davy.”

“Whatever. Unlike what’s-his-bucket, I don’t make a habit of living on an emotional seesaw. Besides, there is no way in the world you can look into someone else’s eyes and know what they’re like, what they’re thinking or feeling. People have too many protective layers these days. It’s a defense mechanism we all have. And considering the criminal elements in our society, it’s a good thing to be cautious.”

“No one can keep their true nature hidden completely.”

“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong,” Zack told her with the sage voice of experience. “I’ve known several people who could hide their true natures completely. Unless they choose to take the mask off, no one has a clue who they are or what they’re capable of.”

“You seem awfully familiar with the ‘criminal element.’ You’re not a criminal, are you?”

“Of course I’m not a criminal. Do I look like someone who could rob a bank?”

“Yes,” Anna said instantly, grinning at the insulted look on his face. “And you also look like a person who wouldn’t get caught, either. You’re very…confident.” She bent over, huffing and puffing as she struggled to lift one box off the other. “Look at the label on the box beneath this—beef jerky. Yippee! What is your line of work, anyway? No, wait. Let me guess. You look like you would be very photogenic. Are you a model?”

For the second time that night, but with even more fire, “The hell you say! Look, you’re going to hurt yourself. Let me.”

Anna was more than happy to move aside and let the big strong man lift the heavy box. “Okay, okay. I was just teasing. I’ll be serious now. Let’s see. There are any number of professions a man like you could be suited for. You’re obviously familiar with a shady side of society. Are you a public defender?”

“Sort of,” Zack replied. “I defend the public quite a bit, as a matter of fact. No more guesses? Use your ESP, Anna.” He set the box on the floor and turned to her, both hands planted on his hips. “Can’t you look in my eyes and know all my secrets?”

Anna’s smile grew wider. “Oh, I’ve had you pegged from ‘Hello.’ Not your profession, maybe, but definitely your nature. You’re a typical male—you like to win every game you play. You’re so intelligent it’s scary, you flirt like a pro and you’ve had enough experience with the world to make you a little cynical. You can also laugh at yourself, and you enjoy helping people. How am I doing so far?”

“Pretty good. Except that bit about me being typical.” Zack teasingly fluttered his lashes at her. “I like to think I’m somewhat out of the ordinary.”

She opened her eyes wide, speaking in a spooky, Vincent Price voice. “I can see into your soul, Zack Daniels. I know who you are inside and out.”

Softly he said, “Lady, you haven’t even scratched the surface yet.” Zack took one step, just enough to bring his sneakers and her stocking toes together. His eyes locked on hers, and his smile took on a slick and dangerous curve. This flirtatious, provocative dance was familiar ground for him. He was face-to-face with an incredibly appealing woman, and he was tired of being on the defensive. In addition to chess, there were certain other games he played very well; he had it on the best of authority. And he was getting increasingly hungry to play them with Anna. “I’m going to give you a chance to prove your point. Look in my eyes.” He lowered his voice, imitating Anna’s eerie delivery. “Tell me what I’m thinking, oh great and wonderful wizard. Read me.”

Here was something new. The atmosphere between them changed in a heartbeat. One moment they were lighthearted and teasing, the next moment a sharp awareness slipped into the narrow space dividing their bodies, stealing their smiles in a sneak attack. Zack was suffocatingly close, seeming larger than life, every powerful physical attribute he possessed magnified ten times over. Anna stared mutely at the way his ragged lashes cast half-moon shadows on his cheeks, the sharp flecks of blue in his smoky gray eyes. She could smell the faintest hint of his cologne, something musky and very male. His glossy, jet-black hair was shimmering almost wetly beneath the overhead lights, a devilishly dark halo. She could feel him reaching out to her, urging, pulling at her. And she couldn’t pretend not to understand the look in his restless gray eyes.

Her body was buzzing and tickling, her respiration coming in short, quick catches. She couldn’t step back; she couldn’t pull her eyes from his. Her lips parted on a strand of breath, her eyes widened with awareness.

Anna wasn’t a woman who carelessly took risks, but suddenly she realized she wanted to walk the knife-edge line between safety and danger. Zack was virtually a stranger, which added a tantalizing dose of the unknown to the moment. He was charismatic, he was ultraconfident, he was one hundred percent male. And even if she wanted to, she couldn’t get away from him until they were rescued. Zack Daniels and his hedonist’s smile was temptation in the finest masculine incarnation she had ever seen.

As she studied his face, she deliberately allowed her imagination to wander into an unfamiliar and reckless curiosity. In an oddly distant way she knew she was safe. A brief lowering of her defenses wouldn’t change that. In a matter of hours they would be going their separate ways, back to their own lives. She would never see him again. And meanwhile the chemistry sizzling between them was pressing her to experiment. Just a little, and no one but Anna and Zack would ever know. One short moment in time when consequences wouldn’t matter.

Why not?